ADDRESS OF THE ABORIGINES' PROTECTION SOCIETY TO THE NATIVE INHABITANTS OF NEW ZEALAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XX, Issue 2222, 22 June 1865, Page 5

ADDRESS OF THE ABORIGINES' PROTECTION SOCIETY TO THE NATIVE INHABITANTS OF NEW ZEALAND.

We republish from the Auckland journals the following address, bearing the signatures of S. Griivuey, ft. IN". Fowler, Thomas Hodgson and F. W. Chessou, gentlemen who attack the profane colonists with true religious acerbity. In our opinion the letter is a curiosit3 r . It contains the usual quantum of very mild, milk and water morality, and is as little likely to influence the noble savage, either for good or for evil, as the paper on which it is printed. The following is the address : — Friends, — Some of the true English friends of the Maoris wish that Abraham Pungatara and William Pou may, on their return to their country, carry back words of kindness and useful counsel to their brethren. Their English friends are grieved at the cruel war in which so many Maoris and Englishmen have been killed ; in which so many good and valuable things have been destroyed; and, more than all, at the black and gloomy future which it may bring to all the Maori people. Living so far off, their English friends do not know, and will not pretend to say, who are quite right, and who are most to blame, j but they believe that many of their English ! countrymen have treated the Maoris very ! badly, and not as Christians ought to do. This does not make it right for Maoris to do like them. It would not be good, even if they were able to drive away all their enemies — the bad whites. I Their English friends wish William Pou 1 and Abraham Pungatara, when they are | safely returned to New Zealand, very plainly ; to tell their countrymen what they have seen ; in England, how many people there are here, : and what strength they have, so that it must j be quite impossible for the Maoris to con- • quer, even if they gained victoi"ies and killed ; many whites. Perhaps the Maoris read in '< their Bible- that God helped the Israelites | to gain battles against their stronger enemies, j but they must not deceive themselves by exj pecting to gain battles in the same way. | Those Israelites lived in Old Testament I times. The Saviour of the world had not \ come, and the whole truth was not made ! known. We cannot read that Jesus Christ I told his disciples to fight, or that they ever did so. The Maoris must not, on this account, give up hope, and say that all is lost, I for God still gives the best help to those who truly obey and really trust him. Your English friends will now tell y Ou a ■ little of what they think that you should do : for your safety and good. First— Be as peaceable, and as much of one mind, amongst yourselves as you can be. . ITnless you do so you will break to pieces like a glass bottle dashed on the stones, which cannot be mended. Secondly — Do nothing which yourenemirs can truly say is wrong, and breaking the laws. If you do, they will say that von must bo punished, mid they may never think that they have punished you enough. ! Thirdly — If wrong be done to you, never revenge it. Try, with the best temper, nnd the greatest perseverance, to get tout rielit, according to law, and with the help of the best whites who are your friends, they, if you choose them property, will not mislead you. I Fourthly — Truly, Queen Victoria and ' many Englishmen are your friends, and you ■■ have friends in New Zealand, for some eolo- ' nists are good ; but you must not think it quite enough to have friends and to do no wrong. Remember the bad and idle servant who put his lord's money in the ground. You have life, and strength. and land, and minds, which, like the land, require to be cultivated, and many other things which are the talents your Lord has given you to use, and, if you do not use , them, you will surely be the losera. j When Victoria was made Queen of New , Zealand, as well as Queen of England, many Englishmen came to your country and bought much land with little money, because land then was cheap. They set to work and made themselves rich, and bought move land, and many Englishmen came and did the same. So many Englishmen could not live together without laws, and without head men to guide and judge them. The lands where the Englishmen lived were divided and marked out for different rulers, like the land of Canaan, ■which the Israelites took from the people who were there before them, and divided amongst their several tribes ; but the Englishmen did not wish to destroy the Maoris, as the Israelites were told to do to the Canaanites, but they took no trouble to help you to have the useful English laws where the Maoris live. Perhaps they thought it best and kindest to leave you alone to please yourselves, but this was not right. You saw that the Englishmen's rule was good for them, and you tried to do like them, and desired a king, which made the colonists greatly displeased, because it looked like opposition to Queen Victoria and her Government. It may be that you meant no such thing, yet it helped to set the people against you. It is good news which has come to England that the war is ended, and that you have given \ip fighting. You must now get Bishop Sclwyn, Sir William Martin, Archdeacon Hadfield, and your othcrtrue English friends, to help you to make a just and honest peace with the colonists in their different provinces, under the sanction and support of the Governor, Sir George Grey, who acts for the • Queen in all the islands, and whose office it is to maintain the law throughout the native districts and the European pi-ovinces. "When you aro thus relieved from the sufferings and dangers of war, you must lose no time to have the Maori tribes of Now Zealand placed under the same laws as the pakeha's pro- , vinces. They need not be joined to Auck- | land or Canterbury, or any other prorince, but form one or moro like them, whero Maoris and Englishman may be governed i , alike, and live alike. In bringing this about you are happy in having such a man as Sir William Martin near you. He is your true i friend, and is a wise lawyer. With his help • you may have such laws that Maoris and . colonists may live and work well together, ' neither being above the other. Fifthly — Instead of the tribes having their i land in common, every man must have his i own piece for himself and his family to use, j fwhich nobody should have the right to inter*

