THE PEACE PROPOSITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 13, 11 December 1863, Page 3

THE PEACE PROPOSITION.

To the Editor of the New Zeaiaxd HesalS. Sir, —I helievc no one in New Zealand would 'i& more rejoiced than rayßelf to be assured of the establishment of peace on a good and solid basi,!. It was, therefore, with some pleasure that I read t'.io artiolo in your issue of this morning on the subject; and it was not long before my opinion was aslied as to the probability or otherwise of tho speedy accomplishment of that oV«'t. But, having some knowledge of the offenders with whom tho Government have to deal, I could ouly reply to the enquiries made that I was not without misgivingß as to the honesty of their professions. That the Waikato people would be glad to have bo more lighting I can readily agree with others ill believing; but that their sentimenti are contained in your article 1 very much doubt, or, to express myself more clearly, that they mean one thing and you understand another is, to my mind, very palpable. 1 may be mistaken, but I regard their expressed willingness to give up the Waikato counti7 as having reference to no part of the territory above Ngaruawahia. Tamihana and Whsrepu are now well convinced that the continuation of the war would leave none of their beautiful and fruitful plaii.s in their possession, and that therefore they litd bettor desist from further hostilities, hoping that by giving up what they call the Waikato country (if they really mean what they say), but which, according to the idea of the European, is a comparatively small portion of that country, and includes none" of tho be6t part of it, they shall be able to arrest the seizure of their most highly valued lands. Then, again, your article makeß no mention of tho name of any member of the Ngatimaniopoto tribe, the most violent tribe of all, and whose lands exteud from Maugapouri on the Waipa river to the district of Mokau. To be told that Tamihana a,nd Matutaera aye prepared to give up the Waikato country is very ploasant to the Eng- | lish oors of New Zealand, but, as I have already intiI mated above, a largo portion of that country is not theirs to surrender ; and I am very niU'.h mistaken if the Ngatimaniopoto are ready and willing to give up their country between Mnngapouri and Mokau, the whole of whi h and more too, if they have any, certainly to bo included in the terms of peace. Perhaps you may hear another note sounded than the one which has just been heard when the information is carried throughout the whole of the Waikato district that the tonns upon which submission will be accepted w 11 be made known from the " Bnh.cu Head Quarters at Ngaritaicahia." I write these remarks for the benefit of the too sanguine portion »' the community who suppose, as one expired turnself in my hearing this morning, they will noiv oe able to enter upon the peaceable occupation of tlitir llily acre allotments ; or who imagine that the homes from which thev have been driven by the rejclhou may now with safety be re-oooupied. r am, &c:, Tcp.vto, December 7th, 18C3.