Letter II.

You know I was one of those who thought that Governor Browne was wrong in entering upon the Taranaki war of 1860. I thought, and still think, that the title to the land which he agreed to purchase (the purchase has never been completed to this day) was bad; and that, even if it had been good, it would have been wiser to have abstained from buying a paltry 600 acres, under circumstances which necessarily involved us in hostilities with the native race. It was that "beginning of strife "which "is as the letting out of water" If the Governor's object were to assert the Queen's supremacy, as he afterwards said it was he could not have selected a page 10 worse cause of quarrel than one tainted with a land dispute. When, therefore, by the intervention of William Thompson (whom the readers of New-Zealand papers will sometimes find called by that name, sometimes Tarapipipi, Waharoa, or Tamehana,) a truce was arranged in 1861, I felt, in common with a large section of the colonists, that opportunities ought to be afforded for the natives to retreat from the position in which they had placed themselves by an appeal to arms, and that no effort should be spared to remove the cause of quarrel by a pacific adjustment of the Waitara dispute. All the hostile feelings of the Maori race towards the Government centred for the time in that one point; and I felt certain that it was of no use to attempt to regain their confidence, or to restore proper relations between them and the Queen's Government, till that casus belli should be disposed of in such a way as might convince them of our determination to do what was just and right.

At this time there were two parties in the Colonial Parliament—the "Vigorous prosecution" party, consisting chiefly of Middle-Island men, who knew little of the Natives, and had comparatively little stake in the struggle—and the "Peace party," consisting chiefly of Northern-Island men, who lived in neighbourly proximity to the Natives, and whose lives and properties were immediately involved in the issue, A few days before the recal of Governor Browne was announced, the former party was defeated by a narrow majority, and I found myself in the position of Colonial Secretary, and one of the responsible advisers of the Governor. So when Governor Grey arrived in the colony, a few weeks later, avowedly as the representative of a pacific mission, the time seemed to have come when we might reasonably hope that we should be able to bring the then existing difficulties to a satisfactory and peaceful solution.

I was not, however, one of those who believed that Sir George Grey carried an enchanter's wand, and that he had only to shew himself on the shores of New Zealand to cause revolt to sheath her sword. If Sir George Grey entertained page 11 that opinion himself he was soon undeceived. The haughty chiefs of Waikato, who had taken "Waitara" into their own hands, held themselves aloof, and intimated that if the Governor wished to communicate with them he must visit them in their own country; thus paying homage to the King whom they had set up in opposition to our Queen. He declined to go, and confined himself to Auckland, waiting for some favourable omen. At length a friendly chief of Lower Waikato (a district which had not joined itself to the King party) invited him to a great feast, at which it was anticipated many of the leading chiefs of the King party would be present, and an opening be afforded for negociations on the subject of our disturbed relations. The Governor accepted the invitation, and I accompanied him. There was a considerable gathering of friendly natives, and a small party of Kingites from the upper river; but among the latter scarcely any man of note, certainly none of the great leaders of the party. Two inferior men, who professed to be delegates, argued with the Governor for some hours, at public gatherings, on the subject of Kingism and Maori independence. On the whole they had the best of the argument, and the Governor failed to convince them of their error, or to revive in their breasts any feelings of confidence towards the Queen's Government. After two or three days spent in this way the Governor returned to Auckland, a good deal chagrined at his reception, and without having seen any of the leading chiefs of the "King party."

Deeply impressed as I was with the conviction, that before any good could be done "Waitara" must be disposed of, I proposed to the Governor before he left the river that I should go on to Upper Waikato, a hundred miles higher up, see Thompson and the leading chiefs of the King party face to face, and propose to them without circumlocution a reference of the Waitara question to arbitration before a tribunal of two Europeans and four Maories, three appointed by the Governor and three by William Thompson. His Excellency assented, and I went on my mission. Thompson page 12 was unfortunately absent, and though I sent three special messengers to him during a fortnight that I remained in Upper Waikato, they failed to find him, and he did not return till after I had left for Auckland. I found, however, nearly the whole of the other leading chiefs of the Waikato section of the King party, including King Matahaere Rewi, and William King of Waitara, Governor Browne's opponent. They met me in a public assembly at which I proposed to them to refer the Waitara question to arbitration in the manner above mentioned. They replied, that at the time when the truce had been made between Governor Browne and William Thompson, Waitara had been placed in the hands of the latter, and that it rested with him to decide whether the proposal should be accepted or not. Thompson not arriving after several days' delay, I was compelled to return to Auckland, but wrote to him informing him of my object in visiting the district, and repeating the proposal I had made to the other chiefs to refer "Waitara" to arbitration.

How Thompson met the proposal I will relate in my next letter.