RETENTION OF THE TROOPS.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 475, 9 March 1869, Page 2

RETENTION OF THE TROOPS.

Considerable confusion seems to have prevailed as to whether the 18th Regiment was to be removed from New Zealand or not, but it now appears that the regiment is to be retained. At least such is the impression. The troop-ship Himalaya has suddenly and unexpectedly appeared at Wellington, but it is understood that the Government have since received a telegram by which they feel justified in retaining the troops. So far as can be ascertained, a telegram despatched to Galls, after the departure of the January mail, was received in Melbourne instructing the Captain of the Himalaya not to proceed to New Zealand for the 28th Eegiment, but to go direct to Queensland for the portion of the 50th Regiment stationed at Brisbane,, with which and another portion of the regiment stationed in Sydney, she is to return to England. General Chute, however, thought proper to send the Himalaya on to Wellington, to the surprise of Commodore Lambert, of the Challenger, who, on finding no fresh instructions in the Suez mail received in Wellington by the Rangitoto on Friday last, at once ordered the Captain of the Himalaya off to Brisbane. By the Rakaia, from Panama, his Excellency the Governor last week received a despatch from Earl Granville, the new Secretary of State for the Colonies, expressing the entire concurrence of his Lordship in so much of his " predecessor's instructions as required the immediate departure of the troops now in New Zealand,on the arrival of the Himalaya.'' This dispatch was written before any word of the Poverty Bay massacre reached England, the first intelligence of that sad calamity having been transmitted from Sydney to Galle on the 6th December, and telegraphed thence to London, where it was received on the Ist January. As between the despatch of the mails on the 2nd of January, and the date of the London telegrams received by the last steamer from Galle, there was an interval of three weeks, Earl Granville and the Government had time to give some attention to the story of the Poverty Bay tragedy ; and it is quite possible that news reached England in time to enable the Home Government, on learning the gravity of our affairs, to catch the Australian mail at Galle.