THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. “Vèritè sans peur.” WANGANUI, OCTOBER 29, 1863.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 367, 29 October 1863, Page 2

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. “ Vèritè sans peur. ” WANGANUI, OCTOBER 29, 1863.

We have Auckland news to the 22nd inst. The murder of Mr. Job Hamlin is confirmed. Me was shot through the head, and there is very little hope that his companion (a boy named Wallis, whose father’s goods they 'were carting to Papakura) will survive, as his head and lace were frightfully cut, either with a tomahawk or the butt of a gun. A man named Jackson, and boy named Sutherland, were fencing near Drury on the 15th, when the natives attacked them.. Jackson was shot, and then fearfully tomahawked ; and the boy, in running for lii.s life, was shot down and also tomahawked. He pretended to be dead, and lay in the bush all night, but in'the morning attempted to escape, and fell in with some men in search of him, who took him for a Maori and fired on him, but without hitting him. The men returned to Papakura and reported Maoris in the bush. The boy meanwhile got on the road and was seen, and taken to the Rev Mr. Norris’s house, and afterwards to the hospital. Next day a Mr. and Mrs. Fahey, of Rama Rama, were shot, and the husband tomahawked. They slept in Drury, but went each morning to milk their cows. Their two sons ran back to the camp and gave the alarm. The wife was killed, and there was little hope of the husband's recovery. l Corpora] Allen, of the Waikato militia, was challenged by the sentry on returning to St. John’s redoubt on the 19bh, but not replying tlie sentry shot him dead.

Hone liopiha Tamalw, the native chief who accompanied Sir G. Grey on his last visit to Wanganui, died at liis house in Auckland on the 13th inst.

The attack on Meremere was expected to come off early iu this Aveek. It had been delayed in consequence of the engines of the gunboa t getting out of order, but as every expedition had been used to put her to rights, and she had proceeded to the Waikato, we may shortly expect to hear that the long-expected blow has fallen The letters to hand say that every effort has been used to render the attack a most decisive one ; the only fear expressed is, lest the continued delay should give the natives the oppoitunity of making themselves scarce.

THE SPEECH. Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives. The recent course of events in this colony has compelled me to seek your advice and assistance at an earlier period than was contemplated on the last occasion of your meeting. The resumption of a block of land by my orders at Taranaki, which had long previously to the late war been peacefully occupied by our settlers, but which the contiuued threats of the Natives* had since prevented their return to. was followed by the entirely unprovoked murder of nearly the whole of a small escort of Her Majesty’s troops. This murder Avas instigated and directed by the tribes of Waikato ; the same tribes who had already expelled from their own districts their Missionaries and all other European residents, forcibly taken aAvay the half-caste families of the latter, and evinced in many ways their determination to provoke a Avar of races. They have for same time past been endeavouring to form a general combination of the Natives, having for its ■ avoAved object the indiscriminate .slaughter of the European Inhabitants of the colony. Their plans of attack on Auckland and its .neighbouring settlements have been frustrated by the defensive measures adopted ; but they have assassinated '.out' settlers, and soldiers engaged on escort duty.

No effort to gain over these tribes has been omitted. Every endeaA our has been made to remove any even apparent ground of complaint; to do them the fullest justice, and to promote in every Avay their welfare and improvement. Yet no means haA'e been found effectual to iuduce them to relinquish tlieir schemes of conquest and plunder. They have deliberately re-’ solved upon Avar, and to try their strength with the British i*ace. In accordance with this desire to deprive the Natives of every'pretext for rebellion, and preA’cnt if possible the. then threatening insurrection from becoming general : in tbe hope also of securing un-

animity aiid the cordial support of all classes of Her Majesty’s European, subjects in the war thus forced upon -us and for other reasons, detailed in the papers which will be laid before you, I thought it my duty, notwithstanding some obvious objections to such a course, to declare my intention not to attempt to complete the purchase of the block of land at the Waitara.

When from the assassination of our officers and soldiers it wa3 clear that the war, which such efforts had been made to avoid, was inevitable, the Imperial Government was immediatelp applied ,to §for additional Military assistance, - .sThe promptitude and liberality with which the application has been responded to demand your special recognition, and I feel confident that the aid thus given by England to tlie Colony in its time of danger and difficulty will strengthen those sentiments of loyalty and- affection towards the mother country which have always animated the settlers of New Zealand.

The neighbom-ing Colonies, to which I applied for such military aid as they could afford, have rendered every assisiance in their power, and my thanks are specially due to the Governor of Tasmania for the great promptitude with which every available soldier was despatched thence to this colony.

Meantime active measures had been taken in the colony itself for the defence of the settlements in the Northern Islaud. The militia and volunteers have been'called out, armed, and trained, to the number of upwards of nine thousand men Volunteer companies, both of horse and foot, have been formed in the different provinces. Mounted forces, under the Colonial Defence act of last session, have been raised and stationed in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington and-Wanganui. A steam gunboat, adapted for the navigation of shallow rivers, lias been built and brought over from Sydney, for especial service on the Waikato river. No exertions have been spared by the colony in contributing to the utmost extent of its power towards its own defence.

To provide in the most certain manner for the future protection of the settlers—to leave the regular troops more free for offensive operations, by releasing them from a portion of tlieir garrison duty—as well as to enable the Lieut-General Commanding to undertake those operations at an early period—a large number of volunteers have been introduced front Australia aud the Middle Island to serve for a certain period as militia, and eventually to form military settlements in tlxe interior, on condition of receiving free grants of land for their services.

With the additions to our forces first mentioned, and with the reinfb'ccments —naval and military—already arrived, or immediately expected from England, directed by such commanders as ai'e nowin New Zealand, I trust that this war will be brought, at no very distant date, to a successful issue.

