The New=Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 451, 10 August 1850, Page 2

The New=Zealander.

Be just and fear not : Let all the ends thou aims't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Tiuth's.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1850.

It is probably in the recollection of some of our readers that amongst the exports by the Louisa, which sailed from this port for London in the July of last year, there was " a cask of flour shipped by the Native Secretary addressed to Earl Grey ;" and that this flour was repoited to be sent by Native Chiefs as a present to the Queen — it having been not only made from wheat grown by themselves, but also ground at one of the first water-mills, the sole property of Natives, which had been con structed in New Zealand. We find in the most recent Blue Book (1850) the Despatch with which the Governor- in-Chiff accompanied the transmission of that novel gift to her Majesty, and also the Letter of the Native Chiefs in forwarding it for presentation. More than a passing or occasional interest attaches, in our estimation, to these documents. They involve, by an unforced but significant implication, evidences of the rapid advance of the Native race, not only in civilization, but also in loyalty to their Sovereign and conlidence in the sincerity of her kindly concern for the prosperity of her Maori subjects. We therefore have no doubt that many of our readers will be gratified by the insertion of them in our columns. (No. 72.) No. 46. Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey. Government Housr, Auckland, June 18, 1849. My Lord,— l have the honor to transmit a letter which has been addressed to Her Majesty by two chiefs of considerable influence inhabiting the central portion of the northern island of New Zealand. These chiefs have at the same time forwarded to her Majest) a/preleut of flour which was made from wheat grown by themselves, and whs ground at their own water null, nearly at the centre of this island, it being the first water mill the sole propt r'y of natives, which has been constructed in New Zf a'and. 2. These poor people are not only proud of the advances they have made in civilization, but believe that Her Majesty in her anxiety for the welfare of their race would take an interest in their extraordinary progress in agricultural pursuits ; and, perhaps, with a pardonable vanity, are anxious that that authority which they recognise as the highest in the world, should pass some few words of commendation on their in* dustty and exertions for the welfare of their people. In these motives have originated their letter and present to the Queen. 3. As a feelui!> of warm attachment to tin British Crown is const .ntly moie anil more widely extending itselt in these islands, I have thought it would 'o unbecoming to check it, by not forwarding the tnd^cd letter and the prei-ent which accompanies it to Her Majesty ; and I thought at the same time tint probably there were but few instances on recoui in which a people so recently in so extremely barbarous a condition bad not oiily made such r^pid advances in civilization, hut at the same time believed that a Soveieign ur.der whose oway they had so recently come, and who resided at such an immense distance from them, was so warmly interested in tbeir welfare that she would with pleasure receive the intelligence of their present condition and prosperity. I trust thereibre that Her Mujesty will be graciously pleased to encoorage their Attachment to herself by some night acknowledgment of the confidence which these natives repose in their Sovereign. Such a mark of gracious consideration for the happiness of the Maories would rapidly spiead throughout the whole of New Zealand, and be of great importance to British interests, at the same time that its conferring so much happiness upon very deserving people would probably be very pleasing to the Quern. 4. I bliould add that the natives particularly called my attention to the ciicumstance that the letter was written by a native, as a proof of the progress they had made in writing, and that they felt very grateful to the Queen for the system of public education which has been intioduced amongst them. I have, &c, (Signed) G. Grey, The Right Hon. Earl Grey, &c, &c.

(Translation) Enclosure lin No. 46. Wuikato, Rangiiohin,New Zealand, March 25, 1849. To the Queen of England — We, King George Te Warn, and John Biptist Kahawai, salute you ; we return our thanks to you for your letter, in which you tell v* that the land shall not be taken away ; but that the treaty of Waitangi shall be strictly abided by. We are averse to fighting with the white yeople, oi amongst omwlvea, but let the Queen always foster

