JOURNAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 292, 18 August 1855, Page 6

JOURNAL.

"July 16 —Addressed the following letter to j Governor Wynvard, in consequence of the arrival of part of the Ngatirnanui, who have taken possession of one of the stockades of the Kai- j pakopako, which was erected for them hy Wiremu Kingi and his adherents a few days ago. This is the man who not only engaged to keep aloof himself, but to do his utmost to prevent the southern tribes from joining Katatore. The evidence adduced by the Natives against this Waitara chief and his Puketapu, companion, if at all correct, proves them both to he most execrable villains, leagued together against the best interests of the settlement—and yet they are'treated by some persons as if they were our only friends! [Copy.] 'Taranaki, July loth, 1855. Sabbath Evening. To His Excellency The Officer Administering the Government. Sir, —As I have just heard that a speeiarmessengev is to he sent off tomorrow morning, I beg to forward you a few lines, in addition to the regular despacthes which you will receive from the officers of Government. _ Perhaps it is my duty, as the Resident Missionary of this district, to apprise your Excellency, in reference to our Native disturbances, that they are now advancing lo that point which we have foreseen from the commencement, and to provide against which, we have also from the very beginning, earnestly requested that a protective force should be'sent to this Province, for the defence of the European settlement! O'.ving lo unexpected circumstances, and the power of various influences, this crisis has very fortunately been prolonged to the present lime'; not that the danger has been less, but that the opportunity of obtaining relief has thus been providentially lengthened. How much longer the reprieve may last, it is quite i ■npossible"to conjecture. Ever since your Excellency's departure from New Piymnitb, William King aud his tribe have joined all their energies and resources to those of Katatore and the other muiderers of l.awiri Waiaua,*and have manifested a continued series of hostile demonstrations against the survivor., of that lamented chief, whose only fault was in wishing to place the Europeans in possession .if their already purchased property. Arama Karaka, who is the recognised head of the whole Pukeiapu tribe, whether residing here oral the southward has, during the same period, exercised a most beneficial influence over the movements of both parlies. Indeed, hail it not been for his very opportune arrival from Kapiii, and his wise and cautious conduct

throughout,our danger would have been greatly precipitated, and in all likelihood, our settlement destroyed. As "to his erection of a pah at the Ninia being made a cause of complaint against him by Katatore and Wiremu Kingi, it must be evident to your Excellency that that is a mere subterfuge on their part, and intended simply as a cover to those extremely malignant feelings, which on the part of the former, at first found vent in the murderous slaughter of his unarmed opponents, and which have ever siuce been manifested (and long before this pah was built) in endeavouring to cut off the remainder of llawiri's family. As to the Ninia itself, it has been erected on the very site where Arama .Kara ka and Tikiku were horn—the land all round chiefly belongs to them—and, beyond that, they have no other land unsold which they could occupy for purposes of cultivation. The halfsection where Rawivi's house stands, belongs to his widow, and not to the tribe; and the Ninia pah is moreover erected close to the spot where the slaughtered chiefs always used lo reside, and against which no objection from any party wit- ever before heard. It is, therefore, not at all likely that the greatest man in the tribe will allow himself to he dictated to by a third-rate chief like Katatore, or by strangers from the Wa'tara or Ngatirnanui districts, as to what portion of his own land he shall please to occupy as a place of future residence and cultivation. Seventy sis of the Ngatirnanui have already arrived, and others are following. They had not been here 12 hours, before they joined the aggressive party in active hostilities against the Ninia ;. and let but one of them fall in the conflict and (as in the affair at Waitara) it will bring up ihe remainder of the tribe (400), who would all have been here long since, had we iiot succeeded in dividing, their councils. There will then be more than 700 men, well supplied with ammunition, against 200, whose resources are nearly all expended. Of course under such circumstances, the fall of the Ninia must be certain ; and the quick arrival of the vanquished party in the settlement of New Plymouth, as a rallying point for their forces, must be equally so. They have no other place to flee to, and we can hardly imagine that their exasperated enemies would have sufficient moderation to deter them from following after, even though it were to the centre of the town, —for it is not yet two years since, many of them expressed serious intentions of cutting down our Flagstaff, after the manner of Hone Heke. Faun the way in which Katatore and Wiremu Kingi have deceived your Excellency, aud broken their engagements, ihere is not the least confidence to be placed in any promises of theirs, in regard to the European population, especially as they now seem to view us with such extreme contempt. As far as I can see into our difficulties, the great point now to he gained, is to secure the Ninia from being successfully assaulted by a force already very superior ; as also to prevent its occupants from leaving their stockade on any pretext whatever. We have already used the interference of argument and persuasion with both parties, and been in some degree successful. And now as a dernier resort, so as to endeavour to keep them separate, and thus gain time until your Excellency can dtv-paidi sufficient relief for the protection' of the English settlers, I intend, to-morrow, to fix my tent between the pa, and its assailants, and trust, for safety to the Providence of ihe Almighty, and the personal good will [and respect"of these much misguided people. I have the honour to remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, 11. Hanson Tuuxon. Mission House. '* In accordance with the resolution expressed in the above letter, I fixed my abode at the JSTinia on the following day. The chief's greaily objected lo my being outside the Pa, lest any accidental shots might reach the tent; as . n\Z lesl. it should be made an object ol a feint attack in the nighttime, and thus bring them into trouble and expose the Pa to unnecessary danger, when they should rush ont to ihe rescue. I therefore agreed al once, to reside within the stockade, which, after all, affords better opp-.r-.unities of maintaining discipline and of repressing the belligerent' pas-dons „f the people. As a fortress it is sln>n_rlv and scientifically built; and with 200 defenders, if well armed, , could maintain its own, a«raiust a thousand assailants. But the misfortune is, that there is 1 not much food, and very Utile powder. There-

fore, the reduction of the place by their numerous enemies, would be merely a matter of tim e . and, as in the noted captute of Pukerangiura' 20 years ago, if not relieved by others, desperation would seal their fate. They are a small band of men, but they have a good cause u> maintain, abundance of energy, and may God defend them iv the right. H. H. T.