(SPECIAL TO THE HERALD)

Wanganui Herald, Volume XII, Issue 9414, 8 May 1879, Page 3

(SPECIAL TO THE HERALD )

Auckland, May; 7. Tawhaio has proclaimed a .meeting for to-day at Kopua, There is a complete printing plant, press,* types; < and every other requisite. It; was got, together some years aj?o:by.O. O. Davia.by; subscription aiuongit the Maoris, but owing to the war nothing was done with it.: T^awhia is always speaking of setting, it sgju'ng and establishing'an organ.. Pahia te Tohi, formerly editor, of Jhe newspaper whioh fhe Maoris established l. befora ,tho ..war, (The^Hokioa), but ,he t abandoned the editorial chiir for the musket. He is now one of the counsellors of Tawhiao. Many qf the immecliatei relations of .Tarrhiao tain^le freely with the; Europeans, but he himself has never stirred abroad, he is guarded round like.a '*. Queen'Bee •" and seen by few. His chief councillors are Te Ngakau, Manihiri,,Paori, and;H6ani; Tawhiao feels ■in difficulty . that the Waikatosaregoing on thftNgatimaniopoto land, but the- various families and tribes amongst them hnvereiurnedto thTe land in /the Waikato which they have ■old. TheManiapoto have had all this information supplied'to them and-they are very angryv .Some of the King's immediate people have been at Sir.George Grey and complained that he is pressing them too much. If they frankly accept the offer made the PJan wijU be fairly carried* out, bus, if J they do' not .then another course will ,be tiken; The. proBuses by Sir .Donald McLean were recogniseaby the . present Ministry who have pressed 'them on the Natives and will compel them -to sat ." ¥es" or "No." ! ' ' ' Later. ' ] The Native meeting commenced .♦yes; tetday. 1,600 natives., We present. The Premier was seated.'w'fth ,tl*e Native .minister on one side, .and Paul,, and Tawhaio on the other; ■, The,Under.Secifetary of the Native Department, Messrs McMinn, Moss, George, and Hobbs, M.H.R.'«i and others, were around, him. After the Ministers had been' seated, a company of young men, having their heads dressed with feathers, marched to the place. n TawHaio and Wabinui came !together. Their body guard consisted.of 180 men, most of them armed with Rouble barrelled guns, and some with shear's and pistols. It was quite an imposing military parade, the officers wore swords and cartouche boxes, apparently the fpoil of the battle. * ' „ After a pause, < Tawhaio, who was dressed with feathers and' had apiece of white linen around him, stood up -and Said :—Listen, people from south, and from there extending to the North Cape and down thii side, listen. The word is this —Pototou alone is chief of this Island; of all j and you cannot deny it t .The whole of this country '.Tias Pbtafbu's., There is another one, Rewi, there on that side: On this side there be one, tod I am another. These are >my councillors.' for this reason I say' the land is mine.' I have alone the right} to conduct the business of my .country. I will not hide . what I have to say; . I therefore say this •^-Sir George Grey has no right to. conduct matters in my land, from the North Cape to the Southern end;' No one; else' has any right. Ido hot consent to any of the arrangements whioh prevail on this Island. We must not have fighting here. This is what I have to say—There is not to be any fighting whatever,' neither about roads, leases, nor about anything else. He (Sir George Grey) has no right to conduct matters in this Island. That is why I say all things must be returned and sent from here (meaning all English customs). Speeches were made by Wahamu? Wi Mfthi, Te Rangitake, Te Hiueu, and Major Kemp. . Te Ngakau suggested that both parties should, ponder over Tawhaio's words, and utter conclusions on the following day. The meeting then broke up.