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Tauranga Record and Bay of Plenty Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 2, 13 July 1867, Page 2

"A« eye for an eye, a (oofh for a toolh , whoso sheddelh mdn's blood, | by man shall hisblood be shed," was : a rigorous enaclment in oue of tha | •oldest codes of laws. Some veslige of the principje it eontains are to be found in mbdern urisprudence and in the praclire of savage races, iietribution is exacled by both, but not exactly in the same way. Civilized people endeavor to singla out -Ihe offendet, while savage s retali ite indis ciimiivatciy on Ihe guilty and Ihe innoeenl. Wilh Engiishmon oxcent during war, juslicc paliently Iracks out Ihe perpelrator of the wrong, and apporlions his punishinent Siy a del'c beralive process. The Maori demands ' ulu,' not necessarily Irorn Ihe indivi dnaj who has ityured hirn, but froni the tribe to whieh he belongs- This Pfa.n if' it is uot less ja st, is roore iucoffvenieRl, and is apt lo eteaie perpeluai slrif'e. In ihe appaliiig ovens which have recenily occarred

at Opoliki we fin.L an illustralioiis entailtng a compliealion of whieh we an scarcely see ihe e • 1. f ' > i ,r * v • advocate peace, yet wa are no ap > • ei is for Maori outrageand alroeisy. We are painefi beyond measurd even to relatc (he dreadful incidents which have taken place, and xsn f.ir from ffieling'any sympathy with the rtn--derersawe loafhe Ihe crimas artd t!io criminals, an(j woul 1 rhalse an example of (hem 1 that shouid b'e memorable. This- vvuid be our first dufy So far. onr course is But questj'ons arise fo; after 'CDnsideraliod that nre' upt insignifieanl. re". ■ we at ii 'ace or war, and if the lalltor . w iset hc Twilh one or two. Sribes, or with Ihewhnlg jtfaori race? The ahswer isno y diflicul-t. We have some god andt le-t fVi gnds amongst the Ma0ris who would ()je jn our defence. hen, atv alime whfen those naiives who ara not frierids were inert, who first invaded the territory of Ihe other? Whodrew the firsl hlood : We have an impression — which we shall be alad to bave removed — that our people were the 'aggressors. We 'have a recollection of an expfidition commanded by a galtant Major which invaded a ceriuin viHage from which the astonished inhahitants rushed out with u plifled hauds, deprecating an onslaught," crying 4 Pai Marire ! Pai Marire!' 'Peace! Peace!' and tiiat upbn these affi'ighled. people a volley was fired and one or more of them fell morta!l.y .wouhded, We have another iinpression eqnaliy di — agreeable, Ib-n f h e commauder of (jie4 expedition did not take pains (o ascertain whether Ihe naiives on whotu )hey fired were friends or foes, and that it is far from improbable that on that oecasion (Siey 1 shot the wrong men.' If I his i>e true, we cannm wonder at a reprisal m Ihe part oi tlie naiives aiter Ihs-ir own cruel fashion. i njuslilialiSa it is, ' hc rribie, jmost • lionibie,' but wllh whai ad eclive . can we qualify our Nnpi-ovokcd invasion of llieir land and slaughter of their people. The mai (er has assumed - proportions and ntricacies with which we are not now prepared to deal, but (his we can say, that persons iis elevated posilions have responsihi - iiliesas well as privileges, and must be preptved (o submil their aclions to Ihe ordeal of ari invesligation if tlure is any reason to suspect that a fresh collision S;elween the two races might . have been avoided,