SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1038, 18 February 1879, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

I [press AGENCY. ( ! AUCKLAND, last night. Lord Harris telegraphed that he regretted he cannot visit Auckland. It is stated that Good Templary :is suffering great decline. An effort j will be made to revive it. | A boat containing Messrs Henderi son and Goldwater, capsized m the harbour ' } all swam safely ashore. Three stacks of wheaten hay, and one of straw, "belonging to Mr Paton, of Papatoitoi, w<>re burned, while' thrashing. Loss: £603; insured for £400 m the New Zealand Insurance Company. GRAHAMSTOWN, last night. Professor TJlrich expressed his opinion that reefing was only m its infancy at the Thames, and that rich deposits are still unworked. ROTORUA, Saturday. Twelve judges have been elected by the Rotorua Committee, the j Chief Judge being Tamati Te Kaharionga. Twelve Commissioners of Leases have been elected, the chief one being Petera Pokimo. All surveys are prohibited. The Maori Lands Court, under the pataiki, is proceeding favorably. j There has been a warm discussion m the IVLiorj. Qominittee here and elsewhere regarding the new army of tax-gatherers. Mr R. Graham is to be established under Maori mana at Rotorua, and ]V£r R ? Hudson, of Dunedin, at the Paeroa Range. NAPIER, Saturday. Mv M. R, Miller reports the sale of Mr Massey Hutchinson's Whare- , angi and Wareponga estate, consisting of 41 G acres freehold and 512 acres leasehold, with 2,00 sheep and plant, to Mr Gavin Peacock for £5,000. WELLINGTON, S&tupday. SIR GEORGE GREY ON THE SOUTH! AFRICAN DIFFICULTY. The ' New publishes the following memo, by Sir Qeorge Grey : " The difficulties before Great Britain m Natal are great, and should m my belief, b,e met m the following raa&nbr : Conciliate the Boers. Give them proofs that the rtatements made by the Zulus that they were

required by the British Government to underlake to fall on the Boers, if necessary, are untrue ; and by this means secure the goodwill and hearty co-operation of the entii'e Boer population throughout South Africa. Provide, instantly for the safety oi the inhabitants of Natal. There aro only about 40,000 Europeans scattered throughout 220,000 Zulus, who occupy all the strongholds m the country. Do not think of any military operations until the safety of these scattered Europeans have been secured. Use a!l troops for this purpose, and thus accustom them to the country and climate. So distributed, troops can readily be supplied with provisions from Durban along the lines of communication open throughout the colony of Natal, and this at small cost. While this is being dono let the Governor visit the various South African tribes between British Caffraria and Natal (Fin^oes, Basutos Kaffirs, Tambookis, Jfcc), and ascertain what are the present dispositions of those tribes, and by his presence and personal inflaence let him secure their allegiance and co-operation, if necessary. Place the Transvaal Territory m a state of security, protecting the frontier from eruptions of the Zulu nation. Military operations can. then be entered on. After the preporations spoken of, no very large bodies of Earopean troops would be required to more together. Operations should be of a combined nature, proceeding from several points towards a common centre- Ithe forces employed being mixed troops (European levies and native allies), — that their efficiency m every kind of country should be complete. A campaign conducted upon this principle would be far less expensive than desultory military operations undertaken by large masses of troops, which would produce but little result, yet entail enormous expense on Great Britain, and which, if entered upon before the colony of Natal was placed m perfect security, might result m great loss of life and scenes of a most appalling character. It must not be thought that it is possible m one campaign, however successful, to secure South Africa against the Zulu nation. Now that numerous people have been roused, merely to defeat them m one or two actions and then abandon the country, would be to leave Natal m a worse state than it was before the war began. It is now necessary to provide thoroughly for the permanent safety of Natal and of the country lying between that colony and the colony of the Cape of Good Hope. This can only be done on a definite plan, which will certainly require at least four or five years, m order that it may be thoroughly worked out. The completion of this plan would not re- ■ quire the permanent presence of a large military force if it is instantly entered upon and methodically conducted. When once the safety of the European population m Natal is thoroughly assured, the military expenditure would become comparatively small. I have every confidence that the advice which I thus venture to give would, if adopted, be permanently successful, and relieve Great Britain from the difficulty which now stares it m the face, aud from all further care m relation to South Africa." DUNEDIN, Saturday. Lord Harris and four ot his com, panions are to visit New Zealand. They intend to play m Jhristchurchf At the reaper and binder contest o. the Taieri Agricultural Siciety McCormick's took first prize, Os" borne second. There ware seven entries. WELLINGTON, last night. The Governor embarked m the Rinsfarooma to-day amidst cheers and salutes.