THE MAORI DIFFICULTY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue XVI, 3 November 1881, Page 3

THE MAORI DIFFICULTY.

The event which is U'.w ripcnir.g in the Taranaki district ii of peculiar importanct among tbe long series of the M;.er: struggles; for it is cot improbable tliat it may turn cv: to ba either vhe s^ehirg of the last effort ot tha rsce for arresting ihe movement cf colonisation, or the final collapse cf rfcistanc«>. In addi! ion to the interest which i: ihus excites the peculiar character of the policy, if we imy so call it, which Te Whiti bas tried to carry out fixes oar attention. And last but not least, tbe 'prompt and loyal answer to the call of thp administration for assistance given by the Volunteer forces in parts of the colony out of reach of thttrouble, ia fali of significance as to (he growth of a national spirit among us. I would bave been excusable had cur emal! commuuity, so lately flouted by the rest of the colony, shown indifference to the call ot b national duty. It will, however, b^ thought of for many a day with pleasure aud just pride that the young men of Nelson have been especially conspicuous by their cheerful readiness for service. Had they acted od tbe miserable arithmetical principle for thr honor of imposing wl i h Sir G. Grey ano !Meßsr3 Whitaker and Hall cemp-te, Kelson would have despatched a quota of forty men to the front; or, to put it in ano'her way, il the colony had on thia same principle sent Volunteers in proportion to population the Dafence Minister would have at his commaud at this hoar in the Taranaki country an army of 10,000 men. Our young men have done us and the colony a service in thus •« heapiDg coals of fhe on the heads" of the one-eyed majority of last session. But I nid not sii down to sing the praises of our Volunteers or to revive a disagreeable subject. Mv object is to recil for tt;e information of those ■who have friends and relatives in the Taranaki force some few leading facts of tht struggle, cf which ihe present demonstration is the latest; and to give at the fame time a general sketch nf the country and surroundings among wfcich our friends are at thi* moment placed, and a short estimate of the probable consequences of the movement. It any one ehould b* impatient of my liistorical reminiscences I would remind him that tbe press h3s been diffusing rumors cf difficulties, now it is said happily surmounted, between Sir A. Gordon and his Cabinet on the mode of treating the West Coast crisis, and it is useful that spectators who have wa'ch; d tbe course of events for mmy years should speak out in justification of the colony. The time at which we have now arrived is distant enough from the days of excitement and anxiety to enable us to sketch the history in a few broad strokes. Long before Kew Zealand was a British colony a few scattered whalers and traders principally English from Australia lived in the islands making themselves useful to the Maoris by importing tobacco, blankets, guns and powder, and by purchasing pigs, potatoes &c. The ilaoris were engaged in a struggle among themselves for existence — acting out one part of the modern theory of develonment. In this case " the survival of the fittest would have been the early destruction of those la3t and worst provided with fire arms. The tide of war flowed from north to south. The Ngapuhi (the men of the guns) of the Bay of Islands with their Towei muskets and fowling pieces ravaged Waikato. Waikato passed the movement on to Kgatiawa and other tribes. Kgatiawa descended on the handful of natives on this side of the Straits. It was a very few years ilfccr the devastating invasion of the Taranaki country by the Waikato, under Te Whero-whero (better known as King Potatau) and Wi Kera that the settlement of Kew Plymouth was founded. A purchase of 60,000 acres of land had been made for this settlement. The few resident Ngatiawa, the scattered remnant left by the Waikatos joined in the sale of this land, and Potatau on behalf of his tribe sold their rights, and on more than one occasion offered to give effect to the sale by exterminating the remnant of Ngatiawa. At thia date, id the word 3 of a chief of the tribe, " the land was deserted, the sea was deserted, the rivers were deserted, the forest was deserted, the open land was deserted. — Then came the stranger— then I cried ha ! ha !