AUCKLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 172, 4 June 1862, Page 5

AUCKLAND.

(mow our sr;-.ci.\i- connKSPOifBEXT.)

Auckland, Slay 24th^

There is not much news of interest to send you from this place. The absence of Sir Geo. Grey naturally makes things dull, and the prospect of the Session being held at Wellington, has prevented the political excitement to which we have been accustomed here since 1854, during the last few weeks of each recess, when speculation was always rife as to what was going to be done in the General Assembly. Now, one hardly hears anything about it. Even the account of your Separation meeting has not stirred the public mind, which is as apathetic on all questions not of provincial concern, as it is in Dunedin.

With regard to Coromandel, 1 can hardly give you much information. The Colonial Secretary paid a long visit to the natives there, and is going again to them next week, in order to get them, if possible, to give'up the reserve, which, has hitherto been obstinately maintained by them, and which is supposed to contain the most auriferous quartz reefs. You will remember that when 'the Go vernmeiit, last October, made their arrangement with the natives for allowing the land to be prospected, it was not known that the " Reserve," which they then said they wished to niajce, was a little territory 70 miles square. It was only when the Otago diggers who came up, set seriously to work to find' the gold, that the extent of the reserve and its value became fully known. I very much fear that trouble will come of it some cl-ty. The digge's have begun lately to set up their touts on th-_T very edge o? the forbidden ground, and spend the night in forays, with considerable success. A good deal of gold has already been got, though I have not been able to ascertain the exact quantity ; and every day's experience seems to add to the reasons for believing that there doss, after all, exist a rich field for quartz reefers. As to alluvial diggings, I do not yet believe in any being found. . I heard a day or two ago, that some of the Otago men at Coromandel had secretly sent over to Australia for machinery. If this "becomes known on the other side, I dare say a rush will take place, especially when the results of the clandestine working on the native hind are fully ascertained. A good deal of mystery prevails, but it will all be cleared up, I expect, before next mail, and I shall be able then to wriie to you with fuller intorination. Until I can no so, 1 refrain from giving you the various detail I have heard about, the success of individual diggers, or doing more than caution you not to believe much of what you read in the papers.

