The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-04 00:00:00

A New Zealand settler says you allow me a space
in your paper to say a few words on New Zealand affairs.
I have lately returned to England, having been in the Nor-
them Island of New Zealand for nine years, and therefore
know something of the natives, and the way in whieh they
are governed, or rather the way in which they govern us.
From letters and papers which I received by the last mail
I find things going on much as I expected they would.
The natives not only treat our laws with contempt and
ridicule, but take the law into their own hands. I will
extract a few cases from the papers to show the
way in which the natives are going on :—" Rescue of a pri-
soner by natives.—Stephen M‘Greevy, a police-constable
at Clive, laid an information yesterday against Tamaana
Manahia, Kinita, Paraone, and other natives, under the
following circumstances :—A native, named Mita, was
given in charge, on Thursday, the 27th inst., about three
in the afternoon, by Edward Bcddinglon, for having stolen
a pair of trousers from his stores. He was locked up ac-
cordingly for safe custody, previous to bringing him up
before the resident magistrate at Napier. About ten
o'clock at night the natives complained of came to
the lock-up and demanded that the prisoner should be
liberated, which was, of course, refused. They then seised
the policeman and dragged him away from the door, where
he had taken his stand, and proceeded to break open the
look-up which they succeeded in cbing, and liberated the
prisoner. The policeman resisted, and showed much spirit,
as he regained his place at the door several time. ; and it
was only when he was overpowered by numbers that the
door was forced. There were 14 or 15 natives who took
part in the proceeding."—Hawkes Bay Herald, Nov. 29.
This letter is from Poverty Bay to the liatekes Bay
Herald It was a lucky thing for me that I did not bring
with me the puncheon of rum I bought at Stuart, Kinross
and Co.'s sale, as when I arrived here I found a tremendous
hubbub among the natives about Europeans bringing
spirits or liquors of any kind into the bay, the right of
searching European houses by the muanga having been
established, as well as other most arbitrary native
laws. Being well aware that beer, wines, and so forth,
were not included in the act, I did not take the trouble
of even concealing the porter and ginger wine.
They allowed me to take it inland to my place, and then
they came and demanded it, giving me the choice of hand-
ing it over quietly or having it taken from me by force. I
refused to give it them, so they entered my house and took
therefrom one hogshead of porter and four cases of ginger
wine, which goods are now in their possession. Had they
been able to make out that I had been giving or selling any-
thing of this description to any of their people I should not
have cared so much ; but this I positively affirm I have not
done, directly or indirectly, and they have consequently
committed a deliberate theft. Let me know what you think
I should do. A pretty state of affairs, but nothing more
than we must expecr, as long as the natives are treated as
they have been : they are allowed to do whatever they like;
we have no check upon them ; they know it, and laugh at
us.''

I will extract another case from the papers, a case of
borrowing. " Mr. Shirely informs us that in the course of
last week a number of natives called at his house and asked
him the loan of a working collar; this he declined on the
ground that he wanted it for use, whereupon without more
ado the natives entered his stable, coolly appropriated the
article they wanted, and walked off with it just as if such a
procedure were a mere matter of course."—lbid.
He can get no recompense, but has to grin and bear it--
a most humiliating state of affairs. People in England will
say. surely there are laws and magistrates out there ; why
not get a summons against them ? If you could get a ma-
gistrate to send one, as soon as the native received it he

.ould fold it up and light his pipe with it, laugh at you.
and think no more about it; and you could no do no more
unless you wrote letters to the governor and th papers;
and if any notice were taken of your letters, you might get
a promise that the case should be inquired into, but it would
be put off and off till it was forgotten, and you would hear
no more about it.

Things cannot last in this state much longer. The natives
are getting worse and worse every day ; and if some white
man should be killed by the natives, and the Government
do not take the case up, the settlers will. The natives also
step roads being made and improved, as will be seen from
another extract from the Rewires Bay Herald of Dec. 9:—
" A few weeks ago the contractors were engaged metal-
ling the road between Mgarurora Ferry and the township
of Clive. For this work permission had been obtained, yet
because the labourers presumed to remove shingle from the
seashore on the other side of the river (of no use to any one)
for the purpose of metalling the road, the natives forthwith
seized the fl t punt which was used in transporting the ma-
terial across. True, after some negotiations, including, we
suppose, an admission of the indefeasible right of the natives
to all the shingle cast up by the sea henceforth and for
ever, the punt was given up."
Again, the road from Clive to Havelock, used as such
for many years past by the settlers, is about to be metalled
with by the Provin ial Government. The want of such a
metalling has long been a serious grievance on the part of
the inland settlers. Yet no sooner are tenders for the
work called for, than a native writes to the Government,
forbidding them to go on with it, but adding that they may
do so on paying the moderate sum of £l,OOO 1
The Daily limes thus alludes to the present aspect of the
native question :

E very day of delay in recognising and boldly meeting
the difficulty strengthens the antagonism of the Maories.
While Sir George Grey is visiting and talking amongst
them, they are consolidating the alliances and organising
their plans of action. Old Feuds are, by the influence of a
national movement, hang healed or set aside, and every-
thing tends to the belief that, when the struggle doescome,
tor come it will, and that sooner than many suppose, the
rebellious Maories will be found well prepared. And yet
here are many persons who, in their horror of war, have
allowed their senses to be blinded to its imminent proximity
who would have us discr edit the existence of any deep- rooted
disaffection on the part of the Maories, and would have it
believed that the scourge of war may by a skilful hand be
turned aside. But they propose no remedy which holds
forth any probability of success. Sir George Grey unites
in himself every qualification for dealing with the natives.
He is personally popular with them, is familiar with their
language, customs, and character, and yet he finds the
natives wrse to handle now than he did when he first
arrived. He has conceded everything that the pacific ten-
dencies of the philo-Maori school could have desired, and
yet that policy has been miserably deficient in success.
W hat he intends to do is of course as yet unknown, but we
may be sure that ere long he will be compelled to adopt a
policy as energetic as the policy hitherto followed has been
weak and vacillating. The natives must be treated with
firmness and deciaion."
Some people say, let us avoid war, for if the sword be
drawn we shall most of us be ruined ; but I say, let it be at
once—it is inevitable—so better be ruined now (if need be),
than some years hence, when we may have more to lose.
They say again that in a few years we shall be so strung in.
numbers that the natives would be overawed; but who will
come to the Northern Island with things in this state ?
They are now leaving is numbers and going south, partly
attracted by the gold-field, but all disgusted with the way
in which the natives are allowed to go on. There are hun-
dreds of settle) s who would leave the Northern island at
once if they could sell their sheep runs and other property.
but no one will buy while things are in this state.
I am deeply interested in New Zealand affairs, having
collie to England for a short time only, intending to return
in a few months.