Slit CRESWELL CRESWELL AMONG THE MAORIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 287, 20 November 1862, Page 10 (Supplement)

Slit CRESWELL CRESWELL AMONG THE MAORIES.

(From the Wdlinyton Independent.)

TiiCTo '!•■ n f> miij'iike about it.; I rta iit nsyself in

11:0 Maori Mvoioxjcr, ami i cou^inlultfte the country o,; H. ,iere:niiili \a itunJe a niiuiistrato ! i-iected, lam I.:!, t,'i i.mi c .-.v lid, w iiiout oppsisitiun.

('.• ir.covi'd til*; intei;igeiict; of hi-- iippcintmon one f.'p.v. ;u)!i commenced active duty the mx*-; and for li.O :-;i:;ei <l 1 DUG HiUJitil, lift U:\ri btt'Jl Constantly Jit 3i • iU'iia! v.oi-k. Like a " clockon hen," lie h:is 1..;:;: |.< i))• I'taily •' fcitiiiijr.'' With tin: exception of \\ (■iilii-i iiifiii (:m intensely flirty man who rejoices i i il)!-nav.it: of Ab.vjietii), and his c'evk, I think he L;::; iuiiuiiione i and t Ices every mil: iii his pah, and bits j; i.-i ih.-j |»iivt-«;> to the tuuc of'souse thousands of ]!.>:•!;;• •-, -— jihi ut four tiimsth" value of the whole of '<,■ • <!i: trict :il ure-cut ui!u]ieiiute<3. 'J his Jooks like y,-.,]-k ! ami, 1 rip Kit i;, I contra ulatn the country l.;; :;i un;a; yi iisliiicut. As for Parnapa, whose services 'l\-.\\: !>i (jii i :il-c '. intoTeqriisition, (iie tH.-ing the ou'y jii.isi fiijiiur iu\ c who id.i \vi ice legibly) he has amassed s\ : ii :i ii v ol' ilot'.uiH'sits that if this work goes on, .1 mil. cii;.'Ut a riiw in tltc piiper market be{V;re long, j o ii!n fc.-Jiy tliiir. 1 fV:ol any ngrots at the "stirring ii|)'" th;i J'jivmi.'ili is sit pre^ut giving his pt'opie, a-my priviLie ujiaiim v thai, tho natives tihout here

v.':'i!k! do no woi's-1 Jiii1 a Kyslosii of partial crucifixion L<i:n; iiii.Uulit illfo opeJ'aliiJll J Slid, in (k'f:uilt of IL;U t x'l-uHif ci.;ui'so, i rather chuckle at tlm t::t;!i; of ol ! Jcr."uii;:h '" coaiing down upon thjiii " l>.' tiy yt.fSy in this court. His lines iiKieod may be jii-i.:i • Hiatus," and in ail probabili .j thi jy are; but i v.-ii ii'ho the costs of iiis f.utuim tiKts, which 1 h;i\o mi liiea that Lil-: dot's, and that is about a I —why, io is s-'»!iethiiig. Tin feu ghojiuous ihies, ln-wever, th t Paniiiija (Miters in his book, Jouk very imposing ; ii:i v.^.i, ciifiileringtiuit the sinners wlio are lnulcted iv tutiaaie wortu uutiing, perhaps a t. ifle absurd.

