THE MAORI DIFFICULTY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 273, 16 November 1881, Page 3

THE MAORI DIFFICULTY.

To the Editor of the '* Evening Mail. 5 ' Sie — As a surplement to the letters of Mr j Richmond and "Ilietoricus," I b'g yon to publish the following fscts, official and otherwise. They were written before Mr Richmond's second letter appeared. It is pretty generally known that the doctrine of " no faith to be kept with savages " waa carried out by Captain Hobson in his first treaty with tbe Maoris; in which treaty it w.'B expressly stipulated '•' that no soldiers Bhould be sent to New Zealand." The captain of the man-of-war who took the despatches from Captain Hobaon to the Governor at Sydney was one of tiio witnesses to this treaty. In these despatches Captain Hobaon stated that he had formed a settlement, io New Zealand, and requested him to send tb-man-of-war back immediately with a c/mpa^y of soldiers. The Governor ccmmunira'ed tbpurpose of these despatches to the captain of tbe man-of-war, and proposed to send the soldiers in bis ship. Bat the captsja wa3 go indignant at thi3 gross breach of faita that he refused to take them, having been x party to this solemn treaty and engagement — " that no soldiers should be sent to New Zealand." Thus the very first act of Lird John Russell's Governor was b breach of fmh with the Maori chiefs acd people of New Zea'and. In May, 1856, I landed at T*r*naki. A few days afterwards I w*s informed by Mr Pheney, editor of the Herald, that the Government had refos'd to purchase a block of land of 20,000 acres on account nf the extravagant price demanded for it— fivepence an acre. During the short time I wes in Taranaki I found tbe genera? feeling was strong against the "nigzers." This was at the time oi tbe dispute between Tatah and Katatere, wbo was aftf-rwaTfli assassinated. In Ortobar 1858, Governor Browne wrote to the Home aui- orkie= thit "the settlers desire th-;t a i<r?e ruval and miii a-y force b? maintain- d at the expense of the Imp ria! Government for tne purposn nf lc.nrdniiig and k-'epiug the Maoris in subjsen'o->; but her Mijesty coald bardiy be expected fo retain ihem in the colony for lbo sole purpose of coercing a part of her &übjicU v>ho yield her a willing obedience." In another dispatch Governor Browne states that M ihe eettf«ra aro determined, to

have land by fair means or foul." He promised tho Maoris that he would " purchase no land without an undisputed title. I will not permit anyone to interfere in the sale cf Is.rd unless he owns part of it; and on the other baud I will buy no man's land i without bis consent." This was paid to tbe I Maoris it Tfiranski on the Bth March, 1859. Wiretnu put in hi* undisputed claim to Waifara on the 25th April, 1859. In December, 1859, the " Governor in Council " gava orders to survey Waitara. On the 20th February (mark the date) 1860, the survey was attempted by a email unarmed party, and was interrupted by the women of tbe ownerß. But on the 27th January (mark the date) a decree of the Governor had been signed proclaiming martial law, or rather it was a declaration of war, which recognised the belligerent rights of the Maoris, who were not then in artr:B. This document was inI trusted to an imbecile Major, who, without j notice to the out-aettlere, put it up oh one of the bridges, and the bloodshed was commenced and continued for year3 and years. I i I will give one more document in order to show that the war was predetermined. This is a memorandum from Mr Richmond (now Judge) to tbe Duke of Newcastle: — " The occasion has now arisen at which it has become necessary to support tha Governor's anthority by a military force. The issue has been carefully 'hoscn, ihe particular question being as fnvoiahh a one of its cass as could b.avt been se tcted, §c." — I am, &c, E. Tucker.