The trouble to which I referred will come quickly, if these night visit's to the native ground coitinue to ba profitable. There arc not more than 60 souls I believe, who can he called the (rue owners of tlie reserve. The natives at the neighboring settlements would, therefore, have no proper claim to interfere. Yak I look upon two things us certain —first, that the diggers us they increase in numbers will cross the line and take the gold ; secondly, that the natives, not merely of Coiomandel harbor, but also those settled in the vicinity will resist them. Nothing could have exceeded the quiet, good conduct of the diggers up to the present time, but it is presuming far too much upon human nature to suppose that if the present expectation of the richness of the gold on the native land be verified, the diggers will long stand being kept out of it. The Government are blamed for not getting a settlement of the question, but the blame is very unjust, for they have offered the natives £10,000 without success. LIO,OOO to sixty souls! Sir George Grey tried his personal influence on several occasions, and now Mr. Fox is making a strong effort to induce them to come to terms. Befcro the Airedale leaves on the Bth June, it is just possible something may have been done. I wanted to get a line specimen of highly crystalline quartz to send to Dr. Hector, but the price asked for it was too high. The quartz showed on tho outside only afew thin streaks of gold, but on being fractured the stone was found to be throughout thickly powdered with fine particles, as if the gold had been passed through a pepper castor. I have not had time lately to go and look at the many specimens which have been sent up, but I will do so before I write again. . The Waikato natives are perfectly quiet, smel one hears little or nothing about them. We should be deluding ourselves, nevertheless, if we assumed that the King movement was going to be abandoned even now. Strong personal attachment to, and reliance upon, Sir George Grey keeps things quiet among the native chiefs in Waikato, hilt the end of it remains to be seen. I will not, however, bother you with native matters now, because the A ssembly will soon have all the facts before it, and as nobody knows Sir George Grey's mind but himself, it will be time enough to talk when he says what it really is. One tiling, however, has just happened, which may lead to much mischief, and possibly involve the Government. A dispute has existed for several years between some of the most important chiefs of different sections of the Ngaphti tribe, who live to then orth of Auckland, and chiefly at the Bay of Islands, respecting the title to cer-r tain hind at the Kaipara. The Government has had the greatest difficulty in preventing the feud from bursting out openly, and at last it has come to fighting. The principal parties are Tirarau, a powerful chief of the ancien regime, who has always been a great friend to the European settlers of Wangavei, and Matiu, a chief who lives in the Bay of Islands country. Matin some time ago sent, Tirarau word that he was coming down at last to cut the botindnry-linesis he claimed through the forest. Tirarau acknowledged the courtesy ,#f the notice, but mentioned incidentally that the first man who cut the line would certainly be shot. Sir George Grey strongly urged the two parties to agvee to an arbitration, but Tirarau said he was the judge of his own title. Matiu came down, and 'made preparations for business by building a pah; Tirarau only knocked up a few sticks round his own place. At length, on last Friday, the 16th May, after ineffectual attempts on the part of tho resident magistrate and a native assessor (who has done great service before now to the settlors) to reconcile the chiefs, one of Matiu's people crossed the line which had been agreed upon a.-- a temporary boundary which neither side should overstep, and was immediately shot by one of Tirarau's men. A fight ensued,' which ended in three of Tirarau's people beirg wounded, and five of Matiu's being killed —besides half-a-dozen being wounded. Since then reinforcements arc joining the belligerents on both sides, and it is impossible to say how the afiair will end. Tirarau's people, having Waugiu\?i Harbor as their base of operations, and a fair road to convey supplies on horses, have a great advantage over the northern natives, who me a long distance from their own cultivations. On the other hand, the Bay of Islanders are likely to be supported in larger numbers than Tirerau, who may get the worst of it, and retreat on the English settlement ut Wangarei, which is rapidly growing into great importance. If this should unliappilv take place, the settlers may become involved, just as the Taranaki settlers were, by the desperate and bloody feuds between William King and Ihaia ; and their peaceable cultivations may be invaded, and natives massacred under then- eyes, as happened in the case of Katatore on the Bell Block, at Taranaki. The absence of Sir George Grey at this moment is keenly felt ; and I should not wonder if he had to return here after all. When battles have taken place between natives in purely native districts, as has so frequently happened, we have been apt t" look on with indifference ; but this one is at the very doors of a flourishing English [settlement, and it will hardly be possible'for the government to permit it) going on. The Resident Magistrate and a

( European, clergyman, who',.,with great dovotion, I tried to stop the shedding ot blood, had a narrow escape of their lives, if the native accounts I have heard are to be relied on.

The military road to Waikato river is nil but fiuisM'd. It, would have been done now if there h.-itl not been so much rain of late; but the weather lias set in fine again, and I hear on the host authority that a fortnight more will finish the work. * The troops have behaved splendidly about it,'working through weather which has literally, in some of the camps, left no dry spot day or night for the men. The Gsth has been conspicuous for the amount and character of the work done ; but, all the regiments have t-xecuted a duty not very agreci'.ble to soldiers, with alacrity and good nature. As soon as the last metalling is on, the army will move into winter quarters. The General has not only stuck to the work himself, having his head quarters all the time at Drury, but he has made the officers stick to it too. The nativer have got on capitally with him, and say he is a fine fellow : they call him the Taniwha (the name of a fish given to great warriors) and say ho is just as likely'as not to cross the Waikato river of his own accord, if ■he once takes it into his head.

