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Northern Advocate, 5 February 1934, Page 2

-fi & -AiTAN.GI, 6ni the sihbres of the’ Cjljf beautiful Bay of Islands, presents a'remarkable spectacle of colour* and airimation today. But if is. questionable whether the iscehe is or striking as that • which ’ was. .unfolded 94 years ago, : ' when the ’ ’ of .Waitangi itself «vas .signed, ' - ; . Gy back in fancy to Waitangf of nearly a century ago. . . r ...Wajqriors at Kpforareka. •dapfain Hobson, who'arrived with a commission as Lieut.-Govenior of a : country that -Ayas yet to be acquired, rehlis'ed bf ’onee', when he , -saw the •’ hdfdeS Of’armed -warriors in the vicinity of kororareka, that the purpose - of his* mission could not be successfully accomplished without the almost unani-mous-consent of the people. He lost: no time in taking steps to win the V confidence and co-operation of the Maoris, and*, before landing from the “Herald”, on the day .of his. arrival, made . arrangements with Mr Colenso for-the printing, at the press of the Church Missionary Society, of a. circular letter inviting the chiefs to meet him at Mr,Busby’s residence four days Men . Drafting The Treaty. ; in'the' time intervening, not the least- arduous duty was the drafting of t’rtb'TfcatyV upon which so much depended," To -guard against raising suspisioh: in 'the native mind, it Avas necessary that those concerned with ,the'preparation of the Treaty should''' have not/ only a full knowledge-of - the. Crown ’s:-intentions, • but also an intimate acquaintance with the subtleties of tlio native char.aeter, !-- yiV , r , 'y ', -. .. ... ■The of- ‘’Waitarfgl, in its original' manuscript form, shows-by the alterations, additions and amendments rojide 'on- itp that a good deal' of anxious care was displayed ni its preparation. Captain. Hobson • rccognis-. cd that Mr Busby’s „seven' : years'' of. official training and native. o.xpyri ( pn r e, hsfd furnished him with many qualifixations for the task, and finally, with . the transposition of certain compafa 1 t-iyply .Unimportant, paragraphs, adopt,-(j-RthC'-draft miadc by* the- ox-Resident. . ' If t Translation. . !<• The task of translation Avas neces- ; -scrily a difficult, one, and this was accepted, _at the. request, of Captain HobSon, Qf th 4, .? Pacify ’« jj; roup of missionaries, than whom no man wielded’greatcf influence with the patives at that period. The excellence ijif the translation, may Ik* judged from the fact, that,' tlVottgli-.lff’ha-s been many jfjmos tried by the most accomplished jj|f Maori scholars, the I canslat i'on has 'tb-ver been shaken, and stands, today a perfect reflex' of 'the native' mind, iponveying a clearerview to the Maori .-• |6f what the Treaty meant than the •English version Jjpydonp-.t0,.t1i.c-aver-age Pakoha.