us; we approve of the customs of the white people, and the Governor aloo loves us. 0 Queen, let tbe succeeding Governor you send hers, bo a pood and religions one : we approve of praying to God, without making distinctions of Pio'estants and Roman Catholics ; it is sufficient to worship the Gient God. O the Queen ; we are anxious to]i-e in peace, to cultivate wheat, and breed cows and horses, in order that we may become assimilated lo the while people. Governor Grey has been here, at Otawhao and Itanginohia, and has' given us a plough; he also told us that Mr. Morgan would arrange about some white man to teach us to plough, at which we were much pleased, and this year we commence to plough the ground. We have for a long time been desirous of this, but we are a poor people, and the majority of our pigs have been disposed of to pay for tb* mill, which was the reason that we did not buy a plough ; but now the Governor Ims generously given us om-, which has greatly rejoiced us ; and we will persevere iv ploughing the land. We have finished a water-mill, and paid for it entirely ourselveb; T,e paid the white man who built it 2001 , which we obtained by the sale of pigs and flax, 20Z. being for flax, ami 1801. for pigs ; the common labour we did oui selves, namely, building the dam. &c. &c, our reason for constructing the mill was on account of having commenced to grow wheat at " Rangiaohia ;" we were a year in collecting the requisite amount of money. 0 the Queen ; we regard you with affection, because we have nothing to give you ; because we, the Maous, are a poor peop'e ; but we wish that you should &cc and also eat of the flour at " Ranginohia j" don't iind fault with what we send you, whether much or little ; it i& little in the presence oi the Queen of England; we have nothing else except this quantity of flour to give yon; be graciously pleased with our parent in order that our hearts may be glad. The schools for our children are very good, and we will now become civilized ; but don't send convicts here to our country they will i ause us trouble, and we will be afraid lest evil should b# increased in our Islands. This is all. (Signed) King George Tb Wautj. (Signed) John Baptist Kahawai. Translation, (Signed) W. F. G. Servantes, Interpieter to Major- General Commanding Forces. Maich2oth 1849. We may appropriately connect with these documents a portion of a Despatch which appears in the same Blue Book, dated Government House, Auckland, Match 7, 1849,— (a little earlier than the dale of that first extracted) —in which the Governor-in-Ciiief— after reporting to the Home Government his personal visit to the Walkato district, with reference to the adjustment of the land dispute in the neighbourhood of Waingaroa— thus states the result of his observations on the progressive improvement of that pait of New Zealand :— It will be interesting to your Lordship to be informed that during my journey thiou^h the extensive and fertile districts of the Waikato and Waipa I was both surprised and gratified at the rapid advances in civilization which tile natives of that part of New Zen. Lund have made during tint last two yean. Two flourmills hive already been constructed at their sole cost, and another water mill is in course of ertclion. The natives of thst district also grow wheat very extensively; at one place alone the estimated extent of land under wheat is a thousand acres. They have also good orchnrds, with fiuit trees of the best kind grafted and budded by themselves. They have extensive- cultiva. tious of Indian corn, potatoes, &c, and they have acquired a considerable number of horses and horned stock. 1 should mention to your Lordship that the marked and rapid improvement which has taken place in the natives inhabiting the districts to which I am alluding, is in a great degree to be attributed to the exertions or the missionaries residing amongst them, whose arrangements for the religious welfare and social improvement of these people appeared to be only deficient in one respect, which was in the extent of the means p.orided for the education of children in the districts confided to their caie; but to the honour of some of these gentlemen I should fstate that they are in no respect to blame for this, as some of thsm, out of their own small means, maintain very efficient schools for the education ot native children ; and I think that the defect to which I have alluded, will shortly be wholly removed by the operation of the U\v which has been recently passed providing for the education of native children, which law has now received your Lordship's approval, and has been assented to by Pier Majesty. These are tokens of existing good, and promises of continued progress, which are well calculated to cheer the heart of the philanthropist and patriot as he anticipates the future destinies of New Zealand. The prospect appears the blighter when it is borne in mind that not only are those Missionary efforts— to which His Excellency on every suitable occasion renders the tribute of his emphatical commendation— still in vigorous operation, but the benefits of the Education Ordinance, to which the concluding passage oi the last extract refers, are spreading widely and securing the favourable appreciation of the most thoughtful and intelligent amongst both the Natives and the colonists. In connexion with this point it may be in place to state that the Letter to Her Majesty which we have given above, was written by a young man who is, up to the present day, receiving intellectual, industrial, and religious training at the flourishing Three Kings School, which owes so much of its prosperity to the liberality and fosteiing care of our Colonial Government, and which, we are informed, is likely soon to be improved, under the same patronage, by the erection of an additional building which will materially add to its efh'ciency.