900 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XVIII. 
something should be known about these alleged mur- 
ders. 
A long correspondence ensued between Mr. Clarke 
junior and E Toko on the one part, and myself on the 
other. They charged me with reporting untruths, and 
unnecessarily alarming the community ; and blamed 
me for not giving the information to the Magistrates 
only. I replied, that I published statements which I 
had heard from Rauperaha, and I named the other per- 
sons who were present ; and I explained that I did not 
wish the matter to be hushed up. Indeed, my letter 
had elicited several from other parties, furnishing 
information corroborative of Rauperaha^ statements. 
The trial of E TVaho for theft had taken place on 
the 19th of December. 
From the time of E Waho^ committal, great ex- 
citement had prevailed among the natives. Meetings 
had taken place at all the pas among themselves, and 
numerous strangers had come into the town from places 
at a distance from Port Nicholson. 
At an early hour the Court was crowded with both 
natives and settlers. 
E TVaho is a grand-nephew of Fj Puni, and is re- 
lated to most of the principal chiefs of Pf^aiwetu, 
Pitone, Pipitea, and other puA-. A large body of natives 
who had assembled at Pitone had been persuaded not 
to come over to Wellington, but many others from va- 
rious places had been arriving for several days before. 
The Judge entered the Court, accompanied by the 
Lord Bishop of New Zealand, who took his seat on 
the bench. Moturoa of Pipitea, who had been the 
most violent in opposing the proceedings, and at one 
time in threatening the Judge, was amongst the crowd ; 
the Judge beckoned to him, and placed him on the 
bench. 
