THE HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. WAITER, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1862.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 48, 29 May 1862, Page 2

THE HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. WAITER, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1862.

ARRIVAL OF THE W HITE S W A N F R O M A U C K L A X U , ENGLISH MARCH MAIL. We have this week to chronicle the arrival of two steamers, viz., the White Swan, from Auckland with the English mail; and the Storm Bird from the Southern Provinces, which puts us in possession of the Otago Witness to the I7th inst. From the North the intelligence, upon the whole, is satisfactory. Coromandel was yielding well, particularly on native territory, on which some visits had been clandestinely made during the night hy some diggers. Trade, we are, informed, was good. Erom the south, there is little news, The following are the two last escort returns —May 8, 4,1)70 ozs.; Slay 15, <1,780 ozs. New diggings had been discovered, and some rushes had taken place. Several suicides had been committed. We regret to have to announce that there is too much occasion to believe that the Pole Star, so long overdue, is lost. A vessel bottom upwards was seen by Capt Lewis, of the Planet , now some weeks ago, off White Island. The Pole Star had, unfortunately, a larger number of passengers than usual, we believe nine, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Henry and two children, who were returning from a visit to Auckland. The Southern Cross now appears as a daily paper, at a reduced price of 3d. a number. It is exceedingly well got up, and seems to take a long lead ahead of the other Auckland journals. We are in receipt of the four first daily numbers, and we have gathered from the 24th, the following particulars of the native quarrel. War is now raging in the north of this Province, among two rival sections of the Ngapuhi tribe, one cause of quarrel being the old land sale in the district. The scene of the coullict is at Waitomotorao, within eighteen miles of Wangarie; and so far as we can loam the facts, they are these; — The chief Matin having set up a claim of ownership to certain lands in '1 irarau's block, in 1850, a. dispute arose between them, which has continued up to this present time, but did not assume any very serious aspect until about three weeks ago, when

Matiu went down on the hind for the purpose of surveying it. He at once commenced to build a pah on the block. Tirarau on beim* informed of this proceeding, went up to the block, and took up a position in front of Matin’s encampment. They continued fronting each other for some time, while endeavours were being made by the Resident Magistrate, Mr. Aubery, Manihere, the native assessor, and the Missionaries, to induce them to retire to their respective settlements, and leave the final arrangement to the Governor. This proposal was acceded to by Tirarau and his party, but peremptorily refused by the other party ; and what made the matter worse was that Arama Kreke, one of the newly appointed native assessors, joined Matiu. On Friday last some natives of Matin's party crossed the line, were seen, and immediately fired on by Tirarau’s people. This commenced the actual hostilities, and a battle ensued in which five men killed a number wounded of Matin’s people, and three of Tirarau’s were wounded. Since then, up to the date to our latest accounts, there has been no more fighting, but they are posted fronting each other, and ready at a moment’s notice to renew the contl ict. At present the parties are pretty equally balanced. Tirarau has two hundred men in his pahs, and Matin had one hundred and eighty, but was receiving reinforcements. A number of the Hokianga and Bay natives have gone to the Kaipara battle-field, and taken sides, and larger reinforcements are expected. We should further mention the Matiu before taking up his position, went to the settlement of 11amiora, and took away his entire property of horses, pigs, cattle, and household eifects. Hamiora was a man noted as being an ally of Kawiti Heke’s war. On hearing of this robbery, he at once started to Tirarau’s pah, and on his arrival there took to his bed and died, as the natives say, through grief at the outrage." This, we understand, has greatly incensed Tirarau’s people and others. THE NATIVE MEETING AT THE THAMES. from the Thames we have accounts of a large meeting of natives at the Xeripehi, on the Riako. Fifteen hundred natives of the Waikato and Thames are supposed to be present, including some delegates from various tribes to the Southward. Our informant says (on Native authority ) that no Europeans or half-castes are permitted to be present at the deliberations. The same authority says that Rangitaki, alias William King, of Taranaki notoriety, was to have been present, but that, after arriving at Keripehi, he was overtaken by expresses from Taranaki, conveying information that war had broken out there again, andthat, inconsequence of this, he immediately returned to Taranaki, without going to the meeting. Large assemblages of ignorant people are always attended with danger to the cause of peace and order, particularlo when politics and questions of liberty are discussed. We are not justified in looking for a different result where savages are concerned. It were well that the Government should be able to have correct information of the avowed sentiments expressed at those meetings by the presence of some European agent, however true it may be that the sentiments publicly avowed rarely bear much indication of the determination arrived at. — Daily Southern Cross, May 24. COROMANDEL. The following is an extract from a private letter addressed to a gentleman in Auckland dated Coromandel, May 19, and it is corroborative of intelligence wo have received from other sources : “ Messrs Fox and Williamson have been here lately, but for all the good they have accomplished, so far as I can gather, they might just as well have stopped away. Mr. Fox’s voice may be ‘ sweet,’ but the Maoris do not appear to be inclined to listen to the voice of the charmer. The solution of the difficulty appears to me to be farther off. The natives seem to have an idea that the pakehas are getting gold, by a process which they term robbery. They are not far wrong in conjecturing that Raul's country is auriferous. Three nights ago a man went by moonlight and got a sack of dirt, from which he took 1 i/6. of gold. In proportion as the natives see the government eager to obtain possession of the laud, they will not part with it; and the general opinion here is that they will never give it peaceably.- If the laud is thrown open, there will, no doubt, be a tremendous rush, and those who are on the ground, and have made preparations for it, will reap the benefits—and golden ones too.