COLONEL WHITHMORES SERVICES, AND THEIR REWARD.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 730, 28 October 1869, Page 4

COLONEL WHITHMORES SERVICES, AND THEIR REWARD.

(From the Nelson Examiner, 2nd October.) offered to Colonel Whitmore, and it f S said he has accepted, the Order of St, Michael and St. George, in recog ■nityion of his services against the rebel natives in all'parts of the North Jsland. The despatch in which it was announced that this Order was $o be open for per-sons who might do important service in the colonies, came by the same mail which brought Impeiial sympathy and refusal of aid, Probabl y the offer of decoration to men of colonial distinction is an anachronism. At all e\ents, it .should be very sparingly acted upon. The familiarity which necessarily subsists among men in all positions in a society like ours, requires that delicate discretion should be used in conferring a mark of honor, which else will fall into utter contempt. The recipients shoiild not only have done good service, but they should be able to sustain the conventional emblems of honor—not on the basis of property, which fluctuates here too rapidly—but by personal dignity and self-respect. As, however, England has chosen this barren mode of maintaining relations with its offshoots, we cannot but rejoice that Colonel. Whitmore is among the first to whom the offer is made. It has been his misfortune that a hot political quarrel, on subjects entirely irrelevant, has found its most obvious battle-ground in the military operations of the late Government, and Colonel Whitmore was so closely associated with those operation*, that in defending his professional action with no undue bitterness, he gave a pretext to the successful party for treating him as a political foe. Thus he has been deprived of a large proportion of the official recognition to which he was entitled, and shelved at a time of difficulty when his experience and knowledge of the country were of great value. His services, unrewarded by Mr Fox and his colleagues, have been conspicuous enough to attract attention in England, and the colony will not suffer them to fall into oblivion.

Last spring, when false economy had left the out-settlers in a deplorably feeble position—when rawlevies, destitute of the morale which even in a few weeks a leader of firm will, clear head, and high purpose can infuse into his men, had fled disastrously from a handful of cannibals against whom they had been sent without plan or organization—Colonel "Whitmore was requested by the Government to undertake a charge whiGh Colonel M'Donnell himself appears to have felt to be too heavy for his abilities. Colonel Whitmoie had then a reputation to lose, and the sole inducement to him to peril his character was the good citizen's and the good soldier's sense of duty. He was well known in the Queen's service. Distinguished at the Staff College, and experienced in Kaffir warfare, he was selected specially as military Secretary to General Cameron; and after serving under that commander, he was placed in honorary command in the district he chose as his home. Under him that effective little band was organized which first carried the standard of colonial self reliance to the goal of peace—we mean the East Coast force of 1865, which fought that brilliant campaign that made the names of Major Eraser and Major Biggs household words. Afterwards, the prompt energy of Colonel led our men —this time shopkeepers from the streets of Napier—to success at Omaranui. From that time he continued to pommand the Hawke's Bay Militia, and was in command when the Chatham Island prisoners escaped. He acted on that occasion with characteristic zeal. The enemy, who had routed several small bodies of men before his arrival, were pursued through snow, rain, wind, and flooded rivers, and overtaken, but too late for the exhausted pursuers to grapple ; and after a drawn skirmish they pscaped, owing to our men being out pf reach of supplies at such a season, flie events of the last summer are too fresh, to need recapitulating — £be result of them was, that on l\\§ West Coast our men pene-

trated every haunt of the enemy, anil the Ngatiruanui and Hgarauru tribe's were crushed, a legacy of a hundred prisoners being left to Mr Fox to deal with. On the East, the murderous band of Te Kooti was reduced to one-third its numbers, and his allies suffered in equal proportion. A hill and bush pa, formidable beyond any that has ever been attacked in New Zealand, was taken, and Kooti routed. Reappearing in the East, North, and centre, he was followed into the haunts of his allies, the Uriwera, till then deemed inaccessible. This wild tribe received heavy punishment,and plan* were organized and roads made for further operations against them, and for establishing our men in Taupo, the strategical centre of the country. Colonel Whitmore, after a year of immense hardship, during which his large private enterprises were necessarily neglected in a critical period, was carried on board the steamer prostrate with illness, to take that rest which his life demanded, and before he could return to his post a change of Ministry had taken place. He proposed to go back at once to his force, but was not permitted. After many petty annoyances, and many vain efforts on his part to obtain a decision as to his future position—for he was unwilling to let impatience on his part drive him from the post of duty in difficult times—he was offered by Mr Fox employment in the storekeeper's and rations department, at a salary of £6OO per annum. This was virtually dismissing him, and he declined, requesting leave to return to hh district command. Mr Bell promised that this should be arranged, but on resuming duty, he was curtly informed by telegram that his previous office had been filled up. Thus New Zealand rewards her best and most successful soldiers! With a full knowledge of all that can be said in disparagement of Colonel Whitmore, we say advisedly that no man has done so much for the colony in the field, or at so prolonged and serious a risk of reputation, health, and life. His successors have veterans, covered with the prestige of success, to command ; men who, having proved the worst that the enemy, the physical features of the country, and the rough weather can do, will follow competent men wherever they may lead. The neck of New Zealand's difficulty is broken if the country is true to itself; and we cannot but regret that it has been left to distant authorities, whose cue has for years past been to lecture and find fault with us, thus, by the same act, to give due recognition of the distinguished merit of the man who has so largely contributed to this good result, and to administer a tacit reproof, all the more severe because undesigned, to the country which has rewarded its good servant so scuryily.