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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 7, Issue 433, 31 October 1863, Page 6

<!OPY OPDESPATCH PEOM HIS GRACE THE DUKE OP NEWCASTLE. K.G., TO GOVESNOB . ' .' . ' 6IR GEOKGE GREY. K.C.B. Do.wning-st. } 20th August, 1863. SrR, — I have the honor to acknowiedire the receipt of your Despatches No. 50 and 55 of the 14th and 25th of May last, informing me of 'some particulars which had only just come to your knowledge, in connection with certain murders which were prepetrated amongst themselves by natives in the Taranaki district during the Administration of youi predecessor j and calling attention to the

embarrassing^position in whieh'your'Gdvernraent is now placed owing to the general mistrust, which is felt by the natives in consequence of the protection enjoyed by the murderers. . . ( Althoughit is much to lie regretted that these murders should have been- committed, -without the punishment of the offenders, it would, I think* be now impossible to abandon the- _ natives,.^;, eluding Ihaia, one of the murderers of Katatore; who foughton the side of the Government during the late war. It is true that Katatore was caught by bis enemies unarmed in consequence of a Government order prohibit! ng natives from l»ri ntting arms into New Plymouth, and* upon colonial land; but, oh the other hand, Rawiri, whom he killed, was, under the order of the Government, engaged in marking out what he claimed as his own land for sale to the Governor where he was killed, and as Katatdre wa^ not meddled with after the deed, it appears to me that it would have been^hardly possible to have punished the next consequence of the blood- feud, when Katatore in his turn fell into the bauds of the avenger. I have, &c, . Newcastle. ' Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B.