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Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 91, 28 September 1868, Page 233

. Cape. Diamonds.: —The Cape of Good Hope promises to rival India and Brazil the production. of diamonds. A Cape paper of the 19th May reports the discovery of another of these precious pieces of nature’s handiwork. It was found by a Griqua in Vaal Kiyer, weighed 12f carats, and was nearly globular in shape. £SOO was for it in Colesberg, bat it was forwarded to the Colonial Secretary. Deaths at the Fbont. —The Wanganui Lh.onicle suys—The brave fellows, who fought and fell on Monday, 7th September, sold their lives degrly in defence of their adopted country.- -There are now bereaved desolate and ;deseither the GoTerSifeo^^ e of the Patea Defence Fund can raise their memory is, in the first instance, to make suitable provisions for the widows and orphans of those who have fallen th us far, throughout the conflict. A special meeting of ihe Defence Fund Committee is. convened for Tuesday evening next. It will then be the duty of the Committee to to ascertain from the Government-., what provisions they will make under the Pensions Act.

The Native Bepbesentattves. —The grand humbug of the House, the disgrace to the legislation of the last year, is the Maori contingent. Mr Bussell is a halfcaste, and I believe cannot speak Maori, and was sensible enough to propose, the other day that the Maoris might be represented by Europeans. Ministers, no doubt for a very good reason, oppose this, and the' motion was lost.- I shall here te 1 ! you an incident that I witnessed yesterday. I was walking along the. street with a mem-, ber of the House when. “General” Mete Kingi came out of a clothing shop, where he had been getting attired in a blue coat and vest with brass buttons. He said he had seen me in Wakatu, and shook hands with my companion and myself, pointing in childish glee to his new coat and waisteoat. After some palaver, arid shaking of hands in the Maori fashion, with a stamp on-'the ground, ho said to tho gentleman who accompanied me, “Makee me the lend five heren.” ‘ Kahore the money, I have not a shilling in my pocket,’\was the reply. What then did this general do—this chi. f of the noble native race, this one of four of the aborigines, whoso votes are given tq make laws which shall bind a quarter of a million Europeans ? In the open street he proceeded to feel the pockets of the gentleman, outside and in! In downright astonishment I ejaculated, “And this is the material to which Mr Stafford is indebted for his majorities —this, and Jail Commissioners, and great friends 1 ’ Heaven help the country where such things are possible, and where you find Ministers first, lending themselves to the creation of this ignorant aud contemptible kind of legislator, and. then using him as the means of misgoverning the country arid upsetting-its constitution. I saw this same Mete ■ Kingi last night sneak up to the'Government, bench two or three times, aud address the .Native Minister in exactly the same abjeot like manner.as he employed when asking for five shillings. Whether or not he was tryiug to negotiate a loan : I do' not' know, orwhethenh’S got it or, not ; but at all eventsthe, MiniStry know the value, of .these ,cotlored members, and are not likely, to allow; trifles tq-Btand in j.be way of any influence they can exercise over such legislative .ina* terial.' I have heard that all four have been honored guests at thfe-table of : the Native whose “ pure love and affection, for the race is' proverbial l —-Correspondenß of the JTelsbh Colonist* ' _ J '