NATIVE DISTURBANCE AT THE BAT OF ISLANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1434, 22 June 1868, Page 4

NATIVE DISTURBANCE AT THE BAT OF ISLANDS.

SUCCESSFUL MISSION OF MB. COMMISSION EE MACK AY. SUBEENDER OF TEE ALLEGED MURDERER. It will be remembered by our readers that about the time liis Kxcellency Sir George Bowen visited the Bay of Islands news was received m that place of native disturbances in the neighbourhood of Hokianga, and many natives ot the Bay had cone over towards the Hokianga Biver, and that the Hon. Mr Eichmond had proceeded to the scene of the quarrel; Mr. Williams, R.M., Waimate, and Air. Barstow, S.M., Russell, also went down with a view to attempt some mediation between the belligerent parties. On the 25th of April tho Hon. J. C. Richmond returned to Eussell with the news that the quarrel was over. The cause of the quarrel seems to be somewhat as follows :—A dispute had arisen between Hardiman, a half-caste belonging to a hapu of the Ngapuhi tribe called Ngatikuri and Mohi Tawhia, of the Barawa tribe, about the succession to a piece of land uear tho Hokianga En or. As the tribes could not arrive at any amicable arrangement on the matter, they both assumed a hostile attitude, and built certain pas at either end of the disputed block. A native of tho N gapuhi tribe, named Ifuku, persisted in leaving his own pa and passing that of Hardiman, at the same time making use of insulting expressions towards the Rarawas. This he did repeatedly, in spite of warnings, but at the fourth time he was fired at from the pa, and killed. The Rarawas delivered up the murderer, a half-caste called Te "Wake, to the European magistrates soon after their arrival, and he was committed for trial, but he unfortunately managed to effect his escape before ho could be brought into the settlements. After the surrender of the prisoner, when peace was supposed to be concluded, the Rarawas left their position, and retreated up the Whirinaki stream. When, however, the .Ngapuhis learnt of the murderer s escape they crossed the river, ostensibly with a view to re-capture Te Wake. Firing soon commenced on either side, and one man of the Ngapulii tribe was killed just before Mr. Commissioner Mackay arrived upon the scene. We must now look back and re-commenco our narrative from the time that the attitude of the Hokianga natives became known in Auckland. Matters having arrived at a very threatening state, and there being considerable danger of a serious native war in the Worth, the Government thought it best that Mr. Mackay should proceed to the Bay of Islands and attempt to mediate between the contending parties, and recover the escaped prisoner, Te Wake. Mr. Mackay, accordingly, left Auckland on the 31st ulfc., on board H.M.S. Brisk, Captain Hope, accompanied by the following Hauraki and Waikato chiefs—William te Wlieoro, W. H. Taipari, NiniKukutai, HoriTauroa, Honana, of Cabbage Bay, Ngakapa, Piniha, and Hakiriwhi, and three native policemen. On the same day (Sunday) the Brisk called at Eawau, where Mr. Mackay had an interview with Sir George Grey, and left that place at 3 p.m. on the same day, arriving at the Bay on Monday morning between nine and ten. During the rest of the day Mr. Mackay and his party remained at Russell, getting horses and preparing for the journey before them, and on that evening they crossed over to Waitangi. On Tuesday raorning the 2nd instant, the party travelled about thirty miles, as far as the River Waihou, a tributary of the Hokianga. The roads during the journey were horrible, being sometimes mere Maori tracks, and at others a Government road overgrown with low scrub. On Wednesday, Mr. Mackay and tho chiefs took boats down the river and got as far as Captain Bountree's station, but the wind blowing strong from the westward they were unable to get further that night. The next morning they pulled down past Motukauri, where there was a pa of the Rarawas, and arrived at Te Kal*aka where there were two pas of the same tribe situated on a hill. On reaching Te Karaka Mr. Mackay landed, and the party encamped in a sandy bay below the Rarawa pa, where thev pitched a tent of boat sails. The first of the Rarawas who came down received Mr. Mackay well, ;but shortly afterwards another party of some fifteen or twenty followed, and assumed a very threatening attitude. These, however, retired after some blustering talk, and during that (Thursday) night a good deal of powder was blazed away on both sides. The relative positions of the hostile pas and Mr. Mackay s camp may be described by saying that Mr. Mackay and party were camped in St. George's Bay, the Rarawa pas on the bluff to the east of them, and the Ngapuhi pa at the North Head. Of course the comparison is on a very large