WANGANUI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 219, 27 January 1865, Page 3

WANGANUI.

(From the New Zealand Advertiser , Jan. 24.)

By the arrival of the s.s. Storm Bird wa have Saturday’s Wanganui Chronicle from which wa extract the following items of intelligence:— Five Natives Killed.—On Wednesday last we mentioned that fears were entertained as to the safety of Rio and four other natives who had been missing for several days. Intelligence has been received this morning, which makes it almost certain that they have been killed. ITaata, the brother of Bio, who escaped from Pa Karaka yesterday, was informed by Komene, one of the rebel*, (who may be remembered by old residents here as a policeman) that his brother had been killed and that he (Komene) had buried him. His story was to the following effect. The bullocks which had escaped Bio lately got from Patea, and he followed them along the coast as far as to that neighbourhood. He was there taken prisoner and remained in durance for several days. The man Paraone and the two lads who went in search of him on the Friday followed him up and were also taken prisoners. By the orders or influence of Te Ua all four were liberated, and were on their way back when they were killed on Wednesday last. On that day, near Ihipuku, on the other side of the Waitotara, they were set upon by some natives who had followed them—ten, it is said, belonging to five tribes—-and the two lads were tomahawked, while Paraone was shot. Bio at once made for the river, swam his horse across, and was getting up the opposite bank, when his horse was disabled by a shot. He himself then received a ball in the right thigh, and cried to his pursuers that they might now let him escape ; but one of them shot him through the body, the ball entering his right side. He cried that he was mortally wounded and would go with them, when a man approached and shot him through the head, the bullet piercing liis forehead. Komene afterwards buried him close to where he fell. It will he remembered that the other native who was missing was an old man named Laripa, who went last Saturday to Maonene for a hoe. Ho is said to have been tomahawked the same day. It may be added that some residents here, acquainted with the Waitotara natives, doubt the truth of this story, which they think may have been invented for a purpose, but its circumstantiality induces others equally versant in native matters to believe it. The friendly natives give it implicit credence. It may be mentioned that in the begining of last week the rebels drew a lino across the Waitotara block, most of it on Government land, and intimated that any one crossing it would be shot.

Advance of the Enemy. —The rebel natives, perhaps emboldened by the inertness of the expeditionary force, have been shewing their teeth in several ways. The killing of five of the friendly natives, as mentioned elsewhere, was their first overt action of opposition. Then on Wednesday night they pulled down a bridge of about seven feet in span, over the Manga-ohau, a small stream on the other side of the Ototoka, whoso construction bad just been finished by the troops, after the labor of three days in humping the timber from a distance. It is about sis miles from Camp Alexander, and as many from Weraroa. Yesterday afternoon, a party, said to have numbered about two hundred, advanced on Rio’s pah, Peiatu, and Pa Karaka, (the latter about five miles in a straight line from the Camp), both of which they took, with their inmates, numbering probably fifteen or twenty, in men, womeu, and children. Only one man escaped, named Aaata, who came in yesterday evening with the account. Yesterday afternoon Mr. White sent one of his policemen with a message to Rio’s pa ; on his arrival in the neighbourhood, he was seen by some of the captive natives and warned to return, which he immediately did. When near the Pa Karaka on his way back he was fired on, but was not hit The natives at Ahu, near the Mission station, came into camp this morning, afraid that to-night the rebels may come on them. Reconnaisance.—A body of about 800 men went out from the camp this morning and ad vanced as far as Rio’s pa, Peiatu. They found there anly two natives belonging to the pa, who informed Ricm the rebels had left this morning at four o’clock, carrying away all the inmates except themselves. How they were left behind does not appear. In the pa, there were several dray-loads of articles packed up as if for immediate removal; and it becomes a question whether the natives at this and the Karaka pa have not been consenting parties to their abduction. The fact of Rio’s natives having applied to Mr. White here for guns and ammunition, after his disappearance, for selfdefence, as they alleged, does not make this theory less probable. The Kaiwhaike Natives. —Those natives, professed Kingitcs, have to-day been ordered down to Putiki by General Cameron. The SunrßisE.— This vessel was sold by auction on Monday as she lies on the South Spit, for £SO, Mr. Higgle was the purchaser. General Cameron arrived here yesterday afternoon, having been brought up from the Falcon, which came into the roadstead in the afternoon, by the Sandfly. A large number of townspeople were on the beach to see the distin guished visitor; but there were no noisy demonstrations of welcome. He took up his quarters in the house till now occupied by Dr. Gibson, in the Victoria Avenue. In the evening, on his coming out of the mess room from dinner, the gallant general was cheered by a number of people who had been waiting for that purpose. We observed, too, that Mr. Garner’s house, opposite the mess room, was illuminated on the occasion.