The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-04-23
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.


From an address BY a Mr.. Stafford TO his con-
stituenss at Nelson, y. H.. published in the Ne'0
ZsalaaAa, we extract the following historical
sketch Of the invasion Of New Zealand
We came into the country in a manner that
was without precedent. We, unarmed and un-
prepared 20 assert our entrance by force Of arms,
entered a country inhabited by numerous wariike
men, whose whole previous history had been one
succession of wars, surprises, murders, and plum
derings: men OF an arrogant and exacting nature,
who hardly knew what mercy meant, rarely
sparing those whom they conquered further than
% make slaves of some Of the boys and women.
We entered a country 20 inhabited, and proceed
ed to assume authority in it, depending only on
4 piece OF paper. The natives allowed Us 70 do
So / sly this adyi=edly; for If they had not al
lowed Us at First. we were not prepared 70 make
our entrance good. The Imperial Government
had az the tune no intention Is take possession
BY force. The first commission they gave Cap
tain Hobson was only that of Consul, as If to a
foreign nation. Ii was some time afterwards
when New Zealand was. as a separate Govern
rnent, empowered to make laws. The natives
allowed us TO enter, regarding; US very much as
useful commercial agents The chiefs had, FOR
some time, kept with their TRIES a pakeha or
TWO as trading agents for their advantage; and
they looked upon the 6rst s~ettlerS merely az agents
for extending their trade, who Fought the things
they wished to have nearer tg their own pas.
The treaty, as it is termed, os Waitangi was
signed DIV some uOQcF IDI5 llupIS5clOD- by eOIue
of them it was signed for the SAFE OF the presents
they were led to expect for signing it-nOt by
Captain Hobson, however, wig tried to remove
this impression. By a few is may have been
signed in order that the Br5 sh Government
might prevent the French from slking possession
of the country, which they VIZ. informed, and
with truth, the French contsmplated doing.
Under these and possibly other curious Influences,
some hundred natives, scarceS4 und erstanding
what 1t meant, signed the trt3ty. But those
who did SO had no constituted RIVER to bind their
successors, or any chiefs, or oti.-srs, who did not
sign and there were many clepts, especially IN
the Waikato, not to speak of Ehe bulk OF the
race, who never saw it. Thost&wbo did sign 1t
supposed, ut the time, that thTgpakehas coming
10 their shores would be, as | Eve said, mainly
an increased body Of traders. The last thing
they supposed was that within Jeir own genera
ton the foreigners and their c'uiiren would out
number themselves. 1t was IL mis- way We en-
tered the country, at least In the Northen Island.
And, finding in it such a race of men, we tancied
yainly, as il turned out, that what all history
declared was Overwhelmingly that the invad-
ing race would have, sooner or later, TO prove
that they could contend successfully with the
aboriginal in this instance be unne-
cessary. The Romans for a long period invaded
many countries and maintained law and order
but their assertion of authority was accompanied
by the march of their legions, And even with
their well-trained legions, they had to fight long
and often, before their rule was established.
Not TO go beyond the history of our own race,
we have had to fight to maintain our authority
IT other countries we entered into. We had to
do so in America, In India, in Ceylon, in the
Cape Colony. Even in Australia, although the
small number and inferiority in physical power
and arms Of the natives there made the conflict
n petty one, save, perhaps, once Ill Tasmania.
But history did not speak in vain, and accord
ingly every Governor, except Capt. Hudson, who
died not long after assuming the Government,
has-much against his wish-been forced to fight.
Captain Fitzroy, and Sir George Grey, had to
fight in the north. Sir George Grey was again
forced to fight at the HUT and Porirus, and
again at Wanganui. Governor Browne was
forced to fight at Taranaki, and it was a mere
chance that he had not to fight at PatumahOe,
Coromandel, and elsewhere. And now Sir
George Grey has again been forced to fight at
Taranaki and Waikato, and may have yet to do
so in many other places (hear, hear-) 1t was
the inevitable deduction from the manner in
which we entered q country Inhabited by such a
raca -