The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-18 00:00:00

have felt bound to resign ? Considering the rela-
tor. of Ministers to the Governor on "native
management," they were a parcel of geese to give
any advice at all. The sole responsibility is the
Governor's, his. Ministers ought not to have im-
paired or Weakened it.

The Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Abraham) and
Archdeacon Iladfbdd, tog, seem to me to hare com-
mitted a great blunder in the protest which I en-
close. I believe they are quite right in their view
that the war is unjust in its origin. I have already

explained this at length. Indulge me in a few
words of recapitulation. It' the Governor had
adhered to his old (and I think wise) rule, to deal
only with tribal—quasi national—rights, King,i, es
the superior Chief, was the person to deal with.
As, however, he departed from that rule, and dealt
with an individual claimant, Teira, or Taylor,
Kingi, a larger claimant, should also have been
dealt with. This is the Governor's dilemma. The
native secretary's explanations and defence was
this—Teira offered his land, others offered theirs.
Kingi was present. Teira threw down his parawai
(mat) on the ground, and Kingi did not take it up
(according to the native mode of expressing, dissent).
lie only said, "The land shall not go." Was this
not notice of a disputed claim ? and the Governor
admits in a printed letter of Mr. Bell that he did
declare he would not purchase any lands respecting
which there was a disputed claim. I say, there..
fore, that I agree with these ecclesiastical person-
ages thus far, but no further. They assume that be..
cause the Governor is wrong, therefore the natives
are right ; right in raising the standard of rebellion
in a disputed claim to 600 acres of land ; right in
tomahawking half a dozen innocent settlers, in-
cluding two children ; -right in burning and laying
waste the settlers' homesteads and farms in ground
where there is no disputed title. "Treat these
natives," says the Bishop and Archdeacon, " as you
would Englishmen." Granted. But how would.
Englishmen be treated—how would they deserve
to be treated—if they armed their retainers because
the Government had wronged them about a small
landed estate ? The Wellington representatives in
the Assembly who carried to Auckland the remon-
strance of the Nga-te-awa chiefs avoided this error.
They told the Governor that he hat committed a
grievous error, the more grievous as it compelled
the Queen to carry on an unjust war, "for the war
must be carried on so long as the natives retain
their hostile posture." If anything will bring
'\Virimu Kingi to his senses it will be the speech of
Mr. Superintendent Featherston in the Auckland
Assembly. It breathes a manly sympathy to the
natives, and yet told them they could not be listened
to with arms in their hands.
In the Assembly there seems to be three parties
—or more properly speaking three distinct opinions
—as to the war :-1. Those who support the Go-
vernor's views as to the justice of the war. 2.
Those who think the cause of war unjust, and yet
that so long as the natives keep a hostile front the
war must be carried on ; and 3, those who think
that the war being unjust it should be abandoned.
The last have scarcely a voice in the Assembly, and
are only represented by ecclesiastical persons, as
above named. The war party is therefore very
numerous, the peace at any price party very small.
Those of the war party who deem the quarrel
unjust have no doubt a very strong leaning towards
peace, and would promote it on any honourable or
safe terms. The extreme war party consists chiefly
of the Canterbury and Nelson representatives and
the Ministry. With these military expenditure
and the demands of the commissariat have no
doubt something to do. The Ministry seem,
judging by their speeches, to have made up their
minds long ago that war was inevitable, and they
seized this paltry dispute about 600 acres of land to
precipitate it. It is to be regretted they did not
wait for a more just issue.
The people here have been liberally contributing
to the fund for the relief of the Taranaki sufferers.
Meetings have been held in the municipalities
around Melbourne, and committees have been formed
to collect funds. So also in Geelong. In one loca-
lity, Richmond, the frugal people contented them-
selves with passing a resolution, " That the Govern-
ment ought, bey.," and they have since waited on
the Chief Secretary with their resolution.

ALARMING COLLISION ON THE'

MIDLAND RAILWAY.

