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New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 576, 8 February 1851, Page 3

The following addresses, expressive of confidence in his Government, have been forwarded by the Natives of this Settlement to his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief. No. 1 is from E Puni and the Natives of Pitone, inclosing a short address to the Queen and a Waiata, or traditional song, which they have applied with peculiar force to the circumstances of the Colony duringhis Excellency’s administration. No. 2is from'E Take and the Natives of Ngauranga. No. 3 is an address to the Queen from the Natives of Waikanae. No. 1. Pitone, Poneke, Pepuere 6, 1&51. E hoa e Kawana, —Teno ra koe, e nui ana toku aroba kia koe, naku tena pukapuka na Te Puui, na matou ko aku tamariki. Kia rongo mai koe; ka wbakaae am nei matou kia koe, kia nobo mai koe i Nui Tireni nei bei matua mo matou, ka whakaae atu nga iangata o Pitone kia koe, kia noho, kia kana e rongo kite aruaru a nga Pakeha. Na, a korua tikanga to ta Kuini i tika at matou nga Maori i tika ai. i ora ai,

Ehike e te Kuini, —Tena ra ko koe, ki a rongo mai koe; kua waiho koe bei kaiwfaakangote, ko Kawana bei matou atawhai. He oti ano taku kupu kia koe. HE WAIATA. E Tama ma, e moe uei E ara ra ki runga e, Kei te turia mai taua Ki nga hanga a te Maero, e— He mea, kei whea rawa Te beke ai te roimata e — Kei te Katikatilanga o te ra kite kiri e— Ko au anake hoki, Maua e toro mai te wbenua e— Kia rokobanga mai, Ka taruna au kite wbare na, Ki nga tai ki Mohuia, Ka hoki mai ai Kei ehu ehu e. Translation. Pitone, Port Nicholson, February C, 1851. Friend the Governor —I salute you; great is my love to you; this letter is conjointly from me Te Puni and my children. Listen, it is our desire that you should remain in New Zealand as a father to us. It is also the wish of nil the men of Pitone that you should remain, and not listen to the white men who seek to drive you away. For it is through the administration of the laws of the Queen that we have become enlightened, not only enlightened, but saved. O Lady the Queen —Saluting you : Listen, You have been placed over us as a Nursing Mother, and the Governor as a kind Parent. This is all I have to say. A SONG. Oh my children! who lie slumbering round me here; rise up then from your sleep ! It becomes us now to stand watchful, ever thinking of the evil which we fear. Oh! those words that he spoke! At the remembrance of them, tears ever stream from our eyes!—“ In-the days when the scorching sun of affliction burnt up your skin, was it not I who saved you?”—lt was he indeed who came to aid this land. Let me not then be surprised, off my guard, stretched slumbering in the house, by the surf which beats on the rock of Mohuia! Although war and strife have disappeared from the land—as to that rock returns the fierce surge, so may they again return'! Let us take care lest they dash us;to pieces. No. 2. Ngauranga, Pepuere 6, 1851. E Kui, e te Kuini—Tena ra ko koe • ka nui to matou aroha atu ki a koe; kia rongo mai koe ki ta matou kupu atu ki a koe; ko te tikanga mo tenei whenua.: —Ma Kawana Kerei anake e wakatakoto he tikanga mo tenei motu : ekore e pai kia tokomaha he kaiwakarite mo nga whenua; kaore, kia kotahi ano! kia tika ai te whakaaro kei raruraru te iwi. E Kui ete Kuini! kia rongo mai koe, he oti ano te tangata mohio kite wakarite tikanga, koia tenei ko Kawana Kerei anake hei wakatikatika mo nga mea kino, mo nga pai katoa. Maenei tikanga, ka pai haere ai te iwi, kua oti te apiti kite ritenga o te ture o te Atna ka tahi —o te Kuini ka rua —o te Kawana tanga ka toru —o te ao ka wha. Koia, tenei pukapuka i tuhi tubi atu ai e matou ki a koe, ta te mea hoki kua raohiotia e Dga kaumulua Maori te wakaaro o Kawana Kerei. E kore, e nui rawa tana kupu me ka puta mai i tona waba ; e Wae ! ka orate tangata ote ao katoa ite wakaaro o to matou matua o Kerei.

