MAORI AND SETTLER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17936, 15 May 1920, Page 10

MAORI AND SETTLER

I OUR MAGNIFICENT FOEMEN. HISTORICAL LECTURE BY DR FULTON. 1 Tho first meeting of tlio J920 session of the Otago Institute was held at tho Mweourn. Tlie opening address waa delivered by tlio Preflickuit (Dr 11- V. Fulton), who ohoso tho exceedingly intereeting subject of " i'akoha v. Maori: Or, New Zealand in tho Making." The popularity of tho aubjeot and of Uie locturor oombinod to draw a Imrgo attendance, which oould witli diflieulty be accommodated in l " tiio Museum 1-ecturo room. Tlio President, in hiß opening remarks, referred to tlio pulsing away oi eueli staunch friends and. supporters of Uio institute us Dt M'Brido, Dr Allan, and Messrs T. R. Fisher, 0. Hogbon, and (J. Joachim, and wolooincd tiio visitors. In his address ho showod a cet of pictures and exhibit"* bearing on tho early liiutory of Now Zoaland which ho had guthored oil his recent travels throughout New Zealand. lie begun by referring to tho debt which the people of Otago owed lo the early settlers of tho No,rth Island, and proceeded to make pointed reference to tho unjust and crooked dealings of tho pakoha with tho Maori? In tho troubles that arose tlio pakeha. was generally to blame, and it would bo found on careful inquiry that broken promises on tho side of tho whito nuan led to moot o,f tho claeho3 With tho Natives. Tho settlers in tho north had found a much more savage raic© to doal with than wo had in tlio south. In view of our gross breaches of faith with tho Natives, wo had littlo reason to consider ourselves much bottor than tho trc«.ty-breakingi nations of to-day. He divided his subsequent lecture into four periods, covering tho first land troubles of tho original selectors, tho King movement from 1853 to 18C4, tho Hauhau wane of iiinaticism from lts64 to 1868, and To Kcoti's and Titikowaru's guerrilla) warfare in 1868 and 1869. Tho story was fully illustrated by an excellent series of photograph* thrown on the screen by Mr 11. Gibson. Uioaling first with. Taranaki, ho told of tho warfare of To Ruuparaha and his Ngati&was with the fierce 'and. terrible Waikatos, with results indicated by the statement of Mir Colenso that in the 15 years up to the time of Queon Victoria's accession those who perished in the wonj far exceeded 60,000. Tile Now Zealand Company's agent and others, by forcibly taking" poaee-ssicin of land, definitely promised to tho Natives wore guilty of tho breach of faith from 'which arose all our Native wax troubles. Passing on to the Nelson settlement, tho lecturer explained how the Maoris' refused to be cheated by lying statements that their land had been sold led up to the Wairau massacre. T<> Jlauparaha appeared to havo acted a splendid part in this affair, in face of pigheaded and annoying interference, and even liangitaoatea, who' did all the killing, was acting on tho Mosaic lav; of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Returning to the history of Tara/nairi, he paid a splendid tribute to the men of the British regiments who served there in tho sixties, and dwelt with reverent admiration on the glorious records of those regiments, aa inscribed on the bajinere which now hang in the historic St. Mary'l3 Church, New Plymouth, " the most interesting edifice in the whole of New Zealand." The churchypd also waa shown to be full of sacred historic memories of " oui dead through whom we livo." It was noted that the Taranaki Militia Rifle Volunteers was the first volunteer regiment in the British Empire to fight against a foe in the field. A stirring description was next given of the famous Maori victory at the Gate Pa, two miles out of Tauranga, oven: General Cameron and 12 regiments of regulars, besides seamen and marines. This was cqj April 29, J1864. Again, the magnificent fighting qualities of the Maori, Iris courage, ingenuity, and rewuroe were thrown° into strong relief, but ef*pecially his high chivalry and noble generosity to hie foes, as preached and practised by their leaders, Rawhiri and Taratoa. Not only were our dead respected, but the wounded «md dying ministered to in a manner unheard of in previous savage warfare. The course oi' the terrible Hauhau rebellion, chiefly in the Poverty Bay district, was next traced, aaudj the later outrages of Te Kooti after his daring escape from tho Chathoms. The outstanding dramatic incidents in this struggle were skilfully recounted and effectively illustrated on the ■ screen. At the close a number of exhibits of English weapons from the Wairau massacre wero shown. Before snipper was handled round to those present, Mr G. M. Thomson expressed to Dr Fulton the great appreciation of tho audienoe. He thought ho could say it was tho most interesting addreag- they had had in connection with tho institute. He recalled the fact that wheal he entered the High School Rectory in 1871 the ground there was being levelled by a party of Maori prisoners froan To Kooti'e rebellion.