The New York herald., 1869-01-19
NEW ZEALAND.



from the London Standard, Jan. Al
We can hardly reject without shudder upon tne
peris TO which hundreds of our deienceess country
men. English men women and children. are now ex-
posed In New Zealand-periis which the Imagination
of those who are home stayers Is scarcely aDle 70
fear in anticipation Of Of the next mail from New
Zealand. Disasters In the field, or ratner ,a, ~
The forest, are but OF comparatively - small ,sl
kind OF prestige does not lead directly 70
loss Of power. The Maories are acute enough
They have never been able TO cope with the regular
soldiers Of England on anything IKE fair terms, ana
Bions in the open field Their rare instructive ca
pacity for war has taught them, long before thlS,
nero caSH no a n1pe q
ders. They have become aware that their only
chance OF success is in desutory system or bush
lighting, and they seem to have added, either In
their despair in access Of savage animosity
kind OF tactics which, however 1t may affect the
ultimate issue OF the event, they know will be most
mischievous to their enemy.
A systematic massacre OF the white settlers is q
encounter or to provide against. Owing to the ma.
ture OF the country and the scattered character OF
the English settlements, which arc naturally DIS
ricts OF the island, the haories, who lnhabit the
wooded and mountainous interior, will be able 70
make great havoc among the col0nis.s. Our only
places OF strength are on the sea coasttoo far away
70 afford any real protection to the districts OF
which they are the nominal capitals. In the art
Of occupying and fortdying detached posts IN
the interior we seem to be inferior 70 the
up such galrisons in our inland redoubfs as might
be effective for purposes OF defence. The war upon
u tne cSry mas rsk - m havs
every advantage, and In which the EnGtsh settlers
risk all and which they have 10 wage under the most
II left to be conducted by the colonists alone we
must be prepared to hear Of many pieces OF news
from New Zealand unilattering to national pride
and shocking to our feelings OF humanity. We need
hardly say why 1t is that the colony OF New Zealand
Is unable Of Its own resources to carry on war with
as q rule, are neither warlike nor military.
hhe settlers are men who have come TO
fortunes, some by trade, others by agriclltur
and by sheep farming. They have neither taste nor
naturally great reluctance to abandon their ord-
nary pursuits In order TO wage at their own expense
what must be an Improbable and may be an lngl0-
rious war against savage tribes. There has been
time as yet for the growth OF native European
as " 70 ne hafay s Moors 81 is
in their own gifts and to fight them in their own
way. The government itself has no money to spend
upon regular army, and such recruits as 1t Is
aDe TO get for the militia are mostly the scum
and refuse OF the towns and OF the older
Australian settemens.tlt not surprising, therefore,
that the insignificant colonial forces naye proved
themselves incapable even OF holding their own
against the Maori insergents There has been doubt
less, a good deal OF exceptionable eebleness and
mismanagement displayed by the Central govern
ent at wellington, In their conduct OF this Maori
campaign, but there Ia more excuse than we, In our
1mpatience OF military disasters, seem inclined TO
, allow for the ilsuccess OF the colonial arms.
prepared TO abandon the colOnsts OF New Zealand
entirely to their own resources. and whether II she
does s0 she has elected what fair coroary to this
position TO release the coonists from their allegiance
TO England. The coionists themselves are beginning
w. s ey IN @ .s o war
undertaken by England without their consentl
against Europ can Power, they would be exposed
20 the perlls of invasion and attack from outside,
they get no assistance from England In protecting
themselves against their own enemies They urge,
not without reason, that this Maori war Is really
q foreign war-that the Maories are not enemies
OF their own making-that they existed when
the English came to the island, believing 10 to
be British colony-that the quarrel is rather
with the Queens government than with the
c0lonists; tnat there are no specific grievances
alleged by the Maori insurgents against the colonial
authortiesthat the nsurrection has for its sole OBJ
3ect the throwing or Of the British supremacy,
thing which it concerns the whole empire defend,
and not only thesingle colony OF New Zealand. And
before we adopt the policy OF nonnterlerence IN
New Zealand affairs, it Is only just that We should
consider, and answer. II possible, the case as sub
mltted on behalf Of our New Zealand fellow country
imam