THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, April 7, 1853. MEMOIR OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 112, 7 April 1853, Page 2

THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, April 7, 1853. MEMOIR OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

The peoplo of Great Britain have recently been called upon to lament the death of one of the most eminent of their warriors and statesmen. Alter seeming the independence of his nalive country I—sitter liavinj; been llierliief agent in accomplishing and inainlaiiiing 'lie long and houoiirnhlc peace which I'ltrope, Cor Ilia liisl si veil and thirly veins, lias enjoyed ;—litter ii yoiilli anil nuniliooil spent amidst llio toils anil Imiiioils ol' war; titter a lengthened raieer devoted lo llie servii e of his Ouccn and Country ; the great llid.e ol' Wellington, Cull ol' years, oC honour, ai:d prosperity, has calmly passed roai lime unto etiTiiily at the advanced age ol' oC eighty Your years. The vast renown of tin- conqueror ol* Napoleon is not unknown to our lo our .Maori readers. ll' we are tempted to pre,< 111 them Willi a rapid sKeich ol' his illustrious ryreer, it is lo show that his sword was never drawn through idle lust ol' coinptosl, or in pursuit of that bloodstained plianloni glory ; hut simply in obedience lo llie voice ol'iliily, and in pies'nation of the rights oC maiiKind.

It is a singular circumstance thai Wellington :iinl Napoleon wore both born in the same year; nml that both sliunlil have re. (•(•i\c(l the elements of their ednralion in dilVcrcnl military scliouls of France. At hS' years of age Wellington was appointed lo an eusigncy in Ihe 75rd Itogt., passing, iliiriii;; bis several slops of promotion, lo a Captaincy ol' the .'.Slh Hegl., (aI present ill Auckland) until he hecanie l.iciilciiaut-tlo-liiiil'l ol' Ihe ."."inl licgimenl. Al Ihis period ol' his life he was 2(i years of age hi- look a part in l!u: wars caused by tin; Ureal French Revolution", bill as those wars were mostly lo the advantage ol' Ihe French; and as (he Fnglish troops were vvilh Iravvu from ihe eoiitiiient ol' Fiiropc, Wellington and bis regiment were speedily despatched to maintain the supremacy of Croat Hi'ilain in her Fast Indian lerrilories. In India the career ol' Wellington first paved the way lo Ihe honours and distinctions which were snbsetpteully so lavishly am! so deservedly heaped upon him. Several ol" (he most powerful native 'Princes of India, moved by the crafty importunities of Franco, broke the treaties they had entered into and levied war against Croat Ilrilaiu. These Princes were the must powerful of all India. Men of undauuleil valour, and posossod of large armies of infanlry, cavalry, and artillery; many of their I mops being trained and disciplined by French Officers. hi..,poiul of numbers Ibey were invariably immensely superior to ihe F.nglish; but such was Ihe charyelor of Ihe jKuglish generals, and such (he prowess of ihe British soldiers thai Ihe siege of each successive stronghold, and Ihe result of each successive bailie only added fresh triumphs lo the Uritisli arms and Ihe more firmly established Ihe ISrilish power. In several of these, bailies and sieges, Wellington commanded. And, perhaps, no victory ever was more complete than that which he accomplished al a village, called Assaye, where with K.OOO troops, he engaged, and put to irretrievable route upwards of .".0,01)0 of the inosl choice warriors of India. The naliii-c of our biographical sketch j

1 ioiliiils us from riUerint; inlo particulars; siillire it lo say dial whe;v\er lie carried his :11ms Wrlliiigloii proved vitlorious ; anil thai alter a .service ol' nine years the inasl advantageous lo liic honour anil iuleivsls of deal lirilaiu, wilh licallli inipaircil hy an Kaslern eliniale Wcllinylon relumed I > I-aiy-lauil. The period of Wolliuelou's reliiril In laiglaml was a mc-l momentous one. Tliroiij;l>0111 every coiinliy of Kiiri.po, Napoleon hail rarrieil conipii\M anil subjugation in his Main. Ity lauil thai is lo say in Kjjypl, Calabria, ami in Spain l>h arms were alone able lo iulerpoie brief and iuelTci-lual thicks lo Ihe icmVili ss - M.es ol' ihe I'lenili iauperor. lai'lauil cM-eplcil, Kuropc lay proMialc al his I'ecl ; ami, from llic insular pcsilion of t'.u:;lainl, li.r almo.-l cM-lnave means nl' ei uiilerlialaMi'iu;; i.e ovcrnlielmiu;.: power of Napoleou was ci.nl'aail lo Ihe cneri;) am! 1111cipialleil skill ami valour ol' her naval couimanilcrs. As a general |irineiplc a I'rcmli licet hail lull 10 risk an encounter wilh an Heel lo lie sunk, liiirnl, oreaplureil. Wlial Napohmi proveil lo his locs on land, Nelson, (ihe e;realesl sailor Ihe world ever saw) proved lo Napoleon and Ihe l'rencli al sea. l'leel al'ler Heel ol' the l'rcneh was annihilalcd; anil so eomplelcly were Ihe Kuylisli inaslcrs of ihe sea, —Ihal lo espy, to givi; chase dlo caplun.' Frcnrli ships Win daily occurrences. Lord Nelson having, wilh -"1 Ilrilish ships, fouyhl ami conquered" llio comhiued l'rencli and Spanish "flccls of .">."> ships at Tralaltiar, Cell morlally vvounilcd and ilicd immeilialcly al'ler llic bailie. llul his work was cll'eelually jierrormed. Thiyiiaval power of Kranec was crushed. And-siiico llial lime, —now up- ' wards of forlj'-scveu years,—Spain has never cipiip]icd Iklollicr Heel.

