E.—No. 1.

No 54. The Civil Commission eb, Waikato, to the Hon the Native Ministeb. Sib _ Awamutu, March 27, 18G3. The last number of the Pihoihoi contained a full report of the late disturbances at Kohekohe on the Bth, 9th, 10th, and 11th of this month. I regret to say that every single copy of the newspaper, together with the manuscript, has been carried off by the Ngatimaniapotos. ' On the evening of Wednesday, March 18th, Mr. T. A. White and I met a large body of men at Eangiriri, under the leadership of Wiremu Kumete, of Kawhia, who were proceeding to the Kohekohe to finish the work which had been left undone on the former occasion. William Kumeti asked Mr. White some questions before all the people, as to who had planned the building at Kohekohe, and what its object might be. We said very little in reply, except that whatever grounds they might have for objecting to the building, no one but Sir G-eorge Grey could either stop the carpenters or order the timber to be taken back to the Ia; and that any mischief they chose to do in his absence and without holding any communication with him must lie at their door. After this William Kumete and the people retired to a large house where they talked all night. We remained outside and had a long talk with Ta Kerei and Wi Tarahawaiki. From them we understood that there were two grounds of objection to the building at Kohekohe : (1) That the whole people were afraid of it, and would, by force if necessary, prevent William Te Wheoro and his few followers from persisting in a course injurious to his race: (2) That Puteruha was not the sole owner of the land upon which the building was to be erected. Takerei promised to do his utmost to prevent any further violence, and to induce the natives to remain quiet, until Sir George Grey had been communicated with. The original design was to go to Kohekohe on the following day, and either carry the timber to the la, or set it on fire, Whakapukai having volunteered to perform that service. I know no reason to doubt that Takerei did his best to keep the peace. _ ~ On Friday, March 20th, we saw Nehemia, Neri, Patara, and Eruera Poutama, at JNgaruawahia. Nehemia said that both he and Neri had as much right to the ownership of the land at Kohekohe as Puteruha I asked why their objections to the building had not been quietly stated to Sir George Grey ; Patara said that they did not think of the matter when Sir George Grey was at Taupiri; and Neri added that it was one of the things about which they had intended to talk to Sir George Grey, when they visited Auckland, but they forgot all about it until they had left town. I said it was very foolish to make all the disturbance they were making and run the risk of plunging Waikato into trouble, until Nehemia and Neri had quietly talked matters over with the Governor. They all said Ka nui te marama o to korua korero, and we left Ngaruawahia under the beliet that they would send down the river to stop all further proceedings. I attribute the unfavorable termination of this affair to the presence of William Kumete and his party of strangers from Kawhia. He came as a guest and exhibited his loyalty to the Maori King by a series of reckless wrongs to the persons and properties of Europeans. He was restrained by no Bense of responsibility or fear of punishment; and the Waikatos have either been unable to moderate his zeal, or else have found it convenient to let him do that for them which they had the desire but not the audacity to do for themselves. * nav?> *C- ' ri The Hon. Native Minister, Auckland. ■ *• E. (jobst P.S.—Since writing the above a copy of the Pihoihoi has come in, which I enclose. 1 don t know that I shall be able to get a second. __________________________________________ No. 55. EXTEACT from "Te Pihoihoi Mokemoke I Eunga I Te Ttjaniji." (JSTo. V., March 23, 1863.; TE EAEUEAU KEI TE KOHEKOHE. Ite Katapu, Maehe 8, tukua ana c Ihaka raua ko Mohi o raua karere i haere atu i Pokeno. Ko nga ingoa o aua karere, ko Eraia te Ao me Tamati te Eangi. .... „ i• i i Hoe ana ka tae kite Kohekohe, ka kite i a Puteruha, ka korero mai ki a ia— Ka hinga korua ko to matua." Ka ki atu a Puteruha—" Mo te aha." Ka ki mai—" Mo nga rakau i kama mo te wharo kei te Kohekohe. Hei pohi maua na Ihaka raua ko Mohi: " ka kiia atu c Puteruha—" He tikanga ta raua•" ka mea mai raua—"Ae." No te hoenga mai o Ihaka raua ko Mohi ka kite l nga rakau, ka puta ta raua kupu mo nga rakau, ka hua hei hangahanga ake, kaore, he mate mo te iwi. Koia maua l tukua mai ai kia rongo Waikato kua tata te mate." Ka hoe raua i waenganui po ka tae ki Eangiriri; rokohanga atu kua haere kite moe nga huihuinga tangata i Eangiriri. Ka puta ta raua kupu—" Karere maua na Ihaka raua ko Mohi mo nga rakau ite Kohekohe, c mea ana raua kua tata te mate mo te iwi." No reira ka whakaae a Waikato katoa kia haere kite Kohekohe, kite kawe atu i nga rakau kite la. I taua po ano ka tukua ta ratou karere kite Kohekohe, kia rongo nga tangata ka haere te ope, ko Hetaraka Muru raua ko Mata Herewini. Ka tata kite awatea ka tae mai raua, rokohanga mai c moe ana nga tangata ite Kohekohe. Na raua i whakaara. Ka huaki—" Kei te ata te ope te puta mai ai. Na Mohi raua ko Ihaka te tikanga, ko ta raua kupu tenei—' Kua tata te matemo te iwi. Eokohan<*a iho kua wareware noa atu i Waikato te whakaaro mo tenei whare. Is a Mohi raua ko Ihaka katahi ka whakahoutia. Koia a Waikato i haere mai ai." Ka ki atu a Wiremu ma ki aua k ar ere—" Ekore matou c whakaae, ekore c tukua c matou he taonga kua takoto ki roto ki to matou nei whare." _. _ . Ite maru awatea ka taki a Hetaraka Muru kia kawea nga rakau kite la, ka mea atu ratou— " Ekore c taea te whakahoki taku wahine kua moe nei maua." Muri iho ka tae mai te ope, Ngatipo, Ngatitapa,'' Ngatihine Te Ngaungau, Ngatimahuta, Ngatiteata, me a ratou pu. .._,., Ka whakatika a Puteruha:— " Haere mai aku matua, aku tuakana, aku teina, te iwi. lenei te moe nei te wahine hou. Ko tenei, ekore au c ngawhere, kia mate iho au ki toku taonga. Kei runga aTe Kihirini:—" Tenei te haere nei, c aku potiki, c taku mokopuna jko nga rakau

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