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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 707, 9 August 1869, Page 3

Mr Kelly, of Taranaki, is exerting himself to obtun compensation for the Patea aud Waitotara settlers. Manawatu Lanps Case. —The Wellington Independent thus refers to the chronic dispute about the Manawatu purchase : —A trial of somewhat novel char acter, and involving large interests, has been in progress here for the last month, and is still fir irom a cunolusion. 'lhe case is one of disputed title in the Native Lands Court. The hearing takes place in the Supreme Court, which is daily filled with Maoris. The judges are the Hon. F 1). Fenton and Judge Manning (author ol "Old New Zealand"), assisted by Ihaiu Porutu, a Native Assessor. The parties to the suit are the Crown, on the one side, claiming the possession of the KanyitikeiManawatu bloek of land, of about 250.000 acres, by virtue of a purchase from certain tribes, to whom Dr Featherston three year, ago paid £25,00 ' ; and, on the other, the Ngatiraukawa tribe, who dispute the title of the sellers, and claim to have the purchase set aside by the Court, either in whole or in part. The Crown is repre-j sented by the Attorney- General, instructed by Mr W. Buller, R.M of Wangunui, who negotiated the purchase. Mr Travers ap pears for the Native claimants and is instructed by Archdeacon liadfield aud other gentlemen. About twenty Maori witnesses have been examined for the claimants, whose case has been bandied by Mr Travers with considerable ability. The case for the Crown has been opened by the Attorney General, and a similar number of witnesses will be called to establish the right of the vendors. Apart from its political importance-, the case is of interest io the Wellington Province. The dispute which h;iß been hanging over this purolms for the last three years has prevented its being turned to profitable account; while •lie present unsatisfactory state of our relations with the Natives renders it imperative th*t this vexed question of title should be finally set at rest. Gold at the Bay ov Islands —The Russell correspondent of the New Zealand Herald, under da'e July 29th, writes as follows : —" In your issue of Saturday last appears an article headed ' Gold at the Bay of Is'ands,' which states that a Mr Davis, of ELorarareka, picked up on the beach a stone which on being broken up was found io be ' full of gold.' I have been at some trouble to get at the truth of the story, as few people here knew anything abaut it, with the following result:—By the ps. Coomerang, last trip, arrived two Thames diggers who upon waking up that morning were loud in their complaints about thtslowness of the boat, they having been on board some 12 or 14 hours, and had not yet arrived at their journey's end. They, however, were soon enlightened as to the cause of their long trip—a mistake in the boat—they having stepped on board the Coomerang, bound for the Bay of Islands, instead of the John Pcnn or iioyal Alfred for the Thames, whither they were going. Amongst their fellow-passengers was a MiDavis, a well-known settler here. During the day, 1 suppose, finding the time hung heavy on their bauds, they amused themselves by breaking quartz pebbles on the beach, and making 'specimens' with the assistance of a piece o*' gold cuin, and then showing their discoveries to their fellow passengers, who, I suppose, were deceived, and thus arose the rumour, which has apparently created some excitement, that the two Thames miners had leased some land in this vicinity, with the intention of mining upon it; it is without foundation, t believe that one parcel that was sent from here to the Thames turned out at the rate of half an ounce to the ton, which is encouraging. Some of the settlers are at)out making some arrangement with the natives for thoroughly prospecting the ground, but as yet no definite arrangement has been made."