A ii'.oufh previous lo lliis unequalled naval viriory, Wellington arrived in F.ngland. ('■cruiauy was tlii'ii Mihjerl (o Napoleon,— Italy completely siihducd—Hussia overawed —and, in three years thereafler, Spain, which liad quarrelled with Napoleon, was overrun willi immense and vielorious armies of Frenchmen. Portugal, likewise, had licen invaded; and nothing shorl of the mastery of ihi; whole world appeared likely lo saliale Napoleon's amhiliou. During llie year ISOS, Wellington was appointed Commander nf a llriiish Army lo assist Spain, and. if possihle, los cure her and Portugal from the fangs of the French. Tin: hope, even to I'nglish eyes, appeared lo ho a forlorn one. For whilst Wellington had hul from '20,000 lo 10,(100 llriiish soldiers a I his command, then; were at least half a dozen of the ulo.il distinguished Conerals of Franco opposed to him, and each of these with distinct, and far more numerous armies at Iheir disposal. These Coiierals were famous throughout lairope for their coiupiests over the lie.sl and liravesl armies opposed lo them ; whilst the reputalion of Wellington had only heeu gained in the dislaul and little known wars of India. So Inpel'ss did the struggle appear lo he lo ,;"•' countrymen of Wellington—so little, did lli'-y then dream oT his extraordinary character and menial superiority, thai his opposition to Masscua, Soldi, Suihel, and oilier . French leaders was accounted little hetler than niailiiess on the pari of the I'nglish Covcrnmcut that employed him. However, Wellington nit* opposed lolhcm. \l First he stooil on the defensive; never atacking his enemy hul when lie could-do so dvanlageously; healing all his opponents i successive bailies, wresting cities and

• sl iongholds from hi-; grasp—forcing him out <>l" Portugal,—driving liiin through Spain—and v;iiipii>!iing !ii-11 on hi; own ij;i!l\o I'railCl'. Hy this moiiiis liter world was ovc-!tl:i:il!y liberated; iiml Hie pivscnl Ion;; and happy peace secured : because l!ii' compie.a.s of Wellington in S|i:iiii, and Ili«? dia,!.is of .Napoleon in lliissiii, induced Italy and Cerinany lo llii'ow oil'the yo'.ic ol' the oppressor. and lo co:ii!iiiic in arms Tor his nvcrihrow. The Cnglish iirmy of Wellington, an.l Ihe armies «■!" I!nssi;i :iml (ieruiauy ilrovi- I hiI'rcurh iriiiiii|ili:inily before lliem, until Paris tins capital ill" I'ra'.iri; \y:is occupied and Napoleon dethroned. ! Peace immediately followed. Hill, :i!'lcr a year, Napoleon escaped from Llba llie iI lain! of his exili 1 , and returned in I'lance I where he was once again proclaimed Kiaperor. lie, in vain, endeavoured to pro- : piliale llie powers nl' Kurope; and had no allernalive to niiiiiiliiin his position than hy attacking in detail the armies of ICtirope i marching from :dl ipiarlcrs against him. Two hallles were fought;— one against the tieriuaus in which lie was successful. And one against Wellington in which he was dually anil disastrously overlhrown. In licit l>:illlt!—the hallle of Waterloo—a frightful carnage on holh sides ensued. [Silt it stamped Wellinglon as the grealesi general of the age; and it ensured lor luirope upwards of Ihirly-seven years of nearly uninterrupted peace. Kmtv lionoiir lh:il a grateful nation could confer, or that liberated I'urnpe could lieslow, was showereil upon Wellington. lit; was ereiiled al> :l<c and a I'rinee. He leceivcd a large grant of public money, and was put in possession of of a magnificent eslate. lint great as his career in war his conduct in peace has been no less distinguished. His wise councils have lor the last sevcu-am!-lliirly years ever been exercised for the welfare of the Country he served so long, so faithfully, and so well. He has al length paid the debt of nature, wept by his friends, mourned by his own nation, and ropeeled by llie world al large. He has been consigned lo (he grave wilh all the honours that a grateful Ouccn and Country could bestow. A million and a half of people attended his funeral,---and amongst these, Prince Allien, and all (he great ones or laiglaud, and many of the most distinguished men id' oilier nations, 'f he funeral ceremony was extraordinarily grand; and as a lining tomb, the grealesi of Cngiand's soldiers has been laid side by .side, ill Ihe Church of Si. Paul's at London, by llu; grealesi of ihe world's sailors. Nelson and Wellington, the joint presences of Kuglisli and luiropeau independence now occupy the same gr;n<;. The one died early ami ] mill fully in the sanguinary but glorious execution of his duly. The j other h:is closed a long and eventful life al a i period beyond thai usuallyallolted lo man— ! iljing in peace; and happiness—without suf-: feeing- or struggle; and uiniiKl Iheregrelsl anil laineiilalions of a people who feel how ■■ truly and how unshrinkingly all his acts were guided by the high ami holy principle . of 1)1 TV. i