ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 839, 12 October 1870, Page 2

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

[EUROPEAN MAIL, AUGUST 12.1 The business of all those having dealings with Australasia has been thrown out of gear bj the non arrival of the mails due in England, vid Marseilles, on the 7th, and vid Southampton the 13th August. This happened through the failure of the steamer to catch the packet at Point de Galle, and thus the mails were forwarded thence to Bombay, and will probably not reach this country before the 18th and 24th of August. Of course this mishap will disorganise all correspondence, and we need scarcely say that the annoyance this delay has caused here will be bitterly reciprocated throughout Australasia. The posthumous honour of a E.. 0. St. Michael and St. George to the greatest of our Australian explorers, the late Captain Sturt, was announced in a recent number of the Gazette —as was also the inadequate pension of £BO per annum to his widow, now, we presume, Lady Sturt. Major Maycock, 2 14th Foot, who, it will be remembered, was left behind on the departure of his regimen*; for England, has at length arrived home and joined the the battalion at Colchester. We regret to add that Major A. Strange died on the passage home. The annual general meeting of the Australian Mining Company has been held, at which the report of the directors was adopted, and a dividend of Is per share declared. A deputation of the Aborigines Protection Society had an interview with the Earl of Kimberley the other day, on the subject of slavery in Fiji. Tbey want some reserves of land for the natives of Northern Australia, in order that they may resist the introduction of slavery into the Fiji Islands. The traffic in Polynesians was stigmatised as a compound of piracy and slave-fading, similar to that which we have put down in connection with the Peruvian Government. While acknowledging the difficulty of the question, the noble earl did not think that there would be any desire in this country to take possession of islands inhabited by natives with whom we should probably be involved in a series of wars. The half yearly meeting of the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered Bank was held on August 1, when it was stated that the colonies were making a satisfactory, if a slow, progress. The directors presented a statement showing a balance at the credit of profit and loss account, after providing for current expenses, of £22,510. A resolution was then carried to apply this balance to the payment of a dividend of 7 per cent:, per annum on £600,000, and to reduce the bank premises and furniture account by 21,000, leaving the remainder to be earned forward. The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of the Scottish Australian Investment Company has been held, and the chairman stated that the manager had been fully instructed in exercising great care in j taking good security for his loans, and that he ! had done so was evidenced by the fact that he had paid them dividends of 10 per cent, for twenty-eight years. Dr Moran, late Roman Catholic Bishop of Grahamstown is about to proceed >to New Zealand. Notice has been given by the Crown Agents that the conversion of the old debentures of New Zealand into Consolidated Five per Cents, terminated on July 30. Donald. M'Lean, Esq., has been gazetted a member of the most distinguished order of St. Michael and St. George. The annual general meeting of the New Zealand Trust and Loan Company was held on July 27, when a dividend of 5s per share, equal, with the dividend paid in January last, to 10 per cent, per annum, was declared. The ordinary general meeting of the Bank of Otago was held on July 22. The report presented showed a net profit of £12,416 14s. The chairman stated that two years ago his predecessor had to announce that the Bank had sustained losses to the extent of £IO,OOO, but they now stood at only £II,OOO, and tho directors hoped that the Bank would soon be in a dividend earning poition. Edward Willis Way, Esq., of Adelaide, had been admitted a member of the College of Surgeons. The suspension has been announced here of Messrs Guild, Chapman & Co., of London, Adelaide, and Sydney, with liabilities of about £1.00.000. The annual meeting of the Yudanamutana Cooper Mining Company was held on July 26, when the report was adopted, and a resolution agreed to authorizing tho creation 4.500 10 per cent. £3 preference shares, on condition that tho Railway Bill was passed by the Parliament. The North Australian Company have issued their report in anticipation of the meeting to be held on August 17, in which they state that " they cannot doubt that the Government of South Australia will be made responsible for its breach of con tract." The Central Queensland Meat Preserving Company is progressing. The ship Royal Dane —despatched on tho Queens* land order system —sailed on July 30 from Gravesend, with 499 passengers. A meeting of gentlemen interested in the importation of preserved meat from Australia took place at the London Tavern on August 2, when, among other things, some capital preserved beef was discussed, to the intense delight of all present. The annual general meeting of the Australian Agricultural Company was held on June 26, when a dividend of 12s 6d per share was declared. The work of securing a crew for the Cerberus has begun, but the date of her departure has not yet been fixed. Mr Tallerman has sold ail ttie JSew Zealand butter he introduced, and the buyers have registered orders for more.

