NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 20, 22 February 1845, Page 3

NELSON.

The arrival of the Slams Castle on Sunday ast, in the unp.ecedeutedly short space of 91 one days from port to port, has put us in possession of English news up to the 24th of October. This fine vessel has brought the most Valuable cargo ever shipped for New Zealand. Her passtugers fjr Nelson, are Mr. and Mrs. Mackay and eight children, t Mr. Edwards, Mr. cud Mrs. Eban, and 22 men and three women .in the .steerage*, ioi Wellington, Mr. F. Johnson, and six in the steerage. Mr. Edwards, we understand, has come to this settlement to engage in the flax .trade jojntly. with Mr. Nattrass (whose arrival, at .Wellington in the Caledonia we mentioned last week,) has brought with him all the, necessary, machinery for the preparation of ;the article including a hydraulic press for packing. The men, in the steerage are flax-dressers, and are engaged for three years i ai liberal wages. Mr. Eban and Mr. Mackay are also likely to prove valuable settlers. The both intend to commence farming immediately^ and the latter gentleman has brought out with him a Cheviot and two Merino roms, a Cheviot ewe, a Durham cow and bull-calf, a hive of bees, an< several cases <rf- valuable plants and fruit trees. He has also an iron punt for landing' cargo, capable u>£ carrying 15 tons. The passengers speak in terms of the highest praise of Captain .Dawsoa's conduct, and of the passage as a short and pleasant one- I—Nelson1 — Nelson Examiner. The ferig William Stovc'd, which sailed 1 from this port oothe 15th June last, direct

for England, an'ved in Londjn about the •20th Octobdrymli teplies to letters sent by her have been receive! by 'be Slnvis Castle. This, we believe, is the quickest interchange of letters between these colonies and Great Btitain yet kuowu, it having been completed in 7 months ami ll days. The Wi'liam SiovelJ, it will be lemembered, took horns the petition anil memorial complaining of Captain Fitzroy's manner of disposing of the YVnirau massacre. — IbM.

Disturbance with the Natives. — We in exceedingly sorry to announce that another most atocious and uncalled for act of hostility has just been perpetrated by some natives in tke district of Matakana, a place about twenty or twenty-five miles from Auckland. It appers by the evidence of the principal party who lias suffered, that on Monday last, wHle in bed with hi 3 wife and one of his children, he was awoke by a loud rapping at the door and' window, which was bioke open by a party of natives who conh» menced plundering tne house" of all it contained ; th-y pulled hh wife from her bed and stript her of her clothes, as they also did her lour children, after threatening all their lives if they resisted, and told the mother they would take her heal cff with their tomahawks; the husband himself was held down by six others, w ale the work of destruction was going on, and they plundered his place of flour, tea, sugar, tobacco, clothing, and bedding, leaving him and his family possuively destitute of everything — even the man's whaleuoat, winch was ou tiie beach, they stove m two places — and carr c 1 off nine siws, and several axes and timber d^gs. After the natives left him, the man called od his neighbo irs, .who were living within one hundred and fifty yards, and found that they hid simultaneously been served the same way. — James Braiiley, Win. Mason, James Dixon, and John 'BuckW, have all given simi.ar evidence, ahiF no on:? can even think of the shadow of an excuse for such a wanton and unexampled outrage. The natives them, selves now say, that the reason why they proceeded to these extremities was, that they had not received payment for some land which had been sold ; but the land on which the Europeans, who have been robbed and maltieated, were living on, was bought in 1839 by Messrs Mellon and Skehon, and after having gone through the inquisition of U»arGenu«issiuDe,rs Cott«,.tt'as-S«ally-repor*^S- . on, and the. giant reccommended as being a valid purchase, when 1270 acres of land were- gazetted as being awarded to those parties.— Southern Cross, Jan. 11 1845.