TWENTIETH REPORT OF THE COURT OF DIRECTORS OF THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 76, 14 November 1846, Page 2

TWENTIETH REPORT OF THE COURT OF DIRECTORS OF THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY.

tfoV will have seen, from the correspondence of which a copy has been transmitted to every Proprietor, that we have lost no time after Mr. Secretary Gladstone became Colonial Minister, in drawing the attention of her Majesty's Government to the grievous state ol New Zealaud, and in urging the necessity of prompt interference by the only competent authority l« order to save from destruction the settlements which you have founded, and t>o far to restore the public confidence in your power of usefulness as to enable you to resume the functions assigned to you by your charter. The same correspondence will have informed you that the efforts which we have continually ma!de for months past to obtain a decision of the most important questions have hitherto been in vain. We sincerely believe that the views of Mr. Gladstone and his colleagues, with respect to the policy of the Imperial Government in its relations with the colonists, the natives, and the Company, do not materially differ from those which we have expressed in our correspondence with the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister; but if this opinion is well founded, her Majesty's Government must have some reasons besides the one with which we have, been made acquainted for desiring to postpone the adoption of practical measures'suitable to the, exigences of tue case.' The reason is the necessity of waiting until reports shall be received from Govei'nor Fitzßoy's successor. This is an indefinite postponement. ' * It appears by the latest accounts from New Zealand that Governor Grey had not visited your settlements, but after entering upon office at the' seat of government had proceeded to the Bay of Islands, ' where there are no settlers,, for the purpose of superintending the war in that neighbourhood. What may be the issue of th's contest it is difficult to conjecture; but even if the comparatively insignificant tribes whom, Governor Grey found in open rebellion against Governor F.tzßoy's authority, should be promptly subdued, there is every reason to fear that he will have to contend with difficulties ot a still more seiipus nature arising from the errors of his predecessor, and in some measure from the instructions which have beeu transmitted to himself. This 'is a iii'atter of so much importance that we must draw your particular attention to it. The great bulk of the aborignal population of New Zealaud inhabit the portions of the Northern Island which surr^uull the seat of government. It is known that the tribes iti the immediate neighbourhood of "Auckland can hiuster ten thousand fighting men.— These tribes*which at one time regarded the Queen's authority and the White race in general with sucli reverence that.a helpless traveller was deemed perfectly secure from any, injury at their hands, and that traders and settlers lived without fear or uneasiness, have been'taught by a long series of errors and inconsistencies on the part of the three Governors "who 'preceded Captain Grey, to despise the power of 'the white man; to doubt his promises, to lau«h at ' his threats, to think that everything may be extorted from his fears, and only to tolerate his residence amongst them'whilfl he submits to their caprices an'd cupidity. Governor Grey has publicly declared that he will not submit to the natives : he has announced his firm intention to maintain the Queens authority, and to subject the native tribes to the same laws,which biutls the colonists. This course was eu- ' joined to him by his instructions : and he uses the veiy words of Lord Stanley's despatch to that effect. ' Such a 'policy would doubtless have answered its purpose if it had been consistently pursued from the beginning" ; but its' adoption now' may lead to fearful and is almost sure,-vve think, to end ■"in'mbs'e serious conflicts between' the Government ' i.'nd the natives than any that have yet occurred. Our ' opportunities of obtaining information trom persons of intelligence w"ho have long iesided in New Zealand, but are now in this country, and wjio have for years studied the character and -calculated the- defensive and aggressive means of the various tribes, are avowedly superior to those of the Colonial Office ; and such peisons have expressed to us their un.mituous persuasion, that the firmness of Governor Giey has come 100 late for its object. They believe that the powerful and wailike tribes in live neighbourhood of Auckland, instead Of being overawed by the authoritative language of the new Governor, will be prompted to imitate the less barbarous tribes who iuhubit tne bead quarters, of missionary fnfluence, and /vho have hitherto rebelled with success. They assert that even if the followers of Heki and Kawiti

