CONDITION OF THE NATIVES IN THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 216, 29 August 1862, Page 5

CONDITION OF THE NATIVES IN THE NORTH ISLAND.

Third Article. The "Report ot Mr. H. Hanson Turton, briefly adverts in general terms to the state of things in the Thames and Bay of Plenty district?, and is chiefly confined to the expression of his own .opinions respecting the Native Pnnangas and the King movement. Of the former, Mr. Turton says that the members of the Runanga are chosen, or rather nominated by a few leading men, very similar to the election of members of European Committees. 44 Thus," says Mr. Turton,;' has risen up in every village a kind of little oligarchy, comprised only of chief men, by whom decisions and penalties of the greatest injustice are in-fli.-tfd on thc-ir meaner brethren."

One cannot much wonder at this, when Mr Turton tells us that the members ofthe Runanga are paid from fines inflicted. Conse-quently-it is to the interest ofthe members to hunt up a, many cases as possible, in which they can impose a penalty. "In many places " . continues Mr. Turton, ki the Maori Runanga v hen left to itself, acts in so inquisitorial a manner, as to be a source of great terror and vexation to the people, especially by its constant interference with the various* relations of private life, and hy its creating causes of offence where it cannot find them."

It is still Mr. Turton's opinion, as it is that of mo?t other persons, who have carefully studied the Maori character, that-these-Run-angas, if properly handled, and directed hy European influence, will constitute a powerful engine for the future government of the Natives. Sir George Grey h 3 as far as possible availed himself of their agency, ana where fostered nnd guided judiciously by European officers then stilts have heen on the whole favorable. Of the King movement, in regard to the Thames and Bay of Plenty districts, Mr. Turton states that the incessant endeavors of Tamehana and other agents from Waikato, .have won over a great many adherents to the scheme. Mr. Turton's opinions of the Waikatos confirm those of Mr. Rogan, and it is worthy of remark that Mr. Turton was formerly a missionary amongst the Natives, and may therefore he expected to possess a more intimate acquaintance with the inner character of the Maories than.a merely civil officer could do. Mr. Turton says:—

Witli many Natives the idea of ki-grism is of a very v::mie and indefinite character, meaning sometimes o:,e thing, and sometimes another; hut in some distriors, es-peeialiy in Waikato, it has at length assumed pr■;; ortioiis os a very dangerous character, and eom-pr."h<-nils nothing Jess than, an entire abnegation of the Queen's supremacy, and the assertion of their political independence. They desire the cstablish-ru.-n: of some m-.-re rejular system of law, but then t!i y contend that it must be administered solely by themselves, to tbe exclusion of ail European Magist ate- ; and this principle they wish to extend eveu to the Pakehas who dwell in their midst, so that we may have no claim to interfere within the boiiiidi of their-territory. The prayer for the Queen has in-en exchanged for_ om for their king; and A'here the former is continued by any of tho teachers,, many of them b.ivc recently resolved to show tlieir Jisapprobatioa, by sitting up in their places and opening their eyes. Her .Majesty's sway in this country is gener.tiiy sr>!-ken of with great contumely, and"Her Maj sty's Government reproached as being imbecile in itsed*. a-id either useless'or bjurious to them. The be:jctifs and favour* and philanthropy of the past have been forgotten, and a suib-n determination atio. tc-d to prevent, if possible, auy further intermixture if race for the future.

of c iu:si while laboring under such morbid feelburs of almost unaccountable, dislike,it ■is impossible to clisiiclbve in the sincerity of their wish to throw off \>liar they cad the ''foreigner's yoke," and by fc! o;:\>mu. the sale of land to impede the colonization of tiie country. The genera! des-ire, so far as I havo observed, is not for aoy direct system of pur eh-.-e, so much ns that no land may be purchased at nil; and very seldom bave I ever heard them com.plain 'except v lien prompted by others), either of oa" mo ie -of acquisition, or of the amount of purchase no eywlrch tbey have received. Not hiving heard th- s • tbitigs amoiigs' themselwsfr .'o many years, i;-s ea:s strange to me that such a complaint should now bo raised, and that so many Europeans should j. Ia in it. At any rate, it .can be no real c-mse of Maori-kingism,'for the Waikatos as yet have sold none of their land, nor have they any desire to do so io nr-.y m •unci-, or for any price whatever. In sonr; cf the other districts, the chiefs are not. only willing, but c.tttsi-niiiifJ to leasr>. their waste lands, whether le.4;i!!y i-v not; and many of the stockholders are equally determined to cntei info the contract.

