Chap. VI. MR. WHITE— HIS LETTERS. 109! 
the slaves to the north or their relations in Cook's 
Strait, had the best right to sell the district. They 
had also declined Mr. White's oflfers to buy their claims ; 
stating that they had promised to sell it according to 
E Tiki or Dicky's ^recommendation, and that they 
meant to keep their word. 
In short, Barrett's influence and perseverance had 
effectually conquered numerous efforts made to outbid 
us in this purchase. Too great praise could not be 
given to him for the zeal which he had shown in sup- 
porting our interests, or his disinterestedness in refusing 
the offers of some of these parties, even though we had 
much exceeded the time we had named for our return, 
and the natives were becoming daily more impatient 
for the conclusion of the bargain. The next morning 
a native brought off from the main, where Mr. White 
had landed, letters to Barrett and to Colonel Wakefield. 
The latter was opened by Dr. Dorset, as acting agent. 
They both contained a statement from the worthy ex- 
missionary, that " he had bought the land bounded 
" by the TVanganui and Mokau rivers, and a line be- 
" tween their sources, from the Waikato and Ngatima' 
" niapoto tribes ; and that if we persisted in buying 
" this district from the resident natives, those former 
" conquerors had determined to recommence hos- 
" tilities, or to claim the protection of the British Go- 
" vernment in securing their rights." 
The natives were very angry on hearing the con- 
tents of these letters, and we had some trouble in 
preventing them from going to break up the boat in 
which Mr. White had landed. As we landed, he re- 
tired from the beach, where he had been preaching 
and praying with some of them, to a less conspicuous 
situation. A TVaikato chief, who had come in the 
cutter with him, reassured us and the resident natives. 
