SPEECH OF APERAHAMA TAONUI.
"I will speak first let old men listen while youth speaks; should I make an error, 1 was invited. I will tell you one thing in English History; it is related that England had a King who was an ill tempered man, who by his evil doings-made dark the hearts of his people. The Barons of England (thai is the Chiefs of those days as we are now of New Zealand) met and demanded of this King certain terms which they required him to sign, some of which were that every man should enjoy his own property, and that the Chiefs of the King should nut lake any thing by force, unless the law allowed it. This document which the King signed was called "Magna From this has come all England's" gooariSow, if we Chiefs agree to any thing this night in this assembly, we might call it "MaggajCJtoaul' to complain of, evils to cry over. Let us be of one mind and the Governor will answer us kindly and give us our wish. Let us give up our native mode of administering Law. Lei no drunkenness be known amongst us. *m***v~Let all quarrels be settled according tolbe good laws of Euglandl—let us ask for the old Land Claims to be surveyed, so that two good things may result from it. First, if they are surveyed now, ye old Chiefs who sold the La/id will be able to point out the exact boundaries and thereby prevent any quarrel arising out of ignorance on this mailer. And second, if these lands are surveyed the Government will show them lo Europeans who may wish to buy land, and so induce white men again to live amongst us. It is our own evils which have caused Europeans to leave us. Ye old men have said in your Meeting you would put evil from amongst you, and that you would judge and punish all offenders of the law. Let me ask, if we. young Chiefs break the Laws of EngTandT we of course shall be punished, but if one of you old Chiefs ofifejfd, whom we all look upon as sacred, tell me what man amongst us will dare to punish him who has age to
«,protect, birth to uphold, and Tribes to con?tend for bim ? Will you agree with us young men, that if one oT you offend and are found guilty, you will obey the Laws as though you were .common men? If you do not, all your words to the Governor are but idle ;talk. These are the words of a young man. Let others now speak.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MMTKM18560531.2.9
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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 5, 31 May 1856, Page 14
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440SPEECH OF APERAHAMA TAONUI. Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 5, 31 May 1856, Page 14
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