scale. On the morning of Friday the sth instant, Mr. Mackay sent over Taipari and Ngakapa to Onoki where the Ngapuhi were camped, to request them to cease firing, and to hoist a flag of truce during his visit amongst them, to which the Ngapuhis agreed, and that same evening hoisted a white flag. On Saturday morning both sides had white flags hoisted, and it was arranged that the korero was to come off on the following -JMonday so as to give time for several influential natives who were absent to be sent for. On Monday, the Bth instant, the members of the Rarawa tribe assembled at the Commissioner's tent at Te ELaraka. The whole of them were armed with guns and well supplied with powder and shot. The proceedings were opened by the performance of a war dance, in which about three hundred and fifty joined. This was not a particularly successful performance owing to the limited, extent of ground which they had for action. At the conclusion of this ceremonial Mr. Commissioner Mackay requested that they would make peace with the Ngapuhi tribe. The Rarawas were, however, very obstinate, and said that they were determined to fight it out, and that if the Government interfered in any way they would fight "with the pakehas. In any case they utterly refused to give up Te Wake. They said that lie had been handed over to the arm of the law once, and the law had been unable to keep him, and he had escaped, and was, in consequence, free. A long talk ensued, in which Te Tai Papahia, Wi Tana Papahia, Te Waka Banganu, Tamaho, Jehu, and Jtlardiman, on the part of the jßarawas, and the chiefs who accompanied Mr. Mackay joined. The latter chiefs pointed out the evils of war as experienced by themselves in the Waikato, and after some time the Barawas expressed their willingness to make peace, but at the same time they insisted that peace condoned everything, and refused to give ■up Te Wake. To this Mr. Mackay would by no means agree, and said that peace was one thing, and the question of Te Wake was another. That as long as they continued fighting there was so much powder and smoke over the land that no one could see clearly about Te Wake. Peace should be made, and they would see about that after. On the same evening Mr. Mackay crossed over to the Ngapuhi pa, and informed the tribe that the Rarawas had agreed to make peace, and that on the following morning he should make a demand on them of the same kind. Next morning (Bth) the Ngapuhis assembled to the number of five hundred and forty, of whom four hundred and eighty joined in a grand war dance upon the beach. Everyone was remarkably well armed. Negotiations were opened by Mohi Tawhai, who welcomed Mr. Mackay and the Waikato Bad Hauraki chiefs, and expressed the satisfaction of his tribe that M r. Mackay had brought law. fie was followed by Hone Mohi, Harry Wilcox, and Tahaitini, who said that it was not good to make peace with the Barawas before

Te Wake had been given up. It was like applying medicine to a man's foot for a splinter, without first drawing the splinter out. That they had given up Te Wake and come to an arrangement of peace, in order to please Mr. Barstow and Mr. Williams, and had asked them (the -Fgapuhis) to escort him safely across the river, but he had escaped. That it had been said that Mohi did not wish to arrest Te Wake, but to fight the Rarawas; but the fact was that he wished to arrest Te Wake, and hand him over to the law. A long discussion having followed these remarks, Mr. Mackay said that the two questions were quite scparato ; that peace had been made, and the Ngapuhi had broken it. Te Wake had escaped, but he had not been rescued from Mr. Parstow, and Mr. Williams by the Rarawas. He had escaped from the hands of the officers of the law, and it was the part of the law to recapture him, and not the Ngapuhis. Tho law was a convenient garment, it was like a " koka" or wet weather mat, to be assumed during wet weather and discarded when the sun shone, and tho present proceedings seemed a mixture of law and Maori revenge. It was quite true that sometimes an armed force was employed in aid of law, but only in the last extremity, and then only in a legal and proper manner. It would be quito time- enough lor the Ngapuhis to assemble in arms and capture Te Wako when they were called upon by Government to do so. That they (the Ngapuhis) were the infringers of the peace, since they had crossed over the river and broken tho peace ; and although he was willing to pive to Mohi every credit for a real desire to support the law, yet that he was making a great mistake in his manner of setting about it, and finally suggested that they should make peace at once, and leave it for Government to say what should be dono with Te Wake. Although tho Rarawas