SOCIAL ASPECT OF TARANAKI DURING THE FIFTIES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 9123, 2 July 1891, Page 6 (Supplement)

SOCIAL ASPECT OF TARANAKI DURING THE FIFTIES.

columns. The Taranaki Herald, next to the Lyttelton Times, is the oldest newspaper in New Zealand. With the advent of the newspaper in New Plymouth, a sort of bastard Representative Constitution was also initiated in New Zealand by the " Ordinance of the General Legislative Council of New Zealand," which was passed in 1851 by the nominee Council, when the colony was divided into two provinces, New Ulster and New Munster, with a Lieutenant-Governor and Provincial Assembly in each. Each Provincial Assembly was to consist of not less than nine members — one-third to be nominees, and two-thirds to be elected by the inhabitants. The Ordinance provided that the mode of election should be by open voting, and that the poll should finally close at four o'clock on the afternoon of the day on which the election commenced. We italicise this to draw the reader's attention to subsequent events which we shall relate. The voters' qualifications were "a freehold estate valued at £50, above all charges and encumbrances, the owner being of the male sex and over twenty-one years of age" ; or being " a householder occupying a tenement within the limits of a town of the clear annual value of £5, and having resided therein aix calendar months before registration." This district was divided into two electorates, Taranaki Country District and the Town of New Plymouth. For the former there were three candidates, Mr J. T. Wicksteed, Mr J. C. llichmond, and Mr H. Scotland; for the Town of New Plymouth, MrrCharles Brown, and some non-resident whose name is not mentioned. Mr Wicksteed, in hia address, said he consented to stand, because "he had been requested by electors whose opinions and wishes merited the best attention." Mr J. C. Richmond consented to place liiinelf in nomination "on the requisiion of several old settlers and other repectablo inhabitants " of the district; but

The Returning Officer (Mr Flight) then called upon the electors of the Taranaki Country District to nominate their candidates, when Mr Greenwood proposed, and Mr J. Smith seconded, the nomination of Mr J. T. Wicksteed. Mr Newton Watt proposed, and Mr J. J. Weston seconded Mr Henry Scotland; and Mr R. Chilman proposed, and Mr T. King seconded, Mr J. C. Richmond. Each of the candidates spoke after he had been nominated, their views on public matters being as follows : — Mr Wicksteed " thought that every man should bo paid for his work, but every man should work for his pay. The settler, he thought, should have some control over the revenue for local purposes and over the land fund " Mr Scotland, who evidently represented the " now arrivals," said " he would be found fearlessly maintaining his position as to the interests of New Plymouth." Mr J. C. Richmond said "he was actuated by no party feeling. He advocated a land tax because the absentees would then have to pay it. He was in favor of State education, and thought that something ought to be done to establish better communication between the settlements." Mr Gledhill took exception to some of Mr Richmond's remarks, saying ho was opposed to Government education, for he felt sure that all the settlers were in a position to pay for the instruction of their own •hildren. A show of hands was called for, which resulted in about a dozen hands being held up for Mr Richmond, six for Mr Scotland, and a forest of hands for Mr Wicksteed. The returning officer having declared the election to have fallen upon Mr Wicksteed, there was great cheering, when, just before it subsided, one voice in the crowd called out, " One cheer more for the lion of Taranaki, Mr Wicksteed," which was accordingly given. A poll was demanded by the other two candidates, which took place the following day, and

On Thursday, December 10th, 1852, H.M. brig Fantome called at New Plymouth to gather up the members to attend a meeting of the Legislative Council at Wellington, which opened there on Wednesday, December 22nd. It was known that an Act had been passed by the British Parliament conferring on New Zealand a Representative Government ; therofore this meeting of what might be considered an extinct Council was not at first understood. In opening the Legislative Council the Governor (Sir George Grey), in his speech, said he had hoped to have received a copy of the new Constitution Act before calling the Council together, but as the Appropriation Ordinance expired at the end of the year, it wasi necessary to pass a fresh one, so that the cuirent expenditure might bo met, as a sudden cessation of that expenditure, and a consequent stoppage of the entire machinery of Govern ment, would inflict an injury upon the various settlements established in the colony. On the following day Sir George Grey submitted to the Council a despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colony enclosing the bill granting a new Constitution to New Zealand. The Council, after passing a new Appropriation Ordinance and a few measures which were required, was adjourned sine die by His Excellency, who, after thanking the members for their assistance, said : — ' ' In after times they might look back with pride and satisfaction on their labours. The affairs of the colony would now pass into the hands of the new Legislature in as great a state of prosperity as that of any country could possibly be, and when the difficulties they had had to encounter were considered this was no small meed of praise." On January 17th, 1853, Sir George Grey proclaimed the coining into operation of an Act to grant a Representative Constitution to the Colony of New Zealand, and the settlers of Taranaki, having been initiated

