TE AWAMUTU.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3355, 9 January 1879, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU.

special to the star. Jan. 9. A deputation of settlers presented Eewi with an address at Kihikihi. He replied, " My coming here has not originated with Mr Sheehan. I said to him, 'Let us go to Kihikihi,' and lam here. I have come here that I may become better acquainted with you. I will not be in a hurry to say much to you at present. Things are being arranged between Mr Sheehan and myself that will not be made public just now." Subsequently he made a long speech, in which he said he had come there to visit the graves of his Jiapu ; he then gave a long account of how he lived there before the war, and how he was drawn into it, and he concluded by saying, " I hare come to see you, the Europeans of Kihikihi, as the persons who fought against me in the past ; let your dealing with me be fair and straightforward, and let mine be the same towards you. What 1 wish you to do is to look on and see the proceedings which are taking place between Mr Sheehan and myself. If our dealings are not satisfactory I will tell you, and if they are satisfactory I will also tell you that wo Europeans and Natives may look upon each other as brothers. r JMs ends what I have to say to you. May we live long." (Cheers were given for Eewi).

Mr Sheehan spoke as follows : — " I thank you for the hearty welcome you have accorded to me and to my friend E-ewi. A straDger would perhaps wonder why we attach so much importance to this small gathering of both races, but we who know the past history of the Colony, and you who wont for years with your lives in your hands know the'deep significance of what is now taking place. There is something exceedingly affecting in this return of the old chief to the spot where his own settlement formerly stood, from which he has been exiled for the last 15 years. He fought against us valiantly from the beginning to the end, and always brave and chivalrously, and as became a soldier and a gentleman, and his hands are unsullied by any unfair or treacherous acts. I repeat it is an affecting sight to see this old man standing this morning over the graves of his ancestors, every outward vestige of which has been obliterated. At present the incidents of the struggle between the races seem tame and uninteresting, but in the mellowing light of centuries, our New Zealand wars will furnish ample material for our painters, novelists, and poets. I Jiope and I believe that the hostilities between the races are a thing gone for ever, and that we shall have the friendship of the Natives for the future. I anticipate good results from such occasions as this ; tbe only obstacle in the way is the interference of those who, for some reason or other of their own, are opposing the endeavours of the authorities to bring about a successful state of things. Ido not see why the peace of the Colony should be endangered and her interests sacrificed because a few persons may wish at once to obtain a particular block of land. Let us get general questions settled first, and then start fair. lam glad to see so many settlers present to welcome Eewi, and I again thank you for the reception you have given him."