AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 355, 19 March 1861, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

[From the Southern Cross.)

The aspect of native affairs generally is gloomy in the extreme; and with the year already waning it is much to be feared that winter will find us still in the field, and obliged to hold it or to give into the insurgents. In the Waitara, and to the south of Taranaki, we shall be able to do little during the winter months ; whilst the natives will in all probability, retire to their inland fastnesses to recruit, to enjoy the pleasures of retrospection, and to boast that for more than a year they have held their own against all comers.—March 1.

The past has been politically a blank month. Mr. Stafford has been starring 't in the Southland Mr. Richmond bushing it in 'he North. Mr. Weld has been visiting his rebellious constituents, but has not yet proclaimed martial law in the Wairau. The Postmaster-General has remained at his post, and Mr. Whitaker at his office; and the people generally tired out with their great exertions during the general election are in a state of collapse, with the thermometer somewhere about 80° in the shade and the political barometer indicating " change." What the change is to be, however, nobody knows, and few seem to care. The General Assembly is not in the eyes of the public so important as the army in the field, and the coming regiments are more speculated upon than the " corning man." Still, when the Assembly does next meet, there will be a pretty complication of parties. Auckland men wi h Wellingtonian ideas, Wellington men with Maori sympathies and peculiar views in reference to ihe Seat ol Government; Otago and Canterbury men bursting with military ardour, standing afar oft' and teaching us how acres should be won with sword and rifle; a Hawke's Bay man unknown to parliamentary circles ; Taranaki men pleading i}l forma jyanjwris; and lastly, happy Nelsonians, sitting under their favorite minister, fascinated by t\ie manner in which he can improve every subject to their benefit, and grateful for their peculiar privileges.

Few important local events have taken place. A desire lor improvement is certainly abroad in the city, and every month sees something done in * this direction. Buildings are run up on every side, and on the site of the last fire in Queen-street handsome shops have been already erected substantial scoria and brick buildings are rising within the limits of the intake; and Fore-street, after an imaginary existence during many years, is at last becoming a reality,—but principally through private enterprise. Still our drains in the same neighborhood are not all that we could have wished them to be, nor has Custom Housestreet rendered the adjoining properties pieasanter to reside on. Shortland Cr-esent hau suffered from an invasion of mosquitos in consequence, and the approaches to Queen steet wharf are highly perfumed Our Council, in their ambition for legislative honors, seem to have lost sight of their more legitimate municipal duties. Auckland might be made a most healthy and beautiful town. It. is not unhealthy at present, thanks we suppose to its climate; but we trust soon to see men in power who will not leave so important a matter to take <are of itself, Sanatary reform and stringent bye-laws for the city, piotection against fie and a good supply of water, are our great wants.

[From the New Zealander.)

Among the passengers by the Lord Worsley, theie are Colonel Warre C B. and*Beve al officers of the 57th regiment. Colonel Wane, we understand, has thrown up a very lucrative staff appointment in India, in order to take the field with his gallant, regiment, which he expects to join in the course of a few days.

More troops uiav be looked for shordy from India. I'he 64'h, (second Siaff'irdshire) which wt-re under ordets Crorn Bombay prior to tlio 57ih, are on their way down, and the 70.h (the Surrey) had received the route Iron) Bengal, and » as expected to sail from Calcutta not later Uiim

the tiislJji.(he present month. Tlie departing of-:the } depot, with the women and children of the 57th regiment from Poonah, was quite uncertain.

11. M. steam sloop Harrier, 17 ff'ms. Commander Si' Malcolm MacGregor Birt, sailed Irom Po.is<> omh for tins station on the 17th December:—Miranda, 15 aims, and Jason, corvette, 21 aims, 400 horsepower, a similar ship to Pelorus, would speedily follow. The . destination of" Desperate had hei jn altered to the West Indies. We have been informed that she followiug troops were ordered to emba k at G'avesend on board the African, which was to sail on the 3 d January last :—Lieutenants Hussell and Tragetf, 57<h Foot. D.A.C.G. Inness, 24 men, 12 women, and 12 child en,- Commissariat Staff; 2 men, Armourers Corps ; 5 eonductorsot the Royal Artillery; 2 store clerks; 1 purveyor's cleric; 1 surgpon.

