THE OLD LETTER.

Marlborough Press, Volume VI, Issue 57, 19 July 1865, Page 3

THE OLD LETTER.

I burned the others, one by one ; hut my courage failed at last, And I snatched tin’s, scorched and yellow, where the fire’s breath had passed. I could not let it lie there, for it turned like a thing in pain ; And I love it for the old times’ sake, that never come again. They used to call me beautiful; I had nothing else beside. There was none more great or wise than he in all the world wide ; And it’s still a sort of pleasure—very mournful though it be— To know lie once could think such thoughts, and write such words to me. But my poor beauty faded ; ’twas the only thing 1 had. I was always weak and foolish, and my whole life grew sad, For the cruel blighting fever left me pitiful to see (Oh, it’s true that ‘ Beauty’s fleeting! ’), and my love no more loved me. I’d have loved him till the more for that or any grief beside ; But then he was so different. Oh, if I had only died! And yet, how can I wish him to have suffered in my stead? I think it would have grieved him then to hear that J was dead. I have nothing to forgive him ‘ still, he very soon forgot, Men have much to do and think of, that we girls have not. A. man has little thought to spare for his own chosen wife; Women’s minds are very narrow, and a girl’s love is her life. They say J should forget him, hut I cannot if I would, For since my beauty left me, I have tried hard to he good ; And his mime is always on my lips, when I pray to God above— Oh, surely I may pray for one I can never cease to love! I Was never fit to be his wife, even when my face was fair ; But every one may pray to Heaven; we are all equal there. And God, in IBs great mercy, will not pass my prayers by. I have one thing left to live for—to pray for him till I die. Chain!,re's ,hn\rna>

TIIE MAORIS’ REPLY TO THE ADDRESS OF THE ABORIGINES PROTECTION SOCIETY. ( Communicated by a ITaulLm prophet, who see. s thc. future even more clearly than the present.) [From the ‘Wellington Independent’.] Friends Mr S Gurney, Fowler, Hodgson and Chesson, and the rest of your Society—Salutations to you. Our hearts are filled with joy at your good words. Your letter is smooth and soft, like a pumpkin long boiled. It is indeed so sweet, that it lias made some of us very sick ; but that is not your fault but ours, who having as the Scriptures say, been used to “ strong meat,” find the food of children disagree with usEnough - now wc will speak in reply, for again thc Scripture saitli, “ thou shalt answer a fool according to his folly,” and so wo answer you. First, with regard to gunpowder, spirits, and tobacco, which you say arc tools of the wicked one. This is not true except- as to spirits, which are bad if taken in excess, and here the laws forbid any white man, to sell spirits to a Maori, so that if we use them we alone arc to blame. Gunpowder too, is forbidden to be sold to Europeans or natives, except under very strict regulations as to the former. It is not a “tool of the wicked one,” but of great use for shooting pigs, pigeons, and our enemies, if need be. This is the talk of children. We arc not sow thistle (rauriki) that you can cut us down with so blunt a billhook ! 1)o you see any green in our eyes ? —you who seek to keep ns quiet by foolish words, as mothers do their children ? It is our custom to speak plainly therefore forgive our words though they may seem rough. It is thc smooth spear that can he thrown furthest and that wounds most, and wc fear that your smooth works are like a spear thrust into the hack of an enemy. Enough ; as to gunpowder, we will get it ;f wc can, and if thc Europeans prevent us that also is right. It is foolish to put a stick into the hands of an angry man. Now we have a word to say to you about tobacco, which you svy is a "tool of the wicked one.” Oh ! friends, are you not wrong in this?

