NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR, AND COOK'S STRAITS GUARDIAN. Saturday, August 9, 1845.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 44, 9 August 1845, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR, AND COOK'S STRAITS GUARDIAN. Saturday, August 9, 1845.

Our worst fears have been realised ! — the painful suspense and anxiety entertained by the settlers respecting the events at the North, the ominous rumours of disaster and defeat current during the, past 'week, have been confirmed by the intelligence brought by the Aurora. In another part of our paper will be found Col. Despard's despatches to Captain Fitzroy, and extracts from the Auckland papers, which will furnish our readers with the details of this most melancholy affair ; in the course of the few observations we may think it necessary this week to offer, we shall supply such additional facts as are within our own knowledge from respectable private sources. It appears to be the general opinion, that the British troops have sustained a reverse. -Col. Despard says, "we were repulsed with heavy loss :" and in another place, feeling acutely the great misfortune that had befallen him, and those acting under his command; after complaining "that the guns brought from Auckland were inefficient for the purpose for which they were intended, and that the hatchets and axes, as well as the ropes for pulling down the stockade, and the ladders, were all thrown away or left behind by those appointed to carry them ; he adds, " I trust that it will not be thought that the character of the British has been tarnished on this occasion. One third of the men actually engaged fell in the attack, and during the eight days that we have been engaged in carrying on operations against this place, one fourth of the whole strength of British soldiery under my command (originally not exceeding49o)have been either killed or wounded." All accounts admit the heroic and daiing bravery, the devoted gallantry, of the British forces engaged in this sanguinary conflict ; but it may be questioned if sufficient prudence and discretion, which is the better part of valour, were exhibited in directing their exertions. But while we praise, as we ought, the valour of our countrymen, it is impossible to deny that the rebels proved themselves to be formidable opponents : they have shewn great courage and skill ; the four cannon which they took at Kororarika (one of which burst in the engagement, and killed several natives) they used with effect against the attacking forces. They had provided an amjple stock of provisions, evidently shewing their determination to hold out to the last ; while the heavy loss on our side (amounting to 70 killed, and 60 wounded) affords melancholy but certain proof of the desperation with which they fought. Would that we might stop here, — but, alas ! a fearful and horrible tale remains

to be told, at the bare recital of which humanity shudders! It is ascertained beyond a doubt that a soldier was roasted alive by these cannibals, and after eating part of his body, the remains were thrown ovor the palisades of the pa ; another soldier, who had been severely wounded, and had unfortunately fallen into their hands, was stripped by them, and in their eager haste to effect their object, they actually cut off hisbelt and clothes with their tomahawks, making deep gashes at every stroke, and leaving their miserable victim with just sufficient life to crawl back to the camp at night, and tell the dreadful story to his comrades. It is? also ascertained that the most fleshy parts of Captain Grant's body, or rather those parts considered by these '. cannibals as the most delicate, were cut off and devoured, although Archdeacon Williams and the- Governor attempt to deny or explain away deeds at which our outraged nature revolts ! We cannot trust ourselves to comment on these facts ; we will therefore refer our readers to the details extracted from the Auckland papers, and -to the pertinent inquiry of the Editor as to who wrote the postscript to Col. Despard's despatch, a question to be asked,but not to be easily answered by Capt. Fitzroy. But it is our duty to remind those who feel any disposition to believe in the spurious and morbid philanthropy of Aborigines Protection Societies, and of Exeter Hall, that all this has been done at the Head Quarters of the Missionaries ! and by Missionary Natives ! who have -aombined cannibalism and catechisms in a manner not to be mistaken. These are the gallant and intelligent chiefs, of whom Capt. Fitzroy boasted, and taunted the settlers of Wellington with their superior civilization to those of this district — God forbid that the Southern natives should emulate their example. Lastly, we contend that this is a sequel to have been anticipated, a consequence arising out of Captain Fitzroy's conduct with regard to the Wairau massacre ; but we forbear to do more than allude to this ; as we have already, before the arrival of this melancholy news, adverted to this subject in connection with the recent de-bates-in Parliament. In conclusion, -we would offer our tribute of respect to the memory of the brave but ill-fated Lieut. Phillpotts, who fell at the first onset, and was scalped by these savages. The settlers of Port Nicholson-felt the most lively interest in all that relates to the officers and crew of the Hazard; ! they deeply sympathized in the fate of her former gallant commander ; and now this ill-managed • and disastrous war has numbered Lieut. Phillpotts among its victims. We repeat — How much more of disaster and disgrace, of misery and ruinris this unfortunate colony destined to suffer from Capt. Fitzroy, before his successor arrives ! j