The chief characteristic of Taranaki during the Fifties was its small, compact area. Of the two and a-half millions of acres which was the area of the Province, less than ninety thousand acres were in the possession of Europeans. New Plymouth was the chief town, the suburban villages being Bell Block, Omata, and Tatarainiaka. The village capital of the Province was snugly planted on the margin of the beach, embosomed amid gently rising hills, and watered by the Huatoki, Mangaotuku, and tributary burns. It had its granite church, several chapels, its rustic mills and breweries, snug, unostentatious hostelries, stores, and primitively built shops. The people did not affect " town airs," therefore to a stranger the place had a robust look about it; and as a writer says, " was famed throughout the colony for its troops of happy, rosy-cheeked children, pretty women, honey, fine mutton, and dairies of Devonshire cream." Another writer says: " The appearance of the settlement from the sea is varied and beautiful. The taste for sylvan scenery and quiet rustic beauty was gratified by the combination of stream and forest, glade and valley, pastures and trim fields, dotted with cattle or yellow with corn; whilst, for the Salvator Rosa eye, there is the snow-crested Apollo of mountains — Mount Egmont, showing up from a sea of forest 8000 feet into the brilliant sky." Such was the peacef al picture New Plymouth presented before the native war took place, when the whole of the settlers were compelled to abandon their cultivations and to take up arms to defend the town. But we must not anticipate

those disastrous events which we shall have to refor to further on.

To give the present generation some idea of how the settlers passed their time and amused themselves forty years ago, we take the following description of how Christmas holiday was spent in 1852 from the Taranaki Herald :—": — " The dawn of Christmas Day was ushered in by the ' old accustomed sound ' of carols beautifully sung, and accompanied by a few happy settlers at the corners of the streets. The weather was wet and boisterous, bringing dismal disappointment to the many who proposed to devote the day to pleasure excursions to the Waitara and elsewhere', but the rain passed off about noon, and the remainder of the day turned out fine weather. The Church (St. Mary's), though thinly attended on Christmas Day, was beautifully decorated with flowers and evergreens ; and the choir, led by Mr Parris, gave much satisfaction to all present. Visitors to the neighbouring pah might well be delighted with the decent appearance and cheerful welcome offered by the natives to their visitors, an-i their well spread tables, laid in European fashion, covered with wholesome refreshments. On the following Tuesday (December 28th, 1852) the annual meeting and dinner of the Taranaki Friendly Society took place. The members mustered early, and at 11 o'clock proceeded in procession to the church, where they heard a beautiful and appropriate discourse from the Rev, H. Govett, who officiated on that occasion. The dinner, which afterwards took place, gave the members of the Society every satisfaction. It was provided by Mr George, at his store, lately occupied by Mr S. Vickers. Besides the members, the candidates for the office of Superintendent and many other gentlemen were present, but we are happy to say that politics were hardly touched upon, and although the entertain ment did not con-

clude till a late hour the harmony which characterised its commencement endur. d to the close A happier Christmas and New Year has not, we hear, been passed in New Plymouth." The following is an extract from a letter published in one of the English papers as being received from the wife of one of the settlers in New Plymouth : — " We are becoming quite gay here. Last moon I procured a woman to come and mind my baby, and rode to a dance on a bullock cart. I wore the grey striped silk you gave mo, with the short sleeves. Some of the new comers were elegantly dressed. The ball came off in the large room of the Mesdames King's ladies' school, which was lighted up with sixteen wax tapers, besides other lamps. My dear Aunt, only three unmarried women were present, and four-

teerTmiserable young dancing gentlemen lacking partners." The^Marquis [of> Salisbury, the present Prime. Minister "of j England, visited Taranaki in 1852. He was then Lord Robert Cecil, "and was about twenty-five years of age. He came out to Australia just after the gold discoveries there, and, having visited Sydney, crossed to Auckland, and came on to New Plymouth in the schooner Eclair, 40 tons, Captain H. Marks, arriving on August 10th, 1852. The other passengers by the schooner were Messrs A. B. Abrahams, J. Jervie, R. Parris, and N. Reed. Lord Robert Cecil spent several days in Taranaki, visiting several of the settlers, amongst them Mr Thomas King at Mangorei, with whom, sitting on a log of a fallen tree, he had a long talk respecting the state of the colony. What a change has taken place in forty years ; Mr T. King is^now t aj retired gentleman, and Lord

