ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 95, 27 June 1843, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor qf the New Zealand Colonist. Wellington, June 27, 1843. Sibl—Since the formation of the committee appointed ;at the last public meeting, to organise means to assist the legal authorities in cases of emergency arising from the late’ disastrous collision between the natives and the settlers, we have only heard of their .meeting twice, and the result of their deliberations has not transpired through the public press; in case, of need, it is not known where the depots are; on the contrary, there has been froin.fifty to sixty men daily at drill, belonging to the Te Aro and Beach Divisions; but very few of the gentlemen" of the committee appointed by. the public havb taken any active part, arid those few deserve great praise from their fellow townsmen. I believe that the gentlemen appointed to the command of the Thorndon Flat Division have taken no- measures towards'training the people. I do not know where the fault lies, but should it be in those gentlemen appointed by the public,, they should certainly be dismissed; and others more active and willing placed in- their stead. Several veterans have come forward to train'all who are willing, but I sorry- to -see so- much backwardness on the part ■of the people; yet trust they will in future come forward, so as to be able, in case of emergency, to,assist in protecting their live sand property. . It is a melancholy fact that but few persons ajre in possession of arms or ammunition, and it is to be. hoped the legal authorities will ,lose,;no time in providing both, to be ready in case of need. I understand our worthy • Magistrates have directed’ that, the , cannon on Somes’ Island should be brought into the town of Wellington. :. 1 Wonder that the gentlemen here;tprty> are possessed of horses do not form themselves into , a cavalry corpsj, as no doubt they would make a very appearj- * ance, I am far from thinking, the natives ydl!; faakp 1 any .attack on Port Nicholson, but.our being., trained i and prepared may be the means of aggressions, and it is the duty, of ~§yery iiaan, ; in the absence pf military force, to he for the worst.; In conclusion —We cannot hut reprobate the conduct of some’ of our townsmen, in using unmeaning and threatening language towards, the natiyes ofthis district, inducing them'in some instances to believe mischief is intended towards them, which has caused some slight Olarm amongst them. The natiyes here appear well effected towards the whites, and it would seem the .soundest policy to endeavour to- keep up the, present Icindly feeling. If prompt measures; ere adopted, the.

offending natives may be soon brought to justice, and the present excitement speedily brought to a close. I remain, Sir, . Your obedient servant, , One op The People. [We are willing at all times to insert the communications of our correspondents, but we believe the Egression spoken of above will be found, on inquiry, to be on the part of the Whites.] —-Ed. N.Z.C.

We beg to annex copy of the requisition, and the Mayor’s reply, preparatory to the numerous and respectable Public meeting at the Town Hall on Monday, the 19th inst.: —" Wellington, Port Nicholson, June IBth, 1843. We, the undersigned Burgesses, arid Inhabitants of this Borough, request of you as Mayor, to call a public meeting of the residents, to take into consideration the present state of the settlement, in so far, as to take immediate steps, to protect their lives and properties. (Signed) W. Lyon, Alderman D. S. Durie W. Fitzherbert, J. P. Charles Modri J. M. Stokes, M. D. T. Piickeridge E. Johnson, Alderman Joseph Boulcott H. Ross C. M. Penny K. Bethune J. H. Wallace T. M. Machattie James Smith James lnglis Rowland Davis W. B. Rhodes K. Mathiesciri and several other signatures. To the Worshipful the Mayor of Wellington. To which the Mayor replied — Sunday evenirig, 8 o'clock* 18th June* 1843. Gentlemen.— Having duly considered the requisition now presented to me, numerously and respectablysigned, I feel no hesitation, at once in agreeing to call a public meeting, to-morrow, the 19th June, at one o’clock precisely, in the Town Hall, Te-Aro, for the purpose set forth in the requisition. (Signed) George Hunter, Mayor. To His Excellency the Officer administering the Government of New Zealand . The Memorial of Her Majesty’s dutiful and loyal subjects, the Inhabitants of the Borough of Wellington, in the same colony, agreed to at a Public meeting held in the Town Hall here, on Monday the 19th June, 1843, sheweth, That your Memorialists, induced as they have been by various considerations td emigrate to this colony, have never failed to believe that they carried with them, not only the British Laws, but the certainty of that support and protection which loyal British Subjects always receive from Her Majesty’s Government. Without inquiring into the causes which may have operated upon, or prevented the New Zealand Company from fulfilling their contracts, or those which may in like manner have induced Her Majesty’s Government to delay its interferance, your memorialists presume to lay before your Excellency a simple statement of their difficulties and dangers as they noto exist, and they not only strongly hope, but they confidently feel, that instant steps will be taken to prevent some thousands of Her Majesty’s subjects (yielding to none in loyalty and affection) from being left unprotected in a condition in which the British people have never, to the knowledge of your memorialists, allowed even one individual to remain, when that protection was required. Placed as your memo, ialists are, as Colonists* amongst a race of people powerful and confident in their numbers, as yet untaught in the advantages of British Law* having customs by which they have long been bound, being rude in their habits, and fierce in tlieir passions, and being, in most cases* both uncontrolled and uncoutrollable j we learn with. feelings of the deepest regret and With the most anxious solicitude, that some collision has taken place.upon a subject of vital interest to both parties (the right to landed property) between a body of Natives and the subjects of Her Majesty, in which the blood of the latter has been shed, some lives lost, arid not less than 50 individuals, dispersed, and the fate of,the majority unknown. We cannot look upon this matter but with the deepest affliction and horror—the most fearful apprehensions naturally arise as to the result—whilst we are at the same time fully sensible of the total absence on our parts of the power to effect their rescue. We are informed that those already sacrificed, and those for whom yve fear, were placed in this peril .in the. course; of their, duty , and allegiance, when called upon by the legal. authorities to support Her Ma-f jesty’s laws, which the Native population had contemned. But our apprehensions are riot, confined to the. district in which this lamentable collision occurred, , nor. the persons actually, engaged, in:it;, we,entertain .grounds of alarm:. for ;our immediate,neighbourhood. & consider-, able,body of armed natives was seen yesterday ; (19th June instant) proceeding to Porirua, a!: distance! of, 14 miles, and corisiderajfie ; excite-' UiCrit and-warlike preparations are reported/tbj i Met amongst the Natives still nearer ithi,s jplace, .iAmidSt the . .dangers which thus environ and! daily deepen: upon .us and: our families— Storm of which may suddenly hurst upon .anti destroy .us, we look round for protection arid assistarice, and we find none. We’have .neither; military aid to irely upon, nor force of any description' tointetpose between ourselves and; possible destruction,, not -have we, here any .authorised person to receive our complaints,

