MAORI AND PAKEHA

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 17

MAORI AND PAKEHA

"Reminiscences and Maori Stories," by Captain Gilbert Mair, N.Z.C. "The Waikato War," by John Featon; and Te Kooti Expeditions," by G. Mair N.Z.C, an<f G. A. Preece. i Auckland: The Brett Publishing Company.

Captain Gilbert Mair, N.Z.C., died but lecently at tfte age of 80, and yet, judging by the adventurous years of his life.his would have been a "risk" that but few, assurance offices would have welcomed. ■ From 1867,. that is when he was aged 23, he was practically always in the field on active service against the Maoris, or varions sections of them,, for he had no stauncher men' under his command that his friendly Maori warriors. In an ably-written biographical. note-,written by Mr. HenryBrett, the veteran New Zealand journalist—to "Beminiscences and Maori Stories, 'it is shown how Mair, born a New Zealander, began his profession as a surveyor .in, 1864. This three years' training in bushcraft, mathematics, and the disciplining of the mind, made him the ideal'type of man required to deal with the difficult Maori problems of his. time. Of Mair's personal courage and his thoroughly intimate knowledge of the' Maori people,, and their trust and con-:

fidence in him Mr. Brett 'writes with sympathy and knowledge. New land has much changed since the-Wai-kato fighting and the time that Te Kooti took the'field, and nowhere have the changes been greater than in that country watered by the. Waikato, where much fighting was done. The settlere there are fighting still, but they are engaged in battles of an economic sort. Their problems are* those of peace. The great question in the Waikato and much of its contiguous country is now reduced to the future value of butter-fati Peace broods'over the face of the whole of the North Island, and the King Country is treated by a Main Trunk railway isystem. Even the dense forests of the Urewera are being opened up, for the pegs of the surveyor are now to be found in those old-time fastnesses of the ferocious warriors, against , whom Mair bravely fought when he was unable to bring them to reason. . Mr. 'Brett refers to the irreparable loss by Mair of his great collection of MSS: matter by fire in Wellington, material that would fill many books. As it is but little material has been preserved, but- some of it -is included in this intensely interesting, collection of writings. Fact and legend are judiciously dealt with, and there is much that is of great historical and anthropological importance. It is remarkable that young New Zealand writers do not make more use of material of the kind that make up this book. There are all the ingredients of a romantic novel to be found in the stories of the early days of life in New Zealand—that is, from the 'forties to the 'seventies. There is no more touching! story in this admirable collection than ttiat of the death of the brave Maori girl Nonika, at Whakatane, who preferred a brutal death at the hands of Te Kooti rather than betray a trust. Mair, in telling this story, expressed the hope that some day the incident would be painted by a New Zealand, artist. '

It was only as recently as 192 i that Mair visited the* last resting place of Captains Travers and White, who fell in the Kuatahuna campaign, in the Ure werai in May, 1869. Trees were planted on the spot where these soldiers were buried, and by' the side of one of them, a great poplar that survived the bushman's axe, Mair was photographed by Mr. James Cowan.' This picture forms the fitting frontispiece to the (collection of writings. "The Waikato War" and "The Te Kooti Expeditions" are in one volume. The first section was compiled in 1879, but published' many years afterwards. ■Mr. Featon, in 1911", wrote in reference to this work: "What the author has endeavoured tb do is to give an authentic history or detailed account of the operations of v both the Imperial and Colonial forces that were engaged in the Waikato War of 1863 and 1864, obtained from, the dispatches of General Cameron, the author's own personal observations, and various other authentic sources. "It was offered in 1911 exactly as it was written in 1879, and was first published serially in the .I'Auckland Star" from 1911 to 1912. From the ephemeral pages of the newspaper this valuable historical work is taken, and now made into/a book. .'lts. interest is much enhanced by revision by the tale of Captain Mair, and in part re written as to that section of it relating to the trouble bordering "on Te Kooti's escape from the Chathams. By this arrangement inclusion was made of information furnished by.Captain.Mair,and Captain G: A. Preece, who took an active part in the expeditions organised f,or capturing Te Kooti and dispersing the rebel band he had gathered round him. The book is embellished with many wood cuts, made at the time; also military plans and sketches, and portraits of notable soldiers of the time.... It seems strange at these times to read of a naval expedition \ra the .Waikato River, and the -bombardment of Maoris from a gunboat at Meremere,:yet such actually *°°k. Place> and a picture of the action is given. There is comedy as well as ZlTv* be/ oUnd in Featon's narrative, wh eh is as free from dry-as-dust official matter as it was possible to make it ,