Robert Cecil is now Prime Minister of Great Britain. Lord Robert then procured a guide and walked overland by way of the coast to Wanganui, where he was the guest for several days of the late Rev. R. Taylor, and alto with the Rev. R. B. Paul (afterwards Archdeacon) at Carterton. The Rev. Mr Taylor, in his diary says : " When Lord Robert Cecil arrived, he gave his name to my servant, who came into the parlour and announced the fact that there was a real lord at the door, the first veritable ono of his gonus who had visited New Zealand. lie appeared to be a young man of considerable discernment." Lord Cecil was of a cynical turn of mind, and his impression of the Colonies was certainly not very favorable, as ho looked on everything on the dark

side. When in Canterbury he was the guest of the Rev. Henry Jacobs, the present Dean of Christchurch, who relates the following characteristic incident of the nobleman. The Dean took him to see the old church — the mother church — now St. Michael and All Angels. The Dean's little dog followed unnoticed up to the Communion table. Lord Robert, who was not used to the intrusion of dogs into sacred places, having caught sight of tho intruder, was shocked at the profanity, and with a vigorous kick sent him howling down the aisle of the church. There are no baldheaded Maoris, and the first baldheaded settler any of the natives saw somewhat frightened them. Amongst the settlers who came out early in the fifties was an English gentleman who, owing to a violent fever, had lost his hair, and

was perfectly bald. 'This gentleman was tall, well made, strong, and had not passed the middle age. To obviate the inconvenience arising from being bald, he had provided himself with a wig, of very becoming light brown hair. He sometimes wore a black skull cap, and often in hot weather would go without either his wig or cap. This gentleman took up some land at Oraata, just within the European boundary line, and the Maoris were very friendly with him. One very hot day shortly after this gentleman's arrival, a native chief went with an interpreter to make a formal call on the new pakeha. Mr C was standing in a little paddock at the back of the house when the chief, with a new mat, and spear in hand, took down the slip rails, and approached in a most courteous and dignified manner. The two were introduced to each other, and they commenced talk-

ing bj' the aid of the interpreter. Both were tall men, and stood opposite each other, making a few general observations, conversing as well as they could through a third person. Suddenly a most remarkable change overspread the Maori's face ; his jaw fell, and his mouth opened, whilst his widening eyes expressed both terror and horror. This change had been brought about owing to Mr C having unconsciously, whilst talking, lifted his wig to wipe his head with his handkerchief, and thus revealed to the chief his bare poll. It being a hot day the act was done as calmly and unconcernedly as if he was merely taking off his hat. To the Maori, however, it was a very different affair. For a man to lift the scalp off his head without any symptom

of agony startled the chief, who took fright and fled, exclaiming as he ran, " Aioe te pakeJial" ["Alas! the stt anger !"] Mr C was, of course, astonished, but, on the matter being explained to him, burst out into a hearty fit of laughter. The chief was panic-stricken with fear, and in trying to get over the post-and-rail fence actually fell and rolled on the ground. He, however, soon got on his feet again,and, dropping botli mat and spear, ran with all speed towards his pah. Once or twice he looked behind him, but the glare from his terrified eyes, as they turned in their sockets, gave him the appearance of a madman. A day or two aftenvards five or six natives came to ascertain if the story the chief had told them was true, when Mr C , to allay their superstitious fears, took off his wig and handed

it to them for inspection. A close scrutiny satisfied the natives as to the harmlessness of the wig, but the pakeha's head they could not understand, and looked upon it with awe. It was, however, a great nuisance to Mr C for some time, because all the tribes for miles round came to interview him and to see him take off his " potai huru huru" [hair cap]. NEW CONSTITUTION ACT AND THE MAORI KING MOVEMENT. It is a very significant fact that the bringing into force of the new Constitution Act giving representative Government to New Zealand, and the origination of the Maori King movement, both occurred in 1853. Shortly after the Proclamation by Sir George Grey bringing into force the new Constitution Act, it was rumoured that a printed pamphlet had been circulated amongst the Maoris setting forth the

sin and folly of selling land to the pakehas. The natives were directed in tho pamphlet "to follow the example of Naboth the Jezreolite, who died a martyr because ho would not part with the inheritance of his father." Of course the inference was perfectly clear, an I it pointed most nniiiisUkeably to the pakehas being like unto Ahabs and Jezebels. This was evidently the start which led up to the Maori war.