Amphora capit,

: I.islilui; cnrrenle rota, car v/rceus exit] wouiii be ii capital quotation to iiihciiboon ./..remiali's rtr-t inn. 1 have oniy intended one cast* as yet befo. c the coum, :uid as 1 ssiiall not inconvenience myself !<;. ailondii-g another, 1 purpose devoting a f w line-* to <t lifjaciipiiui' oi'-it. Tne facts out of wh,eh the case fivoae wt:!c briefly ihe.se. A lady of lhe name of Liivini ,\\ ho lor «vine tim: had labored under the nhii'.aoi bi ing no better than she t-hnnld be, was suppo oil to have commit ed herself, in the absence of her husband (a, long-shanked fehow of the name of Aii'i.h tin), wno had y;oiio on a pilgrimage to a uenjhioiing K«r,i X nient to attend a judicial enquiry touching Liif virtue of his aunt. Malac'lii (also the Kaiw i'Miiwa of * Uur Piih, ) to wiiose ear» the frail concluci. tif A.Juwaiiie LiivinirromVially came, at once sutniiune t liai'JiTid ln:r Loih.u-io before his court, and lined i!n; pair i-.oine twenty pounds. Upon Abraham's uiiup', tne circumstti ces wore duly reported to him ; aft. «• iir.st di.-noiino-iiji the authority of th - court to laU- < <i»iiizaii<'.B uf the nutter in his alis-enci', he iniiiiV/ ill called arunaugn, composed of the Wliaka- \\ ;:■-■-. i-i the neighboring tribe old Jeremiah), uli\\ Mied t treat for a uhomj, a aineimdtt (horo. A c ;:-\; of such importance a-* this was he signal for a }i j,:i;d ing from all parts, of young and old ; an i a m 1 at slaughtering <.£ pigs and collection of p^iiaio kits was at once undoitaken by Malucui and Li-i people. The possibility ot an inquiry into the jmuoot his ueeisioii in this case appeared to hav<; jir..M-iiU-«l i sdf t) the mind of that enlightened man ]i vvi'jiialv, lor h , with the assistance of Parmipa, t iiiid examined and re examined witnesses to such an vxutif,, ilial the possibility of a " bre ik-down " in Ih'j ovidei.ee si.-eiutd a 'bter impossibility. Jndepen i.i.. n r of this, liniita of ouisidera had bt en set to work l/j c::g: ;^e them in pvivaie ei»nvcrsations, and- to jsjiiijt lhe :;nne to Piirnupa, who forth with took ci ni'.;s of t! •; j-an.e ; and as these living examples of lliu uUiqua orato had to be likewise xumined and eivsa-cX imm- d, i need hardly say that the c :.->e v.iis tiioroujihly "got-up." 'I he day, howeve ■, ;miral at la t lor the grand hearing, before the r-i,lie Liuii of judicial wisdom of lh^ tii t'icf, atui ■w't i it L-amu od J r miah, in a great htate of fa>s, iwi.o.vcd ny all his i>rf>'p!e As he passed my doo> 0 . his way (lowa, he confidentially infoiinel uit *■ that Aliiutohi and i'aniapa ws:e a piiir ot fuols, and tiiat 1:0 would put them to the • ngnt about' yen stu-itly.1' iiu appeased to Le thoroughly up in the \> uiniiJi'o Ciise at a 1 events, . a indeeu he might be, iiiiviuj;l pi\en Abraham a |>rivate hearing which Jioie.i iwo \vl;o'e lights and the p;;rf. of a day. He a&Mii'(:d my thai, iieru were .>oine awtul iea told some■whe^i-, i.t p eseiit a nnstery which he was destined shoiUy to unravel, and Dying the ciilprits to an im--1 aialit-led uinounr ot grit-f. The case nad been goingon f.r iwo days and niuhts, when curiosi-y piomp'ed me to pay a visit to lhe coui".. Titc W i.ara W'iiaKawu (Court House) was to/erab'y mii wi;en i aiiivcd, but, business was temporarily tiu-|;e.R.eil, it i.ppeaied. A group of dissipakd joung1 lenws wuc viayi.g dvayjihts in one coruev, the io.uii bd g marked out on the 1100 i.nd the meu cuuiiosud if slices of potatoes, the back ones ingeuii.u?ly marked with a burnt stick. As, however, heir uirty fiiitrers, by conb'ant handling, had made tliu whib-s nenrly black, some dispute stenii-d arising ie-peeling the owneisliip of a king. A nuni'-er of ola wuiiu n were sitting jabbering rou: d the fire, tn^agid in lousting ,iniuz« in the a-lies. One of the iu;i^i"jiiiitt s was busy at work patching his shirt with a iiu c t'f old print and some flax m one corner. Am'liar was i-iigagtd with one of the jury at an exciting r: tn<; ot "all fours," played wnh an al-auu-r ilcutble lack of cards, and kipt constantly v cif. ratin }i To Ti-aki y Your Ji.cii.") aa he dabbel down a gria*/ i ice of pasteboard, the iaini outlines ot a king of hearts impressed thereon, it b. iijioneof the frfw court cards the pack >eem d to josstss. A brother "'btali' lay fast asltep in another corner, emitting a stentorian ut-fce from that: fe'ttu c of his tace coritsponding with his '• bumn" otlicial name, and the res-t of tlie company, inducing old Jertiuiah, s.tt in great state, wrapped i.i ihir blankets, iiwaiting another call to duty L'pod enquiry of that w.-itny', 1 found out that th y lii.v not git ali the witness s examiued yet and that lheiu was tittle prospect of their getting through tnat day. Kotted, however, by my desire to hear somtthiug •! ihe cast', Jeiemiiih turned out his dirty eonB .ihe who was -fast asleep behind some potato kits, ■who, i.fier shaking himself, forthwith commenced rooii at ihetop'i.f his voice through ihe hopper of an ula wheat mill, summoning aL the parties to atlendih« i«uit, while at t! c i-ame thue farnapa proc. edi.d.t<» beat the "* cievii's tatoo' upon his iron p<-t, ji tno niidb-t of wbi h ciainor th* audienc colU-cnid.

