A MAORI OPINION OF THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 41, 31 December 1863, Page 3

A MAORI OPINION OF THE WAR.

I TilE following inlercstii.g narrative was related in tho | I course of a rpc-ech delivered af a recent VVesleyan | | .Min-sionnry Tea Meetins, lieKl ftt Auckland, by j j William J tar to n. a l.auve Weslevan minister, of j | Wuikato, who Inn long been a useful aud energetic ' j member of that church. This statement is of (treat i importance, inasmuch ns it proves, what has been so I frequently denied, that, while the General and his ■ forces were vet at Taranaki, and Auckland in a help- | I less condition, the Waikatos were in actual rebellion, . ! and armed bands were meditating a sudden descent | j upon us; and shows tlic inflexible determination of j i the king and his counsellors to resist the Queen's } authority, and impose on Europeans submission to j the Maori monarch. j | " ( am not going to speak of the Taranaki war. be- j j cause that was arrested by the peace that wus made. ; j 1 prefer to begin my talk on this side of that event, I at the time when hostile proceedings were, taken : against Mi", fiorst by Xgatinianiapoto. When all the ; | missionaries left ns my thoughts become very gloomy. j i After they had left, a man named Aporo came to j ! Auckland, where he was arrested and sent to prison. | j When the Wnikato people and the people of Jv'gati- J ! maniapoto heard that Aporo had been arrested, S'ga- ! | timanuipoto said it is good—he knew he had done | | wrong, yet he went to Auckland. Then Wnitere, a j chief of Xgutimaniapoto, came to talk with Matutaera, j and to say to him, " Do not be moved about. Aporo, i who has been put in prison." I also visited Xgaruaj wahia at the same time and found that some men had ! gone from here (meaning the Mar.garei district) to ! >Varua\vahia, (o Tair.ahere, (Thompson's place), to i Mauiigatautari, and to Rangiawhia, to obtain consent | to commence war (attack Auckland), and that the I whole of the chiefs had given their consent. When j Whaitere e.nd I arrived, I enquired of Matutaera. ! " Son, do you intend to'consent to this work that is I being planned, I mean to commence war?" llis reply j to me was, Go you away and return to your own j place" (equivalent to mind your own business). I " On the same day on which I arrived the incsscn- | gers who ha 1 been "to Mnungatuutari. and Rangiao- | hia returned to >Varuawnhia, and a mnanga was I summoned to lay the plan i'or an attack upon Aucki land. I felt very dark and addressed (he ruuanga. I j said to them, "Tribes, if you intend toniakewar, writo I and inform the Governor. Let it be done in daylight i while the. sun is shining." Te liuiraina. a chief that I fell at Koheroa, replied to mc, he said, " I will not ! listen to your word, for in all the deliberations j (runangas) of Waikato you are the man that is strong I to oppose us, and all the tribes hear, and are I influenced by your word." 1 only replied, j " Von will come to grief," and next morning i ret umed home. When I reached home and I thought on the subject 1 saw that evil was purposed ! and at once wrote to Mr. Buddie to inform him of this I conspiracy (undii liunr.) into which the tribes had I entered. Alter this I called together my own people, ' and said to them, "Listen to me ; if you hear that this i evil work is begun do net any of you arise to join it i All consented. Then came a letter from Mr. Buddie I directing me to visit the Kopua, and preach to Ml'. Keid's people. 1 went, and gathered the people toj geiher and said to them. "If you hear that the evil j has bcfjun do not ari*e to join in it," but they said I .i v\" c y.j'i n0 ( 3 ;t; still," an.l only ten of tlicm pledged 1 themselves t? regard my word. After this I wrote to | my relatives who reside at Kawliia, and this was my word also 10 them, " Do not join in tile attack, rather I listen to the counsels of your minister. Mr. SeVmack- { enberg when they saw my letter they consented. On iny return home, I fouud' that the war party had ■ surfed, and br,.i reach Maramare.a, and that the. solI diers bad also crossed M angatawhiri. Some of the ! parly did not see the soldiers cross Mai!«.i'.tawhiri, ! having pr.-.sed up the Maramsrun before: the Wai- | kato party was behind the others. When it j that'bo soldiers had rciiched the other fide of >'.a----1 ngatww'iir! the word o!' war, spoken, he said I '' jN IT at inianiapoto and Xgatehau v'til not come l e- { cause Barton wiil stop thcrn." This was one cause of ' their wrath towards me ; another was they suspected j me of sending information to you. I reasoned thus— j no other counsellor remitins, ministers have counselled, I they have left nothing unsaid ; for many years they have taught among the Maori people. The Governor too has oilered them laws, lie met them at the second meeting of Waikato at Taupiri; ho came as far as Kuitotehe, arid opened out before them there j his good intentions' ; his works of kindness to men. I I have also done my best to persuade them to accept, j one law for all; but seeing all these counsels were I obstinately rejected, I said to myself the end of mnif» teaching has come, there isnow-only one teacher behind that can speak to tliis people, tluit is war: and now it has overtaken them, their bodies have fallen, la'den in consequence of their own obstinacy. Po not think that tnv heart is dark. What can be said or done. If you'had concealed anything I should hare iclt dark. JCnough of this. " When the men fell at Koheroa, two of mj peopl (old men) ardie and wout oil 1 to the war unknown to

me. W hen I heard it I called the rest together and said to them, " Do not arise to lift a weapon against the Governor or against tho Queen." After tho battle of Koheroa, I pulled down the Waikato in my canoe, and on my journey fell in with a Pakeha who hod fallen into the hands of tho war party, who had robbed him of his flour; his name in England. \Y hen I saw Mr. England and his son I took them under my protection ; ihey said to me "We shall bo killed rs vtv (in revenge) for the Maoris who have been slam." I assured them they were safe and should not die. They gave me a bag of money containing £100 and 505.: the reason why fhev gave it to me was that if they should be killed, the money might, be safe, but 1 assured them tlicy were in no" danger. When we reached Ngaruawahia. I took the I'akehas to see the dead bodies, i.e. Te Iluirawa and the others, after which wcpulledup to my own home and they remained with me four days. The reason wliy they remained «o long was that one of tlieni had buvnt.his foot; when he recovered 1 directed my sons to Catch the horses, and conduct the I'akehas to JJaglan. .They then oll'ered me some Hour as payment, but 1 said ''1 do not want any payment," but took the Hour and gtive tliem an order on Mr. Buddie for the amount. When Kewi and his war party passed they look away the ,cimoc belonging to these Pakehas from the place:. When I heard of this 1 pursued them and recovered it; this also gave them nllen'ee. Enough of this. "Then the tribes were assembled at Meivmcre. I went to that place to talk to tin" people that were sitting there; my words to them were " Friends leave off this evil work.—the ambuscades, this murder of women and children, of men at work on their farms and unarmed persons." Some of the/mpus consented, but others would not. It was after this meeting that a woman (Mis. Fahey) was killed." —Herald, December 3.