LATEST FRRM AUCKLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 278, 23 January 1862, Page 3

LATEST FRRM AUCKLAND.

[From the New Zealander , Jan. B.] We were enabled, through the kindness of a correspondent at Waiuku, to place our readers in possession of the principal circumstances attending the visit of Governor Grey- to that place, ■on his way to Waikato, and we now propose to give, from the best information we have, been enabled to obtain, a sketch* necessarily imperfect, of the occurrences abthe Native meeting at the Waikato. On the ,12th instant,-Sir George Grey, with liis party, reached Kohanga, and.here his reception by the Natives, was of the most gratifying description. The. usual war dance and shouts of welcome greeted him by the water side j arrived on the rising ground, .' above the. lauding place, escorted by the natives who first met him, there was. found a triumphal arch, decorated with' gr6at taste, and haying in. its centre the letters V.R.” and the words “ Queen Victoria,” and, on one side, the name of “ Sir George Grey.” From , the, arch to the houses of the settlement, the way was lined by Natives—men on one side, women and the children of the Native School on the other, As the Governor passed through the lines, the school children, we learn, sang “ God save the Queen” with great energy and effect-, indeed, it would seem every form of Maori welcome wa3 likewise lavished by the Natives upon their old fi-iend, Sir George Grey. In the evening of the same day, an interview with the Governor was sought by. a number of the chiefs. On the 13th afid 14th the weather .yßSwet and stormy, but, on .the • .16th!. tlie • great meeting was Jield in- the. open air. at Waata Kukutai’s place, Taupari. From seven to eight hundred natives were present, ahriut two hundred arid fifty of whom, it is said, represented the King party, and the Upper Waikato. ’ Takerei was there, and Tipene, a redoubtable Kingite. The Governor explained to the meeting assembled the line of policy which it was proposed to pursue towards the Natives. This has in great part been set forth in the dobumtent circulated amongst the Natives, which we reprinted a few days since. The exposition was listened to with graVe and silent attention. ,At two o’clock tIU assembly broke up ; a request was made by the Natives and accorded by the Governor,: that there should be a second meeting at three o’clock. An eyewitness .'has described, to us that a singular- change appeared to have come over the spirit of the - men in.the interval, and which made itself evident in the expression of their countenances. They spoke freely and with apparent frankness to Sir George Grey ; declared that they approved of his policy ; that they recognised him as their friend —as the skilful doctor by whom the evil which afflicted the land might be healed. The Waikatos could not, they said, make any promises for their own people, but they would return and report all that they had then heard and learnt. Then, a conversation took place between Sir. George Grey and Tipene, of which this is, as we are informed, the substance: —Tipene asked, “about Taranaki, what was to be done 1 ?” The Governor replied, ” that the plunder taken from the settlers at Taranaki, niust be restored, and that if a large tract of land, were given in payment by the Natives for the wrong done by them there, then they mi"ht come .‘to ,ask grace at his the Governor’s hanosP The Governor would not, he said, allow these Natives to, close up the old highways, or to interrupt the course of communication from Taranaki southwards. If that were again attempted ,he, the Governor, would establish militaryposts along that line, and it would then be for him to say who should be allowed to come or to go.” -

’•V- l^bv(3<Jv! erh6lr’!Ha4' also heard, he said", of Waikato had come to t determination to prevent .persons.travelling in-that district. . Any an’est.of or interference; with 1 Europeans ’ tVayeljipg, Wbiild be an offence' punislialije „By laiyy and the offender, if.caught, could'be prosecuted in’■ the "'Courts off the Colony,, whatever .might "be..-Ms position, even, if lie proved 'to be the persqn/liimself whqm they called a king. ! .7 J

At this meeting, the Kingites sat immediately round- Sir George Qrey, they having in the morning located themselves on his left hand and,apart. At ,the conclusion' Off the .conversation., Tipene, we, are told, expressed, his contentment, and said th&t “ day was beginning,to dawn.”, When the Governor left he was loudly and heartily ,cheered, in British fashion, by .the assembled Natives. '.. . -

