ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 49, 17 January 1843, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor of the New Zealand Colonist.) Sir. — In the Gazette there are three flour advertisements, which 1 presume are kept in for any other than good motives. There are 450 tons of flour advertised at 20 1. per ton, when it is well known they will not sell it under 30 1. ; which the Bakers are giving at this present moment. Mr. Editor, by calling the attention of the public to the fact, you will confer a great benefit on the community at large, for it not only misleads the public with regard to the Baker’s profits here, but is the means of deterring Merchants and others from supplying our market with that first necessary of life. I am, Sir, Yours, &c., A BAKER. o

We are indebted to the kindness of Mr. Spain for the following authentic account of the disturbance between the Maketu and the Tauranga natives, which we' promised in outlast number to lay before our readers : Embarked from Auckland, Tuesday, 29th November, 1842, on board Her Majesty’s Colonial Brig Victoria : —Willoughby Shortland, Esq., the Officer administering the Government of New Zealand, Mrs. Shortland, Wm. Spain, Esq., Capt. Best, 80th regiment, Messrs. Freeman, Leech, Edward Shortland, George Clarke jun., William Cooper, John Johnson, Edward Meurant, native chief Poepoe, and several of his tribe. Nov. 30fb.‘ —Arrived at the Great Barrier Island at 4 o’clock a.m., and anchored in the harbour; went on board Her Majesty’s storeship Tortoise, which we found moored there, waiting for spars for the British Navy. Her commander, Mr. Wood, was absent in the hush with the greater part of her crew. Mr. Bowen, the master’s mate, lent us a fine six-oared gig, and accompanied Mr. Shortland, Captain Best, and myself, in her to the copper mine, where we found Mr. King-home (the manager), Mr. Taylor, Mr. Chalmers, and about twelve men at work. They were living in tents, but had commenced building a wooden house and store, and appeared very confident of the ultimate success of the mine. We experienced a very hospitable reception, and much enjoyed a lunch, after which we visited the several parts of the rock where they had commenced blasting, and got some beautiful specimens of the ore, some of which Mr. Taylor assured us contained as much as from 60 to 70 per cent, of metal. On our return we rowed into a very spacious cavern with a magnificent vaulted roof, which somewhat reminded us of the one at St. John’s College, Cambridi e. The cave was about 50 feet in length, with deep clear water, and we rowed to the very end of it, and it was wide enough to turn the boat round, which we did, and came out. On returning to the harbour, I landed, dined and slept at Captain Nagle’s. I was very much pleased with the scenery of this harbour, the view from the house was very beautiful, and the anchorage appeared perfectly safe from whatever quarter the wind may blow.

December Ist. —The Victoria got under weigh about 4 o’clock in the morning, and was towed partly out of the harbour, but owing to the wind being very light, she let go her anchor. About Ba. m. she again got under weigh, and Mr. Shortland having ordered two guns to be fired, I went on board ; a boat from the Tortoise helped to tow us out of the harbour. Light winds all day—sighted Courier Island.

December 2d. —Light winds; when I got upon deck in the morning, saw “ the Aidermen,” made very little progress during the day, but a fresh breeze sprung up in the afternoon, which brought us abreast of the Mayor Island ; sighted a small schooner full of Maories standing towards the Mercury Islands. December 3d. —Anchored under the north head of Tauranga harbour, called Maunganui, or the Great Mountain, at 8 o’clock a. m. Shortly after we came to anchor, we were visited by the Rev. Messrs. Brown and Kissling, from the Church'Missionary station, who invited the Governor and his lady on shore. A large canoe full of natives from the Otumaitai Pah came alongside, and also a large boat apparently of European build, manned by natives from the same Pah, and we soon found that this boat had been taken from two white men. From the statement made by these natives, it appeared, that about a fortnight since, two Europeans and some Maketu natives came from Maketu in this boat, hound to Auckland, and put into Katikati, and were afterwards detected by the Tauranga natives stealing potatoes and kumeras from, their fapu’d ground, and in consequence of which, they seized the boat and cargo (consisting of pigs and blankets) as payment for the theft and trespass, and brought her to Tauranga. During the affray, and the excitement consequent upon the

