The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-12 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND.

The Otago Daily Times says that the intelligence
from the north is, on the whole, of a much more
pacific character. The leading chiefs are reported
Ito be more inclined to peace. •As we have often ex-
plained before (it adds), however satisfactory accounts
of this kind are, they offer no permanent assurance.
As rumours of war may generally be understood to
be less serious than they appear on their face, so
'rumours of peace must not be considered to offer
so satisfactory an assurance as on their face they
seem to bear. The fact is, the natives are a tur-
bulent population, to be kept quiet only by the even
pressure of the law's strong arm. To deal with them as
belligerents is to excite them to warfare. It will
be fortunate, now that the war may at least be pro-
nounced as subsided, if the authorities will make
up their minds to abolish colonial armies, and deal
with the natives as subjects, by the aid of the con-
trol of efficient local police. Throughout the colony
there is running the impression that this course
must be adopted. Whilst there is a colonial army
Ito live by war there will be a native difficulty.
Localise the government of the natives and the
difficulty would subside and soon altogether cease.
The resolutions proposed in the Provincial Coun-
cil of Otago, having essentially for their object
the giving effect to this localization, were carried
intact, after a lengthened discussion. Of course,
the council has no direct control in the matter ;
but it is to be presumed that, as the embodiment
of important interests, its recommendation will
have weight. If it be possible to secure a common
understanding amongst the leading provinces, the
decision they may arrive at is not likely to be up-
set. Under the head of native affairs, it is right to
mention that the long protractod negotiation for
the purchase of the Mammas, Block has sit length
resulted in the completion of tle, transaction. It
will be seen by a telegram in another column that
the money was paid on Friday last, and that the
meeting of natives, which had boon 1141 for nearly
a fortnight, dissolved on the I.•ll.owstig .lay."
The following is the telegram nth•rri,cl t o :
Dno. 19.
. . .

The Manawatu land meeting Hsturilay.
Dr. Feitlieriton, without 4...00.. seialy returned to Mrs-
wenui on Friday with the mwruy. Two hundred mounted
natives welcomed bun with enormous millimilasito a few
miles from thence. On Mitunlay the money was appor-
tioned to the representative chiefs, who fee themselves
and tribes ignored their own feeds, and Interchanged vows
of listing War and other 1111310011 followed
and a great feast closed the evening. A few principal
chiefs are to meet Dr. Featherston tomorrow, to receive
the back rents owed by squatters, kc.

From all parts of the goldfields accounts speak
well of the condition of the population. It is
stated that in proportion to the number of miners
the yield is fully ecival to, if not greater than, that
of any gold producing country,

THE
REFORM LEAGUE DEMONSTRATION.

