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E—No. 3. SECTION I.

Enclosure 4 to No. 11. Taranaki, March 17, 18C3. Fhiends, — Greetings to you. This is my word to you. I have heard of your lawless and unauthorised proceedings in going to Te Kohekohe, and there attempting by force to obstruct Te Wheoro in the good work which he is there carrying on upon his own land. O friends, I was very much grieved on hearing of this bad deed of yours. If you had any proper objection to the erection of the house at Te Kohekohe, you should have laid that objection in a proper manner before the Governor or before his Magistrates. But instead of doing this you, it appears, went and attempted to stop the work of Te Wheoro by force. This was very wrong on your part. Let this evil work of yours cease, or punishment of the law will overtake you, and any others who do evil. This is my word to you: Use not violence, but quietly investigate all matters. This is all, &c. &c, F. D. Bell. To Kihirini, Waikato, Murupaenga, and Te Wharepu.

Enclosure 5 to No. 11. Taranaki, 17th March, 1863. Fbiends, Ihaka and Mohi, — The Governor has received intelligence of what took place at Te Kohekohe at Wi Te Wheoro's place, and the disturbance that ensued. It is certainly known by us that it was your message and the words which you used that brought the disturbance down upon our friends at le Kohekohe. If you sent this message that there was " mate " in the buildings which William Te Wheoro is putting up, why did not you tell me so before. You knew well, for you, and Wheoro, and I have talked together about it, that Wheoro and the Governor had agreed together about these buildings, and that he had a right to put them up on his own piece, which he had always refused to give up to the name which has been set up at Waikato. Now, therefore, I write to you to tell you, and Mohi, and Aihipene, to undo this evil work. Let it be seen that you write letters yourselves to the chiefs of Waikato to say that this disturbance must not be repeated; rather let the place lie in quiet till the Governor returns to Auckland from this peaceful work of his here which no man is interrupting—that is, the work of sitting down on his own land. If you refuse to write these letters, then I shall know what to think about your professions of friendship to our side. Your message did the harm. Let your message restore the place to quiet, and prevent further trouble. Write quickly. From your friend, F. D. Bell. To Ihaka and Mohi Pukaki.

Enclosure 6 to No. 11. BEPOET OF A DISTUEBANCE AT THE KOHEKOHE. On Sunday, the 8th March, messengers were sent off from Pokeno to Eangiriri by Mohi and Ihaka, (these men enjoy the confidence of the Government and salaries of £25 and £50 per annum respectively). The names of the messengers were Eraia Te Ao and Tamati Te Bangi, of Pokeno. In passing the Kohekohe they saw Puteruhi, the owner of the land on which the police station is to be built, and called out to him—" you and your father are to be killed;" Puteruhi asked " what for P" they replied " for the timber which has been sawn for the building at the Kohekohe; we are a post from Ihaka and Mohi." " Are they joining in this matter?" " Yes; when Ihaka and Mohi rowed past they saw the timber, and they said they thought it was just for a small building—by no means, it is death for the nation." So the messengers rowed on in the middle of the night, and arrived at Eangiriri and found all the men assembled there in bed, and they put forth their message—"We have come from Ihaka and Mohi about the timber at the Kohekohe, they saw that death for our nation is at hand." Thereupon all Waikato agreed to go down to the Kohekoho and take back the timber to the la; in the same night their messengers, Heteraka Muru and Mata Herewini, were sent off to the Kohekohe to inform the men that an army was coming. When it was near daybreak they arrived and found the people of the Kohekohe asleep. They roused them up and said—" In the morning an army will arrive here, it is Mohi and Ihaka's business; this is their message —' Death for the nation is at hand.' For some time past the intention of building this house has been quite forgotten by Waikato ; it is by Mohi and Ihaka that we have now been reminded; this is what Waikato is coming for." And William Te Wheoro and his people replied to those messengers—" We will not consent, we will not give up wealth that has been put into this our house." In the early dawn Hetaraka Muru demanded that the timber should be taken back to the la, but the people said —" We cannot send back our wife with whom we have slept." After this the army arrived—Kgatipo, Ngatitapa, Ngatihini, Ngaungau, Ngatimahuta, Ngateata, with their guns. Puteruhi rose and said: " Welcome my fathers, my brethren, my people. Here is my new wife that I have married. I will never yield, let me die wpon my property." Kihirmi: " Here I am come ; my infants, my grandchild, let the timber and the workmen be taken back to the la, to the Governor's place. This is my place, the King's. For what you have got is death to the nation." William Te Wheoro : " Welcome my ancestors, welcome my fathers ; my wife shall not be sent back, the wife that has lain in my bosom —property that I have fetched, to the house of another man. I shall

18

DESPATCHES FROM GOVERNOR SIR G. GREY

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