Te Whiti Interviewed.

Patea Mail, 4 September 1880, Page 2

Te Whiti Interviewed.

An old settler visited Tc Whiti recently j to offer him advice. The settler says : “ During the time my remarks were being interpreted and explained, frequent interruptions were made by Te Whiti: at first be listened but before I had finished he became irritable and excited. His reply may be summed in a few words; That he had often received advice and suggestions from white men, few or none of which he had followed ; nor did he mean to adopt the proposal I had made. He complained bitterly of the conduct of the Government destroying their cultivations and fencing ; that he thought other Europeans were as bad, or they would not approve of what the Government continued to do. If one Government promised what" was right, another succeeded and did not carry it dut. The chief object of all was to rob them of their lands. As to authorising applying to Supreme Court, he would allow nothing of the kind being done : the Judges hitherto had not shown much regard for the interests of the natives, and he looked upon them al[ simply as servants of the Government, and that they were bound to carry out their requests or wishes. He believed that all things yet would be put right, but that even supposing for a moment he was not right, should the New Zealand Judges decline to deal out Justice according to law> there was a mode of appeal open by which the whole facts and circumstances might be referred to the great Judges of England who were out of reach of any influence, hostile or otherwise. It was impossible to convince him, or induce him to change his opinion, and as our interview had lasted considerably over an hour, and Te Whiti became more and more angry, Mr Blake recommended we should leave. Shaking hands with nearly all those present, except Te Whiti, who from his irritated exprespression, I thought, preferred not to do so> bowing to him I left the whare. Hiroki, accused of the murder of McLean, passed close by me, near Te Whiti, and he is consequently living within an hour’s march of the camp of 600 Armed Constabulary.”