The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, March 21, 1891. THE UREWERA COUNTRY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 585, 21 March 1891, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, March 21, 1891. THE UREWERA COUNTRY.

B? just and fear not { Let all tiu* ends thou aim’st at tee toy country's, Tby Gad’e, and truth's.

Tub Governor’s visit to the Urewera country would seem to have invested that region with quite a new interest. But it is not such an unknown country as some writers would have us suppose. Mr J. T. Large, the editor and proprietor of the Wairoa Guardian, has Aiade many visits to various parts of the Ut.ewera territory during late years, on Government and private business. Lieuth'nant-Calonel Porter and Captains ttaec® arid Mair all have an t'Mcnsive

knowledge of the country. With Mr Large and the native contingents they traversed ’the whole country twenty years ago, when they were hunting for the miscreant Te Kooti. Messrs Price and Lord, journalists, have been through a portion of the territory; also many other individuals. Mr Large, however, has undoubtedly had a larger experience of the country than has any other European. Some time ago he wrote a very interesting description of the territory, and it was published in the Wairoa Guardian. When these facts are considered the Governor’s visit is shorn of anything of the nature of an adventure, though the novelty of it may be decidedly pleasing to His Excellency. It is a pleasing thing that the Governor of the colony should be found to take such an interest in all its remoter parts. We can hardly forgive him for the way he disappointed the Wairoa people, after they had made such preparation for his reception, but the apparently shabby treatment must be set down to lack of information as to the false hopes he had raised. Possibly he will make amends in the near future, and then it might be as well to suggest that he should take a ride through to Gisborne, where he could be rejoined by the Countess of Onslow. However, Vice-Regal visits are an unsettling element in a small community that is not always to be desired, and if Lord Onslow thinks Te Kooti-land is more entitled to his attention than a thriving place like Poverty Bay, w-hich is of far greater importance from a historical point of view, the citizens and settlers are not likely to be in the least degree angrv. One thing it might be as well for His Excellency’s friends to warn him against is any show of hobnobbing with Te Kooti during the sojourn of the parly in the Urewera region Fraternising with sham prophets like Te Whiti and Tohu may be passed with a smile, as they are fairly decent old buffers when they are not misleading their infatuated disciples, and if the vanity of the crafty pair can be tickled by the receipt of photographs of His Excellency and Lady Onslow, no one need be querelous But we hope that His Excellency will be careful how he acts in regard to Mr Te Kooti, who is a match diplomatically fc.r any Governor we have of late years had in New Zealand.