THE NATIVES OE WAKAPUAKA TO THE PEOPLE OP NELSON.

Colonist, Issue 1165, 4 December 1868, Page 2

THE NATIVES OE WAKAPUAKA TO THE PEOPLE OP NELSON.

We have been requested to publish the following letter: —

E Hoa ma, c nga hoa pakeha katoa o Whakatu! Tenei toku whakaaro! he he ana te main, o te Maori! ite kohuvu i nga pakeha, lie rawa rawa atu. erangi. Ne i waiho i ruuga i te whawhai, c pai ana, ko tenei, he he ana. Te mahi ate Hau-hau, Otira, ki toku wakaaro. No Kawana Kerei, te he, te wakaaro ia, ka mau aua tangata i runga i te whawhai, ka patu kua kore c ritenga, whakaorangia . an c ia kawea atu c ia ki Wari Kauri no reira, ka kimi ratou i tctahi ara mo ratou, na kua kitea, kua tae mai ratou ki to ratou kainga ka kimi ratou kite utu mo ratou i kawea atu kite moutere, koia tenei, ku kite na koutou i te raru, ko taku wakaho tenei ki Kavrana Kerei, ko tona wakaora i nga tangata i man i tona ringa, kia pena ko Kawana Paraone, kahore i puta enei ritenga. Ko te whakaaro tenei o nga tangata Maori katoa O Whakapuaka. Keoti ano taku kupu, Na Pitama, Novenia 16, 18G8. Whakapuaka. [Free Translation.] O friends! O European friends all in Nelson! This is my thought:—Base and wicked indeed has been the work of the Maoris, in murdering the Europeans! base! base! base! Had they have fallen in fair fight, all right; but this is the evil ■work of the Hau-haas. But this is my thought; the evil and the sin rests with Governor Grey, in ju3 refusal, or in his not consenting, to put these men to death, after taking them in fair fight. Had he done this, then the matter would have ended; but he spared them and sent them to the Chatham Islands. There they concocted their plans, and succeeded, mid have now returned to their homes, aud now they are seeking for payment or revenge for having been taken to tho Island [the Chathams] —just this. And now you see the evil; hence I condemn Governor Grey's conduct in sparing those men after having taken them prisoners. Had it have been Governor Browu who had to deal with them, these evils would not have occurred. These are tho opinions of all thb Maoriß at Wakapuaka. This is all. From Pitama, November 16,1868. Wakapuaka. WEECK OF THE SCHOONER FANCY AT D'UEVILLE'S ISLAND. (From the Qrey River Argus, November 7.) The schooner Fancy, William Falloon, master, belonging to this port, and owned by Messrs. Kennedy Brothers, has been wrecked at the entrance of Greville Harbor, D'Urville's Island. The master and three of the crew have been drowned, and the vessel and a cargo of produce belonging to the owners totally lost. Five days after the wreck the schooner Jane Anderson arrived off the island and picked up the only survivor of the crew, named Michael Walters, ■who was taken on to Hokitika. The following is his story of the wreck, as furnished by him to the West Coast Times : —The Fancy left Lyttelton on the 18th of September, and was detained with baffling easterly winds for fourteen days. At one time, however, sho nearly reached Eock's Point, but was driven back by a strong southerly -wind. On the 13th October tho vessel had reached as far as 12 miles East of the Farewell Spit, which was made out on the morning of that day. Tho wind blowing from the N.W., and increasing in violence, she was hove-to, head reaching to the North. At 10 p.m. the same night breakers were discovered under the leo bow. At this hour it was extremely dark, and the position of the vessel could not be discerned, but during a lift of the cloud a small gap was discovered in the rocks, for which the vessel run, as the coast was observed to be a line of perpendicular rocks. While in the break sho became perfectly unmanageable, eventually striking the rocks and bilging the vessel. Only one more shock succeeded the first, and all the possible damage that tho vessel could receive resulted from it. This shock smashed her into pieces, arid precipitated the whole of the hands into the water, leaving only poor Walters to relate the sad tale. The whole of the others disappeared, never once having been seen by the survivor. How Walters escaped he cannot recollect. All that he can recollect is that on becoming conscious of what had occurred ho found himself upon a lodge of a rock, where he was borne by tho waves. There he remained shivering and hungry for about fourteen hours, after which he succeeded in an attempt to scale a cliff, when he discovered that he Avas at the entrance of Greville Harbor. He remained here between five and six days, being without food of any sort, and having nothing to cover him save his shirt. It was while in this position that Captain Falconer discovered the poor i'ellow and took him on board his vessel, on. which he at present remains in a very feeble state. He discourses in no measured terms of the kindness he received both from Captain Falconer and his wife. On two occasions Captain Falconer visited the scene of the wreck, hut nothing of any value remained. Portions of the wreck have been firmly wedged at the head of a cave, where it had been driven j' small particles only of the rest of the wreck were to te found floating about. The bodies of the-other unfortunate men could not be found anywhere, though portions of their clothes were discovered. Nothing of tho cargo was visible. Both of her anchors remain —one chain leading out to where she struck first, and is attached to the remaining portion of the wreck. Captain Falconer is unable to supply us with the names of those that were lost, one only, however, he informs us waa married, viz, the captain, who leaves a wife and three children, who pre bow residing in