The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, DEC. 28, 1861 CHRISTMAS AT WAIUKU.

New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1638, 28 December 1861, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, DEC. 28, 1861 CHRISTMAS AT WAIUKU.

Bo just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at, be thy Country's, Thy G»d’s, and Truth's.

The observance of the hospitalities of the Christmas, we arc glad to see becoming by degrees an institution among our Native friends, and with the good cheer will also come tint good feeling, that disposition to kindliness, and to oblivion of wrongs, real or imaginary, which ought to mark, and does mark, tin festive season amongst ourselves. At Pokeno, near Havelock on the Waikato, there was to have been a large Christmas feast at which it was expected that 600 Natives would be present, and at which the Upper Waikato would bo largely represented. Of the occurrences at Pokeno, we have as yet received no intelligence; but of what transpired at the meeting of Ngatiteata at Waiuku, venire able to place a sketch before our readeis. Ihe Christmas feast on this occasion was provided for the Natives by the liberalitv of Mr. Constable, of Waiuku; the Governor, Sir George Grey, was present; about one hundred and twenty Natives sat down to dinner. The air of the assembly was perfectly orderly, and the appearance of the Maori guests thoroughly respectable, the women ami children, in particular, be hi" unusually ne.it and clean. When the serious business of enjoyiu" the creature comforts provided in such liberafprofusion was ended, the people assembled in public meeting in the open air and seated on the grass. 1 hen the following address to the Governor was presented and read: v ... Waiuku, December 25. 1861 Father the Governor ’ y“ izh* ■" Let me consider the mat J «vhfen i Up l ° be calcn--Bcanlin<M of food givon b, W. .STiimtaS

behind. Although bad, it is bad in Taiawa.” that is, those things which you 0 f us, namely, Magistrates and Runancas f„-A e to raent of Ngatiteata. 888 for eap^T From your loving children, v , pi. , . The Nga txteau Each Chief present, in his turn r, the words of the Address in order th distinctly lo mark his entire acqui es ® more the sentiment it was meant to convey ° e 111 After this ceremony had concluded a Governor met the Chiefs of the tribe f the purpose of making with them the Cl the rangemcnt for setting up the new Civil Government in their District. At meeting, we learn, the names of ,th e v!• 3 Magistrates agreed upon by tlu&eonl* submitted to His Excellency on behalf of*? tribe, and also the names of the Wardo r the Hundreds in the District. The re |° r the meeting was, we are informed, perfmf satisfactory to the Governor, and it is belie U J that the most complete reliance may be pi on the determination of Ngatiteata to into entire and immediate effect Sir Grey’s plans for the civil government oftf? District. With Ngatitipa on the one the river, and the Waiuku people on a other, it may be said that the lower Wait t have now embraced the new institutions TV is a step in the march of pacification j progress of which the importance is great a 1 considering the connexions of the Kgatite t and the importance of the territorial posit’ ’ occupied by them at Waiuku—their 00-0 ° ration in the work of improvement will it found to be, we think, of the greatest val ue At this meeting also, ue understand hie question of road making was considered* a 1 there was general agreement as to tho a sity of making roads; some uneasiness caused by the movement of the troops subsided, when the object of that movement came to be fully understood. 1 Meantime the troops have moved out to their work on the Great South Itoad. Thre camping grounds, on this side of the Ion! bush, had been chosen, we learn, one oS Mr. liuucimau’s, one on Mr. Kerr’s, and one on Mr. Baird’s land; a fourth would probably be taken up near Mr. Austin’s, on this side of Havelock. “Vigorous prosecution” of road making, forming, and metalling, will now be the order of the day, and it may be that in the future the Native “difficulty” will yield to the pick and. shovel, and knotty points of civil government be settled at Christinas feasts. Whatever may be the result, however, it is gratifying that, for once at least, there should exist amongst the Europeans a very general concurrence in the propriety of the steps that have hitherto been taken by Governor Grey, and that he should now be recognized by both races as being the right man in the right place.