THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1881.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 11 March 1881, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1881.

Ottb telegrams a few days ago contained an announcement that * motion had been tabled in tba Sydney Parliament, moving for the adoption of a petition to the Queen, praying for an official iuquiry into the working of the Court of High Commission for the Western Pacific. This announcement standing alone was hardly intelligible, bat some information which we gather from late files of the Fiji Time*, throws 'additional light upon the subject. The Court of High Commission was constituted for the more efficient protection of British interests in southern seas. Its jurisdiction extends over the whole of the islands of the Pacific, and its powers are very extensive. It is in fact a kind of absolute monarchy, of which Sir Arthur Gordon, the present Governor of this Colony, is the be all and end all. We, in New Zealand, bear but little of the workings of this mysterious Commissionersbip. Occasionally a stray scrap of intelligence reaches the public ear that some English vessel of war bad visited such and! such an island, Bnd swept the coast line for miles with shot and shell, annihilating whole villiages of ftati7e men, women and children, despoiling plantations, and spreading hellish destruction on all sides, in avenge for some wrong or outrage done by some one or isolated party of natives. Beyond an -occasional instance of this kind, wo hear no more of the proceedings of the Court of High Commission tban we do of the Court of the Chinese Empire. From its arbitary counsels there is no appeal, and no Colonial legislation can iufluence its decisions. , A circumstance occurred recently, however, which has drawn at* tention in a .significant manner to the constitution of the CommssHon. The facts as furnished by the paper in question are as follows : —" On a recent occasion H.M.S. Cormorant unexpectedly appeared in port, and general curiosity was aroused to know the nature of her errand. During, the next day it transpired that when His Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon, High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, became aware that W. J. Hunt bad left Auckland in the s.s: Clyde, with the ay owed intention of pro* ceeding to Samoa, in defiance of his order of prohibition, he telegraphed to the Commodore on the Australian 6ta« tion, requesting him to despatch a vessel for the purpose of removing him tbence and deporting him to Sydney. This the j Commodore declined to do, and the High Commissioner then telegraphed home, with the result that the Cormorant was directed to proceed upon the important and hazardous service. Upon arrival at I.evuka it was found that Hunt was resident in this town, and her Majesty's cruiser started on her return voyage from her wild-goose chase yesterday morning. This is truly a dignified record for all par* ties concerned. While the actiye interposition of English men-of-war is required for the protection of British lives in the Pacific, their anchors remain down in Sydney harbor f but when a British subject presumes" even to threaten to disregard the injunction of the High Commissioner relative to his residence in one island or another, aty the springs of the High Commissioner and the Admiralty machinery are at once set in motion. Sir A. Gordon is certainly to be congratulated upon the dignified position in which he has placed himself. He has hurled a thunderbolt and bas not even crushed a butterfly, and by his judicious action he has made himself and Captail Bruce the laughing stock of the southern hemippbere." WJiat the particular offence is that necessitates the banishment of Mr Hunt from Samoa, is not stated, but it may be accepted that the circumstances were sufficient to warrant such a seemingly arbitary step. Jt is, however, in regard to the manner in which punish* mented is meted out to erring natives by tne Court that the most serious objection is taken. Some semi * piratical whaler calls at one of the islands and sends a boat's crew ashore on a predatory excursion. These men indulge in the most brutal excesses with the native women, for which tbov are.uot infrequently overtaken by the natives with the only

punishment adequate to their offending, namely, a barbarous death. Intelligence of the slaughter is straightaway conveyed to the Court of High Commission, and upon this slender evidence H.M.S. Blood* bound is immediately ordered to cruise down to the island, and is furnished with carte blanche to slaughter in cold blood every native man, woman and child that can be brought within range of fire. In due time the vessel returns and reports how well the legalised massacre has been accomplished. Scores of plantations have been destroyed, villages burnt and destruction (scattered broadcast. Then the Christain officers of the Bipod-hound are honQrably commended, and the High " Commissioner is enabled to indite a glorifying despatch Home conveying renewed assurances of a continuance of peaceful submission by the natives. At the recent Inter-colonial Conference this 'subject was pretty fully disedssed, the outcome being the following resolutions, which were agreed to .— " 1. That it is that the Office of High lands should be rested in the Governor] of any of the Ausfrafasion colonies. 2. That more effectual means should be de» vised for the punishment of the Natives of the said Islands for any crimes or ofr fences committed by them against Brit* ish subjects- 3. That in the case of capital convictiong by the High Commissioner's Court, appeal should be allowed to the Supreme Court of some one of the Australasian Colonies, to be selected by ! tbe High Commissioner. 4. That the 1 j more frequent visits of Her Majesty's ships among the islands would tend to lesson in a great degree the orimes now so prevalent."