THE MISSION OF THE MINISTERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 666, 3 September 1864, Page 6

THE MISSION OF THE MINISTERS.

(From the Special Com spondent of the New Zealander.) Camp Te Papa, Tauranga. August 13. Since the departure of His Excellency the Governor acd General Cameron in H.M.S. Miranda on Sunday evening, the Ministers (Messrs Fox and Whitaker) hav<» been busily engaged in arranging for the allocation of the natives on their land, and ascertaining the extent and boundaries of the laud to be confine ited. The natives are most nnxiou« that the Government should do its work quickly, in order ib at they may take advantage of the season for cultivating the land and planting crops of potatoes They express no dissatisfaction with the terras of the Governor, no of harsh mpasures having been inflicted; on the contrary, they seem encouraged and humbled by our leniency and good feeling towards them. "Jf thine enemy huiger, feed him," would appear to be the ruling principle in the mind of the Governor when he decided the terms on which the rebels of this district might be received amongst us, after their estrangement, treachery, and bloodshed. All thU they have been guilty of, and yet so leniently has it been viewed by his Excellency, that they are received back in our midst, and permitted to enjoy all the privileges of faithful, loyal British subjects, — to take back three-fourths of their possessions, and moreover, to receive the means of subsistence from the very hands against which they have been waging war —from the same people they have in vain attempted to conquer. Thf re are few examples of civilized warfare to equal the leniency and charity exhibited by the representative of British sovereignty towards a rebellious raie, as eliminated to the terms made known by his Excellency to the surrendered rebels of this district There are. few, likewise, having evinced the antagonism and treachery of these people, who could dare to hope for such a conciliation and buch a reinstatement on their forfeited possessions, accompanied by pecuniary aid for future support Well, then, may they be satisfied with the terms of peace laid before them, and anxious to avail themselves of these kindly provisions. The confiscation of merely one-fourth of their land is as nothing to them compared with what they might have expected from those they have so deeply injured, so ignominiously striven to "drive into the sea." To compensate for this (to them) trifling loss, we give them all tie seed potatues they may require for future success in the cultivation of their remaining three fourths Forty five tons of Chatham Island potatoes have already beeu purchased by the Government from & trader here for this purpose at Lll a ton. It is the intention of Government likewise to give the natives a Crown Grant for their share of the land, so that they will be in a far better position to dispose of their lands to advantage than they could ever otherwise have been. The vast tracts of territory claimed by them would never have been of any v.ilus to them or to others so long as its purchase was beset with the difficulties common to tribal tenure. Now th p y have put into their hands the very means o realising a comfortable competency without asy effort on their own part, and through the leniency of a race they have stiven to exterminate. On Monday, the hon. Mr Pox and the hon. Mr Whitaker, accompanied by Colonel Greer, commanding the forces here, Mr H. T. Clarke, M r Rice, and others, proceeded with some fifteen or twenty natives, in ths colonial gunboat -"anday, to Te Puna, for the purpose ot ascertaining its area and the boundaries of each individual's land, Mr D. Sellers piloted the vessel for Captain Marks. A plan of territory was sketched, and the natives appended theif signatures to the res-

