WELLINGTON.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 9, 20 June 1848, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Wellington, May 4, 1848. Sir,—lt was with no small amount of surprise and deep regret, that I read in your paper of the 26th ult. the statement, that the principal chief of Hanky's Bay, (an*i, in fact, of the whole district between that place andTurakirae,) Te Hapaku, had supplied the chief Tc Rangihaeata with both arms and ammunition. I was stnyrwerf—al though prepared from l«ng experience to hear the natives evil-spoken of—such a Btatement is altogether enoneoua, (as I hope presently to show) : I was (and must necessarily be) grieved, because sueb news (b eked up b? your editorial remarks) is of a nature notmly to alarm the quiet settler in the out-stttions, but to make him view every little movement of the natives however inoffensive with distrust and anxiety—to cause both the Government and the friends of our mother-country to fear, th«t war is again abwut to buist forth upon the colony —and to excite such powerful chteft aa Te Hapuka and liis friends (seeing that they are continually misrepre scntcd) into collision with the Government, or, at least, to cause those native chiefs to entertaiu a worse cpiuion of us than they have already. I hive stated my belief in the falseness of such information : and this I will now endeavour satisfactorily to shew. < In several occasion? during the last (wo years, while conversing with Te Hapuki, I shewed him the folly of aiding Te Rangihaeata in any way—with men, arms, or auimuuition; and I was glad to find, tbat he agreed in general in what I said. On my return journey from this place in November last, I heard, that Te Rangihaeata intended if possible to effect an alliance with the Ngatikahungonu tribe, and to retreat upon the neighbourhood of Hawke's Bay, by nay of the Jlanawatu river. I consulted with some of the most iufluet.tial ehiefe; and, having gained their consent, ], before I got home, sent him word, that he was upon no account to pass Te Apiti. Early in January, a messenger from Te Ringihaeata to Te Hapaku arrived at VVataku, (the village of the latter chief, and near to my station) bringing with him two red and two white blankets as a present to Te Hapnku, and a request to assist Te Rangihaeata with arms and ammunition. A meeting of chiefs was Leld, and several professing Christian chiefs, beaded by Leonard Te Kawepo my native teacher, spoke strongly against it. I was very ill at the time, but I sent to Te fiapuku to remind him of his promise and to encourage him adhere to the same. And, a day or two after, Mr. master of the whaling station at C«pe Kidnapper, calling upon me, I mentioned the circumstance to him, upon which he went to see Te Hapuku, and also advised him to comply with the request of Te Rungibaeata. Te Rangihaeata'a messenger outaint d nothing whatever from Te Hapuku tu return for his blankets, save some native mats, iiut on 1m leating Wataku ; and arriving at Raukawa at the end of bis first day's journey, one otTe Hapuku's men, who had escorted him thus far, took upon himself to say ta 1e Waerenga, aa old man (one of the distant relations of Te Hapuku, formerly a Papist, but new a heathen) living in the village of Raukawa, thatTe Hapuku had said, he was to give Te Rangimessenger a musket, —and thus he obtained one for him. The next day Te Rangihacata's messenger resumed hi» journey, and le Hapuku's men returned to the-r oa their rescuing AVatahu and relating what had taken place, Te Hapuku became greatly enraged, and calling for one of his moic courageous adherents (Hemi Kepa Te Uranga), ordered him directly to purine Te Rangihaeata's messenger, and to , follow him day and night until he should overtake hitn when he was to take away and bring back the musket. U. Kepa overtook him at Te Waipakurua village, i where, with the assistance of Paul Te Nera, aud George Oneone (Christian chief*), and Matlhuw Meke the native teacher, the musket was taken frum him. H« begged hard to be allowed to retain, at least, the c°ck, bat this was refused ; he then entreated to have the ramrod given back, and lastly the screw Or the

