A.—No. 21

4

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT

Enclosure 1 in No. 3. Aihepene Kaihau to the Government. To the Goveenment,— Tahurangatira, Waiuku, 3rd August, 1869. Friends, salutations. A man has come from the Hauhaus—from Tokangamutu—to bring word to me of the arrival of Te Kooti at that place. The reason of his coming was to kill the Europeans, the Friendlies, and the Hauhaus, and throw down their flag-staff, and take the kingdom to himself, to disallow the Hauhau worship that it may cease, but that all men should kneel to him, and the Kingites bow down to him ; that he (Te Kooti) be chief of the Maoris and Europeans, because these two races he would single-handed subdue, as he said when he arrived at Tokangamutu. His ideas were not accomplished, his measures were not carried out, and he became afraid because the measures of Tawhiao had taken a contrary direction. The Waikato had also been requested to remain quiet, and the Ngatimaniapoto. The flags were hoisted as a challenge to Te Kooti and party to go and cut them down. If so, they would have suffered by being killed by the Waikatos ; Ngatimaniapoto also desired to kill. It was Manuwhiri who overruled, and they were saved. Manuwhiri's word went forth :Do not kill, but wait ; when a child or an old man is killed outside on the roads, then he (Te Kooti) must die for his wrong. Te Kooti's army were not allowed to enter the houses—they were left to walk on the roads, and sit in front of the dwellings—the houses being filled with the men of the place and the outhouses occupied by the women. His (Te Kooti's) occupation was to walk about to no purpose, and he was left to express his vexation in vain—the Waikatos were not startled, and Manuwhiri did not speak to him, and Tawhiao went out of the way to Harihari; he was not well disposed towards Te Kooti, and went to his councillors to consider what punishment his presumption deserved. For six days Te Kooti urged Tamati to agree to his proposals, but he did not answer him. Manuwhiri gave utterance to only one speech to Te Kooti, which was this : " Presently you will be made to return back by the same road you came hither, and your sword will in a short time fall to the ground, your hands will tremble, and your body will lie flat on the earth." The Waikatos are waiting for his departure ; he will suffer. When he passed to Tokangamutu, the Arawas went and guarded his rear. His boasting is great. His army numbers 400 ; the Waikatos are 800, besides those at Kawhia, 600, making together 1400. Te Kooti's intention to fight was not carried out; he was afraid lest he should be consumed by the Waikatos and Ngatimaniapoto. This is to shew the proceedings of the Waikatos, which have become good and clear. There are no ultra - fanatics ; the authority of the chiefs is suppressed, and insolence put down ; all plans are made one, and he alone (Tawhiao) has the rule. Formerly, this and that mail presumed to carry out their own plans ; thence they were wrong. Now only are their plans good and clear. The Ngatiteata have not yet come back; they are still waiting at Tokangamutu for the departure of Te Kooti, when they will return. This is all. It is finished. From your friend, Aihepene Kaihau.

Enclosure 2 in No. 3. Statement by Bopata Kaihau. Memorandum of Statement made at Waiuku 7th August, 1869, to Charles Mellsop, 8.M., by Bopata Kaihau, who has been to Tokangamutu with the fish, and returned during the week. Te Kooti's force amounted to 340 men—sixty of his own followers, the rest from the Urewera and other tribes. His conduct and bearing towards the King party was insolent and presumptuous, demanding to be acknowledged King in place of Tawhiao, Hauhauism to be set aside, and his God received. He expressed contempt and hatred to the Europeans; that he had been made a prisoner wrongfully, but his god had delivered him, and he would utterly destroy all who came in his way. If the Waikato consented, he would go direct to Auckland with his men, regardless of the danger, being confident he would succeed. The Waikato and Ngatimaniapoto were armed and ready to prevent an attack on any of the Waikato settlements. Tawhiao would not consent to have the peace of Waikato disturbed by Te Kooti ; that if lie could not make peace himself with the Europeans, he was not willing to have more fighting with them, and wished to live in peace. Te Kooti's party fired a volley in derision towards the King party, and he (Bopata) became so excited that he prepared for action, and called iq)on the assembled Waikato to return the fire, and he would have Te Kooti's head and take it to Waiuku, where he would drink rum with the proceeds. Manuwhiri and Waikato agreed, but Tawhiao, when consulted, said he had given his word Te Kooti should not be injured by him ;he must keep his word. Bopata says he is quite sure it is the Te Kooti from the Chatham Islands, he having known him well at the Three Kings; he was close enough to see the gun-shot scar near his ankle. Bopata had been presented by a Ngatimaniapoto chief ■with a greenstone ornament that had been worn by Te Kooti, and which, at Mr. Searancke's solicitation, lie had let him have. He states Bewi is not mad, but infatuated by Te Kooti. Ngatimaniapoto and Waikato are angry with him. Aihepene stated that Tawhiao had sent for his sons Kerei and Henare to go and reside with him. He returned an answer that if peace was made he would have no objection, but at present he could not agree to it. On being asked by you what was the reason ho did not make peace, seeing he professed goodwill towards the Europeans, Bopata, Hori, and Aihepene answered: —There is a grave cause at jiresent; that Tawhiao had not discovered the cause of his suffering (" mate"); that he was still pained at the loss of so many chiefs of Waikato. Although he did not now wish to fight with the Europeans, he bad proclaimed " the right to the right, and the left to the left"— i.e., he wishes the Friendlies to separate from the Europeans, and all to join him at or about Tokangamutu, including the Ngapuhi, Barawa, Arawa, and all other tribes. While mixed with the Europeans, he could not see from which the wrong