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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 81, 8 April 1869, Page 2

There does not appear to be an unanimity of opinion between the Hawke's Bay journals on the action of the General Government in depriving Mr. M'Lean of his authority as its ageut on the East Coast. The Herald considers that what it terms " Mr. Stafford's iusolent treatment of the chief magistrate of the Province" must surely rouse the couutry to a sense of the necessity for taking some immediate steps to strengthen tlie hands of Her Majesty's representative in displacing before the utter ruin of the Colony is accomplished, a ministry whose "policy or rather want of policy, is fast leading to that; consummation." The Times, on the other hand, asserts that public opinion has been greatly misinterpreted by its contemporary, and that with the exception of a party, of interested persons^ the whole public is of the opposite opiniouyand it believes that in acting as" he did. Mr. M'Lean-'* exceeded the bounds

of his commission, and could reasonably look for no other result thau that which has followed." The action to whicli Mr. M'Lean owes his dismissal seems to have been thafc of preventing the departure of Ropata aud the main portion of his men for the West Coast, in opposition to the expressed wish of the Government. There can be little or no doubt that Mr. M'Lean is a man who is thoroughly acquainted with the character of the natives on the Ea-t Coast, or that he is thoroughly alive to the necessities of the inhabitants of that portion of the colony, but, at the same time, it seems to be something very closely approaching to a serious breach of discipline when au officer of the Government takes upou himself to act in direct defiance of the orders of his superiors, as was done by Mr. M'Lean in this instance. The authorities considered it necessary that reinforcements should be despatched from Hawke's Bay to the assistance of Colonel Whitmore, and, no doubt, had laid all their plans accordingly, but just as the reinforcements were about to start from Napier, Mr. M'Leau stepped in, and in his capacity of agent for the General Government, prevented their embarkation. Mr. M'Lean may have considered that the state of affeirs on the East Coast justified him 'itf acting as he did, but such a clashing of authority could not prove otherwise than disastrous in a time of war, when our native enemies are closely watching all our proceedings, and would not be slow to perceive the advantages that must accrue to them from a division in the camp of their oppouents. We are exceedingly sorry that Mr. M'Leau should have thought fit to ace as he did, bufc having done so, it seems to us that no other course was open to the Government thau that which they adopted.