RESIDENT MAGISTRATES COURT. Wellington, 17th May, 1847. Before Henry St. Hill, Esq., R. M.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 189, 22 May 1847, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATES COURT. Wellington, 17 th May, 1847. Before Henry St. Hill, Esq., R. M.

Joseph Goodall, of the River Hutt, was summoned before the Court for being indebted to Reihana, an aboriginal native of New Zealand, in the sum of £1 : 0 : l|, the value of his pigs, alleged to have been sold in December, 1845. Reihana, on being sworn (through the interpretation of Mr. Duncan), stated, that in the month of December, 1845, he sold two pigs to defendant, and received in part-pay-ment, 4| yards of calico : The same month defendant made application for another pig, but he informed him that he had no more pigs for aale till- he received payment for those

already sold ; he ultimately let defendant have a third pig, which was killed at defendant's house, and he then asked him for payment of the pigs, and what he intended to give him for them. Defendant said he would give him a blanket ; he was not a slave ; he was the adopted child of Ngawaka. By the Court — He could produce a European witness to prove that the pigs which he sold to the defendant were his property ; defendant told him at the Hutt that be had paid Ngawaka for them ; he asked Ngawaka if the defendant had paid him for the pigs ; Ngawaka said he had not ; this conversation was before he joined Rangihaeata. The following witness was called by Reihana to prove the sale of the pigs : — Te Pahi, an aboriginal native (through the sworn interpretation of Mr. Duncan), stated, that tie remembered Reihana and Ngawaka having given two pigs to the defendant, Joseph Goodall, as a present, in November, 1845 ; he remembered a third pig being given in the same way about a month afterwards ; •two y of thepigs belonged to him, the other was Reihana's; Reihana was his brother; he had also a share in the other two pigs ; defendant told him that he had paid Ngawaka for them ; he added, "I have paid Ngawaka for them ;" he gave him and his wife one blanket and six yards of calico for them ; he saw a blanket and the calico, which he understood was in payment for defendant's wife, who is a daughter of Ngawaka ; he understood from Ngawaka that the blanket and calico were in payment for his daughter ; Ngawaka's daughter was dead at that time ; the pigs in question were given by his brother and himself to Ngawaka as a present ; Ngawaka then gave them to the defendant ; the defendant told Ngawaka and his brother that he would pay for them. Case dismissed.

The following letter is in reply to an anonymous communication published in the Independent reflecting on the settlers at Wanganui : — To the Editor of the Wellington Independent. Wanganui, May 14th, 1847.

Sir, — Anonymous letters in a newspaper rarely meet with much attention from me, but I shall deviate from my general rule, and offer a few brief remarks on a letter signed A., in your paper of the s;h inst. Your correspondent, with a considerable share of ignorance and ill nature, at once assumes, that party spirit in Wanganui has attained such an ascendency as to completely destroy all feelings of common humanity. Our "comfortable lethargy" and " selfish security" he considers were the cause of poor Mrs. Gilfillan and her family being so horribly murdered. He enquires " Whatmighfc not have been accomplished had they been courageous while time was on their hands, — they might have reached Mr. Gilfillan's farm in a short time, and some, if not probably all, of the murdeis might have been prevented, &c, and that unmentionable crime have been frustrated, &c." Mr. Gilfillan arrived in town about 7 p. m , and could riot possibly have proceeded far on his journey to the town (about 6 miles) when his wife and children were one after the other killed by six young and fiendish Maories, with an axe he left at his own fireside. For the wretches performed their work too quickly, as they arrived on the river bank opposite my house, and tried to launch their canoe within a few minutes of his, Mr. G., being under Dr. Philson's care to dress his wound. No unmentionable crime was committed, and therefore none could have been frustrated by our earlier arrival. Had the Commanding officer here deemed it necessary to permit a volunteer party to proceed to the house late that night, he had merely to accept one of the many offers that were inttantly made. The return of the murderers, and their flight up the river, were known to the townspeople at the same time that Mr. Gilfillan's account was also communicated. I still think that no European could on a pitchdark night have possibly reached Mr. Gilfillan's house. Mr. Gilfi'lan himself passed over all the bad parts of the road (or cattle track) before it was dark. I will not flatter your correspondent's sagacity and classical attainments! by any further remarks on his ill-timed letter ; nor do I think your usual discretion was shewn by its insertion. But in conclusion, I publicly require you to furnish the Wanganui settlers with your anonymous friend's name and address, or you will be held responsible if it is concealed. I remain. Sir, Your most obedient servant, John Nixon.