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Notes on Sir William Martin's Pamphlet Entitled the Taranaki Question

Page 33

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Page 33.

"He maintains that the land cannot be alienated."…………

"It cannot be inferred."…………

Sir William Martin appears here to change his ground as to the true meaning of King's letters; but though the language is carefully guarded, the qualification is only apparent, not real. He says, "it cannot be inferred from this that Wirernu Kingi did not assert also some individual claim to land within the block." This negative way of putting it escapes the difficulty to Wiremu Kingi's apologists of absolutely denying, as the Government do, that these letters contained any notice of proprietary right: but it as carefully avoids affirming that they did contain such a notice. If Sir William Martin could fairly have stated they did, he would certainly not have contented himself with such hesitating words. The point was of far too great importance not to have been taken if anything in the letters had warranted it.