seizure of the boat, a lad about 12 years of age (belonging to the Maketu tribe) ran away to the bush (through fear it is supposed) and has not since been heard of. About this time James Farrow, a European, of Tauranga, bound to the north with a cargo-of live pigs, was obliged to put into Katilcati on account of bad weather, and met with the two Maketu natives, who were in the boat when she was seized by the Tauranga natives, in a destitute condition ; they applied to Farrow to give them a passage in his boat to Maketu, but he told them that they might accompany him to where he was hound, Tauroa, and on his return he would get them forwarded to Maketu. They consented to this arrangement, and went on board with him, and he fed and clothed them. The boat was moored near the' shore, with a rope from the stern attached to it, so that the persons on hoard could land at any time, and one- morning Farrow and the two Maketu natives went ,on shore to look at the weather from a high point of land, where they could obtain a view seaward, the former leaving his own native boy on board, with orders to look after the boat during his absence. On their return, the two natives ran down before Farrow, jumped into the boat, cut the stern-rope attached to the shore, hauled up the anchor, and put to sea. Mr. Farrow’s native boy jumped into the water and got on shore, from fear of being tomahawked, and the two natives menacing Mr. Farrow, told him that when he gave them back their boy (alluding to the boy who had run into the bush) they would return his boat. It appears they then sailed for Maketu, and having taken twenty or thirty of their tribe on board, returned in Farrow’s beat in two or three days afterwards to the Mayor Island, which is inhabited by a part of the Tauranga natives, called the Ngaiterangi tribe, and some of them having dressed themselves in European clothes, the natives on shore being ignorant of what had happened, pulled off in a canoe to the boat (with which they were well acquainted) expecting to find Farrow on board. The Maketu natives then fired into -the canoe, when she was upset, and they ultimately killed five of her crew, and took two lads prisoners with them to Maketu. They also took the five dead bodies with them, part of which' they eat, sending the remainder to Rotorua, which is the head station of their tribe, for a feast at that place.

Mr. and Mrs. Shortland in the barge, about 11a. m., accompanied by Messrs. Brown and Kissling, and went to the Mission Station. As soon as the flood-tide had made sufficiently, we got under weigh, and anchored in a small bay on the inside of Mangui. Captain Besf, myself, Mr. Freeman, and some others, landed after dinner on the beach, at the foot of Mauganui, and Mr. Meurant piloted Mr. Freeman and myself to the top of the mountain, from whence we obtained a splendid view of the surrounding neighbourhood, as well as the Mayor and other islands seaward. The country presents a beautiful appearance, there beinga considerable quantity of flat land, with scarcely any timber, until you get some miles inland, and intersected with several rivers, extending many miles into the interior in different directions. The harbour from the inside Manganui in a southerly direction for about three miles, forms a beautiful crescent.

December 4th.—Captain Best, Mr. Freeman, and myself, landed at the Mission Station, where we partook of the Hospitality of Messrs. Brown and Kissling. Mr. Brown’s garden and orchard reminded us of Old England, as both were well stocked with the trees of our native land, in great variety. The house and gardens aie surrounded by grass paddocks, and the fat sheep and horses, feeding. in them, proved their richness and productiveness. I returned to the ship in the evening, after having enjoyed a most delightful ramble on shore.

December sth.—Landed at 6 o’clock a. m.‘ The Governor sent Captain' Best, Mr. Edward Shortland, and Mr. George Clarke, junr., to Maketu, to enquire into all the circumstances of the affair between that tribe and the Tauranga natives, and also to demand restitution of Farrow’s boat; that they should release the two prisoners they had taken, and that they should cease their depredations upon the natives of'Tauranga. The Tauranga natives being most anxious to see the Governor for the pu£-' pose of having a korero with him ; his Excellency determined that it would he better to postpone his interview with them until he had learnt the result of the mission to Maketu, and he requested that myself, Mr. Freeman, and Mr. Meurant, should proceed to the principal Pah, and explain matters to them. We went there accordingly in the Governor’s barge, but, on our first arrival, the Chiefs appeared to take very little notice of us, and shewed no disposition for a conference, so we continued to walk about the Pah. After we had been there about an hour, they began to assemble around us/ when the following korero took place, through Mr. Meurant, the interpreter, Poepoe, a Chief who had accompanied us from Auckland in the Victoria, commenced first as follows :

“ You have deceived me in the affair of the Thames, when you told me the Government would take notice of it, I cannot place any more confidence in the Government. If you are any length of time about the late

