Original Correspondence.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 6, 12 July 1845, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Neio-Zealander. Sir, — Though a public paper may not jrenerally be considered a tit channel fur religious subjects— yet, under oun present distressing circumstances, aud the awful events of the past week, I may perhaps be allowed to surest, through you, to our ecclesiastical authorities, that att early day should be appointed tor a public fast and prayer to Almighty God, to send us deliverance, avert impending dangers, and restore peace to this troubled land. Your well wisher, A CHURCHMAN. Auckland, July 10, 1845.

To the Editor of The Neus-Zealander. Sir,— As the troubles inro which this Colony is plunged, and the gloom which rests upon ihe future, are too well known and 100 keenly felt to need either description or proof, is it not our duty to look about us for some remedy which shall reach the case, and help us out of our difficulties. But before we fix on the cure, we shall try to trace the evil to its source. It is a remarkable and humiliating (net, that almost every attempt made to defeat the rebels by our forces has proved a failure— while those of the brave aud loyal Waka, and his equally brave compeer* have been crowned with success. How happens this ? — There is not the slightest imputation cast by the late disasters on the soldiefs or their officers — all did their duty worthy of Englishmen ; the sailors did the [ same. Still, "we were repulsed with heavy loss."-— Whoever may have under-rated the courage, the tact, or the fighting power of the natives, it should seem | that such wa& not the case with the officer command ing the troops : his measures were taken as against a powerful and wily enemy » and so were those ol Colonel Hulme in the previous conflict. — Still we seem to have made little or no progres-., but on the contrary, the enemy exults, while our cause is clearly on the wane in their estimation. Aud we cannot deny that our force is rapidly diminishing ; aud most meu of reflection are looking round with anxiety to see whether the reverberations of the late failure may not arouse more Hckes, and superinduce' more plague-spots. They feel that ignition may take place at any point right or left, distant or near. On the face of this planet it may be hoped there are no other persons placed in circumstances of such uncertainty and anxiety as the Colonists of New Zealand at this moment. Most people think and say that the fatality which attends all our efforts indicates an Invisible Hand stretched out against us. In the morals of the Maori there is not much to boast of, but compare their respect for the "sanctity of the Sabbath day with that of the British who have come among them, and how do we shrivel and aiuk by the contrast ? The same may be said of their attention to the Holy Scrip. ures; to morning and evening; worship ; their reverence of the name of God ; and their abhorrence of drunkenness.— ln all these respects they may be set forth as a pattern to us ; and our example in these, and other particulars, is shocking to them, though many ol them are but just emerging from heathenism, and others, who remain still uubaptized, and have only come under the indirect iufluence of'Chiistianuy, are shoiked to witness the wickedness of the Europeans. And need we be surprised that these things have provoked the Most High, and brought down His nghteons displeasure ? We are not independent of the Almighty, nor can we successfully contend with Him. W hen the Jews sinned, they suffered— and shall those who are called Christians escape, if they forget their vows, and profane the holy name by which they are called, and this too in the sight of the heathen ! Was it not sin that caused Israel to flic before their enemies in the da}s of Joshua, aud in the caseor Ai ? And will not

the same cause produce Liu 1 sit'ite effect noiv ? — find is unchangeable, ami He hatitii m tjuily. Is it not therefore a clear and urget.t duty incumbent on ereiy white tnaii liete to humble himself before the Lord ; to put away his sin hy repentance, anil to betake himself to earnest, penitent, and believing prayer ii — When Moses lifted up his hands in prayer, then Israel prevailed He who is accessary to another man's sin, by tasking lii in drunk or lewd, or in any other way tempting him to sin, is an enemy to his countiy, aucS must answer to his God. . Might )t not be seemly at the present crisis to observe a day of public humiliation, fasting and prayer ? Surely we are not so far gone as to be ashamed io acknowledge God, and who will say that our calamities do not urge us to such a solemn and proper course. " Wheu he slew them, then they sought him : and they returned and enquired early after God ; and they remembered that God was their rock, and the High God their Redeemer." I am, Sir, &c, WATCHMAN.

In these exciting times, it is our wish to give opportunity to any expression of opinion, couched in language moderate and impartial ; and we therefore publish the above, although It savours much of religions feelings, which we" think rather extianeou's in the columns of a newspaper. Lamentable as the late events have been, it is rather presumptuous, we think, to sit in judgment and ascribe them to the faults (to give no harsher name) of our countrymen. The comparison, in morality aud holiness, between the Natives and the Soldiers we deem unjustly harsh, as it is inapplicable j and the treatment of "^r wounded by these very strict native observers of "the sanctity of the Sabbath day," proves their religion |to be hollow, and mere pharasaical fanaticism. Hypocrisy and duplicity, in the ordinary affairs of life, are highly reprehensible 5 but in religious matters, they are perfectly detestable. Soldiers and sailors are not expec ted to be patterns of strict 1 igid sobriety and morality, however desirable that they should be so ; but as our old friend Uncle Toby declared,- '-If a soldier truly and honestly fears his God, from innate feeling oi religion, and does his duty nobly, he need not fear death in the battle field." Every man of serious reflection must feel convinced, that all the great events which have so rapidly come to pjss within the few last years in this hemisphere, especially in China, the South Sea Islands, and this* Colony, are but part and parcel of that great scheme which has been fulfilling forages, and the sequel of which is still in the womb of time — Nations, as well as individuals, whether heathen, civilized, righteous, or otherwise, are but the in* struments to accomplish the great end of an overruling Providence ; and we hold to the opinion that, in bringing to pass the mighty object of universal peace and righteousness on earth, in the latter days, so plainly foretold by piophecy, that justice, mercy,-iand punishment will be, by Omnipotence, strictly rendered : — and, in the words of an old poet, we say, that although "The gathered guilt of elder titries Shall reproduce itself in ciimesj There is a day of vengeance still, Linger it may — but come it will.'* ED. N.-ZkALANDER.