On the 17th there; was:another meeting ; those assembled ’ were . represen,ta : tives of five tribes ’; 'Ngatitipa, Ngatiteata, .Ngatitihinga,Ngatimahana,and Nga•tipou. The place was a large Native building erected, we, believe, for the purf pose, and gaily decorated. At one. end •there;was,a door by which the Governor entered ; at 1 the other end was the.cn- . trance for. the people; r Above liis -Excellency’s seat was. fixed an image: of full length carved in, wood, the tatooing exquisitely performed; feathers of the pi-’ geofi ingeniously put together represented the hair the. feathers of the Huia, so highly prized by the Maori, were used as ornaments; the body of the figure was covered with a Native mat of the finesttexture., and a stone axe. of ’great antiquity hung by its hand.. : ’ " • Again Sir - George Grey- stated 1 to the meeting .the things that he proposed tb do. He was answered by. the Natives, one by one, each individual expressing,'in language, more, or less figurative, his loyalty to the Queen, and his attachment to her representative,. the . Governor. When all had thus spoken, one chief, the principal, stood, up. and, pointing tothe' figure which we have- above-described; •said,’ “ Governor Grey; that is . our an-; cestor. We. all,, these .five tribes, take our origin from him ; he is our ivana ;. he is our ancestor ; we give him to you ; we give you also his mat and his battle axe ;we cannot give you more.” . ; ’

-The G;overimr,said, “ (..accept him, and 1 will'keep your ancestor, with me.” The penti say that there- is -.n,0; form in which fealty can.be more solemnly, <»ffere<l by the d/iiori than this one, 1 and that the ceremony lias a deep and real significance. . ' :i On the evening of the. I.7th, forty young men were selected to take the Governor up to Maiingatawhiri, and in the early morning the party started in two large canoes, that one in which His Excellency sat being disr tinguished by carrying the flag of 7’ipa,the “ ances'or” of the tribes, whose image, figured .in ' the ceremony .of . tlie previous ’day. From d/aungatawhiri the- Governor came into town by the Grea- •' South Road. •' The new /nstitutions of civil. Government have been accepted by the people of Lower /Faikato. # . On Monday next some two thousand sol<liers will be employed in completing the road to the /fuikato river, at Maungatawliiri.' ; Oil last evening, the following notification in English and Maori was published in the General Government Gaxetlc ’ Auckland, 19 Dec. 1861.’ ffis Excellency tlie Governor ilirects it to he notified that on his recent visit to the /Faikiito, he had the pleasure of ascertaining that the sentiments of the Lower Waikato Natives are of a' very friendly character and that lie has 1 good reasoti to liopb that, those of tire Upner Wakato will before long i-jj’e- -known to- be of the same character.

7n order that no misapprehension should, exist regarding the movements of tlie troops about to take place, 1. is Excellency further directs’it to be notified that these are only, made with a view of -placing in security For the future Her Majesty’s subjects, Native and European,"inhabiting the country lying between Auckland and the Waikato river; arid of conipleting the roads which are now in process of'construction through hind belonging’to the Government, and which, will prove of great advantage to all the inhabitants of the Waikato ; arid that tio intention exists of interfering with the Native inhabitants of that river.

By His Excellency’3 command, 11. Sewell

1 [From the Southern Cross, Jan B.]

Our latest advices from Waikato are interesting. The Colonial Secretary, after the conclusion of tlie meeting.at Kolmnga, proceeded up the river, and on the 30tii ultimo, accompanied by Mr. Gorst and the Rev. A. Reid, visited the native; assembly at Upper Waipa. 7’liey were received most . respectfully, • a guard of honor being under arms. • After the usual preliminaries Mr’. Fox made the following statement as to the intentions of tlie Government in reference to the natives, and the term 3 if peace which be was prepared to grant them : —* “ ’The Governor to choose one European and two natives, the natives also to clmpse one European and two natives. The original dispute about 7 eira’s land to be referred to this tribunal, whose decision should be final and conclusive..

“ The Governor wilt not .put dowm the king movement, by f«rce so long as the Queen’s subjects are not. interfered with. • “ 2’he Governor will not make roads on Maori, land against tlie jvil 1 of tlie-,owner, but all Maori paths.are to .be.open to Europeans, .and no mails are to be stopped.

The Governor will not make war to obtain the murderers* or to recover the property, but vvhen the aye. taken' they''wifi he tried.

