New Zealand Colonist. TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1843.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 81, 9 May 1843, Page 2

New Zealand Colonist. TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1843.

In another column will be found an account of an assault and robbery by some Maories on two Europeans, who had settled on a section on the

Porinua road. According to the statement of these two individuals, the natives affirmed to them that Mr. Clarke, the Protector of the Aborigines, 'had desired them not to allow Europeans'to settle on this larid. -As the question respecting the title to this land is still open, and as the natives were not in actual possessed of it, the Europeans, in our opinion, would have bren justified, in resentiqg the aggression of the natives by force, and if'death had ensued in consequence, we believe no jury would bring in a verdict otherwise than that of “ Justifiable homicide^”

We hope that the statement respecting the Protector of Aborigines is incorrect. We cannot believe that he would so. far forget himself as to advise the natives to commit outrages similar-to that which took place on Saturday. We rather believe that the Maories must have misunderstood him:

■ An assault and robbery has' been- committed,, and we hope the Chief Police Magistrate will immediately sproceed to investigate the affair. While we have every wish that the natives should be protected in their just rights, we cannot allow them to commit such outrages without a comment.

Notwithstanding the contradiction given by the r Gazette of Saturday, to our statement respecting the suspension of the Company’s operations with regard to roads, we believe we were then substantially correct. We would ask our contemporary, whether it is not a fact, that previous to the Clydeside sailing for England, there were not upwards of ninety labourers employed on the Hutt and other roads, but that immediately after her leaving the port, upwards of seventy were discharged. Neither the Porirua nor the Karori roads is completed. With respect to the latter, the bush is not even cut to the further sections, so that those who were so •unfortunate as >to choose them are. as near the attainment of the object of their wishes as when they landed in the colony three

years ago. We shall return to this subject -in a future number.

We understand that Mr. Bell, master of the schooner Hannah, has succeeded in bringing on here that notorious Maori “Ebuka,” of Hawke’s Bay, whose depredations on vessels entering that place, we have so often heard of. He is to undergo an examinatipn before the Police Magistrate to-morrow. We understand that Mr. Haimes, of Mr. Jones’ whaling station, at Kapiti, has succeeded in taking one whale. Another has also been taken at Cloudy Bay.