— the land has revived, the people have revived, let us return to the land." And accordingly the exiles pf Ngatiawa, feeliDg themselves in some degree protected by tbe settlement, returned. They ocenpied Waitara and the choicest parts of the New Zealand Company's purchase. Bat ihey were r. disorganised tribe. Tbe Waikato invasions, their own exile, and the coming of Europeans abolished whatever of order there might have previously been among them. Quarrels as to precedence in rank and as to title to land broke out among the hapu, and rose to bloodshed, tbe skirmishes happening sometimes od settlers' farms. In 185G troops were sent for the protection of the settlers. Therewere two parties among the tribe, one which resisted European settlement, while the other welcomed it. The first or old Maori party nnder W. King forebade the sale of land within the tribal boundary. In 1859 Governor Gore Browne declared that he would not suffer thia dictation, bnt that in case of dis pnte would have the rival claims examined and support the true owners in doing as they thought fit with their own. It was in consequence of this declaration that the sile of the Waitara township, a patch within the NZ. Company's purchase, was in I 86« bought of Teira. Bitimona, and their hapu Meanwhile tbe King movement in Waikatc had arisen. It was in' its origin simply ob--Btrcctive, and wan developed out of a Maori league against land-setiing, began in tht Ngatiruanui tribe, which occupied the Bomhern part of the Taranaki coisfc as far east as Waitotaia. Thh tribs, tbe fore most in opposing settlement, had nevei alienated an acre cf their territory, not even the Mission station, and the suspicious eye with which they regarded the colonists was almost a proverb. Their obstructive eague waß expanded into an effort for natinnai-y by the higher intelligence of W. Tdmihan's Tarapipipi, of Waikato. Potatau (the Where- Whero of the Waikato invasions oi Taranaki. and the seller to the colony of the land he h%d conquered there) was chose: king. What follows is quite modern Wirernu Kingi, of Waitara, resisted the oc cupation of tbe Teira block by the Govern mant. He was supported not only bj Potatau who had sold the district a3 hia owl conquest twenty years before, but also by the whole Ngatiruanui and tho southern hapu: of tbe Taranaki tribe, whose territory wat perfectly intact. The two latter tribes were repulsed by tbe New Plymouth volunteers

at Wnireko, acd three or four years later several cdiinirs rr.drr <Vi<cral" Caniebn. j Colcr.r-1 W r.r rr- f.r.d ou-r cLlkers inarmed j (l'.roiifh 'her A h'r:ci. "But sullen hostility j o- rrr(-:i re rer quite reared iiM if-'ti9. when, r.fter ihe rr.n.prn'L'n cf Cnkn*>] i W;.i:n:cvc, tho ccur.'rv h^-v.tcn W~.ito'7ra i f.r.l WBinccreoro (the JVea district 1 ) was ccci.-ua ly i-s present inh^-itpTiip, It\v:i<i to pm-.ir-h the acerc-Fsion of the tribe of Nifaiiruanu: that the co: li cation of this part of the coast was proclnitnr-d in lSlifi hv Governor Sir G Grey advis d hy '.be Weill G:iVf-rnnvr.t. Tn thp early davs'of 1807, I tntnk n. vms. tlut durii.g the .•'ulnnni.-traticn of Mr Staff,*.'. a i arSfi S o C -; r ,„ of the ■^canrur.nuianeppted the co: fixation, aud reenvpd extensive gratis of land witbin lueir former boundaries, i-elu "ing every one nf their favouritp d<vclii n£ j places. The promptitude and liberality r.f the Government 3n this matter, and tho sound good perse and gcod faith of Hove Pihamn, ibe eauer of the Tnngahoe sub-division of •Njwtiruarui, have, I believe, been the causes of the 12 years' peaceful occupation of this ncble distrist, which includes the township? of Wnverlr-v, Patea, Manutahi, Ilawera, Normar.hy, Sec. Unhappily the process wa* net further carried cut. In the first instance 't whs impossible, c-.vjrg to the continued hostile temper of the tribes northward of \V;;jiiEOD:joro ; and an ambiguous plan of buying portions of the territory not unnaturally led the tribes to imagino the confiscation abandoned. The determination of the Government to assert its rights and ron'.inuo scttlir-j/ the coast was followed by cvenrs we ail know, is impossible to look bsck on the cnursr of events which I have sketched withcut rpc"«n;sing that a genuine nolicy bas cuided "'hr; Maori malcontents. Jt was early p-r---ceivcrl in Waikato and Ixkatruiaiui that the spread of thf cole.ny implied tho subordination of the Maori ; r.nd however just and lih-ral the Government might hs 'in their dealings thero wss humiliation in the idea for a preivl brave