Excerpt from New Zealand Settlers and Soldiers, or the War in Taranaki: Being Incidents in the Life of a Settler The following pages have been written under the pressure of a sorrowful and heavy heart, amidst difficulties to which it is not now neces sary more particularly to allude. I trust I shall be understood when I say I have no other desire than to show (however imperfectly I have fulfilled my task) the im policy as well as the unchristian character of all war. And this little narrative, taken in connexion with what it may now be presumed is well known of the manner in which the war in Taranaki has been carried on, will only afford another proof that as a nation we have yet to learn the true spirit of the Great Teacher, who said, If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight. I have studied simplicity and accuracy more than originality in my statements of facts and if my reflections seem somewhat complaining, I must throw myself on the candour and kind ness of my readers. I have to acknowledge my obligations to an English gentleman, and to Miss Nicholson (a lady in the Rev. H. Brown's family), for the accompanying sketches. That the blessing of God may attend this little book - that it may not wholly miss its object - but that it may help in some small measure to put the general mind in action under the pressure of the present war spirit, to think righteously and soberly of the real genius of Christianity; and be influenced by its guidance to follow peace with all men, is the sincere wish of the Author. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.