NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. Omega—No. New Zealand Specatator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, August 5, 1846.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 106, 5 August 1846, Page 2

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. Omega — No. New Zealand Specatator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, August 5, 1846.

On Sunday night information reached Wellington of the safe arrival at Porirua of the expedition under Mr. M'Donogh. It appears that they were delayed by the badness of the weather and the road, and did not reach Rangihaeata's pa until a few hours before daybreak on Saturday. They succeeded in capturing two prisoners, one of whom is believed to be Te Oro, who has taken a prominent part in the late disturbances ; and have got possession of Rangihaeata's pa, where they at present remain. Indeed, it is currently reported that Rangihaeata and his adherents narrowly escaped being surprised in the pa, and that if a movement had been made by the troops in the camp at Porirua, in support of the militia, he would have been hemmed in between the two forces, and his escape prevented. The Calliope arrived off Porirua on Saturday evening, but we have not heard if the troops have been disembarked. The Drive) left Wellington on Monday morning to assist in the operations undertaken against Rangihaeata, who is in the bush with his followers. As he is now a fugitive without food or shelter, it is supposed that he has endeavoured to make his way to Pakerua where he would obtain assistance : but it may be hoped his Excellency will be able to intercept his progress along the coast. His pa is described to have been made very strong, with lines of palisadings in the native manner one within the other, rendering access to the interior very difficult. Behind the inner row of palisades a deep ditch was dug, and an embankment thrown up on the inner side with loop holes for musketry; against this bank the rebels had built their huts. It is greatly to be regretted that the weather has been so unfavourable for military movements ; during the last week so much rain has fallen as very much to impede if not to put a stop to active military operations. A decided step has been taken, however, and we may hope that Rangihaeata's career is now drawing to a close.

It is reported that about five and twentymuskets were taken from the militia and police to arm the friendly natives who have gone in pursuit of Rangihaeata and the rebels, and fresh arms have been sent round in the Driver for the use of the men from whom the arms were taken.

H.M.S. Castor, Capt. Graham, arrived yesterday evening from Sydney via Auckland. She left Sydney on the 17th ult., bringing a large English mail for New.Zealand. Capt. Graham, on his arrival at Auckland, very kindly waited twenty-hours there, until the letters and papers were sorted, and the mail made up for Wellington, when he took charge of it, and sailed for this port. He left Auckland last Thursday. The mail appears to be a very heavy one, filling five large bags ; they were brought ashore in one of the Castor's boats. > The latest English dates are to the Bth March. In India every thing was quiet, the indemnity money had been paid, and the stipulated territory had been ceded by the Sikhs to the British

Government. The Castor has brought three thousand pounds in specie for the use of the Government, and the funnel for H.M. Steamer Brfowv-Cd. Wynmatt ; and^another officer were passengers by the tastor from Sydney to Auckland.

We are informed that his Excellency has presented Mr. M'Killop of the Calliope with a handsome double barrel gun, and a rifle, in approval of his gallant conduct in the skirmish with the rebels on the 17th ult., when they attacked the gun-boat. His Excellency has also presented to the Hon. W. Yelverton of the Royal Artillery, who was with Mr. M'Killop in the skirmish, a pair of pistols, to mark his Excellency's sense of that officer's conduct on the occasion. This encouragement bestowed on two meritorious young officers by the Governor of the colony cannot but be most gratifying to them, and will act as a stimulus in urging them to renewed exertions in the discharge of their duty.

LOSS OF THE CUTTER " SARAH BERRY." We regret to report the total loss of the cutter Sarah Berry, off Wangaroa, on the west coast ; from Mr. Thomas R. Berry the owner of the vessel we hare been furnished with the following particulars. The Sarah Berry left Nelson on the 20th June, bound for Manukau, with a cargo and sixteen passengers, for Auckland. She met with very heavy weather during the voyage, and on the 27th June, between five and six in the evening, the wind at the time blowing heavily in shore, she struck on the south spit of Wangaroa, to the north of Kawhia. Through the active exertions of Mr. Wallace, the Wesleyan Missionary at that station, in employing maoris to swim off to the vessel and assist the passengers in their efforts to gain the shore, which was about a mile from the point where the vessel stiuck, all the lives on board were providentially saved, but the cargo, and everything on board in short was lost but the Nelson mail, which Mr, Berry succeeded in .saving. Mr. Berry speaks in very high terms of the kindness experienced by the passengers and crew from the Missionary, who gave them clothes and food, and supplied them with native guides to Auckland, upwards of a hundred miles distant, which, owing to the roughness of the way and the bad weather, they were nine days in reaching. The natives in the districts through which they passed, owing to the disturbances among the Waikato tribes, and their quarrels with each other about some disputed territory, to which we have before referred, were all armed and in a state of warfare.

