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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 8, 30 August 1856, Page 1

It is our intention to furnish our native readers from time to time with articles on ancient and modern history in order that they may become acquainted with the history of other nations of the world, from the earliest stages to the present time. Those articles we have reason to hope will be interesting to the natives, by showing how other nations that have been in a state of barbarism have progressed in civilization and improvement, and we trust that among the many young New Zealanders who are able to read, they will instead of spending their time in idleness devote some portion of it to the reading of this history at their several pas and settlements in order that old and young may learn something to their advantage ; there are many evenings and wet days on which this can be done without interfering with other useful employments. The Maori Messenger is printed, and circulated for the diffusion of useful knowledge

among the New Zealand tribes, and we shall not overlook the propriety of introducing, as we have recently done, some biographical sketches of the New Zealand chiefs. In the present number there is a short memoir of the celebrated chief Kanibtakirau and also a notice of ihc great Chief of YVaikato, Potatau te Wherowhero. In our last number, there was a notice Of the war with that great nation Russia having terminated after a long and protracted struggle, and the declaration of peace has been the cause of great rejoiciug to all the powers who were .engaged in the war, even at Auckland,,where the Governor_proclaimed a holiday to be kept on Wednesday the August, on which day the troops under Colonel Wynyard were to be seen going through their military j exercise, the band cheerfully playing, ihe j guns firing, all the shops-closed, and theday by all classes as a general holiday. We wish ihe New Zealand tribes who have been fighting at the East Coast, Taranaki, and Pay of'lslands, would also have a holiday among themselves, and discontinue fighting by which they can gain nothing but a loss of their numbers .already diminishing by deaths and other natural causes without adding to the numbers by the horrible process of killing each other. The attention of the natives should be directed to the construction of better houses for themselves, to the fencing and improvement oflheir land, to the.growing of wheat and other crops, and to Ihe training of their young people in habits of frugality, industry and peace, which is a more certain means of causing them to be great men than by indulging in iiabils of idleness, which breed discontent, .poverty and various other evils that may be easily avoided by taking advice in time. Above all, the young people should endeavour, whenever they have an opportunity, to become acquainted with the English language, and then they would be able to read our books, to know our laws, and a great many other things that would tend much to their advancement. We are glad to state lhat.a quarrel that has existed for some time between two of the Ahuriri Chiefs te Hapuku and te Moananui has been amicably settled. The origin of this quarrel, like many others of a similar nature, among the Maories, arose from some petty

jfealousy between these two Chiefs; and as frequently happens parlies of idle talkers were in the habit of going from one pa to the other carrying false tales of what each of those chiefs said against* the other. Were it not for these idle talebearers, no difference' between those two Chiefs would exist, as they have 100 much of the Rauru tangata tahi feeling to allow of petty jealousy to create a serious difference between them, and we hope we shall never again* hear of their having a fresh quarrel, and that the idle tale tellers who promote such quarrels, will betake themselves to some more profitable occupation. The Erin, schooner, belonging to te Hapaku, a fine fast sailing vessel, is in Auckland harbour with a cargo of potatoes from Ahuriri.