The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-18 00:00:00

THE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

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TO HIS EXCELLENCY SIR GEORGE GREY, GOVEII-

NOR or NEW ZEALAND.

Sir,—The unhappy war which is now raging in New
Zealand between the Maories and their English rulers Las
excited the meet deep and painful interest in this country.
It was generally hoped that the contest which recently
took place in the province of Taranaki would have been the
last of those painful collisions which have proved as inimi-
cal to the best interests of the colony, as they have been
disastrous to the native race. This hope was confirmed
by the spirit with which your Excellency entered upon
the duties of your high office, and especially by the per-
severing efforts you made to establish a system of self-
government in the native districts. We cannot express
to you with what profound regret we have witnessed
the failure of those wise and beneficient measures, and
how deeply we sympathise with you in the peculiarly
trying position in which you are now placed. The justice
which has ever been the gnat characteristic of your Excel-
lency's administration of native affairs is a pledge to the
world that the war which is now being waged will be limited
to the one object of restoring British supremacy in the
disturbed districts, and of achieving an honourable, and, if
possible, a lasting peace. Occupying as you do a position at
once so difficult and so responsible, we should not venture
to offer any suggestions of our own, did we not feel that
Englishmen, even at so great a distance, ought not to regerfl
the momentous events now transpiring in New Zealand
with indifference or even with silence. We would therefore
express our earnest hepes that your Excellency will
avail yourself of the first favourable opportunity which
may present itself of endeavouring to terminate the war by
negotiation, and especially that you will listen to any over •
tures of peace which any of the natives who have taken np
arms may make. This course will, we are sure, so commend
itself to your sense of humanity and Christian feeling, that
we should scarcely presume to urge it upon your considera-
tion, did we not feel that your hands might be strengthened
by this expression of our opinion, an opinion which we be-
lieve to be shared by the great body of the British people.
We have, however, been alarmed by the pertinacity with
which, in some quarters, it has been proposed to confiscate
the lands of all contumacious and rebellious natives. As
has been truly observed, such a policy as this would shut
the door to any possible settlement of the difficulty except
by the sword ; in other words, it would lead to the extermi-
nation of a people who value their property in the soil even
more than their existence, and who, despite their faults,
are worthy of a better fate. We can conceive of no surer
means of adding fuel to the flames of war; of
extending the area of disaffection ; and of making
the natives fight with the madness of despair, than a policy
of confiscation. It could not fail to produce in Now Zea-
land the same bitter fruits of which it has yielded so plen-
tiful a harvest in other countries where the strife of reces
has been perpetuated through successive generations, and
that, too, with a relentlessness and a cruelty which have
made mank.nd blush for the species. We therefore pray
that in the hour of victory your Excellency will temper
justice with mercy, and give to the world another bright
example of forbearance and magnanimity. By such means,
and such means only, may we hope to see the Maori race
saved from extinction, and the dominion of our beloved
Queen firmly established ever every portion of the islands
of New Zealand. With great respect, we have the honour
,o be, sir, your Excellency's faithful servants,
(Signed)—Chichester; Eburn, P. C., Moor-park, Rick-
mansworth ; Walter C. Trevelyan, Bart. ; John
Hesketh Lethbridge Bart.; Wilfrid Lawson,
Bart. ; S. Gurney, M.P. ; W. E. Forster, M.P. ;
Thomas Barnes, M.P.; Henry Pease, M.P.;
Thomas Bazley, M.P. ; William Williams, M.P;
P. A. Taylor, M.P. ; Edward Baines, M.P. ; E.
A. Leatham, M.P. ; John Brady, M.P. ; Samuel
Morley, Thomas Fowell Buxton, Lieut.-General
T. Perronet Thompson, Edward Miall, R, N.
Fowler, Treasurer of the Aborigines Protection
Society ; Samuel Lucas, Thomas Guthrie, D.D.,
Edinburgh; Thomas Binney, Colonel Charles J.
Hadfield, William Howitt, Colonel Henry Sal-
wey, J. E. Cairns, Professor of Jurisprudence,
Queen's'University, Ireland; Francis W.
Newman, late Professor at University College,
London; Newman Hall, LL.B. ; J. H. Parry,
Sergeant-at-Law; S. Stott, Mayor of Rochdale;
Leone Levi,Professor of Commerce and Commer-
ciel Law, King's College, London; Charles
Sturge, Henry Christy, Joseph Pease, Darling-
ton; George Thompson; David Thomas, D D.;
Henry Richard, John Nichol, 8.A., Oxon ;
Duncan M'Laren,Newington-house,Edinburgh;
Edward Smith, Sheffield; Frederick Baines,
Leeds; Benjamin Scott, F.R.A.S. ; Edmond
Beebe, M.A., Lincoln's-inn; Edmund Sturge,
Birmingham; John Lee, LL D., Hartwell;
Jabsz Burns, D.D. ; Joseph Cover, Lloyd's ;
John Cropper, Liverpool; John Hodgkin,
Lewes; Henry Vincent, Washington
L. A. Chamerovzow ; George Gilfillan, Dundee ;
John Cassell; Arthur Trevelyan, J.P., Tein -
holm, Tranent, N. 8.; J. J. Colman, Norwich ;
Richard Smith, 7, Highbury-crescent ; F. W.
Chesson ; A. K. Isbiscer, M.A. ; John Epps,
M.D.; Joseph Cowen, jun., Newcastle-on-Tyne;
John Mayfield, 300, Holborn; Francis E. Fox,
Tottenham; Justin M'Carthy ; James Cropper,
Kendal; James Taylor, jtm., Birmingham;
Wilson Armistead, Leeds ; William Anderson,
LL.D., Glasgow; Frederick Wheeler, Roches-
ter; Henry Richardson, Newcastle-on-Tyne;
Joseph Lupton, Leeds; Caleb Fletcher, M.D.,
York.
London, Jan. 16, 1864.