Mr. Turton adds his testimony to that of others, ofthe ill-effects caused by the unsatisfactory campaign at Taranaki: —

The remarkable want of success which has attended j ou- avms r:t TaniunH, and whicli has been construed I by tbe Natives into failure, has had a'most deplorable i e'S'Ct mi the minds aud conduct of the people gene- J rally. The entire manner in which the war has been ! conducted irom the first, and the partial successes i which tbey have gained, together with"'their con-j tinued pcs-'ession of much plunder, both in Wgati■lruamii'and Vv'aikato,'has led to the most inflated j views «-f their own vast superiority over any power tbut has been, or can be, b?ought iigainst them. And i &> ong as this feeling keeps such strong possession of their mind-, ifc is difficult to imagine how they will peaceably submit to the operation of any law or go- \! rnnte. t which would impose the least restraint upon their actions. The next report is from Mr. Henry liaise, a Ke-siilerit Magistrate, and a gentleman thoroughly acquainted with the Waikato Natives. Mr liaise replies to the circular of tiie Government in very concise terms:— ** 1 much regret it is not in my power to offer a favourable report of them, either with regard to their sentiments towards the Government, or towards Europeans generally." Mr. Halse's report fully confirms that of Mr. Rogan,—the "Waikatos never intended to accept Uovernor Browne's-terms of peace, or to abandon their King- - ' ! As to the meaning of the King Movement, we think Mr. Halse has hit upon the evident common sense view of the matter, lie says:-—

"New Zt aland for the New Zealanders," is a common expression with disaffected Natives, and ex-plain-in a great measure the true meaning ofthe Xi g movement. What ma\ have been the original o j--< t .-ought to he j.trained by the j»r< moters ot that n:uitiii< n>. caiinor now be very important. Natives have ;.•:mitten to m« that it w .s advs nee t .«>tep by step u'lnii it a-^umeu a character so" danger-us as to cause them uneasiness; and I;m of opinion that it was designed by some lor the destruction of tbe Pakehas. v aud the recovery of the country. Such a calamity

was happily averted by the sale of a block of land at Waitara by Te Teira and other Ngatiawa Natives, and though the result of thatsale occasioned the war nt Tarauaki and the destruction of that Province, the Oo:onv, in my opi don, has beeu saved by it. Had that offer been rejected, matters might have gone on as before, until " the pa was finished ;".in other word<, until the union of all or nearly all th* tribes was effected ; then there is reason t> beli«ve that a coasulerab:e portion cf the Natives would have been prepared to strike a simul-aneous blow at all the English settlements in the Northt m Island.

Mr. liaise advises the greatest caution to be used in dealing with the Lower Waikatos, who,m spite of their friendly assurances, are Kingi tes to a man, and who, had hostilities lasted much longer at Taranaki, would have all joined their countrymen. Mr. Halse hus concludes his report:—

It is. unquestionably, a matter of dee D regret, that after so much care and attention has been bestowed on these people, with a view to their advar.cem.mt and preservation, so littlt, good. has been effected • mil that, notwithstanding all said and written to the cmtrary, a large proportion of them ding to the idea that the Government intend to seize uiion their country. •

The pnnciml que-tion which has occupied and a^tt^d the Natives during the past few veins and occasioned so much jea'ousyjs the influx of Kuroneaus in.o me country. They bave seen large ships crowded with passengers cuter this and other harbors with regularity and apparently without restriction conveying an impression that the Pakeha* must b.numberless; and as.they attach very great import ance to numbers, an idea, got rooted'in tlieir mind, that the lakehas would overrun their country, ani hiialiy drive them to the mountains. This filled Wm with dntru*t, and likely enough suggested the formation pt the Land League, in the expectation of checking immigration and maintaining their numerical superiority. This League afterwards merged into the King movement; which was fii>t adopte4 by some Clii.-fd of great ability and leading position among the race, in the hope of conferring oa th ir countrymen tbe benefits of Government, but which tound its life aud support among the Maories in ceneral from the jealousy and fear of losing their independence.