Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 68, 16 October 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

Prince Alfred. —Rumour states that the Racoon, 22, has been selected to convey his royal highness Prince Alfred to Australia and some other distant places,ythc Racoon, being known as one of the fastest vessels of her class belonging to the navy. She will probably hoist the pendant in a few days, cither at Chatham or Portsmouth. Prince Alfred rejoined her Majesty’s ship St. George at Spithead on Monday. The following is from the Some Sews, 26th J uly:— The presentation of the Victoria Cross to William Odgcrs, captains’ coxswain of her Majesty’s ship Siger, for conspicuous and daring bravery at the storming of a pah in New Zealand, on the 28th March, 18G0, took place on July 24th in the Government parade ground, Dcvonport. Odgcrs requested that it should be distinctly stated that there were many men as good as himself present at the storming of the pah ; but that it happened to bo his good fortune to get in first.

A Legal Contest fob an old Pair of Stays.— A curious case, after running through its various stages in the.-Manx court, has at last come before a Judicial Gomittee of the Privy Council in England A miserable old woman of the name of Evans sewed up in an old pair of stays about £4OO in Bank of England notes ; she presented these stays to a Miss Grice, a friend of hers, not telling her of the valuable contents concealed in them. Miss Grice, in place of then taking the stays home, locked them up in a box belonging to the old woman, and did not remove them until after deatli when she discovered how valuable the old stays were. The deceased had a will drawn out, but blanks were left for the names, anil she died before they were filled up. The heir-at-law, Mr. Cosnahau, took possession of all the old woman’s property, and commenced proceedings against Miss Grice to recover the stays and contents, also some jewellery which that lady had also taken away The Manx lawyers contended that because Miss Grice, after receiving the stays, placed them on the old lady’s box, she gave the deceased the power of revoking the gift before she died, therelore the gift was incomplete, and the property not being willed, the heir-at-law was entitled to the stays and notes. The Vicar General held to this view and decided against Miss Grice. The house of Keys (tho Manx Parliament) reversed that decision. The heir-at-law then brought the case to England, and there he has again got a decision in his favour. The result is that Miss Grice will have to restore tho £IOO, and to render an account on oath of tho property of the deceased.

idea of the neglect, and want, and visible wretchedness, which are attached to such a condition when occurring amongst the slaves or lower order ol freemen. And no relief has ever been systematically afforded by the Government in such cases, nor am I aware that tliev have ever been made sufficiently acquainted with the fact. And as to the runangas in general, who ought to look after these cases and provide for them, they care more for feasting themselves, and punishing others and dividing the fines, than for supporting life and making it comfortable where no equal return can be expected. Of all the tribes of the earth, I think the Maori is the last that should profess ’ to have any practical sympathy vitli the “orphan and the widow,” whose days ai'e shortened andrendored miserable cither by work or want. . Tauranga, I found some half-dozen Runanga in very lively operation, and giving offence on all hands. They had established what they called a Line kali, or prohibitory law, whereby all Natives were forbidden to sell their wheat for less than Gs. a bushel, and in case of disobdience, the gam was seized and a fine inflicted. In a recent case, the Runanga had extorted a sum of £3 10s. which they were going to expend in tobacco for the use of the members ; but I pursuaded them to give it up, and then returned it to its former owner. He, on the other hand, no sooner received the money, than he determined to make reprisal by summoning the Runanga for having taken it mvay nor was ho at all satisfied when he found that I would not assist him in his revenge. Many other seizures had been made, and, in one case a large quantity of wheat belonging to a trader was taken away by force, as haring been sold under the regulation price. They contended that the real benefit of the Maori Runanga was seen in the lormation and working of such combinations, as well as in the adjustment of offences; but they eventually agreed to discontinue such operations until a Resident Magistrate was appointed, with whom they could consult. In my report from that place, I find followin'* remarks on the general subject which I will be be“ to quote : ° “Throughout my journey, hitherto I think it would greatly surprise and please Your Excelency to see the extreme desire which these people manifest of haring just laws properly administered amongst them. The imposition so frequently practised upon them by their own Runangas, is

