SOMETHING LIKE A CANARD.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1742, 19 July 1862, Page 2

SOMETHING LIKE A CANARD.

We recommend the following despatch of Sir George Grey and its enclosure to the consideration of Maori Canard manufacturers. Journals in the old warpaily interest like tbe Southern Cross, and those greedy after everything- thnt will back up a cry for Separation like the Otago Daily Times, catch at any Maori statement thaj will suit their purposes, no matter how absurd — no matter if it is as absurd a3 the cock and bull story of Bishop Selwyn trying to convert General Cameron to peace-at-any-pricc views, or the still more ridiculous one of Sir George Grey having lifted his beaver, at Waikato, in salutato the Maori flag.

If we had not so often had to chronicle equally disgraceful slanders affecting some of the Pio testant Bishops, we should feel that we owed an apology to our Roma a Catholic fellow colonists for republishing the following respecting Bishop Pompallier ; but as the construction of I *- mere nonsense" which Sir George Grey bas 'justly put upon the absurdities chronicled from the drunken lips of Whare, is a constructiou in which every one will undoubtedly suppoit his Excellency, we have thought the opportunity too good to be lost of showing, tp our " sensation" hunting contemporaries, the folly of promulgating, without enquiry, as fact, the reported sayings of every communicative Native informant. Our Roman Catholic fellow colonists will, we are sure, feel with us that it te always best, in slanders such as these, to let the public know fully the trumpery source from whence they arise. FROM GOVERNOR SIR GEORGE GREY TO HIS GRAOE THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE. Government House, Auckland, 7th December, 186 . My Loud Duke,— ln order that her Majesty's Government may be able to judge ot the necessity and propriety of the measures that may be adopted in this country, it is requisite that they should understand tlie temper and feeling towards each other of its several races of inhabitants, their want of confidence in each other, and the care and susi pieion with which they watch each others' proceedings. 2. The enclosed paper, connected with my predecessor's confidential Despatch of the 2nd of March last, will illustrate this subject. The want of confidence evinced by the Natives in our inI tentions and proceedings is nbw such, that I find ! great difficulty in dealing with them 3. The accusations made against tho Roman Catholic Bishop in this paper^ are in my opinion ! mere npnsense, but they show the state of feeling in the country. I regard in the same manner the accusations made against others of her Majesty's subjects, but the state of feeling which springs from such a want of confidence, is a real and embarrasting fact, I have, &c, G. Gkey. (Enclosure.) LETTER FROM MR. H. MONRO TO THE NATIVE . • SECRETARY. Native Secretary's Office, Auckland, March 1, 1861. Sir,— l have the, honor to report that in accordance with your instructions, I proceeded on board the ship "Zealandia " yesterday evening. I reached the ship at 9 p.m., Mr. Moffat and Mr. Webster got on board at the samp time, from another boat. We waited until about 11, when all being quiet on board, Mr. Moffat and Mr. Webster went off to the Native schooner and brought the Native Whare (Tome's son) on board. Ho was taken by Mr. Moffat into one of the cabins, I being in the adjoining one; spirits being placed upon the table he freely helped himself, after which he became talkative : on his first entrance he had spoken low ahd was sonaewhat reserved. He looked round the cabin and admired the build of the vessel, and observed that the French were evidently superior to the English in the art of ship building. Having expressed a wish to see the arms and ammunition which ho had been iti- ' formed were on board, he was taken into an adjoining cabin, where the arms belonging to the i vessel were kept ; on soeing which he expressed his satisfaction, but said they were not many. Moffat, who represented the captain of the ship, said that there were eight French ships a,t the Bay of Islands, having on board a great quantity, • which seemed greatly to please him. The follow-, ing is what I gathered' from the conversation that followed, which was carried on in a jargon half English half Maori. A great many. Natives . were collected about Tamahe're; according to Whare's statement 8000, : Wiremu, "i-amahana was at Tamahere; the I statement that he had gone Taranaki was made to mislead the ' Government; A road; had been quietly «nd expeditiously cut through.. _ the bush, terminating somewhere behind T)ruVy; and the whole of the Natives had entered into a plot to attack Auckland and the out settlements simultaneously. He mentioned the name o.f almost every Chief of note in the .Waikato and oh the coast as being a party to it : all the French in the island were aware of it ; and both Bishop I Pompallier and Father Garavel not only approved

of it, but had instigated it. A Native named Waiarea, at present residing at Bishop Pompallier's, was appointed to mark all the houses of the French in Auckland, iv order that they might be known and spared. Bishop Pompallier and the Priests were in constant communication with the conspirators, and he had advised them to clear off all the English; and when that was done, to invite the French to take possession of New Zealand, and that such was their intention ; that several Europeans at Waikato and the Bay of Plenty were in the secret, among others he mentioned a man named Cowell ? that these Europeans were in the habit of supply-* ing the Natives with arms. He omitted Wiremu Nero'a name from the list of those in tho plot, but stated that the guns supplied to him by the Government were in the hands of the disaffected Natives; he also said that Taraia was against the conspiracy, but that his whole tribe was in favour ofit, and that if ho did not yield, they would put him out of the way, He also stated that there were three deserters at ramahere, that "they had sold their arms and accoutrements to the Natives for £1 each. The plan decided upon for the attack of the town waa :— The whole force waß to be concentrated for the grand attack upon Auckland, but they were to leave a sufficient number to kill all the settlers at such places at Maketu. Tauranga, &c. The attack upon Auckland was to be the signal for a general- attack upon allthe other places ; the Ngapuhi and Kaipara Natives were also to join. Ihaka Takaanini during his trip, to the Bay had ascertained their sentiments and secured their co operation, and vessels professing tA.tr.arlß for kaunLeum were constantly passing to and fro carrying powder. NYt MaiM To* Rangilta. heke acted as a spy on the Government, and supplied the Natives with all tho information he could gather. He stated that the Natives had a great deal of money in hand, and an immense quantity of wheat and other produoe ; that Tomo had taken £1000 to Tauranga for the purchase of arms, but had taken the moat of it back, leaving only £300 there ; that he Whare, received letters from and sent letters to Taraahere, every day, that mounted messengers who rode day and night conveyed these letters backwards aud forward. The arrangement between Whare and Moffat was, that the "Zealandia" (supposed by Whare to bea French vessel) was to sail for Tauranga on Saturday next, taking the Maori schooner in tow, and that those from the Bay of Islands were to follow. They were to land tho arms, &c, at Tauranga, and Wiremu Tamihana.Tomo and party were to start for that place to receive them as soon as Whare had written to say that he had seen the arms with his own eyes, and that the vessels were on the point of sailing. The conversation lasted from about eleven last night until near three this morning. I have, &c., Henby Monbo. The Native Secretary, Auckland.