,75* The Governor will' not '"buy'land in future until’ -the vendor’s title lias been in;, by the llunaiiga bfr the district appointed by the Government.’ ’ “ The Crown land atl Taranaki claimed by 'the natives by right of conquest to he evacuated by them, ~or n chniiriff 'military posts will be formed biftlie^horder.

: ” 'l’lin? forcer enc.am)K‘d At:iMaHnpf!ithw,hfi:i not,, aggressive, ;bnt t.o• > make g-.oads and to restore confidence.” . . . i Whatever the celonisrs qf Ney...Zealand may possibly think of such terms- most men, .would, imagine that the natives, them -.selves hail rio’ riglit‘ to cdiiiplaiii : of undue 'seventy when such terms ’.ri'ere- offered them. Z*ut we' have long held that tlie mure • that is .conceded to ,thein the . ; morif exorbitant do ’ tliey lit come’ in their demands, and we were not deceived in this instance The first proposition as to the settlement of the \\'»itara difficulty is,‘we think, everything that.; tlip most ardent ’supporter, cf /Filliant King cotihlhave desired, considerably more- than we should hav.e been willing tq grant, but it.idqes : not satisfy .a,- Mr.,, l Aporo, wlm atldres-ed. the meeting at ~tiie M -cq.tipl«sij)t).• ;of.Fox’s stateraen t. *‘ tava* «^id.>lte\ is-'htuig^ .ing ori the hqqk^fjthjKSre will not consent that; it Altall ..be t,rie.l by the law. which, is an evil animal \kuri kinoiy 1 as it .devours many.” What the-exact meaning ■of' hanging on ilie liuok pf gospel:,is,' w.e are unable to say, but the tenor of the speed) is pretty evident and].’ its spirir. unmi' takable. A r othing \yilh; please imeon* querCd natives. .-So long.iiawe Vore fighting them.-.there was much talk about their readiness to submit the question in dispute; to -arbitration"; arbitration is at last.*oft red •tbeffij ; and ..they want something.. • e.Le. There isi however, a deep signification in tliee words ii’sed. They will .nnt._ consent ‘f that;the question shall he. tried by law.” ‘‘Because the law devours' 'many. ’ 1 lie speaker was a better reason Or. as we see by liis selection of words, than matiy .of • our; peaceful politicians. He does not. say that''the' “ sword*’ (levoiirs.m-Hiy,. f'r the 'Weird appears -‘- tV him superftubus. Tie' is perfectly well aware that there can be no law-without the sword, and so declines to consent to arbitration, because he knows that be would by so doing tacitly acknowledge the right on the .part of. the. Government to employ the - sword in carrying into effect ariyvdecision?-which the arbitrators might arrive:at. He therefore caffs.'the law bad names;; and takes refuge’ in one’of those expressions ’ meaning ' nothing, , and • which they are. partlctilarly fond .. of using, when they are .anxious for us v Europeans to continue'long suffering for ever, but .'have no idea of suffering anything theniselvesjon any account. ~. ....

But Mr. . Aporo v does not :appear; to.have quite exhausted the subject ; aiipther lion, 'member, Moilii by name, rises' inf bis jdace, and’'put ■this’’'startling qiiestion-Tr “AVliy was .not tlds tribunal .proposed in -tlie - first instance ?—do yon 'ridinit - tliut. Gbveriior Browne; was'wrong ?” The logic -is inexorable. ' 71/r. Moil'i sees at once, that certain premises have been conceded from which further deductions may be drawn. If what was done by; the'Government was-wrong ' ab". initio-^— and- : wu conclude, be adds, that -it - was - so from tlie change of jurisdiction just- propose! —let Mr. Fox plead igiiilty-on the part of Governor Browne, and throw himself and the siuthoijties generally on the tender mercies of the’ A/adri; Let him allow that the Europeans are in the position of wrong; doers, and weAfe assoiled of all guilt in everything which we have done since tlie 17th March, 1860. •’

Report ..sayeth not how the lion, the Colonial Secretaiy answered, hut. he possibly si)nigged his slionUlers. and: looked volumes, and passed on to those other clauses grateful. to Mari>i ears, explaining what the Governor does not intend ..to do ; . how tlie King movement is. not lo .be put down by force ; how; the murdei ers are “not to be apprehended advisedly, but merely to be snarpd. if they itre. fWois em-ugh to rush into the. net-; • bow" the soldiers at Maungatawhiri are not aggressive ; and then lie wound up by dwelling.at length on the subject of. land "purchases, and the policy which bis Excellency intends to adopt in reference to the same—a really.good policy, and one which, if sooner adopted, might-have been productive of much good, for with or w-i-tb-dut political rights the native should, be allowed a voice, ami an overruling one when his heritage is brought into the market..