TITOKOWARU AT OPUNAKE.

The Taranaki Herald's correspondent furnishes the following account o! the rebel chiefs proceedings at Opunake, oa his return from the Pariaka meeting:— Titokowaru and his followers arrived here yesterday afternoon. They are all well armed with double-barrelled guns, breach-loading carbines, and revolvers, They presented a very imposing appearance with their well polished arms slung on their shoulders. Their dress—a coat,, waistcoat, and bright shawl—gave them a picturesque and martial look; a style well suited to their mode of warfare, and very convenient for crossing unbridged rivers. They have shown themselves well skilled in picking up trifles lying about; articles of clothing, cooking utensils, or tools, are very apt to make a mysterious disappearance in their vicinity. Considering they were masters of the situation, and could make mincemeat of the unarmed settlers if so inclined, it is a matter for congratulation that so little is lost. They swarmed into the mills, dwelling houses, and stores in over-power-ing numbers, practising their manual dexterity when occasion offered. Work had to be for the time suspended, to pay marked attention to the visitors. Tito* kowaru wrote a polite note to Mr Kelly, requesting a few articles of which he was in want. The request was to a certain, extent complied with, his letter acknowledged, and an intimation conveyed in language of the mildest possible form that his warriors did not quite comprehend the fact that property was not held in common at Opunake. He replied that his following was large, and therefore he could not see them all; if they had been small he could look after them. He begged to return the article of the greatest value he could find—the key of the mill, which one of his men had inadvertently become possessed of. The other things were small matters, of which he was to take no notice. No other reference was made to sundry articles of clothing be* longing to workmen, taken almost before their eyes but without being detected till too late. It will be a relief when these light-fingered gentry depart homeward.

Titokowaru and his light fingered followers departed this morning, and it is found they were most impartial in the levying of their black mail, most .persons here have missed articles of small value. The resident natives have beeu unwilling contributors, one named Hakaraia, to the extent of twelve sheep to supply their voracious appetites. The visitors were not at all bounceable to the Europeans, but were friendly in their intercourse—?• the little failing of appropriation before alluded to being the only unpleasant feature of their visit. We are glad they are gone, so also are the friendly natives, who seemed somewhat afraid of them, and appeared rather subdued and dejected during their brief stay. Wednesday, 28th September. The natives have sustained a greater loss than was anticipated. The whare of one of them was plundered by Tito's men, but the articles were subsequently recovered.. They killed and drove away sixty sheep —not including lambs. Two natives went to Oeo to endeavour to get them back, but could not succeed. Tito said they were for payment for a dog of his poisoned by Hakaria, the owner of the sheep. Hakaria said that the ten sheep killed were payment enough for the dog, but Tito refused ; and when they attempted to drive the sheep back, two of Tito's men (armed) followed them, when Honi Pihama advised them to go back to Opunake, and he would endeavour to get Tito to give up the sheep. Tito told a Ngatimaru native, when asked by him to return the sheep, that if he returned them the Government would be angry, and if he kept them the Government would be. angry : he would, therefore, keep them. Honi has not been able to get the sheep back; to-night they will be at Kaipokonui. The natives are very angry here : they say it is a challenge to fight. It is to them a cause for war, and if the pakehas had not been there they would have killed some of Tito's men. A meeting was held this afternoon at the Matakaha —to which Messrs. Kelly and Hursthouse were invited —to cousider what should be done. The native party wa3 divided into three sections —one for following and killing some of TUokowaru's men or men of his tribe; another was. for only robbing any of the tribe who came into the district; a smaller number

were for waiting events. The pakehas present were invited to give their opinion. They stated that so far Tito was in the wrong, but if the Matakaha natives committed reprisals they would also be in the wrong —with the pakehas sheep-stealing was not a cause for killing men. They were the same as pakehas, and should, in the first instance, consult the Government or its representatives. That was the law under which they lived. When their goods were stolen from the mill they did not send down men and guns to kill the men of Ngariki. The friendly natives showed them the wrong they had done, and the things were returned. The wrong, in this instance, was done by the natives. They should act as the pakehas had done, and not resort to violence. One native remarked that the law was very well; but what did it do when Ngatimaniapoto put its foot on Wbiteley's neck ? Another said that the advice of the Europeans was good. The Maoris tried to get their things back when stolen, and now the pakehas would try to recover their things. It was then agreed that if Mr Kelly would accompany the natives to town, that the course advised should be agreed to. This concluded the korero.