The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-16 00:00:00

PRITAZINI.!I.

Ta!! IIYRiMeO, BELINDA ARSORAYL —THE GREAT
Gamy RlTlCE—Eimitorg by Sys Collins, Hr. Randall. and
lime. TisoiL—And LADY AUDLEY'd SECRET. lima
Reynolds, Osaka* awl Fury; Mims Miles and Downing.

MOH WATILR AT LONDON DIMON.
MS DR —Nmain.T. 3' 61a..... Aftarsoen. 4b. 10e.
704101111011—.11cebbag, 4b . ..therama.

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16.

THE intelligence from New Zealand points with
ominous certainty to the fact that the war in that
island has assumed the character of a war of races.
The effect of the former victory by General
Camisole against the natives near Auckland was
only temporary. It is now certain that the most
powerful, warlike, and disaffected tribes of Waikato
have taken up arms. Auckland, and the country
for 40 miles, is one vast camp. individual settlers
and whole families have been barbarously aid
treacherously murdered by natives. The militia
and the volunteers of the district have been called
out, and have obeyed the summons with laudable
alacrity, whilst reinforcements have been sent for
from India and from Australia. It is im-
possible to read the local journals with-
out perceiving that the colonists are exasperated
against the Maories to no ordinary degree.
They take no pains to conceal the feeling of supe-
riority of race, and they are evidently resolved to
put an end to the war at the shortest possible
period. It is computed that the natives do not
exceed 5,000 fighting men. At present the Quzszes
troops do not appear to exceed that number ; nor
can it be expected that General CAMEILON should
be able to suppress the rebellion with so small a
force. But there is little doubt that the colonists
will find means to increase their number, and will
finally succeed in their enterprise. At the begin-
ning of July the difficulty had been to compel the
natives to declare themselves. Within a few miles
of Auckland there were a number of villages in-
habited by Maories of doubtful disposition. It
was necessary to make them declare themselves. I
Accordingly, on the 9th of July, a proclamation
was issued desiring these people to take the oath
of allegiance and to give up their arms. The
population to whom this was addressed numbered
some 500, and it was necessary to pass through
them in order to reach the Waikato country. For
General Camisole to have made any advance
without ascertaining their disposition would have
been to leave an army of savages in biz rear,
and to expose his communications to interruption,
and the inhabitants of Auckland to assassination.

The event proved the wisdom of the caution.
Only six men took the oath of allegiance and laid
down their arias, whilst the others, collecting
together, occupied a strong position from which
they were only dislodged by force of anus. In
the meantime the natives had committed 110018
atrocious crimes—especially one of an old man
and a child—which induced all the settlers to seek
protection in Auckland. The Government issued
a proclamation confiscating all the lands of tribes
found in arms against the Q cazres troops. The Militia
were called out, amounting, it is said, to 4,500 men,
but the suggestion of the Government to arm some
natives was successfully resisted by the colonists.
On the 17th of July the first engagement took
place between the natives of Waikato and the
troops. The natives were driven out of their
rifle pita, and pursued for six miles. Since then
the only military event of importance was the at-
tack of a party of natives on Captain Row,
who was escorting some commissariat waggons
from the front, and an advance by General
CANZILON on the 3rd of August, to reconnoitre
some villages in his front.

It is dear from this narrative that although some
hundred or two of the natives may have been
killed by our soldiers, no serious impression has
been made upon the rebels, nor indeed is
this possible until some different plan of
operations is adopted. As yet the tribes
towards the north of Auckland are tranquil ;
and it is hoped, although scarcely believed,
that they will remain so. But it must be
remembered that the southern frontier of the
settlement extends over a length of 50 miles,
bounded generally by a thick and deep forest.
The difficulty of preventing the natives in small
bodies from issuing from this screen of
wood and falling upon unfortunate settlers
is obvious. In fact, throughout this line of 50
miles the native may choose his time and place
of attack ; and unless frequent posts of armed
men are established, it is practically impossible to
protect the colonists against such marauders. It
is true that whenever the natives are brought face
to face with the soldiers, they are compelled to •
fly ; but they take very good care to come down
into the open u seldom as possible. The only
effectual mode of successful attack would be by
making wide roads through the forest, so as to drive
the natives from their hiding-places. It seems to be
thought that Englishmen cannot learn to meet the
native on equal terms in hush fighting, but the
experience at the Cape proved the reverse. After
a time the British soldier became as expert
at this sort of warfare as his adversary. In the
meantime, however, it is tolerably clear that
General Canzaos has not a sufficient number of
men at his disposal to operate effectually against
the Maoris, and therefore his demand for rein-
forcements ought promptly to be met. Even if it
were possible to end the war without increasing his
forte, such a result could only be accomplished
at considerable risk and expense. The prolonga-
tion of the war would probably encourage other
tribes to rise in rebellion, and at all events would
diminish that prestige upon which so much de-
pends in dealing successfully with half-civilized
races. It may, perhaps, be doubted whether this
war might not have been avoided if the local
government had exercised the control over native
affairs from the beginning. But our treaty with
the natives rendered that impossible. Fora time
at least the Imperial Government was under
an obligation directly to control native affairs.l
Under this state of things the present war has
arisen, and to a certain extent the Imperial Go- i
verument is responsible. What the amount of