THE BATTLE OF ORAKAU.

A MEMORABLE FIGHT.

A PROPOSED CELEBRATION.

In connection with the proposed celebration of the fifty years ot peace following the battle of Orakau, the following letter has been forwarded to the Maori 'tribes by Mr J. W. Ellis, oi Hamilton, .on behalf of the Waikato Orakau Jubilee Committee :—

" A committee representing the whole of the Waikato district has been set up to fittingly celebrate the great fight at Orakau, and more particularly the fifty years of peace we have all enjoyed since. I have been appointed by this committee to inform the tribes who were then in arms against, us of whatsis proposed, and to ask them to join with us in celebrating these great events. The Europeans will attend to their side of the and I am to ask the Maori tribes lo organise their side, so that they will be suitably represented at Orakau on the Ist April, 1914. The Battle of Orakau was fought on the 31st March, and the Ist and 2nd April, 1864. The European Committee have unanimously selected the Ist April, the middle day of this glorious fight, in preference to the 2nd April when Orakau fell, as a tribute to a brave and gallant foe, and to show that it is not the fall of Orakau that they went to celebrate, but the splendid defence made by the Maoris. The Government have erected a monument on the site at Orakau, but it has not yet been unveiled, (a ceremony always carried out by Europeans with monuments erected to celebrate great occasions.) The Governor, as representative of our King, has agreed to do this unveiling, and besides the general public, there will be present Ministers .of the Government, and a large body of troops under General Godley, the commanding officer. The , Government have been asked to put on one side of the monument the name of the British commander in his fight, General Carey, and on the other side the name ot Rewi Maniapoto, your great commander. The Waikato Regiment have adopted Rewi's brave words when he was asked to surrender as their motto, which are now imprinted on their colours, and the second great cereniony of this gathering will be the 'presentation of these colours to the 16th Waikato Regiment, in which our sons, and your sons, are serving side by side. We Europeans have always considered that the grandest fight made by the Maoris, and Rewi's brave words, "Ka whawhai tonu matou, Ake ! Ake 1 Ake !" (We will fight on for ever and ever) spoken on the first day of the fight, will never be forgotten, and will be valued as our common possession as long as our country lasts. We Europeans are trying to make the unveiling of Orakau monument on the jubilee of this grand fight worthy of this great occassion, and we want you Maoris to worthily represent the brave men who fought and died there, as you have every reason to be proud of what your fathers did at Orakau. That we Europeans are always ready to appreciate a gallant foe, is shown from the following extract from General Cameron's despatch re the Orakau Battle, at which he was present, but did not take command :-—" It is impossible not to admire the heroic courage and devotion of tfie Maoris in defending themselves so long against overwhelming numbers. Surrounded on aif sides, cut off from their supply of water, and deprived of all hope of succour, they resolutely held their ground for more than two days, and did not abandon the position until the sap had reached the last entrenchment. They had probably not less than 150 killed out of a garrison not exceeding 300." These are words for you to be proud of, and I hope they will be an incentive to you to show that you can still stand shoulder to shoulder with, the European in the activities of the present day. As already mentioned, the committee wish you to clearly understand that they are leaving the question of Maori representation at Orakau entirely in your hands, also the question ot transport and provisioning : but this committee will be only too pleased to work with any committee that you may appoint, and for any oi your representatives to attend the committee meetings in Hamilton if you desire. The time is short, and I ask you to go straight to work and make the Maori side of this great celebration worthy of your ancestors and yourselves;"