WAIAPU.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 184, 4 July 1874, Page 2

WAIAPU.

(from our own correspondent.) The high and well-merited honors bestowed by the Crown, upon Sir Garnet Wolsely, in recognition of his able and judicious management of the Ashanlee War, is not the least interesting item of recent intelligence from home. The Duke of Wellington was wont to say that what he quaintly termed “ small wars,” or wars with semi-civilised people, should always be made short work of, and never protracted ; and this saying of the great Field Marshall seems to have been well understood and acted upon by the Commander of our army at the Gold Coast. Instead of parleying in any way with the belligerents lie, at once, resorted to a most determined and uncompromising policy towards them; and thus brought hostilities, which, by adopting more lenient and indecisive measures, might be prolonged for years, and involve a lamentable sacrifice of life and money on both sides, to a speedy terminalion. Doubtless the Ashantees now perceive that Sir Garnet’s conduct of the war, from its very commencement, was based upon the best and soundest military principles, and that, in the circumstances, Jess prompt action would have been attended with ruinous consequences to themselves and to the British troops ; as the Kaffirs had perceived after they were finally subdued by Major General Cathcart. The predecessor of this officer in the Governmenf of the Cape—-Sir Harry Smith*—had, partly through in competency, and partly through declining health, allowed a wretched kind of war to be carried on too long in Kaffraria ; and had he not been re-called and superseded by a Governor of resolute and energetic qualities at the critical time he was, the skirmishes would have lasted much longer. Our own New Zealand war was a practical illustration of the disastrous results of defective tactics in petty wars; for had the Maori outbreak been dealt with as General Cameron had proposed to do, the rebellion would have been soon crushed, and the loss on both sides would not have amounted to one fourth of what it unfortunately did, not to speak of the millions of money lavished in the affair. The pursuance of a well meaning but mistaken course of procedure on the part of the colonial authorities, towards the disaffected and revolting natives, led to consequences the very reverse of what was contemplated. It is stated that the Rev. Mohi Turei, who has been stationed at Poverty Bay since January last, is about to return to his late sphere at Waiapu—the Bishop of the Diocese being desiriotis that the natives of the latter locality, should be supplied with religious ordinances regularly. For this purpose the Government has readily granted the use of our School-house, which is sufficiently commodious for a congregation twice as large as that which usually assemble here. Powder and small shot are greatly in requisition here at present, owing to the many shooting parties employed by Iharaira Te Houkaino in bird catering for his feast: Some of these parties have, already, been very successful—no less than ninety-one birds having been shot by six men in three days ; and but for lack of ammunition more would have been killed. A few days ago a native reported that he saw two birds, which, from the description he gave of them, are beKsved to be pheasants. This is the first time that any of these fine acclimatized birds have been seen in the vicinity of the East Cape. In other parts of the North Island, as far south as the boundary of the Hawke's Bay and Wellington provinces, they have been often noticed for some years past—a conclusive proof that they are multiplying somewhat rapidly; and will, ere long, be found in almost any locality in the island. In this conviction I may state that the acclimatization of pheasants in Victoria has succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectations of its Acclimatization Society—the increase from a single pair—male and female—being, in four years, nearly a hundred. The natives are fully aware of the pheasants having been introduced into the colony at considerable expense, as well as of the desirability of encouraging their increase as much as possible ; consequently they are not likely to shoot any of them until they will have become plentiful in 1 the district.

The late floodshave greatly altered the channel of the Waiapu, at various places, and so marred some of tno usual erossi ng places as to render it difficult to use them ; but as the punt is about to be placed in the river no inconvenience is likely to result therefrom.