By 'he latest accounts received in London from Bombay, ihe 57th Foot present to embalk for New Zealand consisted of 23 offi cers and 812 men. Thei'e had since arrived from England, per Clvrle, 3 officers and 80 men, besides which there were on the passage to Bombay, per auxiliary screw latamboul, which put into the Cape, under jury masts, on the 23rd October, 2 officers and 45 men. These detachments of'Js officers and 125 men were under orders 'o onme on to New Zea'and ; so that the 57'h will muster close upon 1000 bayonets when once concentrated in this colony.

The Government is taking active measures to send out troops and supplies to New Zealand. In addition to the Norwood, which sailed last month with a battery of Horse Artillery and six Armstrong guns, the ships African, Earl of Mar, and Kellie, are under orders to sail with a large quantity of miscellaneous stores in the cou se of a few days, and the Mersey, follows with a farther quantity. We are also given to understand that a considerable commissariat force will shortly be despatched.

Fatal Accident at Coromandel.—An accident resulting in the death by drowning, of Robert Austin, occurred on the 3rd February. From the evidence adduced before Mr. Preece, Coroner, it appears that the deceased ami James Sweeny, a sawyer, had started from Kapunga, in a small boat to fish. Neither was sober, and though Austin was requested to go in'o a boat belonging to a man named Parker he refused, and he and Sweeny remained in the punt to fish. Austin lost his balance, fell ove> board, but was pulled back into the boat by Sweeny. lie again persisted in standing up to fish, and the punt was capsized when Austin was drowned, Sweeny who clung to her bottom, being saved by Parker's boat.

Auckla?*d Lavd Association No. 4.— This Association Held its fifth half-yearly mnetino of shareholders on Friday evening 20tl. Feb. The President, M:. E. King, occupied the chair. The minutes of the last general meeting having been iead, the Secretary laid before the meeting the usual half-yea:ly accounts, and statement of the operations of the Society since its commencement in 1858. From these it appeared that 128 members had paid, on account of 858 shares of £20 each, ihe sum of £10.835 18s. 2d. The greater part, of this sum lepresented . weekly payments of 2s, per share, but £443 3s 8 i was put down as received rom other sources. Most, of this latier sum consisted of lees for en'ranee, and for transfer of shares? and of " fines " and " interest." Payments to the amount of £9,900 had been made to members out of the hinds of the Association, and upon these payments interest had accrued to the amount of £740 ss. 6L The interest paid or payable by -thp Association to membeis amounted to £671 10s. 81. Alter receiving the accounts, the meeting, proceeded to fill up vacancies among its officers. ■ Mr. W. Hobson and Mr. 11. White, junr, were unanimously elected, the former as auditor, and the latter as member of committee, in room of two officers, who had resigned. The following letter, addressed by William Thompson to ihe Chairman of the Wakato Committee, in reply to a_ request that he would attend and give evidence, is published in an appendix to the Report, of the Comtiiittee :— 'Salutations to you, the Chairman of the Governor's Runanga. ' I have received your letter which was written in October 1860, inviting me to com'- there. Here is a song :— Continue theo to strive in vain : I will not be wrenched asunder by you. I will maintain a bold front. Like a Maire tree of the forest. It was I t hat loosed you from this belt, And now you see the boundary between us. I am the centre of Raukawa. 'Friend what is the good of our taking after the evil has taken place? Had you written indeed when the evil was small, it would have been well, and I should have gone: but now that the evil has attained full growth, what :s the good ? Behold the kindling of fire; when it is little, it can be put, out, but alter it has spread it cannot be extinguished. In like manner, when the tide is low (the creek) can hv crossed, but when the tide is full, it cannot be crossed. So with the night; in the daytime men travel, bat they do not go about at night. Witness the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, John v. 9-10. ' You ask me to come and make known my thoughts beioie the Committee. M.eaiken. It any Chi': f goes before the Governor, .and names (speaks in favor of) the '■"Mima Maori" and, holding land — those are (he expresses) my opinions. These are the res! causes of the setting up of the Kmg. \\ you see any Chief whose words seem ha.d when ha visits the Governor, <)r "i the Pukeha or M:iori investigations, hi; is my friend. Or if yon see v Chief w ho talks of his own " Mana " I>sml1l> over his own piece of land, that thouuhi is mine.

