To the Editors of the New Zealand Spectator.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 49, 13 September 1845, Page 2

To the Editors of the New Zealand Spectator.

Gentlemen, — It wag with feelings of the deepest regret that I read in the leading article of the Spectator of Saturday last your most injudicious allusion to the alarming report, which had been in circulation here for ten days previously, that the natives under Heki atid Kowaiti had attacked the whole of the troops left at Waimate, the greater part of whom, as well as their commanding officer, Major Bridge, it is alleged were killed in the engagement. I believe you are perfectly well aware that a great part of our population here, especially the female portion of it, was previously much alarmed by the news from the north . such, there- | fore, being the case,., it became doubly your duty," as public journalists, to exercise every possible care and discretion that the Spectator should not be made the medium of circulating any report or statement whatever, unless based on a solid foundation, having the least tendency to j increase that alarm unnecessarily. ! You state, that "we have always been careful in giving circulation to reports of this nature unless .here appeared to be some foundation for them ; we shall therefore content ourselves for the present by stating that the former reports are generally believed ; toe earnestly hope, however t that by the next arrival from Auckland we may learn either that they are without foundation or that they are greatly exaggerated.'' Now let me ssk, Messrs. Editors, whether the statement here given has been put into practicet I am constrained to say that it has not, which I shall shortly prove to you. The Carbon arrived here from Taranaki at aim o'clock in the evening of Thursday, the 28th ultimo, bringing intelligence that several days previous to her departure, the Rev. Mr. Cotton had reached there overland from Auckland, which place he left so recently as the 12th August, and up to which time he states that, since the attack on Heki's pa by Colonel Despard, no engagement or skirmish whatever had taken place between the British forces and the natives. This news, completely and satisfactorily refuting the report in question, was known generally in this town within two hours after the Cqrbon's arrival,

being fully 24 hour* be/ore the time of your going to press. What excuse, therefore, can you urge, •With thaiMJtfutation in your possession, for publithingj^^mfort at all ? Surely there was ample tirneJj^BPßf for the collective abilities of the| "jMfgJßlee of five" to write another article frrrreuoF the one they prepared. But assuming that there was not sufficient time to do so, and that the article must appear, was it not a very easy task to counteract the effect it might be supposed to produce on the public mind by giving the full particular* in the same paper of the Auckland news brought by the Carbon ? Did you adopt that straightforward course ? No, you did not. In ymir short summary of the news by the Carbon, instead of allaying the alarm that might be supposed to arise, you coolly state in reference to this matter, "it would appear that the report current here of a conflict with the Maories had not reached that district. ! ! ! Is that, let me ask, fair, just, and humane to your subscribers generally? Setting aside altogether the alarm caused to the European population in the colony, there is yet another and most important consideration, viz., the suspense, anxiety, and fear that will, it is natural to suppose, be endured by numerous persons in England for the safety of their relatives and friends residing in the colony when this uncontradicted report, following so closely upon the disasters which have unfortunately really occurred, reaches home ; and further, with what painful and mos distressing feelings will the friends of Major Bridge read the reported deathof that gallant officer. I can only suppose that you seized upon this report as a pretext for heaping further strictures on Captain Fitzroy, who has already, unfortunately for the settlers, many, too many, sins of commission and omission to answer for to his countrymen, whose ruin he has caused by his repeated acts of misgovemment since the evil hour that he was appointed to rule over us, without having others charged against him unjustly. In conclusion, Messrs. Editors, if the 'V settlers paper, as you have on several occasionsNtermed the Spectator, cannot be applied to a morejisejul and beneficial purpose than that to which I\have j made allusion, it were better, far better, tha\we ! should be without a newspaper at all in this settlement. \j I am, Gentlemen, Your's respectfully, H. Wellington, 3d September, 1845.