Gentlemeu of the House of Representatives ,

The estimates for the current financial year will he laid before you without delay, together with an Act for raising a loan to enable me to carry out. the plans which have been initiat ed for the future security of the country. Honorable Gentlemen o r the Legis r at.'ve Council , and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, — The resolutions defining the relations between the Governor and Ministers, adopted at the last meeting of the Assembly, and in the spirit of-which I consented to act until the instructions of the Secretary of State should reach me, have not received the sanction of her Majesty’s Government. On the contrary, her Majesty’s Government has declared its intention to adhere to its previous decision, that the direction of Native policy, and the management of Nati\'e affairs should, except in certain contingencies, be placed under the control of the General Assembly. .. In any ordinary circumstances of the colony my responsible "advisers, on the receipt of this decision, Avould have recommended your being immediately 7 called together to deliberate and decide upon the course to be taken on a subject of such importance. 1 But at the time the decisiou was received the position of the colony in respect to the Natives was such as to demand .immediate and energetic measures to ensure its safety 7 which required the whole attention of the Gvrvernment It appeared, then, that to summon tbe Assemb’y at that moment would ha\ r e been to incur tbe risk of paralysing tbe efficient action so necessary in the then present crisis, Avhife measures for making provision to meet the less immediate consequences of the Native insurrection could not possibly have been matured sufficiently to be submitted for* your deliberation and adoption. ...... # : s The Ministers accordingly undertook to be responsible for tbe adoption of a plan of operations for tbe defence of the district a bout. Auckland, which I had proposed to them, and for the occupation by military' settlers of the land of hostile natives iu its neighbourhood, pendingrithe’ summoning of the Assembly, and the expression of your opinion on the Avhole subject of responsibility iu native affairs. They undertook this amount of responsibility from a sense of duty, and from the strong conA'iction that these plans formed part of a policy calculated effectually to deal Avith the difficulties before ns, and, as such, to meet with'your thorough approval and sanction.

I would now recommend your ‘acceptance, of the responsibility' Avhicli her Majesty’s decision has upon the colony 7 The measures to which ymur attention Avill be principally' directed, will be those Avhich have for their object the suppress-

on of the present and the prevention of future rebellions: I rely with confidence oil your cordial support in my endeavours' to carry on the present war with vigour, and to make it, if possible, the last which shall afflict the European and aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand. To do this —to provide a material guarantee for the preservation of peace—such measures will be necessary as will render future insurrections of the natives hopeless. The most obviorrs and effective of such measures are tlie construction of roads through the interior of the country, and the introduction into the disaffected districts especially, of an amount of armed population, sufficient to defend itself against all aggression. It should be distributed in military settlements along the frontiers of the settled districts and elsewhere, so as to afford protection to the inhabitants of these districts. A considerable number of volunteers for such settlements have been introduced, ns I have, already stated, and Bills will be submitted' for your consideration to authorise and make provision for the carrying out of these objects on as extensive a scale as seems practicable at present. This will necessarily involve the occupation of a portion of the waste lands of the rebellious natives : but while ample land will be left for their own requirements, it is only just that they should be made to feel some of the evil consequences of plunging the country, by wanton and unprovoked aggressions, into tlie expenses and miseries incidental to civil war , and thus' it is hoped to afford a warning to other tribes to ab.-tain from conduct-which will be attended with the kind of punishment they are most ap prehensive of. I trust that these measures, which I am compelled reluctantly to adopt, will ultimately prove a great furtherance to the operation of those foi* the improvement and civilization of the Aboroginal'Natives which have occupied so much of your at tention of late years, and which I am well aware nothing that has taken place will prevent you from still prosecuting with a generous regard for the future welfare of

this people. Some measures ,_to facilitate the operation of former Acts of the Assembly— a Bill for the annexation of Stewarts Island to the Province of Southland, in oi’der to extend the advantages of local government to that Island ; and a plan for the forma tion of an Electric Telegraph from the Southern extremity of the middle Island to Auckland—will be laid before you and receive, I trust; your favourable consideration.

The prosperity of the Colony, iu every respect, with the exception of the state of the aboriginal Natives, continues undiminished. Especially, it is most gratifying to remark the almost exampled progress in wealth and population made by the settlements in the Middle Island, the inhabitants of which, while themselves undisturbed by any difficulties with a Native race, have shewn so deep a sympathy with andso generous a regard for, the sufferings and dangers I which have fallen on their fellow-colonists on this Island.

I have now only to express au earnest hope that your counsels informed with the spirit of wisdom, may, with the blessings of the Almighty Disposer of events, tend to tlie deliverance of the Colony from its present difficulties, and to the permanianent welfare'of all its inhabitants.

The members of the Lower House having retired, the preliminary business of the Council was gone on with after which the adjournment was moved, and the Council dispersed. On the 19th there were only twentyeight (or one-half) of the representatives present. Under these circumstances, when the Address had been moved by Mr. Graham and secouded by Captain Rhodes, the-House readily consented, on the motiou of Dr. Featherston, supported . by Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Jollie, to postpone it until yesterday. Various important papers have been laid on the table, the pith of one or two of which we will give in our next, and Mr. Domett has asked leave to introduce “ a bill for establishing settlements on the Northern Island,” and “ a bill for the suppression • of the rebellion which unhappily exists in this colony, and for the protection of the persons and property of her Majesty’s loyal subjects within the same.” These, with the budget, probably contain the grand elements of the sessional strife. The genei'al.impression is, however, that there will not be much opposition to the ministerial plans, excepting from Mr. Fitzgerald, whose views will find but little support. ’I he fact is, the Government have so irretrievably committed the - Colony to certain plans—and we feel bound to say to popular plans, withal — that the only course open for the As sembly is to devise the readiest meaus for giving effect to them.