NATIVE ADDRESS TO MR. HALL,

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1413, 20 March 1860, Page 5

NATIVE ADDRESS TO MR. HALL,

On Saturday afternoon a large, parly 61' Maories, comprising al: the leading men of the-dif-ferent native settlements in this province, to the number of about sixty, assembled near the rcsU dence of Mr. John Hail, iv Christchurch, to bid farewell to that gentleman, who for about 4 years has filled the office of liesident Magistrate, and has therefore been frequently brouaht into communication with the aborigines in <he settlement of their disputes -with one- another and the whites. Mr. Hall being about to return to England, the leading Mamies seized the opportunity to express their obligations to him for his services, and their regret at his de parture. His Honor Mr. Justice Gresson and several other gentlemau were also present oh the occasiou ; and Mr. Walter Buller attended in the capacity of interpreter. An address was read, of which the following is a full tianslation, with the exception .of anativesong at the close, the true rendering- of which we have not been able to obtain. ADDBESS. Our beloved Friend, Mr. Hall, we greet you. We hear that you are going to a distant country ; and on this account huve we. assembled that we may offer you our words of farewell.

Friend, Mr. Hall, hearken ! We are sorry to bear of your approaching departure : but we would. not wish to hold you back. Go you and see your relatives, and then return to New Zealand, to this our common home. But we must caution you that if your friends entreat you to remain with them, you do not consent. If their legard for you is so great, then let them accompany you buck, and seek a. home in New Zealand. You cau tell them of the good things of tiiis land.

I'rieud Mr. Hall hearken thou to the sentiineuts of the ' ruuanga' of Canterbury chiefs. We have a reason for meeting you on this occasion. We are now reflecting on all your past doings as Magistrate, and they call forth our approval.

This is the command of the Queen to her Governor in New Zealand — ". Take care of my children, both Pakeha and Maori ; let your coucerufor the Maori be equal to your concern for the Pakeha.

.In our opinion this command applies equally to you ; for by the authority of the Queen were you appointed Magistrate lor this place. But our reasou for thus expressing pur regard for you is from consideration of your goodness during the years of your Magistracy. -— VVe.jneau your kindness to the Maori people. ,\ And n. w, that you are going to a distant, country think not that the Maori will forget" yo,u.;- -.Think not that the heart of the Maori is a. cold one; uay it is a heart that rememr bers. '

The forest" fire continues, to blaze till the wood is consumed. So with the heart of the M {ion when set on fire- with love. Death alone may quench the burniug. When you are gone to the distant country, we shall still remember you and your goodness to ,the Maori.' • ■

._••. .The Warauroa (New Zealand Cuckoo) takes its flight w|tr> departing summer ; but wheu'the ; cold of winter has passed away, it reappears. And so with you. Your flight is like unto that bird's. The Warauroa has just left us and you are leaving toy. But when the warmth of returning summer brings back the Waiattioa, then, too, shall we look for you to i return.

Farewell then, ouv friend, Mr. Hall. Visit tIIOU the land of thy forefathers! Tell tlie uluefsof.tbai land that the European and Maori races jn New Zealand are living together in peace aud in the bonds of friendship, like elder and younger brothers; that the Maoii has surrendered his lands for tbe settlement of tire Pakeh a ,and that the Pakeba" has in return cmiphe.d the-Maori with Christianity and many otl^r.good things. ' Faiewell, Mr. Hall, farewell ! May the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob— the God nf.lhe Maori as well as of the Pakeha— protect you in all yourjourneyings.

[Maori song.] Farewell ! Farewell ! ! Signed by Paora Tau and 15 others, Christchurch, March 10, 1860. BEPLT.

7 Salutatio.ns to you men of Kaiapoi, of Raupaki, of Part Levy— to all the Maories !

I thank you for coining to say farewell to me, [and for. the kind words I have heard. '■^Whdn I am far away I should not have forgotten my Maori friends ; but this will make me think of you more often, and make my thoughts more pleasant.

I wish to speak to you on one or two matters before I gor My words shall be few, because I want you to recollect them.

