Hawke's Bay Times. Nuliius addietus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1869.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 646, 11 January 1869, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nuliius addietus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1869.

COL. WHITMORE'S RECENT SUCCESS. We trust that the brilliant action of the forces under Colonel Whitmore on the stronghold of the archrebel TeKooti, as reported elsewhere, and published as an "extra" by us on Thursday afternoon, will be accepted as a sufficient reply to that gentleman's detractors. We must confess that for own part, though we never doubted for one moment what the result of the operations there undertaken would prove to be, we did not expect anything like so speedy an issue to them as in fact turned out to be the case. Only a few short hours before the arrival of the Sturt with what our local contemporary justly designates "glorious news," we had, in view of the acknowledged difficulties standing in the way of a successful attack upon Te Ngatapa, deplored the fact of the tardiness of the gallant colonel's movements, rendered unavoidable by the nature of the coiintry and the strength of Te Kooti's position, and we did not expect the denouement for a or two at least, —th T "s opinion being also held by others than ourselves who knew something of the nature of the obstacles to be surmounted before any attack could be made with the certainty of a successful result. It is something remarkable that the enthusiasm with which the news was received in the town was not at all commensurate with the occasion. Some folk refused to believe the news, declaring it " too good to be true," and others remembering the enthusiastic rejoicing with which the

news of a success on the part of our native allies was received on a recent occasion—when the Government Buildings and principal tradesmen's houses were decorated with gala flags, —and seeing the flagstaff at the Government Buildings bare on [this occasion, could hardly help concluding that the news was at least exaggerated. The contrast on the two occasion was, to say the least, striking, and to us unaccountable. We were asked on all hands, " were we pure it was tr-xe I '' To all such we trust the additional news brought by the Blanche yesterday, and the official telegrams which we re-pub from the Wellington papers, will prove a satisfactoiy reply.

The English Mail via Suez ar rrived here by the Phoebe yesterday. The Star of the South, it will be seen, leaves for Auckland on Wednesday afternoon. The Ahuriri from Poverty Bav, and the Wellington from Auckland, have ju?3t arrived as we go to presSc Hauraki Gold-Field. —We are compelled to hold over an interesting letter from our own correspon dent at Shortland.

The Guards which, for the last two months, have been kept by the Militia and Volunteers, have been abolished —to the great surprise of some, and the equally great delight of others.

Lady Bo wen and family were! passengers yesterday by the Phoebe for Auckland. His Excellency Sir G. F. Bowen left Wellington in H.M.S.S. Challenger, Commodore Lambert, for Lyttelton, an hour after the Phoebe's departure, having been seen by that vessel steaming out of the Heads.

A. Alexander, Esq., who has been on a vi«it to the mother country, returned to the Colony by the ship Wild Duck, which arrived at Wellington a few days ago. He was a passenger to Napier yesterday by the s.s. Phoebe.

Death by Drowning.—A very painful feeling has been caused by the melancholy death of Miss Mary B. Ellison, a young lady aged 20, who was drowned on Thursday, the 7th inst., while bathing in the Tukituki. An inquest was held at Te Mata on the following day. Mrs Chambers deposed that about 4 p.m. on the 7th inst., she went with the deceased, who was staying at her house, and four other young ladies, to the Tukituki to bathe. Miss Ellison was cautioned against a deep hole near at hand, but ventured too far, and was carried by the current out of the reach of assistance, into deep water, where she sank. The others then ran for help. John Chambers, jun., deposed that on hearing that Miss Ellison was drowned, he rode to the river, and saw her in the water. He drew her out, and found she was quite dead. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned." Taupo.—We learn that one of Capt. Weber's Observat ; on Corps arrived in town on Saturday with a party of friendly natives, and that they report that a large number of disaffected natives have gathered at Taupo. We cannot but look upon the abolition of the night-guard here as somewhat premature.