Game, just lo show to his chief, but he pleaded in Tain; Hemi Kepa brought buck the muikct to Te Hspntcu. m I left tny station, on my u<ual autumnal jmrney throughout my district, on the 23rd of March; up to which time no other persons had came to Hcreiaungii fromTcßangihaeata. I came hy the way of the titer Manawatu; and left Ngnawapurua (a village a little above Te ApHi, and the only route by which messengers from Te Rangihaeata could possibly travel towards Hawke's Bay,) on the sth ult., some natives of my patly who had remained at Ngaawapurua, left that place and came on after me to the village were 1 then was; up to which date no strancrers had passed up the river. On the 10th ult. I anally left the Manawatu district, when my Christian friends, Paul To Meta and Matthew Meke, and others, returned to Heretauoga by the same route by which wc had come. And on my arrival hero, I found a letter from home, from Mrs. I Calenso, dated the 14ih ult., (on which (by too, i believe, the G;ip*y sailed tram Ahum:,) which, while it gives mc full 'iniormntion concerning the natives at my statiou and neighbourhood, contains not a syllable respecting the arrival thereof •'twenty-five of IvaUaihaeat s followers, and their subsrquent returning loaded with arms and ammunition! I"—An event which, if irne, would have necessarily caused no littlo stir in the neighbourhood. But 1 may further add, such could not possibly have been the case because there was not time for a party to pass from Te Apiti to Hawke's Bay (deducting the days in which the rain poured in torrents) duriue; the 6hort period which elapsed between my leaving Manawatu and the sailing of the Gypsy from Abuiiri. Further, Mr Editor, allow me to soy, that you are not quite correct iu stating," that a laige quantity of arms and ammunition, obtained from the wreck of the American brig Fulco is known to be in the possession ofTeHnpuku." i'or, none of the principal chiefs of Ahuriri nor their followers were at Table Cape at the time of the wreck of the Palms and those natives who did reside there at that time, and who were concerned in that matter, and who subsequently migrated south to Heretaunga with their ill-gotten property, restored, last autumn, the whole of what they had left to mc, some few, however, of them had, at my request, formerly returned what tllty had to Mr. Perry Tabic Capo, (prior to their leaving that place,) comprising, among many other tluugs, muskets, powder, ball, and bayonets.

1 pass by the mysterious shrouding (so to speak) of the aflair—the departing from Heretaungaof the twrntyfiva armed men by nightl—as being utterly unworthy of notice. It being well -known that the New Zealandcrs have a strong natural antipathy to night travelling —and most particularly so where such is altogether needless. You, also, (in the leading article of the number of yourpaper containing the information which is the subject of the present letter,) speak of ** the natives as possessing the inclination to disturb the public peace, out as wauling the power to do so/' I trust. Sir, that you miy never have to chronicle the rising-in-arms of the Agatikahungunu tribe ;—an evil, compared with which all that has hitherto happened, both North and South, would appear as mere child's play* For, at once the sword of wax is drawn in that quarter and ngains; that powerful tribe, you may be assured of this, that the arWeof the natives upon thy Eastern coast, from the Kast Cape and inland to T.iupa, inclusive, may ho considered as united against the Government. Knowing, as I do, the state of the native mind—the keen feeling of the first-rank native chiefs when falsely j accused—and the absolute need of straniugevery none l just now in order to preserve among us the blessings of i peace— I could not conscientiously leave Pallitcr Bay (where I first siw your paper) lor Wellington, and allow these natives v.lio was then on their way towards | Hcretauuga with your news to depart without my i writing a note to Te Hapuku upon the matter, a copy of which I su join, and which you are at perfect hbmty to publish. I dare indulge a hope that I may possibly fjei nn answer from him ere I leave this neighbouri hood. And further, and in conclusion. I would oner more beg to be allowed to say—that, if ever peace b to be permanent anions us—if ever this (hitherto unfortunate) colony ia to flourish—it must surely be through a very different policy than that of laying hr Id ol every thing in the shape of news that will " teti" against the natives, and thus needlessly csaspera ing the native mind. If we and they are to dwell quietly together—if toe really possess an intellect superior to theirs.—and if we vaunt ourselves in beiog Englishmen—the descendants of a Christian nation the growth ol nearly eighteen ceaturits—let us show our superiority, and evidence our desire to live peaccaUy with them, in ou 4 possessing a little of that pure and genuine philanthrophy which thinkcth no evil—beareth aU things—and never fai!eth; otherwise our little children may yet become our teachers (or their cbi'drtn hand down their forefathers' deeds to the succeeding generation) when they admontshiogly sing—--11 None but a madman would fling .about fire And tell you—'tis all but ia sport." 1 am, Sir, Yoor most obedient servant, W. COLENSO, Resident Missionary at Ahuriri,