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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 705, 2 August 1869, Page 3

It ia stated by the Court Journal that King Victor Emmanuel is in such a state that he cannot sit down for fear of an attack of apoplexy! The Rebel Peisonees.—Few persons would recognize the old coal hulk City of Newcastle in the trim seaworthy looking craft which now rides at anchor in our harbor undergoing a final coat of paint. Mr Q-annaway and Captain Lusher hate converted the old hulk into a very respctable looking vessel, and were about to place her in the coal trade, but yesterday a charter in an unexpected direction offered itself, and was, we believe, accepted. She is, we hea?, to be used as a prison ship—the charterers being the Government, and the work to be performed lying either at her present anchorage or in such other place in Wellington harbor as she may be towed by the Stuvt. The only conceivable object with which the Government can have taken up the City on these terms is to make her a receptacle for some of the rebel prisoners now in the custody of the friendly natives at Patea. The Sturt arrived hero on Tuesday night," and after coaling sailed again at 2 a.m. yesterday, with secret orders. It is presumed that her destination is Patea, and her object the removal of a portion of the prisoners to Wellington, to be confined in the City of Newcastle until tried under the Summary Trials Act. This is a very nice little arrangement, do doubt, but two questions arise. In the first place, will the prisoners be willing to come, or the friendlies be willing to give them up ? and in the second , place, can we keep them safer on board the City of Newcastle than we kept the other prisoners on board the Manukau? — Wellington Independent, July 29. "Sturdy Bego-aes."—The following are extracts from a letter under this heading, published in the Wellington Independent:—'Sir,—According to the Ministerial programme, we are to have two ambassa dors sent to England to ask for help, the question arises—Why send two? Why incur a double expense in the present emharassed s'tate of the Colony ? Again, what reasonable grounds have been shown that the mission will be successful ? The Gladstone Cabinet is preeminently a practical and hard-headed Ministry, and the first question will be —Why ask assistance from England to enable 200,000 colonists co control 20,000 wretched savages ? Ido not think that the hydrophobia of our Southern patriotism, which cannot cross the strait that divides the two islands, will find much sympathy at home, or the idea that the suppression of local disturbance is only a local affair There are hundreds and thousands of young men floating about in our hemisphere, far more fitted for the armed police we really require, chan we are likely to get by recruiting at home. Discontent and insubordination are quite as likely, if not more so, to happen among the latter, when they come to face the difficulties of the bush aud truculent llauhaus. Indeed it is a shame and disgrace that our little army, during the last twelve months, fighting gallantly under grievous hardships, has not been mora publicly acknowledged and thanked.—l have, &c, cjelfKespecx."

New Zealaxd Flax.—A New Curative AO-ENT. —The following highly import ant letter appears in the Southland Limes:—"Sir, —Now that the subject of utilizing the material and products of New Zealand Flax (Phorniium tenax) is obtaining so largo a share of public attention, it may not be amiss to furnish a little infor* mation upon its curative properties. A few years ago, while in charge of the Provincial Hospital, I received a highly concentrated decoction, from Mr Scott, ropemaker, which had been obtained from residue of liquor left in his tanks after a very large quantity of fi*x leaves had passed through their boiling or stewing process. I used this with advantage at that time, as a dressing for small cuts, lacerations &o. Since then, as I have advanced its uses to cases of greater magnitude, I have been surprised at the extraordinary healing properties it developed. In one case of compound and comminuted frac ture, or in plain English, a severe smash of thumb, including splintered condition of bones, and a ragged wound of some extent, a constant dressing of lint was applied, soaked in the solution, which completed a more rapid cure than anything else I am acquainted with would have done. During the whole time of its application there were healthy granulations and no discharge, except for three or four days when the supply fell short, and Friar's balsam was applied in its place j the wound immediately became offensive, and emitted a purulent discharge, which was rectified by re-applying tiio original dressing. The above, though the most severe, is only one case out ot many, and the effect produced showed it to have sufficient disinfecting as well as curative properties to form one of the most pleasant, and cleanly, as well as effective, of surgical dressings. —I am, &c, —Fbancis I Alex. Monkton, M.R.C.S., London, Pioi vincial Surgeon of Southland, N.Z. June

