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King natives in this Province to rise up in arms. Now what does Matutaere mean by calling upon the natives to rise? There is no other possible meaning than this:—he calls upon you to do what bad natives are doing in other places—to attack the settlers with whom you boast you have lived in peace for more than twenty years. He calls upon you to plunder and murder your pakeha friends, against whom you say you have no ground of complaint. If you tell me that I am wrong in saying that such is the meaning of Matutaere’s letter, then I call upon Wi Tako and Heremia to produce and read the letter, and then this meeting shall decide whether I am right or wrong in saying that the King calls upon you to plunder and massacre the settlers. But if such be the true meaning of Matutaere’s letters, then I ask you whether it was for this purpose—with this object—the King movement was begun;—whether you became adherents to the King in order that you might combine to commit under his guidance the foul deed he has proposed to you? I call upon every one of you to give a plain answer to this simple question. If you say, as you have all along said, that your sole object in establishing the King movement—in becoming adherents of the King—was to establish law, order, and peace, then I ask you whether the King movement has produced these results? Who instigated the massacre of the escort at Oakura? Was it not one of the King’s chiefs who executed that order? Were they not followers of the King? Who were engaged in the plot to murder all the settlers at Patumahoe? Were they not Kingites? Who within the last few weeks have murdered at Auckland, five or six unarmed settlers? Did they not call themselves subjects of the King? And who now calls upon you to rise, to plunder, and to massacre your pakeha friends? Did not the King? Is it not Matutaere himself? O remember this,—He who calls upon others to plunder and murder is himself a robber and a murderer. Unless you can disprove these statements—unless you can say “No” to every one of these questions—then you must admit, that instead of establishing law, order, and peace, the King movement has produced nothing but anarchy and confusion, war and bloodshed. If such be the fruits of the King movement, are you prepared still to support it? Wi Tako and many others have repeatedly told me, that if it failed to establish law, order, and peace, they would separate themselves from it. I call upon Wi Tako and all others who have held the same language to redeem their pledge. Those who approve of the foul deeds I have mentioned; those who intend to carry out the orders of the King to plunder and murder will adhere to Matutaere; but they must not expect the settlers to regard them as friends or in any other light than that of men against whom we must ever be on our guard, and against whose treachery we are bound to take every possible precaution. I have spoken thus plainly to you, because I have nothing to conceal—because I am a warm friend of the natives. I ask you to speak equally plainly and candidly.

The loyal chiefs then one after the other rose, and after uttering words of welcome, said,—There is no use in our declaring our sentiments—our sentiments are now more than ever loyal. Let us make short speeches; let the Kingites speak and answer the Superintendent. Epiha said,—I was once a kingite, but I soon found that the King was nothing more than an empty bubble, and I at once turned to the Queen; and I at once turned to the Queen. Most of the loyal natives deprecated sending any armed force up the Coast.

Wi Hapi, after rebuking one of the loyal chiefs who had attacked him, said, turning to Dr. Featherston,—“You have told us all your thoughts, and we see the goodness of them. Two words of your speech, I allude to. This is what you said,—‘I have been twenty years in New Zealand, and have seen no wrong in the tribe Ngatiraukawa, as regards killing the Europeans. Let us live peaceably together, and not follow the example of those tribes who are working evil.’ I will allude to two of your words, one with regard to living peaceably, and the other, regarding the King. My friend, Dr. Featherston, no European will be killed, murdered by this tribe—Ngatiraukawa—Rangitiki being one boundary, Otaki the other. No European will be murdered; but, oh! my friend, Dr. Featherston, do not allow any soldiers’ barracks at Paikaka—