TE KOOTI AND THE KING NATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1162, 3 November 1871, Page 2

TE KOOTI AND THE KING NATIVES.

A telegram appears in ilie Auckland Morning News, Oct 30, as follows: — " fctewi Maniopoto lias written io the Government, ordering them to desist from chasing Te .Kooti, and stating that he intends to go put next month with a party, and biipg Te Kooti and the remnant of his followers to Tokangamutu and protect them." Referring to the above the editor writes : "7t will be in the 1 ecollection of many that Mr Creighton asked Mr M'Lean on the 6th Oct, whether it was true that Te Kooti, as reported by telegram that day, had been reinforced by one hundred Waikatos, and that an expedition had started out in pursuit of him. Mi? M'Lean's reply to this was decidedly in the negative, but in other respects, as reported in Hansard, it was somewhat like Mr M'Lean now to be asked another question, namely, whether Rewi Maniopoto has written to Government, ordering rhem to desist from chasing Te Kooti, and stating their intention to go out next week with a party, and bring him ami the remnant of his followers to Tokangamutu, and protect them. This is confidently stated here, aud it has, we believe, not only been communicated by the natives orally, but has formed the subject of a telegraphic message. From this, we should be led to infer that native matters are not by any means so quiet as we have been led to expect, and that complications may arise shortly of which we had no conception. Whatever others may think of the matter, Kewi Maniopoto, the King's great fighting chief, does not seem to look upon Te Kooti as a myth, but as a y eritable personage that can be played off agaiust the Government whenever they wish. At present we do not wish to push the matter further, and the less so as we shall be sure to hear more about it from Wellington shortly. As to the facft itself we speak with the utmost certainty, a n d 0iu * on lj anxiety is to know what the Government intend to do in this case. Will they suffer themselves to be bearded with impunity ? If so, it is easy to see in which way native affairs are managed, and on what principles we are governed.

As bearing upon the above, we find that in the House of Representatives on the 31st Oct, Mr Gillies asked if it was true that Maniopoto had written to the Government ordering them to de sist from chasing Te Kooti. —Mr M'Lean said he had received a communication from Maniopoto of a friendly character, and also a communication from a member of the King party, Manuheri, with whom the Government had lately declined to hold any communication, on account of his tion with the murder of Mr Todd. Hqwever he had re opened communication himself, and sent a me-senger desiring that his Excellency the Governor and himself, as a member of the Government, should visit their territory. Both he and Rewi were anxious that terms should be come to with the Government. It was not stated that Maniopoto was going to help Te Kooti. The fact was that whenever a difference occurred between Rewi and Maniopoto, the latter was always in the habit of saying that he was going to help Te Kooti. He could assure the House that that was done in no unfriendly spirit to the Government, or from any desire to make any hostile demonstration towards the Government. The fact of the making of a friendly advance to the Government was a pretty good indication that the isolation kept up by that tribe is likely to be overcome. There was a good deal of rumor going about on the matter, but there was in reality no hostile spirit.