MAORI FANATICISM.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1325, 9 April 1885, Page 2

MAORI FANATICISM.

The following letter was received by the Native Minister re the religious craze in the North : Russell, Ist April, 1885. Sir, —I have the honor to inform you that I again visited the camp of the prophetess yesterday, the final day. I found that at least half the people had already left for home. Many intended leavingjto day, A few probably will stay for a few weeks longer. That the woman is crazed there can be no doubt, aud most of her deluded followers are not slow in admitting it. She made a statement on Sunday last which partly opened their eyes. She said: "I hear some of the people have threatened to burn me. They can do so if they please, but I would rather not, as I wish to attend Tawhiao's meeting on the 23rd April." One man immediately inquired how she reconciled this statement with the one that the end of the world would be during March. A few days ago she scattered all the numberless presents—rings, chains, lockets, greenstone, etc.— among the crowd to be scrambled for. This relieves her from the imputation that she was actuated "by a desire for gain. Yesterday whilst I was at the camp she was at the village, trying to induce the native clergyman to marry her to a young man who went with her. A difficulty, however, arose, the youth having left a wife at Hokianga. Now that it is all over I am of opinion that the amount of property alleged to have been sold at ruinous prices has, like everything else connected with the movement, been much exaggerated. Much food has doubtless been wasted; The Waiho people have sold Borne stock at low values and wasted the money, but these natives are comparatively well off, and have left a considerable amount of property at their homes. As transpired yesterday, when enquiring as to the legality of their friends and neighbors having appropriated a number of pigs and other stock to their own uses, a plentiful crop of litigation will probably spring out of this. There will doubtless be some distress, but not to the extent I at one time anticipated. Fortunately this season the potato and other crops are good. 1 have, etc, J. H. Greenaway, Clerk of Court. Auckland, April 7. The Camp of the Maori prophetess is broken up, the natives having returned home. She was asked about the failure of her prophecy, and replied that they were fools to believe her. " The day is only postponed," she added, " and I will still foretell that the end is near."