steadily working out its own effects ; and whomever real justice can be had (no natter by whom supplied) to that point I beliere the native mind will soon bo directed, to the entire mergin'* of all other considerations. Rut the great result 1 apprehend, will only bo effectually secured in those Districts where the people are supplied by the Government with ready means of comparison. "With relcrenee to their present practice of bvingim* nn all offences at once to judgment, however trivial their character, of this as on some other points their minds have actually gone mad, and it would be amusing to hear of some of the decisions given and penalities inflicted by the Runanga Maori In many cases, it is nothing but a concentrated torm oi robbery and persecution ; and if they will only continue the system for a twelvemonth Ipnger and work it with energy, I hardly think there would be a proselyte left on whom to practise their imposition or folly. My general plan is, not to notice their proceedings at all, by wav of censure or even connection, but simply to leave them to their working, at the same time givinf* my own opinion freely on all similar bona ildl cases submitted to my judgment.” And on a general review of this journey through the Ray of Plenty and Waikato districts, I had to report of the Natives thus : Ihcir desire for law is at the present time very great, and accompanied with this their general submission to European authority. Taking example from those places where English Magistrates and Native Assessors have been working together for so many years, I found Runangas or Councils established at every important place, and acting for the general benefit, accordin'* to their several abilities. ° These runangas they willingly reduced to a more manageable shape, themselves selecting the best men for that purpose, and leaving out the more inexperienced or incompetent. Thus in the Ray of 1 lenty, a good working staff' has been secured tor carrying out the provisions of the Native Districts Regulations and Native Circuit Courts Acts which for the present will have to be done by one set of men. 1 met with no final reluctance on the part of any, to adopt this system, nor with a single case in which a ready acquiescence was nou accorded to the decisions given. . The diminution of crime amongst themselves is very observable since the establishment of these Runangas. Eor though in many cases they acted

with strange impropriety or great injustice, yet oilear of the people at large which resulted in better behaviour. At the same time, a reaction was beginning to take place, owing to the want of authority in carrying out the awards of the runanga : so that my official visit by Your Excellency’s appointment proved to be very timely, and much required in preserving them from a state of contusion and variance into which their own experiments would very soon have thrown them ” At Tauranga, as in other places, I conic, not but observe the extreme inconvenience of havinn two different systems—the Maori and the English at work at the same time ; for neither partywiU submit to the other and all are thrown into contusion. And as the Natives plead, ’on Government authority, that they can either accept our English system or reject it as they think proner so it is merely a matter of interest or convenience vvi.h them as to whether they submit to our jurisdiction or not. In such ast ite of affairs the tota. inefficiency of any system whatever is manifest It seems desirable either that our own plans (whatever they may be) should be canied out m all their integrity, or that the Natives should 00 left to themselves,—an alternative destructive to their own interests. At Maketu, there were but few Natives and no runanga ; our Assessor Tolu te Ururangi managing everything in his own person. Besides which a 1 the people seemed under the personal influence 01 the liev. Mr. Chapman, -who exercised a paternal authorjty over them. At Otamavatau, xmtfl break of day, the talk was all about the runanga : and at Matata it was found flourishing with great authority. At Wliakatane, they suspended its operations until after they had dons fMithi" about the land. This brod originated in a slight quarrel about the site for a ndd, and was said to bo beyond tbe power of runanga, or Government influence, or anything but tbe force of arms to decide : and so they were left to finish it bavin" lost seven on one side (Ngatiawa) and fifteen oil the other (Ngatipukcko). At Ohiwa they had ccitamly gone stark mad on the subject. One man was fined a foal for carrying a pistol with bun on the beach. Another was fined £5 for stating bis opinion that the runanga of the place bad in a certain instance acted improperly. Indeed tbe nmangas are as bad as the Star Chamber for not allowing their acts to be evil