AUCKLAND.

Southland Times, Issue 978, 1 July 1868, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

! (PBOM OUB OWN COBEESPOHi)BNT.)\' " June o.9th, 1868* ; The- chief topics of conversation and interest; during the month have been the ! goldfields and the renewal of hostilities by the. rebel natives, but there has also been some* political life shown. ■ The news 'froin the discontented districts are' dismal indeed. There are rumors of a threatening character being daily received .from i all^the disaffectedv districts. I enclosje a copy of a letter from .one of the officers of the Volunteers forming the Whakatan© expedition.— lt is dated from Poiriui, ; and says : — "The expedition started from Whakatane .yesterday comprising the following corps (under . - Majors St. John and Eraser)— Hawke'» ; Bay Division Armed Mounted; Constabulary, theOpotiki Militia, the Bay of Plenty Volunteer Cavalry, and the Auckland Volunteer Engineers. The march was effected by 8 a.m. crossing the Wakatane: plains and reaching the rebel pa Euatohi the same day. Owing to the. swollen, state of the Whakatene river, the/ troops were delayed : in crossing. ; "When. the ' Commissariat escort left the front yesterday, the troops were employed in constructing a raft to ferry r them over. The reDels, who within' the last week have been within six. miles of our camp, have been defeated in a skirmish with the. friendlies (when in search of. missing horses) with the following loss: — -Two" Hauhaus .killed,- rand one wounded friendlies, one wounded only, ifour others taken prisoners, but . who by great tact escaped the same day that they were captured. It would appear, from iniorma-" tion received from a reconnoitring-party, despatched under command of Captain Eichardson, that'therebels wereimpressed with the belief that we were not constantly on the look out for them, as sufficient food had been conveyed by them to Puketi (the site of the proposed blockhouse) toy last for some few days; Whether it was their intention to attack our road party who are at work daily on the hew road to Puketi, or not; I cannot pretend to say. From the front- we learn - the expedition will move forward until either bad weather sets in, or their supplies are finished. ; The troops anticipate fetching a rebel kainga to-day, said to be planted with potatoes, Ac, <fee. No doubt they hate already been obliged to consume the rebel horses, of "which there are said to be plenty; t Thes camp < Poidnui (the headquarters of the. Constabulary), from which I am ; writing, is in charge of : Captain Eichardson, with sufficient men of the Constabulary and a few Engineers to hold it in case of attack by the rebels. Tonight, Sunday, I feel for my brothers in arms, as it is raining steadily, with every -prospect of a continuance, and we have the advantage of canvas ove** us, which they have not. I . trust the expedition will fall across the enemy, but, personally, I fear the rebels will not stand an attack. The news from Tauranga is as unsatisfactory as can be well, imagined. A trading schooner that arrived here from there a few days since brings informationthat the ; whole of the Tauranga frontier, from Oropito Whakainarama, was to be " kati" during the months of May and June. This fine will include - Puengaroa, Kairaai, and the other native settlements visited by the expedition , force iii the commencement of the year.' Apa is in the courW of erection by Hau-haus, at Tawhiti, in the vicinity of Pais Pa, now garrisoned by a detachment of Waikato militiamen. A, party of surveyors have also been compelled to abandon operations, through the threats of the natives, and return to Te Papa. Two letters have been received by Mr JEL' T. Clarke, the Civil Commissioner of;. Tauranga, relative to the stoppage of the Waihi and Qhineinuri roads from the chiefs Pira Tiribi and Tupeka. They are as follows:— "Ohinemuri, May 18, 1868.— T0 Mr Clarke.— Salutations. This is a word to you regarding the pakehas who come to Waihi. Do not let them come hither; detain them there. lam also remaining in my room. This Is the rule, the law proclaimed to Te Eaihi :—' Friend- Te Eaihi, cease your^fersisting to tread the road by Kahakaha.* Saihi consented. JSTow this is the example for the pakehas [to follow]— do not let them come. Kather let them,gojoutside t _ Their room is the sea. Enough. From P^a Tntißi." ,"Waihi, May 20, 1868.— Friend Henry Clarke.— Salutations. This is my Word to you 1 . The Waihi Eoad is stopped, reaching as far as Ohinemuri. This is my word to you : if you hear of any Europeans who are desirous of going to Waihi, be you strong to hoid them back. Don't let them go. -Be you- urgent in making my words known unto all the Europeans, so that they may know. This is all, from your friend. From Tupeka.." Very great anxiety is being felt as to what will : follow.^ Some ,are hoping, that the rising will be very partial, and that with the aid of the friendly natives the rebellion will soon be ended; but the majority are not so sanguine, and want faith in the friendly professions of all but one or to tribes. The following important intelligence from Patea was received on the 13th June, in a letter from Mr Booth, E.M., dated Waihi, June 10:— "A military settler named Sergeant Cohill, and two others were attacked while putting a log on a sawpit in - the Kitemarai bush, and- murdered by ten men from the Te

