E—Xo. 1 Sec. H.

Karaka, Ihaia's superior, previous to his death * made peace with Katatore ? Could, after that had taken place, lhaia have any further claim and pretensions in that way ? no, but lhaia had murdered Katatore and wanted to have AViremu Kingi and all the other principal Chiefs killed too, in order that he might raise himself and become himself the great Chief and despoiler of his neighbours' possessions. Did they not know, had they not sufficient evidence to know, that the Pakeha were on his side ? and now the Governor himself had become his advocate. However, it was well that the Governor had spoken out and told them beforehand what they had to look forward to. It was true, the Maori were but the little one and the Governor and his Pakeha were the greater one. The Maori had neither intention nor desire to quarrel with the Pakeha, their wish was peace and mutual good-will toward each other. But if the Governor chose to, and should begin to make war upon the Maori, then they knew it was no longer about a bit of land hero or there, but about a general principle which aimed at aud involved the destruction of their whole race. It would be a life and death conflict between the white and the dark skin. They (the Natives) would be compelled to fight in self-defence, either to conquer and live, or to be conquered and to perish. They cared no longer which of the two might prove to be eventually the result, since beyond that no other alternative was left them to choose. All that I said and advanced by way of l'eply in self-defence of the Governor, his motive*, object, &c, and to bear and keep separate in the Native mind the Waitara land and their King affair, and to induce them to keep aloof from the AVaitara question and maintain for themselves neutrality, proved all to be of no avail. Some even went so far as to call out that I was a Governor's man. At the same time I was given to understand that they had not the slightest wish to have their thoughts and their words kept private from coming to the Governor's knowledge. However, I, on my part, did not feel disposed once more to offer, gratuitously, any information where it might not be welcome, f Unhappily, the Government, by its subsequent acts anel proceedings (shortly previous to the outbreak of the war) in reference to the Taranakis, not only tended greatly to foster and confirm them in their preconceived idea and supposition that hostilities would not be confined to AVaitara only but include them also; lint further also went far, at the same time, to confirm their unfortunate notion that, on the part of Government, a war was meant not about a mere bit of land, but Sovereignty in re Regrna v. Potatau. When no war as yet had been declared and no hostilities as yet had begun at AA'aitara; when the Taranaki as yet remained all sitting still and quietly at home, this European settlement was closed against them, so that they were no longer allowed free ingress to and egress from it and its market. Whoever of them wished, as before, to come and to go, was required to obtain a Government passport from the fort nearest to the border, and such passports were only granted upon condition that the individual or individuals (as the case might be) first put their signature to a document on parchment in attestation of their allegiauce to Her Britannic Majesty, a thing and proceeding that had never been known, never been thought of, never been required of them, before. Thus they beheld themselves tegarded aud treated not only us aliens but as enemies of the Queen aud her Government, and in consequence of this and by it (hey at once conceived and carried into effect, by way of dealing out measure for measure, their plan of stopping the road through their district against Her Majesty's mail and all her European subjects. Moreover, at the same time, and before hostilities had taken place at Waitara, a printed paper was sent down to put in circulation amongst them, intended to purport anel to bo a Proclamation of Martial Law, but which, according to the wording of it in their Maori language, and the understanding they were able to realize of its import, amounted to something like a positive declaration of war; and against whom ? Their own tribal name, Taranaki, was given. Now, although this was meant to imply the whole of this Province generally, it must be borne in mind the Province has been of our making. According to their own Maori geography aud statistics, Taranaki is the district Southward of New Plymouth, inhabited by the Taranaki tribe; and AA'aitara is in the Ngatiawa district, AA'hy (they wanted to know) had not the Governor sent his niupepa of the ture whauhai to AVaitara, and there only, if there alone the war was to be? Such was the reply I received upon my endeavouring to explain to them and to help them to a right understanding of the matter. Much has always been said about the Natives being tinder an incalculable debt of obligation to both the British Government and the body of colonist- for the protection and other privileges and advan-

* This is the same A. Karaka mentioned in my letter to D. McLean, Esq. (1856.) He died of consumption toward the latter end of 1857, after having made a full and final peace about Kawiri's affair with Katatore and his party.

f A considerable time afterwards, when affairs began to thicken, and about a month or so previous to His Excellency's coming down here, and before the crisis took place, some of the Taranaki Chiefs presented to me a letter written and signed by them all and others besides, ard addressed to the Governor. In that letter they memorialized His Excellency to stop his proceedings with respect to W. Kingi's affair, as if carried fully into effect it would certainly result in war between the Pakeha and Maori to the destruction of both. The reason why they showed me the letter was to obtain my opinion upon it and to have my advice whether to send it or not —perhaps they wished that I should take charge of and forward it. I begged them to have nothing to do with the Waitara question, but to let God and those who were concerned in that land dispose of it as they might. As to the sending or not sending of the letter, I told them that they must do as seemed best to them. I was afraid lest if I said, send it, it should bo viewed as if I agreed with them in all its contents ; and, on the other hand, if I said, send it not, I should unwarrantably deprive His Excellence of a full and timely opportunity of obtaining most authentic information as to what was the real state and feeling of the Native mind and sentiment in Taranaki. By my leaving it to them entirely I knew it would surely be forwarded, and it was forwarded accordingly, and it had also duly been received as I was afterwards told by Mr. Richmond, then Native Minister, but it appeared the Government had only viewed it as an effusion of Maori insolence, nd no answer was received in return.

27

TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.