FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume IX, Issue 428, 13 October 1860, Page 4

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO NATIVE AFFAIRS.

THE BISIIOr OF WELLINGTON TO THE GOVERNOR. Wellington, 12th June, 1860. Sir, — I would request your Excellency to forward the accompanying letter to His Grace the Duko of Newcastle, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, by the next mail. I remain, &c., (Signed) C. J. WtLMNGiON. His Excellency Colonel Gore Browne, C.8., &c, &c, &c. the msiior or Wellington and archdeacon HADTICLD TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE or NEWCASTLE. Wellington, New Zealand, Ist June, 1860 My Lord Duke, — Believing that permission is, granted to any of Her Majesty's subjects in the Colonies to address the Secretaiy of State through the Governor, on matters afflicting the welfare of Her Majesty's subjects, we request your Grace to consider the following brief memorandum, on the origin of the Maori war, in which a part of this colony is at present involved, and which may spread to othei parts of the Northern Island, if Her Majesty's Government encouiage the prosecution of it;— 1. Whereas in England no wars nffecting the community aie engaged in without the public mind being well informed befoiehand, in this case the Governor's attack upon the Maori chief Win. King took the whole colony by suiprise ; and as an appeal to His Excellency on behalf of the native rights has been unsuccessful, our only resource is to address Her Majesty's Secietary of State for the Colonies. 2. Whereas the case would have been most certainly referred to the Law Courts, if a question of ownership of land had arisen between two Englishmen (one of whom. wished to sell land to tho Government), or between the Government and an Englishman, it is unjust to the natives to deny them equal rights, and to have had immediate recourse to arms, instead of applying to the Supreme Court, or in case of there being any technical difficulty about that, of appointing a special commission composed of English Magistrates and Native Assessors, to decide the case on sworn evidence ; and it is unjust that the decision of a native title to land, which the English Government wanted to buy, should have been left to one or two subordinate ofliceis of the Native Department, while even the head of the department was not sent to investigate the title till hostilities had commenced. 3. Wheieas great stress is laid on the growth of the Maori King movement as ground for expecting native disturbances, it is much to be regretted that His Excellency should have dealt a blow at the one great Southern Chief who had effectually set his faceagain6t that league pi eviously to the breaking out of the war. 4. Wheieas in 1846 W. King was the fiimestand most useful ally of the British Government, in the war against Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata, it is much to be regietted that instead of recouise being had to legal or amicable aibitration, he has been singled out for an aimed attack because he refused to let another sell land, which he ( W. King) claimed for himselt, and other members of the tribe, although he allowed that Teira (the native who wished to sell) had a certain (usufiuctuary) title to apaitof it (see p.p. 2, 3, of an authoritative statement published by His Excellency). Under these circumstances we wonld venture to suggest that >our Grace would diiect his Excellency not to adopt a diffeient course towards natives fiom what he would towards Englishmen ; but to act in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi, which guaranteed to them their rights of pioperty, as original owners and as British subjects ; and so to save to the Empire and to the Colony a large expenditure of blood and money, which can only end in destioying the fruits of Christian civilisation that it has been the paternal policy of the British Government to foster for the last 15 years. We have, &c, (Signed) C. J. Wellington, Bishop. (Signed) Octavius HADriELD, Aichdeacon of Kapiti. P.S.— As an illustration of the " different course" adopted towards natives fiom what has been adopted towards Englishmen, I would mention that His Excellency in 1858 allowed an Act to be passed by the General Assembly, forbidding natives to endow with land their own (not English but) Native Ministers of Religion, and that when a large body of natives on the West Coast between Rangitikei River and Waikanae (50 miles apart) wished to set apart 10,000 acres as an endowment for Maori Clergymen of their own Church, they were not allowed to do so. I have no hesitation in saying that this Act, which prevents Maoiies from doing what every other British subject is allowed to do, viz., endow his own Church witl/land in his own lifetime, has tended as much as anything to alienate their affections from the Government ; and has driven them to join the Maori King movement. I might go on to speak of the impolicy of such an Act, which tends to make the natives unwilling to sell their land for fear of depriving their childien and posterity of all means of supporting the Ministers of Religion, — but I only allude to this Act to show that the words used in this Memorial arc not used without reason. (Signed) C. J. Wellington. To the Right Honorable Her Majesty's Secretary of State Foi the Colonies.

MEMORANDUM BY MINISTERS.

Auckland, 26th June, 1860. His Excellency's responsible ministers do not consider it necessary to make any lengthened comments on the letter addiessed to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle by the Bishop of Wellington and Aichdeacon Hadfield, on the subject of the existing Maori war, because the principal arguments of the letter are identical with those used by the Bishop of New Zealand in his protest against the Resolutions of the Piovincial Council of Hawke's Bay, an answer to which was forwarded to the Secretary of State by the last English mail. A few points only require notice — 1. It is true that the public of the colony was not previously informed of the Governor's intention

to support the survey of Teira's block by a military foree — an employment of the troops, which the writers enoneously term an attack upon Wm. King. The question was one of Imperial policy, the public agitation of which in the colony would have been likely to pioduce more harm than good. The Secretary of State will at once perceive that there is no perfect analogy between the position and rights of the English public, in relation to questions of peace and war, and those of the people of a dependency. 2. Theonly question raiscdin the purchaseof Teira's block was W. King's right to put a veto on the sale. This question was absolutely decided by the Governor's acceptance of Teira's offer in the face of King's known opposition. The Governor's decision to accept Teira's offer was in accordance with the advice of the Chief Land Purchase Commissioner, and was signified by that officer to the assembled natives, besides which, the whole negotiations were subject to the control of the Chief Land Puichase Commissioner, with whom all the District Commissioners correspond. 3. It is true that W. King has never adhered to the Waikato King movement, nor yielded to the pietensionsof Potatau (or Te Wheio Wheio) the former mortal enemy of the Ngatiawas. But he is as steadfastly opposed to the Queen's supremacy as the Waikato paity. In Taranaki he has always been the centie of the Land League, the ultimate object of which is identical with that of the proper King party. i. No such Act of the Assembly as is refened to in the postcript exists. The law on the subject of alienations of teiritory by the natives has/not been altered during His Excellency's term of office, except that, by the New Zealand Native Receives Act, 1856, facilities which did not previously exist were gianted for the endowment by natives of schools and other eleemosynary institutions, and for tho grant by them of sites for Churches and Biuial Grounds.

It is much to be regretted that the Bishop and Archdeacon should have hastily committed themselves to an opposition lo the Governor's policy upon grounds so slender and ill-considered as this and the other asseitions of their letter. (Signed) C. W. Richmond.