SPECIAL TELEGRAM.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 439, 28 June 1879, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAM.

. new Plymouth. June 27 [Put in at 12.48 ; received at 7.30 p.m.] The Taranaki Herald publishes the following letter from Mr Courtney, in answer to the charges made by Mr Hulke against him Sir, —In last night’s issue, Mr Hulke gives Mr Livingstone credit for liia action re.the natives, and me discredit for mine. I will show you that they are two quite different cases. In mine, it was. the first act of the natives, the land being nine miles;from my house. Had I been rash and taken the law into my own hands, and brought down the natives ,on the large number of defenceless settlers between my farm and Pnrihaka, every thinking man would have blamed me. In my case, we have settlers like Vavasour Brothers andBayly who have cattle costing from £l5O to £4OO per head ; and then again we have fifty small farmers edging on the bush, where they might be surprised at any moment and lose their children, which are worth far more to them than the high-priced cattle ; and I would have been the cause of all this. Now, in Mr Livingstone’s case, he saw what was the up-shot of the Tapuao affair, and wisely called the settlers together, and they having had our experience, acted as they felt safe in doing. In my case I called on the Government, whom I felt had got me into the trouble, to get me out of it. They said they would do so, and I, through my Solicitor, offered the Government terms; and said if they did not accept them I would take the law into my own hands. For my own part, not froiA cowardice, but from a feeling of right and wrong, I think it quite enough for a settler to lose nearly, of perhaps his all, without giving in his life. However, should there bo any trouble, Mr Hulke will not find me in the rear in the event of war. We are fully taxed, and the Government should be able to pay to suppress what they have brought on by pandering to these Natives. At the foot I enclose my first telegram to the Government, and on which I would have acted had I not been shown the danger I placed my fellow-set-tlers in, as shown above.—l am, &c., W. Courtney.

[Telegram.] To Sir George .Grey and the Hon J. Sheehan, Wellington.—Gentlemen,—There are a lot of Natives with four ploughs breaking up my freehold land at Tapuae. If the Government do not remove them, I willshoot their bullocks, and the Natives if they interfere.—W. Courtney. [Reply.] ■ ’; To Mr W. Courtney, New.' Plymouth.— -3Dara sincerely grieved to 'hoar that you propose to shoot horses and Natives. You will, act far more wisely by leaving the case to be dealt with by the ordinary operations of the law, which," though sometimes slow, is certain. Although your right to the land may be indisputable, the shooting of horses or men would be a very grave offence.—G. Grey. •