As thc proverb says “ Ngalipoa, have thin cars. Such nonsense is an insult to our understandings. It is tito— bosh—gammon. Oh! friends, you do wrong in telling lies, even for a good purpose. Tobacco is good. AA e sav the missionaries and whalers brought us three good things—tobacco, blankets, and thc Bible, and the best of these is tobacco. l’erhaps you, Mr Gurney and the other gentlemen, do not smoke, and so tall; about that of which you arc ignorant, as young girls talk ol war. If you do not like smoking, uis well. As Si. Raul says" let every one be fully persuaded in his own mind,” but “judge not less you be judged,” as it is written in the good book. Oh ! foolish people not to know the comiort of a pipe! When the wind howls, and thc rain pours, we lie down in our little Imts, and smoke and are happy. Then also wc talk about buying and selling, and about fighting (the play of men) and our spirits are glad within us. Before tobacco came we did nothing but yawn, and were sad in the winter when there was no food but fern root, and our stomachs after much labor, were but half filled, like a big church in a little village. If you were our true friends you would not wish to put our pipe out. This fills us with distrust, and our hearts are dark towards you in respect, of your “ evil speaking, lying and slandering,,’ about that great comfort of our lives—tobacco. Also about marriage, you do not know our customs or the wavs of our fathers, nor our state. You tell us " every mail and woman should he married.’ But how is this possible, when there are far more men than women, and besides many men have 2 or 3 wives, and some Gor 8 ? This again is tire talk of a bird, who because lie is high in the sir thinks he can see over the mountains. Do you advise us to rob a man of his wives, who work for him ? carrying his potatoes from the field and cooking them while he sleeps ; if not lighting or at a great meeting of tlieg chiefs. In the old times a man fought for Ids wife, as indeed wc heard, was once a custom amongst all the nations of the earth. Now, in some places this is done in play. This is better, for in lighting, the women were often killed, which was a pity, as

there were so few of them. In vour country this would not matter, for they far outnumber the men, we are told, and we advise you to copy us, as then you may get all your women married, which you say is a good thing. But this we recommend modestly, not knowing how you live in your great cities, and our old men say "first see and know, then talk and show,” for it is only hoys who talk of the color oi birds on thc lop ol Tongariro. As to the bringing up oi children wc agree with you. But what is the uscot giving sdvicc in a “ pleascnt and gracious manner.” 1 a man has sons he can’t manage them, and if he has daughters, they manage him. Mothers duck their children when they cry too much, but when bigger, what can he done with them by talk ? They will havoYlicir own way. especially the girls, though often beaten with a stick. AA ai-rakawas changed into a rock by the incantation of llau. Now that we can only hold a Gommittce, the women do as they please. It is plain you do not; understand them ; who docs ? Enough on that subject. Now as to the war. Is not your talk about that like a thick fog, in which men see something that

is real and much that is fancy? 4A T e Jived quietly with the settlers, who were kind to us, and we looked upon them as our friends. There may have been a few bad men amongst them, but the settlers hated them even more than we did. A Europecan could do no wrong to a native without being punished. Thou you who call yourselves the "true English friends of the Maoris,” knowing nothing about us, or the settlers, or the country , undertook to protect us from the settlers, and the settlers from us. So you got the Queen to send out foolish Governors, who did nothing but buy land from us themselves, and prevent the settlers from purchasing direct. So they bought just as much or little as they pleased, at first very little then as more people wanted land they set men to tease us into selling. Then you and your friends gave us to understand that the settleis wanted to get all our land, that, they had (through the Government) got it: too cheap, and that we should he made slaves of if we went on selling at the price we usually got. This we now know to be false, at least many cf us do. At the time, however we believed if. Then AYaikalo and all the tribes, made a league, and said no tribe sliail sell its land to the Government, and no man in the tribe shall even talk about selling it. The proverb says, “ AA’aikido paddles are crooked.” So the land league was turned iutothe King movement. Governor I’rown was foolish like all the other Governors, or lie might have used itito keep order amongst our tribes, lie was foolish too in not being more careful about purchasing the AA'aitiira. Some say he stole the land there, sonic say he did not, who knows ? \Yc think now that lie wished to he just, for we have seen since a Governor whose course has been crooked like the flying of a hat [literally a “ winged mouse ”] 'darting from side to side, in the twilight. Governor Browne was like a wild boar, shutting Ids eyes, he went slraiglit'on, seeing no danger. You say that “ our desire to have a king made the coloiiisls greatly displeased, because it looked like opposi-

