TO THE NATIVES OF NEW ZEALAND.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume I, Issue 8, 1 July 1861, Page 8

TO THE NATIVES OF NEW ZEALAND.

Friends,—Tena koutou. I have just one word to address to you at the present time, viz., To have just thoughts about the Pakeha. Let no man say that the Pakeha came hither as tin-enemy: no, he came as a friend. Remember his first arrival: no soldiers came then to fight—but the Governor came, and the Rangaliras, and the surveyors, and the working men. That was all. Afterwards evil grew up, and then soldiers were fetched as protectors. It was supposed that the Pakehas had simply to come, and that the badness of the Maori was over; but when evil was seen, then the soldiers were brought to put it down. But think not that these are all the soldiers which the Pakehas possess. By no means—he has tens of thousands, with myriads of civilians ! Now, supposing the Pakeha bad intended to come here as an enemy, to fight, to take away your lands, or to destroy you, in that case he would have come in force at the very first. Even so at the present, the Pakeha sees the.evil (growing), and if he were desirous or war, or to annihilate the Maories, in such a case there would be tens t)f thousands of soldiers, the whole land would be covered with them, and the Native race w6uld be already destroyed. But as it is, the soldiers are but few, and intended to repress the evil, that it may be ended; and therefore I say that the Pakeha's design, both now and ever, is entirely one of affection. But friends, let your understanding be correct. If the weather is bad every day,

and it does nothing but rain, then the floods will appear, and if the rain increase, the floods will increase—if it rain without ceasing, it will be unceasingly bad, and all the land will be flooded. Even so with the Pakeha: if the evil doings of the Maori increase, the soldiers will come in abundance as a flood upon the land. Say not that the Pakeha will be destroyed by you. By no means. What, could you dry up the sea? Could you even dry up one of the small streams? Uo 10, and try. Gather together all the tribes of New Zealand, with all their multitude, with the women and the children, with the dogs, the horses and the swine. Gather them all together to some river, to the Waikato, the Whanganui, or the Kaipara. Go on, strike the waters of that river, drink up the waters of that river, dip them up, carry them off, burn them out, dam them up—and let all be engaged, by day and by night, and every day, for a monthfar a year—what then? would it be dried up? Not at all. It will still continue to rise from its own spring, ever flowing, ever running, ever living! Look you: this is an illustration of the Pakeha. Supposing every tribe in New Zealand were to turn to to destroy the Pakeha, and that all the Europeans now here were slain, the Governor, the Rangatiras, and all others, and that all the ships were taken by you and destroyed—what then ? there are more behind* " Like the river that was dammed up, the waters rise, increase and strengthen, and then they burst forth, and everything is overflown. Even so with the Pakeha. He would rise without ceasiug from bis own spring across the seas—he would gather and gather, and where would there be land enough for him to stand on? Hence I think about the present fightings—about the presumptuous men who are at war with the Pakeha—what will be the end? Will the Pakeha be destroyed by him? Can Taranaki be dug down by a new-born child? Where is the land when.ee he can fetch men as allies, and where he can obtain powder, guns, shot? Whereas it is the Pakeha who possesses arms and ammunition of every kind, with ten thousands of men. Therefore I assert, the Pakeha cannot be annihilated. Then who will be lost? What will be the end of this work, if the Maories continue to persist? Enough—this will be the end: the Maori will be ruined, ruined, altogether ruined. But the good people will not be destroyed by the Pakeha with the evil. By bo means, but only those who are disobedient. Therefore, if they are greatly rebel-

lious, great will be the fighting, and great the ruin. Some of the Pakehas would be slain, as others have already been killed, but what if he lost his thousand, how would that thousand affect him, seeing he has lens of thousands which cannot be dried up ? But as for the Maori, if any of them be killed, say four or six, where is there another island whence he can derive allies to handle the guns of those who lie dead, and to avenge their death? There is none, and so they would simply consume away, and be exterminated. Hence it is that I counsel you to entertain right feelings towards the Pakeha. Hold him fast as a friend for yourselves, that by bis means you may be ennobled. Surrender to him the regulating of all things, for with bim is wisdom and power and wealth and nobility, and he will preserve the government of your island. In former times you could not manage it properly: the old system was wrong, and foolish, and destructive to mankind. But now the land is saved, and you and your children are saved; and now you may attain dignity, that is, if you cast aside ihe Maori life, and adopt the usages of the Pakeha. It is for the Missionary Pakeha to expound the law in reference to worship, to the soul, to God, and to eternity ; and it is for the Governor and the wise Rangatiras to enact laws with respect to worldly things, about the body, about the land, about property, and about all affairs of this world. And hence we advised you, formerly, on the arrival of that Governor who is dead (Hobson) that you should consent to the government of the Pakeha. At that time our thoughts ran thus .--because of the erroneousness of your system about worship, the soul and God, so your work was wrong with regard to futurity; and because of the errors of your system about ■worldly affairs, so your worldly actions were wrong and degrading. Even so, therefore, as you bad accepted our system of religion as the means of ennobling you in another world, so you should receive the adminisraiion of the Governor as the means of your obtaining real cuieftainship i n this world.

That is it, my friends, that is the very system for you. Say not that this is only a Governor for the Pakehas; for the work of the Governor is to protect and dignify us, as also to protect and dignify you. And therefore I say, be not afraid of the Governor nor of the Pakehas without reason; for nothing but the European system of life can promote your interests in this world. But think not that I hold up to praise the evil doings of the Pakeha. Oh no, and you must not adopt such practices. There are wicked actions amongst the Pakehas, such as adultery, theft, drunkenness and beastly habits: and you must beware of such things, and do not take them as examples. But as for the good ways of the good Rangatiras—that is it —take them, hold them, hold them fast, hold tight till death, and then you will see, and your children will see that you have acquired real nobility. War will be no more, men will increase, the land will be full of them; this island will be transformed into England the Second, and all your children into Pakeha Chiefs. From your affectionate friend, Tohunga.