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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 755, 24 January 1870, Page 4

NATIVE MATTERS. [From the Evening Post, January 15.] 'The news received fiom Auckland yesterday is very far from being satisfactory, although we have in a measure been prepared to hear it. Instead of Te Kooti being hemmed an between the King natives and the Wangauuis both anxious for his .capture,, in fulfilment of theii pledges ' it appears that he was quite free to go wliere he chose, and after a certain time spent,, no doubt, in recruiting and replenishing his ammunition and supplies, he has, as usual, slipped away, and before long we may expect to hear of him making a raid on some of the settlements on the East Coast. This, however,, is not the worst of the news. It is evident that the King natives, with the duplicity of their race, have depep eel Mr M'Lean, and, while professing their desire for peace, have jbeen strengthening their hands for ■war, calculating, perhaps, on the departure of the troops. It is impossi ble that Kooti could have left their | .territory without their connivance, . and it: is more than likely that he ; 'carries with him the sympathy of a large proportion of their number. The King has gathered around him a formidable following, for what purpose is not known; but certainly not for our assistance against Kooti. The 600 men who, under the ausr pices of Mr Fox, left. Upper Wanganui with flags flying, guns firing, and all the ?'pomp am' circumstance of • Mauri war," have either made a separate peace with the v enemy, or else waxed lukewarm in our cause. We hear nothing of them ; but it would be folly to believe that they could not have come into collision with Te Kooti had they so chosen. Most probably we shall learn of their return home in a few days in a somewhat more staid way than that of their departure, and with a supply of good rifles as the fruits of their marcV Of course arms given to Maoris are Hike water spilled upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again." Thus, then, it would seem that the negotiations with the Waikafcos have iailed in producing any beneficial result, and an attack on Waikato is still possible; while as yet Mr Fox',« jdiplomacy has only resulted in armin<* -a lew more doubtful natives. The threatening cloud which is again rising on cur horizon may perchance pass away without a tempest—it is sincerely to be hoped it may—but at all events it is a earning which we liquid be worse than foolish to neglect. We have already seen the failure of personal influence to control the Maoris for any length of time. Sir George Grey used it to the utmost withoivt success, and though Mr M'Lean has employed it skilfully, it is not, as we said on a former occasion, sufficient to trust ■j>he safety of the colony tq. Already we have experienced the disastrous effects of relaxing our defensive preparations during the continuance of a transient peace, ancl we should take warning by the past. It is only tqo ident that the spirit of turbulence and the love of war and blqqdjisli/ec) is too deeply engrafted in Maori minds ever to be. reasoned qut of jaeger of Christianity ancj civilisation which has been placed on then] —more fiercely in the yoimg tjian in the old—and we must be prepared to repress these savages with the,

strong hand #ntil their inevitable 4ecrea.se, an<J our ,certjain increase, renders, thera powerless for mischief. By lavish expenditui e of money, and aC the cost of much disaster and many valuable' lives, the Colonial forces have acquired a fair share of military skill and discipline (which .alone can render then? useful), and we possess military officers competent to command, and experienced in Maori warfare. In Heaven's name let us not cast avay the fruits of years of toil, and commence an .experiment with a civil force which can only prove a failure. We have to contend with men thoroughly versed and disciplined in their own mode of warfare; only by superior discipline and military discipline can we hope to beat them, and it cannot be too often insisted upon that converting our troops into policemen is virtually laying down our arms in front of the enemy. We are now warned that renewed war is not improbable; let us prepare to meet it by placing what force we can muster in the best fighting order possible, and, above all, under command of men who know how to lead them. We cannot afford any more Te Ngutu-o-te-manus or Paparutus.