THE HOSTILE TRIBES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 537, 20 February 1869, Page 2

THE HOSTILE TRIBES.

The following letter has been addressed to the Nelson Mail by the Rev. Mr Hough, Wesley an Minister : Sin, —I was much pleased with the very correct and truthful description given by your correspondent of yesterday, of the Ngatiruanui country. I can fully endorse his statements with regard to the great difficulties-with which Colonel Whitmore and his forces will have to contend, but he makes one statement with regard to the Patoka massacre to which I feel bound to demur. At that period the whole of the district belonged to the Church of England Missionaries, from Wellington to New Plymouth, nor had the Wesleyans, between these two points, one single missionary stationed, nor one bona fide member of their society. Now, Sir, I want to know where all these; Wesleysm Natives were found, so numerous, as; to be able to destroy some 800 Taupo Warriors. There must be some mistake here; it was not until about 1840, that the first Wesleyan Missionary was stationed in that district, 'at Waimate or Heretoa, a young man who had to learn their language before he could become useful to them, and this was.after the Patoka Massacre. Towards the end of 1843 I was appointed to the Patea district, and Patea was my home for some years. At this period, the Wangnmii Natives belonged to the Church of England Missionaries, Waitotnra, Tihoi, Taumaha, Manawapou, Waokena, Pukeoha, the tribes about the Waingongoro the same; nor was'it until about the year 1844, that the Wesleyans had nny bona fide members of the Society in that district, and yet about this time the Taupo Natives, with Te Hewheu, the great Taupo Chief, at their head, came down to reveng-e their former defeat. The JNgatiruanui and the Taranaki Natives assembled in great numbers, so much so, that they could have decimated the whole of the Taupo tribes, but happily for them the Wesleyan Missionaries had a strong hold upon the affections of the Natives, and had full control over them, and as the Taupo Natives had apparently just cause of complaint, the)' agreed, that is, the Ngativuanuis, and their allies, to feign submission to the Taupo tribesj and to allow them to cone up to Waitotara, and to bid them defiance, and to fire off their guns &c, over the. Pah, and then to separate as friends, for ever. Thus a dreadful carnage was prevented, principally by the Wesleyans^ and the Taupo tribes saved from destruction. After this, two of our Chiefs, wishing more fully to cement the friendship- between "the tribes, went toTanpo for that purpose, but the Taupos murdered them both in cold blood.