affair (meaning the massacre at the Major bland), I will take it in hand myself—it is my own flesh and blood they are eating. If Government will promise that they will take it in hand directly, 1 will have nothing more to do with it—have it done while I am alive—if you are any length of time about it, I shall be dead, and shall have no pleasure in seeing it done. I have come your road, and I hope you will take my cause up ; I consent to give it over into the hands of the Government, upon condition, that the persons who killed my people at the Mayor Island, are served the same as Maketu was, who killed the white people ; the crime is the same, there is no difference. If Government does not take it in hand directly, I will get the whole of the Waikato tribe to assist me in thrashing them. Oh, that my grandfather had understood the white peoples’ law, or manner of proceeding,” Teuilia, another chief, then spoke as follows : “ True for the last speaker —If you drag it out tor t v/ length of time, we will not pay any attention to you. Ui former times, I w r as considered as a man of consequence amongst my own people, and could always avenge my own injuries, but you have stepped in between ns, and made me as insignificant as the lowest amongst us, and I hope yon will now take my cause in hand ; do it while 1 am here, so that I can bear witness to it, because, if I return, I go to Waikato, (meaning to collect his forces), and every one there has got it on the point of Ills nose, waiting to fiy upon them. If it was not for you, I would this very day rise-and fall-on them, but as I have given it over to you, I will go to the opposite side of the river, and look on, and if I see you are getting the worst of it, I will spring in and help you ; as I have suffered, I wish to partake of the satisfaction of beating them.” The Chiefs having signified through the Interpreter, that they had nothing more to say, I rose and addressed them as follows, Mr. Meurant interpreting sentence by sentence : “ When Pairaia committed the crime you mention, the Governor thought that lie did not understand the laws of the white men, but he caused a notice to be given in the Maori Gazette, telling the Macries the laws of the white men, and warning them that if they committed such crimes in future, they would be punished according to the laws of the white men. The Governor is come here for the purpose of protecting you, and he will not be a long lime about it; he will not leave this place until he has seen justice done to you. He has sent great white rangatirus to Maketu to-day to enquire into the matter, and when they return, he will send for you and heaj: all you have to say. It is good that you have left this affair to the Governor, and when you see with your eyes what the Governor has done, you will all be satisfied. The Governor will compel the white man to give you payment for the potatoes he stole, and then you must restore' him his boat, but let it be moored off your pah. If the Governor see's you using it, he will be angry, and take it away, because it is not just that the white man’s boat should be used by you, and he be punished too. The Queen sent the Governor to protect the Maories, who are her children, and to do them equal justice, and therefore lie was obliged to send first to Maketu to enquire into all the circumstances of the case before he could decide, but lie will not be long, and you shall see him when his messengers return. The Governor will send white men to live amongst you, and protect you, and prevent your enemies from again attacking you, so that you and your children may in future cullivate your lands in peace.” I returned and reported the result of ray conference to the Governor, and then went on board. .December Gtli.—Early this morninga Roman Catholic priest hailed the Victoria, and we sent a boat on shore for hirn ; when he got on hoard, he informed us that he had just returned from Maketu, and that yesterday he had met Capt. Best, Mr. Shortland, and Mr. Clarke about half way between Tauranga and that place, and he brought us a note from Captain Best, informing Captain Nagle that the Maketu natives were on the point of starting in Farrow’s boat and some canoes to attack the Tauranga natives, and they would sail directly, the wind was fair. This also was confirmed by the priest,—and Captain Nagle soon had the Victoria ready fraction. About 6 o’clock p.m. we were all much pleased to observe Capt. Best, Mr. Shortland, and Mr. Clarke, walking round the head towards where the ship was anchored. We sent a boat for them, and we found that they had had a Jcorero with the natives at Maketu, who had refused to give up the boat at present, or the prisoners, and questioned the right of the Governor to interfere in the matter. They also said, that there was plenty of pork for the white men to eat, but that they preferred eating the flesh of their enemies. The following is the statement of the Ngatiwakaue tribe, part of which are resident at Maketn, about two miles from Tauranga, viz : “Three of the Maketu natives, Tangaroa, a young lad about 12 years of age, and another, went on board a small European vessel (I believe, on their way to Kauraki) but were obliged to put in at Katikati. While there the Europeans entered a pah, which had been tapu’d on account of the murder of Wamake, the principal Chief of the district, by Taraia, an ally of the Maketu natives, and stole some potatoes and kumeras, which they conveyed on board their little vessel. . On hearing this, the natives of Katikati armed themselves, stripped the Europeans ‘ of their clothes, and took possession of the vessel and property on board. Tangaroa and the other adult native expecting that the Ngaiterangi might implicate them in the. affair, made their escape to the top of the hill; the boy ran for some little distance after them, but afterwards disappeared in a most unaccountable manner. The Ngaiterangi disclaim all knowledge about his disappearance, hut the Maketu natives say, that they saw the Tauranga natives chase the boy, and they insist upon it, that they have secretly .murdered and eaten him. The two Maketu natives who escaped, went down to Earrow’s vessel, and managed to get ou board, cut the cable, and sailed off for Maketu ; when there, they excited the revenge of their friends, who, to the number of about 30, manned the vessel and sailed for the Mountain at the heads of Tauranga. Finding their attempts to capture any stragglers of their enemies fruitless, they set sail for the Mayor Island. ' >» approaching the shore, they represented themselves as friends to the Taurangi natives, and enticed them, who were at that time resident on the island, to approach the

vessel. When within pistol-shot, the Maketu, natives fired into the canoe, upset it, and killed five of the natives ; the rest, with the exception of two, whom they took prisoners, escaped on shore. The natives in the vessel then set sail, and took the prisoners with the dead bodies to Maketu : part of the latter they eat soon after their landing, and the rest they sent to their allies at Rotorua. The boy who disappeared so mysteriously*, happened to be the “Ariki,” or great chief of the tribe at Maketu, and they state that the payment they have already got is insufficient, the party they surprised being all “ tutua,” or plebeians.”

On comparing the two statements as made by the opposing parties, there appears little difference in the leading facts of the affair, but a great deal seems to depend upon the fate of the unfortunate hoy who ran into the hush at Tauranga, and it is hoped that investigation will clear up the mystery of his disappearance. The Ngatiwakaue tribe, it is supposed, can muster from 1,000 to 1,200 fighting men, and the natives appear much less civilized than any of the tribes that Europeans have come in contact with. December 7th. —Got under weigh about 4 o’clock p.m.; I arrived at Auckland on the 10th, at 8 o’clock, p.m.