NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 117, 16 May 1873, Page 4

NATIVE AFFAIRS.

The following extract from the Independent's monthly summary will be iead -with interest, since it may be taken as representing the Government view of the late outrage and its probable results : — We regret td have to state that an outrage has been committed on the confines of the confiscated lands in the Waikato, resulting in the murder of a workman employed by the lessees of the land whilst engaged in fencing. It is just possible that this affair may compel the Government to adopt very strong and determined measures for the support of law and order, but the chances are that, as the offence was a deliberate murder, the natives themselves will settle tbe question and vindicate the principles of law which they equally recognise with ourselves, The story is a very simple one. Before detailing the circumstances we are authorised to state that the Government do not regard the offence as one of a political character. It is not an indication that we are likely to have another Maori war on our hands. It is simply one of those crimes which might have been committed by Europeans, and which would, under such authorship, have been invested with no other importance than an offence against the laws of the land. The facts appear to be as follow : — Tbe legal occupiers of a certain block of land close upon the frontier -of the Maori King's country outside the confiscated boundary, were employing men in fencing and ditching the same. A small band of natives led by a man who had some fancied grievance in respect of the land, attaked tbe workmen and shot one of them. There had been no previous indication of opposition to the rights of proprietorship in the land by any representative body of the natives. Had any protest, however tacit, been made, we could understand that forcible opposition to the actual occupation of the land would come within the category of those actions for which the natives have some shadow of right; but in this instance it appears that tbe murder of the man Sullivan was entirely unprovoked, and had no remote or immediate grounds of justification. It is evident that the outrage was not an organised attempt on the part of the most respectable body of natives which occupies the position of refusing to associate

itself with the Government; of the colony. It is simply a vulgar " murder," which differs in no respect intrinsically from similar crimes which occur every day amongst Europeans. It has no political significance whatever, and the only embarrassment which it is likely to cause, the Govennment is the fact that the pursuance of the criminals with the view of bringing them under the oidinaryoperation of the law, may possibly lead to\ issues entirely distinct. As soon as possible the Government took steps to secure the apprehension of the murderers, and despatched Mr James Mackay, . jun., an able officer, formerly employed in the Native department, to communicate with jthe Maori King, with the view of enlisting his assistance in the punishment of, a crime which by Maori and European law alike is condemned. We are sorry to say that Mr Mackay has had an attempt made against his life by a native assassin , whilst he was under the laws of native hospitality. Mr Mackay was assaulted in his tent, and narrowly escaped with his life. He is now under tbe guardianship of leading chiefs, and we are happy to say that all the respectable native chiefs have expressed their shame at this outrage. The Government have taken precautionary measures sufficient to meet any probable difficulty. They intend at any cost to have the guilty natives arrested, and the colony generally will support them. This unfortunate disturbance of the peaceful relations between the setters and the Maoris must not be regarded as indications of any further war. The matter is a delicate one to handle, but there is every probability that it will be settled without the importation of any political ' difference