The Close, Lichfield
12 July 1884

My dear Mr Chesson,

I return the [copy?] of the Maori petition.

The only paragraph I have to make any remarks upon is the 6th, where I have marked the words ‘and set up a head who should be protected by the Queen.’ This is a very dark sentence, and if it means that the Maori king was set up under the Queen’s protection, it hardly accords with the facts, and the N.Z. government would deal very sharply with that statement.

What Wiremu Tarepipipi the Kingmaker said at the time was that they set up a King to administer justice among the Maoris because the colonial government neglected them, and he quoted the words of Scripture to the governor and said ‘ye have reigned as kings without us and I would to god ye did reign’ – 1 Cor. Iv. 8.

If you had taught us and cared for us, we should have been content.

…, they should say ‘and set up a head who should care for the Maori people whom the English government neglected.’

Believe me
Yours very truly
C.J. Abraham
Bp