Chap. XVIU. LETTEB OF MAJOR RICHMOND. 491 
" say, brought them to reason, and I was enabled, with- 
" out further difficulty, to lodge the prisoner in the new 
" gaol. Next morning, not wishing to cause any excite- 
" ment by sending the military through the town to 
" bring him before me at the Police Court, I directed the 
" constables to conduct him. They used every precau- 
" tion ; but, when opposite the pa, the prisoner contrived 
'' to slip his hand out of the handcuff which attached 
'* him to one of the constables, and bounded into the 
" pa ; when the whole of the natives immediately turned 
" out, armed, to protect him. I gave Mr. Clarke a cer- 
'* tain time to endeavour to get him to go quietly with 
" the constables to the Police Office ; but both the pri- 
" soner and the rest of the tribe obstinately refused, and 
" I was again obliged to call for the assistance of the 
" military. Fortunately, they were again awed by their 
" presence, and the prisoner immediately surrendered. 
" I investigated the case, assisted by Mr. M'Donogh and 
" Mr. Clifford, without delay ; when the evidence was so 
" strong that we had no alternative but to commit him 
" to take his trial at the next County Court, which will 
" be held on the 19th instant. It may be in the recol- 
" lection of your Excellency, that a Mr. Milne was mur- 
" dered on the Fitone road about two years since. The 
" prisoner was then suspected to be the murderer ; and 
*' some of the natives have mixed up this affair with it, 
" while others are indignant that a chief should be made 
" subservient to our laws. There is therefore some 
" excitement in consequence of his apprehension ; but it 
" was a matter that could not be passed over, otherwise 
" they would with impunity have entered any house and 
" pilfered it as they pleased, independent of their out- / 
" rageous conduct to the constables. 1 have written to ^ 
" all the Magistrates, Mr. Hadfield, and other gentle- 
" men of the mission along the coast, that they may give 
