INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Issue 251, 22 August 1867, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

On Friday evening last, just before tho shades of night had spread over the harbor and town of Auckland, a most daring and wholesale robbery was committed on board the powder hulk Aspasia, lying in the Waitemata Harbor. It appears ihat the :/ man usually in charge went on shore for the purpose of cleaning a djnpy, and while jthus engaged he observed a boat alongside fche hulk, which circumstance, however, .did not arouse his suspicion, as he thought ftiii people on board were merely preparing for sea. Seeing, howgyer, that they continued in this situation for some time, he put off to the vessel, up/»r fwhich the boat jnade off in the direction of the North JJead. with all possible despatch. Strange to say, the man's suspicions still slumbered until Saturday morning, when, on counting over the powder kegs, he discovered that/f ourteen of them had disappeared, information was at once given to the Customs' authorities, but no clue has yet been obtained to the identity of the parties who committed this daring robbery. — N. 0. Herald, July -29. A half-caste girl, named Maria Baker, has been committed for trial at "Wellington charged with the murder of her infant ■jshild. Mrs Lockyer, an old and infirm yridow, was charged with .having aided pnd abetted in the crime. The damaging and insane slanders cirpulated at liouio by Colonel Weare, C.8., have formed the subject of debate in both Houses. In th c House of Representatives p, committee has been appointed to consider the best means to be taken to obtain the iestabli.shm.ent of such regulations as shall prevent a recurrence of proceedings so injurious to the welfare ;of both races in New Zealand aa resulted from Colonel Weare's private statements being officially acted on in England. The noble stand taken by the Governor in defending the honor of the Colony from Colonel Weare'e /aspersions has been highly lauded in both Houses and throughout the Colony. The Action taken by the Earl of Carnarvon has been as universally condemned. In the Upper House, a resolution thanking the Governor for his conduct, and expressing a strong opinion of that of the Secretary pi State for the Golonies has been unanimously agreed to, and is to be sent home to her Majesty, with the request that it may be k.il before both Houses of Parliament, when steps will be. taken to have #ie whole subject discussed in the Imperial . Parliament. A melancholy and fatal accident has qccurred at the Hutt, by which a young man named Gus. Johnson, a shoemaker, and a young girl named Mudgway, lost their lives by drowning. From what we have been able to learn, it appears that the girl had been looking at the circus, or " round-about," and in leaving she must have, missed her way and fallen into the river, which ran close at hand. Johnson, who is said to have been an excellent swimmer, heard the alarm, and having stripped himself, he courageously plunged in after the unfortunate young woman; He succeeded in grasping the girl, and was apparently making towards the shore, where assistance awaited him, when they disappeared together, and nothing more was seen of them. The body of the girl was found close to the spot where the accident happened, but the remains of the . gallant but unfortunate young man had hot been discovered up to the time when our informant left the Hutt, although divers were employed, and every effort was made to recover them. Great symr pathy is manifested for. the i relatives of the deceased, and considerable excitement has been felt since the occurrence of the sad affair. — Advertiser. • . Another Hau-Hau Mukdek. — News has been received of another murder at Opotiki. The Gross says : — By the arrival of the s.s. Tauranga on Thursday, we have news from Qpotiki to Tuesday last, Just as the steamer was leaving a report was brought in that the body of William Cannon (butcher to Mr Kelly, contractor) had been found on the beach, near the spot where Bennett White was killed; - the unfortunate man had been murdered, his body being much mutilated. A party of volunteers was about starting to know the particulars. Cannon was driving cattle from Maketu. Nothing more has been heard of the missing men, who were driving the cattle overland from Napier to Naupo, but the native had found one of their horses shot dead, which looks very suspicious. Native NEWs.-^-The correspondent of the Southern Gross; writing from "Maketu, says : — The war party that started from ■ here some short time since have I believe done nothing except capturing the ferry- , man at Ohiwa, whom they had afterwards to, release, there being no. evidence of Jlis compJicity in : the guiit of the murdsrers. A portion o,f this party, some "ago, returned, bringing with them "sic remains of the murdered man, which _;they had exhumed Vat Ohopu, where he

had been buried . Thore was, as may be easily conceived, a great deal of excite- ■ and tangi-ing on the occasion. The body was headless, with the right arm also missing. The chest and abdomen had beeri opened, and the heart and lungs taken away. It presented, I believe, a horrid spectacle, and not being particularly fond of viewing sights of. that kind, I did not go and see it. It was kept in the Rahui Pa for some days, where the British ensign was flying half-mast, and a Hau-hau flag, that had been captured in some engagement, under it. The remains were subsequently interred in the consecrated burying-ground of the Church of England at Wharekahu Maketu. A" fence is being put round his grave ; and a head-board, with the following inscription in Maori — " William Popata was •■murdered by the Hau-liaus at the Waiotahi, on the 27th June, 1867." According to a common practice amongst the Maoris, the widow has jissumod the name of Onekawa, that being the name of the place where tho murder was committed. ' A few daj r s since a native from the Awa-o-te-Atua (Matata) arrived hero stating that the head, of the murdered man had been preserved and taken to Te Whaiti,"" a settlement in the Uriwera country, with the ultimate intention of presenting it to the King at Taranaki. Traces of the head having been preserved were found on the beach where the deed of blood was committed. The same individual stated that they had heard that a party of men, consisting of four Europeans and four Natives, in charge of a son of the Rev. Mr Grace,, driving cattle from Napier to Auckland, had been murdered by the Hau-haus at a place called Waipuna, bdßween Napier and Taupo, and that thdfileed of blood was arranged to be committed at a meeting of Hau-hau3, held at Rungivna, on the borders of Taupo. This new 3, however, requires confirmation, but as it is knownthat this party was coining, and no intelli- . gence having yet been received of their whereabouts, there is a possibility of there being some truth in the report. No news of this occurrence had reached either Tarawera or Rotorua. A singular discovery of human remains was made a few days ago at Oaniaru, one of the workmen engaged upon the Jetty having picked up near the Point a man's boot containing a foot and ancle. The boofy which appeared nearly new, was awatertight, closely nailed, and was laced with a leather lace ; it also contained a sock, which was a brown- worsted one, apparently hand-knii. It is conjecturee by aome that the foot is that of a man who was drowned in the Bay on the 20th of December last, but if so, it appears strange, that it should so long remain within tho boot, which had evidently been cast up by [ the late hjgh sea.