A.— fm

4

the significance of which not even the most expert Maori linguists have been able to explain.* The Government, however, in a spirit of wise forbearance, gave Te Whiti full time to consider his position and, if he thought proper, to avail himself of the opening afforded by the Governor's invitation. Preparation was made by the completion of several miles of road to enable a military force, if necessary, to be moved up to Parihaka. An experiment of releasing a large number of Maori prisoners was tried in the hope of mollifying Te Whiti's hardness, but which only led to his assuming a more determined and aggressive attitude, which at last seemed to threaten actual collision. About the month of August the Native Minister, Mr. Ilolleston, sought an interview with Te Whiti at Parihaka, wheii an exhaustive conversation of several hours' duration took place, ending in the" conviction of the former that there was no hope of Te Whiti listening to any proposal for a fair adjustment, that he meant to resist the law, and was determined to maintain his position of passive resistance, which might be converted at any time into hostile activity by the impetuosity of his followers, which was evidently getting beyond his control. It was then that (the Government having exhausted every means of conciliation, and made every preparation for the necessities which might arise) a proclamation was issued, on the 10th October, 1881, by Sir James Prendergast, the Officer Administering the Government in the absence of the Governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, in which, after reciting the various steps which had been taken, and quoting the recommendations from the reports of the Commissioners above referred to, Te Whiti was distinctly told that " he must now accept the proposals of the Government, or that those proposals might thenceforth be beyond " their reach;" and he was (not for the tirst time) informed what reserves the Government would make for him and his tribe. At the time fixed, sth November, 1881, he, having made no sign, was arrested by an armed force, without resistance, aud his followers, a large part of whom, were members of other tribes and had no tribal connection with Parihaka, were dispersed, and sent off to their legitimate homes. I have nothing to do with the political bearings of these events, and notice them only so far as they affected the progress of the work of my Commission. From that aspect the action of the Government could not have been more opportune than it was. If it had been precipitated at any earlier time ; if any false issue, such as the arrest of Hiroki, had been taken, instead of holding Te Whiti personally responsible as the head and front of the offending; if any attempt had been made to take him by surprise, so soon after the receipt of the Governor's invitation that he had not had time to consider his position, and might yet have accepted it; or if the step bad been taken before the then Native Minister and Minister of Lands, Mr. llolieston, had completed the many miles of road necessary to give access to Parihaka from Opunake and New Plymouth, it is more than probable that the attempt would have altogetlier failed and a state of affairs have resulted which would have been equally disastrous to the settlement of the country, the character of the Government, and the pacific execution of the work committed to my charge. The time and the manner in which the advice of the Commission of 1880 was carried out were equally propitious for the success of my operations. I had during the year 1881 very nearly completed all that was to be done to the south of Oeo. I had purposely begun my work at the southern end of the confiscated block, both because the Natives there were less immediately under the influence of Te Whiti, and because they had exhibited a desire; for the definition of their reserves and the issue of Crown grants, and I had met with no obstruction but the most cordial co-operation from most of them. I had also succeeded in allocating, with the entire acquiescence of the Natives, tin; large Continuous lleserve on the Waimate Plains, which had been the piece do resialance in the

* There was formerly a Maori custom, when a chief wished to secure an ally of another tribe, of cooking one end of a potato, leaving the other end raw.^Snd sending it to the party to bo negotiated with. If the latter ate the cooked end lie accepted the proffered alliance, if ho sent it back untasted he rejected the offer. In Appendix to Journals of the House of .Representatives, 1885, E., No. 14, p. 3, there is a somewhat similar expression used by William Thompson (Tarapipipi, the King-maker), in reply to a charge apparently of treachery made against him, and where allusion to the eating of a potato by two persons probably meant the same as an Arab would mean by a Statement that he had oaten some one's bread and Salt.