TARANAKI.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VII, Issue 6, 31 March 1860, Page 1

TARANAKI.

Our Native readers will be anxious to hear what is going on at Taranaki. It is known to all the natives of this Island that Taranaki has been for several years the scene of many conflicts, among the natives. They quarreled about land. Some were jealous of others, and, on the slightest pretence, they fought on European and Native land. The Governor was grieved with this slate of things and told the Natives a year ago, in March,.lßs9, that he would not permit such conduct iu future, as it was destructive to the Natives themselves as a race, and very annoying to the Europeans who were living peacably upon the lands they had purchased. The Governor's earnest wish, since he came to New Zeaiand, has been 'to promote the welfare of both races, and that religion, law, and order should prevail.

All the well disposed Natives who wished for security and safety bailed these words of the Governor with great, satisfaction, and 'sincerely wished that an end should be put to all fighting for ever, and that the law alone shouid protect the weak against the encroachments of the strong, others of the Natives disregarded the Governor's words, and desired to live in their old Maori slate of war and desolation, committing disgraceful acts of murder, and spoliation of each others property. The Governor also said that each tribe should either retain or dispose of its land as deemed best by its members for their own interest. That if they had more land than they made use of, they were quite right in selling what they did not require, That he could not admit the justice of permitting any tribe to interfere with another in doing what its members thougbt proper with what was really their own, this being the law, (and a good and greailaw) of the Europeans. Two bapus at Waitara offered to dispose of a small piece jof land and, asked: the Governor if he would buy it. The Gover* nor through: Mr. McLean said, yes, if:it is ; really-, yours, and,. youJcan prove' a..good ! title itpfiti;; The people wbo;offereft to sell were the Ngatminga aud Ngatiiuaho. The old men: of these tribes said the land was reaUyiibeirvatid that; although the piece was small, they: would not offer. ;:ihore or op sjeal .other, people'&land. As ah earnest of their: intention to! dispose of their land one of thejparty,: Te Teira, placed a niat:at:ihc Governor's.feet. ..,; .; ;. - r <;i.: William Ring could not say that the land did not belong to these people, but lie did say that he. would not, allow any part of Waitara to be Solid. A long time elapsed before anything more was said about the land! =Mr» Parpis, the district land pur-

chaser of Taranaki, carefully .enquired .who were the owners; aridieingsatisfied that the jandbejdriged to the people who offered it, and whose permission William King asked before; he settled, near it, after coming from Waikariae; paid for it and heard in open daylight all that different people had to say about it. William KiDg was present, when the money, was paid, The Surveyors afterwards went to mark off the boundaries. William King told his people to send tbem quietly back. ; Afterwards the soldiers went to Waitara. The land was surveyed.. Then William King's people wished lo have a quarrel and they put op a Pah. on the land at night. They tried on. various, occasions to get the .soldiers to com-, meuce the. quarrel first, that; other tribes might sympathise with Willitm King, and say that the pakehas were wrong because tbey commenced first. The soldiers did.not heed this^.but their chief,! when;he saw a pa:built on .the Queens land sent the Natives a letter telling them togiye oyer their obsli. nacy; Uiat he had ho Svishto destroy them; that they were! very foolish l ; and that if iliey did not give iupr lie must attack their pa*. Mr. Parris took the leiteiv but they woitld not let him come near and told him, in very abusive language, to be off. Mr. Parris still begged of them, to listen to reason, as all the Natives were friends of his,, but they would not listen; The big guns were then fired a long dis-! tance from the pa. The Natives went intoj the pits greatly frightened. Some Europeans, thinking tbey had left the pa, went up close ; to it, to see, and a volley wasOred at them Oneman was wounded. A soldjeranda sailor went up to his rescue, as he fell off his horse, and the soldier was killed, the other man who was wounded lias since died, making two Europeans killed. Some of the; Natives were, wounded but none killed, At night, all the Natives left the pa, greatly frightened, and it was broken up. No more fighting has taken place at Waitara since. William King has gone to his

inland pa, and the soldiers are living in their pa. The Taranaki and Ngaliruanui tribes, who had nothing to do with this quarrel, came madly up under the pretence of joining William King. But, instead of doing so, they wished to attack the town and kill the Europeans, in imitation of what was done at Kororareka. They were advised by the Europeans not to come, but they would not listen. The first thing these people did was to murder, in cold blood, threeharmless Europeans, who were looking after their cattle without arms, and two boys were afterwards tomahawked by them. The Governor never hurt these people; he never asked for their land: he never killed one of their people; he never took any of their property. They were always treated well when they came to buy and sell in the town", * Why then should they return evil for good ? All the people in New Zealand, both European and Maori will answer. There was no reason; it was the mean cowardly act of slave tribes. Next day the Governor and Cojonel Gold, Commander of the soldiers, sent out 450 settlers, 24 sailors, and 84 soldiers, to bring in some Pakehas who were beyond the enemy. The Taranaki and Ngaliruanui people, who were 500 in number, fired upon them. Fighting then commenced, and 15 of the principal Taranaki and Ngatiruanui chiefs were killed, also a great number of Natives killed and badly wounded. There were only two Natives fighting on the side of the Pakeba, but Poharama of Ngamotu, and Mahau, of Puketapu, were ready to fight if the Chief of the soldiers bad asked them. They had 50 men with them guarding a roadway where the enemy might come.

The sailors took the Pa of the Natives, about 60 of them who landed and joined the others from the Queen's ship Niger, and killed Paora Kukutai and the people in it. The fighting did not commence till the afternoon and was given up at night. The Europeans did not again attack the Natives, although they knew they could destroy them all, but allowed them to bury their dead in p«ce. They are now going back to where they came from, crying and lamenting for their dead who will never return to them again. The Europeans only lost two men killed, and nine slightly wounded, who are doing well in hospital, the Natives could not tell the number of their people wounded, they are searching for them in the fields"; but they say themselves there are a great many. Te Hanataua of the Ngatiruanui and a large number of his tribe were killed. We give some of the names of the people we know who were buried and taken away— Taranaki Tribe— Paora Kukutai, principal chief Paratene te Kopara Perere Pakau Taraia Tahana Ngeu Hatawira Ruakeri Wata Tirua Raianabia Tui Hapurona Nikau Kereapa Taurite. Ngatiruanui— Teßei Te Hanataua, principal chief Iharaira Koara Hami Rangirunga Paratene te Kamua Witikama. 26 names have been received of the wounded.