COLONIAL SUMMARY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 192, 16 September 1864, Page 2

COLONIAL SUMMARY.

[From the Weekly News, Sept. 10.] The past week has been less prolific in startling news than most weeks of late. It would be difficult to point to any one thing as the topic of the week ; not, of course, that there has been nothing to talk of, but because, amongst the subjects of general interest, no one has stood out in such marked preeminence as to obscure the others. Of what can properly be called war news we have absolutely none. The only thing in this province which can be termed even an approach to it, comes from Maketu, in the form of information as to the vindictive feelings of the Ngatiporou tribe against the Arawas, who, as our allies, inflicted so severe a loss upon them at Matata, when the loyal chief, Beckham, was killed. Coast natives are represented as tired of the war, but bent upon vengeance upon their nest neighbours, the Arawas, who, in their estimation, interfered very unnecessarily in the matter. If such intentions as the Ngutiporous express were attempted to be put into practice, no doubt we should have fighting again to do at the East Coast, as we could never leave the Arawas to fight out the quarrel themselves. One thing is manifest, however —the proper spirit of submission to authority is yet far from being learned where such sentiments can be expressed as those attributed to the Ngatiporou tribe ; and in such a case it is better that they should remain in open rebellion than come in without any real feeling of submission. At Taranaki, affairs do not appear to advance perceptibly towards any solution of the question is it peace or war. A good deal of strong assertion is indulged in as to the numbers of the rebels in the district, and the propriety, ease, and certainty of success with which an attack could be made upon them ; of course, the entire absence of certain knowledge which marks the writers and speakers of such sentiments as these generally may be taken as detracting in some degree, at least, from the weight of these opinions. That King* Rewi, and Matutaera are somewhere near Taranaki seems unquestionable, but what they are doing appears very doubtful. It is natural to suppose that they are not idle ; but whether their work consists of a council of war, a sort of ecclesiastical court for the examination of the new fanatical doctrines, or a bee for planting potatoes and sowing corn, is a question as yet unsolved, and for aught we can see likely so to remain for some time, unless the natives choose to make some move of a more active kind than usual. The clemency shown to the Tauranga people seems to work well in that part of the country. Two more sections of tribes have submitted ia the neighbourhood, but whether possessed of any land does not yet appear. The first to submit was a small section, it is said, of the Tauranga tribe living at Mayor Island. It is rather puzzling to be told this after hearing that the whole tribe submitted when the Governor was at Tauranga, but it may be easily explainable by those learned in matters Maori—the most involved matters surely in the colony, or almost anywhere else. The second party submitted at Maketu, and appears to have been composed of individuals from various tribes, including some of the Waikato rebels. The mixed character of the party must, we should say, prevent its surrender from being of any significance further than may be found in the fact of some fifty individuals ceasing to be enemies in arms against us, and adding something to the weight of the party seceding from a hopeless cause. From the Southern provinces there has been but little news of moment. Things seem to get on much as usual, showing here and there signs of that improvement naturally to be expected from a return of spring and fine weather. This is particularly true of Otago. Although we hear no more of. the diggings in Southland, on which Dunedin seemed to be counting so confidently as a

great benefit to herself, yet trade seems a shade less dull. The improvement of the weather seems to affect the gold returns already, as the Molyneux has fallen considerably, so exposing much good digging ground. The last escorts brought down the large quantity of about fourteen thousand ounces of gold. While this lasts, no very long period; of depression may be looked for in Otago. Canterbury’s gold-fields is evidently not yet felt as a state of relief to her state of depression in trade. The number, which appears to be considerable, of intending diggers now leaving Canterbury, is in no way counterbalanced by any returns of gold or Customs duties. These are only temporary drawbacks, doubtless, and we may expect to hear of a revival of trade before long, we believe and hope in Canterbury, as well as in her more southern neighbours. No new changes are reported from the Marlborough gold fields, where on the whole the state of things seems tolerably good. The Seat of Government Commissioners had not reached Nelson by last advices. They seemed, however, to have completed their inquiries about the Northern shores of Cook’s Strait. They have had no very pleasant time for their survey as yet, and it is to be hoped that the weather may not have proved Wellington’s worst friend in this important affair. The Supreme Court in Auckland has been occupied nearly the whole week with the painful case of McLean, accused of the murder of his «wife at Queen’s Eedoubt. The prisoner defended himself, which not only greatly protracted the case unnecessarily, but placed him in a much worse position than he would otherwise have been in many particulars. The verdict of guilty, however, which wasjat last arrived at on Thursday afternoon, will Le generally regarded as the only one admissible from a consideration of the evidence laid before the Court.