AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 45, 16 August 1845, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

An instance of the hurried nature of Col. Despard's despatch, may be gleaned from the following extract from a private letter: — Spain and all our men, with the large guns, are come back ; he is as happy as a lark, and everybody says it is a great sh^me he was not mentioned. He was the first at the pah — one of the first at the scaling — and one of the last to retreat; he was slightly wounded and had command of a party, yet was not mentioned. Mr. Spain is a very young officer, and his gallant bearing in his maiden enterprise, certainly deserved mention. It is said that Te Whero-whero has contemptuously refused the dwelling built by the Governor, and offered to his acceptance in the Government domain. He says, it is nuki nuki, too small ; he wants a place like Governt house. If this be true, it is welldeserved return for his Excellency's imprudence, and want of judgment in the offer. — Auckland Times. We beg leave to hint that a brisk export of " Amalgamators," " Protectors," " Missionaries," " Watchmen/ " Wardes," and all that sort of cattle, would be of much service to the colony — if the ingenuity of our contemporary could discovpr any market that would import them at any price ; — moreover, we would not care though they had many of them at a gift. — Ibid.

Political Pulpits. — We have laid it down as a rulej that it is mischievous and unwise for newspaper writers to interfere with pulpit polemics ; but when we find a priest or a missionary so grossly violating his own neutral ground, as to make the political subjects or" the day the staple of his yarn, it must be becoming that we should withhold our forbearance. The outrageous nonsense lately preached

by the Rev. Mr. Laurie, about the neglect of religious observance by the Christian population, and the eager devotion towards it of the Maories, and the special providence and favour of the Almighty upon the latter in consequence, savours very strongly of that presumption, which Pope describes as a usurpation of the attributes of our Maker, and a " dealing of damnation round the land." The fanaticism that would recommend, in these days, the revival of the hypocritical or insane observances of the camps of Cromwell, deserves to be scouted off the face of the earth, -with all *ho utter it. The lying tongue that would exalt the hypocritical demonstrations of a set of savages, who practice forms for their own purposes, and set up psalm-singing and outward form of prayer for interested intentions, while they are ready to return to cannibalism, murder, theft, and robbery, at a moment's notice, is surely no example for us. Are these indeed the pupils of the Missionary school, — the people who are to be exalted by false praise at the expense of our brave countrymen, soldiers and sailors, who risk their lives, with almost inconceivable bravery, whenever their duty to their countrymen calls them into the toils of danger and of death?— We have no patience with this ingratitude. The missionary aud protectorate follies have done enough, God knows ! — witness passing events — to injure and impair, to delay and prevent, the interests of both races, without in- j creasing the amount and the disgrace of cheir achievements, without indulging in scandalous language, insulting to the memory of the dead, and discouraging to the loyalty of the survivors. Language for which the rubicund Barebones (if that be not a contradiction in terms) deserves to be compelled lo march at the head of the next attack, and encounter in his own burley person, the effects, which he, and such as he, have provoked. We cannot think, for our parts, what change has come o'er the spirit of the dream of the Reverend Preacher ; for it was but yesterday, that he thought Maori chastisement should be followed up. He deliberately expressed his opinion, that the quarrels of any two native tribes should be fomented, for our safety — upon the principle — " that two mischievous clogs were better set upon each other, than allowed to fall upon a man's leg." No'v we have the conventicle wind all from the other quarter ! Now ! the habitual practice of piety and observance of religion practised by the Maories, as compared with our neglect of it, is the cause forsooth of their successes, and our disasters. — Auckland Times.

