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Grey River Argus, Issue 57, 24 May 1866, Page 2

We quote the following from the ' 'Ne\? Zealand Herald" of the Ist:— "During her last trip down to Wangaroa (a port between to Bay of Islands and. Mongonui), on the. 30th March last, Captain Delane, of the Hira, had as passengers, from Auckland, two young women, half castes, [but who have been brought up by and among Europeans. One of them was the daughter of the la^e My James Whitaker, and sllc went down to' Wangaroa; en a visit-, having heard of the death of hex" father. The woman, also a half caste, accompanied Miss Whitaker as an attendant. went on board intending to return ftojtheir^" home, but.wliile the vessel was beating down Wangaroa harbor, she was boarded by a canoe containing fifteen natives, who. forcing their way down into, the cabin, seized the two" women, threw them into the canoe, and carried them off to the settlement. Captain Delano, who behaved, most nobly in the affair, though having no means of preventing the abduction of the women fr.om the. ship, was determined • that they should not, if possible, be left with.their captors. Heat once landed, and having secured the assistane of a. chief named Paul, followed the natives and their prisoners to the settlement, and ultimately,' through the aid of Paul, and. a payment of L 5 in money, rescued the. - poor girls from the horrible fate in store for. them, and got them on board the vessel without delay, and made all sail forAuckland, for even at this time another party of natives were collecting in their boat on the beach for the purpose of overtakin« the vessel and recapturing the. women. It is a great pity that the men-of-war lying in harbor do not occasionally take a trip round the coast, -showing themselves, to the natives. At Wangaroa, for instance, the natives are very insolent,: and disorderly, and from the simple fact, that they never see any evidence ojtfi&g^- « power. Did a man-of-war occaliHfflp' ' disit these harbors on the coast the W' v upon the native mind would be a saluwl !. one, and such visits would give confideg| '■ and support to tliQ settlera. WangaH^v is a particularly neglected district. Th«& \ is neither a Magistrate nor a Justice «» the Peace in the district— no constable^ 1 and- not even a Minister of any denomin^ \