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riki, Waikanae, Otaki, Manawatu, or
Rangitiki. I say to you, if there are
no soldiers barracks at any of these
places, we shall be good men, all of us
for ever and ever (live in peace); but
if there are soldiers barracks at any of
these places—Paikakariki, Waikanae,
Otaki, Manawatu, or Rangitiki, there
will be evil amongst us. This was the
case at Waitara. The Governor went
there with his soldiers, and built bar-
racks there—the end was evil (fighting.)
In like manner at Tātaraimaka, Gover-
nor Grey and his soldiers went there
and built barracks; the end was evil,
and thus, if soldiers barracks are built
in any of these places, the end will be
evil (fighting).

The second of your
words about the King. You said
" is fighting the work of the King,
that you should work at it" (carry it
out.) I say, my friend Dr. Feather-
ston, I am not working on the King’s
side as a wish for fighting, but merely
as a "man" over my land, and a mana
over myself. Fighting is no part of our
plan—but if the Governor says that
there shall be no two heads in New Zea-
land—if he attacks the King’s rights—
if he intends to put down the King, then
we shall all go to support the King. We
won’t give up the King to-day. Keep
your soldiers in Wellington.

Heremia said: we thank you for
coming amongst us. You have cleared
many misconceptions. If no troops be
sent up this Coast, there will be quiet.
It is no part of Kingism to plunder and
murder. I disapprove of Rewi’s letter
—the killing of the soldiers was murder.
Matutaera in his letter urges us to rise.
The words of Matutaera’s letter are
different from those of Rewi’s. Matuta-
ere does not say kill the pakehas, his
words were, the Governor is going to
flog the King, "rise and assist him." He
does not say kill the pakeha. No such
word is in his letter. You tell us of mur-
ders at Waikato. We do not disbelieve
what you say, but you get your account
from the Governor, and I cannot answer
your question about these murders, until
I hear from our own people. Why ac-
cuse us of an intention to murder the
settlers, we never did so in previous
wars. We took no part in those wars.
I say I will not go to the Waikato (Wi
Hapi: "don’t say that, don’t commit
yourself.")

I say again, I won’t go to
Waikato. If all the Maories are to be
killed, then I will stand up. We have
talked about sending the pakehas out
of this district; we did so because we
thought there was danger. If we hear
of a war party from the Waikato we
shall give notice to the settlers to quit.
Hearken, O! Dr. Featherston, we shall
not kill the Europeans residing amongst
us without cause. If I see the approach
of evil, I will not hide it from the Euro-
pean residents. I will go and tell them
that they may go quietly to Welling-
ton. If the barracks for soldiers are built at
Paikakariki, Waikanae, Otaki, Mana-
watu, or Rangitiki, they (the soldiers)
will die there. Do not say it is a murder
of mine. If the Governor attacks our
king we shall be evil, and don’t say this
is murder. I do not agree with what
you say, that the work being now car-
ried on at Waikato is murder.

Wi Tako (who has not furnished, as
Heremia and Wi Hapi have, a report of
what he said) spoke to this effect: If
Kingism is to be put down, I come here to
hear my doom. Wi Hāpi and Heremia are
hard men; they won’t yield. I cannot
therefore give up Kingism. The whole
island is full of Kingism and fighting.
Dr. Featherston, like Governor Grey is
angry that I won’t abandon the King.
But Heremia and Wi Hāpi are hard men;
they are my friends, though I differ from
them. I won’t therefore give up the
King. Matutaera’s letter contains two
words, upon which different construc-
tions may be put. You know the construc-
tion put upon Rewi’s letter, and what
followed from it. I have kept this letter
from my people, for fear that it should
be wrongly construed. There has been
nothing but fighting since soldiers came
amongst us. Nothing is said about the
murders committed by the soldiers. Why
call us murderers and not the soldiers.
When Rangihaeata and Rauparaha were
fighting against the Government we took
no part in the war; we committed no
murders. We took no part in the war at
Waitara, though we were as a tribe deeply
concerned in it, we committed no murder.
The same as regards the war at Tātarai-
maka, not one of our people has gone
to Tātaraimaka. Why do they accuse
us of the intention of rising against and
murdering the Europeans in the present