lion to Queen Victoria and her Government. It may he that you meant no such thing, yet it helped to set the people against you.” In this, oh friends you greatly err. Our king was for us, and your Queen for the colonists. The settlers did not mind us having a king because he was opposed to Queen Victoria : for they regarded him as an old mat hung oil a pole, as a sign not to carry food for sale to an enemy. To us the Queen was like a hoard stuck up in a corn field warning against trespass, instead of a strong fence to keep out the wild cattle. Of what good would the board be? of what use was the Queen to us? It was you who stuck up that hoard sooner than pay thc cost of fencing. You tried to govern us by talk, when you should have used force or let us alone altogether. This was vour folly ; thc settlers would not have made this pretence, it is you only who delight in “shams,” because of praise and of cheapness. This yon do in part through ignorance, thinking all men fools but yourselves, and that you alone are virtuous and lovers of right. You arc like the “redshank” that screams at the mouth of the river at every traveller ; the foolish bird thinking everything wicked that has not red legs like its own.

Listen! This is it that set the people against us. Our laws made by ourselves and the King lironght much evil upon the settlers. Taranaki was laid waste during 1 lie war. From that place neither mails nor travellers were allowed to pass. Again, our laws prevented the making of a single road through our land, so that lands belongingjto Europeans which had been fairly purchased from us. could not be got at, or wore kept far apart This was one thing, hut again by our laws erimi- : mils could not be punished by the European mag- ! istrates in our own districts. Also, we kept the settlers in constant fear of us, some of them we killed, and we threatened to drive them into the sea. We forced every settler to he a. soldier in some places, and from others wc drove them away. Then wc had a fair fight. You helped us by your talk in England, for just as we wengiving in, not wishing to lose more land, which with us belongs to thc victor, you said the land should not he taken from us. At this wc laughed calling you “pumpkins.” Governor Grey said he would make peace, hut none trusted him, except seven old women who gave themselves up for they said “ he is one of us.” There was great laughter over all the island at the fear of Governor Grey ; all said he was soft—he is a pumpkin. So the war went on, we would not give in to cowards, why should we ? it is a disgrace for a man to be thrown by an old woman in a wrestling match, and the Governor was an old woman. Even those lie had thrown he could not keep down and the 200 of Waikato ran away, and laughed at him from the top of lofty Omaha. It is enough now, we only fear Mr Weld as we did .Air Fox ; lie is just and firm, and Governor Grey listens to him. If this continue:-', we shall he beaten and have to obey the law, Now we laugh most at the General, lie is bewitched by the I’ai Marires. | He went up to AA’craroa smelling at it like a pa [ dog at cooking food, who runs away with a burnt nose. Him wc treat its the little birds treat the owl in daylight. They fly near in crowds and make fun of him, calling him “stupid goggle j eyes ” and other ill names. This sort of war is i a great amusement to our young men. Now all J our true English friends, do you help us again | with your talk against the settlers.and call them j all “ wicked whites” as you do must of them in ! yours letters to ns. But do not speak again to | us as to little children, for it tires us to listen, j Your words for thc most part, we regard as the j quacking of wild ducks, or the screaming of sea ) gulls. AVhat is good in your writing, even boys | playing at whip tops in our villages all know, j ytiil the letter paused much laughing at the j silliness of the writers, and the paper was useful j for making cartridges. About land your talk is j very foolish or very old. About our houses with i “ separate rooms” you talk, not knowing our j habits ; about some things you talk nonsense, j about others you tell us what wc know better than you. ard about the rest you toll falsehoods | —about tobacco and gunpowder for instance, and I about the war. Yet, oh friends, our hearts are glad because of the trouble you have taken to | make yourselves ridiculous. Now we know that \ the Maori is wiser than the Hakeliu, for amongst us no one writes without thought : weak words concerning things of which he is ignorant, it comforts us to know this, because if at any time we want your aid against the settlers it seems we can have it. AVitli us only a slave speaks evil of 1 1 is own comrades, we are glad ii is not so with you. We like your good talk, and do not give up hope because now we have two gods, and we trust both to make sure, that as you say, one will

