Affairs are not going on satisfactorily in New Zealand. The
army marches about and does nothing, and General Cameron asks for 2,000 more troops from home. Sir George Grey, on the other hand, talks in his despatches of reducing the number of Queen's troops, but does not do it. Mr. Cardwell has written and pub- lished a very sharp despatch on the subject, asking for an expla- nation of the differences between General Cameron's language and Sir George Grey's, while for all that appears theyare acting in perfect concert. Mr. Cardwell orders peremptorily the reduction of the English force by five regiments, and warns Sir G. Grey that the colonists cannot look for any help from home for defending the land they are going to confiscate. The friendly Maories are doing more for us in a military way than the English troops. General Mete Kingi, in the Wanganui district, gained a victory over the fanatic rebels on the 24th February, concerning which he sent a very modest despatch to the settlement. He took the fanatic chief and many Maories prisoners, but (though they had made up their minds to eat him if they had been successful) chivalrously released them all on their taking the oath of allegiance and giving up their
8.11B3.
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