The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4425, 10 March 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1883.

The captivity of Te Whiti and Tohu created a great deal of comment when the Government first took stops in the matter, and much adverse criticism on their action took place at the time of the arrest of the chiefs. The advisableriess of liberating them has been frequently urged ; and after one of the neatest little Ministerial farces ever played, the members of the Government have decided to give the Maori prophet and his com* panion iv captivity, their liberty. The memorable fifth of November, 1881, and the descent of the Native Minister, mounted on bis white charger, on Park haka, will long be remembered by the people of the colony. The excitement occasioned on that eventful day has not been, nor is it likely to soon be, forgotten. Following that remarkable and bloodless battle, was the arrest of Te Whiti and Tohu, and their disposal pat the Ministry somewhat about. After giving the natives a trip to pome of the principal cities of the colony, presumably to show them what the all* powerful pakeha could do, they were | settled down in the sleepy hollow of Nelion, bo that the reaction likely to lake place after the excitement of** visiting the great cities might pass

away. While Her Majesty's Colonial Government were scratching their Ministerial heating, arid wondering what they I vro^go^^dp : with the dusky ones, the likei, fighting cocks at the;colony's;expense,, and passively subv mitting to, the restraint kept upon them. ."■A if this nonsense was 'quite unnecessary, •'aridr-the return, of the prisoners to their people might have long ago been allowed. If their arrest was simply to show the jyuthority of the Government over them, and to let them see that their infractions of law and order wotild not be tolerated or permitted, the course which should have been followed was very easy and simple, and should have been very different to that pursued. We now see that the prophet is to hold a meeting on the 18ih, and the probability is that it will be a case of repeating his previous performances. He and his disciples have long shown their thorough contempt for the Governmenfcjitsofficers.ortheircommands, and the method adopted—half conciliatory, half authoritative—will not tend to strengthen the native belief in the Government power of controlling them. It was pointed out shortly after the arrest-was made that the prisoners should be tried for the offence they had committed and punished according to tbeir desserts. This not having been done, Ministers will find that very little respect for their power or authority exists in the native mind. We await with curiosity the next phase of this affair, which we venture to predict is pregnant with difficulty.