The Kate arrived on Saturday from Auckland which she left on the 10th ult., having looked in at Long Point and other whaling stations on the East Coast on her way. We are sorry to learn that these stations have not met with so much success as the stations more to the Southward, but hope, as the season advances, they may become more prosperous. At the time of her sailing all was quiet at the north. In the Government Gazette of July 9, the following gentlemen are announced as having been appointed magistrates of the colony. T. R. Atkyns, Esq., Auckland ; J. C. Crawford, Esq./ D. S. Durie, Esq., and A. C. Strode, Esq., Wellington ; Hon. C. A. Dillon, G. Duppa, Esq., and G. White, Esq., Nelson ; and D. M'Lean, Esq., New Plymouth.

Wellington Savings Bank. — Messrs. J. M'Beth, J. May, C. Mills, J. H. Wallace, the Managers in rotation, will attend to receive deposits at Mr. Ross's office, from seven to eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the Bth August, and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock on Monday forenoon, the 10th August.

We have extracted the following returns of the population, &c, from the Government Gazette. There are a few omissions and mistakes which it may be necessary to particularize. It is not stated whether the returns of the marriages, births, and deaths refer exclusively to the European population. As the returns for this district, however, include the European population only, it may he inferred that the returns of the other districts are made up in the same way, and do not include the Aboriginal population. It would be very desirable in future returns, if the number of births and deaths among the native population in the respective districts were correctly stated, as it could then be ascertained whether the native population were increasing or diminishing, and in what ratio. In comparing the return of the marriages and deaths with the return published in the Cook' s Strait Almanack (which was obtained from official sources) we find the numbers in the Government Gazette transposed, that is to say the marriages are stated to be 21, and the deaths 13, whereas, in fact, the marriages were 13,

and the deaths 21. But the greatest mistake occurs in the return for Banks' Peninsula, where the number of deaths is stated to he 52 — more, than a fourth, of the whole population, and more than the total amount of deaths in the rest of the Southern division. These must be clearly typographical errors. In the return of the .deaths in the county of Eden are- included those soldiers who died of wounds received in the campaign against Heki, but it is not stated whether the troops stationed at Auckland are included in the amount of population. As the only value of these returns consists in their accuracy, it would be well if these points were more attended to in future. Return of the population, and of the marriages, ' Births, and Deaths in 1845 :—: —

Whitei. Aboriginal Total, population. County of Eden, Parish of Waite~ Males Fer - Males Fcm. Males Fern. mate 2088 1547 138 96 2226 1643 Wangarei 35 28 35 28 Kaipara 52 27 620 400 672 427 Kawau Island.. 41 34 41 34 Great Barrier Island 83 35 134 70 217 105 County of Bedford, Bay of Islands 317 217 2040 1230 23571447

Northern Division.

District of Port Nich0150n.... 2208 1866 612 408 2820 2274 District of Nelson! 546 1364 344 265 1890 1629 District of New Plymouth 612 481 400 300 1012 781 District of Wanganui 115 75 327 269 442 344 Banks' Peninsula 139 62 239 214 378 276 Northern Division. Birthi. Marriage*. Deaths. County of Eden, parish of Waitefnate 147 12 31» "Wangarei.... .. 2 Kaipara 5 1 Southern Division. District of Port Nicholson.... 171 21 13 District of Nelson 166 22 14 District of New Plymouth.... 64 10 6 District of Wanganui 28 -13 5 Banks' Peninsula 34 4 52 * Of this number 15 were soldiers, who died of wounds received by them in the suppression of the rebellion in the north.

Southern Division.