pective blocks owned by them. Te Puna is an extensive piece ofgood agricultural land, and well adapted for cultivation and possession by the Maoris, or opening up as an European Settlement. The natives, however, expressed their earnest wish to be located in the neighborhood of our troops, so that they might have some shelter from the threatened raids of Tana's people, whom they feared might make au attack on them any day if they were isolated from means of defence or shelter. For this purpose they asked to be settled r>n a pit C 3oi land in the vicinity of Te Papa, an Island formed by the Kaitikati and the Mount (*tongo vi). The settlements of the iMotua, Rnngiawhia, and Omokuioa are adjacent, and the block may be said, upon the whole, to be very suitable for the purpose. The soil is rich, and the zccess to Te Papa all that could be desired by them Penepene, the point, is likewise adjacent, atd from Kaitaki there is also a raejns of access to the Wairoa. A few of the natives, with Horunatia at their head, expressed a wish to be located at Otoumaitei, and it is most piobable that Government will grant permission to o cupy and cultivate a sectional reserve at this place, in order that they may be getting in a sufficiency of seed, for future success in the eultivatioa of the soil, and f>r sustentation in this their time of need It is intended to grant them a few acres in these places, as they may desire, for immediate cultivation. They are most anxious to settle down to their former modes of Hying, and to lay in seed for future maintenance. Several sums of money have already been distributed amcngst the na ti% es to a<Mst them in commencing afresh, and to reliave their present requirements. Altogether there are some 150,000 or 200,000 acves of land, in the neighborhoo t owned by the nathes which will have to be surveyed by Government atjd the ccvi ral boundaries decided, one fourth of which will bs taken as utu, and the remaining i tin-so fourths made over to the right claimant by Grown grant, which he will be at liberty to dis pose of as he may think fit. Allotments of some five acres in extent will be at once marked off for their location. At present, the natives chieflj occupy the settlement of Matapihi, near the residence of Mr Black, on the opposite side of Te j Papa. On visiting this settlement, and having an interview with EnoUn, the great rebel chief, I and a relation of Rawiri's, we weie struck with j the docility and humbled positien of a once formidable antagonist. Pie is of the ut.ua! class, far above the medium height, with a very thoughtful, determined cast of countenance, and from the manner of his address to his Excellency the Governor on the occasion of the late conference, and his conversation at the time of our visit, possesses mere than the ordinary intelligence of his tribe. He walks lame, caused by a bullet wound in bis ancie, but h otherwise very hearty and cheerful. His great wish was to have his people settled on a piece of land, and to see the G vernment push on with the survey of their lands and the settlement of the whole matter, He evinced the greatest regard for the Governor, and perfrct resignedness to his plan for their future welfare. At Matapihi there are likewise a latge number of wounded men and women, who escaped from Te Ranga after the lecent engagement. Some are progressing favorably ; other 3 are in a very precarious state, and slight hopes can be entertained of their recovery. The land comprising this settlement is of more than orJinarv excellence ; the soil is a rich pastoral, and very level, whilst the scenery around presents an enchanting aspect. Large patches have been under cultivation for some time, and burnt whares and dilapidated agi icultural impl-ments are dotted here and there in the vicinity of sucli patches. The place would doubtless present every appearance of a prosperous native village before the late unhappy rising of its inhabitants and their joining, almost to a wan, the standard of the king party. They hr.ye, however, been cowed and humiliated, and return with thankfulness to the enjoyment of their wonted peaceful pursuits, so kindly vouchsafed to them by a generous Government.

The surveying party brought down by Major Heaphy are doing their work slowly but satisfactorily at Te Papa, under the mana^emont of A[r Malcolmson. A military settlement has been laid out on the right of Te Papa, exactly oppo-Ue tho native settlement of Matapihi, and a township ha-, beeu marked oft at Te Papa, which will at no very distant day become a thriving town between Auckland and Hawke's Bay. The situation hud natural advantages are greatly in its favor, and we have no doubt of its success. The harbour is all that could be de>ired, when a pilot is iutrodir'ed for the guidance of strange vessels 5 to their anchorage. This will no doubt be done without delay, seeing the increasing traffic in the harbor at the present time.

Already a reduction in the number of troops located at the various posts around has been effected. The Saudfly has been busily engaged during her stay here in transporting them to different destinations. She has taken some 350 men of the Wailtato Militia to Maketu to relieve an equal number of men of the 631h Regiment of Foot. On Sunday last she wss engaged taking the men of the 43rJ Regiment on board H.M.S. Miranda for conveyance to Auckland, only two companies of this Regiment being left at Te Papa.

By the arrival of a vessel from Tokomaru Bay, we have news of a very unsatisfactory nature from the East Coast, it fclie time of the vessel's departure from ths Bay, where the officers were prevented from landing in cons r quence of the heavy surf, both rebel and friendly flags were flying in opposition to each other, and other demonstrations of disaffection were apparent from the Bay. A strong King's pai ty was collected, nnd meetings ofhiativea were buug held all along the coast. The King natives are fully aware of the results of the Te Ranga engagement, but say their side was taken unaware, or a very different result would have been effected. They boast of their prowess, their hatred of the Queen's party, and determination to be revenged. Very likely some disappointment is felt in AuckUnd at the result of is Excellency's visit to this place. The expectations of the people tuiy have baen cut off somewhat abruptly. It was thought by them that William Thompson hail expressed a desire to be present, and have an interview with the Governor on the occasion of his visiting the surrendered rebels of this district. No such thought waa ever entertained here. The

