TAURANGA.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 4, 28 January 1867, Page 24

TAURANGA.

(From the New Zeeland Herald, 22nd January.) By the schooner Mavis, vre have received the following important particulars from the Tauranga Argus extra THREATENED OUTBREAK. On l2th. instant, a rumor was spread over the town, that two. men who re employed oh Mr Hill’s farm, l had been captured by the Hau-haus. The farm is situated about, four or five miles from Te Papa on the Gate Pa road! It was said that after capturing them theyhad taken them some distanoe in the bush and having shaved them and cut of their hair they werb. determined to hold them prisoners. A messenger was at once despatched to the farm and he on bis return stated that they had only been warned to leave by some friendlies as the Hau-haus were prowling'about.

: On Sunday, 13th instant, two men who are employed on Colonel Harrington’s farm, on' the banks of the Wairoa, were warned to come ini They were again ordered off on Monday, and came into Te Papa, The same day all the friendly natives came in from Otumoita, together with a few Europeans who reside there. (The latter Game in for arms and ammunition.) They left again the same afternoon. WAIKATOS ORDERED OUT. An Order was issued at 7 p.m. on the 14th instant, that all the Ist Waikato Regiment on pay were to parade on the Militia Camp ground at 9 p.m,, to march to Wi Mupu, where it was said the rebels had built a pa within a few miles of that place and were mustering in force. About 120 men and 7 officers, under the command oi Colonel Harrington, left the parade groud about half-past ten, accompanied by Mr Skeet, Mr G-raham, and a staff of assistants, IMPERIAL TROOPS ORDERED OUT. At 4 a.m. (Tuesday, 15th,) 350 men and 10 officers under the command of Colonel Hamilton, of H.M. 12th Regiment, assembled on the Military Parade ground, and left for the same destination as the Ist Waikatos. Mr Clarke, Civil Commissioner (who only arrived the evening previous from a tedious journey to Rotoiti) accompanied the expedition; Colonel Haultain, Defence Minister, who is at present on a visit here, also went out.

GREAT EXCITEMENT IN TE PAPA.

A rumor reached'us about eleven-o’clock to-day, that a son of Mr Johnson, who resides on the banks, of the Wairoa, the road to' Waiwhatawhata, the scene of the last expedition, had arrived in town and re ported that 50 armed Hau-haus were making for Judea, where resides Lieut. Turner, and family, Mr Faulkner, and family, and several other settlers whose names we have net been able to ascertain. But we found on making enquiries that the report was without a,ny solid fonndation, Mr Johnson and his family having only been warned to leave.

2 p.m.—Mr Clarke has just arrived, and reports that the troops had found the house or pa, that has been spoken of as being occupied by the rebels,, and had taken possession of it. In all probability the troops will be in this afternoon. There was no rebels seen about.

We publish the following extracts from private letters to hand: —“ I am sorry to say that the first thing that presented themselves to iny view was.pomething very like an armed display.. There were arms, belts, &c., all around. It is a pity that the people in Aucklandshould be misled by statements such f as sir George Grey’s, about the peace of this district. ,The ! fact is that all those who are living‘ at' aiy distance from caUip are ordered % and,i threatened if they do not comply. Last night, the 14th inst., the colonial troopk marched out to the supposed -rendezvous of the hostile Maoris. , The 12th Regiment got rations at 12 o’clock last highland marched this morning, : Tsth. At this writing a gentleman has come in to tell me .that Mr Johnston’s son rode into town to Say that 50 hostile Maoris were coming by the Wairoa, We cannot say, of course, how things may turn out '.All we 'are certain of is that this 'district is in a disturbed state, which of course, regards settlement. I met Mr S. last “night, mounted, 'going 'with a number of surveyors if I may say so, ‘to the front.’ Colonel Haultain .is, here. .There are plenty of troops, so' there is "no 'present 'danger.” A-gentleman, late .resident of Auckland, writes, to say, “Things, here have 'been bad for some days‘*paat.' The * Te Kaumarua ’ (Hau-haus), hath . pome and taken the rest of; Mr Graham’s,things from Oropi. ' Mr'.Beere’s thing,'which 1 were left behind^have'bedni-I'uftderstand looted.,: , f ! s«rvegr, -party at Omanaua have had* to come in'. He has retired, ! believe, to Mr Johnston’s place on the W airoa. It was stated here that a bouse 'for !a Itunangty had; been built; two’ miles beyond Waimapu ford, on the Qropi Rdad, 'and l ., Hakpraia was coining there,' In consequence of this information, 12Q 1 militia, tender'Colonel Hamngtbb, with 15 of the Volunteer, Engineer'Corps (surveyors and their assistants,) under 'Captain Papa last Monday .night (14th), and. having ; tpcroßs two ; fords (Hirene aud Waimapu), to avoid tfee’se, they Vtffit tohbd and' got’pn the 1 ground at .5 a.m. ion Tuesday, hut faiiad no ( natiyeß, „,They returned 't!he'~samp'*sa;sr/ h'&i4g~ fli?kt c btbmt, 4£l4‘ whwpf §s>}. Haultain accompanied the