The iir.iuiiht.sand cards, wese put usde; tue magistr.iK's, 'preside-1- ovi-r by tbe geatemuu with the miapi'av.d fcliirt. ti*k thtir Bents at one end ot u f ts built.i>i»i ; Paniapa squatt d liiinstlf down \>i han uUI ni" cast! l)e ween Ma knees, arranged lis mcuue tv and • ihe . t-x«nunaaou re-ecm-nui.cea lh« wituess, au old woinau with

crackrd yoke, similar in tone toa«*eiiiented-guinea .fuwl, procKkd, wah great gesticulation to-give-her evidence, wh'ch* appeared to 'amount to w-'at some body had tuld her some other party ha-l said that they Had heard, to anothyr individu I. of -some^tensr-to tha* effct equally important, which individuals wese presnUy to he pr du<vd In reply to le-.ding questions"" f'nm Piimajia she begin by stating time and place where air.; had been fcdd this &t iry, which aypea red to be abo it the middle of tins day, in sjine a-ljoining1 cultivation. Jtuvmiiih heie asked the witness "what she was dohiu there T to which she replied, " Goinjr- to gather pot a ces.'' A dcubfc was here expressed by another old woman .among the spectators, " whether the witness had any potatoes belonging to her thereabouts." upon which Jeremiah gave it as his opinion that the old woman was th^re for the purpose of sealing potatoes, and insisted on a summons being issued against her at one?1. At th:s aecusafo'i the old wom?m waXtt'lfuri'ius, "and equally ur^ed the jv/opriety of Jeremiah himself being sutnmGued for uorero kino (.slander). Then upon a regular row ensued, which lasted for fibiut haU'-au-hour, and only terminated by the old woman being summirily bun lied out by old F^rnap.u The n«xt witness, an old man, who did ]*« appear to have rmy cdlecte il ideas upon any subjee*-, was ' xamiued tjuchin-; a similar poiut as hh predecessor, and managed to tret hims'-jf so inextricably involved in about half-ai;-'iour. that the Bench became perf ct'y bewildered, and Parnapa's deposition a mass of confuskm.

