THE MONDAY, NOV. 9, 1874. Thames Advertiser.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1890, 9 November 1874, Page 2

THE MONDAY, NOV. 9, 1874. Thames Advertiser.

It is very difficult to believe that Ohioemuri is to be opened at last, but we suppose what everybody says must be true, aud as an Ohioemuri correspondent who has hitherto been sceptical, writes that the opening is at length at hand, we shall expect that duriug the first month of 1875 the Ohinemuri district will be added to the gold field, that the timber on the range will be utilised, and that land will be opened for settlement, Mr Mackay has gone up the river in order to meet all the natives of the Coromandel peninsula, to settle with them respecting the land which they are to hand over for the monies they have lately been receiving. A number of natives have been delayed at their planting, and will not be able to be at Ohinemuri till the end of the week. The meeting will be more of a business character than one for displays of eloquence, and we understand that it is Mr Mackay's intention to delay anything like a ceremonious assembly till the arrival of the Native Minister. Apparently Te Hira means to continue to reside in the district, aud make the best of the circumstances. He has long struggled against the inevitable. He has kept back thousands for seven years, and although beaten he is not disgraced. On the whole he has behaved himself well in the circum-' stances. It was no doubt irritating for miners to be kept back from a country in which they thought there was wealth for them, while by the whole of the upper country being shut up, every resident in this community was injuriously affected. But on the whole, Te Hira might have behaved much worse than he did. When prospectors were discovered on the ranges, they were brought in without any violence being shown to them, their property eveu was carried in and carefully restored. It must have been irritating for tho natives to find that, notwithstanding all their efforts, and their frequent briuging in of parties, prospectors were constantly going out, and they must have kuown that the most effective way to put an end to the proceeding was to kill some one. The perpetrator of such a deed would have run very little risk, as he, would, ha,y«

found safe asylum with the King. But Te Hira was exceedingly anxious that no blood should be spilt, and notwithstanding the many occasions and the irritating circumstances in which Europeans and Maoris have been brought into collision we have fortunately no murder to deplore. And while giving credit to Te Hira for this, we must not omit to repeat that the miners who have been in the Ohinemuri district have shown the most admirable patience and forbearance in many trying circumstances.

By the arrival of the« Star of the South' at Auckland yesterday we have the details of the proceedings when the British flag was hoisted at Fiji, and a copy of the deed of cession. This latter is of some interest to va in New Zealand, who have suffered so much under the famous treaty of Waitangi. The fundamental mistake in that treaty was recognising the native title to the whole of New Zealand from the North Cape to Stewart's Island—creating in the natives a property. which they themselves had never dreamt of, but very soon saw all the advantages of. We have had to pay very dearly for our mistake. The Fijian deed says that '.' all unoccupied unalienated lands not in the occupation of or required for the use of the chiefs or tribes shall become the absolute property of the Queen." This looks as if drawn by some one anxious to avoid the mistake made in this colony, but danger lurks even here, for the phrase " required for the use of" is very elastic. If the members of the Executive Council of Fiji are wise they will have the matter defined as soon as possible, so that the native lands may be clearly marked off from the lands belonging to the Crown. Another cautious phrase in the Fijian treaty is that the rights of the chiefs are recognised "so far as consistent with the colony," and not in the absolute style in which these rights were recognised in New Zealand. There is no mention made of what is to be done in respect to the hill tribes, who have maintained an independent position, and who will oppose any interference • with them.