expedition. -On- the same evening Mr Pitt, an officer of the Ist .Waikatos, who is oh his "land, with Mr Johnston and Mr. Wilkinson, and the men working on Col. Harrington’s farm xnarched.in, as the Hauhaus were seen coming down the rangeß two miles from .Johnston’s house.” We'have been informed from a'private source that Araw'as have offered to go out against the Hau-haus and capture them. " As A proof of the excitement that seems to prevail we give .the following ,

“The captain of the Mavis says that just before he left on Saturday, last, a report came in that the two soldiers who had deserted and were .taken. prisoners ..had been burnt by the Hau-haus. This was after the troops went out the soeond time. The captain' cahiiiot vouch 1 for the 'truth;' It was given and stated'as current rumor.” THE ALARM AT TAURANGA; LAUGHABLE TERMINATION TO A CATASTROPHE. (From the New Zealand Herald, 23rd 'January.) When the news arrived in Auckland on Monday afternoon, of a threatened raid upon the settlements at Tauranga, ushered lii by the anriounceflaent that cfertain settlers and surveyors had been,.driven in under peril of their lives, and that all this had b'een' aggravated by the perpetration of certain oruelties on the persons of two farm laborers who had fallen into the enemy’s hands, We certainly viewed-it with suspicion.' There was contradiction apparent throughout the sensational items of intelligence which went to make up the panic. Doubtless there was marching and countermarching at Tauranga, excitement and expectation, but it seemed to us that the grounds for all this excitement were excedingly small, and very, vague, ! We were at once inclined to believe .that time would prove that, like the lata, Warning off of the surveyors, this excitement was the effect of a little Maori bounce acting on the fears of two or three nervous individuals who had infeoted the whole com munity with similar feelings of alarm. We therefore placed the news we had received, for what it Was worth, before our readers, leaving to time the solution of the real state of affairs. It is with regret that we feel obliged to give insertion to but half authenticated reports of these kinds for nothing has more tended to in; jure the province of Auckland than the publication of rumors of war and outrage which in nearly every case during last two years have turned out to be canards or little better, and nothing we believe is more calculated to hinder the satisfactory settlement of Tauranga than the Bpread of such reports, which keep back. the Influx of capital into that settlement. _ p We Were scarcely, however, prepared to receive yesterday so complete a denial of one portion of the sensational news received from “ the seat of war ” as The folr lowing private letter placed in .our hands for publication. It is from one of: the “prisoners in the hands of the Hau-haus,” and whose hair and ears were reported to have been shaved off, nay, his body burnt-i----and is addressed to his employer-in Auckland on whose farm near Tauranga he waß working. The letter speaks for itself. Wei have copied it from the’ '.original, merely suppressing . the names of the writer and the gentleman to whom it was addressed. We trust that our fellow colonists at Tauranga are.'by this time laughing as heartily over .the late threatened attack, as our readers will also at the idea of a man going into Tauranga to enquire, if there was any truth in the deport that'his own ears'and'hair had been cut off:—

Tauranga, January. 14,1867. Dear Sir, —I hasten to let you know about a report that has been imTe Papa on Saturday, and -1 thought I .would let you know that it is all false. ‘ They Heard tha’t the Maori had taken me away, and cut my .ears offi and shaved my head. j I never heard anything about it till the sergeant inajor came out in 'the evening of Saturday, I ; went in on ; Sunday, to see if it was true, and I met Mr Clarke and Cipt. Goldsmith, and : they Tasked mb if I had seen Any. Maoris here,' and when I told them “no” they all had a good laugh at' it, And they'told me to write And ilet yon know, afore you might* ;be frightened. Make your mind easy. Everything is .all right. ■’ * *•- * .. *