ere with. Its boundaries should be clearly marked, that no one should mod die with it; but to prevent his being robbed by selfish and dishonest persons he should be unable to dispose of it, and this rule should be made quite strong and safe. Even the letting or leasing of land should bo discouraged and never sanctioned without caution and registration. Colonists, out of New Zealand, have had lands let to thorn by natives, and then the colonists havo kept possession and driven tho natives array. It will be quite right to keep somo of tho l&ud as common property, in every native district, which may be turned to great advantage for public and private purposes. Sixthly— lt is awful to see that the Maoris are becoming fewer and fewer every year, whilst the colonists are year after year becoming more numerous. Many English children are born in New Zealand, and many grown up men and women go there in ships, but the Maoris raise up few young people, and the strong men are killed in war, and leave very few to fill their places. Your chiefs and all your people, your men and your women, must think very much of this state of things, which must come to an. end. It will be of little use to have good laws and to look to the Queen and the Governor to protect you and love you, because you do not break the laws, and because you keep the peace, and are good neighbors, if you are wasting away all the time. The laws of a country and good magistrates may keep neighbors in order, but the people cannot prosper and do well if the families do not keep themselves in good order. Seventhly— All the family good ■which your friends desire and pray for you must grow out of beginning well. Then let every family have its own separate house, with separate rooms in it. You cannot know what it is to be a private orderly family, unless you attend to this advice. It will be quite right to encourage marriages. Every man and every woman should be married, but every marriage is not a right and good marriage ; therefore the man and the wife, and the children, are not happy and prosperous. The man and the woman should first know their own minds, and feel sure that they cau love each other and make each other happy, and that they can well provide for themselves and their children, if" they have any. They may then ask God to bles3 their marriage and help them to keep their promises to each other, and to bring up children who may be a blessing to their parents and to their countrymen. The young people who ought to many may consult their wiser and older friends. They ought to do so, but the older people ought not to make objections and difficulties, when there is no true and good reason for doing so. They ought in every way to help a proper marriage, and promoto the happiness of the new family, but not meddle with its doings in any other way, unless there is something quite wrong to be altered, and then let them give advice in the most gracious and pleasant manner. Eighthly — The future of the Maori people is to ue placed, under the blessing of God, in the young people, and in those who are yet to be born. You must, therefore, look well to the bringing up of children. The bodies must be sufficiently fed with the right sort of food, and also, protected by the right sort of clean clothing. As soon as possible, attend to their minds, teaching them to be truthful and honest, obedient to their parents, to love God and to fear to offend Him by doing any thing which, they know to be wrong, and which, when done, makes them unhappy, though no one may know it but themselves. Strive in an especial manner to keep them pure and chaste, as they must grow up surrounded by many opposite temptations. Be quite as careful about the training and bringing up of the girls as of the boys. As they grow up and become mothers they will have to form the future men. They are much exposed to temptation and the good or the ruin of the Maoris may spring from them. Ninthty— -Those who would be really Christians and also good and useful Maoris, should obey the command of our Saviour, and. be wise as serpentsaswellasharmlessasdoves. Tt is very necessary that you should be wise, for those who would do you the most injuryhave plenty of the wisdom of this world. If you and your children know as much as they, they will not find it so easy to deceive and injure j t ou. You and your children should become well acquainted with the English language — spoken, printed, and written — and with English books and newspapers. There is so little printed in the Maori language that 3 r ou cannot know enough by reading that only. If you know English well, you will not only know what the colonists say and do as well as themselves, but you may print your own thoughts, and the good counsel which you wish to give to your relatives and frends at a distance from you. Tenthly — You should learn to print for yourselves, and it will not cost much to havo a printing press through your friends in England. All such useful things may be had if you earn money and take care of it, never spending it or giving it away for that which is not good or of no use. Never buy or receive, use or sell, gunpowder, spirits, or tobacco, which are tools of the wicked one. The rule may bo almost general. Eleventh — Cultivating the ground in order to produce the best crops, and roaring live stock of the most desirable kinds, is good for your health and that of your families ; and by so using tho ground yourselves you will be taking away temptation from those who seek to injure you. Some of your people should live for a time with the colonists to learn useful arts. Twelfth, and lastly — When you find that you are getting on well, that the Almighty blesses your labors, and you are pleased with the knowledge you acquire, do not let these things make you proud, puffed up, and uncivil and haughty ; but be gentle to all men, Maoris and colonists, slow to anger, and humble or meek, remembering the words of our Saviour, that the mech shall inherit the earth and that the Scripture also tells us that the meek the Lord will guide in judgment. Your English friends believe that many Maoris know already what is here written, but it may show their goodwill and affection to put you in mind of them. They bid you Farewell, and finish by saying, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if yo do them." From us, Your loving friends, S. Guenet, E. N. Fowler, Thomas Hoegson, M.P t P. W. Chesson. London, November, 1864.