DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF THE SQUABBLING POLICY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4825, 8 September 1876, Page 3

DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF THE SQUABBLING POLICY.

HOW CAPTAIN BOOZARAKOP, OP THE RUSSIAN ARMOR-PLATED FRIGATE PEREKOP, SURPRISED WELLINGTON, AS TOLD BY MR. JOSEPH BLADES, IN THE BOOMERANG HOTEL, SYDNEY. (From the Taranahi Herald.) " Hullo ! by all the Grecian mythology ! Who'd ever have dreamt of seeing you anywhere out of New Zealand, Blades ! Let's have a wag of your mit, old man. Deuced awkward, wasn't it, that Russian affair at Wellington ? Reckon there was no time for making ogres, to scare the ugly bear away." " Time," replied Mr. Blades. " There were lots of time, Mr. Busyboy—anj amount, sir. But as the audience here is rather larger than I'm in the habit of addressing, what do you say if we retire to some room off the bar, and I'll tell you quite as much about it as I know myself. I was saying outside," again began Mr. Blades, after moistening his mouth with a glass of Tennant's, " that there were plenty of time ; and so, indeed, there was, Busyboy. For as luck had it, a gentleman who had been a number of years connected with the firm of Slarin, King, and Slarin, torpedo manufacturers somewhere in America, happened accidentally to be in New Zealand at the time the Governor got the telegraphic despatch of England and Russia being at war ; and I believe on the following day he sent in an offer to the Government to the effect that he would engage to manufacture as many torpedoes, in a given time (I never knew the exact period), as would sufficiently protect every port in the country. Rather a big undertaking, you'll allow ; but I believe myself that the Yankee meant it, and no doubt would have done it, too, had he had the chance. At any rate, he was ready to fork out a pretty round sum as a guarantee of its accomplishment. Now, this was Friday, the 17th of August, and the ' Bear' didn't show his ugly nose till Thursday, the 22nd of November —just eleven weeks short of a day, if I'm correct in my reckoning. On Tuesday, the 21st of August, the Premier asked the Assembly, then sitting, to have a special vote for war expenditure. His request was readily acceded to, as I understand, without even a dissenting voice. The sum was £250,000. A military committee was then and there appointed to inquire into and report on the efficiency of the American gentleman's torpedoes. And would you believe it, sir, those military savants hadn't actually their report prepared for the House before Wednesday, the 14th of September, and then the Assembly had a long squabble about it, and ultimately refused to adopt it on the ground of inequality of distribution. Then it was proposed, and duly carried, that the report be revised and brought before the House again that night week. The week wore round, and when next brought on a Northern member proposed that the word ' Wellington,' in the third line of the twentyninth clause should be erased, and that of ' Auckland' substituted. This was from the Commissioners, recommending the former place as the most suitable for the torpedo manufactory. The Premier then intimated that unless this member withdrew his motion he would call for a division of the House after the opinion of the House bad been elicited ; and that the Ministers would pledge themselves to the report of the commissioners. After a long turbulent and wearisome debate on this subject the member for W-K-T-O moved an amendment, 'That as England had recently achieved soveral victories both by sea and land over the Russians, and that the enemy evidently were too embarrassed in other latitudes to be an object of alarm at this remote distance.' 'That it is the opinion of this House, taking into consideration the present financial distress of the country, that this discussion should be discontinued till the next session of the General Assembly.' And by heavens, sir, what do you think was the result of this what I call most shameful amendment ? Well, sir, to their perpetual disgrace —upon my life, every timo I revert to it makes me apprehensive of bringing on paralysis—it positively got the incredible majority of thirteen. '■ About three weeks from that timo there came quite unexpectedly an alarming telegram that a Russian squadron had been seen cruising off Australia. H.M.'s double-turretted ship Thunderer was immediately despatched to

reconnoitre. Soon followed the depressing intelligence that the intercolonial cable had been cut, meanwhile isolating the colony from immediate intercourse with the rest of the world, besides awakening anything but pleasant forebodings. Alas ! Too true were then the most gloomy conjectures ; for scarcely had the excitement of the foregoing catastrophe subsided, when startled as with the crash of a heavy thunderbolt, the inhabitants witnessed the signal for their coming calamity on Mount Cook signal-station, at about seven o'clock on the morning of the 2nd November, namely, a foreign man-of-war standing straight in. " Words are utterly incapable of conveying to an outsider any adequate idea of the fearful panic that instantaneously seized hold on all classes of the community. Men holloing; women screaming; children squalling ; carriages, cabs, vans, drays, carts, barrows—anything in the form of a vehicle—were madly scrambled for, in order to rush somewhere out of immediate danger, with whatever portion they could take of their most valuable effects. At half-past nine o'clock she rounded Jerningham Point, and showed herself to be the Perekop, an armor-cased, turretted frigate, carrying 22 traversing Krupp guns, dropping anchor right in front of the Government House, and simultaneously signalling for representatives of the Government to be on board within an hour. Everyone too well knew what this meant. Now, the all-absorbing question was, would they be able to meet their demands? and if not, who cnuld conceive the dreadful consequences? Ah! it was too horrible even to contemplate. "Never shalllforget the pallid hue of anguish that rested at that time on every countenance; never can it be effaced from my mind, the torturing, maddening anxiety then endured, whilst waiting the result of this momentous conference. Wives pleading with husbands to fly at once with their little ones to the refuge of the bush ; strong men writhing with rage at their abject helplessness, and hoarsely uttering unqualified curses on the real or supposed authors of their pitiful position ; beardless lads with a very pardonable swagger, especially when regarded by the soft eyes of their milder associates, singing out, 'Why the dickens don't we take to the boats, and rush the ugly-looking old hulk at once?' Eventually the end came of this almost unbearable suspense. The Executive returned, and the dire ultimatum was received with sad and downcast looks. New Zealand was to receive an indemnification by the immediate payment of £4,000,000, part in specie, and the balance in negotiable bills; then, in order more effectively to accelerate the conversion of the said bills, two Ministers would forthwith be required as hostages. "After arranging a few business matters further North, I embarked at Waitara on board the Mary Webster, bound for this place. And it was with much regret that I turned my bank (I believe, for ever) on a colony which seventeen years before, with the enthusiasm of youth, I hailed as a Utopia.—A."