STATEMENT BY LIEUTENANTCOLONEL GORDON.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11494, 29 January 1903, Page 5

STATEMENT BY LIEUTENANTCOLONEL GORDON.

TO THE EDITOB OB THE PHKSS. Sir, —On leading "The Press" review of "The Progress of New Zealand dn the Nineteenth Century" an the paper of the 10th of January vast. —and your leader in the same paper—l fastened to get the book —so highly commended in the review, and deeply interesting reading I found it ;^ the cara and accuracy with which the subject master is collated and the literary style of the narrative being admirable in both parts. I also wished to see how tlw> chapter on the Parihaka opisoia had called forth the temperate criticism and accurate representation of the actual condition of affairs in Taranaki contained in your leader of the 10th, because I feel interested in any account of those affairs and in their culmination i.rr the Pari-li-xka, episode. I must say the chapter in question surprised me much. From the opening of the account, the author depails from the grave, impartial, accurate style becoming the historian, and adopts what appeared to me a partisan method, rising to vindtctivenees when discussing the acts, aims, and even the personality of the Hen. the Native Minister, and giving a highly picturesque rendering of the details and minor events of the episode, carryiig this same spirit into his further correspondencepublished in your columns. I am induced to correct some of the picturesque fictions, as. one having 'bad special facilities for seeing and knowing precisely what did occur, as for the purposes of the episode I was appointed adjutant, and part of my duty was to promulgate the orders and instructions of Colonel Roberts, N.Z.C., who commanded tfoe force, and to be in personal attendance on him on a>ll occasions wlien military duty required it- "ZealandiaV letters are very pithily written, and his straightforward account of what lie saw and knows varies materially from the author's 'account. He commends the author's fine command of the -English language, but not of English fadrplay and truthfulness; in the latter, of course, he is wrong— it is plain tine author wrote hastily on accurate information. In introducing Te Whiti, t3ie author cays he was in rank a chief j but Tβ Whiti was not a chief, and never had any pretension to be one—not that it matters, but it is well to correct an error- My informant was a blue blooded chief of Taranaki—and I found the fact wa» well known by all who knew the Maoris' of Taranaki. Te Whiti ■was an orator of a style co lofty nnd myetic that he tou'.A not be understood—or only in part, and with difficulty, when he made "a set speech. One coherent fragment is re-, corded by the author containing his injunction to his followers how to conduct themselves towards pakthas. "If the pnkehas flee," he said, "eirtsr not their houses, touch not their goode, slay not their lierds. My eye w over ail, and tlie thief shall not go fscathles3." His followers did, notwithstanding, do some pilfering—they stole a number of wheelbarrow's and tools used by the men in road-making, and whan anked to return them, Te Whiti raid, "com? and take them," which, by the way, the coldiers eventually did, but the thieves wei.t tealhfees. A very fine draught horse, (ifivnnment property, grazing , near the c>anp at Pungarehu, had two l«g* broken, appaicmly by the blow of an axe—and the cu-prit v.oa uhieded. Wi Waikato, a trusty adherent of Te Whiti, a fine example of a savage, whom I knew and admired for bis splendid physique, had worse luck, and did not go scathless. Wi stole one of the contractor's sheep, and killed it, but some of our men interrupted him while performing the gralloch cm his quarry, and be got three months in New Plymouth Gaol. "Zealatidia" makes one day a:lu»k>n to the frockhou-ses which are said to have been built. One single blockhouse was built, which very soon after the entirely successful issue of the operations became a school for the children of the settlers in a region where hitherto no European settler had a place. ■■ Speaking of Tβ Whiti's followers, the author saye: "None of them opposed the least resistance to arrest." I did not witness the arrest of any of the ploughmen, but those who were arreeted fcr butdLng fences across the Queen's high road, or pulling down the fences built by the soldiers along the roadside, rteieted tbeir captors strenuously, often desperately. Reference has been made in the correspondence to the report made by Colonel Robert , " shortly before the occupation of Parihaka. of the imojinence of hostile ooJliuicn with the Mapiis. The Ifttter erected -a fence

