MEETING AT MANGONUI.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume IV, Issue 11, 31 October 1857, Page 2

MEETING AT MANGONUI.

A meeting of the Chiefs and people of the Ngapuhi, of Te Rarawa, Ngatiaru of Whangaroa and Ngaitawake, took place on the 2nd of October, 4857, in the presence of Mr. Commissioner Bell and Mr. W. B. White, Kesident Magistrate of Mangonui, through whom they were desirous to convey to His Excellency the Governor the expression of their 'wish that Europeans might again be located in the North; their confidence in the jasiice of British law; their wish to live under its protection; and that the Flagstaff at Kororareka should be again set up. The Chief Hongi Isika had previously spoken to his brother chiefs on these subjects, expressing his wish that all should submit to the Queen's laws. At the meeting, therefore. To Vv'aka Uangaunu opened the proceedings by calling upon ilongi to speak. . H Up, Hongi, speak; we wail for your word; you have alreadv expressed'.your sentiments to some of us, speak nowV.ial all mav hear.

Hara Tlongi Hika Uien rose and spoke ?hus: I have a word to Te ftarawa. Yes, | listen; I wish lo say one word. My wish' js thai we should be unanimous on -this, point, that we treat the Pakeha well, let j him receive or.lv kindness at our hands. I This will promote peace and order among! us. Though wo are few in number yet, if ! we seek edl it will grow. Let us leave others to quarrel and fight; what will they &el In* it? and what are thdr quarrels lo us. I Your being here litis given me an oppor-i ittnily of speaking lo you, and I have balj ■this Lo say. if you approve, it is well- if j you condemn, it is well; but let me hear I what yen think. My wish is that you j should be unUed with us, that we may ac-; •knowledge one i.r.v, and that the Queen's; law. Let no one suppose that Maori customs ran hold their ground against the I English Jaws. Our breath is short, that of ■the Pakeha is long. You may perhaps say :• that ray past conduct contradicts these sentiments. -It is mre; but I still say, the; resources <;!'> he Pukeha are not exhausted, \ for he is the source of knowledge. I say! therefore. Lei us have one law for Pakeha j and for Maori; let us acknowledge the I Queen as oar sovereign, and obey her. I • have no more to say. Te Waka Kanganuu (son of Poihipi) again j rose, and said —This is what Hongi told us' 'last night. Let us he unanimous and resolve to obey the Queen's laws. We did'! not think il right that these sentiments j should be expressed only to a few persons, j but wished thai they should be uttered j publicly. Lei us th<m cherish the Pakeha, ; not following any example to the contrary, j Ye Chiefs, seek 10 do that winch is just and j rh*hl that we mav unite lo effect one ohv-ct the suppression of evil amongst us. lly l this course we shall approve ourselves in l the eyes of the Pakeha. Fn limes nasi the, Chiefs led the people into evil; let th-;-m ; ■now direct their people to what is good, and . their word will be obeyed, it led aright, i the people will do what is right. Let no one be asked lo speak. Let each do as In? j pleases. All have ears. I have done. j Pororua of "Whaiigaroa then stood up and ' said—*!y reply Lo what you have said is; litis. Every man has his gnu to shoot that ; which is hard. Let use then give my word \ for peace and good behaviour. Lei us as- | sent lo that winch has bei'n agreed on by '. the majority, that we should utrarh our- i selves to the Govermnrml. Lei us be united amongst ours.elves and obey the Queen's'

Saws. Let us henceforth wholly give up Maori customs. Let this meeting witness our doing so, and our putting an end to petty strife with one another. Here we are, all Ngapuhi, let us here pledge ourselves to kind treatment of the Pakeba. How shall we show our good feeling?. Let us give up our- disorderly conduct. This is my proposal; let the flagstaff be again set up on Maiki bill; let us also have a town here, and one at Wbangaroa. My word is a town, a town ! I have done. Wiremu Kingi Te Nganga then rose and faid—The old men wish the flagstaff to be again erected at Maiki. Wherefore I say as Hongi. Treat the Pakeha kindly. Ye people who have Pakehas living with you, treat them well. This is a meeting of Chiefs. I say then treat the Pakehas well. We manifest our good will to them, but in words only, for we have none living amongst us, therefore I charge those who have to behave well to them, and let us be all united. Ye Chiefs, let this word be confirmed. Kindness to the Pakeha and also to the Maori, and let there be one law for both. I assent to what Taepa Pororua proposes, that the Pakeha should come to live among us, that there should be one law, and, above all things, kindness. Let the Word of God be our rule in all we do. (To be continued.)

Treasury, Auckland Oct. 20lb, 1857. Pursuant to the provisions of the "New Zealand Native Reserves Act, 1806,"thefollowing Reports are published for general information. E. W. Stafford, In the absence of Mr, Richmond.

J, William N. Searancke, a person duly appointed in that behalf under the provisions of the " New Zealand Native Reserves Act, 4856," hereby report that I have ascertained the assent of the .aboriginal inhabitants of the District of £awhia to the Grant by His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand to the Superintendent of the Wesleyan Mission in New Zealand or his successors in trust, pursuant to the provisions of the said Act', of apiece of land, situated at Kawhir, on the Waiharakeke River, and known by the name of "Te Kahikatea," » ; Ohaua," containing one hundred and sixty-nine acres tffl acres), /or the site and endownment

«f a School for Natives and Half-castes in connection with the Wesleyan Mission. William N. Searaisckk, Government Surveyor, Land Purchase Department. 40th September, 1857. Report adopted, with the advice and content of the Executive Council of the Colony, this nineteenth day of October, 1857. T. Gore Browne. Governor. F. G. Steward, Clerk of Executive Council.