; 7’liese are our last advices from Waikato, aiuLwe liav.e .refrained from comment bn anything but .facts., • Oue Colonial Secretary’s yijce i? said-to have .sounded sweet iii tlie ears of-the "natives, and the tongue of' the charnier. was "strangely seductive, more particularly when it told how st< len property was to'be respected in the hands of the robbers; how British troops had been sent out to “ restore confidence” to rebels ; how Taranaki wms forgotten, ami blood and treasure had been expended to found an independent hostile kingdom in the centre of what .we once believed to be a British Colony.

The troops ; so long encamped at Otalnilm, as well as tlidse quartered iii Auckland, have at. length advanced towards the Waikato frontier; not to subdue the natives by force of arms, but to pacificate and ameliorate their and our condition by means of roadways. Tliis-forward movement was devised with that consummate skill and prudence for which our present, ruler is so 'distinguished. Speculation was rife iii prognostication of the results! Querulous - Europeans' foreboded nothing but strife; 'The natives, however, though no doubt anxious at first, are evidently understanding r his Excellency s motives ; ard j Accepting the civilising system of Government offered'to them ; and at tlie date of the last advices, were assistiig the soldiery in constructing huts for their accommodation. This i 3 the true way to promote the good will' arid prosperity of both races. This is the way to modify dm cost of mili-

tary occupation, and to open up the country, for extensiye’ ; colonisati4i, as-A'eff jis- extensive cultiyatkiA;: By l nh‘ansi:.sucl,i.as tiiese, waste's wMll' disappear ) .and,C'>rji fields and meadows be called info healthy and happy •existence i.—Hloads arft the true qiacificators,. ‘—the unfaiiing fruotifiers c—r That ‘wdiich mails' achieve arhid *3tha'mriftt§Ses of oaricieiit irwsihtiiMi fastnesses of-Scht-laud ami Ireland —they will as surely accomplish in NenviZealafid—-and that to the great igarn.-pfJier.inhabitants, and to the ultimate ami early benefit of Great Bri- : tain, for whose enter;-rising thousands they ■ will open up countless happy homes; ; c

i first division, off troops.-,consisting of the head quarters of the 14jh.,.in command <»f Sir J. E... Alexander, am) a part of ..tlie 12th regimetiff ■ djudviy. Maj0r...... Hutchins, marched - fro.m. . Om.liiilui on t.he 24tii ;. followed next <liiy by the, 46th, under .Lieut. Gol. Leslie jam,! on theifith by ,70t!i,. under. Colonel Trevor Chute,. The Gntli, or.ra.tJ.ier u; portion of that, regiiqeiit, .some 500 in all, in command of Colmiel Wyatt, marchetl from Auckland on tlie 27th. The advan.ceq' ; fi)r.ce:is no\y thq% t;l riluifed, 12tli h on the, Confines of The Wiiikato river ..JieaiMaiingatawhiri;—4oth ami 7(fih-r-r:at moderate intervals beyond ami 05th in the vicinity of. at-.tlie-head of- the. navigation at Slippery ( reek —; as the onl\ working CoaLfjtilii- -in - this. /daml-^in■ the centre of a most fertile pastoral and agricultural district.already in active development —hut. twenty-eight, ip.ij.es-distant from. Auckland is. destined!..speedily.,to. become a place ’of, much importance, .situated as it. is on the gii-iit Southern Road leading!.,towards the. Waikato, ami ultimately towards Now .riymoiit.il-,.' Napier* mud. Wellington. 7'lie cump.at Otahul ti has been placed under the (■'tinniaiul of A/aj o' // Idle of.tjie 40th, with small drafts of the least -effective men of the various; two skeleton companies oj- t.he Goth, under Cti'ptain Royal Artillery updef Captain Mercer; and Royal Engineers under Colonel disposition of /the troops at. Wanganui,. :• Napier., ami Otago remains unaltered. —New 'Lealander, Jan. 8. ;