New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, May 15, 1847.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 187, 15 May 1847, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, May 15, 1847.

The natives acting voder the control of Rangihaeata have proceeded from threats to actual violence. According to the last intelligence received from Manawatu by the Catherine Ann, which arrived on Thursday morning, a party of thirty natives, well armed with muskets and tomahawks, under Kaparatehau, who, it will be remembered wrap one of the ringleaders in the disturbances in the Hutt district last year, took possession, on the 6th instant, of Mr. Kebble's Steam Saw Mills, situated on the north bank of the Manawatu about fifteen miles from its mouth. Shortly after Mr. Compton's return to the Manawatu, a rumour prevailed that troops would be sent to that district which caused a good deal of excitement among the natives, and is supposj ed to have occasioned the present outbreak. The maories allowed Mr. Kebble to load the Catherine Ann with flour and other property from the mill, and do not appear to have offered any personal violence to him or the persons staying with him, who were not in a condition to make any resistance to their proceedings. But the mill, which is the largest steam mill in the Southern District, and was in active operation at the time in sawing timber for the supply of Wellington, is now in their possession, and is liable at any time either through carelessness or a sudden fit of irritation to be destroyed by them, while all the flour and other property which has been left in the mill will, of course, be appropriated by them to their own use. A settler of the name of Barnett, living half a mile further up on the same side of the river, and who is very il, was also robbed by these natives. Taratoa, who | has always hitherto professed himself to be friendly to the settlers, and who has used his influence in preventing them from being molested, was absent from the district at the time of this hostile visit, but returned shortly afterwards. There can be little doubt however, that this incursion must have taken place with the connivance or tacit consent of the Manawatu natives, as they have hitherto resisted any attempt on the part of Rangihaeata and his followers to interfere with the settlers. The wives and children of the settlers living at the Manawatu will return immediately to Wellington in the vessels which have been sent to take them away. Many of the settlers, we suppose, will remain for the pre-

sent in the hope of saving their property from destruction. Depositions of the facts have been made before the Resident Magistrate, and have in this way been officially brought before the local authorities, and thus we suppose matters will remain for the present. As long as Rangihaeata is permitted to continue in the neighbourhood of this district at the head of an armed band of followers, the outsettlers must always be exposed to a repetition of these outrages. Robberies will continue to be of frequent occurrence, while to robbery will often be added the darker crime of murder. The outsetter must remain in a constant state of apprehension, the mere vassal of these rebels, who, as long as they are permitted to defy the authority of the Government, will only be restrained in their exactions by the fear of the outsettlers leaving the district, and escaping beyond their reach. The only inducement to the settler to remain in occupation of his land will be the confident expectation entertained of a speedy interference on the part of the Government to put an end to these lawless proceedings. We have no doubt that his Excellency on his return to this district will, on the arrival of the expected reinforcements, commence active operations against this rebel, towards whom forbearance has been pushed to its utmost limits, but without any good result. These outrages are a sufficient answer to the cavils of our Sydney contemporaries, and justify the urgent necessity for the reinforcements about to be made to the troops at present stationed in this colony. We trust their arrival will be followed by active measures, as while Rangihaeata remains unmolested, he is emboldened by impunity, and strengthens his cause among the natives, who impute to weakness his being allowed to commit these outrages without any attempt being made to punish him, but a vigorous movement would convince them that the Government are determined to crush his rebellion, and in all probability they would abandon him to his fate.

The Comet arrived on Thursday from Sydney, which she left on the 29th inst. The Mount Stuart Elphinstone had arrived from England, with English dates to the 25th December. We have made copious extracts from the Australian of the latest English news.

The Royal William arrived on Thursday from Akaroa with a cargo of sawn timber. She reports that whales are very plentiful to the southward. They had caught one fish at Fyfes station, and the boats were out in pursuit of another when the R>yal William left. The Leven cutter has also brought a cargo cf sawn timber from Otago.

A vert fine schooner of 190 tons arrived yesterday from the southward. She was built at Jacob's River, and has been brought to this Port to be registered. She is to be palled the Amazon and will prove a valuable addition to the vessels belonging to Port Nicholson. She left Jacob's river about a month since and has been out on the whaling grounds, where she has been very successful having caught twenty-five tons sperm oil. She experienced very rough weather, and lost one man overboard during a heavy gale of wind. Off Milford Haven she spoke the Pacific, whaler, from Hobart Town, out four weeks with 300 barrels of sperm oil.

The forcible occupation of the Manawatu saw mill by Kaparatehau will prove a serious interruption to building in Wellington. Mr. Kebble was fully employed in sawing timber for this place, where it met with a ready market. From the scarcity of labour and other causes, the quantity of wood sawn in the immediate neighbourhood of Wellington is quite inadequate to the demand. The bad state of the roads also operates in checking the supply 'by increasing' the cost of conveyance. After the Petoni road is repaired, a little outlay by the Government on the Karori Road before it becomes impassable, would be of great assistance to the settlers in that district.

Wellington Savings Bank — Mr. T. Waters, Major R. Baker, Mr. J. Boulcott, and Mr. W. Lyon, the Managers in rotation will attend to receive deposits at Messrs. Johnson & Moore's store, from seven to eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the 15th May, 1847, and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock on Monday forenoon, the 17th May.

The city article of the Times Dec. 10th, contains the following :—: — " Letters were received this afternoon from New Zealand, via Valparaiso, dated Wellington, the 4th August. An extract from one of these runs as follows :—: — " Matters are now at a crisis. The Governor is at this moment at work in the neigbourhood with all the force he can muster, reducing the strongholds of the rebel natives, who have been keeping this part of the country in a state of excitement for some time past, and this mail may yet bring you accounts of his success, of which little doubt is entertained, when the land question will be effectually settled. People are, therefore, looking forward to an improved state ot things in every department with confidence and hope. Business is pretty brisk, and the market well supplied from Sydney by persons who rushed to take advantage of our present activity, and who have consequently imported to a considerable extent."