"A DARK CHAPTER IN NEW ZEALAND HISTORY."

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 698, 8 July 1869, Page 3

"A DARK CHAPTER IN NEW ZEALAND HISTORY."

(Prom the Wellington Independent, 26th June.) We have glanced over a pamphlet called "A Dark Chapter in New Zealaud History," produced with the apparent object of influencing the late debate. If that was the intention' it certainly ought to have failed in its object, for the color of prejudice is too übvious for such a production to have much weight. It is anonymous, but we attach little importance to this, because it is always easy to find a man of straw when the apparent writers of such attacks are desirous to evade publicity or prosecution. We regard the work as a bunch of political squibs for the use of those who wish to throw them at the present Government, and though surmises willjdoubtless be made, it is without importance to any but the person libelled who the writer may be. We observe that the good name of our race, the interest of the colony, and even the most familiar acts all go down prostrate before the Juggernaut's car in which the writer puts Mr M'Lean. We learn that the East Coast campaign was successful. We are proud to recollect it. We also know that Mr M'Leau was allowed a great deal of latitude iu the support

1 he might afford to the friendly natives, in arms, money, and men, and moreover, that he was politic enough to use that power largely and successfully. We know that the Ngatiporou, having been aided to protect themselves, proved very willing to fight for us as stoutly as those of their race who are in rebellion fight against us, and that they were liberally treated in every respect except that of pay, -which it was understood tbey were not to have. Paying allies had not then very generally come into fashion, and even arming them bad not been before attempted; on a large scale. Those fine old daysare past. The mercenary now dictate* his terms, and very high ones too. He obeys orders if he likes; and if he disobeys knows he can find pakeha3 of influence to support him. He fights as little and takes as long about that little, as he can. The pay, the intrigues of parties, and such writings as the pamphlet before us, have destroyed our domestic barbarian, and rendered him almost a worse enemy than the barbarian in the bush, Mr M Lean, the strongest opponent possible of self-reliance, accepted, we read, from Mr Weld, the task of pacification of the East Coast, and had the astuteness to support the great tribe of Ngatiporous with the most unsparing hand. They did not want men, but he sent, and wisely sent a few ; they dearly wanted guns, and he distributed one a piece to the tribe. They wanted food and articles of clothing; tbey were distributed with no niggard hand. It is not difficult to understand that this was popular with the people of Napier, where such large read/ money purchases were made, and as the campaign ended well, laid the foundation of a reputation which aided by the Maori Representation Bill, is at present a tower of strength to its party. But Mr M'Lean's fame is partly that of the Cabinet, and the confusion of the remarks on the Bth page about his arrival "with the victorious forces" should not lead anybody to mistake Mr M'Lean's share —which was purely civil —in these operations. During all the fighting he was at Napier, but he visited the troops occasionally in the field, and on one occasion—possibly on others —tried, like Mr Parris on the West Coast whether the enemy could be talked into submission. At least every excuse for lenity was thus removed. If we are not mistaken, another M.P. (Tareha) accompanied him on his professional tour; but it was unfortunately unsuccessful, and he therefore very rightly returned to Napier, leaving the Hauhaus to their fate. The difficulty of a campaign conducted close to the sea, and actually round the homesteads of a great bulk of the force, is curiously exaggerated. Politically, we were right to send a small force to the coast, but practically it was a Maori campaign, presided over by the European who was most influential with Maoris, and in which, by giving one side more arms and ammunition than the other possessed, and by allowing them the whole control of the affair, many pas were taken and many Hauhaus killed, while the bulk —as always happens—got away. The war brought to an end, the pamphlet truly says, the land was placed at Mr M'Lean's disposal, as indeed it was recently at that of Mr Richmond. We agree he was a very proper person to settle it, but we demur to the reasons given for his not doing so. Nothing was done for a year, but the real truth is that during that year the agitatioa for the annexation of the East Coast to Hawke's Bay was going on, and it was not till after the next session that Major Biggs was, sent under Mr M'Lean's orders to carry out the scheme for which the opportunity had beeu lost. It is only fair to say this, because we feel sure that this confusion of dates is intentional. Poverty Bay pa was taken on. the 22nd November, 1865, and Major Biggs was sent to Poverty Bay under, Mr M'Lean in November, 1866. During this period conflicting interests arose, in spite of Mr M'Lean's reiterated remonstrance against settlement, till the land question was put at rest; and individuals acquired the use of land contrary to his effort and desire. In this we recognise Mr M'Lean's right intention, and also the temptation to which he was exposod of favoring the settlers of his own province to avoid a loss of popularity among them. This fact should be born© in mind, for had

Mr M'Lean's plan of keeping back settlement till the land question had been settled succeeded, none of the tragedies which followed would have occurred, and settlement pushed against the views and consent of the Government must be undertaken at a certain risk. The story of the escape of the pri soners and many other parts of this book are graphically described. We know that there is another side to the story of the Poverty Bay quarrel with Colonel Whitmore. We know the difficulties an officer placed as he was must encounter, and are not disposed to follow the railing of the writer against him. With a handful of men, under thirty, he had hurried to the rescue, a civilian in all but name, without pay, and practically, as the law stood, without authority, and found a beaten force —able, with his own, to have retrieved their disaster — absolutely determined not to proceed till the enemy had got beyond pursuit. People under such circumstances are apt to be hasty, and it is probable he may have said hard things; but what we have to say is, that if a community existing at its own risk in a prohibited district does not heartily second efforts made for its assistance, and take a few rubs by the way, self-reliance in thencase amounts to very little. We shall notice further the conclusion of this pamphlet on a future occa s.o 1.