" aui anga natives have hitherto kept themselves aloof irom William Thompson's people, and did not of course consult his wish iv entering on the campaign, or in giviug themselves up to the colmel commanding the troops at this post. They are still firm in the conviction that if the droops had not set foot on their lands in this district, there would have been no rising amongst them, and no bloodshed in the place. It was in

defence of their lands, which were thus unceremoniously and, in their opinion, unnecessarilyinvaded, that they took up arms against the troops, and so made, as it were, common cauai with the Waikatos. They would never haw been nt one with tha Waikato campaigners but for this ciuse, and their motto always was, before the location' of troops oa their lands, "Let the war be cinfitieu to Waikato " Itia strongly believpd, too, that William Thompson. himself took the same view of the case, and did not wi-h them to rise and join his party. Ho did not take part in the last engagement with them, although he is said to have been in the vicinity at the time, and to have witnessed the fight from a neighboring hi.l-top. Nor has he intruded with his followers into this district for the purpose of making hostile demonstrations. Hia operations have been confined to the Waikato -istrict. It was not, therefore, thought probable that he could be seeking an interview with his Excellency the Governor on the oco.ision of hfe visit to the Tnuranga natives; much less was it believed that he would surrender himself or his triba af the present time The Tauranga natives and William Thompson have taken different stand-points, and under such circumstances it was not thought probable that they would yield submissiveness at one time. Although he refused at first to join the Neatimaniapoto in attacking us, and did all he could to restritin them from it, and although hp gave us private notice of their intentions, in order that we mijrht assume a defensive position, he at the same time declared without 'Hsguise, that if we " invaded Waikato he should jnin with his countrymen in repelling the attack," nnd it was well said in an article on the king-maker which appeared in your paper, that '• it was not unt'l we had entered the native territory with an armed force, and commenced operations against the natives on the heights of Koheroa, that the Pence-maker was reluctantly dragged into war," If, however, he delights in the I appellation of the " Peace-maker," here is an opportunity lost ot exercising his prerogative, for the Governor wou'd have been only too well [ pleased to welcome him back in such a capacity not to have treated him and hia people leniently. It may be that however willing he was to exercise bis influence with the Governor in his capacity as peace- maker on this occasion, his tribe strongly opposed his so doing, and overruled his good wishes. But further 'speculation on this point is useless. It is enough to say that he is aloof from the Tauranga natives, and pro ecntes the war for the invasion of Waikato, just as the natives at this place would never have risen at all if the troops had not invaded their hitherto peaceful dominionsPeace is, however, again restored to the inhabitants of this district, and the only hope is that it may prove ksting and settled. There are only some thirty persons stUl absent from the place who have survived the outbreak, and in order to induce their return with the rest to their own lands, the Government have very generously provided that any rebel who surrendered himself before the 28th instant should be received on the same conditions na the others — nemely, the giving up, as utu, of one-fonrth of his I'iiiJs. Whether this gracious arrangement will have the effe-.t of briupine; in the remainder remains to be seen. As yet, no others have availed themselves of the provision. But the boast and vigour of the tribe i? gone. During the two engagements at this place they have lost the bone and sinew of their people, and it ia lamentable to those who have known them to see the bereavement and annihilation which a few months' campaigning has brought on. Of the 800 who wore present at the conference the other day, a vast proportion were old men, women, and children ; very few were young stalwart men. To pourtray the motley group as they croufhed on the lawn in front of Colonel Greei's residence wus worthy the pencil of a Raphael, or the pen of a popular de'eriptive writer. There^ w;re young and old and middle-aged, of both sexes and various grades; but the youth and rigour of the tribe were gone. They resembled a group of truant school-boys supplicating for mercy at the hands of the master, or perhaps the inmates of a pauperasylum in the presence of the governors ; they looked, in truth, anything but the very people to put to flight the British lion as they did at Pukehinnhina ('he Gate Pah), when nor, so completely shorn of their strength or so thoroughly divested of their stalwart warriors.

The Ministers visited Maketu, accompanied by Messrs Pu key and Rice, interpreters, on Wednesday, returning to Te Papa on the following day. The weather was very boisterous, and the journey was a very unp'easant one. The natives in tha vicinity of this place are said to be fortifying; their positions for aggressive purposes j bnfc an attack has been so long threatened here that the matter is looked upon as insignificant. Marsb, the native chief of the place, who recently returned from Auckland with the other Arawaa, is reported to have lail claim to the greater part of Tauraoga as his property. Ho informed the Hon. Mr Whitaker of his intention to claim Te Papa for himself, and of course fomewhat puzzled the Premier by hia extravagant demand. The hon, gentleman promised to secure him an allot* ment at the place, and so the matter ended.

