ARRIVAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 271, 1 November 1862, Page 5

ARRIVAL

OP THB

') LAU D E HAMILT ON .

LATER NEWS

FROM the

NORTHERN PROVINCES.

By the Inter-Colonial Royal Mail Company's steamer, Claude Hamilton, we have later advices from the -Northern Provinces. We extract the following principal items of intelligence -.— AUCKLAND. The resignation of the office of Superintendent made by Mr Williamson, on the 24th of September, was accepted by the Governor on Saturday last, after his return from Wellington, and a writ for the election of a successor has been issued bv His Excellency. The day for the nomination is hxed for the sth of November next. In accordance wrth-^he Deputy Superintendent's Act, the office is now filled by the Speaker of the Provincial Council, Mr Powditch, who will hold it until Mr Will-'amson's succes^ shall have been elected. As yet Mr •Tosepiy- ewman only is in the field, but we have h^ard i u e names of several gentlemen mentioned as likely to become candidates; amongst whom were Mr Robert Graham, Dr Weekes, and Mr Smythies The name of Mr Augustus B. Abraham has, we understand, been mentioned by settlers at Papakura and elsewhere, as a suitable candidate. His esta- . Wished connection with the colony of Victoria would be, it has been thought, advantageous to this Province, were he elected to the office. We learn al«o that a number of settlers at Maugarei and Otahuhu who desire to see Col. Haultain in the field, have not yet given up their hop;;s that that gentieman may be prevailed upon to contest the election. Other names also have been mentioned—that of ATr Edward King, and that of Mr Thos. Russell— whether the "senior" or the "junior" we cannot sav "New Zealander. WELLINGTON. Native Outrage. -Great sensation has been caused by the violent proceedings of a number of Natives against settlers at Wanganui. The Independent says :—" The sword of Damoe'es in the shape of t'ie Native dificulty remains continually suspended by a single hair over the heads of our fellow colonic in this Island. The wreck of the Lord Worsle" its purchase by the Government; the detention of the Nelson mail box, and more recently still, the utter denanceof legal jurisdiction shown by the Natives at Wanganui -are all pregnant and important instances, which establish the truth of this assertion.'' I In our columns of to-day wiil be found a report of two cases of recent occurrence there, which possess | features of painful interest. The first has reference to an action raised before the Resident Magistrate by a Maori against a European, claiming £5 as damages for two pigs, the property of the former, which are alleged to have been destroyed by the latter. We have carefully perused the whole of the evidence adduced, and cannot find the slightest jot or tittle of legal proof that thc'defendant could be held liable for the amount claimed, and the court would appear to have taken the same view, and returned a ver iict m accordance with tbe facts. This decision, however, does not satisfy the Maori plaintiff, who'forthwith proceeds up the river, and calls a raeerino- of his friends there, as the result of whicli a select party ot fifty men, armed with guns, come down to } the defendant's house on the following day, and as in the time of Colonel Gold and the Tarannki war ™»y take possession of two valuable horses worth £80. and carry them off' to their stronghold. This it might be thought, bore hard enough upon the European settler; but it appears further punishment was yet in store for him. If the report of the local paoer be correct, on the same day, Atkinson, the defendant wa-. oahed into Court, and ordered to pay the co^ts of the ;-ase, on the understanding that he should teke a w?- .ait out against Lopana, the native nlaintiff for tb mount. There is something almost'iudicrous in t:> tecision. Here is a European settler who c-■■•. chutes to the support of Government as a t- yer has an action of a Maori against him deC". m his favour ;is consequently plundered by the : n* es of sixteen times the amount claimed and a-.t all is required to pay the costs of tho proceedi:-..' 'iy the same magistrate, who only a 6ay or two be -e pronounced them by his decision to be un- ' foi: tcled. Verily, law is law. • t furthers appears that no steps whatever have been taken to vindicate the majesty of the law in tms matter, and Atkinson, despairing of gettino- any redress, has resolved to pay the illegal demand of th» native m order that he may get his horses back.

ATTEMPTED RAPE BY A NATIVE AT WANGANUI. Seme excitement Ins been caused at Wnncanui by an alleged attempt of a native, named Te Wirihana Mokara, to commit a criminal assault upon a young European girl. A warrant of apprehension was issued by Major Dune, and a policeman sent out to Matataera (a settlement near Turakina) on the 15th inst to execute it. The natives resisted the execution of the warrant, claiming to have tlie case heard by Mr Buller, at Turakina, on the following Friday. The offender is a Kingite, and it was evident that his friends were anxious to place difficulties iu the way of his committal for trial in the event of the charge being established. Mr Buller explained to the natives that as the alleged offence took place at Wan "-a nm, tbe case came properly within Major Durfe's jurisdiction, and on receipt of the warrant he despatched several of the native police to Matataera to execute it. Te Wirihana got wind of this, and took to the woods. The police spent the day in a fruitless search, and returned to Turakina in the evening Early on Monday morning a detachment of ten of the West Coast police started in purusit of him. Wc have heard nothing further as yet, but there is little doubt as to his ultimate capture.

Such is the account as gleaned from the local aper, but a correspondent, on -whose authenticity we can rely, has furnished us with a somewhat different version of the affair. He writes, " that last week, Mr Buller sent several native policemen to apprehend the culprit, but tbat thev were unsuccessful, because he was concealed inthe bush. More policemen were afterwards dispatched ou Tuesday last hut meantime the friends of Wirihana communicated with the King natives at Kaiwhike, who accordingly despatched six of their followers to prevent tlie arrest. Then came the tug of war. Tahana, the assessor at Matataera, acted pluckily, and, hacked by the native police, insisted on the offender being given up ; Instantly, the adherents of King Potatau, bung their loaded muskets to their shoulders and threaten extermination to the native followers ot the ?^ n*i.J ? ai; e? them t0 fi 8kt> and thereupon a regular manual skirmish takes place between the "aJ™ P^ce and the friends of the accused, as.the tSSLI* Whlch. tK K. !n«itcs depart in triumph to Sww ' ,? a"S n£. fcheir compatriot, Wirihana along with them.'-Wellington Independent, 23th Oct. lafT.lS.-T n, s,teamer' on her la3fc tri P northward, left several of her passengers and mails behind; Captain Pole is much censured in the local papers. nSSE*-? 0!? 1? and Co., the contractors for the 'Sttf f IP I™*, purchased a large block S^Si at P,^ n. Bay» an<* intend erecting two powerful saw-nulls there.