THE RECALL OF SIR G, GREY.

West Coast Times, Issue 620, 19 September 1867, Page 4

THE RECALL OF SIR G, GREY.

(FROM THE WELLINGTON INDEPENDENT.)

The manner in which the Duke of Buckingham conveys to Sir George Grey the intimation of his recall, is alike weak, unsatisfactory, and undignified. Nothing can possibly be more annoying to an earnest man, than to find that all his exhaustive arguments and earnest protests fail to call foith anything more than a mere acknowledgment, which evades all discussion of the points at issue. This is the more galling when, as in the case of Sir George Grey, an able man seeks to vindicate himself from the unfouuded charges which have been brought against him, and to show that his action was justified, both by the experience of the past and the existing circumstance? of the present. When Sir George Grey pressed upon the Imperial Government his views relative to the retention of a portion of the troops in the colony, and pointed out' that a certain amount of control over them should be vested in him as the Queen's representative, it was at least due to a public servant of his distinguished reputation and ability, that his representations should have been treated with due consideration and properly answered. Again, when the colonists were caluminated by Colonel Weare and attacked by Lord Carnarvon, the complete defence made for them by his Excellency should not have been disposed of merely by a few lines of rejoinder. The last despatch which lies before us, is a specimen of cool official insolence. In a single sheet of foolscap, his Grace replies to six lengthy despatches, by saying, that as her Majesty's forces — with the exception of one regiment —as well as General Chute, would probably have left the colony before its receipt, he deems it unnecessary to renew the correspondence with reference to the control of the troops in question. The single regiment is to remain in the meantime and be under the control of the Governor till his further views on military operations are received at Downing street. " I shall then," concludes the writer of this remarkable production, "be able to inform you of the appointment of your successor in the Government of New Zealand, and of the time at which he may be expected to arrive in the colony." This is the manner in which a distinguished public servant is treated by a new Secretary of State for the Colonies, who has scarcely yet had timo to familiarise himself with the routine duties of his office, and is profoundly ignorant of everything connected with the New Zealand question. Appeal, argument, and expostulation have been entirely disregarded, and the man who had the courage to use them is given notice of discharge with as little ceremony as an employer would use towards a junior clerk. It is hopeless to struggle against arbitrary and irresistible power. A less able or consciencious man than Sir George Grey would, for his own sake, have long ago cea«ed to press opinions which were distasteful to his superiors. But his Excellency had a reputation to maintain, and preferred adhering to his views, even though such an attitude involved a probable loss of position. In so doing he has judged wisely. He could not, without a failure of duty, have'said less on behalf of the colony, bis Ministers and himself, than he did ; and, having taken a certain stand, he could not abandon it without disgrace. The sympathy and good will of the colonists will therefore follow Sir George Grey into his retirement, and amongst his recollections there can be none which he will recall with greater satisfaction than those connected with the last two years of his administration in New Zealand.

At no period since his arrival in the colony for the second time in 1862, has Sir George Grey stood so high in the estimation of the colonists as he does at present. Specially selected to the post, owing to his great experience oi' the native race, he came to the colony to attempt a peaceful solution of its greatest difficulty. The Imperial Government, and a large number of the colonists had high hopes of his success, and even those who were less sanguine, felt disposed to hold their opinion in suspense, and to do nothing which might in any way hiimper or frustrate his schemes. The '• new institutions " were therefore brought into existence with the object of directing the efforts of the natives at self-government into a legitimate channel. They were provided with schools, churches, and the machinery of law. They weie to be made educated Christiana and law observing men. No expense was Spared to accomplish those objectg, end no one worked harder to ensure success than Sir George Grey, while no Governor ever found a more able and active coadjutor than he did in Mr Fo«. But the eircumstauces of the case made failure inevitable. The natives had fought without buing beaten, and they did not want to be at peace. The longer the olive branch was held out by us, the more energetically did they flourish the tomahawk. We think Sir, George Grey committed a serious error in not again sending for Mr Fox during the political crisis of 1802, when it was in his power to do so — an error that he must often afterwards have seen cause to regret. But in truth,' his Excellency had then little liking for a responsible Ministry in native affairs . He wished to act unfettered, and his desire was gratified, by the accession to office of Mr Domett and his colleagues who, in terms of the Assembly's resolution, left native affairs exclusively in his hands. Events hurried on ; Sir George Grey tenewed his exertions ; the natives every day became more antagonistic, until, in little more than a year, the colonists were shocked by the massacre at Tataraimakli, and aH hope of peaGe was at an end. Sir George Grey and hie irresponsible Ministers in trying to. patch up a peace had drifted into war. Up to that time, his mission had been a- failure. A change of Ministry followed, $8 JP^fgr'Af *B#L adopted*

the Waikato campaign commenced, and it was resolved to make a great effort to suppress the rebellion once and for ever. With a really responsible Ministry in office, that policy \Vould have been successful had it been fairly tried. But this was not to be. At this point, Sir George Grey adopted a course which was justly and severely condemned. Regardless of the fact that the policy was in a great measure his own, he turned against it, hampered operations in the fiald, and stopped confiscation. His action was entirely unconstitutional, and his Ministry in resisting it, had the warmest sympathy and support. The struggle that ensued was on their side a bitter but hopeless one, and ended in their resignation. Backed by the Imperial authorities, Sir Geoige Grey effectually frustrated their efforts, and forced them to abandon a position in which they were powerless for good. It is little wonder if at that period, the colonists, after spending treasure and blood freely to accomplish a certain object, should bitterly upbraid the statesman who had made their hopes impossible of realisation.

The colonists have been slow either to forgive or forget this, but after events showed that Sir George Grey was anxious to be their friend. The danger of further Imperial interference was avoided by offering to dispense with Imperial aid, and the colony resolved to provide for its own defence. Sir George Grey, however, still used his influence to have the troops retained, although the Weld Ministry were completely against it ; his apparent object being to see if it were yet possible to completely suppress the rebellion and secure a permanent peace before they were removed. That object was defeated through the antagonism of General Cameron, and then arose that series of quarrels which has embroiled the Governor with the Imperial authorities, and broughtabouthisrecall. In this period of his administration Sir George Grey showed himself to be a warm and earnest friend of the colony, In every instance he became their unflinching champion. When General Cameron caluminated us, Sir George Grey made our defence ; when the magnates of Downing street treated us with- neither generosity nor justice, he protested against their proposals, and insisted upon our claims to redress; when Colonel Weare charged us with the responsibility of alleged atrocities perpetrated on the natives, he compelled a retractation of the wicked slanders. For all this the colonists are deeply grateful, and at the 2 )resen t moment, when Sir George Grey is about to retire from his high position, they judge him less as the ambitious statesman — who sacrificed everything that stood in his way, and yet failed to accomplish the task entrusted to his care — than as the man who, in the last stages of his official career, perilled position and power to protect them from Imperial injustice.