apparent purpose of cultivating it, there . bein-g lots of acknowledged nativo land adjoining it, uncultivated. The soMiere, ns . usual," removed this fence, and the Maori?, in a highly excited state, proceeded to restore it. Their gestures were most violent and threatening* accottipaaie.d by the eustornery yells, roiling of the eyes, protrusion iff the tongue, etc. A goodly number o£ women urgvd the men on to bolder deed* in a- manner which I believe is customary on such occasions, but decidedly unfeminine. The soldiers actually dealing with the fence had no arms in their Jwukls, and they eagerly waited the word to Again renwve tilt , fenct, but Colonel Roberta called off the dog* of wi'.r. to the intent** chagrin of tlie «a;d dog.s. That w:is the only occasion on which 1 observed any xtraining on the leash. In tho ptory of the march to Parihaka the author is truly romantic. The "old while house" whs a grey troop horse of the constabulary, an excellent horse, young and-sou:>.-.i. «nd I am sure tho readers of the boo!; will itdjudga the testimony of that "eye witness"' to be bathos. "The <soldiers strained on the kv..sh.'' etc.. etc., may be bracketed with fiw testimony of tJw* "eye witness." Tlie poetic vi.Mon of the horde of ta;too?d warriors who ought to have met the troops—dancing tlie. wild haka and hurlling cspeaivi of di'-fiunce—vii; entertain tlioso who know something of -Maori lore. , The story of tlie 200 little children i? picturesque, hut utterly without foundation, as is thai, of their mothers and ttte 500 loaves, and the peremptory order to'tiio men to refiKw the peace-oiiVring was not netTiwary. A few young women, prettily drcsjifd in bright colonic, were amusing thenwdves skipping with ropes near the entr.iiKK; to ihe village., and two of them playfully held their ropes in front of Rome at the Mildieiw, who ni<«>pe<l under it. The Mitori men wero sitliug in the mane all silent. Air Bryce did not outer tJie village, but ordered the Riot. Act to be read. On the morning of tlia Sth November, in pursuance of my- duby. I circulated ait orCer by Colonel Roberts that no man was to firo a. shot under any circumstances without order*. Wlien Major Take entered the nwrae with his selected men, who lett their carbines outside. Colonel Roberts stood on top ol v sort of rhed. overlooking the niarue, with a flat top or roof of rough bush sticks, from which lie could sr# the whole of the m;u,i« and everybody in it. I stood there also. Major Tuke did not give tho blustering order attributed to him,Or indeed any order to his men generally—they had their 'instructions before they went in. In arresting Te Whiti Major Tuke epofce to him kindly and gently. It ie bootless to discuss hypotheses now —still " Zealand ja ". informs us that some fierce viragos .lid spit defiance—and nothing happened. No "pilagingand burning" occurred. Mr Bryce (here alluded to in a very unbecoming manner) did not '•gravely thank the army," etc., etc.-—did not "iharangue the soldiers," etc., etc. " Zealaodia" hnn told ns all about the clever elusion of the vigilance of the outposts by the specials of the "Lytteiton Times."' I knew nothing of their "solemn arrest." but one of them told me that h* and a couple of others were in ft whara a few feet from where Colonel Roberts stood when the arrests were made, »ii;d where they had spent the previous night in waiting. Able-bodied men searched the wharea for arms; only guns and rifles were taken—no meres, taiauos, tikis or ornaments were removed; one ■singlo tomahawk, mounted on a long handle, was taken. Natives who did not belong to the village or district, and co had no Lawful business to reside there, were taken and deported, tuid their whsires pulled dlown. The story of the difficulty or impossibility of identifying these aliens, and their consequent seizeure en Woo m ornamental and misleading. Gfcrefol arrangement for identifying by name —tribe and local habitation, each man, woman, and child, before they were taken, had be«n made, the process being a very interesting one to witness, and large numbers of these intruders were epeedily on the march for their proper locations, and were treated with all possible kindness , and consideration. Among general orders published on SfcU November, 1881, the following occur :-— "'No. 4. The order prohibiting men from entering Maori wharfs or mixing yrith, the natives in any way must, be strictly observed." "No. 5. Whares, fences, potato pit* wad; native property generally must be itepecied." And on the 7th November:—"No. 2. Representatives of the press axe permitted to visit the different camps, but not -to enter the settlement of P&rinafea. , . ' Noa. 4 and 5 of 6th November were merely reminders for the attention of the volunteers. Tlnra ended for ever this turbulent) crneute of the natives, and commenced an era of progress, contentanent, and prosperity for both races on the Taranaki er>aet. The result proclaimed triumphantly tl» wisdom of the dear-*ight*d etatenwuvxliip and firmness of the Notmi Minister, wliich worked accurately in every detail to the desired consummation. BeoMUW .we were strong and they were weak, no • hitch, collision, or bloodshed occurred. The author quotes the utterance of a •tatemnan - of universally acknowledged genius, who foresaw murder in the Tesult of the Minister's policy, but in thie cam even hi* prescience w'ae at fault, except indeed ttwb Taishtorough revealed to him the adweb . of tlie coming historian. You, Sir, h*v» to the conviction of everyone {but periuqw, the author) confuted the fallacM* in the narration of the political diplomacy which referred to the Parihaka incodent. Future reatlere of the history may, periwpa, perceive that for a few pages only tie dignified impartiality, of the historian yielded to the impulse of partisan and pewooul feeling, wmething after the nature of a email run amok* and deploce, thai the ' pages could not have been .eraeed and • jralimpsest in the author's normal rtyl* have been impressed inetead.—.Yours,- •«*«., H. GORDON. Chrietchurch, Jansiary 28th.