NAPIER.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2019, 24 June 1875, Page 2

NAPIER.

(From Auckland Star's Correspondent) Thursday. : The. Telegraph, commenting on a telegram relative to the business re Messrs Sutton, Hanilin, and. Worgan, published; in the New Zealand Times, says:-—" The letter was never intended for publication, and never reached the dignity of a State

paper. Still less can we hope to discover why Sir Donald did not consign it to the flames as soon as he read it. The letter, the contents of which, by telegraph to the New Zealand limes, did not assume to be a true copy of the original, attested as such by Mr John Sheehan, who was the well-known legal adviser of tho parties prosecuting the actions-against Mr Sutton. We should believe it to. be a bold impudent forgery formed with the ulterior object of prejudicing Mr Button's, cause in; the event of an action beingitaken in the Supreme Court, with respect to native land . transactions. A more infamously libellous letter it was impossible to, conceive ; it was utterly untrue^ in its statements. We scorn to refute them, or even further allude to them than to exhibit their malicious character. It has been said, we regret to.record, thatin-Hawke's Bay no jury could be got that would give an honest impartial verdict in any case between Europeans and natives affecting the purchase of land. £uch a statement was a gross libel on the settlers of the province; but it had a certain effect. The natives had been told that such being the case, to obtain justice in their actions against ■- the Pakeha the actions pending for recovery of their lands should' be heard outside Hawke's Bay, and we believe it is actually intended to apply for a change of venue. This being so, the publication of this document'in the place likely to be the scene of trial can be characterised as nothing less than villainy on the part of the promulgatora."