An adjournment was therefore proposed for the purpose vi' refeshment. and a general scramble for the provisions, on tht» part of the § Bench, witnesses, jury, spectators, and constables ensued. 1 had the pei ure of havi? g seen a similar tochibi tion some lime before, ana I therefore adjourned myse f home. After spentlinjr the whole of that <l:iy and night, and thf greater poH'mn of the ensuing day in examiniiip: and re-f-xitmininp: the witnesses, iuciulinf? a searching cros?-cxasuiuation of both pl.iintii! an<ldefendant, I hear-1, that there was a probalu'liry ot a decision being arrived at, avid a judgment being givcij-.that eveninjr, and I \retit down to hear it. The cun^ultatiou was gois*^ on when I a 1 rived, and as! entered the Wtuu-e Wakawa, there sit magistrates an I clerk in a fcttte of blank arnuz^rnent.; the depositions lay scattered about the floor, and if ever perfect imbiuility and bewilderment wire, expressed 011 human filter, it was on theirs. Tuey had talked and droned away ovr-r the case until I realiy believe that they'had not the fa,it>test idea of anything-respecting it. 'Finding out that I was intrudifig, I passed a little-way down from the Court House, and discovered the plaintiff, d^fesidnnt. and co-respondent, in a state of semi-sjupefaction. They had been badgered and brow-beaten to the confini-s of lunacy. Later on in the evej.isijy the Bench, howevt'X-, gavejjdgui"nt, th-; jury were for I could nevir make out ) They fuund Laviuia jiuiliy. fined her and tier admirer s me iwo or three hundred pounds, (\v ic| it is to be hojsed they will get), ami dee.recclajtidici.il divorce. Parnapa was despatched Io acquaint the plaintiff witli the decision. He.went to the hut, and, "peeping in, there lay the two divorc: -d :'a.st asleep un-ier the ody blanket* they po>se^:ed ! while, eravely smoking his pipe in a blissf:\l st;ito of mental aberration, at their feet sat the co-ri spoud-riit

Excessive was Parhapn's disgust at this discovery Here was the ])laiutilf rmking all this hubbub, only to iunkc fuels of the Huii;ii]g.-i ! U'hafc a climax ! I hear that lie Ls to be tried for this, and no end of witne-ses t> be prosecuted for perjury ; at any rate, if old Jeremiah is allowed to work liis wicl<e..l will on them I have no doubt that condign punishment awaits these reptih-s. How many people were gatii^red topethiT I really cannot tell, or how Malachx's herd <;f p-gs and pot.to 'neaps have diminished, but s-.Jtnebotfy will have to pay for it I expert. Now, this else has ik> romance a^out it. Ir. in rrahty occiutc-cI as hero pourtrayed. and is in point of nb-uniity but one out of pc res that have bt-<n tied here «;i!!iii«' the l;:st six montiis. Yet, this is the infancy (fan institution that is to be worked upon for the benefit of the Native race—at least, so say savttns. Ba it 20. If an occasional fit of temporary idiocy is beneficial to the native mind, by all means encourage the village Whakawn. How a ra-e that cannot conrentrat • their faculties up v one single topic $>r an horn without waiidfiing info fifty others, a'-e to prove a blessing to our Legi-nlative Councils and Courts o''Justice, I am at a loss to conce'-ve ; or how the internal m-igisteriul appointments are to be advantap ous to the n.vives themselves wlien they are allowed universal suffrage on the mif tor, I shan't here dilate Ujjoii, for " Jjnirus say 3 they will, and Brutus is an able man." But I raunol forbear stating that frfim nearly eleven years' acquaintance with the Native race, I am stroisjr'y of opinion that tiiey are ntpresent utt rly unfitfor any legislatorial or judicial functions, and considering the utter contempt the ri.-ing sreneraticn exh bit for e.'ucauim, in future years they will prove still more so. This sy<tem of establishing petty courts among themselves, though th>i • own idea, ha.* ] roved of no use whatcvir ; more harm than good, in f ct. It has sown a gr.at amount rf discord and jealousy fiiuoiust them. Adulterous eases are chit-fly what t'n-y dr%ht in invesliga«i«g—the more indeiicate the hetter; anl it is very rarely ih;it any others are heard of. As a. eh« ck upon any other csimes, it appears to me utterly to tall, and the decisions can no more be carried out by the authorities amongst themselves, that we can do for them. Ri-foi vi the village Whakaica by all mcm* if you like but let the fixtures it afc p-e«ent presents be utterly effaced in the Picture oi the Future.

