AUCKLAND.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 93, 25 September 1863, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

(FROJI OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) 7th Sept., 1863. The news of the month since my last letter has not been of so striking a character as mi°*ht have been looked for by those at a distance, or as was, indeed, more than half a iticipated by many on the spot. It has not, however, been an uneventful perio I altogether, and it has been, rather preparatory for the future than anything else. I hope and, quite believe that before another southern mal leaves Auckland there may be news of a su'Bciently startling character to satisfy the most ardent longer af i-er news. The attack made upon our road-making party the day before the vessel sailed for the south last, was no doubt conveyed to you through the medium of the newspapers ; it could not, however, have reached you in by any means a perfect state, as, indeed, it did not le-ive us at all up in the details when the steamer left the Manakau. The attack was a clever and a well-planned one on the part of the natives, and had they been better marksmen there can be no doubt that our loss might have been most serious. Their numbers were . not far short of 200 men, well armed with guns, double-barrelled and others, and yet the loss inflicted upon our men in all was two killed (with their own rifles), and one wounded, not very badly. They carried off twenty-tlnee rifles that were piled at a distance from the soldiers who were at work, but of these, five have since been discovered thrown away in the bush to facilitate their escape. Four of their men were left dead in our hands, and they carried off many wounded in tlieir flight. Altogether the thing was not much ol a misfortune, although I understand the General to have been exceedingly angry about it, as it could never have occurred but in disobedience to his orders. Measures have now been taken, which render its recurrence impossible. Two days later it was discovered that these ruffians had in their flight found time and opportunity to commit another of those brutal murders which have already rendered the natives of Waikato in all respects as infamous as those of Taranaki, to whom they were considered so vastly superior by many. An old man named Scott had ridden over to his farm 1 to see how his stock was getting on, and was in the act of mounting his horse to return, when he became aware that he was being deliberately aimed at by these natives, who were behind a log not a dozen yards from him. On the impulse of the moment, the old man (he was 71 years of age) shouted loudly for assistance, as if some one was near, although there was no help nearer than the rukekohe stockade, a mile off. The eifect answeied his expectations. The cowardly ruffians fired, but so badly that only one shot of the three struck him, ahd the natives J at once decamped into the forest without wait- \ ing to see the result. Severely wouuded in the thigh, the old man crawled to a hut at hand, and lay there for four and twenty hours in all ; the agony of bodily suffering aggravated by the constant dread of the return of the natives to finish their work. Here he was at last discovered, and brought in to Auckland to the hospital, but owing to the severe nature of his wound, added to the greatly aggravating circumstances tliat attended it, small hopes were entertained of his recovery ; .and on Friday, last, he expired in the hospital. These, if I except sundry bloodless attacks upon our sentries towards the front, at different times, have been the ouly really warlike operations of the last fortnight. The General is rapidly massing his forces at the front, and he has now about 2000 soldiers, in sucb. a position that at twelve hours notice, he can launch them against the position of Mere Mere, where the natives are still in greater numbers than ever, and from their demeanour seem fully to believe that they" have checkmated us. " •_.- Perhaps the most important evenfc--of the day here, has been the arrival of the first lot of military settlers from Australia. They came down in the Kate, having had an excellent passage of less than six days, and they are in

all rather oyer ; Stfrank, and file, besides offl-. bers, and fine 'looking fellows as we could desire • for Soldiers *now, or for settlers Jiertfaf ter.« All seem strojig and able-bodied men,' » and what is more, all look thoroughly respecjtable. Twenty thousand such men would Be the salvation of this Province in a very short space 'of 'time, Whether for fighting or settling : and 'from what we learn, it seems that' even as large a number -as thot might be obtained in.the various colonies. This first detachment, will be followed in a_ few days, by others, ,who w ere ready when<these left Sydney, to-the nuihber of a couple of hundred orfso. They cannot, arrive too rapidly" 'by ' any possibility, if the "war is 16 be over as the General expects by the end of sunimer. simultaneously witli the arrival of the Kate, from Sydney, was that of the Isabella, from Tasmania, with 109 rank and file of the 12th' and ' 40th-regi-ments; ,being nearly every- available man* of the troops in that colony. One more man left Tasmania than arrived' here, he having unfortunately been lost at sea, by falling overboard on the passage. 'All 'the men seemed in excellent health and spirits, aisd appeared t to be a band well calculated to do "goodjservice in theJNew Zealand wars, for .which, they had been so generously spared by "the Governor and people of Tasmania. Thei memory of Governor Gore Brown has gained; additional popularity herefrom this promptitude of assistance.. "VVe expect to have all; the troops from Melbourne here in, a. few* weeks time, and also their Armstrong battery, . which will be very valuable here. In fact, I as regards materials, we shall . soon be in a comparatively splendid condition. The Supreme Court has been sitting during . the past week, for the despatch of criminal business, and in his opening charge Sir George! A rhey expressed his surprise and regret that the Maori prisoners had not been placed atthe bar, as otherwise, our detention of them' was illegal, Unless they were prisoners .of • war, they must be criminal prisoners, and as. they were all subjects of Her Majesty, they could nofc possibly be prisoners of war. The question is full of interest, and has a deep practical significance at this time. Harper,, who murdered his wife,' has been sentenced, to death ; Arapeta, tried for rape (committed) on an English woman, was sentenced to six years' penal servitude ; a sentence generally, thoughtby far too mild for his offence. The Tyburnia, ship from London, arrived on Friday, with small pox on board, and is now lying at Quarantine, off Rangitotb Island. She has had thirty-five cases on board, only one of which, proved fatal however. The first broke out' ten days after leaving England.