MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 45, 3 October 1863, Page 6

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Gold in Sandstone.—The Bendigo Advertiser states that " the Prince of Wales Company this week tried about two tons of sandstone from their claim, in which specks of gold had been observed, and to their surprise the crushing yielded four ounces of the precious metal." This is an interesting, if not an important, discovery. Pakeha Atrocities.—A correspondent of the New Zealander in a letter from Papakura, dated 7th ult., says:—" On Saturday, a few of our men went a short distance into the bush, and came across some deserted whares, several graves, and one or two ploughs.. But I am sorry to say they thought burning huts too tame work, so they amused themselves m destroying the rails round the graves, opening the coffins, and other acts, which, I am sure, the Maories themselves would blush to be guilty of. One skull was borne in triumph to the camp, it was stuck on a pole, when a few commenced pelting it with stones. Major Campbell, however, soon stopped their fun, and in his quiet way, gave them such a lecture as caused thera to skulk away, seemingly ashamed of themselves. Some who were not cured of their brutality on Saturday, went into the bush yesterday and repeated their depredations. One coffin was found in an erect position; there was a skeleton in it, clothed in a white pair of moleskin trousers, a white shirt, with colored breast; it was evidently that of a Maori. I will just add that those are only the acts of a few. There is such a feeling of indignation amongst the most of the volunteers that I imagine these deeds will not be repeated. We are assured, says the Northern Ensign, that the following actually took place not many days ago :—A countrymac from Aberdeenshire, who was in London as a witness on a railway Bill, was one afternoon walking through Begentstreet, when he felt the desire for a smoke gaining upon him. On exaining his pipe, however, he found it choked, so that he had no alternative but to want his smoke or get his pipe cleared. He determined to adopt the latter, and after looking right and left, he thought of trying his luck in one of those magnificent shops for which Regent-street is famous. Entering one devoted to silks and satins, he found it filled with fashionable ladies, and after waiting for a few minutes, one of the assistants came up and politely asked what he could do to serve him, when something like the following colloquy ensued :—Aberdonian : There's a braw day.—Assistant: A very fine day, sir; very warm.— Aberdonian: Ay, it's gey het. Man, ye've a gran shop here. There's nae the like o' this atween Fittie and the back a' byont. Keep ye ony tibacca ?—Assistant: Sir ?—l'm spearin' gin ye keep sic an thing as tibacca ?—Assistant: I don't know whatyuu mean.—Aberdonian: Dinna ken fat I'm savin'; I'm needin' a fuffo' my cuttie, that's a'.—Assistant: I really don't understand

you.—Aberdonian: (Laughing)—Weel, that blakes a . Maybe ye wid be sayin' ye dinna understan' me gin I was to spear for the lain o' a preen ?—Assistant: Sir ?—Aberdonian : (Indignantly)— Man, ye're a nout. An' this is Lunnan, an a man canna get twa blaws o' his pipe u wan m °' a preen - And wifch this he lef t the shop. There was, however, a Scotch shopman present, who had heard the colloquy, and who followed the indignant Aberdonian to the door, where he presented him with a pin, drawing forth the remark that he was glad there was one in the shop who could understand good Queen's English. , The Wellington Independent publishes an extract froma private letter from the Bay of Islands, one of the most northerly districts of New Zealand, which does not give a very flattering account of the temper of the natives there:—"The Maones here arequiet— too quiet to be pleasant; there are to my thinking signs of an approaching move amongst them ; they are resorting to the Maori tonungas-the young men and girls are getting tatooed; they are planting their crops in out-of-the-way places, and are selling horses and pigs at a great rate,, at least the latter. They are trying to raise a large amount of money, and are quiet and keep out of the way of the mission- * anes. You will have heard that the Taurauga natives have driven off Archdeacon Brown, Mr. Baker, Edward Clark, and Samuel Clark, with their families. I believe they had to remove in such haste that they could carry scarcely anything with them. I should not be surprised if we had to make a similar exodus; and in such case I shall be thankful to get the womenkind away without injury. I certainly will not be foolhardy enough to stay a minute longer than necessary, if they are gracious enough to give us notice to quit. The Maories have a notion that if they can get rid of the pakehas at present in the island, there will be an end to the race; Arguing from their own case: if it is true of them, that they would need a new Tiki (their mythological Adam) to re-produce tie Maori race, should the present one die out, so also it is true [of the pakeha ; and they say that the English for their own purposes talk largely about the Mano's that would come like grasshoppers to avenge their countrymen, and those Maoris that have been to England are bribed to sing the same song, but all is a u korero tara"— an empty tale. Our Maori deacon Matthew says that they are hiding their thouhgts from him, thinking he is too far committed to the pakehas by his office. He tells me he cannot really make out what are their present intentions, but he feels pretty confident, that if the Waikatos, are temporarily successful, even to the extent of keeping off the English for a time, there will be far more extensive risings in the country, and no man's life, or woman's person would be safe away from the shadow of the main army."

Plain Speaking.—General Dane, in an after dinner speech declared himself too full to give utterance.