IMPORTANT FROM OHINEMURI.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4154, 6 December 1870, Page 5

IMPORTANT FROM OHINEMURI.

TE HIRA AND THE NATIVE L .ND. THE MURDER OF MR. TODD. (from the "grahamstown star's" own correspondent.) Ohinemuri, Saturday. Me. Mackat arrived from Ohinemuri last night, aud is the bearer of most important letters from Te Hira to the authorities. Te Hira wishes the Government to abstain from all interference wfth the Waihi land, and is most anxious that the Ohinemuri lands should be passed through the Native Lands Court. This would be one great step in the direction of opening up the Upper Thames country. Te Hira objects to the Government putting on any restrictions on the Crown grant for Waihi; he wishes to have the grant fee simple, and be allowed to please himself how he disposes of it. Te Moananui is k at Ohinemuri, and disputes the right of Te Waro, Ropata, and others, to the Te Tawa book, awarded to them by the Court. The natives at Ohinemuri are becoming better disposed towards the Europeans aud to the Native Lands Court. Te Hira and his people are thort of provisions, and are all busily engaged dressing flax to purchase supplies. The natives had not up till Friday last heard of the murder of Mr. Todd. When Te Hira was informed, he said, " The Maoris were fools ; that the pakehas were a people greedy after land, and would constantly encroach— still pakehas were not bad people if they were amenable to reason, and if told to desist always went away quietly. That the Maoris should have told Todd to leave and were very sorry to shoot him. If he had been a fool like those Maoris, Ohinemuri would have been the scene of fighting I before this." The natives at Ohinemuri do not believe that the King had anything to do with Mr. Todd's death, as but a few days before they had a visit from Te Hoterene, of Aotea, who came from Tokangamutu at the King _ request, and to inform them that it was the wish of the King to have peace throughout . the country. The murderers are supposed to belong to the Ngatihikairo tribe, and were with Hone te One and the friendly natives of Ngatihikairo. the original owners of Pirongia. It will be re membered that some three years ago Te Tapihana and certain Hauhaus of Ngatihikairo went to Porowewe at Kawhia, and i drove away Hone te One and the friendly j natives of Ngatihikairo, together with j McCharlton and other European settlers. Hone te One in March, 1867, had certain land at Pirongia— about 2,700 acresawarded to him by the Compensation Court then sitting at Ngaruawahia. The Hauhau Ngatihikairo were much displeased at this. In fact, all the Waikato Hauhaus would sooner see the Government take all the land than lot the Queen natives have an inch of it. It may therefore be inferred that the murder of Mr. Todd originated through the bad feelingr existing between the loyal and Hauhau divisions of Ngatihikairo, and not from any combination of the King p-irty against the Government. Hone te One lost; catole, wheat, and property to the extent of £700 or £300 by being ejected from Kawhia, V>ut, he has always remained loyal to the Queen. ______________________________