The excitement that prevailed owing to the strange conduct of the natives in different parts of this district has, since the Maori prisoners have been shipped off to Welling ton, somewhat subsided, and the settlers are again resuming their occupations, without fear of destruction of their property, or loss of their lives. The quiet manner the natives havo allowed themselves to bo arrested and deported from their homes has taken tho settlers agreeably by surprise, for wo scarcely believe that one in tho place expected such a result, especially after the fraoas that took place at Mr. Livingstone's lawn, at Hawcra. The implicit faith the natives put in their spiritual head is some thing marvellous, and persons at' a distance will scarcely bo able to realise that a body of men could be led away by such shallow artifices as Te Whiti uses. Te Whiti has, howevoi-j done one thing. He has succeeded in calling tho attention of the people of New Zealand to a matter on which the natives consider themselves aggrieved, and Parlia ment arc bound to inquire into the whole question. From our exchanges to hand, we learn that Mr. Mackay has been appointed Government Agent, and authorised to inves tigate all the land complications of the dis trict. If this is tho case, and he should report that either sums should be paid, or laud returned to tho natives, it will be most disastrous to the district. The time for Com missions of Inquiry is past. Wo cannot allow the progress of tho place to be stopped to suit the whims and caprices of a fanatical Maori ; and the Government having been put | to an expense in bringing an armed force to suppress what was virtually a rising on the part of the natives, must not retire from its position until the district is made secure from similar outrages on the part of Te Whiti and his followers.
