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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume III, Issue 4, 30 April 1857, Page 1

His Excellency Governor Gore Browne, accompanied by the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, the Native Secretary, and Licut. Shipley of the 58th Regt., has recently returned from a visit to tho Waikato and Vv aipa Tribes. The Governor and party left Auckland on Monday the 15th of April, and reached the banks of the Waikato the same evening : where Tc Whcrowhcro's son, Maiuia ra Te Tapuke, was wailing with tents pitched, canoe and crew ready, to convey His Excellency up the Waikato. On the J 4th, encamped at a small place of Te Tapuke's, two miles below Rangiriri. On the 1 ;ith, called at Waitnin, where Pene Te Wharepu, the chief of that place, and Tc Kcreihi gave His Excellency and parly a kind reception. In the evening,

reached Tonpiri, Mr. Ashwell's station, J where ihe following day was spent in ex- j i amining the Native School, which is so well! i I conducted by the zealous and indefatigable missionary at that place. j On the 17th, proceeded r.p the river; calling at Takerei's settlement, the Wakapaku. The Chief himself was absent on a visit to the r\gatimaniapoto Tribe. Tarahawaiki and Paratene received his Excellency j with cordiality. These chiefs expressed their anxiety to have a simple code of regulations or laws for the better government of their own people at the different villages on the Waikato; —and a hope that his Ex- i I cellency would appoint an English Magis-j trate to preside over and direct them in ad-j ministering justice in their local courts.; They assured his Excellency of their wil-j hngness to aid such a functionary in carrying out and enforcing the judgments of such ! courts; which should be "held periodically,; or as frequently as occasion might require! \ The same desire to have laws was ex- j pressed by the people of Whatawhata, where j liis Excellency encamped on the evening ofj the 17th. The Whatawhata village is °sir.- * uated on the banks of the Waipa f the Na-1 tives there appear very industrious; they) have large slacks of wheat, well secured! from cattle-trespass by good fences, and a considerable breadth of iand under cultivation. Old Pohepohe, the Chief, a man of great rank and influence, had removed from Whatawhata to the Maungalaulari district. On the 18th, after a smart paddling, in-1 tCiTupied occasionally by Korcros on the 1 part of the pullers wiih curious bvstanders, i who peeped out from their Pas to inquire) after news and gossip, we reached Tcßore! at 2 p.m.; whore the Kev. Mr. Morgan and ! some natives were wailing, with horses and ; a dray, to convey the party to Oiawhao. ] We were met and welcomed bv Wire;iui; Tceloe and his people, at one of his villages' on the road to Mr. Morgan's. ° ; On Monday morning, the 20ih, his Ex- 1 cellency held a meetii.'g near Mr. Morgan's church with Porokoru Titipa, Te Katea, Tc

TTeuheu of Taupo, and other chiefs. The substance of Lhe speeches made then, (willi the exception of Te Ileuheu's,) was that they "were glad to welcome the Governor to Waina : that they hoped to live as one people with the English ; and trusted that the Governor would always continue to lake a friendly interest, in their welfare. Te ileuheu's was a rambling, incoherent speech; in which he alluded to the European treatment of himself and oilier high Chiefs, who:: vis'ning the English towns. He complained that they were not shewn the same hospitality, as the Maories were in the habit of alTonling to all Europeans, poor and rinh ; that the White men treated Chiefsand slavesali alike, and kicked or drove them out of their houses as if they were no better than dogs. £!is Exce'.-eney informed the Chiefs that it would always be his aim and desire to prom ite harmony and good will between the Europeans and Natives in ih«*e Islands: —that he desired tha! justice should be fairly and impartially administered, without distinct! on of colour or of race:—that much would depend upon the friendly co-operation of the chiefs themselves, in farthering any measures that might be adopted for their elevation and improvement:—that it would al ways afford him great pleasure to hear from them by letter, or have persona! interviews with them on any subject I'nev wished to bring under notice : that they should not brood ever imaginary wrongs or evil; but should frankly communicate with him, ia order that any grievances of theirs might be promptly enquired into and redressed. i ill reference to Te Tien hen's remarks, his Excellency observed that it would Le weii for him to " take the beam out of his own eye," before he complained of the "■ mote in his brolhers;" that it was net always easy to distinguish the chiefs from slaves, on aecouot of similarity in dress and appearance; iha', \:i finding fa i\i with Europeans, he should remember that his own tribe were not exempt iVom blame: that there were good and bad men in all communities and that very recently some cf Te ileuheu's own people were gui!:y of st"aiing from the Englihii, who had given them no cause of o-Teace. After a few observations from the ciiie's, —in which they concurred in 1:1s Excellency's remarks, —the meeting dispersed. At 12 o'clock !m Excellency an;] sni'e rode up by lhe L\ kapekaran road to Ilangiawiiia ;--a:i i, on ascending lhe first hlii in

sight of the village, llie natives tired a volley | of musketry, which was continued until j within a few yards of an archway at the entrance of the village, which was decorated with green boughs, with the English flag flying in the centre. On each side of this entrance double files of well-dressed Natives, wiih muskets in hand, were stationed, and the Rev. Messrs. Garavel and Powell, accompanied by the good old Chief, iioani Capita, presented an address of welcome to his Excellency, whose reply was read by the ISative Secretary:—the address and "reply will be found in another part of this number. In passing on to the Rev. Mr. Caravel's a loud song of welcome, accompanied by a waving of shawls and bhnkets was got up by a group of natives, headed by the chief Hori le Warn, whose part of the settlement, — (after calling at the Rev. J. Caravel's) Ills Excellency visited ; and was received by the Natives there with three hearty English cheers, and afterwards conducted to a wellfinished Native house, belonging to Munu where a plentiful repast of roast and boiled fowls, roast pigs, fresh eels, and vegetables, well-baked bread, tea, and other food was provided. The chiefs requested Bis Excellency to accompany them to see their young men ploughing, as a proof of the advantages they were deriving from the aid afforded to them bv the Government to enable them to procure ploughs, cai'ts and other agricultural implements. The cordial welcome which His Excellency received at Rangiaohia, combined with the neat tidy well-diessed appearance of the inhabitants, and their evident advance, as distinguished from many other tribes, will not i'ail to make a iasiing impression on all Europeans and natives who were present on this occasion. After spending a day in visiting M?. Battle's station, and other places on the Waipa, I!is Excellency returned by way of Kirikiriroa, to Taupiri; and on the following morning, reached YVaitulu; whereTe YVherowhero and other influential chiefs had a long and interesting conference, at which ihey urgently requested that the Governor w r ould appoint an English Magistrate for the Waikato District:—and cause a simple code of laws to be framed for the belter administration of justice amongst them. Te "YVherowhero, —notwithstanding his age and declining strength, spoke with great vigorand exhorted the natives to look up

lo the Governor as iheir best fi ieni ; not to be swayed by designing men, nor led by false reports, to refrain from placing llie utmost coniidenee in her Majesty's representaliue, and a firm reliance on the faith oi'tiie British Government. His Excellency assented to the appointment of a Magistrate, and lo the framing of a simple code of laws; observing ;it the same time that he hoped the Natives Were sincere in their professed desire lo obey those laws, wnen introducedthat hitherto some of ihem had refused to recognize the English Saws as applicable to themselves ; but, as ihey pow seemed desirous to have a code of laws, it would afford him great satisfaction to endeavour to meet their views in this matter.