The recent debates in the House of Commons, the reports of which we have received by the Louisa Campbell, will be read with the greatest interest by the settlers in Cook's Straits. From them we learn~that at length the grievous wrongs inflicted by the persevering hostility of the Co-lonial-office, and by the folly and incompetence of the local government, are becoming known to the British public. At length the conviction is slowly but surely gaining ground in our fatherland, that the settlers in the southern districts of New Zealand have been " brought to the brink of ruin — from comparative happiness have been reduced to actual despair and ruin," — by no indiscretion of their own, — " but by the acts of the locali government." Besides the general folhgygMf incompetence exhibited by Captain PitzrSp^wbich the facts advanced by Mr. Aglionby and Mr. C. Buller abundantly proved, and which every fresh arrival from this ill-fated colony will further confirm and illustrate, there were two subjects more particularly dwelt upon, — the issue of debentures and making them a legal tender, and Captain Fitzroy's conduct with regard to the Wairau massacre. From the serious effects which both these acts of Captain Fitzroy have produced, and are daily producing, on the present condition of the settlers, we offer no apology to our readers for particularly referring to them, to notice some of the assertions and statements made by those who undertook the task of defending or extenuating his conduct. In reply to Mr. Aglionby, Mr. Hope, the Under- Secretary, makes the following extraordinary statement : — " In respect to the first subject that was alluded to in the motion before the House (the debentures), as regarded the ; question of legal tender, they had a statement of the issue of the debentures alluded to, but they were never declared to be a legal tender. They had that fact before the House." Now we are bound to believe that a Minister would

not, in the face of the British nation, deliberately assert that which was not true ; but what must be thought of Captain Fitzroy, by -whom the official information relating to his government is supplied to the Colonial-office ? Falsehood consists either in stating that which is not true, or in suppressing that which is true ; and if Captain Fitzroy has informed the Colonialoffice, as Mr. Hope states, of the issue of the debentures, but has stated that they were never declared to be a legal tender, or has omitted to state they voere declared to be a legal tender, in either case he has been guilty of a deliberate falsehood. It is painful but instructive to trace Captain Fitzroy's proceedings with regard to the debentures. His only reason for passing the ordinance was for the purpose of making them I a legal tender. His statement to the Council was, that " he had sufficient authority from the Queen to issue them without the sanction of the Council ; but having issued a few, and finding i doubts were entertained of their legality, and I that they were subject to an undue depreciation, he decided on bringing in a bill to make the same a legal tender." This statement, as we have shewn on a former occasion, is afterwards proved, and acknowledged by Captain Fitzroy not to be true. Equally untrue is the information which, according to Mr. Hope, has been furnished to the Colonial-office. How forcible and how true is Mr. Buller's description of this depreciated currency — " He (Captain Fitzroy) issued a species of currency which was unprecedented since the famous shin-plasters of the United States. They went as low as Is. 6d. The Governor did not go quite so far as that, but he issued notes for ss. and for 25., with the distinct announcement that they were intended for the payment of the workmen's wages. He boldly avowed the fact. And what was the consequence ? Why, even when the bill was passing before the Legislative Council, they were in a very depressed state. As a matter of course, they would be a fluctuating circulation,* but suppose intelligence were to arrive in the colony that the debentures would not be recognised by the Government here — that they would not be paid. — Such a supposition was not so violent a one as it might appear at first sight. The debt was contracted without authority, in the face of upwards of £2,000 worth of bills returned protested only the previous month. Now, suppose any intelligence of that kind were to arrive in the colony, what then would be the depreciation of .these notes f and what would be the consequence ? Why, some speculator would buy up these 2s. notes for 2d. a-piece." — But there is another view of the case, a contingency, the possibility of which was not contemplated by any honorable member, but which nevertheless is very likely to occur. Suppose, as is generally "believed, Gaptain Fitzroy has received authority to draw upon the Home Government for £15,000, with positive instructions to withdraw from circulation all the debentures. What would be the value of the unredeemed debentures, the amount in circulation beyond that authorised by the ordinance ? If Captain Fitzroy had intended to be honest, if he had never contemplated issuing more than £15,000 of debentures, — he would have published officially, as we intimated on a former occasion, the amount of debentures in circulation, the highest number in each series, and some regulation as to the reissue of those which were defaced or worn, which would have satisfied the public that the ordinance had been fairly complied with. But we fear the settlers will find to their cost Capt. Fitzroy had a sufficient reason for not affording them this reasonable security. In spite of Sir W. James's assertion of Captain Fitzroy's chivalrous generosity and public integrity, of his high tone of moral feeling and regard for truth : — In this question of the debentures, we fear Captain Fitzroy will be found to be " Not quite a felon, and but half a knight." On that most lamentable catastrophe, the Wairau massacre, we fear we cannot reason so calmly. The former question is a matter of calculation, it affects our worldly interests ; the other appeals to our warmest feelings, and the impunity offered by Captain Fitzroy to the blood thirsty savage has always compelled us to anticipate the worst results. In another's fate we read our own. " Instead of shaking hands with the murderers of that gallant officer" (Capt. Wakefield) Sir C. Napier observes, " Captain Fitzroy ought to have executed them," and the house, by their cheers, acknowledge the justice of the observation. But Mr. Hope's statement is as extraordinary as Captain Fitzroy's conduct. He says, " taking into account the savage character of some of these tribes — taking into account their habits, and the customs which had been followed amongst them, it did not appear to the noble lord there was any course to be taken about this unfortunate, lamentable occurrence, but to subject it to the process of an inquiiy before a regular, local, and judicial tribunal." Why, this is what the settlers have always contended for, and what the local government have uniformly refused. On the part of Mr. Hope, we fear this is something more than ignorance ; it looks very much like wilful misrepresentation. But though 11 In the corrupted currents of this world, Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice," retribution speedily follows. The destruction of Kororarika, and a warfare in which already

