ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 567, 8 January 1851, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the “New Zealand Spectator.’’ „ . , _ Poneke, Hanuere 5, 1851. Friend, Governor Kerb, how do you do? lhese are the thoughts of our hearts for you. You are the friend of the Maori menand they trust in you as the great man of the Queen of Eng.and. O Governor! our minds are disturbed by the evil talk of the newspaper of the bitter Doctor, and the man of the Pakehas that tried to take our lands from us formerly We have seen in the Doctor’s paper on Wednesday last the rules proposed to govern New Zealand hy in future. They are bad: they are intended for the destruction of us Maoris O Governor! do not listen to them. When formerly the Queen of England wished to prevent the Maoris fighting and killing each other, she sent her Governor to us, that she might be

Queen of New Zealand, and promised to pro-’ tect us from all injustice and danger, and that our lands should never he taken from us. The men of New Zealand said it was a good thought and the Queen of England became Queen of New Zealand: they gave up their power to a great Queen beyond the seas, who had plenty of soldiers and fighting ships, and whose word was true. The bad men who wrote the rules in the Doctor’s paper wish to oppose the Queen —to say that she shall be Queen no longer, and that they shall govern New Zealand and the Maori people. O Governor! if this should cometopass, vlio can count the days of the Maoris? The white men in New Zealand may wish to get land that the Maoris will not sell or they may offer them a small payment: and how easy it would be to begin a quarrel! Where then is a Maori to look for justice? Not from the people who wish to get his land ; not from the Governor, for he would be afraid of the talking men that could send him away if he did not do their will; —not from the Judge, or the men of the Governor, who would also be .bound to the men of the Assembly, who could turn them away if they liked; and not from the Queen, for she would not then send her letters to New Zealand.

The rules of the newspaper might do if there were no Maoris, and if all the Pakehas were good men, that did not want land or the utu of the Governor. But all the Pakehas that came to New Zealand knew that there were Maoris that the Queen promised to make her children and protect always; and if she agrees to thenrules, how can she protect them when she shall be no longer Queen’ and if no men in the Assembly are sent by the Queen, how can she prevent the other men making evil laws for the Maori people? The Maoris are children in knowledge at present, and how can they choose men (even if the sour man of medicine, or the small man that writes, would let them to do so' for the Assembly that would do them justice? And when the Maoris are all as learned as the white men, the white men will be as the sand of the sc-a compared with them. The white men increase—the Maoris decrease; and then who is to give justice to the Maoris unless the Queen keeps many men always in the Assembly, and sends her own Governors and Judges that are not afraid of the Pakehas in New Zealand? We have heard how a few violent and wicked men who want land or utu in the great town of the men of France, rule the whole of the people, and make many unjust laws that the quiet people submit to, as they do not like to fight. O Governor! this would be the same in New Zealand if there should be no Queen; the few bad men would spit out evil, and the good men would be afraid, and say nothingand it would then be with the Maoris of Ne°w z<eaiaiiu as it iias ueen with mariy of the Maoris of America : they would in a little time be seen no longer in the land of their fathers. O Governor! you are a wise man, and we have great love for you. Do not let this be. Telf the Queen never to give up to the white men of New Zealand 'be Maori men that she promised to protect, and who gave up their power to her and allowed her to send the men of to New Zealand. Tell her to keep always her own men in the Assembly as long as there is a Maori in New Zealand; and tell her that we and our children rely on the protection of the Queen of a great nation beyond the sea, and that we would not like to be given into the hands of the bitter Doctor, or his men, that wish to possess our lands. Give the Doctor plenty of the Queen’s utu to make him write sweet words in future. Tell the man of the bad people in England to take plenty of their land at AVairau and elsewhere, and that you will say nothing about it; and give the piccaniny brown man plenty of papers for land to write; and perhaps, O Governor! they might then say, their present talk was foolish, and that they had become wise. This is all I have now to say. Good bye.

WIREMU T,