7

G.—lb.

addressed to them, with a view, it appeared to me, to draw them out. This appears also to have been the opinion of Petera and his friends, for they were very cautious in their replies, reserving the expression of their sentiments for the day of the korero. Proceedings were interrupted by a call to partake of food, and we did not meet again on that day, owing to the drunkenness of, and noise created by, some of the Ngatihaua Hauhaus. On Saturday the representatives of the various tribes again assembled. The business was commenced by Te Ngakau. His address was made up of a lot of Hauhau sayings, interlarded by distorted quotations from Scripture. Te Ngakau concluded his remarks by a repetition of the old formula —No land sales ; no leases ; no roads ; no telegraph. Maihi Te Rangikaheke undertook to talk against Te Ngakau. A better person could not have been selected, both for natural shrewdness, and for talent as a speaker. W. Maihi took occasion to remind Te Ngakau that if there was any fault it rested with the Waikato themselves ; they commenced the practice of selling and leasing land, and then afterwards wished to debar other tribes from pursuing the course which they had by example initiated. So also with their King. They set him up without the concurrence of other powerful tribes, and then wished to force him upon them, whether they approved or not. What the Arawa chiefs hoped was that the King party had at length arrived at the conclusion that it was necessary that Tawhiao and the Governor should come to a proper understanding, and make some arrangement to work together for the benefit of the Native race. Te Raihi then went into the history of the King movement. He stated that it originated with Wiremu Tamihana, who had no other motive than the good of his race. He also reminded them of Potatau's words, that his motto was Love, Peace, and the Law ; and that when on his deathbed he told his followers to be kind to the Pakeha, but that AVaikato did not heed this good advice. No sooner was the movement fairly started than the management was taken out of the originator's hands, and " Waikato taniwharau" created all the mischief which had since fallen on them. Waikato was lost through their devices. That, for his own part, he did not see why, if they by their acts forfeited their rights to the lands, he should not be allowed so to deal with the portion remaining to him that he might reap some benefit from it. He frankly admitted that he had sold and leased land, and that there was very little of it left. Rewi, or Manga, the name by which he is now generally known, said that the sin was his. He had encouraged and recommended the re-opening of the Taranaki war, by chanting the old song of " Puhi kura, Puhi kaka, Ac.;" but that he did not think it fair that Waikato should be made to suffer for his wrong. Te Ngakau then said that they did not wish to be reminded of the past; to let by-gones be by-gones. AVhat they desired was to make a fresh start. Tarapipipi Te Kopara said that he had sinned, and had abrogated his oath. He wished to be freed from his oath. (Rewi here stepped forward and repeated a few words in Tarapipipi's ear.) Tarapipipi continued, —I came here to confess my sin, but that man (Rewi) tells me that lam absolved. lam therefore restored, and I am freed from my oath. Henere, a Ngatiraukawa, said he would like to keep on good terms with the King party, but that he was afraid that if he showed any active partizanship, he would not have a shirt to his back. Tarapipipi called out —I quite agree with you; lam in the same position. Te Hira made a short and very temperate speech, expressive of his desire to be at peace, but he did not allude in any way to the question of land-selling, Ac. Te Ngakau, in reply to W. Maihi, said that the Arawa was one cause of the trouble to the Island. " That they had opened the twelve gates on the East Coast," referring to the part they had taken with us. Te Ngakau also made allusion to the Arawa obtaining favours from the Government. Matene Te Kuaki replied, that the Arawas' impression was in the other direction. The opinion had been expressed by some of his friends, that the Government lavished its favours on the people who had been in rebellion. W. Maihi reminded Te Ngakau of some of his own land transactions, —that while he was telling the people to abstain from selling and leasing land, he was himself receiving money from Europeans. To bring the matter home to him, he asked him if he remembered Manukatutahi, and the money he had received on that place. This home thrust put an end to Tc Ngakau's speaking. Wahanui became spokesman on the other side. Wahanui said that he did not see how the Governor and Tawhiao could work cordially together ; they had both been shedders of blood, so that he thought it necessary for a third party to step in between ; but where could such a party be found ? Aporo (tho man punished for stealing the Government printing press), and two other younger men, spoke in the same manner. From inquiries I made, I found that these men are more or less imbued with Te Whiti's doctrines. One of their ideas is to set aside the authority of the chiefs, and for the "Tekaumarua" (which does not always mean twelve individuals), to take tho direction of matters in their own hands. It would appear that this feeling is gaining ground, a circumstance very much to be regretted, as it is much easier to deal with chiefs of rank, rather than a number of lowborn schemers. Te Ranapia, of Tauranga, said that he and his people would have nothing to do with the King party ; that he had hoped that a permanent peace was to be established, but instead of which it was the old thing over again. Wahanui replied, that the Governor and the King were men of blood. Who was to make peace between them. He however added that if there was no peace existing the several tribes w-ould not be now meeting face to face. After a few words from Te Ngakau, the business of the meeting w-as said to be concluded. This announcement took every one by surprise, inasmuch as it was understood that the question of the Niho-o-te-kiore Bridge and the defection of the Ngatiraukawa were to be discussed. I can only account for the sudden termination of the meeting by the fact, which must have been as apparent to tho Waikato King party as it was to the bystanders, that their avowed sentiments were