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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 3, 18 July 1861, Page 3

The Storm Bird (s.s.) arrived at Napier and was safely moored in the Iron Pot at halfpast three p.m. yesterday. She left Wellington on Monday evening, at 6 p.m., and had to contend with a strong head wind. She also called at Castle Point, and landed some goods ; and brings six cabin passengers and a general cargo for this place. The news from Otago is of a very conflicting nature. Mr. Roy, who is at present on a visit to Napier, fully corroborates the accounts given in the papers, and says he himself saw slbs. weight of gold collected by a small party in a week, and himself brought up to Wellington an ounce of rough gold, “ collected in two hours by 5 gentlemen amateurs, with only one shovel and one tin dish among them.” Mr. Roy says Dunedin looks half deserted, and that the diggings are a great fact. He would, however, strongly advise intending diggers not to. start till the spring. On the other hand, the Otago Witness contains a report of a meeting of the unemployed at Dunedin, which was attended by about 150 persons, for the purpose of petitioning the Council on the present state of the labor market. Several speakers declaimed against the diggings, and on the adoption of the petition it was signed by about sixty persons. WRECK OF THE S. S. " VICTORY.” We much regret having to record the loss of the latest addition in these waters to the steam fleet of the above Company, the fine steamship V ietory, which went on shore in vv ickliffe Bay, Otago, on the evening of the 3rd instant. There

appears to bo no ground for hoping that sho can be got off, as she was fast settling in the sand into s which she h sunk i o the depth of 7 or 8 feet, and her position amongst the breakers renders * the attempt of even a steamer to give assistance, too hazardous to bo tried. We believe she is well covered by her insurance, but there happened to be a more than ordinarily heavy cargo of coals and stores on board. 7iifTJAT>rr a Twrm T7DnT.r tst 4 vn. A mttt VXVXOiI A -I.' J.VVJJI W AIN liAid Li I. The following substance of a report of a Native meeting appears in the Chronicle. It was ( held on the 3rd July, and was addressed by 73 s chiefs: —“Their speeches differed in terms, but j were all to the same effect. They wished to have a King of their o wn, and to preserve their land , for themselves. It w'as only just that the black skinned race should have a black king. For the Queen to govern them was like the bramble ruling c over the trees of the forest. The King movement c at first a small seed, had grown and spread until it was a great tree, bringing forth leaves and fruit, 1 amidst whose branches the birds of the air now lodged. If an attempt was made by the Pakeha I to cut down that tree, it would be resisted. The Maories would defend their King and country. If they were defeated, the land would be given up to the Pakeha. If they prevailed, the Pakeha would s be driven from the island. They would not begin 1 the fight. Wherever the Governor began, they would go to that place—if at Taranaki, to Tarana- c ki; if at Waikato, to Waikato. These were their opinions, but they acted in concert with the Wai- I kato ; and whatever the Waikato resolved on, in 1 that they would concur.” A messenger was sent to Mr. McLean, with an r answer to the proposal which had been sent to the ’ Ngatiruanui when Hapurona came to terms. It was rejected. The mail could not he allowed to 1 pass, and any white man showing himself on their ( territory would be shot. They claimed the country as theirs as far as Waireka (this includes Tataraimaka block) on the same ground that the Governor put forth for his claim on the land he had occupied at Waitera. They had held it, and had not been driven off.