The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-18 00:00:00

the path of the colonists, but its capture has been
achieved almost entirely by colonial a'ad native
troops acting under the instructions of the Governor.
Full details of the capture of the-pah reach us by
this mail, and it seems that the Governor and the
Ministry were alike anxious to achieve this great
object before the meeting of the Assembly. It will
be remembered that the Governor, at the invitation
of the natives, went to Wanganui expecting to re-
ceive the submission which they had promised if he
came in person to receive it. The Governor offered
a free pardon (excepting, of course, the murderers
known to be with them), but it soon became mani-
fest that their only aim was to gain time, and
that they had no intention whatever of making
submission. After such an affront to the
Governor it was absolutely necessary to
make some decided movement, and, as it was
justly said, " the worst possible effect was produced
by the murderers, fanatics, and turbulent natives
being permitted to remain unmolested for so many
months in close proximity to a British settlement
and in the presence of a large British force." Con-
sequently, the Governor resolved that, at all risks,
the pah must be captured. The manner in which
he laid his plans and carried them out in the face of
the most formidable difficulcies reflects the highest
honour upon Sir G. GREY. When success was achieved,
and the pah actually in the hands of the troops,
it was found, as so often has proved the
case, to be empty, the natives having eva-
cuated it during the night. The soldiers who were
to have guarded a certain route did not arrive in
time, so that, unfortunately, the Maories were able,
with their accustomed shrewdness, to escape when
they found their case hopeless. But the pah remains
in our hands; the prestige of the natives is destroyed ;
a serious obstacle to conquest or peace-making re-
moved ; and another proof given that the most im-
pregnable of the native retreats must yield to
civilised strength and skill. If, as is rumoured,
Sir GEORGE GREY contemplates the speedy
resignation of his troublesome dignity, the
subjection of the Wereroa Pah will be a
triumphant conclusion to his governorship. What
the effect will be upon the natives remains to be
seen. The new Ministry will probably carry on
the war with vigour and efficiency, and will be very
likely to bring the problem to a rapid solution. The
only drawback to the new systen. of the colonists
settling the affair their own way is that men are
not always to be trusted as judges in their
own cause, and there can be no doubt
that, in many instances, unfair advantage
has been taken of the natives in the matter of the
lands. Some check should therefore be kept over
the civil arrangements of the relationship between
the natives and the settlers, and if the latter are in-
clined to resent English interference, they may re-
member that, however well able to deal with hordes
of undisciplined savages, they may not be equally
capable of defending New Zealand against the ag-
gression of a foreign Power.

Future generations can turn to this episode of
Schleswig-Holstein whenever they wish to study a
particular instance of injustice and spoliation, car-
ried on, too, with consummate assurance and un-
blushing effrontery. Everything we hear on the
subject only seems to make the matter warse ; and,
really, it will be a relief when the question is dropped
or superseded by the occurrence of more startling
events. The official statement that has just ap-
peared of the conclusions arrived at by the Crown
lawyers of Prussia is one of the most disgraceful
statements that has come before the public for some
time, and furnishes the best proof yet met with of
the inconsistency and cunning of Prussia. We all
remember, though some may find it convenient to
forget, how eagerly Lord RUSSELL and the other
supporters of Berlin policy, declared to the House
of Commons over and over again that the allied
Powers of Germany had no intention of possessing
themselves of the Duchies, but that they merely
went to war in order to satisfy the German Princi-
palities, and to set forward the just claims of those
who affirmed that the Duchies did not belong to the
King of DENMARK. If there was one thing more
than another that was insisted upon, it was that
King CHRISTIAN had no real right to these disputed
territories. If the war was for one thing more
than another it was to wrest these from the rule of
the Danish Monarch. Yet we are now told that
after the most scrupulous investigation, and the
most searching endeavours, the learned and astute
lawyers of Berlin have discovered that the Duchies
really belonged to King CHRISTIAN. If this be the
case, the authorities of Austria and Prussia stand
convicted before the world of downright robbery.
The whole course of the transactions which have
been carried on in this Schleswig-Holstein affair has
been signalised by treachery of the deepest dye and
falsehood to an inordinate extent, and we may
fairly state that it has now reached the culminating
point of iniquity and baseness. It is an insult to
the other nations of Europe that two of the great
Powers should thus conduct themselves, and violate
the rights of nationalities. Why was there such
haste to make war if the proper steps had not been
taken 'to discover who was the rightful owner of the
Duchies ? Why was peace concluded upon such
terms that a satisfactory adjustment of disputed
claims was impossible on the part of Denmark ?
These are questions that cannot be answered, and
the reason is that it is all a sham and a pretence.
The Prussian rulers no more believe that King
CHRISTIAN is the real possessor of the
Duchies now, anti has yielded up his
claims to them, than they thought some
time back that he was not the rightful owner. It
suited their turn then, as it suits it now, ,to make
extravagant assertions ; but they may go too far in
their craft and cunning, and end by overreaching
themselves.

It is almost too irritating to peruse the statements
set forth by the Berlin Crown lawyers on this vexed
question. The conclusion they arrive at is, that the
succession-law of 1853, legally the , " hereditary
succession" to the three countries, but that King
CHRISTIAN ceded his rights to the Crowns of Aus-
tria and Prussia, and that, therefore, the " two
allied Powers, in disposing of the Duchies, are
not bound to recognise other hereditary claims."
Indeed, the statement goes on to say, that "it fol-
loWs from these resolutions that the question does
sot in any degree whatever depend upon the eluci-
dation of former hereditary rights. " Can anything
be more preposterous than this, when we remember
the extraordinary parade that was made about the
justness of the claims of the DukeofAUGUSTENBURO.
The Crown Prince of Prussia was his great ally, and
together sallied forth to face the foe, and drive him
froth his stronghold in Holstein. It would
seem as if Prussia was totally oblivious of all
ties of honour, truth, and consistency. They
are considered as " airy nothings" that do
for some srupulous nations, but are quite beneath
(the notice of heaven-inspired rulers. The great
indulgence of
King WILLIAM has, however, per-
mitted the Crown lawyers to inquire into the ques-
tion of the claims of the Duke of AUGUSTENBURG,
and that unfortunate individual must feel highly
honoured and deeply grateful for such an act of
grace and condescension. He has only bad news to
learn, however, and can truly exclaim with the
Psalmist, " Oh, put not your trust is Princes, for