intelligent race in r. lower state of civili^tien. It mn<?t be aljowed th.t excepting the incidents of the Hauhau fanaticism fne inevitable strugnr'e h. s not been carried or. wi'h revolting savaccry on either side. Iv considering the probable sequel of (he present action we hive f o remember that the general nature nf Tc Whiti's ir flurnee for ten years f.cr.t has b?en r.eaceful, and that mostof tbe leading chiefs and prophet?, ro called, have hoped to establish an ir.depen dent Maoridcm by peaceful meant;. W: Tamilian*, Potafau himself. Te Ua, Te Whiti aro alike in this, but all have been led into strife soon or late. In exciting times peaceful lenders become followers cf their excited followers. To V/hiti's last manifesto ts said to be pacific, and there may be wisdom enough among his associates and followers to see the madness of resistance. But he may ly this manifesto have abdicated his prophetic claims, and there are other more turbulent men who would be brought to the front by his abdication. Tobu is believed to be such a man, and Titnkowam is sf ill at hand. Therefore, the capture of Tc- Whiti cannot be reckoned a great point to eain. He has restrained rather than ru-hed on his men. The construction of roads and the surrender nf arms are tbe only genuine assurance of a peaceful future. The ceast tribes may be willing to yield even to thiF, for tbe season is unfavorable for war as the crops are in the ground, and the increase of European population and the great lines of communication opened during the last ten years havo exposed all the convenient retreats of tbe district. Tbe experience of the colonists in warfare, as well as their numbers, have increased ; and this the Maori 'eaders no doubt perceive. The Kin? party in Waikato declare for leaving Te Whiti to his own resources ; n declaration that is n* tural from that quarter where the prophet is looked upon as an upstart and a rival. I incline to believe, therefore, tbat we shall the submission of tbe pirtv, yet it must he frankly recognised that a firry determined, and embitious leader may find it easy to overthrow that hopa nnd plunge us iv. w-r. In that case will it he possible to localise the warfare ? Only I think by a erea*- successful coup de wain, a swift and crushing blew. The Parihaka party are not a tribe, but a congregation gathered from all tribes in th" country. Any indecisive action will allow time for sympathy to spread and allies to arrive or "to make diversions in other districts Notwithstanding the reflation of Te Whiti by King Tawhiao, the King organisation, or at. all events many of the oartv, will probably be drawn in.' Tf fighting begins in less than a crushing style every tribe south ef Auckland will furnish sympathisers and will have blood dc-bte to repay in kind.' I think thia, with the conviction at the same time that the King natives cf Upper Waikato are disposed to pc-ice and friendliness — not merely because Tawhiao and five hundred men visited all the European villages of the district, but because during that visit no symptoms of ill-feeling escaped, even from the candor of the wine cap, and the "progress" was marked by abundant drinking. I related the early sale of the Waitara territory by Potatau with bis offers to complete the conveyance by gun and tomahawk, and tho subsequent descent of the flower of the tribe to their death teds at the foot of Mount Egmont partly to illustrate tbis alternative, which we ought to face, and to credit the Government with facine. Nevertheless, the I balance of prob.ibiii.ie3 is in favor of a | peaceful issue, and if otherwise we have the most considerable cUsios'ible force ever collected in tbese islands, and some of the best , soldiers and the most experienced in Maori warfare who have ever led a force of the kind are at the front. The name 3 of Major Atkinson and Colonel Roberts are a guaran tee that boldness and experience will be brought to bear at once if need be. [ I will wind up with an attempt to describe broadly the lovely country whicb ig the theatre of the singular historic episode that our young men have gone out to help in making. Every one who looks at the map or sails along the coa3t is struck with the reI markable symmetry of the district. Mount Egmont is the centre of all. Seen from a distance on the south-west its graceful curves seem to stretch generally without break and with regularity from the summit to the beach. The mountain and coast