A collision of a most alarming character occurred
on Saturday, near the Swinton Station, about
midway between Sheffield and Doncaster. The
trains which came into collision were the fast pas-
senger train which leaves Leeds at 12 30, and
should pass Swinton about 1 30 p.m, and the ordi-
nary train from Doncaster to Sheffield, due at
Swinton about 140 p.m. The Doncaster branch
joins the main line about 200 yards of Swinton
Station, and, though the point of junction is within
a few yards of a bridge crossing the Dearne and
Dove Canal, the angle of land intervening between
the two lines, for some short distance, is so elevated
as to conceal a train on the one line from the driver
or passengers of a train on the other, until the
two trains are within a few yards of each other.
The prevention of collisions at the junction is,
therefore, entirely dependent on due attention
being paid to the signals. On Saturday the
Leeds train was a little behind its time, and reached
the junction at the same moment as the Don-
caster train. The former, which does not stop at
S winton, was travelling at full speed, but the latter
was slackening its pace. The engine of the Leeds
train had no sooner crossed the points of junction
than the Doncaster train ran full against it, smash-
ing off the greater part of the iron framework at the
side, and violently shaking the passengers of both
trains, the carriages of which were dashed sideways
against each other. The Leeds train, frcm the supe-
riority of its speed, maintained its position on she
line, and did not come to a stand until it had
reached the station. The engine of the Doncaster
train was driven off the rails and ran against the
parapet of the canal bridge, dashing down the
stonework and rolling down the embankment to the
edge of the canal, along with the tender. Next to
the tender was a truck of pigs, but the coupling
chains snapping, the truck and also the carriages
were fortunately brought to a stand on the edge of
the embankment. Some of the pigs werekilled, and
others had their legs broken. The passengers were
all severely shaken, and several of them were much
bruised ; but, so far as is at present known, none cf
them were dangerously injured. Two of those most
injured were Mr. Parker of Sheffield, maltster, and
a working man, both of whom will probably be
confined to bed for some days. The passengers
in the Leeds train were severely shaken, many
of them being thrown violently together and se-
verely bruised about the head and elsewhere.
their jour-
ney. e •Most
of them were, however, able to pursue t
Among the passengers in
the Doncasterandnoneortrain
was Mr. Mappin, brewer,
months ago, on the occasion the collision near
Sheffield,in
of the same
14
train
ether gentlemen, who were
uninjured.
Sh( ffield which caused the death of Alderman Maw,
thteheinj
of Doncaster. On this occasion, as previously, they
spot and ren-
dered passen-
were fortunate enough to escape almost uninj
Mr. Porter and Mr. Arden, of Sheffield, and two
toon
locel
allsurgeons
possible were s
istapromptlyassistance
The Doncaster engine and the
gers. cattle truck
were much broken and several other ' • carriages in
that train were a good deal damaged. The sides
of one of the first carriages in the Leeds .
train was
completely knocked out, and the iron steps, handles,
windows, Sze. on one side of nearly all the carriages
in both trains were broken. The Leeds engine and
carriages were, however, in ffi good condi-
tioner, in su ciently
to convey tht passengers of both trains to
Masbrough. The driver and stoker of the Doncaster
train, immediately on perceiving the danger re-
versed their engines and jumped off, escaping with•
out any injuries beyond a few slight bruises. The
driver and stoker of the Leeds train retained their
posts, and also escaped uninjured.
The collision occurred in this way : at the junc-
tion of the Doncaster branch with the main line
there is only one signal post, the signals being used
for the trains on both lines. About 100 yards on
the Doncaster branch, however, is fixed what is
called a back signal, used, in
Leeds an . oncaster
trains chanced to whistle in token of their approach.
almost at the same moment ; and the pointsman
lowered the main signal as an indication to the
Leeds train to pioceed, but did not lower the back
signal for the Doncaster train. Robert Bannister,
the driver of the Doncaster train, however, seeing
the main
signal lowered immediately he wlnistled,
supposed that it was intended as an intimation to
him to proceed, though the back signal a till re-
mained at danger. He accordingly continued at
the speed usual at that point until he cama3 within
sight of the Leeds train, when he instantly reversed
his engine. It was, however, too late to, prevent
the collision. It is considered possible th at a col-
lision might have been avoided had the n ails been
perfectly dry, but they were wet and slippery.
Bannister is a very experienced driver. 7 rho Don-
caster engine in striking the end of the T 'arapet of
the bridge moved the whole length of maw onry from
its position, and it is probably owing
to i •
its coming
in contact with the parapet, which instant 1
y arrested
it, that the carriages were not dragged , down the
embankment. I