CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1276, 16 February 1883, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

We ds not held ounelves reepeeilhle tor the opinions expressed by our correspondents].

to th® xnrroß. Si*,—l cannot help replying to * letter which appeared in your issue of the 14th instant, signed " Quien Sake," and am compelled to say that either he knows nothing about the subject, or else be wilfully misrepresents the facts. I will endeavor to take his letter seriatim. To begin with, the transaction upon which he proposes to throw some light is not at all likely to become a nine days' wonder. Secondly, I most emphatically assert that Te Kooti is not, by any means, regarded as a representative man by the Natives, as witness the very words made use of yesterday among themselves at a tangi, held at Toroa, or, perhaps, I should say, Waerenga-a-hika. Let me ask what oppression have the Maoris to resist, laws exist, whereby they are, and have been, made equal with the European, and, moreover, laws have been passed, and do exist, for their especial benefit and protection, and I say that so far as I know, and I feel that I have some right to speak as knowing, no European who lived in this district up to the year 1868, had attempted or wished to oppress them. With reference to the first charge brought against Te Kooti, I will only say (this was in 1865) that at any rate there were sufficient grounds to warrant the officers, then in command of Her Majesty’s Forces, in having him arrested for communication with the Queen's enemies. He was liberated. Later on, other information was given by persons (some of whom are since deceased, and some living) which, to the minds of those in charge of the welfare of thia district, supplied sufficient reason for deportation of Te Kooti to the Chatham Islands. The nonsense about his “ en parole" during his detention at Kohanga Karerea I simply laugh at, because I know such not to nave been the case. When leaving the Chatham Islands of course the Maoris had no wish or cause to revenge themselves upon the settlers there. It would have been altogether against Te Kooti’s creed ; it was not their land. But what did he say ’ (and which statement still exists, I imagine, in his own handwriting) “ We are going back to New Zealand to wage war upon and exterminate the pakeha from the father to the son, for ever, for ever, for ever." Without doubt he deserves credit for paying the master of the Rifleman (which, by the way, he never did) for conveying himself and other Natives to Whareongonga, when we remember that Ke is supposed to have done so with other people's money. I will not presume to question the wisdom of the steps taken by Major Biggs, as I am not aware of the nature of the instructions or power he may have been acting under; but I will say, having had the honor of knowing him, I am sure that anything he did do was done with a merciful intention, and for the best interests of both Europeans and Natives. Your correspondent, perhaps, forgets, or does not know, that these things done by Biggs took place in July ; well, Te Kooti got away almost scot free, why, then, did he not go, as (according to your correspondent’s assertion) was his intention, and range his forces by the side of the Maori King! Instead of remaining at Puketopu and then sneaking down in the night to murder women and children. As to the argument that our opCr-

ations were all wrong, and that such crimes have been perpetrated in every civilised Country, I will ask, haw I, or has you correspondent any right here at all! I say yes. and here I intend to remain. And that fa every country, whether civilised or not) such crimes have been, and still are, being puniehed. What did the Hon. Mr Gladstone say about the Bulgarian atrocities! What is

being done now under the administration of the same gentleman in Ireland 1 Moat up doubtedly all right thinking people anxious «- wish for the pacification of the country, I let ue at least have some regard for the f Ings of those who have lost their beet j dearest friends through the action of thia plausible, cunning, and bloodthirsty z taßr . derar. And I would ask those wh # |, BM suffered, to let us all make a firm st and determine that Te Kooti shall not, „ r . milted la ooms into tM» Aittriot a > leapt, to suit «»»Bady’s perpoeeo, for b» in 1 e U ke does mlsehM will come of it.—l am, sir, A. F»Ad, 0 Attnv. Gistiarne, Feb. Jtflth, IMS,