direct orir movements,. dr eVen to sanction the which, at this moment, we are driven to adopt for our preservation, such means being nevertheless resorte'd to only under cruelly compelling Circumstances, and being wholly intended And'offered in aiid of Her Majesty's authority, for the support of Her laws, arid for the preservation of the lives of Her subjects. ’ Your ineinof ialists beg to append' to this their appeal the resolutions which the body of the inhabitants of this place have arrived at, when met* as they have done, in the hour of danger for mutrial support and defence* placing however, as they do, their best means and energies in the hands, of Her Majesty’s representative, to be wielded as his judgment may direct. But your memorialists pray that your Excellency will bear in mind that loyal subjects of Her Majesty are in danger-—that they appeal to British power and justice for protection, arid they trust that instead of being pointed out as the only subjects of a Queen (whose power is known in all lands) upon whom her care is not bestowed; that by instant and effectual assist-, ance being afforded them, it may on the contrary be shewn, that that protection when justly due, and sought by British people* is never sought from the British Crown in vain. Signed by the Mayor and numerous inhabitants. Wellington, Port Nicholson, New Zealand, June 20, 1843. Sir— As the chairman of a committee nominated at a priblic meeting of the inhabitants of this borough, and by the expressed desire of such meeting, I have the honor to transmit td you a copy of a memorial addressed to his Excellency the Officer administering the ment of this Colony, praying for aid and assistance to preserve the inhabitants, of this place from the evil consequences which they fear m’ay arise out of a recent misunderstanding and conflict with the native population, The object in Yiew in thus transmitting these papers to you, is to request you will be good enough to lay to them before his Excellency Sir George Gipps, and solicit on behalf of the memorialists his Excellency’s attention to the prayer of the memorial.

We are aware that it might be deemed improper on our part 'thus to place before the Governor of a colony, separate hhd distinct in its government from that in which the petitioners are resident, papers which may seem to. requirp an interposition in the affairs of the petitioners; but we trust chat you will also be kind enough to state the grounds upon which we have acted, and which we hope will be found sufficient in the mind of his Excellency to justify the step which might otherwise appear as Che taken in opposition to the Officer who at present rules in this Colony. W 6 have heal'd and believe that the whole military force at Auckland, at the disposal of the Government* does not exceed 100 men, and we have had late intelligence of the unsettled state of the native population in the Northern Districts, leading us to apprehend that however much the Officer at present administering the Government of New-Zealand may feel desirous to assist us, and of which desire we entertain not the slightest doubt; yet we fear that, circumstanced as he may be at this moment, it will not even be in his power to afford us any aid whatever. Another difficulty also presents itself, which it is not in our power to overcome, in the infrequency of communication between the two settles, merits, and the impossibility on our parts of procuring any other mode of making our distress known than by the casual opportunity of vessels trading between the ports. Thus we are not only in doubt of the ability to succour, b,ut we are even unable to make our distressed state known tb the proper authorities here; Under these circumstances, we have the honor to request you will cause the documents we forward, to be laid before, liis Excellency for his consideration, trusting that he will in his wisdom take such steps in our behalf, in rendering aid to the Government of this Colony, as will enable us to receive the succour which our distressed circumstances require. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, G. HUNTER, Mayor. ,The. ; Honorable The Colonial Secretary, &c. &c. &c. Sydney. o -