From Wiremu Tako, and the Natives of Ngauranga. Translation. Nauranga, February 6, 1851. O Lady the Queen! We salute you: great is our love to you. Listen to our address tb you concerning the laws of this land. Let Governor Grey alone; lay down the law for this island: it will not be well that there should be many counsellors for the land:—No, let there be but one! that our thoughts may be right and that the people be not distracted. 0 Queen! listen. There is but one man who knows how to adapt laws (to our circumstances) — Governor Grey alone who can justly adapt them for all good or evil actions. By these laws alone can the people prosper, by the combination of the laws—firstly, of God; se condly, of the Queen; thirdly, of the Governor; and fourthly of the world. Hence have we written this letter to you, because .the old men of our Maori tribes know the policy of Governor Grey,—excellent is the goodness of his administration. When he speaks, he speaks gently; O, our Mother ! it is to the policy of our father Grey that we all owe our welfare. A true translation, B. J. Deighton, Native Interpreter. No. 3. Waikanae, Pepuere 5, 1851. E whae te Kuini—Ko te rua tenei o a matou pukapuka whakapai mo to kawana mo Kawana Kerei. I tera pukapuka i tuhia 22 o Pepuere 1849. E tuhia atu na etehi pakeha ki a koe be Kawana kino. Ki a rongo mai koe ki ta matou kupu. Kaore ano maua i kite noa i tetehi he i a ia. E roarama tonu ana te haere o ana tikanga ; i tona pito taenga mai ano, a tae noa mai ki tenei tau. E rite tonu ano, tonu whakaaro atawai. No konei i tupu tonu ai nga tikanga i a maua i nga tangata Maori, ara te wbakapono kite Atua; te hanga wbare karakia; te mahi hoki i nga tikanga mo te tinana. Te hanga taone, te hanga wbare moenga ki a rite atu ki a koutou; te atawhai i te kau, i te hoibo, te ogaki i te witi, te haro i te muka, me nga pai katoa mo te tinana.

Me aua tikanga hoki i tuhi* atu na ki a koe i tera pukapuka 22 o Pepuere, 1849, mo tana whakabaere pai i au tikanga ; i marama haere ai ki a maua ki tenei iwi kuare kite tangata Maori. Ko ana mabi enei i kitea atu ai e maua a Kawana Kerei. E pai ana, e mea ana hoki te kupu a te Karaiti, ma nga hua hoki te rakau ka kitea, he rakau pai, he rakau kino. Matiu, u. 12, r. 33. Mei kitea i matou tetehi wahi he i a ia, ekore maua nga tangata Maori e tuhituhi atu i etehi korero pai mona ki a koe ; kei whakaaro iho koe, he tito pea enei kupu whakapai mo te Kawana Kerei. Kaore, he tika ano, nana mahi pai i kitea atu ai| he tangata pai. Na, ko te rua tenei o a matou kupu ki a koe, ko taua kupu ano i tera pukapuka. Ekore rauei koe e ngawari mai kite waiho tonu iho i tenei Kawana; a Kawana Kerei hei Kawana mo konei a mate iho ? Na koia tenei, ekore maua e tuku atu i nga korero kino mona ki a haere atu ki a koe, kaere atu ana te rongo kino haere atu ana te te rongo pai i a maua. Tenei tetehi kupu pupuru a matou mo te Kawana Kerei. HE KARAKIA MAORI. Tina te tawiri, Tina te tamore, Tina i a wbakaoharau, Awhitia Pupuru ra tawi ra, Ki tamoremorenui no papa Rarau he aka matua aiwi. Heoti. Na matou enei kupu na nga tangata e rongo ana ki a koe o tenei iwi o Ngatiawa. TranslationWaikanae, February 5, 1851. Our Mother the Queen — This is the second letter we have written to you in praise of your Governor, of Governor Grey. The former one was written on the 22 nd February 1849. Some white men are writing to you to say he is a bad Governor. Listen to our statement. We have never seen anything bad in him. His laws have ever given satisfaction from his very first arrival down io this present year; his policy has been constantly liberal. Hence the good customs which are steadily gaining ground among us maories;—belief in God ; —the building of churches; and works also for our bodily wants. Building Towns; the construction of sleeping apartments, so that we may resemble the Europeans; tire management of horses and cattle ; the cultivation of wheat, the preparation of flax, and everything necessary to our bodily wants. Besides the praise of those laws expressed in our letter to you on the 22nd February, 1849, we say it is by his good administration of them that they have tended to enlighten us from the darkness in which we formerly lived. It is by these works that we have seen (what) Governor Grey (is) —he is good. For the word of Christ says,—The tree shall be known by its fruit, whether it be a good tree or a bad tree. —Matt. ch. 12 v. 33.

If we, the Maories, had ever seen anything bad in him we should not have written in his praise to you. Think not that perhaps these words in praise of Governor Grey are false. No, they are true ;by his good works we know him to be a good man. Now this is the second of our addresses to you We repeat the prayer of our former letter. Will you allow Governor Grey to remain as Governor over us even until his death ? Thus we will not allow blame of him to be sent (alone) to you. When the bad report goes, then shall our praise go with it.

One word more to request that Governor Grey may remain among us, it is a Maori prayer:— (The first lines are obscure, consisting of allusions to old ceremonies. The general meaning is, Let your heart be quite at rest—heed not what people say. The karakia then proceeds:—) “ Hold fast, Hold very firm, Grasp tight the great root of the earth, And yourself throw out a great root which shall sustain all the tribes!” A true translation, R. J. Deighton, Native Interpreter.