The Reform Demonstration yesterday passed
without an opportunity being given to its enemies
to hold the leaders of the movement " personally
responsible " for any breaches of the peace or de-
struction of property. Not only was there no in-
fringement of the law, but, so far as we saw, not
even an ordinary street row. The people met and
parted with a quietness that would strike some as
significant. Judged by the modes of measurement
generally employed at the December demonstra-
, tion, the numbers this time were less than then.
Instead of the procession taking an hour and
twenty-five minutes to pass a given point, it took
I yesterday certainly not over an hour and ten
minutes, and in one part of the route only fifty-five
minutes, the rates of marching on the two occa-
sions being about the same. This would make the
total numbers marching about 20,000. The secre-
tary of the League, by computing the bodies sent
by branches and trades, thinks this is far too low an
estimate ; but if there were inure than 20,000 the
ranks must have been more tightly packed than in
December, which they did not appear to be. This
time there could be no excuse in the weather ;
literally there was not " a drop of rain the whole
of the live-long day," nothing but clear sunshine
and a cold bracing wind. On the other hand,
throughout the afternoon the thoroughfares out of
the track of the procession were swanning with
men who wore badges, showing that they were
adherents of the Reform League, but who for some
reason or other declined to march in military
order.
The somewhat late hour of two was chosen for
the start from Trafalgar-square, in order to ensure
a large attendance at the evening meeting at
7 o'clock, in the Agricultural-hall, Islington ; and
as the procession arrived at its destination soon
after dark, the end justified the means. Some of
the 84 branches of the League in the remote
districts must have met at their local places of
meeting pretty early, and the excellence of the
general organization was seen in the punctuality
observed under circumstances when an hour's delay
would have been pardonable. To bring the pro-
cession into something like manageable order six
divisions were planned, to gather in central spaces
not far from Trafalgar-square, viz., Birdcage-walk,
Russell-square, Portland-place, Leicester-square,
and St. James's-square. Many persons upon
repairing to these localities at the time
specified on the programme were disap-
pointed to find no flags, no music, and no
reformers, the explanation being that it wail never
intended to use them as more than halting places
for the divisions on their way to the general rendez-
vous. Trafalgar-square was taken possession of
about 12 o'clock by acrowd, not exactlyof roughs,"
but of persons who would have had no right to be
offended if they had been classed amongst that un-
loved fraternity. That there were many sharpers
and suspicious persons prowling about seeking what
they might devour there is every reason to believe,
but, owing to the determination of the bond fide
reformers, and the presence of police enough to
be reassuring, yesterday could not have been a
thieves' harvest. After the assembly—perhaps 200
men and boys—in the square had had their
fill of the leonine arrivals at Nelson's feet,
they indulged in a little boisterous romping at
their own expense, that might have ripened into
mischief if it had nut been soon rendered impos-
sible from the crush. The porchway of the Na-
tional Gallery, the steps of St. Martin's Church,
and every other accessible point, was covered by
well-to-do men and women, who were anxious to
witness the proceedings without feeling the crowd.
Towards two o'clock the square and its approaches
were densely packed, some on a little space to tho
right, where the driving spray from the fountains
proved a most effective police. Fears were enter-
tained that when the divisions arrived there would
be confusion, perhaps disaster. Natural as those
fears were they happily turned out to be ground-
less, although there were abundant reasons why on
any future occasions SL James's-park should be
preferred to Trafalgar-square.
After but fifteen minutes' delay, occasioned by the
accumulated traffic and thronged thoroughfares,
the procession was set in motion by the marching
of a contingent straight from the Strand along the
bottom of the square towards Pall-mall. The other
divisions then found no difficulty in falling in their
proper places. The obstructed omnibuses and
cabs were exceedingly numerous, but everybody
appeared good hnmouredly to accept the inconve-
nience as a matter of course. The procession did
not differ materially from that we had to describe
two months ago. It was headed by a band, and
by a troop of farriers, who gained well-deserved
renown by the successful manner in which they
performed the duty of pioneers. Then branches
of the League, interspersed with trade societies,
followed with their bands and flags. The trades had
taken part in the proceedings simply as members
of the League, the understanding being that if
the intentions of the present government are not
strictly honourable the entire trades unions will
hold a demonstration of their own at Easter that
shall eclipse all its predecessors. Still there
were several trades represented yesterday, includ-
ing the tailors and others, who, it was stated, had
refused to attend. The trade emblems were few,
while the banners were more numerous and
more handsome than we have seen them
before. The banners and flags, as is their
wont, proclaimed the principles and senti-
ments of which the procesaionists are proud—the
principles of unity, liberty, peace, law, order,
charity, and independence, expressed by text, by
proverb, or motto. The bands, so far as the popu-
lar music of the country gives opportunity, reflected
the inscription., but it must be confessed that op-
portunity was of the scantiest description. The
melody relating to the disposition of John Brown's
body, the French republican hymn, and the kin-
dred Garibaldian song, were played as often as
decorous, but the majority of the tunes were of
the " Champagne Charley " class, that being the
air played most triumphantly within earshot of the
Temperance division which brought up the rear.
On the whole, the procession, in its display of flags,
was an improvement on all its predecessors. Lord
Derby's " fancy dresses " were, of course, conspicu-
ous by their absence. The most fanciful thing we
observed was a tricoloured scarf, or rosette, used
solely as a distinguishing mark.
Along the entire route the spectators were appa-
rently three times as numerous as when the trades
I unionists trudged through the mud to Beaufort
grounds. At no time, at least until PentonvWe-
road was reached, were the crowds inconvenient,
but at all times the interest shown in the procession
was the most striking feature of the demonstration.
I In Pall-mall and St. James's-street the shop win-
dews were but partially closed. The pavements
and a portion of the roads were comfortably occu-
pied with persons, and the windows and balconies
the same. A request, so strong as to be almost an
order, had been circulated through the ranks by
the council, to pass the clubs in significant silence,
and to cheer only at the' merican embassy. As a
rule this desire was strictly complied with, the
only departure being a slight cheer given at the
Reform Club. The Prince of Wales and the Duke
of Edinburgh occupied one of the upper windows
of the United Service Club. and they laughed
heartily at the playful gambols of some of the
troopers of the farriers who were accidentally halted
at the end of Waterloo-place. At the Athenaeum
opposite, the Archbishop of York, one or two other
prelates, and Mr. Charles Dickens were upon the
balconies. The political clubs appeared to be
given over as a rule to ladies and to those mem-
bers who are often irreverently described as " club
fogies." The only prominent liberals at the Re-
form Club were Mr. W. E. Forster and Mr. T. B.