The Natives.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2916, 20 June 1878, Page 2

The Natives.

The present session of "»e Native Lands Court at Sbortland, besides its importance as the settler to long postponed land transactions, wll be of considerable ralue to the business people " i that part of the Borough. It is estimated that at present there are fully 430 or SGO native visitors, many of whom have come from the Waikato, Piako, and Coromandel as well as those from the Thames Valley. Yesterday all the hotels appear d to be doing a roaring trade in " waipiro," md the clothiers, grocers, etc., were hard at work attending to the external and internal comforts of the natives. The Maoris see-u to look upon tbe Court as a graud reunion of their race. Old friends were • to be "sen rubbing noses most affectionately and getting uproariously merry faver half-p;nts of Ehrenfried's best, and in one billiard-room we noticed one young; Hauraki initiating a number of his Te Aroha cousins into the mysteries of " wool " and " typo." The latter look'd on admiringly, which they testified by frequent "kapais." Our aboriginal friends,arc dressed in every s-yle. Some do the dandy in broadcloths, stove-pipe hats, and white shirts, while others were more primitively attired in a blanket, or flax mat. One old buffer had atable-cloth fixed round him like a Roman toga, though the belltopper jammed on the back of his head was rather incongruous. A gentleman, well known here, was yesterday.. having a M.korero" with a number of native rargatiras who were warnvng their hams in the sun on the footpath outside the Sbortland hotel. Amongst*their numl.3r wa3 a r-gged old man with a large mouth and blear eyes. He had a blanket round him which might or might not have existed in the days of Captain Cook (and certainly had not been washed lately), and in his hand was a curiously carved wooden mere. Our pakoha friend,- while conversing with some of the better dressed natives, looked pityingly on the unwaehed gentleman we have described, and patronisingly took bold of the mere as if he wished to inspect it. The native did hot like that at all, and he raised his weapon threateningly, andourfriend retired quickly amidst a volley of polite expressions from the Native. On enquiring who the polite old gentleman was, our friend was in formed that it was Tukukino. He now

congratulates himself on In's escape, and. has resolved never to touch « Maori's mere again. We are informed that this session of the Lands Court will occupy at least a month, and nary probably be extended over two, or even three. The Shortland business people have resolved that "no tick " shall be the order of the day. The days of " orders on Mackay " are over, and, as sensible men, they prefer hard cash.