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Evening Star, Issue 3821, 24 May 1875, Page 2

We team from the Auckland ‘ Evening Star * some particulars with respect to the Maketu meeting between Rewi and other kingite chiefs trom |Waikato. The peculiar views held by some of these chiefs with regard to the position or England are somewhat amusing, so also is • wh s °f his relations with the Oolomal Government. The Government, he said, had been bothering him for eight years to make peace; but he had refused to do anything of the kind unless the laud was returned to him. oir Donald M‘Lean, however, had apparently seen the error of his and the Government s ways, and had promised to return the land to him ; accordingly Rewi was able, without any sacrifice of dignity, to attend a meeting at which the Arawas (vwo have always be* u friendly to tue Rakeha) were present. It

appears that ReW! rated the Arawas soundly for loving money, for drinking, and for being profligate. As far as we can judge from the report of his speech, Rewi himself and his party have no faults, these being entirely confined to those who hold different views from his own. But the part of his speech which more immediately interests ourselves is that iu which he declares that before long the Pakeha will be glad enough to £et protection from the Maori king. Our readers will probably feel somewhat re-assured when they learn the reasons which have induced Rewi to come to this conclusion. They are these The Waikato people have been informed that other nations a, 'o arming against England, and in the second place tho Europeans at the Sandwich Islands are already under the Government of a Maori king. It is not probable that the Waikatos have any better means than those which are within our own reach for ascertaining what is going on in Europe. We may probably therefore feel tolerably sure that it is not likely that we shall have to appeal to the Maori King, for protection, at least not yet a while. It appears, nowever, that Rewi’s eloquence had but little effect in the way of convincing the Arawaa. o*l® Henahe Tb Pukuatua dealt with Rewi much in the same way as the uitra-Conserva-tives should he dealt with always. This Chief pointed out that they themselves had fared very well under the English Government, while they noticed that those who were under the King seemed to get no particular benefit from his rule. It was therefore impossible for them to avoid believing that no matter how ancient and respectable the King theory might bo, the anti-King” practice answered infinitely better, i seem, if we may judge f om the report lhat Rewi’s mission can hardly be sa ; d to have been a very successful one. He was told that he was welcome to Maketu as a friend, but not as an agent of the King.