NATIVE CHIEFS. 
275 
little to apprehend ; that whilst in our towns they are thought 
nothing of, in their own pas they are obeyed and respected. 
It is amusing to see how differently our countrymen regard 
them, when passing through their dominions; there the Chief, 
clad in his dirty blanket, is the prince, and the English visitor 
the pakeha noa —the person of no consequence. 
The country, it is true, has got a popular form of government 
granted it, where the councillors are little less numerous than 
their constituents ; and there is nothing in that constitution to 
hinder the native from being a representative of the people as 
well as his European neighbour. But has anything been done 
to make the native acquainted with his newly-acquired rights ? 
Were any of the writs for electing members sent to them? 
That would have been quite preposterous in the idea of the 
settlers. Such a step was about as likely to have been taken, 
as for the South American States to have summoned their 
slaves to their councils, or the Northern States to have sat 
with a man of color. Nor must these strictures be confined 
to us in New Zealand. The notorious despatch of Earl 
Grey, ordering the Governor to take possession of the waste 
lands of the natives ; the quiet way in which he sanctioned 
the violation of British faith, pledged in the Waitangi treaty; 
plainly proved the estimation in which he held the native 
Chiefs. 
But, without carrying this subject further, which might 
easily be done, let us consider two means for effecting the 
permanent benefit and union of the two races. 
The first is, that a certain number of the high Chiefs should 
have a seat in the General Assembly ; the second is, that they 
should be acknowledged as the preservers of peace in their 
several districts;—and to make sure of their ready support in 
all such cases as have been enumerated, that they should be 
salaried. This is no more than our own members expect, as 
they have all their expenses paid. Supposing a dozen high 
Chiefs received £100 a-year each, and twice that number of 
secondary Chiefs, the half of it; what would the amount be 
compared with the benefits acquired. The government would 
have firm supporters in places where, at present, it has no 
T 2 