First about the Maori King. I have received a letter from Pita, which tells me that a messenger has arrived from the noith island to tell you to help to make a Maori King. What is this for ? What does it mean ? Who is this king? We kno\r who Queen Victoria is? She is the Queen of the Pakehai both in England and New Zealand : and also the Queen of the Maories.. She has soldiers and vessels of war all over the world. She appoints a Governor to govern her peopie ii> New Zealand, and she appoints Magistrates for the Pakehas, and Magistrates for the Maories. She makes laws for both races, and she has had those laws printed in a book for the use of the Maories. BotH the Pakehas and the Maories obey her, and there is peace in the laud. Her Magistrates punish the eril doers, whether Pakeha or Maori. Where are Potatu's soldiers and sailors ? Where is bis book of the laws ? Where are his Magistrates ? How is he to settle disputes between Maories and Pakehas? If there is one master in a house all is peace ! if there are two masters all is confusion. The same with the land of New Zealat'd. The land is not big enough for two Kings. . What does this man of the north island want ? I will tell you what he wants : — lt is your mouey. Do not give him any. Tell him you want it all •. that you are going to build a church and support a teacher, and will give your money to that. Tell him you have gut one Queen and will not pay for a until •.'!•. The real Queen wears a crown of gold. Pniatau's a sham King ; therefore send him a crown of p.-iper. Tell him that is all which the Maoiies at Port Cooper have to send to Poiatu. A puff of wind will blow it away, as, it- will tbo kingsbip of Potatu. [To explain ,li)s,meaning Air. Hall made a paper crown, a«.'d put il on the head of one of the Maori hoys present, to the ii. tense amusement of the boy and his. friends-] Whatever you do, do not send him any money; the king party will then not troulile you any more.

Instead of thinking a:id talking about this nonsense, think what you can do to make the Maoiies suong and wealthy like the Pakehas. You see t,hat they increase in power every dav their' houses improve; their flocks and herds incre.ise; their crops are multiplied; their children possess the land. But the Maories remain the same ; their numbers grow smaller, and their houses and land are' but little improved. Why is this ? I v/ill tell you ! It is be cause . llie- Pakehas are industrious, and be cause; tlrey educate their children. The Pakdhas-a're always working ; but the Maories, so soon as they have planted enough to eat, become ipMe ■; they lie in the sun and spend their tijHe'ln gossiping. This is very wrong. When you. have planted all you want for youiself, you ...should go on improving your land, ajid gnmijvg- more crops which you can sell to thtf Pake-hies/ There is another thing you should do; that is, to educate your children in all the learning of. t be Pakeha. The Bishop has now ap|7oiii i tetf'ji teacher, and I hope the teacher will Soon lijive a house. You must support him well ; ajjcl .not only that, but" you must take care tljai yourciultlien go to him to be taught If you act like, the Pakehas, you will become strong like them, and your children will live in the land with .die; Pakehus as one people. But if yo.ti.do tioti-you will continue weak, and will vanish friirfi the face of the earth. The graves of the Maori people will be left to speak of them in'the laud which once belonged to their fathers. ' '■-

• There is .another thing I want to speak about. This, is the.tlivision of the land. This is good. When each, Maori him his own laud, we ihall Known who is industrious and who us idle. The imliiSUious'Maon will fence his land and crop it well, and he will have corn for himself and far-sale.--' The idle Maori will lay in the sun, and will have nothing to eat but fern and eels. But- tliere "'are somethings which are wanted for all the Marries together — such as a church, school's, and a hospital for the Maories. How are tli.ese jo.^ be supported ? They should be suftbH^Lbi? some of the land which belongs to all /tlt.e,, Maories. Therefore -in dividing the land it is right you should give a share to the school and a share to tbe hospital. If this is not dove there can be no school and no education for your children ; and no hospital. These are my words which I wish you to remember. lam now going to leave you, to visit the land of my fathers. But I shall return to you again. When the harvest of next year is gathered in, you will see my face again. If I then fiud that the Maori people have improved their bouses, and tried to make them like those of the"Pak«?lias : if I see that your laud is being fenced and cultivated, and tbat the Maories are industrious ; above- all, if I find that your children are": being taught at school like the children ■Of the Pakeha. then my heart will be glad. But if I fimj- these 1 things not so, I shall be sad. 1 shall sii^ you have forgotten the words of Te One Horb, which are the words of a parting, friend. .',... . . ....

At theconclusion of the speech making, Mr. Sail presented his AJaori friends with a lerlust consisting of those delicacies which most charm the -savage, stomach. The abundance of the provisions supplied seived to produce- a most amusing Kcene at the close, when the natives endeavoured first to eat more than was quite good for them, and then to remove the superfluity, without having the wherewithal to pack the semi-liquid mass. At an early hour of the evening ."having mastered the diflicultv, fhey departed in a state of perfect contentment, and with many ardent expressions of affectionate farewell to .-their entertainer.