PEHI GRANTS PEACE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 254, 19 April 1865, Page 3

PEHI GRANTS PEACE.

To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross.

Sin—l see by the Weekly News , March 11, that the friendly natives at Wanganui have gained some considerable advantage over the rebels at that place, and in consequence there has been great glorifying, and speechifying, and flag presenting and all that sort of thing, just as was to be expected. Old Pehi, it appears, having shot as many pakehas as he is able, finding ( now that something in the way of retribution seems to be approaching, proposes to wipe off all his crimes, and all their consequences also, by coolly adding perjury to the list. He proposes to take the oath of allegiance. He and his rabble of cut-throats are to thus at once, by this simple process, save themselves from the consequences of their rebellion and murderous endeavors for the destruction of the European people, their greatest benefactors, whom they have so unjustly and unprovokedlv attacked. Our native allies at Wanganui are quite welcome to gain as many victories as they please over their rebel countrymen ; as far as I am concerned I see no objection to it, hut rather the contrary ; but though as loyal subjects (pro teni) they are right in making war against the Queen’s enemies, at the desire of the properly constituted authorities and with their permission, I fancy they have travelled a little beyond their duty when they presumed to make peace. “ They went and had "a conference on Monday, which lasted that night ; that conference ended in peace.” “ Pehi having been conquered.” says Mete Kingi, “ was willing to submit and take the oath *of allegiance.” To this our friendlies agreed, and call on Mr Mantell to confirm the peace which they have made. Of course Mr Mantell must do as lie is told, and so must the Governor, for did not. old Pehi send in several guns, certain bits of whalebone, and a dog skin mat as pledges of peace ? Did not also some of his ragamuffins send in a wooden tomahawk, and a spear which had actually been used at Moutoa?—how remarkable!—the name of which spear was “ Ihuwareware,” which being translated meaneth “egregious humbug” According to my rendering, and I con tell you I am something of a Maori scholar, Mr Editor. And to crown the whole, did not Mr Churton actually perform the exploit of laying on the ground a spear, crying out in Maori, “ This is for Mr Mantell, this is for the Queen?” It is to be hoped, however, that as there appears to have been only one spear, Mr Mantell will have no difficulty* as to how the plunder is to be divided between them. I would suggest that Mr Mantell and the Queen do toss up a copper (Maoris only are allowed to pm y ;l t pitch andtbss with “ sovereigns”) to see who is to keep the entire article, to the end that it may be hung up as a monument—a monument of imbecility, stupidity, and that vacillating emasculate want of purpose, that nerveless timidity, which more than any other thing liad encouraged the natives to give way to their bloodthirsty and rapacious hankerings against us, and break out into open rebellions ; because they know from past experience that, do what they will—murder, plunder, mutilate, destroy—they can always escape at the last moment hy telling us they consent to peace, and giving ub a dogskin mat Do they not know that the highest pitch of fury that ever one of the pakeha chiefs was roused to was when a minister issued a proclamation at Taranaki, in which his wrath carried him away so far as to say - that he thought that when thev tomahawked some children, it might be probably “murder.”

Sleep then in peace, old Pehi; let no “airdrawn” sixpenny cord disturb your slumber; let no dreams of courts-martial and military executions disturb the snorings of your ruffian crew as they swelter in the stinking whare puni, for have you not given us the usual dogskin mat, and wooden tomahawk, and bits of whalebone, and several guns, as pledges of peace? And have you not declared your, intention to swear on the, Bible that you will follow this out ake, ake, ake,, be a true and loyal liegeman to her Brittannic Majesty, until you change your mind ? Sleep then in peace, old Pehi; if we took you and your rebellious mob prisoners you would eat us out of house and home, and. wo should not know what to do with you; and the Q-oveinor and the Ministers are afraid to as.yeu: richly deserve—and well you. know ifH-ttiough you cannot foiTthe lift of you

discover why they are such fools as to let you live a minute after they have caught you. W hen the present-war began, which is notwithstanding all the “doctors” say or have said on the subject, a mere outbreak of the innate bloodthirstiness and rapacity of the Maori nature, and to which they have been encouraged by the disgraceful way in which we have for years submitted to every insult and oppression which they have heaped upon us—to the pampering bribery and flattery our rulers have disgraced themselves by using towards them, all tending to One point—that of making the natives believe us a nation of cowards, to be robbed and murdered with impunity. When, I say, this war began I fancied that, taught by past experience, we should at last assume our proper place that of rulers and dictators, commanding and ordering, not negotiating with rebels (whether conquered or unconquered), and that such scenes of sickening imbecility as that recounted in the Wanyanui Chronicle would never be seen again. I find I was mistaken, and begin to give up the hope so long cherished by myself and my fellow settlers—that at last we should see the day that, defended by the law, we should no more fear our Maori tyrants, and peace and plenty would reward our labour. What hope remains when we see both the Governor and the Ministry afraid to punish our deadly enemies, afraid of the friendly natives, afraid of the rebels, afraid actually of our prisoners, and sending them back to the' gallant soldier who took them, afraid of the Aborigines Protection Society, afraid of Mrs Grundy, afraid of their own shadows! What avails the army England has sent us, and the gallant General who commands it —of what avail are our millions wasted, our lives sacrificed, our labours frustrated, wheu our rulers are shadows and their officers the nerveless shadows of a shade.

Mete Kingi said that, “ Pehi being conquered was willing to take the oath of allegiance.” Mr. Mantell said that, “as far as he was concerned, he approved of what had been done.” Mete Kingi said nothing about hanging old Pehi at all, because Mete Kingi is a friendly in more senses than one. Mr. Mantell said nothing either on the delicate subject, because he dare not. None of these Southern* Ministers, Mr Editor, dare kill our enemies ;we must look to it.—l am, &c., An Old Settles. Bay of Islands, March 28,1865. * Would Northern be any better?— Ed.