HISTORICAL REVIEW OF NEW ZEALAND. 



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feared the Ordinance might affect many neutral tribes to the extent of inducing them 

 to join the chiefs in revolt, especially those who were residing between Auckland and 

 the Bay of Islands. On the nth of January of the year following, the strong fortress 

 of Ruapekapeka was captured by a party while its defenders were engaged in Divine 

 Service, the clay being Sunday. Then the northern disturbances came to an end, the 

 natives pledging themselves to maintain for the future an inviolable peace a promise 

 which has never since been broken. 



The difficulties in the northern portion of the colony having been thus concluded, 

 the Governor turned his attention to the south, which was in a troubled condition. 

 Several murders had been committed by the natives on settlers who occupied lands of 

 which the titles were disputed. In February 1846, the Governor left Auckland for 



LAKE TAUPO. 

 v From a Picture by Mr. Charles Blomjield, ) 



\\ dlington with all the force at his command. The relations between the two races 

 continued to be unsettled, until in May and June the natives attacked the troops in 

 the Hutt Valley, killing and wounding several. A general feeling of insecurity prevailed. 

 In all the skirmishes occurring between the two races, more soldiers were killed than 

 natives. At the end of July the Governor received information that an attempt would 

 be made to drive away the settlers from Port Nicholson, and that to achieve this 

 purpose the tribes from the Wanganui District would co-operate with those in the vicinity 

 of Wellington. Rauparaha was supposed to be an ally of the whites since his meeting 

 with Governor Fitzroy, but the settlers suspected his good faith and considered that he 

 was aiding the insurgents. At last his intentions were made plain. A Mr. Deighton, 

 one of the New Zealand Company's settlers, was at this time living at Wanganui, and 

 was fortunate enough to obtain sight of a letter bearing the signature of Rauparaha, 

 addressed to the inland natives up the River, strenuously urging them to rise and join 

 the party which was harassing the settlers. He communicated the substance of the 

 letter to the Police Magistrate at Wanganui, who, seeing its importance, proposed 

 sending it to the Governor. A few days afterwards, a party of men, over two hundred 



