MR SHEEHAN AND REWI.

Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2690, 2 December 1878, Page 3

MR SHEEHAN AND REWI.

(From our own Correspondent.)

NEW PLYMOUTH, Saturday. I SENT you the heads of the speech delivered here by the Native Minister at the banquet, and I now send you a fuller report. In reference to Rewi's visit to Taranaki, Mr Sheehan said that Rewi had never throughout the war been guilty of anything that would disgrace an officer or a gentleman. He was essentially a fightin! chief, but he had now completely placed himself in the hands of the law, and was willing to take an oath of allegiance to the Queen" There are men in London, who had fought against Rewi, who were now the flower of the British army, and who would be glad to shake hands with him. Speaking of the North Island, he said that the weight of its prosperity would come from the sale of lands on the West Coast; bnt he thought that the Government should settle the lands. He trusted before leaving Taranaki to be able to acipiveland sufficient to make an available asset that would go far to construe!:, the railway between Waikato and New Plymouth. He would shortly •send an exploring party through under Dr. Hector, to make a flying survey of the best route for the railway. Kewi and his friends would assist in the construction of the hne ; He was glad to have seen in the " Taranaki Herald" a statement to the efFect that more immigrants were required; and the AgentGeneral had been instructed to procure ■■immigrants from amongst thefarm labourers now on strike in Surrey and Sussex. As to he idea entertained in the South that Auckland had profited by the Commissariat expenditure during the war of 1863-4, he could say from his own knowledge that it had not yet recovered from the Commercial stagnation which had resulted from it, and it was only now slowly emerging.