TAURANGA.

Evening Post, Issue 126, 5 July 1865, Page 2

TAURANGA.

The following letter is from the correspondent of the Southern Cross :— " Camp Tk Papa, 20th June. "This district remains quiet. With the exception of the eight Maori prisoners lodged in the Monmouth Redoubt (a marine residence, overlooking the bay), we have not seen a rebel for a considerable period. These prisoners, by the way, are a great nuisance. They are accommodated in :i tent, and ten men have to do duty over them during the night. Their situation does not appear to affect their spirits. They are much given to vocal music. They seem to hold a sort of • free and easy' club every evening, the concert commencing at sundown, and terminating in the 'sma' hours ayont the twalV The vocalists are all heavy smokers, and they pester the picquet for matches and tobacco. What is to be the fate of these men ? When sufficiently fattened, they, most probably, will be set at liberty, receiving ere they leave this district a liberal allowance of biscuit and salt horse. " Professor Parker and Miss Beaumont have brought their short • season' to a close, and we are now without amusements of any kind except skittles — a game which no one can play properly, it would seem, without imbibing a quantity of what the men here call * swanky,' beer being the term generally used by civilians when speaking of the same liquor. " It strikes me half-a-dozen ' poor players' might reap a tolerably good harvest down

here. No difficulty would bp experienced, I should fancy, in obtaining the commanding officer's permission to fit up a theatre in the township. As it is, the men, being left without any sort of amusement, spend a considerable portion of their pay in the canteen. The consequence is many of them get into the guard-room, and are cautioned by the Colonel. There was some talk a few months ago of a reading-room, but the idea appears to have died out. This is to be regretted. No doubt had the room been opened contributions in the shape of books and periodicals would have been sent in by the clergy of the district and the militia officers. " Inquiries are being made as to the number of those who, when they are placed on their land, would accept of eighteen pence per day in lieu of rations. Unfortunately, a rumour has spread amongst the men to the effect that each man costs the Government one shilling and ninepence halfpenny. Now, if Government, contracting for a regiment, cannot ration the men for less than Is. 9£d., how can a single individual support himself on 18d. ? I believe most of the men would prefer money to rations, and it is to be hoped the Government will grant the additional threepence. The money arrangement if carried out will prove a great boon to the settlement, " An idea seems to be gaining ground that the men of the Ist Regiment are most anxious to get on their land. The idea is an erronous one. 'So long as there is any prospect of work to be done in the field the militiamen are content to remain as they are. There is one thing certain, if the regiment is broken up now, in a couple of months the men will have forgotten all they have learned, and in the event of their being called upon to act with the Imperial trooops, say six months hence, they will be found almost useless. " A remarkably brilliant meteor was ob" served on Sunday evening about 11.15. "The schooner Tauranga came up the harbour this morning."