You will see by the March debate in ths House of Commons, that they arc beginning to be very uneasy at home about'the old question of colonial military expenditure. Every now and then there is sure to be a return of the chronic complaint, in anticipation of the army estimates: and I had v letter yesterday from a man who knows nil that is going on at tiio Colonial Office, which says that a serious move will ba .made to reduce the force now in New Zealand. There is no doubt that the Colonial Minister will try it on: but in my opinion you won't sec a man out of the country if Sir George Grey can help it. and at any rare not for some time. There seems no doubt that the Imperial Government rely on the contribution of £5 a-head from New Zealand as being- permanent; but it is not the loss true thai; our guarantee expires in a year, and that it must therefore come formally before the House of Representatives this session for renewal. In many letters by this and the January and February mails. " I am assured that Downing-streot has ro-.de up its' mind to have a peace policy here, and will back Sir George. One of our own colonists, whose position gives him peculiar means of learning what i.-i said there, tolls me by this innil tl.at Sir George's plan of native institutions was being favorably received in colonial circles, in the expectation—lst, that the Colony was to find all the money ; and 2nd, that it would enable the troops to be immediately reduced to a large extent. One docs not know what to say about the prospects of the coming Session at Wellington. Ministers will hold their ground, if for no other reason, for the very good one that there is nobody to take their places. It is openly reported that Mr. Crosbie Ward is going home immediately after the Session ; but otherwise, so far as one can judge from jolly faces, His Excellency's advisors have no idea of leaving the treasury bench, nor the least notion that" there is any' chance of it. Their standing or falling of course depends entirely on what the Middle Island says* in the house : and now that the Separation question has been formally initiated by Otago, it is not so easy to. predict what the Middle Island will say. 1 gather from " the Canterbury Press that unless Christchurch is to be made the scat of government, the pilgrims will oppose Separation ; but we must wait to £03- whether Mr. Moorhouse or Air. Fitzgerald are coming up to the House. The Auckland people don't seem to care much either way, but you will see, nevertheless, that, the majority of. the Auckland members will go with Wellington, which, of course, gives no quarter to the sepnnitionists. Wellington knows very well that the separation of the islands is a death blow to her claims for the seat of government. Auckland's interest, on the contrary, lies in'promoting separation, so as finally to settle the capital of this island, anil the seat of the Governor's residence in this city. Still, I think that Wellington will get her own way ; for I suppose Ministers will naturally declare against separation, and your Otago members were among their warmest supporters in the House. By the time next, mail goes out I shall be able to tell you more than I can now, after the lapse of only a day or two since yonr separation meeting was known, of how public opinion here is likely to go. The Southern Cross has come out as a daily since last Monday. I don't think the time has yet come here for a daily paper, and unless the proprietors of the Cross know how to work it on a system like yours, they will very likely make a mess of it? as the first daily journals in Sydney did. It is true that this city is growing fast, and prices of land still ranging very high. £100 a foot is given in the good parts of Queen-! street (the principal street here, as Princes-street is at Dnnedin), and suburban or country lots are readily purchased at high rates. There is nothing here ofcour.se like the "townships" which the Otago diggers so willinglygo in for every week. lu-.-<!ee4jlo.,.9.Jie..in, Auckland, who nas not been in Otago Province sincV4he diggings, can at all realise what is going onViUuy_ou. There is.akindof wonder that little Otago, ■which in 1853 bad a revenue of £1,290, should be taking the lead of all. I remember in 1556, when the Otngo members offered in the House to take the whole of the New Zealand Company's debt, they were looked upon as crczy :it was whispered that "It just like their d— : d impertinence ;" people put up their glasses, and quizzed that memorable deputation of the Old Identity. So now, when the Aucklanders hear of the Otago Province having I a quarter of a million to spend, and of a separation meeting declaring for independence, they look upon it all as a kind of frenzy and lunacy, and are inclined td say in all charity, " Poor fellows—poor fellows." When they see it is real, take care that they don't call to mind the old fable, and unite with other people to keep you down,'when the House goes into Committee of Supply. '