THE NATIVE INSURRECTION.

5

E—No. Id

Mr. Fox desired to correct one or two fallacies which had occurred in His Excellency's quotation from General Cameron's letter and in his own remarks. He referred first to the expression " Outsettlers," which might lead to the belief that the bulk of the population would be protected and only a few scattered homesteads on the very margin of colonization be left uncared for. But the fact was the whole provincial population were " Outsettlers," except the comparatively small number who resided in the towns, and to decline to protect the " Outsetfciers" was in fact to abandon the persons and property of the whole population of the Provinces. The other fallacy to which he wished to call attention was the estimate of Native population which His Excellency had made. No doubt his figures were correct, but there was no impediment to incursion by the large hordes of Natives who lived up the Wanganui river, in the Taupo country, at Taranaki, at Ahuriri, and elsewhere, beyond the actual limits of the Province ; but who could all concentrate themselves upon it in a few hours at any time. The Province was quite as much exposed as Auckland was, though, perhaps, not from Natives being within its own boundaries. His Excellency rejoined, that he could only repeat what the General had said, that the " outsettlers" could not be protected, it was impossible to garrison every farm house : they must look to themselves. Mr. Taylor remarked that the estimate of the numbers of Natives and Europeans in the different Provinces was not a fair criterion of the danger to which the Wellington Province would be exposed in case of movements against the Waikatos being undertaken by the Government, for the probable .result would be to drive down the interior tribes on to- the Province of Wellington. Mr. Fitzherbert remarked that in His Excellency's "estimate of the proportion of forces in each Province, he had omitted the five men of war stationed at Auckland, which entirely reversed the proportion stated by him and apparently established by the Returns ho had produced. Mr. Carter observed that not a single rifle had been sent to the Wairarapa. His Excellency said that the distribution of arms sent to the South rested with the local Militia Authorities. In conclusion, His Excellency observed that Auckland, from its position, was particularly exposed that he did not believe that for some time past there had been any imminent danger even there. That at present he did not think there was any danger of an immediate outbreak anywhere. I. E. Featherston, W. Fox, William Fitzherbert, C. B. Carter, A. Renall, W. W. Taylor.