GOVERNOR GREY'S MEASURES WITH REGARD TO RAUPARAHA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 209, 31 July 1847, Page 3

GOVERNOR GREY'S MEASURES WITH REGARD TO RAUPARAHA.

From Lieut.-Governor Grey to the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone. Wellington, July 20th, 1847. Sir, — I have the honour to transmit the enclo ed statement of two of a party of natives who were stopped by Rangihaeata's directions on the road near Porirua ; and I think it right, in illustration of the existing state of affairs in this part of the country, to make the following remarks upon this case ;—; — The pa of Taupo at Paramatta is the place from which Rangihaeata retired before be commenced the system of atrocious murders which he has recently been carrying on. He removed from it to another pa in the interior, not distant more than five or six miles from Taupo, but which is difficult of access, and* surrounded by extensive and almost * impenetrable forests, into which he retires on the slightest alarm, and which may be regarded as his real residence, where we cannot, at this season of the year, follow him with any hope of success. His original pa at Taupo is not distant more than a mile from our stockade at Porirua, and it is also the point at which Rangihaeata was formerly in the habit of iapuing the coast road. The pa is at present occupied by Te Rauparaha and some of the Ngatitoa tribe, who, upon the occasion of the road being tapued in April last, and my proceeding there to inquire into the circumstances, and to take such measures as might be requisite, faithfully promised that they would not upon any future occasion, be in any way concerned in such proceedings. Finding that they had apparently violated these promises, I proceeded the next morning, after I had received intelligence of the road having been again tapued, and that actually in the very vicinity of our camp, and by our reputed allies, to Porirua, and alter seeing Mr. Servantes, of the 96th Regiment, who is acting as interpreter there, I sent him again on shore with the two complaining natives, with positive orders that they, together with the pigs, should be forthwith passed along the road. lat the same time stated that I would not receive Te Rauparaha, or any other of the Taupo chiefs, on board, until these orders had been complied with. Mr. Servantes returned on board, the Driver, stating that the affair had been somewhat

misrepresented, and that my orders would have been at once complied with, if the pigs had not unfortunately been sent back to Manawatu the previous day. He brought Te Rauparaha and some other chiefs on board, who made the same statement to me which had been previously made to Mr. Servantes, and assured me that such a circumstance should never occur again. I entirely believed their statements and assurances, but 1 regret now to state that I have positively ascertain' ed, from two important chiefs, upon whom every reliance may be placed, that the pigs were, at the very time these statements were made, detained in the pa, and that they were telling a deliberate and intentional falsehood. One of the chiefs who assured me of this is one of Te Rauparaha's nearest relatives, and he mentioned it with concern, adding that he felt great shame and grief when he heard Te Rauparaha making statements so opposite to the truth. The fact indisputably is, that Te Rauparaha and some of the chiefs of the Ngatitoa tribe are secretly assisting Rangihaeata, whilst they are professing the warmest friendship for us. To what extent their treachery may yet have proceeded I am not prepared to &peak, but I have thought it right to lose no time in reporting a circumstance which may have so important an influence on our proceedings here. In as far as 1 am yet enabled to form an opinion, I think that Te Rauparaha is really shocked with Rangihaeata's deliberate murders, and that he is apprehensive, that he will ultimately be seized and punished, but that he only desires to persuade Rangihaeta to desist from such proceedings, and to retire into the interior, and there to endeavour to make terms with the Europeans ; and, in the meantime, under the guise of assisting us, is doing everything in his power to prevent my seizing Rangibaeata, and to keep him aware of our movements, and supplied with provisions. I have, &c, (Signed) G. Grey. The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, &c.

Enclosure in No. 28. Ngahupa and Taowaroro, natives of Manawa<u, of the tribe called the Patukohuru, state — On Wednesday evening we arrived at Taupo, near Porirua, bringing with us four large pigs, sent by Mr. Cook to Capt. Sharp. We slept at Taupo on Wednesday night, and on Thursday morning, as we commenced our journey to Wellington, we were ordered by some of the Ngatitoa people living at the pa to return with our pigs, as the road had been made tapu, or sacred, by Rangihaeata. We did not attempt to proceed on our journey to \\ ellington, but remained at Taupo the whole of that day, and the next morning we made another effort to drive in our pigs, at the request of Te Rauparaha, when, not having gone very far on the road, we were ■stopped by one of the Ngatitoa natives, whose name we do not know. He is a man with sandy hair, and is partially tattooed : we think his name is Hohepa. After having tried to take away the pigs from us by force, and not succeeding, he used violence with a large stick, on which account we returned the pigs to the pa where Rauparaha lives, where they now remaiu. We were afraid to bring on the pigs, for fear of any further mischief happening to ourselves. We had not proceeded far, on both occasions, when we were stopped. Five natives of the Ngatitoa stopped us the first time. We should know them again. We told our story to the young chiefs in the pa, but not to Rauparaha ; but we know that he was aware of the circumstance. Horohau and Zachariah (from Otaki) was one of the chiefs we told our story to. ' Te Rauparaha told us but once to go on with the pigs; he did not make any effort, as far as ■we are aware, to ensure our coming on. None of the natives had arms who stopped us. The natives told us it was tapu by Rangi- ! haeata on Monday last, by calling it his backlone, as retaliation for leaving him alone to fight his own battle. On Wednesday night a lad from Pauatahanui came to Taupo, to say that the coast-road was made tapu by Rangihaeata, and Rauparaha replied by saying that no persons were at Taupo to carry the tapu into effect; but he did not prevent the natives of Taupo from stopping us ; all he did was to recommend us to come on with the pigs. We complained to the officer at Paramatta, through Mr. Servantes, that we had been stopped and ill-used. Mr. Skipwith came with us to the commanding officer — the commanding' officer asked where our pigs were, .and said He was sorry for the tapu. (True copy.) J. Coates, C. C. (To be continued.)