THE ASPECT OF NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1119, 18 January 1870, Page 3

THE ASPECT OF NATIVE AFFAIRS.

The -native; information brought by the Wellington was of more than usual interest, and Iwas, to some extent, unsatisfactory. Later accounts, However, of what is transpiring in the interior, have crime to band by way of Wangahui arid Runanga, which materially alter the aspect of affairs. The extraordinary aad different^ phases the native question takes jafre really almost unin-. telli^ible, and' must severely task the judgmeniTanid'teffipirpf those who have to deal vUt.^it.f;;;;jtr' j ;.wili M '^p ( übtless interest our readers to have a reliable accouut of what has lately taken place, and of the present position of f&ffairs. Prior to last advices frqni m &focUland, Ye. had informed our readers that' .^he Wanganui war party was adTOficinw;' T 6OO 'strong, 1 under ' the chiefs Topi&&h<lJ£empi, iuto^the upper Wanganui c6untr^|n^ v quesfc of Te Kpoti, and that ; •. Top^fna^-Mejy sent Word -down the Wa--;>iigalju^iiy|rii;;tb^t "he' was' near {hat rebel ;: >f^^ chie^oii^pb'od^ i?^rd frona^ the King; whp :;.^:.aj^i^p^^fiß!t-'"iie'; was 'doing; We have copy of the letter, written by the