The weather had been most severe, and the troops had suffered in consequence, great privations from the cold and wet, the camp being a perfect slough of mud. It was anticipated that the troops would retire to Waimate, on Wednesday last, and there remain until reinforced, and the season for field operations was more advanced. Our staunch native ally, Waka, had been joined by the respectable chief Nopera, or Noble, of the Rarauwa tribe, from the "Valley of Kataia. The wife of Waka had been surprised, and taken prisoner, by some of Heki's followers, while conveying ammunition with other women, to her husband's pah, and she was subsequently most barbarously murdered by them, and cut in pieces. She was a lelative of Noble, and according to native usuage, he and 400 of his tribe have taken np arms determined on full revenge in blood. The allied Chiefs have had a conference with Colonel Despard, subsequent to the late action, to determine on the part the former should immediately take in the operations against Heki, and by the latest accounts, it was anticipated that some determined, immediate decisive step would be taken by Waka and Nopera against Heki's pah, in which our troops would not bear the brunt of the engagement. Heki's force had been divided, by part pioceeding to a pa about twenty miles to the southward, which is situated on a mountain, almost inaccessible, and which they were fortifying with every possible strength. To this, he means to retreat in case of defeat in I'is present position, and make it a rallying j oint for all disaffected natives, as well as tiaitorous, rebellious Europeans ; but we sincerely trust, and anticipate, that disastrous ami gloomy as present events appear, no long time will elapse before that " Flag which has braved the battle and the breeze for a thousand years," will wave triumphantly and peacefully throughout this beautiful colony. — IMb.

The Lost Debentures. —lt is true enough that a book, containing two hundredand fifty of these documents, facetiously called " assignats" by the Morniny Chronicle^ in England, are missing, they purport to bear the value of ten shillings each, but are incomplete in their manufacture. We therefora caution «.-.«. -Hco/laro anil <iiih<iprihpr<! tn hp wary hnw

they take debentures of that calibre. We will state the birth and education, which means of course, the " bringing out " of these paper tokens — Mr. Fulton, Government Printer, makes them, the Governor signs them, to stamp their value upon them, then the Colonial Secretary puts his name to them, in proof, or record of promise of some future Utopian redemption. As in an adjective, there are positive, comparative, and superlative degrees ; so, in this paper currency, there must be a third token of artificial security. The Treasurer ! the Treasurer ! ! " Tenete risum amici /" (that only means, don't laugh.) The Ireasurer of New Zealand must be a party to the compact, and his name must come too, as evidence of the date of issue, and of the particular value given, or service performed, by which is perfected this talismanic performance of disproving the old proverb — " ex nlhilo nihilfit," — Of making something out of nothing — and yet it is an awkward process, for the tokens being bound up in books of two-hundred-and-fifty each, with counter parts, like bankers checque books, are liable to be stolen, and the one, the two, or three of the effective signatures are liable to simulation. la the present case, it is matter of dispute whether the Colonial Secretary, or the Colonial Treasurer, has been less tenacious of his charge. It is little matter of consequence, for if the Home Government had done their duty by us, or left us alone, entirely — we should not now have to deplore the miserable necessity of such issues — and their certain approaching depreciation by home authority, for the government at home are more under the controul of public opinion and common sense, than to sanction the issue of Governor Fitzroy's I O U's, with the autocratical authority | of a legal tender — a demonstration of legislative Wisdom, liable to as instant friability as those acts of previous legislature, which made the schoolboys of our time, designate their gingerbread by the name of "parliament." The ten shilling debentures afloat being under a degree of strong doubt, we caution our readers to look at them with a prudent suspicion before they take them. This, of course, with many persons, will be a matter of indifference ; but, in the long run, it must, of necessity, be most injurious to the Colony : and if there is any hope or desire, whatever, lhat the Colony should prosper, let the encouragement of exports — let absence of taxation — and, above all, let Home support, instead of home oppression, lead to our paths in the wilderness. It is quite impossible, at present, to tell us which of the officials lost the book ;' it seems that the " assignats " are destitute of the Colonial Treasure! 's signature, which may be argued as a proof that they never came into his possession; then again it is asserted, that being complete in the other two, he must have had them sent to his office. The onus lies among them, and is a disagreeable one to be bandied about. — Ibid.