ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 173, 27 March 1847, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Sir, — Your remarks on your correspondent " Justitia's" letter seem to imply that your opi nion of the arrangement made by the Governor for the Porirua and Wairau district remains unchanged, that you still consider his Excellency's conduct entitled to the character of a fair and liberal spirit and film ness ; that to those qualities is to be attributed the settlement of the land claims, and the getting rid of a very harassing question. You nave, however, omitted to show bow the arrangement made by the Governor is fair and liberal in spirit, or how it is the result of firmness. You show no guarantee that the harassing land claim question is settled or got rid of. You have left great doubts on the minds of many, whether it be impossible to narrate the ad\ antages resulting from this measure — whether all the difficulties which surrounded it have given way before his Excellency's firmness, and whether the way in which the arrangement which has been made does give every piomise of its being lasting. It would have been more satisfactory had you answered " Justitia's" charges as to investigation into the purchase of the district — had you let your readers know by what title the Ngatitoas claim so large a district as that you inform us they have sold — a district comprising some hundred thousands of acres, the tribe not exceeding 300 souls — bearing in mind the principle laid down by Mr. Spain, that mere conquest, unsupported by actual and permanent occupation, besunys no title. You should tell us too by whom the money is to he ultimately paid— By the Home Government as a subsidy to the natives? — By the Company as a second purchase money? — or whether it is to be wrung from the settlers by and bye under some mysterious head in the estimates? You should inform them further to whom of the tribe the money is to be given, and whether any deduction has been or is to be made, as the forfeited interest of Rauparaha, Charley, and others, now under arrest for high treason ; or of Rangihaeata the accessory to robberies and murders. You should explain to them in what part of the arrangement his Excellency has exhibited firmness — what demand of the natives he has withstood — .for it yet appears that they have obtained more than they could ever have anticipated — the natives having announced their determination to abandon the district of the Wairau, must therefore have been willing to sell any claims to it which they possessed to it. But the amount of purchase money exceeds by ten times the amount hitherto deemed sufficient to settle all their pretension*. What charm hangs over this affair which will render it a solitary exception in all our experience of Maori character — that it shall be the only contract which the natives will not' repudiate when their caprice, avariciousness, or 1 insolence will

prompt them to do so? Admit'ing, however, that the purchase will be adhered to, will not the sacrifice of the general principle in admitting so small a body of natives can hold so large a tract of desert country to the detriment of civilisation have no influence over future purchases ?— -will not the enormous amount given to notoriously the most troublesome and insolent tribe operate with other tribes when any of their to them useless land shall be required for Europeans. These are a few points upon which as one of your readers, I should like to have some information; but above all, and before your views of this arrangement can be adopted, give the information required by " Justitia' — explain the non-investigation of the Wairau district purchase, and the fresh stigma on those who fell on its plains. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servrnt, A Subscribes. 26th March,' 1847.

We have been permitted to make the following extracts from a very interesting account of a journey performed in the winter to Taupo. The writer (a missionary) proceeded from Wanganui to Taupo shortly after the accident which proved so fatal to Te Heu Heu and his people. The journal refers to private matters and misionary labours among the natives, but these we have for the most part omitted, our extracts consisting of descriptions of the country and the appearance of the face of the valley of Te Rapa after the landslip which had caused so much mischief, with an account of the hot springs of the district.

A WINTER JOURNEY TO TAUPO. 16th June, 1846. — I started this morning about half-past nine for Taupo, very few accompanying me, being deterred by the inclemency of the weather. At Waipakura Tahana joined me, and Raniera at Raurapawa ; we reached Kanihinihi to sleep. 17th. — I had my breakfast and prayers over before the day dawned, afterwards I went to see the new church they are building here, for which I brought a bell, it will be a very neatly finished building when complete ; it is romantically perched on the top of a steep hill several hundred feet high. We were favoured with a fine though cold day. We dined at Heraara's pa ; there is a carved image of a man as large as life placed close to the water's edge to commemorate Turoa's body resting here on its way to be buried at Pipiriki, and whenever the corpse rested there is a similar one. I could not help calling to mind the many monuments Edward erected to commemorate the resting places of his beloved Queen Eleanor, and thinking how much all nations resemble one another in a state*bf barbarism. At this place they say a Taniwa (a kind of water spirit) resides in a deep hole of the river, the sun had set some time before I reached Hikurangi to sleep, we were accompanied by a second canoe Irom Kanihinihi. 18th. — This morning I had service and preached. I was much pleased with the church they have erected ; the site is beautiful, being one which I selected ; the length of the building is about 40 by 25 feet wide. We did not stop at Pukehikia but proceeded straight to Pipiriki, where we arrived in time for service. I have pitched my tent in a native house for the night. • 19th. — We left Pipiriki after morning service, calling at a small kainga where our natives were presented with a pig, thence we stopped at some curious caves ca'led Pura roto, where I heard there was limestone. The scene is very tomantic ; half of a stream falls down a precipice of about 100 feet, and the other through a cave out of which it comes with a rushing sound ; there is an amphitheatre of rocks, in the middle of which is a cave 50 ieet high, with some stalactites in it. I picked up one which had fallen from the roof, about 2 feet long, we went to the end of this cave, the roof being white with a'calcarious deposit. As we receded from the light I no- \ ticed with astonishment innumerable spots of light on the roof which at first I thought came from openings in the top, but on further ex- j ,amination of some on the sides I found the light proceeded from innumerable luminous little worms crawling on the damp rock. I had a native teacher of Fipiriki with me ; when we had got a considerable way on, to try the echo, I gave a loud shout which reverberated like thunder, it came so unexpectedly on him that it caused him to give a jump, supposing some great danger was at hand ; afterwards I lit a newspaper and we explored the termination — it is an immense rent in the cliffs formed most probably by an earthquake, and extends nearly a quarter of a mile, the rock is soft sandstone, containing sea shells in great quantities similar to those now found on these shores, the cliffs of the river are there from 4to 500 feet high. At Wakaaumoe, Pakoro invited us to stop as food was being prepared for us ; my natives accordingly went up to the place, after however waiting some time they all returned but one, who preferred remaining until the food was ready — hence we soon entered the Manga nui a te ao, which is one continuation oi rapids.. About 3p.m. we reached Te Are.ro, where we dragged the canoe ashore and then ascended to the pa ; there is a neat