11 have heard that Wi Maehe Te Ran-

gil<a eke and WaaJ.a iiukutai have beer oefo>e ihe Pakeha ilunanga, and have ex pressed their views before you. That is i' listen to them.- It was one ol'those though' that set up the Maori King. I catmo1 however, tell you ail the causes; they ai many. Enough. Let' the portion I eon* muuicaie to you be small, lilxplain, fe me what it is to do. One part 1 will tf you. The Gove nor's . thoughts are a sheep's Wo^i but inwardly a ravening wo at heart. Enough. From your slave, ' Willtam Thomson Te Waharoa. ' Ilorotiu, January 21, 18G1.' [We give the following account of at* extraordinary and unaccountable case o cruelty, and* feel gratified that the pri-soners-vveie commii ted for trial before th' Sup erne Court. What makes the mattci worse was, that toe poor girl's only naturae protector, her father, was absent in the service of his countsy and of every colonist othese islands, bravely fighting at Taranaki. The Maori tomahawk is mercy itself compared to the slow and studied tottures ol thb'se miscreants oi civilisation.] Monday, March 4. Ann Nicholson, being called, was brought into Court in an almost insensible state. The indictment charged the prisoner with violently assaulting a. child named Mary Ward, oi the^2oth of February, by brand'nii* h«r with a hol iron, having previously -tied her hands, to whirl) the prisoner pleaded Not Guiity. The nature of an oath having been explained to the child, she was sworn, when she stated that her name wns Mary Ward; that her father was an artilleryman and was gone to Taranaki; that when he went away, she was left with Mrs. Nicholson. She knew that the prisoner was married, and had often seen her husband; for a long tune he had beaten her dreadfully with a stick. Mrs. Nicholsorv had also beaten her with a thick piece of whalebone. The marks on her b.ek, hands and legs (which consisted of a series of scars, some of them two inches long) had been produced by the prisoner last-Wednesday week, when she burnt her with a hot iron :it was a poker. The prisoner first burnt her on her arms, and when she fell, burnt her on her legs and back, between the shoulders. Mr. Nicholson was at work at the time. The prisoner did this because the child could not say her lesson. The child did not tell anybody then, but when her bio!he' took her away out of the window, she toll Mrs. Con-oy. It was not the first time'she had been ill treated :—indeed she had beeu illtreated these nine mouths. She was nearly seven yeai s of age.

Miss Maria Vebir, being sworn, stated that she lived nest door to the Nicholsons' in SymonuV street. She heard the child making a low nioitiiing a.bout the middle of the day on Wednesday week. S lie did not see the child for several days after that. She had heard the child scream ing very often before. Oil that day (Wednesday week) she said to a friend in her house that she was afraid the child had been badly used.

Mrs. Emma Watson said that she was a widow residing in Svmonds-sfree.t. near the Nicholsons!. She had heard a great deal of screaming from the* child very often during the last six months, as if being beaten. In the beginning of November she spoke to the prisoner about it, who said: she must beat her to make her good. The prisoner afterwards called upon this witness, and told her that she should not be annoyed any more by the child's screaming, for that sl«e would "stop her mouth." Tlie witness had several times seen the child with a black eye, and marks across the back of her neck, as if beaten by a stick. L isfc Wednesday she observed the marks on the child's body which were there now. .

