The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-31 00:00:00

aboriginalinhabitants disappear before the advance
of the settler and make no sign, in the latter they
challenge his pretensions, dispute with him inch by
inch the territory which he covets, and willingly
sacrifice their lives in efforts to arrest his progress.
The New Zealanders are a hardy and a resolute
race ; and when, upwards of five-and-twenty
years ago, British colonists first settled on their
shores, careful observers predicted that the task
which the settlers were preparing for them-
selves was one of no ordinary difficulty. Indeed,
so deeply
rooted did this conviction become,
that tie
Home Government, then directed by
Lord Mel
ourne, used its influence to arrest the
scheme of c,
olonising New Zealand. Its efforts,
however, were i!'
vain, end from that time to the
present it has
been oite long struggle for pre-
eminence between t-
he immigrant and the native
population. Whatever
the policy we had
course we had pursued,
as an accepted fact
wh„.+ever might have be'n,
could have been
it may be regardeo,
Ter would have
adopted,
-I,la:reasing colo-
that the New 7.aaland race neve.r
amalgamated with our own, and no
to. assert
given way to the slowly but surely
nial population without some such effort,'
its independence as that which we are no-et in self-
defence ccmpelled by force of arms to repress. Our,
government in New Zealand may have been fain, vt
but, even if it had been unexceptionable, tim
11Iaories would sooner or later have rebelled.
Although, however, rebellion in New Zealand
might be considered as a necessary evil of endea-
vouring to colonise that country, it is not the let&
incumbent on the British Govenment to adopt every
means which seems calculated to reconcile the con-
flicting claims of the colonists and the natives. It
cannot be denied that the Government have been
most desirous of conciliating the aboriginal popula..
tion ; but it is very questionable whether the beet
method has been pursued to gain that end. When
the first rebellion was suppressed, in 1847, the;
colonial authorities exercised almost absolute con-
trol in the administration of affairs, and there are
those, amongst whorn is Earl Grey, who attribute
the recent disturbances to the modifications intro-
duced in this form of government. A large section
of the colonists demanded representative institutions
and a responsible Government, and their demands
were complied with. An act was passed in the
year 1852 by the Imperial Parliament, creating, so
to bpeak, a constitution for the colony, and giving
to the settlers the institutions they desired. Un-
fortunately, however, some of the principal admi.
nistrative offices were made elective, and the t'xecu-
tive power was thus placed in the hands of the
settlers, whilst a short time afterwards the author
rities were made responsible to the Colonial Legisi-
lature. This, Earl Grey maintains, was a grave
error, nor was it redeemed by the seeming share
given to the native population in the adminis-
tration of affairs. It is probable that, had the
absolute regime been persisted in, and had the
supreme power not been placed in the hands of
class which had the strongest motives for abusing
it to the prejudice of the native population, matters
might, for a time at least, have followed a different
course. But, as we have already observed, sooner
or later the Maories would have become alarmed at
their gradually waning influence, and would have
appealed to arms. Whatever the form of govern*
meat, or in whatever hands it was placed, the great
point in dispute between the colonists and the abo-
rigines would equally have remained to be decided,
namely, the right of possession in the soil. As Lord
Lyveden expressed it, the settlers desire to acquire
the land and the natives to keep it, and these con-
flicting desires cannot both be satisfied. A most
important question, however, was raised last even-
ing, which, though not hitherto overlooked, has,
never elicited a final reply. By whom should the
expenses of these repeated wars be borne—by the
mother country or by the colony ? A loan is about
being raised to defray the expenses entailed by the
present Maori rebellion, and the proposal that it
should be guaranteed by the Home Government
naturally presses this matter on our consideration
a most practical form. However interested the
mother country may be in the preservation of its
colonies, it is apparent that it is the primary duty of
the colonist to protect themselves. If, with a view
to their own personal advantage, a number of British
subjects choose to settle in what may be regarded
as an enemy's country, they should be prepared to
bear the risks incidental to such a venture in con-
sideration of its prospective advantages. If they
are compelled to make war with the natives in order
to maintain their already acquired possessions, they
are not entitled to call upon those whom they have
left behind in the old country to pay the expenses
of a war projected for their exclusive benefit. This
was fully recognised by Lord Granville last even-
ing. The colonists, he said, were bound to meet the
charges of the present war, and should not hope to
suppress the rebellion at the expense of the mother
country. This is reasonable; and if the colonists
in New Zealand think otherwise, and suppose that
English taxpayers will pay their debts, they will
find themselves mistaken.