On receipt of the despatch containing the Constitution Act, Sir George Grey, as we have stated, at once formally notified the fact to the people. With tho least possible delay the boundaries of the six Provinces were defined, electoral districts proclaimed, and the dates fixed for the election of Superintendents and Provincial Councils. As the Government o£

the colony has been considerably changed during the last fifteen years, it may perhaps be as well to briefly state the position of affairs brought about by the n-w Constitution Act in 1853. The Act divided the colony into six Provinces, each of which was to be governed by a Superintendent to be elected by the people, and a Provincial Council, to consist of not less than nine members. The proceedings of the Council were to be conducted after the usual style of Parliaments; had power to pass bills and carry on with all the formalities of a petty State. The Provincial Councils seem to have demanded the first care of the framers of the Constitution Act, for the Government of the colony is referred to in quite a subsidiary sort of manner in tho Act. A General Assembly, consisting of the Governor, Legisla-

tive Council, and House of Representatives was created, which had power to maka laws generally for the good government of New Zealand. These laws, were, however, to control and supersede any passed by the Provincial Councils; in short had absolute control over the Provincial laws. Tho Superintendent and Provincial Councils were elected for four years, and the Members of the House of Representatives for five years. The Superintendent and Councils came into existence some months before the first meeting of the General Assembly, and consequently there was always a conflict between the two powers, until the Provinces were abolished. The first election for the Superintendency of Taramki took place in 1853, the nomination of candidates being made on hustings erected in front of the Courthouse, Duvon-street, on Friday, July 15th, when Mr Crompton proposed, and Mr Hurst-

house seconded, Mr J. T. Wicksteed. Mr F U. Gledhill proposed, and Mr T. King: seconded, Mr Charles Brown: and Captain Kiriir and Mr J. J. Weston nominated Mr William Halse. The poll was taken on the following day (Saturday), and resulted as follows : Brown, 173; Halse, 138; Wicksteed, 12. The nomination of candidates for seals in the Provincial Council took place on Friday, August 19th, the polling 1 being the following day. Taranaki was divided into three districts — Town of New Plymouth, Grey and Bell, and Omata. Of course, the land to the south was onlypopulated by Maoris, and even Wanganui, which was in the Wellington Province, was then but a very small town. Tho election resulted as follows : — Town of New Plymouth : Messrs I. Newton Watt,

and S. Vickers; for Grey and Bell: Messrs Peter Elliot, G. Cutfield, R. Parris, and R. Chilman; for Omata : Messrs T. Good, R. Bundle, and G. R. Bui ton.

The nomination of candidates for seats in the House of Representatives took place on Friday, August 26th, and polling fixed for the following day. The districts were the same as for the Provincial Council, but only one member could bo returned for each. The candidates were — Mr F. U. Gledhill for the Town of New Plymouth ; and Mr W. M. Crompton for Omata. These two were returned unopposed; but for the Grey and Bell District, Mr T. King was opposed by Mr T. Hirst, which resulted in the former being returned, the voting being — King, 90; Hirst, 36.

The Superintendent, Mr C. Brown, opened the first session of the Taranaki Council on Friday, September 16th, 1853, when Mr Isaac Newton Watt was elected the first Speaker. The Provincial Executive consisted of Mr C. Brown, Superintendent, and Mr R. Chilman, Provincial Tieasurer ; Mr Charles Batkin being appointed Private Secretary to the Superintendent At the second meeting of the Council, Mr Christopher W. Richmond (now a Supreme Court Judge) was appointed Provincial Attorney and Clerk to the Provincial Council. The first ordinance passed was "to appropriate money to the public service for the Province of New Plj mouth," and as the salaries paid per annum in those days may be interesting, we quote them :—Superintendent, £250; Private Secretary, £50 ; Provincial Treasurer, £40, Clerk to Council (also Attorney for Province), £150 ; Gaoler, (also Inspector of Weights and Measures and Inspector of Slaughterhouses), £91 10s; Harbormaster, £120 ; coxswain, £78; six permanent boatmen at £65 each; Sub- Inspector of Police (also interpreter), £]25 ; six policemen at £65 each; Road Surveyor, £125. From the above it will be seen that they were very economical in tluse days.