.King's Prime Minister, to Topia, which runs as follows: — ' ; Te Kihiti tanga (17 Deo., 1869.) To Topia Turoa. Te Tahanu. Salutations to you all, rire rire pal mairi— Ob, Sob, the word. Oh Lojs $he Father of Glory; the one who has bound me to this world. .I. rejoice in thy glory. Oh. Lord, bind together (the people of ) the world ; because the well of life is on the right hand, but the red well (of blood) is on the left. But oh. father ! (to Topia) collect the people together .' Make them one ; let them not be separated. The end of the word (occasional) of God. ; I send this, Manu (Whibi) To us this seems a strange and unintelligible document ; but we conclude, as all the communications from that quarter are worded in the same manner, that those to whom they are addressed understand what is written to them. For ourselves, we cannot say that we should interpret Manuhiri's letter as approving Topia'a action against' ; Te ' Kooti l We should explain that Topia is the principal chief of the Upper Wanganui tribes, has been for years one of the main. supporters of the Maori King, and, until lately, held an attitude towards us, if not of actual hostility, at any rate of the same character as that held by the King party; in other words, not recognising the^ Queen's authority, and shutting bis district and roads against Europeans. The meeting . with Mr. Fox was ; the occai sion on.; which Topia altered this line of conduct. -. He then declared himseif for us* agreed to open roads through his country, and to go,* with our well-tried ally Major Kemp, after Te Kooti, whom they promised; to use every exertion to take. Topia and Kemp did, according to promise, work their way up the Wanganui river, after repeated hindrances by floods, and, on reaching Taumaranui, the place where Te Kooti had been living, found him gone. We now learn, whatever the nature of., the assent given by the King to Topia's expedition, that, on the expedition getting near Te Kooti, the King party exerted itself in that miscreant's favour. Opero, a Waikato chief, went from Te Kuiti, the King's place, to Taumaranui, and directed Topia to cease bis pursuit of Te Kooti, who, he said, had submitted himself to the King, and was now under his protection. Moreover, to enforce this, a large body of. Waikatos left to place themselves between. Topia and Te Kooti. At the same time that this action was taken, a body of Waikatos went for Te Kooti, to take him to the King. Great excitement prevailed at Waikato, the King party having heard reports that a large body of Europeans was on its way from the Thames to support the Taupo force, and that fighting was certain. So alarmed, indeed, were they, that they sent their women and children into the Ranges for safety. Meantime Te Kooti, finding himself within reach of Topia, and haying, also, made up his mind hot to submit himself to the King, broke up his camp, and left for Patetere, the territory of Hakaraia, one of the most turbulent chiefs in the : island, and the harbourer of Kereopa. Before leaving, however, Kooti sent a message to the King, to the effect that he declined hid protection, and if he could not take his evil to Te Kuiti he would take it somewhere else. Te Kooti had evidently meant to make Taumaranui his head quarters, 'as "Topia" and Kemp found 'fifty acres of food planted, and every indication of intended residence. The fact of Te Kooti thus leaving the King country, afc once 'removed the danger of hostilities with the King Waikatos, which was imminent. ,No doubt it is. unsatisfactory to know that the King party were ready to have protected Te Kooti, and fight us rather than surrender him. And yet it is almost unaccountable that this should be so ; Te Kooti has insulted the King party on every occasion ; he has threatened the King himself, and, in some cases, has molested his people ; and yet the Waikatos stood by him, on the ground that he was under their protection and their guest. It. is proof of what we already know, that Kooti has made a name for himself Among the natives, and that he is a power in the country which has to be dealt .with before. peace or security ia possible. Topia's action under the circumstances we have narrated has been most satisfactory; he who was lately, perhaps, the most powerful supporter of the King party, told Waikato he had undertaken to take Te Kooti, and that he would do so if he had to go through the Waikatos to get him. It is not necessary to dwell upon the importance of having secured to our side a chief like Topia. We have only to remember that, a few months ago, Topia and hid 600 men would have been on the other side, and that now be is in the service of the Government. In our opinion, Mr. Fox rendered a signal service to the country when, he effected this. We do not wish to dwell in this article on the mistaken policy of the late Government, but we cannot avoid saying that under them this would have been impossible ; the line they were taking wa3 separating fr.om us every native in' the country, and wa3 rapidly culminating in a war of races. The colony saw this, and was not prepared for. such, a cottrs^- to. the Northern Island settlers it was ruin ; to the south it meant financial pressure, and the stoppage of all public works and improvements. Happily, we are now pursuing a different course. We may have, and shall have, to put up With some things we would rather not; for instance, the. action of Waikato in Te Kooti's case is most unsatisfactory ; but, on the other hand^ is it worth our while— can we afford— 'to go to war with them because they nearly protected a criminal like Te Kooti ? Had Te Kooti been protected by them, we should have held that the Government had no option than to take Te Kooti in spite of them, let the consequences have been what they might. But as things have turned. out, we say the policy for the Colony is to go on weakening the King party by winning to our side men like' Topia, and by utilising their services in opening roads through the North Island, Once efiect this, and the future has no-difficul-ties; and such we believe to be the policy of the present Government. To resume, however, our narrative of late events, Te Kooti is said to have gone to Patetere and joined Hakaraia. He has moved from the most unconieatable point in the island to much more acc4*§ib % le country. „ Topia and Kemp were heard of on Saturday, near Titi raupeftga, on the west side of Taupo Lake, following Te Kooti's tracks; they are 500 strong, and wrote Colonel Macdonnell they meant following Kooti till they gothim. ' Colonel Macdonnell has been instructed ;to leave Tolcano, to effect a junction with Topia and Kemp,

and to follow, in pursuit. No doubt he is doing so before now. It is to be hoped Te Kooti may have remained in the Patetere country ; if he has, then we are, we trust, near seeing the end of him. It is quite possible, however, that he has made for the last lair that is open to him, among the Uriweras, and if he has, we see nothing for it but to follow him there ; but we still hope to hear of his being at Patetere, and of the colonial forces accounting for him. The force that accompanied Kooti from Taumaranui was 100 men, but Hakaraia would muster a considerable force, and there is little doubt will support him. The events of the next few days -will have eppecial interest, and we shall anxiously await further information. * Since writing the above, intelligence has been received that Te Kooti is with Hakaraia, the Ngatiraukawa chief; also, that a white man, whose name is not known, was killed in some manner on his way from Tuhua to Patetere.