had made peace, they quite understood that tho law would demand Te Wake. Eerarera then advanced with his gun loaded and at full cock, and went through a variety of movements of a menacing description, and said " Take my gun To Rarawa; that is my poace. Peace shall not be made until Te Wake is given up." Mr. Mackay replied that peace must be made first, for there was so much fog on the hills that he could not sco to take Te Wake until it had been cleared away by the breeze of peace. Mohi then on the part of the Ngapuhi tribe agreed to make peace, and to leave the matter of Te Wake in the hands of tho law. If Te Wake was captured by law they would remain quiet, and if not they would still be quiet. If Te Wake was tried and condemned, they would be satisfied, and if not they would be satisfied still. That Tuesday night, Mr. Mackay recrossed the river to Te Karaka, accompanied by Wimata, Native Assessor at Kaipara. On Wednesday morning, 10th instant, there was another meeting of the liarawa tribe at Te Karaka, and Mr. Mackay informed them that the Ngapuhis had made peace, and that there was to bo no more fighting, but that lie had two objects in coming to see them. Tho one was to stop tho fighting, and this had been done; the other was to demand that Te Wake should bo given up. He had escaped from the law, and he (Mr. Mackay) did not know whether he was guilty or not, but in any case he was not justified in escaping. If a man in the custody of the law made his escape he aggravated his oil'ence. That he held a warrant for To Wake's arrest.

Several men of minor rank then spoke, chiefly relations of Te Wake, and flatly refused to give him up. They said that they had made peace, and gave as a reason for their refusal to give up Te Wake that several murders had been committed within the last few years and Government had not interfered, so that it had no right to interfere in this case. Mr. Mackay replied that those cases differed entirely from this one. In those cases no informations had been kid, and no warrants issued, but in the present instance this man had been delivered by the Rarawas into tho hands of the magistrates, and had been by them committed. He did not know what had been done by the magistrates, and it did not concern him. One man made his canoe in one way, and another man in another way, and he would take his own course in making his. Mr. Mackay then pointed out that although Te Wake had escaped, he was to all intents and purposes in prison, since he did not dare to cross the river, and would never dare to do so all his life, and that if at any time of his life he resisted any attempts of ollicers of the law to capture him, he might bo shot. The conference lasted all day, and towards evening Te Tai Papahia came forward and said that the chiefs would runanga the question. On Thursday (11th) morning AViniata said that the chiefs had agreed to give up Te Wake, and that a messenger had been sent to Te Wake at Motukauri, asking him to surrender quietly. About noon the messenger returned and aaid that Te Wake wished to see Te Tai and Winiata at Motukauri. The next morning (12th instant) Te Tai and Winiata went to Motukauri, and on their return in the evening said that the natives would not give up Te Wake because the Ls'gapuhi had been firing at them from a eanoe that passed in the morning. Accordingly, Mr. Mackay crossed over to Onoke to ascertain whether there was any truth in the report. The Ngapuhi said that it was not true, but that one shot had been fired out of the pa, and that Mohi was very angry, and had taken away the offender's gun, which was handed over to Mr. Mackay. The Ngapuhis then signed a formal document ot peace so that there could be no further mistake about the matter. Mr. Mackay remained at Onoke all night and re-crossed to Te Karaka on the morning of the 13th, when he found that Tc Wake had arrived in a eanoe. It was agreed that he should surrender himself, and the Rarawas signed an agreement making peace, and on Sunday, the 14th, Te Wake surrendered, and was handed over to the charge of the native policemen. Having thus successfully attained his double object, Mr. Commissioner Mackay left Tc Raraka next day, and pulled up the river as far as Tarawaihou. On Tuesday ho reached Waitangi on horseback, and on Wednesday, 15th instant, crossed over to Russell, and embarked on board the Emma with his party of chiefs, who had aocompanied him and the prisoner. The Emma left Russell at 5 p.m. that day, but experienced strong southerly breezes and heavy seas. She put into the Kawau on Saturday morning, and loft at 12.30 p.m., arriving in Auckland about 5 p.m. The prisoner was conveyed at once to the Stockade, there to await his trial at the next sittings of the Supremo Court.