Mr. St. John Brannigak, the Commissioner cf Police in Otago, arrived here .. by the Omeo last night. It i$ 9aid he has been employed by the General Goyernment to proceed to the East Coast to in* > troduce some reforms and alterations in i the constitution of the Armed Constabulary , force stationed there. We do not vouch for the truth of the report. —Evening Post, 24th July. Etjsh to Coromakdel.—BlCH Q.UAETZ Reef Discovered.—By a boat which arrived from Coromandel this morning several gentlemen arrived, and are applicants for a lease for a claim on the dividing range between Coromandel and Kennedy's Bay. The ground applied for is next a claim worked by McLeod and party, and in which gold of exceeding richness has been struck. A rush to the locality has set in.—Evening Star, 29th July. Native War —The Wairarapa Mercury says : —Mr Fox's policy to be defensive, not aggressive, has commenced, by tha return of the attacking parties on the East and West Coasts. Lieut.-Col. Herrick on the one side and Major Brown on the other have returned to their head-quarters, owing to the difficulties they—tell it not in Gatli —" anticipated." We presume, therefore, that the 2,700 men paid by the Government are busily employed doing nothing but are awyiting the operation of the second part of Mr Fox's policy, viz , to " demilitarize them." We are also waiting to see what this mearzs.

Found. —The Wanganui Evening Herald of a recent date contains the following :—Corporal Swan left here on Tuesday, and proceeded to Waitotara to bring to town whatever clothing was on the remains of the man reported in our issue of the 6th July as having been found on the Waitotara. The remains were on the water's edge, not, as a contemperary said, " some scrub." The bones only were found, except some flesh on the feet, which tha boots protected. The clothing consisted of the two sleeves of a shirt, part of a pair of trousers, and a pair of boots, which were brought into town, and the bones wero buried on the spot. Patea.—More Prisoners Captured.— The Patea correspondent of the Wanganui Times, under date 13th July, writes as follows :—All is quiet here just now, but we don't know how long that may continue. For a day or two smoke had been seen in the distance, and a party started on Tuesday the 11th, but did not succeed in catching the rebels. On Monday last a party went out, and scoured the country, but could find no Hauhaus. A third party was more successful yesterday they brought in three men, three old women, and three children. We have now 93 men and 157 women and children ; total, 255. They are a great nuisance to us—feeding them and extra guards—but I don't think they would go just yet if we tried to drive them away; they are well off, and will stick to their comfortable quarters for the winter. Some of them *re so bounceable and impertinent that it is hard for our men to put up with their insolence. What is the Government going to do with these people ? It appears to me as if our policy was to eneourago and keep up rebellion. No rebels in tha old country would be treated as those people are. 1 hope the Fox Ministry will take a firm hand with them. The best way is to try them and sentence them at once, and then start tht,m off to soma other part of the world. Harapipi.—Native News.—The following is an extract from the letter of the New Zealand Herald's correspondent, who writes under date July 20:—1 do not know whether the Government are prepared for the event when it does come, but almost everybody in the Upper Waikato appear to be of one opinion as to the rebels, and that is that they intend mischief in this part; at all events the authorities cannot say that they had no notice of it, so that it will be their own neglect if they are not prepared for it. It is well known that Te Kooti is at Tokangamutu, and that the reception he met with from Tawhiao, the so-called King, was very warm and friendly—the said King speak* ing of him as his faithful servant. At the same time he is humbugging the Government by saying that he does not countenance his doings. Te Kooti, it is reported, wishes the King to resign in his favor, aa he says that he is sent by the Almighty to be king of New Zealand, and referred the king party to the 9th chapter of the 2nd Book of Kings for their guidance—saying that he was Jehu, the son of Jehosaphat, the son of Nimshi. The above speech it is said, caused a great row in the camp, until after a great deal of talk things cooled down a bit; and it was said that the celebrated son of Nimshi wants to have a go in at Waikato, but that if he cannot prevail on the king party to join him he intends to go to Taranaki and fight there. Of course if his advice is listened to, there will soon be some hot work in this part. Titokowam is also reported to be on his road to Tokangamutu, and will be there before this, so that when wo have two such notorious scoundrels in our immediate vicinity, it is only reasonable to say that we may expect something serious to happen and the least that the Government can do is to be well prepared, and not have a second Poverty Bay affair over again.