the British forces have been twice (and if the rumour now current should unfortunately prove true, thrice) defeated ; a protracted warfare, in which already many valuable lives have been sacrificed, and of which under Captain Fitzroy no one can predict the result; these are some of the consequences of the conduct of which Lord Stanley approves, but which he will find it impossible to justify. Every arrival in England from this colony, will -supply additional and incontrovertible evidence of the truth of Mr. Buller's remark, that Captain Fitzroy " had shewn himself not ignorant and incompetent only, but most mischeviously and dangerously ignorant and incompetent." Captain Fitzroy's friends seem to be particularly sensitive at the supposition that a keeper was necessary for the knight errant; but we must remind them of the fact, that by a remarkable coincidence, the very day on which this advice was offered to the Ministers, the destruction of Kororarika boreflagranttestimony to the soundness of Mr. Buller's judgment. From these debates we may draw the conclusion that Captain Fitzroy's recall is inevitable, that his successor may possibly be now on his way to relieve him of responsibilities to which he is 'so unequal. But what is the condition of the : settlers in Cook's Straits ? Though the disease may be overcome, they may perish from exhaustion. Like shipwrecked mariners, they may be lost in sight of land. No colony has ever suffered so much from the folly, theincompetency, the imbecility, of its rulers. Before his successor arrives, how much mischief will Captain Fitzroy have the power of inflicting on this unfortunate colony! We have no adequate protection to property; we have no title to our lands, nor even possession of them ; we have all the burthens of a government, without any of its advantages ; our means are exhausted, our energies impaired, our patience worn out. Surely we have reason to demand redress, to claim compensation. Will the government bring back the settlers, driven by despair to other colonies, to obtain the means of existence ? Will they restore to their former competence those whom Captain Filzroy's conduct has reduced to ruin ? A very large amount of justice is due to the unfortunate settlers, of which we fear they will only receive an inconsiderable installment.