Cross-examined by the. prisoner: She did say that she would stop the child's mouth. Mrs. Sarah Catherine Conroy, being examined, stated that she was a married woman, living in Symotuls-s reet. An allotment divided her -.•■house from the one which had been occupied by the Nicholsons'. She had frequently heard screaming in the house, so frequently that she bat taken no •notice of it till Friday week. Last Thursday morning Mrs. Nicholson called her to the fence, when the wiiness said to her, "How could you hum the child so V' She said she was very sorry. Cross-examined: When she spoke to the prisoner some months ago, she (the witness) had said, j "No doubt it was right to correct the child, if it j was necessary, to nake her good." Dr. Philson, being sworn, said he was a surgeon, and that last Friday morning he was requested I)}' the Seijean't-Major of 'Police to examine the child, lie did so, and discovered several marks of cautery on htr back between, the shoulders, and on the arms and legs. The scars were not very drop, but be judged from the stale or" the scabs that the wounds had been inflicted about, ten days. Judging from the marks, he believed that the iron used was not quite red hot, but that they were done slowly, deliberately, and with intent to torture. The skin must have •iieen broken. He also discovered black arid blue marks about tbe child's hips. Cross-examined: Was quite sure the skin must have been broken. . Re-examined: The average length of the wounds was about two inches, and their breadth, quarter of an inch. He did not think the scars would ever be effaced. The" prisoner, being called upon to know whether she1 wished to nralce an}' statement, and having been'warned that anything she said niigbt.be used against her on her trial, said that' Mary Ward had been with her about twelve months, and had been a very naughty girl. It was not that .she could not s y her lessons, but she would not. The prisoner.had tried every means to correct her before beating her ; she bad wept over"-4i£r, and offered her every inducement' to try to make^ her good. On I lie day she was burnt her hands werXtied be hind her early in the uuMiing, because the child had torn her (the prisoner's) clothes. She had no thoughts' of applying ihe iron. She had been standing o\er her an hour, and trying to get her to learn her lef-son. It was a small iron, and not red-hot. Some of the marks the child got herself by running against the iron. She had nothing more to say, Imr was very sorry that she had ever u-ed such measures, it was not done out of cruelty. The Resident Magistrate- said that of all the cases of assault that had ever come before hife, this was the most outrageous and atrocious, and be should not attempt to deal with the case, but hand the prisoner over to a higher tribunal. She was committed to take her trial at the m'xt criminal session of the Supreme Court.

Tuesday, March 5. William Nicholson was placed at the bar. The indictment charged the prisoner with a violent assault on Mary. Ward, on the 17ih of February last, by cruelly beating her with a stick. To this charge the prison?r pleaded " Guilty." In order to give the Btnch some idea of the case, the I wo following witnesses were called :—

Dr Philson, who on oath, stated that he was a surgeon -residing in Auckland. He was desired by the Sc-)geant-i\l;ijui- of Police to examine the child now in Court on Friday last, lie did so, n'nd discovered black and blue uiseoiorations about, the hips, as it' from severe punishment. He, should think, judging from 1:1 m appearance of the bruises, that they were inflicted about ihe same time as the hums, bui whether before or after he could not be certain.

Mary Ward, on her oath, said that her father whs tin artilleryman at Tarmiaki, and that when lie went, tnviiy, she. was It-It in charge! of Mrs Nicholson : hut she did not know how long her fa I her had been gone Mr. Nicholson had often beaten her with a stick and a whalebone over he 4 back, legs and hands. Last Friday week he beat

i-r'\viti> a stick: it \vas alter site was ftuVtit ; and

, <> bruises on her body were caused by Mr; N -iholscn's beating her. She had her night-gown 6 when he beat her last Friday week; and the miks of the burns weie visible. _ -'■ The prisoner was again remanded, to give the Inspector time to bring some other instances Of •ruelty to the child against him.