THE PARIHAKA MISSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 77, 5 January 1881, Page 4

THE PARIHAKA MISSION.

Tthe Evening Post says :— " At the tpquest and on the express advice of Ministers, > his Excellency consented to despatch his Aide-de-Camp to Parihaka with the chief Hone Pihama, the latter conveying a letter from the Governor to Te Whiti, and Mr. Hursthouse accompanying them as interpreter. The contents of the letter nave not yet transpired, but will be known in a few days, as also the result of the mission. * Capt. Knollys and Mr. Hursthouse are on their **y back to Wellington overland. They were delayed at Opunake on th&r way up to receive some supplementary instructions, which it was thought advisable to despatch. We are assured that his Excellency and his responsible advisers are in perfect accord on this matter, and the step was token entirely at the suggestion of Ministers themselves."

TBe New Zealand Times says :— "lt appears that a little bit of secret service has been carried out of late between the Governor and Te Whiti. A telegram from our Opunake correspondent that we published the other day, announced the presence at Opunake of Capt. Knollys, the Governor's Aide-de-Camp, and that it was supposed he was en route for Parihalra. We have since ascertained that the surmises of our correspondent were correct. Captain Knollys was on his way to Parihaka, and was also the bearer of a letter from the Governor to Te Whiti, a letter that had been indited at the recommendation of Ministers. At Opunake, Hone Pihama and Mr. Hursthouse joined Captain Knollys. and the three pro- j ceeded to Parihaka, Hone carrying the letter. It was presented in due form, but so far as we can ascertain no reply was vouchsafed to it by Te Whiti. Neither are we distinctly aware of its tenor, but we have reason to believe that earnest endeavors are being made to bring about a good understanding between Te Whiti and ihe Government. We may state that the Governor and his advisers are in perfect accord in this, as in other matters, certain vague reasons to the contrary notwithstanding. A telegram in another place from the agent of the Press Association at Opunake, states that the Governor's letter conveyed an invitation to Te Whiti to meet his Excellency either at Wellington or New Plymouth. It is not difficult to predict Te Whiti's reply to this — that is, if he condescends to return one. He will, be tolerably certain to refuse outright, or else decline the invitation in his wonted ambiguous style of meaningless figure of speech in which he delights. We hear, however, that his followers are becoming dissatisfied with the manner in which he treats all overtures from the Government, and that it is possible he will be compelled to join issue in fair and above-board discussion. Could this be brought about, the West Coast difficulty would be in a fair way towards settlement.