NATIVE INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 13, 22 April 1871, Page 2

NATIVE INTELLIGENCE.

(A. Correspondent of the Lyttelton Times.) Last fortnight has brought us a few interesting items of Maori news. On the 18th, it became publicly known that immediately after Mr M'Lean's interview with the ]STgatimaniapoto chiefs, Kewi, by proxy, was urging upon Tawhiao the propriety of punishing Todd's assassins. The reason why Rewi did not personally urge his views may be found in Maori etiquette, which in grave matters sometimes forbids direct intercourse between chiefs of equal rank. Rewi's agent, on this occasion, was an eloquent young Manaiapoto chief named Hahauru, otherwise " The West Wind" —his ancestors lived at a stormy spot between Raglan and Taranaki. At a meeting held at Kuiti, on or about the 15th,, Hahauru made an oration to the assembled Waikato chiefs who more immediately follow Tawhiao. The

speaker demonstrated that indelible disgrace would attach to the king party were murderers screened orpermitted-to live in Upper Waikato. He wound up by demanding that Tapihana and all concerned in Todd's death should be seized and put to death. Jt is said that Hahauru's address made a powerful impression, and forced Tawhiao to say he would like to secure Tapihana, degrade him, and keep him a slave for the remainder of his days. After the meeting, a tana (war party) started to lay hands on the murderers, who, on hearing the decision likely to be arrived at, fled to a forest on the west coast, leaving their cultivations to be destroyed by the taua. Nothing has since been heard of the fugitives, and it remains to be seen what further steps, if any, Tawhaio may choose to take. A captain of the 14th Regiment, who lately arrived here in the Caduceus, has stated ihat a brother of Mr Todd is on his. way to this colony, The same military officer served in New Zealand. He has brought a small steam yacht with him, and contemplates visiting our inland waters, with a view to forming a collection of scenery photographs for transmission to England. It is feared that after their late terrible journey in chase of Kooti many of Ropata's men will never more be fit for bush warfare. Some are said to be dying. For seven days they saw n© sun in the dense trackless ferest, and subsisted only by eating such wretched fare as turpentine-impregnated tawa berries. These are the indomitable men - savages, if you will who enable East Coast settlers to sleep safely, where little over a year back destruction and massacre were rife. They don't get well paid, these intrepid Ngatiporou. Government supplies them with a little biscuit and sugar for the war-path, and that is all. It is necessary to find them such simple supplies, for Ngatiporou cannot cultivate whilst reducing fierce Ureweras to abject submission, scattering Kooti's force like chaff, and hunting the archvillain out of the fastnesses untrod by human foot until he sought them in despair. I suppose these simple children of nature never imagine that Europeans exist who . begrudge Ngatiporou their humble meals of biscuit and eau de sucre (few Maoris care for tea), or that newspapers sometimes sneer at Maori allies, and laugh at what they ignorantly term'the " Flour-and-sugar policy." I heaf' ; Ropata has got a few fresh men together, and is about to make another effort to get Kooti. May the brave fellow succeed, and receive the plaudits of a grateful colony, as well as the substantial recompense he will then have fairly earned.