SYDNEY TAIWHANGA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1005, 26 July 1883, Page 4

SYDNEY TAIWHANGA.

Tilt'HawkS s Bay Ha aid of the 28 th ult., gives a most amusing account of an open air meeting, held by Sydney Taiwhanga, in Napier. He had with, him a book filled with clip-pings.-from European and colonial newspapers,' another containing the Treaty of Waitangi, a history of England containing the text of Magna Charts, and a volume of proceedings of the Aboriginies’ Society, from all of which he quoted largely. Sydney first addressed the Maoris. The Maoris, he said, had certain grievances which they'wanted redressed, and it was his object to teach them to do so lawfully, and hot by force—that “ the pen was stronger than the sword.” For forty years the Maoris had tried the sword, and|bad been beaten, and lost their lands into thebargain; it would have been better if they had taken the pen in band at first He urged upon the natives the necessity for being united, for without unity they would be weak, and would never get what they asked for; as the pakeha proverb said, “ Unity is strength.” If they kept within the law they were sure of redress. But that redress, would not be obtained from the Colonial Government—no fear, not if they tried for a thousand years. All he asked for was fair play between man and man, black or white. There were plenty of rumors about his character which were put in the papers. There was a law of libel and for defamation of character; the newspaper men should remember that. He treated those statements about him with contempt. Taiwhanga then proceeded to read a letter he had received from the Aboriginies’ Preelection Society while in England. A lively altercation then took place between Sydney and Messrs Grindell and Locke, in which the latter accused Sydney of surveying five acres for fifteen, and of including a whole Maori population and children yet unborn in a list of children attending his school! Sydney retorted that it was a case of the kettle calling the pot black. He then went on to say that he had his license as surveyor taken away because he opposed the land'sharks, and L3OO worth of instruments “ went to pot.” As to the school returns, he was told that all grown up people were interested in education, and even children unborn, so he counted them all. The meeting at this point suddenly broke up.