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3L— No. 5

ourselves with. "Why don't the Governor give us some arms and ammunition to protect ourselves with, or is he waiting to hear that we have all been killed? Trouble and danger is on every side of us. I did not think so much of it before, but since the murder of Mr. Volkner I am dark, I cannot tell what will happen. This is my word to the Governor, —Send me arms and ammunition to defend myself with, I have remained true and faithful from the beginning, and yet what have I got for it, —am I any better off than the others: Why has not the Governor been to see me? He passes and repasses here without his ever calling in to see us, his children. Send us arms, &c, we have not any. See, the trees are full of pigeons, and yet I cannot shoot any of them for you, my guests. "Welcome to "Wharekahika. Welcome to this place. There are some King Natives on the other side, go and drive them away— drive them away from their place. It is they who are constantly threatening us. Even now they are in fear that you have come here. If you were to go over there, they would be very civil, because they are frightened of you. Be strong and sure, lest they the weaker be stronger than you the powerful." Te Houkamou then handed a letter which he had received that morning from Te Matinga, of Te Kaha, jespecting the Hau Haus, for the Governor's information. Captain Luce then addressed them. 29th April, 1865. . Captain Luce went over to Te Ivawa Kawa, and saw Hohua Tawhaki and his people. Hohua Tawhaki:—-"Welcome, Captain Luce and Mr. Fulloon. Welcome, and sec your people. Welcome. AV'o are glad that you have come to see us. We are in great fear. We have been and are constantly being threatened by the King Natives; they are constantly saying that they will cut us off. It is not a new word of theirs. There is a great number of us: There is Te Houkamau's party, there is mine, and there is Te Mokena's, altogether we have five hundred men; but we have no arms, that is, there are some that have guns and powder, but no one has caps (percussion) ; that is our great want. If we had only some caps, then we would be easy. Welcome ; we have applied over and over again for arms, and we will persist until we get it. We sent a great many letters to the Governor by Mr. White, asking for arms and ammunition ; but I suppose they have gone with him. The fault is Mr. Rico's; he promised to call here for him in the steamer (H.M.S. " Eclipse"). If he had done so, Mr. White would not be lost; we would not have lost our good friend :he was the man that we liked. Hearken ! This is my word : let the Governor send us another man soon ; let him send us a good man. Friend, send us the arms and ammunition, that we may cease to dread these fellows that are constantly threatening us. We are dark, because of the Opotiki murder. We do not know what they will do, as they have begun to murder. Go to Opotiki and punish those murderers ;do not spare them. Tell the Governor to close his love for the Natives. It is a waste of time and of sympathy; they do not deserve it. Punish them ; punish them severely, until they cry —then show them pity. There arc some King's Natives here —they have been impudent, and have threatened us ; but since you have come, they are afraid, and are civil. They are now very civil, because the man-of-war has come here ; very little would cause them to run away. You will see them to-morrow —they have three pas. They are a bad lot; they have forbidden us to pa?s along the coast; we can only do so when there are a large party of us : I wish them to bo sent away. Welcome, Captain ; welcome, stranger from afar! I have a request to make. I want a flag (English Jack) for my pa, that people may see and know that lam living under the Queen's laws; that the people may see that they are under the Queen's flag. AVill you ask the Governor for one, and he will send it to me? Welcome." Two or three others then spoke to the same effect as Hohua, and then Captain Luce addressed the meeting. James Fulloof. Monday, Ist May, 1865. Captain Luce, with Hohua, Te Mokena, and a large party of Natives, started early in the morning from Te Kawa Kawa for Te Mokena's place, Wainpu. On the coast we passed three or four settlements of King Natives, who were very civil to us, and even asked us to stay and have something to eat before we proceeded on our way, which somewhat surprised our party, as they say the King Natives never before invited them to stay and have some refreshment. They attributed it to the fact of the man-of-war coming on the coast. One old chief was particularly civil, named Paora Pokaia, at Torokaka (Te Tupaca o Eangokako). He bid us welcome and see the coast and people. He was very sorry that ■ there was trouble in the country, but he said it was not the Governor's fault, —the Governor never sought for it amongst them; they (the Natives) sought it, and they got their reward ; he had no pity on them. This old man had lost fifteen men at Tauranga, and was very desirous of joining the ■ Government side. However, wo did not stay, but pushed on to Te Wikiriwhio, where we had a late breakfast, after which we proceeded on our way to Waiapu, where we arrived in the afternoon, and were received with war dancing, &c. In the evening the Eunanga came and had a korero. Aperahama Patutahi: " Welcome, &c. There is only one thing that we desire and we are anxious for, and that is arms and ammunition. We require it for our protection and for self-defence ; we have no other desire. My reason for asking is, that we arc surrounded by danger—danger is on every side of us. I first applied to Mr. Baker, then to Mr. White, and now I apply to you. Our letters have gone with Mr. White. Comply with our request." Eihari Paipa: "I am surrounded by danger, and have not the means for defending myself. I wish for arms and ammunition ; I also want soldiers, not thirty or forty, but one hundred men." Piripi Te Kawe :" My words are the same as the others. Send me some soldiers ; send mo five hundred and up to a thousand. I first applied to Mr. Baker, then to Mr. White, and to you, O Captain." Captain Luce then addressed the meeting. Henari Kepe : " We want arms and ammunition ; we also wast soldiers ; we want a great number of them. There is plenty of land for them to dwell on. This is Waiapu, and it is yours. I want soldiers here as I am afraid of the King Natives." Hoani Ngatai: " Give us those things that we desire (arms, ammunition, and soldiers). We are . very anxious for those things. We want to find out why our hands have been tied for the last twenty

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DESPATCHES FROM THE GOVERNOR OF NEW

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