I, William N. Searancke, a person duly appointed in that behalf under the provisions ofUie •' New Zealand Native Reserves Act, 4856," hereby report that I have ascertained the assent of the aboriginal inhabitants of the district of Aotea to the Grant by his Excellency the Governor of New Zealand to the Superintendent of the Wesleyan Mission in New Zealand and his successors in tiust, pursuant to the provisions of the said Act, of a piece of land situated at Aotea, on the Pakoka River, and known by the name of " Koioreiolo," containing four hundred and two acres (402 acres), for the endowment of & School for Natives and Half-castes in connection with the Wesleyan Mission. William N. Searancke, Government Surveyor, Land Purchase Department. MHh September, i 857. Report adopted, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the Colony, Uiis nineteenth day of October 1857. T. Gore Browne. Governor. F. G. Steward, Clerk of Executive Council.

Tins Block of Land has been acquired by the Government. PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND. Masurau District. KAKABAMEA BLOCK. (Area 1035 acres.) Bounded on the North by Beard's fence, 3470 links; on the East'bv native land 7618, 1805, 5235, and 1040 "links, and by a line, one chain to the East of the present road from Auckland to Mongatawhiri, to where Mr. Ormsby's boundary line crosses the road at Hawhitiroa ; on the West by the Ramarama Block, 17,400 and 5070 links to Pai-o-tc-arai, from l hence along the Auckland and Mangatawhiri Road to Beard's Fence at the Kumikmni.

** A dispute between Ihe Ngatiwhalua and Tapuika tribes has recently been settled by the Resident Magistrate at Auckland, by arbitration. • A chief named Paul, of the Ngaliwbaliia tribe, claimed payment for Kauri Gum dug by a parly of Natives of the Tapuika tribe, upon land belonging to him, called Te Arariiiia, without authority. Each party engaged a solicitor to arrange the evidence and examine witnesses, and each deposited 50/. in the hands of the Arbitrator as a pledge for their obedience to his decision. After a patient investigation, which occupied two whole days, an award was made by Mr. Beckham, requiring the Tapjika to pay for the gum taken from the Ararimu at the rate of 20s. per (on, and to forfeit a sum of of. for their trespass, which was held to have been proved. The Ngaliwhatua were required by the awai-'d to return 10/. out of a sum of 20J. shown to have been received by ineiu from the Tapuika for permission lodig over certain lands,- some of which did not belong to the former. They were further required to forfeit a sum of of. for having wrongly laken money from the Tapuika for permission to dig gum on land not belonging to them. The evidence brought forward was of a very conflicting character, but showed that proper care had not been laken to secure a clear undersfanding between the parties respecting the lands upon which the Ngatiwhalua gave the Tapuika permission to dig. Had there been a written agreement this dispute might have been prevented. Several witnesses on the side of Tapuika swore that the Ngatiwhalua chiefs, including I'aul, gave them leave to!uig on the Ararimu, and also on lands belonging to the Queen, over which (hey had no right. Witnesses on the Ngatiwhalua side denied this, and swore that the money reeefved from the Tapuika" Was for leave to

dig on lands belonging to them, the boundaries of which were defined. j We hear th:a the Ngatiwhatua were dis-> appointed at Use award, and thai they believe, ; ha i their case been more fully and completely | stated, a different one would have been given, On this we express no opinion. We merely j notice t'»e ease as showing that some of our Mann friends are beginning to see the advan-l lage of this mode of settling differences bv • referring them to arbitration instead of wast- 1 ing lime in quarrelling over them, a practice! which only makes mailers worse and causes ' each pariy to become mora obstinate. The j Ng.'.iiwha'aia accept the decision, knowing it; to be impartial, and given upon the evidence j as iaid before the Arbitrator; and, though i different from what they expected, they see j 'how much better it is to have the matter set-; lied in this way than to prolong the strife, j and-that in obeying an adverse decision they I are acting honorably, and soiling a worthy! example of others. j We hope the course followed by the*S'gati~: whatr.a a ;d Tapuika will be imitated by other! tribes in similar cases to dispute. " I

There is a custom prevalent among some of \ the native tribes of New Zealand, which we | consider it our duty to caution them against, \ as it is the remnant of an old usage thai! should now he abandoned. We refer to the' practice, when selling land,' of asking pav-j ment for the bones of their dead people also. I The descendants of the present Chiefs will be! ashamed years hence to hear that theirj fathers have been guilty of such a practice, j and the sooner it is abandoned the he-tier, j The Europeans wish to bay the land not the 1 bones of dead people, which can be of ho! use 10 them; forinuaiely however, it is onlv j 5 lew of the more ignorant tribes that ad"- ! here to this practice, an.l even those few are' beginning lo be quite ashame iof it. fne i lapu is di>appeari::g, along with various! other old supcrsU ions and usages ; the I sooner they are all relinquished the bet.er. !

This is a word to travellers between j Vvnikv.to and Auckland. We have heard a i complaint by Mv. Selby, a settler living at j Pnrakiuiiahi, that natives who travel that I road make a practice of through his' land, throw his gates open, and leave them! so, causing his caitle to escape, siravaway! and get lost, lie also states that several] articles of property have been stolen from ! his premises by these wayfarers. This re- i port tends to disgrace the character of oar

Waikalo neighbours. We therefore print these words in the Karere that the Chiefs and people may see them and take care to prevent the recurrence of such conduct in future, which may otherwise prove a source of trouble.