DEATHS OF THE CHIEFS REWA, MAKOARE TE TAONUI, AND OTHERS, IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS DISTRICT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 15, 16 December 1862, Page 7

DEATHS OF THE CHIEFS REWA, MAKOARE TE TAONUI, AND OTHERS, IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS DISTRICT.

We place before our readers a letter from the Civil Commissioner of the Bay of Islands, announcing the deaths of four of the most influential Chiefs in his District. Mr. Clarke briefly, but touchingly adverts to their virtues, and from our personal knowledge of the late chieftains, we can heartily endorse all that he says in their favour. "Death opens the gate of fame," says a sage writer, "and shuts the gate of envy after it." We have no means of ascertaining whether their fame rises high in the

world -whither they have gone, for no traveller ever returns from lhat country to tell us of its griefs and joys;/but we know that their fame was great in New Zealand, and that envy hurled many a dart at them. The gate of envy, however, as far as they are concerned, has closed for ever; and let us hcipe that the instructions they were prmffiiged to receive afforded them rich' consolation as their spirits lingered on the bounds oftirae,Jmd that they passed onto & sure resting place*

Civil Commissioners Office, Waimate, Sept. 29th, 1862. Sir,— I had intended at an earlier period to hive Written id inform the Government Of the d&aths or foar of the most influential chiefs bf the Ngapuhi tribes within the last two months J three "of them, viz,, Rewa, ichief of the Bay of Islands, Makoare' Tao< aui, of Hbki&ngii, ahd Wireirtu Kaltara, of Watmafe, Yeceived for many yearfc Government pension in consideration oftheir loyalty and for services rendered by them during the. disaffection, of the chief Heke. The fourth, Te Hira Pure, was for many years an active Assessor. They were all personally known to His Excellency Sir George Grey, for whom they entertained very great respect, and in whom they bad strong confidence. iThree of these chiefs, viz., Rewa, Makotire Taortui, And T6 Hi'ra Pure, had attained a good old age; the two former must have been more than 80 years old; Wiremu Ktitaita toai a much younger chief, who, by his anrfible fcbrftWct and attachment to tb<e Europeans Vrfifi'Wkbftt Ue lived upon the itfdst.iWittiafetermor, is regretted by all irfio knetf ttfth; diad although tfite chief tfa&vfcry ttoveell Hii E*c£lfeifcy visited tlrt Wafroa iri lVdVember last, nothing htm Irotn pfersoTially paying his rfejfetfte tb the GoVernur. His Excellency will learnrWitH stttrgfactfcti that during Wi Kaiura's long illness he wns suppled, wi^h < every comfort .that his European friends could procure /or him. He bad the. altentioq of two medical gehtfeinen, Drs. Day aod Watting, and Bis

fiirieralwas attended by the Rev; ft. Davis, hks spiritual adviser, the Civil Qo.tnraissioner, wbo during his illness constantly visited him. and by all the respectable chiefs in the neighbourhood of Waimaie. A personal acquaintance of nearly forty years with these ohiefs would enable me to sHpply materials for a much looger obituary, could I command the leisure ; suffice it to say that, during that long period, I am not aware of any but ihe mosi friendly relations between the late chiefs and thePakeha; nor can I bring to mind a single act of unkinduess or injustice towards (hose who lived amongst them. They were almost the last of a generation called savages, but deserving a belter epithet. JM;*y the young chiefs, their successors, evibce as much cordiality to their Pakeha friends, and the two races will then grow u£ togettier in peace. I have, &c., George Clarke. Civil Commissioner. The Honorable The Native Minister, Auckland.