WANGANUI.

North Otago Times, Volume II, Issue 44, 22 December 1864, Page 1 (Supplement)

W ANGANUI.

The " Chronicle " of 7th inst. has the following : — " A crisis in Native matters seems rapidly approaching. A great meeting of the Kingite leaders is being held somewhere in the Taupo country to make final arrangements, it is said, for a general and decisive rising about the middle of this month. Natives who have lately taken the oath of allegiance state that such a rising at this particular time has been in contemplation for more than a year past, and so firmly are our friendly natives convinced of the truth of this statement, that when Col. Logan sent up the river to invite the chiefs to come and receive the colors worked for them by the Wangatiui ladies, they replied they dare not at present leave their posts. It appears that Rewi, who is evidently the ringleader in all Kingite mischiefs, after being prevented from attacking us on the northward, struck inland to Pipiriki, en route for Taupo, and gave Pehi a broad hint to leave the canoes in which he and his party ascended the river, as a means of bringing down a large force. Since then he is said to have written fixing the 17th as the day for attempting to force a passage past the friendly natives, with a view to attacking this settlement. This project, however, does not seem to meet the views of the Wanganui Kingites, as Pehi is said to have gone up to Ohinemutu to try and stop the Wakato force, and Topia and others are a few miles beyond Eahana for the same purpose. On Sunday night Topia sent a message to Haimona Hiroti announcing this, and also that should he fail in persuading the Wakatos to abandon the attempt, he and the other Wanganui Kingites would fall back and assist the friendly natives to repel the attack. Haimona having satisfied himself that the message was founded on a reliable basis, started for town early on Monday morning and arrived about 3 p.m. A large meeting of the Putiki chiefs was held in the evening, and definite arrangements made as far as the natives were concerned, both for securing the river and watching all approaches to it from the interior. Haimona also, we understand, returned by way of Mangawhero to arrange for a watch being kept through the country on that side on all the routes by which a force might come down from the Taupo plains. This conduct of the Wanganui Kingites, and the late interference of the ■Waitotara natives to prevent the Wakatos from invading our district, tend to show not only that the Maoris in this part of the island have no personal ill-will to the Wanganui settlers, but that the old tribal jealousies retain sufficient power to prevent any real cohesion in the Kingite movement. " We understand that 400 men of the 57th regiment, with two field pieces, are to start northwards at five o'clock to-morrow morning."

" My .son," said a food parent to hi3 offspring, after having surveyed the wonders of the Crystal palace ; " my son, if you will tell mo which of all these marvellous works of man pleased you most, I will give you half a crown." "The veal and ham pies," responded young hopeful ; " hand over the tin."