Correspondence.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 303, 1 November 1864, Page 5

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Ktif Zeat.'.xp Hichai.T). Sik,—Tho expectations raided by tho Governor and his ministers* of sympathy mid support to the deputation til' tlii; iUaiakana, settlors, who 'wailed upon them .sonic time ago, have not in any sense hern yet real'zed. The cscajMsd prisoners arc still prowling about in all direct ions, and committing outrages and thefts whorewr, from the defenceless stato of the inhabitants, they have an oppc -tnnity of doing so with impunity. ' Things herehavo now reached such ■ a crisis, thai, nothing short of bloodshed and murder is talked of as likely every day to happen. The mind of the settlers is being' gradually worked up to :i state of desperation, and revenge for ail their injuries. j\lauy of them say, " We have, looked to tho tiiivenif r and his i\tiuistry tor protection, hut we have leaned upon a hr .ken iced ; we must now lake ihe lav.- into our own hands, and shoot down those - ruthless marauder--!, if need he, who are insulting out r wives and children in our and " our properly." V 1 can vouch for tho truth of this statement, hivm<! '' 1.0 ird several of my neighbours solemnly deehuo thai "' they an! <|ui e prepared to shoot the lirst, M'lO'i wh' oilers violence to their wives, orehildren, or property Sueli is the state of mutteis in this neighbourhood lt! j -.nU every day >0 »'.elliiny t" the pretty lon* list of outrages perpetrated by the Maoris. ilov .V long is such a blaf c of misrule to be allowed to go on ■il i is there nothing short of a fow murders neccssury U i. rouse our ruler.-. to action ? r. There i ff :l Latin proverb, wlik-h soys, MVhon )- CJtid wishes to de.--troy he lii>t makes mad.'' Js Sir G 'e (rivy mad 1 do not know ; 1 think I have hoard i ks whimpered so in Auckland. At all events, his action ill j of j;;lo certainly go far to jirovo it. W c arc

imiliar with tho story of the 'Victoria.' being bartered by liis Excellency to coino down to Omaha, nd under, friciidl.V Ttiul's pilotage to entrap the nwary rebels. ~ liut the Maoris -were too wide awake, q r rather, tf.o frieiully proved unworthy of the con- t denee reposed in jiim, and .divulged the scheme to lie rebels, who, it is used loss to f=av, preferred to tannin in freedom and shore edirnnoiW in tho pah, '\ 3 all tho luxuries which the Governor' could heap I pon them in a state of captivity. The'ivituraVcon- , I'quence of this act of duplicity on tho part of the s governor is now shewing itself. The Maoris can'no 5 ringer place confidence in him, and openly assert that 1 " hoy will remain in their present position until the '' loops are withdrawn from the colony. Tt ik stated in the newspapers, as p u-t of Captain Jooper s report) of his interview with the rebels at 1 lio Omaha pah, that oil' accusing them of plundering ' lie settlers, (lie refol chiefy indignantly denied all 1 :nowledgc of anything of tho kind. Sow, Captain ' Joopov seems to leave it in do'aht which party ' light to bo believed —the Maoris or the Europeans. ' .'his is not fair. Captain Cooper could have no 1 loubt in his own mind of (he pcrfect truth of the -, 1 tatemonts made by tho settlers regarding Maori 1 mtrage. If he entertained any such doubt, Mr. ' deiklejohn, ;-,nd a dozon other settlers within an ' lour's walk, could have fully satisfiedliim.-f- At the alne time I believe that the robol chiefs made that < itatcmehS to Captain Cooper in tho belief that it was i .rue. But we' arc well aware that the chiefs have ' .ittlu inllueiice over the vmbridiec! license of tln;iv iblowei>, and we have the words of Sir Cf. Grey himself :l\at there are some of these rebel prisoners who mglit to have been hung and tried long" ngo\ Xow, it is these very wretches who are constantly prowling about in search of plunder and better tustenanee than tho pali can atl'ord who are worlcinj* so much mischief on the settlers. They rarely reside in this pah, but in small parties of a dozen Or more put up temporary whare-t in the bush, in the immediate vicinity ot the settlers, and from them issue out at the fitting* opportunity to plunder and steal whatever they can lay hold of. Tlie.se fellows are cowai-dlv as well as treacherous. They Iteep at a rcspectl'iil'dislancc from those who an}" able, to' defend their properly, while those who are unable are sure tosutii- . In proof of this, I may state tlmt jt have u?ed no revolver or suffered any trespass on my property, though I am as much exposed as others, simply because I believe, from this known fact, that Ihave four stout sons to assist me in repelling any attack. 1 am much inclined to believe that, until more effective aid can be afforded, the presence of a dozen or more of policemen, or constables, armed' with revolvers, which obuld-easily be liep'3 concealed, would be very offective in preserving the" Jxwoo and repressing crime in the neighbourhood. I remain, Your obedient secant', A Matak.WA SHTT'LI>,U. Matakana, October 25', [•*' 'fV» Ministers are powerless in this matt . They have control over the native prisoners since the arrival of t}>« August mail, bringing with it che desnatch of 27th June, Winding over to the Governor "the sole and unfettered J->wer in the disposal, custody, and aire of native prisoaers. + This statement or mil' correspondent Jijis been eriiied to us bv Mr. Meikfetonii' himself.-—Ed. JT. Z. "0

" IlOiVOli TO THE BKAAT."

To the Kilitor of theJfKW Zealand Herat.d. j Sift", —Some six or seven yours since, the then theatre in- Victoria-street bore the ahove inscription over its on the occasion ol'an amateur performance, givo;Y fcif'n- the view of raising a suirl of money to erect .a mnnitmirif; *:»' tho " brave" %vho fel in'thb JleUe w;t,i\ Tho proceed 1 .? of that performance were corv<kloruble, arid, unless T much' mistake, thev were further augmented by another pcriotiiiSMt: of the amateurs of the 5Sf hKegiiiic-iit. Tho nionc.r tfrtfcs collected went to England seve<-al : ycavs since, I think in charge of the late Jirigado Major (greenwood. AYhat has become of the money or the monument r C'an you, Sir, throw a light upon this subject .' Yours, An Amateur.

AN A KMT CHAPLAIN'S " GOOD WORDS."

To the Editor of tho A'ktt Zuai-and Hrraxi). JTk. Ewfol!,- —Art you have reprinted the vulgar egotisms of a ivrtai-.V Army Chaplain, " I?.-," and as there are other " Jmen" of birth, breeding, and education among the military chaplains in New Zealand, I !>cg von will allow me, on .sufliciont authority, to state that the Rev. John Arden Bayley is ni.t (as bus been assumed) the Jennies, whose //onif irordg have to much amused the public during the last few days. Yours, D. B.