From the Auckland Times, it would appear, that some extraordinary disclosures have recently taken place relative to the debentures, rather repugnant to that intuitive and delicate sense of honor which we were led to believe existed among government officials. It would appealthat a book containing k 4:wo hundred and fifty government debentures, bearing the signatures of the Governor and Colonial. Secretary,- but without tbe signature of the Colonial Treasurer, has been abstracted, and the debentures have afterwards been put into circulation, the Treasurer's signature being previously forged. It would appear from tbe printed accounts and private letters, that the discovery of the forged debentures and the resignation of Mr. James Stuai t Freeman (formerly Colonial Secretary to Mr. Shortland, and under Captain Fitzroy chief clerk of the Colonial Secretary's office) are considered, by those who have the means of acquiring correct information, very much like cause and effect. The case of Timothy O'Meara who was tried befoi c Mr. Justice Chapman, and sentenced to ten years' transportation for forging a one pound debenture, is contrasted with that of the official delinquent, who is visited with a complimentary letter, regretting that so able and experienced an officer should feel it necessary to resign his confidential appointment. We leave our readers to decide which is the severer punishment, O'Meara's sentence, or Captain Fitzroy's complimentary letter. Want of room compels us to defer, till next •week, the extracts relating to this transaction ; we will only add, that an official notice was published, warning the public that a book of ten shilling debentures had been stolen from the Colonial Secretary's office, and that some of the notes are in circulation with forged signatures ; but no reward is offered for the discovery or conviction of the offender ! In the New Zealander is a long article on the subject of the debentures, in which the writer proves the amount now in circulation to be £45,000.

A tender for coals for a steamer has been inserted in the Government Gazette at Auckland. This looks as though Captain Fitzroy had received private information from Lord Stanley on the subject of the war steamer expected from England.

There appears to be no foundation for the report that there was fever, or any illness on board the Rover's Bride, except Mr. Johnson's case, which terminated fatally. After her arrival, the vessel was found to be in a bad state of repair, and was obliged to undergo further repairs before she could proceed on her voyage.

Ideas on the preparation op the Native Flax op New Zealand, by a Manufacturer of Fine and Coarse Goods in both Flax and Hemp. — Thinks the New Zealand plant should be cut young, quite green, so that it has attained a good strength, which is easily ascertained by oc-

. casionally trying ; the New Zealand flax, so far as imported, has been generally exceedingly coarse and harsh, and fit for nothing scarcely ; it had much better be weak and fine, than coarse and so very strong and stubborn : as to the preparation, thinks the plan to adopt would be to cut it young ; tie it in small bundles very loose ; place it in a pit of stagnant water, almost stinking is best ; throw in as much as the pit will hold loosely ; place weights on the top to keep it under water until it begins to rot, and is sinking, when immediately take off the weights, and take out the flax as required ; let it be worked off in the following manner : — immediately on taking it from the pit, have an instrument fixed, the same as is used for stripping hosiers ; take a hamlfnll, place it between the teeth or forks ; tighten the top with the left hand, and draw it as many times through in this way as is requisite to clean it ; if not quite effectual (after being spread on the ground, and turned with a long rod, when requisite, for some days, as may be found desirable, to soften it), take a swingle, such as is used by flax preparers in Europe, and give it a touch over, which will have the effect of cleaning and softening it. To pack for the English market, it may be advisable to pack it in the full length, merely doubling the top end in, and reversing in layers ; a screw-press then, would do no harm ; say make the bales two feet square, as long as you please. India jute, the worst article of the description imported, is selling at present at about d£l4 a ton ; this is generally weak stuff, but is very useful, being very commonly broken up by machinery, and spun up into common short staple yarns. It is quite a mistaken idea that the longer the flax is the better ; three feet long is plenty for use, especially if fine quality. Should not the water process succeed, tiy lime-water; the strength required must be found by practice ; would not by any means recommend the use of lime in any way, if it can be avoided, as it destroys the silky quality of the fibre. Should say, by planting it close, would produce a fine fibre. If used for rope or line making, four feet is a good length for machine spinning ; any about three feet must be broken in two before being heckled or combed. ViWgv.-kvgww— tw,iii in—l ■i'hii ' i mil i ' n We are exceedingly sorry to confirm the report published in a former number, of the death of Edward Johnson, Esq., of the Firm of Johnson & Moore, of this place. Mr. Johnson was in a delicate state of health when he left, and he would appear to have been attacked with his fatal illness the day after sailing, and on the 20th he became so alarmingly ill, that Mr. Hort induced the Captain to steer for Auckland ; but Mr. Johnson died on the 22d, two days before arriving at that place, where he was buried. Mr. JoTuisou was one of our oldest colonists, and was universally respected and esteemed for his obliging disposition and kindness of heart, and his loss will be severely felt by those who had the pleasure of his more intimate acquaintance. We regret to announce the death of one of our old settlers, R. B. Barnes, Esq. (late of the Srock Exchange, London), which took place at Barrett's Hotel, on the sth inst., after a lingering illness of several months. We understand that the funeral will take place at one o'clock on Sunday — (to-morrow.)