ISTgutup te rnanu. . An inquest was to be held on the following day (the 11th). The Pokahohi chiefs have tendered allegiance on the 10th, and have pledged themselves to protect the European settlers. Tangahoi and Tito, belonging to the Ngahuia, have also tendered their allegiance to the Queen. The .Keteoneta natives have sent in the settlers, and the friendly natives think they (the Keteonete's) will join the Titokowarus. The murder was committed by -.*- ten natives supposed to come from Pongarao. Cohill and the other two men were just fixing a log on the pit when the volley was fired. Two of them were shot through the heart, and they were all dreadfully tomahawked. Some natives heard the firing, and the war party returned through their land exultingly. Some one took the intelligence to Waihi wneii a party went out.to fetch the bodies. The natives near Turuturumoka have pledged themselves to defend the Europe)^?. rTfteautnori^^ have sent to Wellington for instructions. Major Hunter has gone up from Patea with thirty men, and Captain Eoss with twenty-five. This foßee? will be quite sufficient to protect the district.": A second letter, had been received by Mr. Parris, at Taranaki, from anotlier source, just as. the steamer was leaving, containing the following :— ' ' The report of three men having been murdered just inland of the Waiha camp is quite true. - Their names are — Sergeant David Cahill, late No. 9 Company, Taranaki, military settler ; Thomas Squires -, sawyer, late of Middle Island; William Clarke, "Wanganui Bangers " ; Thef chief items of political news are the i. "discussion on the questions of retrenchment and local self-government. A 7; feeling in favor 'of the County system is ; beihg' displayed. A large and influential meeting has been held at Mangonui to consider the question of a change in the system of government. The representative of the district, T. Bull, Esq., was present, and Captain Buller took the chair.' ' Some very able speeches were delivered, and the following resolution wajs" carried unamiously. Proposed by Mr* Henderson, seconded by Mr W. F. Hunt: — "That, in order to obtain the emancipation of • out-districts from the control:. of; provincial, institutions as at present- constituted , it is desirable that a petition to the General Assembly be forthwith prepared and duly forwarded, .praying for relief by the substitution of local ~ government, in such form as to give the people the management of their own 'affairs, together with a fair share of the revenue raised within the several limits of the .various districts." There has been., an; election for the Provincial -Council, and if ■ anything was wanted to prove that no interest is felt in- -keeping up the provincial system it was here supplied. Auckland has been long - remarkable for the excitement occasioned by a city election, and I can scarcely recollect an unopposed member having been returned ; on this occasion however, there was no opposition, and the least possible interest shown, Mr George Stains being allowed to .walk the course. The Provincial Council is in session, but as yet the business has been simply of a local character, with the exception of a debate on a motion moved by Captain Cooper, for a select committee to devise machinery for constructing county boards. Upon this an animated debate took place, -which resulted in the committee being granted. Mining is steadily progressing although no rushes of importance have taken place. The reports from the Thames are highly encouraging, the reef claims are promising well, and fresh companies being formed. Trade continues dull, but there are evident signs of an improvement.