A Strange Demonstration.—Some time ago the prospectors* of the Kur-ko Lead, on lhe La<*h an g-old field, gave out that they had struck a ijood Ivtul of uold. Accordingly a number of claims were taken up and several snuffs sunk, ojiiy to fii d that no lend existed, and that the prospectors had asserted the contrary to sell shares id thair <-laim, and thus make money. On the cheat being discovered, the fol'owing scene, taken from the Lachlan Miner, occurred :— On Saturday morning the mine s, en masse, took their departure from the scene of their disappointment ami loss, and made their way sad and weary into Forbes- Tlw night before their deparkiro, however, they gave a den onstration of their rage in the shape of a midnight procession with lamps flmibffiux, and torches. A number of those nust inveterate ngitin.-t fbe prospectors formed an tffigy of !<ed Jack, dressed out in digger*' garments and, havinw assembled about 600 persons* started out in profession, The band instruments consisted of tin kettles, billies, wash dishes, and ponnienn*. The di.oord of the instruments, mingled with the groans and yells of the infuriated di<r.i;e s, created a iioi<e and tumult that it is ditHou't to «le-i-crihe. The procession marched up p.ml down the lead, and then proceeded to Strickland's Keef, where a nuraW of enthusiasts joined it. The procession next rtturned, took oft the fly f cm the prospecting ciaiin, piled the slabs abut the v.iiriiass. and set fire to the he;ip. The effigy of lied Jack was then suspended from the pole, where it now hnngs, wnvinir in the wind, as a memento of rhe greatest act of swindling that was ■ t r pejpi - treafe.l on the Lachlan The d ( ■monstratiou wa< continued till three o'clock this morning, when the diggers separated. The crisis of the Eureka ha* put a damp on commercial business on this goldfie d. and an evident want of confidence in the northern portion of the district. The party at work on Ko 80 below however, bottomed on gold the same morning thn* the extraordinary demon^tra'ion t'«ok plac^ and, though the wash-dirt is not yet payable, any of the shepherds may ao down ;..nd try for themse:ves. snl a good color will be obtai.-ed. U 'fortunately, -how- | ever, the party at the lagoon, about two miles down the lend, to use a mining phrase, were duflered out Months after this the Kureka may prove a genuine payable lead, and where now 'he flags are reversed in (iisg.aee, a line oP-c'lors may yet be seen floating over the discovered treasure.' 1

Intercolonial Exhib tion of Pheep.- A preliminary meeting was heid at Moit m's Hofel, on Friday last, ly a number of gentlemen interested in the growih of fin; wo' 1 and pure-bred merino sheep Mr J. L. Curriti, ot Larra, was in the chair, ai.d the business transacted consisted of the appointment of a comtiiitte. composed of every one present a- the meeting, to draw up rules and make arrangemerts. £>r a public m^eiing to be hld next montb. Mr James Ainslie was appointed hoi.or»ry becntary, an«l Mr H. Unmnioiul treasurer. The object sought in hihliug this preJiminaiy meeting is to get up a great inter" colonial show of fine-woo'e 1 merino sheep. It has bi jen thou-ht by many breeders in this and the other colonies that, by est iblMiing an intercolonial show, the breeders of each colony-will-be able to com pi.re notesj ami lea. n how far success in breeding has been attained in the varfous climates of Australia. >umer ius promises of support, we understand, have already been given, and ie only remains for tht- coratiiirtee now to take active steps to enlist the co-operation and goodwill of all the principal breeders in the -colonies. . \Ve_need only say we v.ken warm interest in the project, which, we I'oubt not, will be of great l;«ntfic to the Aust-a ian colonies, if thoroughly 'followed up and brought to a successful issue.- -Yeoman.

who Escaped in the U. S. Laws.—The followingpevsois a^e exempted fom enroiment by the laws of the United States:-~Um"cers judicial and executive of the United >tates, the members of both Houses of Congress and their respective offic rs, Custom House officers and their clerks, inspectors of experts, pilots and m iriners employed in Hie sea service of a ctizen qrmerchant wit in the" United states, postmasters^ assistant postmasters and their clerks, pnst officers)" post riders, stage drivers in the I'.nre antf convey mcc of the mail of the United States f'lTvmen enaploycd at auvferry on the post road and tl.e cnificei s and workmeu in the Uuiu-u Sta s Armoaea t a« Axsenalte, .