The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-15 00:00:00

NEWLZEALAND.

(From the Correspondent of the Times)
WELLINGTON, Dec. 15.

The past month has been almost barren of poli-
tical interest. There has been no visible token of a
change by Mr. Stafford in the policy pursued by the
Weld Ministry, if, indeed, there has been any in
reality. On the contrary, not only is the 70th being
massed at Auckland for embarkation home, but
steamers have been chartered expressly to redistri-
bute the troops with a view to facilitate the depar-
ture of others ; and
,pot only has no reduction been
effected in the colonial forces, but a further enrol-
ment both of Europeans and natives has been
ordered. Nearly barren, however, as the month has
been politically, it would have been quite so were
it not for the explanations -which most of the lead-
ing members of Assembly have been affording
their constituents, and the impetus which has
thereby been given to the preparations for !the
general elections to take place in February next.
Everywhere separation has cropped up as the para-
mount question for decision. Both in Auckland
and Otago separation has been vehemently advo-
cated as the panacea for all the ills that New Zea-
land is or is likely to be heir to ; but in nearly all
the other provinces the unity of the colony is
as strongly insisted on. The interest at present
centres in the view Canterbury may eventually
adopt. That province is now chief in population
and wealth on the Middle Island, and has hitherto
been opposed to separation, regarding the native
question as one that must in a very few years cease
to give trouble ; but the financial propositions of
last session have there, as elsewhere, to some ex-
tent favoured separation as a hustings cry. To
carry out the policy of dispensing with the troops
manifestly implies a large and immediate, even if

temporary, increase of taxation; while the reten-
tion of the troops, should the Imperial demand
for capitation money be enforced, necessitates a
still larger, although, not perhaps, such an imme-
diate pecuniary burden. The Government of the
natives, in either case, is therefore regarded by some
of the Middle Island politicians as likely to continue
to be a very expensive business, involving heavy
and permanent taxation, and it is with a view to
prevent this very practical result from affecting the
South that separation is there is being agitated. Its
advocates most unfairly argue on the assumption
that the war is never corning to an end, and that
the expenditure of the past few years is to be taken
as the basis of that in the future, creating the fear
that the revenues of the provinces, territorial as
well as customs, will in great measure be absorbed
for native purposes. Hence it is that in the Middle
Island the one question of separation swallows up
and is made to represent so many others. With
Auckland the reasons are different. Its cry for
separation arose immediately on Mr. Weld's as-
suming office, the actual loss of the seat of Govern-
ment and the contemplated removal of the troops in-
ducing its members to submit resolutions expressive
of their desire that Auckland should be erected into
a separate and, strange to say, purely Crown colony.
Foiled in this, Auckland has become a convert to
separation in a larger sense—to the separation of
the two islands, notwithstanding it is obvious that
if the burden of native government is so oppressive
to the entire colony it must be wholly beyond the
power of the Northern Island to bear it alone. I do
not, however, regard separation as being anything
more than one of those clap-trap cries which, after
they have served a hustings or other temporary
purpose, are laid by as stock for stump orations ;
and especially is this likely to be the case if Mr.
Cardwell continues to set his face against affording
it the slightest encouragement as resolutely as he
has hitherto done.

Notwithstanding the ventilation the question has
received, even now no one knows what separation
really means, none of its advocates being willing to
commit himself to details. It is already Protean in
its character, there being no less than four defini-
tions in popular use. There is the erection of each
of the nine provinces into an independent State,
with a federal government, like that of America.
Then there is the continuance of the colony as a
whole with a separate legislature for each island and
a federal government exercising control' over some
half dozen matters, such as coinage, customs, ocean
postal services, &c. And there is, lastly, insular
separation of two kinds, the one consisting of a
single government for each of the colonies into
which the two islands would be erected, and the
other preserving the provincial governments as at
present, with the addition of the two general Le-
gislatures just mentioned. Although the separation
cry will be paramount for the next few months, I do
not consider that it will be allowed to assume any
other than a Buncombe shape in the Assembly,
because my conviction is that the war will not last
very many months longer, that the native expendi-
ture will be reduced by force of circumstances within
a reasonable compass, and that measures will be
taken to secure by law to the provinces those reve-
nues which some of them profess to be in danger of

losing. Auckland, too, will in time feel less sore at I
the removal of the seat of government and the
troops, meanwhile recovering from the depression
which the loss of those sources of expenditure have
temporarily occasioned.
General Chute, after making an inspection of the
posts throughout the Wand, returned to head-
quarters at Auckland. He is now in Wanganui,
having arrived there on the 11th. At Waikato, and
elsewhere northward, the country is perfectly quiet.
At Taranaki an insignificant skirmish is reported,
and thence southward to Wanganui there have
been no further operations by the troops. In con-
sequence, however, of two murders having been
committed during the past fortnight, the small colo-
nial force of 30 Forest Rangers have been out looking
after the few rebels that still occasionally show
themselves in the neighbourhood of the Imperial
posts and shoot down their men. One of the two

who were murdered was carting for a canteen, and
was horribly mutilated ; the other belonged to the
Military Train and was one of a small escort at-
tacked by 12 of the enemy. The Forest Rangers,
increased to 50, and the native contingent, increased
to 150, have been placed under Brigadier-General
Waddy's command, should the military authorities
deem it proper to take further notice of these out-
rages. There is still a talk of Gen. Chute organising
a flying column, but people are sceptical as to its
doing any good even if organised, except it be by
calling for volunteers from officers and men. The

Governor is very urgent with the General that some-
thing
of the sort should be done now. The weathera" time are alike favourable. All the summer is be-
fore 11S7 and the potato crops are ripening ; these de-
stroyed, it Would be too late for planting. I believe
the Goverrio
T r goes to Wanganui as soon as this mail
3 despatched the
Thein hope that he may induce action.
military force
district is in what is called the Wanganui
jawaipdselasy smcaatoteyreasd,
exactly 2,700 men, and though they are
garrisoning redoubts, against per-
might
bemdale rebels, an effective
volun-
teer column
:blighted without any great
danger to those left in
the very substan-
tial earthworks erected at each of
of the
Gover-
nor's influence is, however, ::11.1, post The
knwhoe:es
except
com-
bis opinion coincides with that.
manding for the time being.
how every mail brings to the
sion of Lord De Grey's confidence in altlhtehexPres-
Cameron has done and written, and therefore atf
Gen.
Governor Thato xmo
assured that everything he chooses to do or not feels
native
will be backed up also. Meanwhile events are to alto
ing place on the East Coast which inspire the utmost
confidence that if the Forest Rangers and
contingent are ordered to ferret out the murderers
of the two men above alluded to they will not be
slow in obeying. A
Last month I reiTorted the very successful capture
of the occupants of the Pa Pakemaire, on the East
Coast, numbering 300, inclusive of women an
dren. They have since been allowed to go at large,
the men having their lands confiscated and taking the
oath of allegiance. Every one recognises this latter
proceeding as regards Hauhaus to be only a farce;
but it has hitherto been generally pursued to save
the
expense of keeping them in idle captivity. A
different process is, however, about to be adopted,
the Governmentth having offered some of the super-
e
intendents of
Boners taken Middle Island to transfer the pri-
at Wareroa last July to their custody