look as if turned on a Titanic lathe. The forest clothes all from the winter snow-line to within three or four miles (generally) of the ccean, the remaining space being covered with high fern, flax, koromiko, tutu, &c, indicating good soil and climate. Passing along tbe j road or track that sweeps round the op en land, the seeming smoothness is frequently broken by clear streams running in the rocky bottoms of gullies (often sparkling with glossy karaka trees) which prolongs 'he furrows of the lofty cone to tho sea. The gullies expose for the m-'st part a deep bed of loam from 20ffc to 150 ft thick which clothes the rocky substratum and gives the generally smooth outline of the country. The rock i-i, I believe, " hypogene " tint is to say a rock, thrust up from'below in a state of partial fusion. In a few places tbe rocks appear on the surface, notably at the Sugar Loaf Inlands in the north and in the neighborhood of Warea on the west where they form low isolate 1 hillocks. Pungarehu, the head quarters of the forces, is a few miles south-east of Warea very nearly on the same parallel of latitude as Cape Egmont and the cone of tho moutt-in. The camp is on the border of the forest three miles inland from tho lighthouse. The celebrated clearing of Parihaka lies about, r. mile and a half inside the forest. The buch between is low but tangled with supplejack and under-bush, and contains some swampy ground. The e'eariog is 200 acres in area. The pa consists of two or three hundred whares fenced on one side only and a fine stream runs through the middle (the Kapoaiaia ?). Tho country generally known as Taranaki from the Maori name of Mount Egmont is divided into three districts, Ngatiawa on the notb, Taranaki on the west, and Ngatiruanui ou the south. Parihaka and Pungarehu Hre in the teniiory of the Taranaki tribe, whi.h oMj/inal]y reached from the Sugar Loaves a; Now Plymouth to an insignificant stream, the Geo, on the south side of Opunake. The beautiful little grass plain of Waimate is about 25 miles distant from Pungarehu ia a pnuth-easterly direction and lies in the Ngatiruanui district. I know of no more soothing and exhilarating trip than a ride by the coast road from New Plymouth to Patea on a fine day oi October, whilst the snow yet

Rlisteus on tbe cone of Mount Egmont and tho streams are iull and Clear. Yet odo word as to our relations with Sir Arthur Gordon. Ifc is right to recognise thatit was his clear duty, and not, as has been hinted, officiousness ou his part that brought him hastily back to the colony on the news of uneasy movements among the 1 Maoris. The' Heme Government have a perfect right to hear from an impartial and independent witness the details of transactions importing life and death to British subjects, and they have a duty also through the voice of a trusted agent to convey their advice to the colony and their criticisms if they think fit. But it must not be forgotten for a minute that they voluntarily abdicated the management of the Native policy of New Zealand, and, notwithstanding the deliberate and reasoned protest of the Legislature, imposed on tbe colony the sole and unaided responsibility of working out a problem which thfy felt unable to solve themselves. The responsibility was distinctly, and indeed inevitably, held to carry with it full authority, which can only be revoked if Great Britain should desire to resume the ratcrnal government of both races. The protection, implied iv the Governor's advice a d criticisms, the Empire is justified in continuirg to extend to the Maori, but no more; Kiid even this is wholly superfluous. Eor New Zealand Governments through all their diversities and amid all their mists kes have ever been unanimous in holding out a friendly hand to the Maori race. Forced in self-defence into a struggle, the colony has shown at all times great temper and self-control. Its sins have been occasional credulity and weakness— never harshness. We are as clear of ' blood cruiltnesfl " as Mr Gladstone himself, and England's youngest offshoot may claim in her dealings with the Maori to have led the honorable way which England herself had never trod till under Mr Gladstone she withdrew from Afghanistan and retroceded ihe Transvaal to its inhabitants. No barbarous raca has ever met with usage from its more civilised neighbors comparable for liberality ar: ! fairness to the treatment of the Maori by the colonists of New Zraland. J. C. Richmond.