Wednesday …

Dear Mr Chesson,

You will think I pressure you with letters. I wish you cd come and see the maories Tomorrow morning but I suppose that is impossible if you can come telegraph to say you will and I will gather them here. Yr letter was the first I know of the refusal to see the Queen. Mr Spencer tells the maories that their writing or not writing cd do no good and they get puzzled ever hearing from me advice one way and another another way. only today has the letter to Lord Derby been written. I said I thought … that I had received a note from you telling me abt the Lord Mayor’s kindness in requesting the Earl reconsider his [refusal to see?] an interview with Her Majesty and that you also told me the … were to send a letter yesterday and I said ‘is that it, then it has not yet been dispatched. I shd like to hear it’ so it was read to me. I asked if all were going to sign it, and was answered that it really did not signify that it cd do no good and was a very absurb proceeding and a great deal made wh incensed me, as lowering in the maories eyes our statemen. Miss Buckle who is here now says ‘that little nobody but Spencer thinks good things of himself and only wants to wash his hands of the whole matter and has no sympathy or respect for authority.’ … he wished to send a telegram, we had … to occupy at the office, now she is back, and Mr Spencer has gone and I feel … at Mr S intemperate haste.

Mr Spencer is anxious the maories shd go next week and says the … the 28ths is full, that if they engage their berths tomorrow they can go in the Potosi next week the 20th and that that will be best and he told Te Wheoro all the shops wd be full up to Oct or Nov and that they had best be off … week and as to the King staying, he is a perfect fool and an obstinate old heathen and had best go home to his people. Te Wheoro asked me and I said wait till you have seen Mr Chesson. Shall I send the Maories and Skidmore to you or will you come here or will you advise them not to decide the matter at 3 tomorrow wh you see in Mr Spencers telegram.

He talks as if the Colonial Office wd be delighted if he sent them off speedily, thankful to hear they are gone were his words. Topia the old man will go away with the worst impressions I shd think, his ears and eyes and Patara also express much and they feel I am sure …. I don’t know what you will say and I don’t wish to interfere. But I wd like them to be not hurried and to have matters calmly explained to them. ‘It is wished they shd go’ is a very unloving idea to set before them. ‘Get you out of the land’ is by no means a courteous tone to take. They shd not hear those in authority spoken of disrespectfully. It feels to me very shocking. Mr Spencer is coming at 3 … his way of settling it, to go down with him and pay down half the money for 4 berths and then Te Wheoro and one other need not go as they are disposed to remain.

…

I’m too rushed to write decently.

Yrs
C.J.D. Weale

From Rev Spencer
Anderson and Anderson
Ten Church Avenue

Four Maori chiefs will sail in the Potosi 10 They will take their passages tomorrow Perhaps two follow later on.