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Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 371, 6 November 1878, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald of the 30th October publishes the following ; —“ The search party that went after Hiroki to Parihaka, showed a great want of native etiquette, and were treated by the tribe in a way which should teach them a lesson. We hear that Mr. Williams, the interpreter, headed a party of eight natives, and. instead of going to see Te Whiti first and explaining his mission, arrived at Parihaka at night, and at once proceeded to search the whares, pulling the blankets or covering off the men, women, and children, talking very largely at the same time about going to bring Hiroki out of that, dead or alive. Such treatment in a European household would not have been tolerated for one minute, therefore it is not surprising that the Parihaka natives too stepped in to prevent such insolent intrusion. Having danced a war dance, they murued the horses, hammered one of Mr Williamson’s natives, and at last gave the party five minutes to clear out of the place, and they cleared. Major Brown has gone to Parihaka, and his visit will tend, no doubt, to allay any ill-feeling amongst the natives towards the Europeans that the insult offered to Te Whiti may have caused.” A correspondent to the Wanganui Herald , “ Wahnate,” or, as the natives now term him,- “ that lying. Pakcha-Maori writer”

has been particularly industrious in deriding the efforts of those who -went to Parihaka in search of Hiroki. Natives of that party, all being chiefs, and some of them patriarchs of the Ngararu and other tribes, were not likely to act indiscretly or contrary to Maori custom,, and are incensed at the statements circulated by “ Waimate” similar in import to the above quotation from the Taranaki Herald, and are reported to have gone the length of writing to the Native Minister, denying the misrepresentations. The search part3 r had no opportunity of getting drunk, and never had the opportunity of coinmittingtbe outrages attributed to them. It is true they continued their progress right up to Parihakn, and that in spite of protests and threats 40 or 50 miles from their destination. They were steadfast in their mission, which was simply to inquire of Te Whiti if Hiroki had arrived and ask that he should bo given up. It would have been death to have bounced in the presence of some hundreds of unfriendly Natives. The search party had no chance of bouncing, or committing outrages, for thej'' were received with sullen looks, and conducted straightway to a wharo set apart for them, from which they were scarcely allowed to peep until the order issued for them to clear within five minutes or they' would bo killed. None of the party were allowed outside, so it was impossible for any one of them to get “ hammered.” The row was between Natives at Parihaka,- friendly to the chiefs of the search party and the Europeans, and the hostile natives. It was the influence of the friendly natives which caused the return of the horses. Wo have not space to do move than call attention to the thorough unreliability of “ Waimate" as lately shown by us in respect of the survey party. lie pretended to quote from the Patea Mail, using words which had never appeared, and on the invented text poured, out the vials of his wrath; He should lean! to be accurate.