The Taranaki Land League formed by the natives, which eventually grew into the Maori King movement, through which the war in Taranaki arose, started in 1854. Tamati Reina, a zealous opponent of land Bales, made a tour along the coast from New Plymouth to Wellington, soliciting co-operation of the principal chiefs. The proposal was that a League be formed, that should be both defensive and offensive in its operations, not merely binding its members not to sell, but also prohibiting others from selling, and which should employ any amount of force it might be able to command in carrying out its measures. T mati met with a favourable xeception at Waitara, at Otaki, and from •some of the Wellington chiefs. After the Usual amount of agitation, a groat meeting was summoned to be held at Manawapou,in the Ngatiruanui district. A large house was built, said to be the largest ever erected by the Maoris in New Zealand. It was 120 feet long by 35 feet wide. Matini te '"Whiwhi, who attended the meeting, named the building, " Taiporu-henui" a word used as a symbol of union. The meeting *vas attended by over a thousand natives. At the opening of the proceedings a tomahawk was passed reund fiom hand to hand, a sign that whoever broke the League should suffer death. A bible was also buried in the earth with many ceremonies — that God might be called to witness the inviolability of their compact. After considerable korero the following determination was arrived at by the League — (1) That from this time forward no more land shall be alienated to Europeans without the general consent of the confederation ; (2) thut in reference to the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki tribes, the boundaries of the pakeha shall be Kai Iwi on the south side and a place within a short distance from New Plymouth on the north ; (3) that no European Magistrate shall have jurisdiction within native boundaries, but all disputes shall be settled by the runango.

The hopeful seed sown by the League soon germinated. The land which the Maoris thought would be essential to their welfare and prosperity proved a source of confusion and bloodshed. What with intermarriage, absence, confiscation, and the want of a written testimony, a Maori title was a perfect Penelope's web to unravel, a never ending work, even to the Maoris themselves. In January, 1854, Mr (afterwards Sir) Donald McLean pur chased a block of land at Puketapu, but at the request of the chief Katatore, and by the advice of Rawiri, a portion called Tarurutßngi, which should have been included in it, was omitted. About this time a dispute arose between Rawiri and Topia, one of Katatore's men, as to the ownership of the said land. Rawiri sowed a field ■with wheat, and Topia ploughed in the wheat and planted potatoes. Then Rawiri ■offered the land to the Government, and Mr Commissioner McLean agreed to take it, on condition that Rawiri would first cut the boundary line. This Rawiri agreed to do. On the morning of August 3rd, 1854, the chief, with twenty-five of his men, unarmed, and merely with their agricultural tools, started to perform the work. On reaching the boundary of the land they were met by an armed party under Kata4ore, consisting of twenty-eight men, who