“ help ”ustodo as wc please. Then, when all is settled as you wish, and we have killed all “ selfish ’and dishonest persons,” you conic out. all you soft men, and nurse our children, lor that, work will suit you. If you conic, mind and j bring with you plenty of flour and sugar ; as to I the printing press we do not want that. Mr Gorst’s we carried away, but.lie was a deceiver and his paper full of hitter words ; yet hiring the types, they will melt up for bullets. Enough; wc have considered carefully your silly letter, for we remember that the prophet Balaam re- , caved good counsel even from 1 iis ass. From us, your loving friends, Ta.v . vta-Toto, Kai-tancata, Tk Hah Hah. I and several hundred oilier most intelligent- na- , lives, who privately expriss the most profound I contempt, itide shared in by the colonists, ior the ; writers of an address which is ns nonsensical as |it is sneaking. How men of high character and | position could l.v.vc ! ecu weak enough to attach I their names to it, wc are at a loss to imagine.

SiU MOBTON BE TO. “ Idle men are always busy. Hard-working men can always find leisure.” AYe once heard a speaker saying this, and here is prooi ol the truth of the saving. Fir Samuel Morton l’cto has, and has had for years, more work in hand than any living man. Home time ago lie told the House that his firm lias had for years no less than thirty thousand men in ils employ. Thirty thousand men ! AVliy, it is an army. AY'u have not the list of the civil servants of the Crown handy, lmt we suspect that they do not amount to thirty thousand ; and yet the lion. Baronet can find leisure to do many things quite outside the circle of his own private business. He assists at public meetings; lie lays t lie first stone of public buildings, and in 18G3— viirabile ilictu! —-ho published an Bvo volume, of over 4(H) pages, on taxation—a, hook which,with our experience in writing, wc would not undertake to get up in less than twelve months. But, besides all this, Sir Morton represents one of the largest constituencies in the kingdom, and represents :t well and eileetively. True, lie does not loiter about the house; he is seldom seen gossiping in the lobbies ; he is not often in the dining-room ; the smokery, we suspect, knows him not ; and those who knew his habits would scarcely expect to find him lounging in his chair in the library, deep in an interesting' book of travel, l’ul lie is always in his place when lie is wanted ; ami in every important di\ ision-list his name is sure to be n corded, lie makes speeches, too ; and very good, sound, and sensible speeches t hey are—not. parry Speeches. In great party struggles Sir Morton never takes a pari, except to record his vote, i 1 is speeches are generally upon practical business matters, such as h.a hours, fortifications, guns, ships, administration, organisation, No. On Thursday night, last week, he delivered one of these practical speeches ; and so fall was it. ol facts, figures, and calculations.evidencing !nbori_ ous research and patient- thought and prepara. tion, that a stranger in the gallery might wel|

have thought that it was some cx-Minister of the t.'rown addressing the House. Now, how is this done ? That, reader, is a question which we cannot answer. Sir Morton to us has always been a mystery. We can no more understand how he pets through his work than we can comprehend how tin; world was made. The Chancellor of the Exchequer's ofiiee is by no means a sinecure. The Premier, doubtless, has his hands full. Elr George Grey is said to he one of the hardest workers that ever lived. (Py-the-way, on Wednesday last week, Sir George made a speeeli in the house, donned bis Court dress at his olliee, went to the Levee, introduced the two Sheriffs; returned to his ofiiee, changed his clothes ate his luncheon, and was hack again in tl to House—all within on hour and a-half.) Hut what is the work of these Government men compared to that of the lion, member for Finsbury, with his .‘>o,ooo men to keep employed, his railways in England, his railways in Denmark, Wallaciiia, &e. : his harbour works, bridge-building, speech-making, hook-writing, &c. ; li is enough to turn one's head dizzy to think of it. How this business is done is a mystery, sin insoluble problem, one of those transcendental questions which we push aside as a thing too high for finite men like us to comprehend. The, classic labours of Hercules wore ridiculous trilies compared with those of Sir Morton Peto.—‘lllustrated Times,’ March IS.