snou.d be destroyed by tlnijo'Ut power of the British troops aud the imtives win) ac^iu conjunction with the Government against their, o'tvn race", a .spirit of desperation and revenge will' probably be at once displayed by other and more formidable tribes who aiv connected with the present rebels; and that at all events, the slaughter of the latter by their own countrymen iv conjunction with the British troops will sow the seeds of endless war amongst the natives Captain Fitzroy's policy of betting; tribe against tribe has unfortunately beeu completely adopted by Governor Grey ; and although a temporary success may altjvid it, all our uilormation is incorrect fit does not produce the ulterior effects of calling upon the Bri- ( tish Government to protect its native allies from the vengeance of other tribes, of alarming without intimidating the powerful tribes, near Auckland, and of involving the new Governor in a series of difficulties, intrigues, aud collisions with one tribe or another.— liut'ab<»ve.all we are convinced that the attempt .to establish a univeisal British authority over the natives must now fail, unless it be sustained by a military force sufficient tor occupying one of the most d ffiuult countries in the worid lor the operations of civilised warfare, and one whose mouutainous character and Impenetrable forests render it peculiarly susceptible of tleleuce by brave though undisciplined savages. That such a iorce will be stationed in New Zealand is out of question. Instead therefore of relying upon reports which may come from Governor Grey as a means, of assisting iv the solution of the questions which we have submitted to Her Majesty's Government, we believe that he has been compelled by his instructions to commit himself to a policy for which it is necessary that the Imperial Government should promptly substitute one ot a totally different character. We believe that for the sake of all the parties concerned — the Colonists, the Natives the Government, and yourselves — not to mentiou the honor of our country which is tarnished by the resemblance of the condition of New Zealaud to Algeria or the great expense to this country of a war ot extermination — it lias beconm necessary to abandon tne colonisation ol those parts of the Inlands of which there is a dense native population, and to adopt with respecc to the more numerous tiibes the polity ot the ongiual opponents of the colonization of New Zealand. It would be mortifying to have to make this admission, it the policy ot colonization had been wisely and consistently pursued But when it is so plain that the present impossibility of successful colonization in a large portion of New Zealand had been occasioned by errors which w# could not prevent, and against which we continually protested, we have only to acknowledge that our opponents have partially succeeded in realizing their own wishes and verifying our predictions. We muit remind you, however thai from the beginning we have thought it desirable that colonization should for many years to come be confined to thoae parts of the Islands were there are but few natives. But in whatever decree the pol cy which we now approve may be. at variance or in agreement with our previous views, we find a general coiicurreuce of opinion in f'lvor of it. The most intelligent settlers recommend it in their letters the public meuin this country whom we have' had the opportunity of consulting, cordially approve of" it; and we imagine that it has found favor with*the Government. That it would obtain the sanction of Parliament sve have not the slightest doubt i our doubts and fears relate to the time of its adoption. We are afraid that, like the opposite policy which Governor Grey has so firmly announced, it may be adopted too late. We cannot doubt that a whole year wili be lost if her Majesty's Government should continue to wait for reports from Governor Grey; aud we are satisfied that every mouth's delay will tend to render the adoption of what would be wise now, more difficult, and much more doubtful in its results. I Nor can we imagine how, in the mean while, your settlements could be saved from dwindling into a state of depression from which' no efforts of yours or of the Government could recover them. Though far removed from the seat of the present conflicts, and ol" the difficulties and dangers which surround the Local Government at Auckland, they are exposed to the most imminent danger. New Plymouth and Nelson are without troops, and the mi Hi tary force ol Government at Wellington is utterly inadequate to contend against such an invasion hf natives from the northward as may be expected to follow either a tourthdeleat of the Queen's troops near the Bay of Islands or that state of general irritation amongst the tribes near Auckland, which will probably result from Governor Grey's resolute attempt to correct the errors of his predecessor by the general assertion of i British authority. The settlers have indeed been reI cently embodied in a militia j but if you have read their petition to the House of Commons, of which we have had copies priuted for your information, you must feel that men so disheartened by a long course |of neglect, injustice, and oppression on the part of their Government, can hardly be expected to make a vigorous defence. Property in the usual sense of the word, it may be said that they have none to defeiul; and if their lives should be threatened by any serious eruptiou of natives to the northward, we may rather expect that they w,ill imitate many of the Auckland settlers by abandoning the Colony in despair tbun remaining at the risk of their lives in such [ a state of misery as is described in their petition, As- ! aumiug on the other hand that the great distance of your settlements froai the habitation of numerous i and powerfultribes should save them from attack, [ jet such is their condition,' independent of native hostility, that we despair of being able even to preserve their existence much longer. * (To be continued in our next )