little church here in which I held service but few were present. * * * 22. — After service we left Te Arero ; the road for the first 8 miles is extremely precipitous, and with the constant rains so slippery that I found the ascents and descents equally fatiguing ; one place was very dangerous, the mountain above had recently slipped down leaving an almost perpendicular face of rock, having only a little earth resting in places on its side ; it wa on this we had to step and then one of the climbing shrubs formed a rope to ascend a perfect wall of rock near 30 feet high. About half-past two we reached Tuware. We had once to ford the Manga nui a te ao, it was breast deep ; I was carried over, for the stream is so strong and intensely cold I could not have endured it. The country for the last 4 miles was very beautiful consisting of undulating plains of grass, here and there broken into by ravines several hundred feet deep. About 6 miles from Te Arero we came to Otaki, a little kainga where there are a few houses and considerable cultivations. I was pleased to see preparations made for the election of a church here. As we approaced Tuware the sight was very interesting; our party now numbered fully a hundred or more and walking in single file we formed a very long line. When we approached the kainga all the females came out and bid us welcome, they had their hair dressed with white feathers and had fillets of a creeping lycopodium tastefully artanged on their foreheads, a sign of mourning. Some waved their mats, others green boughs, and when we entered the pa our party formed a group, the formost sitting on the ground and covering their faces with garments whilst the women of the place, who acted as chief mourners, arranged themselves opposite with the men behind them ; one advancing befoie the rest with two others a little behind, who bowed almost down to the ground with their arms crossed on their breasts and gradually raising themselves up slowly extending and contracting their arras, kept time with a slow and very solemn wail, alternately raising and lowering the voice in a very affecting way. Hoko, the chief of this place is a relative of Te Heuheu's and so is Pakoro. This custom always takes place when a relative of a great chief who is dead enters a strange place. A heavy shower of rain almost immediately put an end to the ceremony, and all appearance of their late sorrow instantly disappeared. We were received with great kindness in this little place and a very large heap of food was soon brought forth for our very large party.' ♦ * * It is rather amusing to see with what facility the natives provide for strangers ; in our case a little village not containing more than 50 men and women had to entertain more than 100; had such occurred in England, there would have been much consultation, contriving; and confusion, here there was none ; each family produced its quota of potatoes cooked and uncooked, with a fair allowance of pork, which was piled up in the midst of the pa, and then one of our parry was called upon to divide it in proportion to the uumber of visitors from each place, and then all was done. A long shed very soon erected and covered with flags contained the whole party, and the people enjoyed the society of their guests without being at all put out by their number. * * 23rd. — We had a cold frosty night. About 9 we left accompanied by all the people of the pa, and a very cold walk we had ; we crossed the river twice to day. The major part of the company came on so slowly that I would not stay for them, as it is we have only made a short day's journey, we are encamped in a little open space of fern and are likely to have another cold night. 24th. — It was a sharp frost last night and the grouud is quite white, but as I took the precaution to thatch my tent with the fronds of the fern tree it was both warm and dry. I had some difficulty to get the natives to move this morning it was so cold, and it was after nine before I succeeded. I noticed that the chrystals of frost are, to the best of my memory, different from those in England, they are about an inch and a-half long and very much resemble in texture flakes of gypsum. I observed many branches snapped off and was told by the natives it was occasioned by the frost, which is very commonly the case. It seems quite unnatural to walk through an ever-green forest in a severe frost, the gieen leaves look quite out of character. We twice crossed the Manganui a te ao, and found it breast deep and intensely cold. It set iv about noon for rain which was very cold, and the road in addition extremely bad, having to climb dangerous precipices and one lofty mountain the Ruapekapeka. I had some difficulty in getting the natives on and as i^was we were obliged to encamp about 3 on account of the rain and coll, and the backwardness of many of our number and we have not above 20 who have reached our sleeping place ; we were all wet and perishing with cold and could not get a fire to burn for sometime. I had to wait at least an hour before the native who carried my tent came up, and when it was pitched it felt like a well. To add to our disasters, one of our !

party went out to look for dry wood and has not yet returned. He has been lost 6 hours^ we have fired guns and sent men with firebrands in all directidns-~but without success* although they fancied they heard his voice. A poor little bat was found clinging to some wood brought for the fire, and was soon thrown on the embers and eaten. I preserved the skin ; the natives built a shed, and not making the supports very strong it fell down and nearly smashed my tent.