To the Editor of the New Zealander. Sir, — It is sickening to contemplate the horrible treatment which our unfoitunute fellow countrymen have experienced at the hands of the ruthlessHekeandhislollowers; when by chance, they became his prisoners , but it is plain proof, that the natives, however they may appear to the contrary, are the same as ever, when their savage nature is excited. It was argued, re-^ specting the butchery of the Wairoa, that the ' perpetrators were still heathens, having never embraced Christianity ; but now we find those beings, nurtured in the very heait of the oldest Church Mission station in the land, and who have been baptized, and admitted into Church fellowship,— we find them, resort to more inhuman and fiendish inventions, for the torture of their victims, than was even planned by Rangliiatea himself. The pure doctrines of Chris* tianily when penitently and faithfully eraljriaced, are calculated to change the heart, and the evil afl'e tions of mau j but here we see , no ,. such result, no regejn ration has 'taken place <with them; on the contrary— and while their,instructors are lauding- their excellency of character, for mercy and^usijce, we find them barbarously and amidst their hellish yells and grimaces.gluttiug their revenge on our poor countrymen, expiringlin flames ! while their cries for mercy were only .answered \<y the joyous )ellspf their tormentors But" the mercy of the wicked is cruel." It is to be fervently hoped, Sir, thatjin the next conflict, with our troops, those .monsters w,ill be finally defeated and overthrown,— r for,the "God of Battles," will not permit such cruelty to go unpunished,—*' As they have done.so shall it be requited unto them." lam Sir, Yoiu's,-&c. >Sy.jmpathy.

To the Editor of the New JZe>ilander. Sir, — Sometime since when the paid companies were first called out and enrolled, a night guard or patrol was established, but (as usual here) as soon a> the men were will up in their duties, many were dismissed, and they now .mount guard only at the Treasury and the Gaol. ,We also hear to day that an attempt is being 1 made to.recruit another company lor the Bay of Islands as Now Sir, lar Irorn intending or ..wishing to throw discredit on the intentions of those ..who will have left Auckland in all probability before your next sheet is published, still 1 would wish to draw the attention of those who remain to one or two points, and in making the observations, I will add, that they are niad'e m the belief

tffat if the necessity occurs, (li >*(* parties will he have as stuadily aud with the same decree of resolution, as from Coduu'l i>f>|)an{'s despatch ihnir fellow CoJomsts appear to have duun at the B.iy. First then, grunting; that stiong measures should be u;>ed to put down those parties who have caused so much valuable loss of European lite, and who I rejoice to see in the Comaiaudwg Officer's despatch ace termed, most properly " Rebels, 1 ' still .1 would say that these [Rebels are about our path and bed iv this quarter, .as well as at the Bay of Islands and most truly mayit be said " spying out all our ways." I I deplore a>i much as any man the loss of life that has heen occasioned by the injudicious course of misconceived favoritism, which, ftoin the -day His Excellency the Governor landed, has been pursued towards the Aborigines, and of h Inch he' now reaps the bitter fruits. Truly his bed is now auy thing; but a bed of roses. The uiain question at the present moment is one deserving grave cousidcialion, and a course once decided on, should be actively and vigorously carried out. If.any thing can be done at the Bay of Islands, Her Majesty's troops need not the additional 50 or 60 civilians who are about to go up. We have every reason to believe that There are tribes at present neutral, but only waiting to take any adyantage lor plunder that occur, and the Maoii policy is always to pounce on an undefended spot. And this course will they pursue m Auckland as at the Bay, The signs of the times are manifesting themselves, even now we hear of applications from Maories for presents, of flour and sugar, from those who instead of being their Rulers are in reality their Slaves, either from fear or morbid sensibility. Such is fact, nor docs it much matter at the present moment, which motive preponderates, but 1 can forsee the result, Auckland iv a state ot quiescence, may be attacked at auy moment, and plundered, our wives and children massacred and our property destroyed. Surely Sir, some precautiouaiy measures, ought to be adopied by way of patrol and guard. The Militia should be called out not excepting even the menial servants of officials. And in my mind those who stay behiuil firmly determined to protect the interests and safely of the women and children, in Auckland, are deserving of as much credit as those who volunteer for the Bay. Let the Government attempt to form a corps de garde, for the nightly protection of Auckland, and the jauthoriHes will find plenty of Volunteers ; and although they may have to s;ive pay, I do not think, iv the present crisis, that the expense would be much, as I believe many would di» service without pay for the sake of others. The Church is fortified, the barracks also, But are there provisions ready for the Auckland population in case of necessity? I will not further trespass on your columns at preieut, but trust that next week you will have room to ii^ert a few observations on a certain Maori habitation now building , in the Government domain. ,f I am Sir, > Your's obediently, "C. J.