PAPEES RELATIVE TO HOROWHENUA

11

F.—No. 8.

No. 24. Matene Te Wniwui to the Hon. D. McLean. Court House, Otaki, 24th May, 1870. To Mr. McLean, — We lay this letter before you, the Minister for Native Affairs. Salutations to you. We now write to you to inform you of our affliction and our distress, on account of the evil acts of Kawana Hunia, who is always defying us and provoking us. He has left the other side of Manawatu, and from thence to Eangitikei, and has come across to this side : he is in the midst of us, stirring up strife and defying us. Now, O you, the Government, consider what this man is doing. The Ngatiapa claims were confined to the other side of Manawatu by the decision of the Native Land Court, which sat at Otaki in February, 1868 ; also by the decision of the Court at Wellington in July, 1869, the rights of Ngatiapa were fixed to be on the other side of Manawatu. Now the old boundary at Touteruru, which was fixed by the old men who are dead, namely, Te Eauparaha and party, and Te Whatanui and party, as the boundary for Muaupoko, has been abandoned (by Kawana Hunia), and Kawana Hunia and Muaupoko are building houses on the land of old Te Whatanui. His wife, Tauteka, lies buried in that very land, Horowhenua. This is a word from us and from the tribe to you, to request you to do something in the matter of the acts of Kawana and the Muaupoko, so that they may retire to the other side of the boundary, and to their own old pa. Do not allow them to remain on the disputed land, let it be left to be inquired into by the Native Land Court, so that the disputes may be settled. There is also another important subject for you to consider, namely, the bringing of guns by Kawana Hunia and the Ngatiapa to Horowhenua. They were brought from Eangitikei on the 21st April, 1870. This was done by Ngatiapa and Muaupoko to stir up strife, so that the Ngatiraukawa and Ngatitoa might become engaged. But Ngatiraukawa and Ngatitoa did not act on that evil device of Kawana Hunia and his tribes. The bringing of those guns from Eangitikei by Kawana Hunia and his tribe was seen by many. Those guns belong to you, to the Government. They were issued by the Government to Ngatiapa, Eangitane, and Muaupoko, to be used in fighting against Ngatiruanui. Let an order be issued for those guns to be taken to Wanganui, and deposited in the Government store, for it is through his having possession of those guns that Kawana Hunia is so arrogant. Those are all our words to you, that is to say to the great Government of New Zealand. In testimony of the correctness of our writing to you, our names are hereunto affixed. Matene Te Whiwhi, And 36 others.

No. 25. Tamihana Te Eaupaeaha to Mr. Halse. To Me. Halse,— Otaki, 23rd June, 1870. Salutations. Our friend Pomare has come to Otaki; we have this day sent him to Horowhenua, at which place he will meet and talk to the Muaupoko, the descendants of his ancestor Te Watanui. We (i.e., Pomare and the Ngatiraukawa) thought it best that none of the latter should go, lest his party should have the appearance of a common Maori gathering, " ope." Therefore we, the chiefs of Ngatiraukawa, have thought it best that he himself should speak about the land of his ancestor, of Watanui. However, the Hauhaus of Waikanae and Wairarapa are jealous that Pomare should have been sent with such haste to Horowhenua, and they, the Hauhaus, say that they ought to have been consulted before Pomare went. Pomare himself said that his wish was to visit the Muaupoko with as little display as possible, and for that reason he did not wish to be accompanied by a large body of friends. He (Pomare) very wisely says, " All I want is to speak about the boundaries of Tauteruru," the boundary of his ancestor. It is for you to show this letter to the Government. From your friend, Tamihana Te Eaupaeaha.

No. 26. Mr. H. Halse to Tamihana Eauparaha. To Tamihana Eauparaha,— Wellington, July 17, 1870. Friend, —Tour letter of the 23rd of June, reporting the arrival of Pomare, has been received. It is well; it was after a great deal of consideration that the Maori Council of this part of the Island asked him (Pomare) to come, owing to the dispute amongst its people of Muaupoko Ngatiraukawa. Sufficient. Mr. McLean thanks you. From your friend, H. Halse, Assistant Native Secretary.

No. 27. Wiremu Pomare to the Hon. D. McLean. To Mr. McLean,— Otaki, 4th July, 1870. Friend, —Salutations to you. I have been to different parts of Waikanae and Otaki, to hear what these tribes had to say about Horowhenua. They have given up the arrangement in respect of that land to me. On the 25th June I went to Horowhenua to see Muaupoko, and to talk with them quietly, that is to say in accordance with the law, so that the boundaries of that land may be properly decided upon. The boundary arranged by Te Whatanui and Tauweki was Tauteruru. That was the