ALEXANDRA.
• ' ' This day.
The Beception of Sir George Grey.
' Land Sharks at Work.
ProlsaUe Satisfactory Settlement.
"War Daace To-day.
Sir George Grey and party arrived here yesterday, changing steamer on the journey in consequence of its smaller draught'of water. The Premier-and. ; the Native'Miniater were warmly, welcomed by several hundreds of Natives, who cheeredfjtheir arrival /vociferously. The Story that Tawhiao.did not care to meet Sir George Grey and Mr Sheehan the natives Bay was only a, fabrication. They'sent a war canoe down yesterday for the purpose' of conveying the. Ministerial party to Eopua. .A large number of the.jvisitora; have; not ;yet>: crossed j the river, the Ngapuhi especially, and heace the distribution of; food has no.t ? yet taken
place.' "'' ' , • , It is rumoured that Eewi and his people'h4ve been detached from the King party,l and'that all sort* of attempts hare been made, both' by natives and Euro- , peanV.'t'o prevent the Eingites receiving | the, Ministers. The name at least of' one of the parties is known to the Government. The evidence of their wil- ' lingja^Ss. to receive the Premier can be deduced, from the fact that their meat, killed some days since, is high in odour ■ and condition through being kept, owing i |to; } th|ir wish only to distribute the food : when Sir George Grey arrived. The land ! shark element is strong. ! i! Worn, the best authority I hear that' fit In " > , ! there are. not rooro than 3500 people' j wsenibled. The town in the meantime , Jis crowded to overflowing, beda being j tidingt.not dreamt of. " The canards in circulation detailing the i j intention of Tawhiao and Rewi are without foundation. What the natives intend doipg.no one but themselves can declare, thqugh the atmosphere here is thick with native rumors, each man having a ■fresh story to tell. The most significant feature of the future amicable relation between the two races ia the fact of the Kingites commencing to grow large quantities of wheat for sale j the effect of this cultivation cannot well be over esti- ; mated. I hear opinions freely expressed ' among the people, that if they choose to live alone on their estates they can do so, no matter how large they may be, and they quote the English Law tenure and the extensive individual population, as convincing proof of the legality of such , action. j Major te Wheoro came down to take the party up to«day with two more war canoes, atartirig about ten. It will take two hours to go. Major Jackson and Mr Sear'ancke are camped at Kopua in the ' inteiest of the land ring. • , A big war-dance takes place to-day. ; ' The Latest. Sir George Grey left here at ten this morning with Mr Sheehan;and party for Kopua in three large war canoes, accompanied by the JNgapuhis and a few others 1 from, Wellington and, 6ther,. districts. ; •The canoes contain 150 each, and on arrival at Eopua there is to be afrg'rantk Maori reception to Sir George and the \Ngapuhis, and a war danco on -a scale of grandeur never equalled on such occasions. :The further ■ distribution-of tHe food will then follow the carouse, some 50 bullocka/ &c, haying been got ready. >
No speaking of any interest will take place to-day, and to-morrow: being Sunday, the real business of the meeting cannot commence until Monday; r ■
The special correspondent of the* Star at Te Kopua supplies the following:-- V, To-day the Ret. Mr Buddie, Wesleyan ; Missionary from the Three Kings, visited Te Kopua with the Rev. Mr Sohnackenberg (Wesleyan).; They breakfasted with S ewi and: Manuhiri at Thompson's house. Major Jackson and Mr Searancke (late R.'MV) were also present. ■ r ■ Eewi, addressing the Rev. Mr Buddie, said : This is the result of our taking bur hands off each other's heads. Grey and I arp now in one body, but we < have; still two hearts, and will discuss matters from independent standpoints. What is the good of people who cannot discuss things from different sides ? I will tell him my .thoughts, and he will tell me hjs. Later,-the Rev. Mr Buddie, accompanied by Mr Buddie, of Whikaker and Russell's, his son, the Rev. Mr Schnackenberg, Mr Pounds (Union Bank), Mr Hobbs, M.H.R. (also the son of an old and highly respected Wesleyan missionary), Major Jackson, and others, visited Manuhiri, at his house. The reception was most cordial. , '/■'"'
Manuhiri said to the Rev. Mr Buddie : You have not grown old. lour special remarked to Manuhiri:" This is one of your old .friends. Manuhiri replied : Tenei ano nga mea kua mate (this is the representative of things that are dead). This was an allusion to Mr Buddies former, missionary efforts thirty-four years ago, since when most of Manubiri's people have died. 1 Aconversation ..took place privately, between the Rev. Mr Buddie and Manuhiri, at which X was not present, but for an account of which I am indebted to the rev.
gentleman himself. Manuhiri remarked.:^ Formerly you brought us Christianity,then,came troubles about land, and after that, war and strife, but in this time we have met to restore the first condition of affairs.
The Her. Mr Buddie remains with Eewi's people to-night. One Maori, who was a boy in the time of the Eev. Mr Buddies early missionary labors, but is now a middlo-aged man, said to him : " You used to tell mo when I was a boy about the infernal fire. For many years I wondered what that could bo, but I found out. It was tho blaze of tho pakeha big guns." This " Jeu d' esprit " caused considerable amusement in camp, as it was repeated from mouth to mouth.
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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3184, 3 May 1879, Page 2
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932ALEXANDRA. Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3184, 3 May 1879, Page 2
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