A.—No. 7,

10

NOTES OE THE PROCEEDINGS DURING THE

We are happy to see you in Hokianga; we welcome you. My heart is full of kindness and affection towards the Europeans. Now it is for these other Chiefs to address you. Welcome, Governor, to Hokianga. Bangatiea Moetaea said : Welcome, O Governor and Mr. McLean ! There is no thought but that of good-will and peace —that of which Mohi Tawhai has already spoken to you. My thought is about peace. There is nothing wrong in Hokianga. It is all peace that is talked of; the talk is all the same. It is evil that causes talk. There is nothing to say where peace prevails. Welcome, our new Governor. We give you a new word as the new Governor. It is that you may come and see the good deeds of Hokianga and of Ngapuhi. That is what has brought you here. fou have come in times of peace. We all have the very best feelings towards thePakehas ; we have no other thought. The Europeans are divided; some are for fighting and some for buying goods. Some are giving themselves up to fighting only, and some to other pursuits. All I desire is, to show my good-will to the Pakehas, and to encourage them in their flax mills and in getting kauri gum. The land is covered with flax mills. Welcome, Mr. McLean ; you see a proof of my sincerity by the numerous mills that are being erected, and by the desire to encourage the Europeans, and to live on friendly terms with them. Here you see the Europeans progressing and following their various pursuits. If the Europeans do anything to injure us, we, of course, will then be prepared to take our own part. I will now finish my speech. I will have nothing to do with the fighting myself, as I am the friend of the white people. All the fighting I take any interest in is loading the vessels that come here. What wo uld the ships have to carry away if we went fighting ?—They would come here for nothing. Welcome, the Governor and Mr.'McLean. lam glad to see you. That is all I have got to say. I wish Mr. Williams to remain where he is, at his own place. It is for you to appoint a Magistrate. If you appoint Mr. Yon Stunner, the Custom-house Officer, we will all be satisfied. Eaueiri Tahua said : Welcome, Governor! Welcome, Mr. McLean ! There is nothing particular for me to say to you and the Governor. The words of the Ngapuhi have gone forth in times gone by, and there is very little new to add to them. All we have to say now is, welcome to )ou. The old men have carried out your views up to this time. That is all I have to say. Welcome to you. The reason we uphold the law is our respect for it. The news of the doings at the South has spread up here. We are separated from the evils of the South. Let the South be still separated from us in their evil works. This part of the Island should be under different laws, and not be subjectto the same restrictions as the South. Make this clear to us. We are children, and seek advice in all that is good. It is for you and the Governor to teach your children. Do not shut this district out from the Ngapuhi. There ought to be a difference in the laws as far as the Ngapuhi people are concerned. Welcome, Governor; come and see your tribe, the Ngapuhi. This is the first Governor who has come to visit us for a long time. We cordially welcome you. Wieemu Homhana said : Welcome, Governor; welcome, O Governor, Omy father! Come, the great name, the name of the Governor. I have nothing to say to you except that which relates to peace. Welcome, my father the Governor. Our people are fast disappearing ; there are very" few left. The only words I have for you is to repeat what was said to the first Governor. All these words are clear to you. You are the sixth Governor. The words of the Ngapuhi were clear from the commencement, and therefore we cannot have much to say to you, for our words have been the same from the commencement. With regard to this place, we are very glad to welcome you to Hokianga. Welcome, Mr. McLean. Our word to you is, Salutation, and it is your word to us. It is not a new word of ours to you. It is a word which will not be forgotten. Welcome, Gj/arnor, welcome. Everything has been said to you ; nothing now remains for me to say. Welcome, Governor I wish to make good to you the same words that I made use of to the previous Governor. We will not forget the words of our ancestors. What about all this talk to you, Governor ? It is all Maori talk. You do not come on your own account; you come in the Queen's name. We wish to be united as one people, and to acknowledge the Queen's law. We wish to be one with the Europeans. We have been so in days past, a.nd we are so now. Now, you have come as a new personage to us, and the same state of things shall continue. We are trying to learn to look on and to gather new thoughts. Although lam a little person, I am subject to the laws of the Government. Welcome, Governor. We will not forget that word of welcome to you. Never! Never ! That is what I say. Do you speak to us. Tiopiea said : Welcome, Governor ! lam the head of the Ngatiwhatua. I am the person who governs the Ngatiwhatua and keeps them together. Welcome, Governor, in times of peace and quietness. I have only one word, Governor; love, love, love. All we want is peace and good will. We have no desire to invent evil, and that is why we are now speaking to you. We have had enough of evil in days past. It is through everything being straight that lam now speaking to you. There is only one thing which lam now thinking of and the evil connected with it. The Native Judge did not make that matter plain (alluding to the case of a European named Offert, who was fined by Mr. Williams for illicit sale of grog at Hokianga.) He did not adjust the evil properly, and Ido not approve of his act. Welcome, Governor, It is right that you bring peace to Mohi Tawhai, Bangatira, and the people of this place. All the thought of the Maoris here is good-will to the Europeans. We cannot find anything to cause evil in Hokianga, We live in peace. 9 hrough the wrongful carrying out of the law I have been deceived. I have great love to the European who has not been treated properly by the law. My heart is dark about this man. I have no other word to say except as to my being kind and friendly to the Europeans. I was disappointed at the action of the law in regard to th« European who was fined for selling drink to the Natives. There is nothing else to say to you, Governor, except that peace is here among the Ngapuhi, and in Hokianga. There are plenty of little troubles about land and other matters, but these are of very trifling importance. There is nothing we want but that we should be all as one with the Europeans and the Government. Salutations to you, Governor. Welcome Governor, to Hokianga.