fired at close quarters. The result wa that Rawiri and sixteen of his men fell — four killed, two mortally wounded, one dangerously, three severely, and six slightly. Rawiri received a ball in his loins, which passed upwards, and out through his breast. He was taken to the , hospital, where he expired next morning. Rawiri was much esteemed by the settlers, and his death was looked upon by ! the Europeans as a murder. The Government were appealed to. it being argued that as Rawiri was in the Commission of the Peace, he was a British subject, and his murderers should be punished. His Excellency Colonel Wynyard (who was then administering the Government, Sir George Grey having gone Home) was afraid to interfere, and through missionary influence the friends of Rawin were to some extent soothed. Katatore, either out of remorse or fear, suddenly brone his all giance with the Land League, and offered to sell some land to the Go\ eminent. Another complication shortly afterwards occurred. A young native named Rimene eloped with the wife of Ihaia, the chief of the Mamaku pah, which resulted in the former being shot by one of the latter's tribe. Wiremu Kingi, of Waitara, nrtfully represented to the natives that Rimene was not killed for taking Ihaia's wife, but because he was one of Katatore's followers. By this means Rimene's deatli got mixed up with the land quarrel, and war was levied against Ihaia's people. A native feud, thus commenced, lasted for some time, and although the Europeans were in no way connected with tbe fighting, their position '• was by no means a comfortable one, for skirmishing often took place from behind the hedges of a settler's farm, and occasionally bullets pierced thei: houses, but no white man was injured. At length a truce was made in 1855, after sixty Maoris had been killed and 100 wounded. In July, 1857, some land at Waiougona was offered to the Government for sale by Ihaia ; and in August following Katatore also offered 10,000 acres for sale. The Land League was amazed at this, and wrote to him reproaching him for his conduct. Ihaia had never forgiven Katatore for the part he took in the late feud ; and learning that he was drinking with others in New Plymouth, and would return late home, prepared an ambuscade for the party, who, when they arrived at the corner of Wills' road, Bell Block, were fired at and killed, Katatore beirig frightfully mangled with tomahawks. Then commenced another tribal war, and Ihaia and his people were driven from Ihakamoana, and had to take refuge at the Kavaka, a pah near the ford of the river Waitara. His enemies followed him there, and the chief had to fall back on the Miiui River, where he built a pah at Papawera, and finally, by the aid of the Government, escaped to the Chatham Islands. The Puketapu natives were paid on January Ist, 1859, the sum of £1,400 for a block of 2000 acres at Tarurutangi, the piece of land which the chief Rawiri lost his life over. In the meantime the chief Te Wherowhero had consented to become the head of the King movement, and emissaries were sent to the various tribes who had declared their allegiance, announcing the fact. Wiiilst this native feud was going on Colonel Gore Browne had arrived at Auckland and haJ assumed the Governorah p of the colony. Responsible Government had also been initiated, and His Excellency now acted on the advice o£ his Ministers. On March 6th, 1859, the Governor visited New Plymouth, and on the Bth held a meeting in a paddock adjoining the house of the Land Purchase Commissioner, which was the old building next to Mr Seffern's residence in Courlenaystrcet. Natives representing Moturoa, T wn, Waiwakaiho, Pnketapu, and Waitara attended, and the chiefs of those tribes paid their respects to the Governor. Talmna, a native Assessor, opened the proceedings by expressing a desire on the part of himself and his tribe to have British law established am ngst them. Mr Commissioner McLean then, on behalf of the Governor, made a long speecli, the purport of which was that he had no desire to enforce the law, but he was determined that the peace of the settlers should no longm* be disturbed by evil doers, and those Maoris who did not wish to live at peace had better go and reside elsewhere. With regard to the disposal of their land, it was purely at their option to do so or not, but he would never consent to buy land without an undisputed title. He, however, would not permit anyone to interfere in the sale of land unless he owned part of it; and, on the other hand, he would buy no man's land without his consent. Several speeches were made, amongst them by Te Teira, of Waitara, who stated he was anxious to dispose of certain portions of his land for which he had no use. He defined the boundaries of the block, and then asked the Governor if he would purchase it. His Excellency intimated through Mr McLean ihat if there were no disputes as to its ownership he would buy it. Paora then rose, and told the Governor that Te Teira could not sell the land he offered, because there waa a mana ovor it. Te Teira denied that he'

was under the mana, for he was a higher chief than Wi Kingi or Paora, and that neither had an interest in the land he offered for sale. The meeting then dispersed.

The Government caused a most minute enquiry to be made as to the ownership of the land offered by Te Teira, and finding that it was really owned by that chief, he was paid on November 29th, 1859, the sum of £100 on account of the purchase money. Major Parris, before paying this instalment, went to Wi Kingi, at Waitara, and informed him of his intention to pay Te Teira the money. Wi Kingi and a party of natives came to New Plymouth to oppose the payment, and a meeting, at which a large number of Europeans were present, assembled to discuss the matter. After a long korero, the following conver sation took place, which has been made historical, owing to the Ministers justify ing themselves in the completion of the purchase of the land. The late Rev. Mr Whiteley, who was present as a witness, corroborated as to the correctness of what passed :—: —

Major Parris (to Wi Kingi): Does the land belong to Teira and his tribe ?

\Vi Kingi: Yes; the land is theirs; but I will not let them sell it.

Major Parris: Why will you oppose the selling of that which is their own ?

Wi Kingi: Because I do not wish for the land to be disturbed, and although they have floated it, 1 will not let it go to sea.

Major Parris: Show me the justice or correctness of your opposition ?

Wi Kingi: It is enough, Parris; their bellies are full with the sight of the money you have promised them, but do not give it to them; if you do, I will not let you have the land, but will take it and cultivate it myself.

The meeting separated, and things remained dormant till Monday, February 20, 1860, when Major Parris, Mr 0. Carrington, and Mr C. W. Hursthouse, of the Survey Department, and one of the police force, proceeded to Waitara to survey the block in dispute. They were met by a number of Wi Kingi's natives, who obstructed the survey party in every way they could. Notice was sent to Wi Kingi that if he did uotcall his people away they would have to be arrested for attempting to disturb the peace. Wi Kingi said he •'did not desire war; that he loved the white people very much, but that he would not let Te Teira sell his land." This started ''the flame that lit the battle's wreck;" " caused war to rage, and blood around to pour," ana resulted in a long ten years' war.

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