The Maoris in England.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVI, Issue 1314, 21 September 1882, Page 2

The Maoris in England.

That arch-imposter and wife deserting scoundrel, Sydney Taiwhanga, still continues, together with his colleagues, to have a good time of it in England. After interviewing the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in Downing street, and being lionised all over London, Sydney Taiwhanga and the other Maoris who accompanied him, have been trying to “ star ” it in the Provinces. The provincial tour, however, was a failure, but on the other hand the Maoris have been much noticed in London, while Mr Gorst has presented a petition in the House of Commons relative to their supposed grievances. The whole business is a wretched sham and imposture. Sydney Taiwhanga is a Maori of no account at all, and is in no sense an accredited representative of his race. One of the Natives who accompanies him is a genuine chief, but he has been cajoled by his astute and unscrupulous associate into taking part in the so called embassy. It is said that Sir P D. Bell, the A gent-General, altogether disapproves of the recognition and patronage which have been accorded to those Maoris by the British Government and some of the leading public men at Home. But Sir F. Dillon Bell ought to have shown up this Maori Embassy business as being a fraud and humbug, carried out solely to gratify the vanity and craving for notoriety of Sydney Taiwhanga. The truth is that the Exeter Hall party, the Aborigines Protection Society, and a few Philo Maoris of the Gorst stamp in the English Parliament, are always ready to take up the cause of any aboriginal Native who arrives in England with an alleged grievance, even though he be a vagabond a -venturer like Sydney Taiwhanga. This sort of thing should be exposed and discouraged by our Agent-General.