WAIKATO.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1596, 2 July 1861, Page 4

WAIKATO.

' ' The great Runanga has at length been t held at Ngaruawahia; the result ofthe ".deliberations, and the letter of William ' Thompson to the Governor, we bave printed below. , ';*" "-On 'Monday, the 6th instant, the great ( ,bf the King natives reached the _ jplaceVof. meeting. The tomb of Potatau was visited by. them; they also made a * vislttothe palace of the young King who it is said, is suffering A few ceremonial speeches were delivered, and then tbe "-first distribution of food, was made to the *. f %tr'atigeis; On the same day 1 , our loyal friend. William. Naylor To Awataia . and was graciously received and Welcomed by William Thompson. On therß was a tangi for Wetini, *,-yho yifell ".aCV'^ahoetahi.. " Some . few « {Speeches, w.e understand, of an unimportant character, were also made, 'amongst them one by William King, * who desired to know how tbey meant to j .accomplish. the work upon which , their cheartsvere set. On Wednesday, however, the grand korero opened, Lowe, i.,Waikato and Ngatipaoa on the one side, -'-Thompson with his party, on the other. The Governor's Declaration was propassages, apparently K marked ; beforehand, . were : read. The porlion was, with the conleft; uriread. On 'ff, 'tlie sicle of the extreme Kingites niany declared that they had," stopped their ears" to that letter, whilst on the a ; ;^tbeff side r alßo several expressed their for the "nupfpfa." A Solitary t; Jndivid uali more reasonable than the ...rest, who proposed that the document "'should be considered, was ■ speedily put l;fdwsyy . . ' ' ; " ■:•; ' \y X>a ..the,; Thursday f, the proceedings >4copened;with singingand prayer. . A wish . expressed that their Mini - -; '^ter,S'shodld speak, the Rev. Mr: Burrows jtaVW^'^Hem 'to consider the Governor's kvpropo&als, and dwelt upon the fact that k-'the' Governor has the Queen's positive '* ''command* to"suppr6ss by force resistance |ajwful authority. William Thomson replied at great length. How, he . asked oould the Governor demand that 7^the Ngatituan^i murderers ., iheuld be^ *! M JivJßn tip, when he had l ak'eh amurderer fcvjihaja) jutQ^Jhis. alliance.?, iJftqw, oould v*4he Governor require them' to restore plunder, wheh ] his soldiers had first set the example of destroying property ? They had takefn 100) horses and 200 cows King at Taranakx *^ si Jßnd they tad burned' a dhapel and, a b,oi, -Apf.Tes/tapaents. ,AsUo the King. flag )iet hekaske^r what had the Flag done? . vlf it had beeii Carried to any Jand which' the Governor obtained by proper raean*,i if it bad been employed to initiate' any. movement : against thej rightful; authority ofthe Queen, the Governor might have .;. squired; that the Flag, should- be. given '--.up,; but;not whilst it stood on Maori, land "'' s alonek- -• • ■■■ - - j-< ■■■■■■ <■•■ • ••.: -■ The. reasons for tipmg to were, Ist, the LanrJ League. 2nd, that , s;i William, King-had been unjustly treated. 3rd, that King was a huanga (relation) Waikato. He then gave a detail of bis visit to Ta'ranalci, and concluded a : i sSi apeeehi. which was throughput a justifii- cation ofthekingites • and recrimination * jV _f the Govern or. ■' "- n 'y ,//{ -' v Epiba said, in answer to a question, that Ministers who conduc.terjl themsiblves would not be mpiested. At tb.e evening meeting, Wilhan' Barton urged the importance of moderation, s,--, ;eoun sel, and time. The Rev. A. Reid; also spoke with earneß.tn.ess and force., .•To what;Jhe asked, is the present unanimity of the tribes owing ? TJ'e i was answered, *' to the Rongo'Pai." Then, —■he urged, if the Gospel has made tribes i one ".w.hp.j were, fprnierjy divided, why should the Maori@s-now.see_ to separate rfii'thamselves itonr the Pakeha whb' had brought this Gospel. The rev; .^Qan then, pointed out the disdouhesy i' .'!(..',. i j I

i and even wickedness of their having ro i fused to read the Governor's letter, air I showed tbat that letter renewed th , guarantee of security for their land* : and offered ihem the opportunity of sell i government, uuder proper laws. Epiha replied that God corumande< tbe Israelites to choose a Kiug fron amongst tbeir owu brethren, and Apon reoounted the evils whioh had led to the setting up of the Maori King. Tht meeting sat late into night, und on the following day the Hut dispersed. From the papers which have been kindly placed at our disposal, we have sought to make some record of a meeting than which none more important haa ever beeu held ig New Zealand. Its immediate results are before us iv the following documents. The plea for delay and for time is strongly urged, and will not, we are sure, be lightly rejected. There is a small but influential party earnestly at work. in Waikato, who are uot without hopes that this mahi tamariki (child's play) will in nn long time be ended, and that, anger being quenched, thS Maories may .voluntarily return to peaceful obedience toihe Queen and the Law. ' *v