William Thompson is reported to be at present at Patetiri,

The Snndfly leaves to-day for tha Mayor Island and the Kawau, en route for Auckland, with tue Ministers and thirty natives from this place. The visit to Tuhua, or "Mayor Island, is said to be a hazirdous one. The occupants of this place are perhaps the savagest, bitterest foes of any other tribes. They were engaged agaimt us at Te Itmgx and at Pukehinahina, and announce their intention to fight ake, ake, ake, rather than part with one tittle of their lands. Before the ie Ranga nt'ack they left the island in their canoes, and at its termination returned in like manner. No hope is entertained of their surrender. Te Tuhua, which they occupy, hag long been celebrated amongst the native tribes aa a place for the Banishment of offending Maoris, and there are consequently accumulated here some of the mo t desperate native characters.

On the occasion of the Sandfly's visit to Te Puna on Monday, Mr SelleTs, a settler at Tauranga, interrogated the natives as to their conduct towards the Sandfly 9:1 its last visit, wb.eu they admitted that they hid themselves in ambush to the number of 200, in the hope of some one lauding from the vessel, and fired on the steamer from their hiding places. Mr Sellers, being well known to them, asked if they woulp have fired at him, when they replied, <c Yes, ifyou were with the soldiers, not if by yourselt." On Tuesday, the hon. Mr Fox, and the hon. Mr Whituker, accompanied by Col. Groer and others, paid a visit to the scene of the late engagement at Te Ranga, and oi coarse expressed their

astonishment at such a position for a stand. The aiatives could not have consulted their own interest in choosing such a position, with only a trifling fall of earth and a long pain in the background, from wi ich it was impossible they could escape the deadly fire ot British troops. Very different from the Gate Pah, only a mile or two on this side, which was strongly fortified by post and rail and onws-lo.r fences', besides possess'ng natural advantages of no mean worth. It is said that a large number of natives disagree with Bawiri for hU selection of such a position for a stand, and in consequence of his obstinacy very wisely left him to meet his fkte.

This morning, Tarei. of JVgatikoko Paraikete, s most influential chief, rame into Tiiuran»a and surrendered himself to the Colonel commanding. Mr Kice, of the native department, had the previous day received notice of hia intention to come in, with four other Tuaranga natives. Tarei w«s classed amontrst th - friendlier until some time after the Gate Pa, ■when he left for the rebel camp, perhaps indued by the rebel at that engagement to try hi? luck. Seeing, however, the subsequent reverse of his wmpanions in arm«, and anxious to avail himself of the provisions of a generous Government, he has returned to the locality of his former life and possessions, just in time to save himself from the utmost rigor of the la*, or something worse.

Marsh, and several other friendly natives in the vicinity of Maketu, contemplate emigration to the South Seas, and it h believed the Miuhfers have entertained the project, and purposs bearing the expenses of their settlement on the sandwich Islands at an early date. Marsh has fur some time interested himself in gleaning information re^pectinz the Islands, and will hail with pleasure any proposition of the Government to purchase a pint of ground in these islands in exchange for his po*^s«ions at Maketu and elsewhere. He is enchanted with the re ports of the fertility of the cocoi-nuf and the banana, aud the soil in general, together ■with the indolent life the natives lead. If Government, as is said, charter a vessel for his use, and purchase a plot of land, he intends to g j with a large number of followers and try his luck in a new country. This idea of Maori emigration is a new feature in their eventful history, and will be looked upon with interest by many readers. On Saturday a deputation waited on the Yen Archdeacon Brown, urging him to use his influence to put a stop to the opening of the various stores in camp on the Bab,bath day. The deputation were assured by him that he would willingly lay the subject before the Colonel commanding, ■when he had no doubt steps would be taken to cause a cessation of such a wilful violation of God's ordinance. The Archdeacon having laid the matter before Colonel Greer, comraanJing the forces here, he returned to inform the deputation that an order had b.'en issued making it imperative upon all storekeepers to close their places of business for the future on Sundays. On the following day, for the first time in the short history of the camp at Te Papa, the Sabbath. wa> rigidly observed, and many rejoiced in having the Erivilege once more of enjoying a freedom from ibor. The Yen. Archdeacon Brown officiated t the troops in front of the Hospital. The mornin? ■was fine and frosty, but a service in the open air ■was somewhat tedious in the face of a ke?n atmosphere. This did not, however, prevent his Excellency the Governor and General Sir D. A. Cameron from being present at service on the green sward. The hon. the Colonial Secretary and the Lon, the Premier and Attorney Gen -ral were likewise cresent, with several staff officers.