E—No, 1

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO

8

letter recognised the rights of the individual tribesman, and refused to recognise any other rights. The answer asserted the tribal right (37). Wiremu Kingi to Archdeacon Hadeield. (a) Waitara, July 2, 1859. Mr. Hadfield, Greeting to you, the eye of my fathers who are dead. Great is my love to you from the midst of the sayings of the Pakeha, for the wrong sayings of the Pakeha are continually uitered to me, therefore my thoughts of love go forth to you, that you may speak a word to the Governor and McLean concerning the course of proceeding about Waitara here, because they two are continually urging forward the purpose of the man who is disposing of Waitara. Do you listen, my purpose is no new purpose as you know: it is this, concerning Waitara. I am not willing that this land should be disposed of. You must bear in mind the word of Rere, (William King's father) which he spoke to you and Mr. Williams when you two came to Waikanae. You know that word about Waitara; I will not dispose of it to the Governor and McLean. Moreover you heard my worl to you when you came to see us. I said to you "The trouble after you go Will be the land." You answered "The matter rests with Parris." He has now lifted up his heel against me. This is his word tome: "It was through me that you escaped." The word of him and Halse has now been uttered to me that I should be apprehended for my holding back the land, because it is a very bad thing in their opinion to hold back the land. On this account the word of all the Pakchas has been uitered that lam the very worst man. Ido not indeed know my fault. If I had taken land from the Pakeha, it would be right t J call me bad: or again, if I had beaten a Pakeha, it would be right to blame me. But now it is they who are bringing trouble upon me, therefore I think that you should concern yourself with the Governor and McLean and Parris. Speak a word to that Pakeha Parris. His importunity with McLean is great, for I have heard that the price or Waitara here has been agreed upon by him. Another thing he says is that they, the Pakehas, will not Ihten to my words. What they say now in, that although it be only one man who gives up the land, the Pakehas will be perfectly willing. Do you listen. Now this will be wrong, very wrong, very wrong. What I say is that the boundary for the Pakeha is settled, (namely) Waitaha. That is all, let them remain there. Lot your word to the Governor and McLean be strong, that they may cease their importunity for Waitara here, that. we and the Pakeha may live in peace. Do you write to me that I may hear. That is all I have to say. From Wiremu Kingi Wiiiii. Wikemu Kingi to Archdeacon Hadfield. Waitara, December 5, 1859. Friend Hadfield, Greeting to you, the eye of my fathers and my younger brothers who are dead. Here am I living in the great mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. My father, do you hearken. I ask you this question, that you should explain to me the new plans of the Governor which I heard from Parris when I went to the town to stop the Governor's money intended as payment for Waitara, namely, one hundred pounds (£100). I said to that Pakeha, "Friend, keep back your money." That Pakeha answered, " No." I said, " There is no land for your money to light on." Parris then said to me "Itis a bad business. If the Governor comes, it will be a very bad business." I said " Very well, you may bring the evil, I shall content myself with the land." I also said to Parris, "In the case of land about which there is a difficulty, the Governor will not consent. , ' That Pakeha said. " Formerly it teas so, but now this is a new plan of the Governor's." According to m\ r suspicion, the Governor is seeking ground for a quarrel, because death has been clearly set before me Therefore the question is put to you, that it may be made plain by you. You have perhaps heard of the present new arrangements of the Governor, with a view to groundless anger and continual pressing for land about which there is a difficulty, and unwarrantably paying for land about which there is a difficulty, and which has not been surveyed. Do you listen to me. I will not give up the land. The Governor may strike me without cause and I shall die ; in that case there will be no help for it, because it is an old saying " The man first, and then the land ;" therefore my word has been spoken. Listen carefully to my fault, and the fault of all the Pakehas, of Parris, of Whiteley, and of the Governor. They say that Teira's piece, of land belongs to him alone. No, that piece of land belongs to us all; it belongs to the orphan, it belongs to the widow. If the Governor should come to where you are, do you say a word to him. If he will not listen, it is well: because I have clearly heard their manner of talk about death. X'arris and Whiteley declared it to me That is all. From me, your loving friend, Wiremu Kingi Whim. In these letters of William King (38), both in the statement which he did actually and directly make to the Governor, and in the statement which he sought to convey through Archde;icon Hadfield, there is a clear and unambiguous claim on behalf of his ivhole tribe. He maintains that the laud cannot be alienated without the consent of the whole tribe. As the whole tribe has not consented, he, as their Chief, expresses their dissent. It cannot be inferred from this that William King did not assert also some individual claim to land within the block (39) ; but, as a Chief, he put prominently forward the right of his tribe. According to Native law, their dissent was a sufficient answer, and precluded all minor questions. 7. We have seen that in the official statement it is assumed that all the members of the tribe who had an interest ie the land had concurred in the sale of it to the Government (40). This is not admitted on the part of the Natives. The existence of such dissentients is indicated by Teira's , own letter to the.Governor, of the 20th March, 1559, {Papers E. No. 3. p. 4.) in which he says, "Your word advising them to mark off their own pieces of land within our line (boundary of the block offered by Teira) they have received, but they do not consent. I consent, because it is correct." The following documents shew distinctly that there are divers persons who aver that they are interested in the land, and that they never agreed to the sale. Ritatona Te Iwa, a Native Teacher of Waitara, to the Rev. Riwai Te Ahu, Deacon of the Church of England, at Waikanae. Waitara, December sth, 1859. Riwai, —Greeting to you, friend, and your fathers and your children. Greeting to you and our father, Hadfield, the father of the mercies of God, who dragged out this people from the evils which you now hear of. Well, the nose

(a.) When this and the following documents in the Native language came into my hands, Archdeacon Maunsell and Rev. L. Williams were in Auckland, engaged in revising the Maori version of the Old Testament. At my request, they kindly undertook the task of translation. The great knowledge and painstaking accuracy of those gentlemen, afforded the highest possible security for the correctness of the rendering. The original text will be found in the Appendix