THE CHATHAM ISLANDS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1543, 17 August 1886, Page 1

THE CHATHAM ISLANDS.

i’he, s.B. Stella. reached Wellington at nine p.m. last Friday from the/ Chathapi Islands, where she has been to look for the missing schooner she fdhnd safely anchored in in the sailing of the Omaha has been caused by unfavorable weather. * * "■ 1 ■'t- . - The-arrival ofthe “Stella atr Ghathaih Islands caused muph excitement amongst tire Islanders, as they had had no nuuj since and', whit was worse, were redncedJto their last bag of flour. When the news spread that the steamer. ,had brought ten tons of flour there was great rejoicing 1 in most households. The Resident Magistrate’s family were ieating their last loaf, and the hotel had only three days’ supply left. The Stella had also another mission to serve after finding the Omaha in safety, and landing the welcome stores, >(z., to make inveftigatioh in connectibn 'witlf fife Alaska smuggling case. A Custom-house officer went; down with her to'Pitt Tslahd armed with a search warrant against the; Messrs Huht. These gentlemen had no'?" warning .what was ,in ato're for-them, and had no riheank of Showing' that'* Captain Fisher* of the Alaska, had been convicted, so that when their house was - searched,; » goodly supply of f irm and 'tobaCestf ,- wm found which had never paid duty to the New Zealand Government. Mr W. Hunt, was-,conveyed back to the Chatham* and brought before the Resident 'He confessed the fact of the smuggling, and was fined £IOO.

A mpng the passengers from the Chat* hams the Stella brings the Rer. Mr Wyatt, of Oust, Canterbury. By the in* struction of his Bishop he went down in April to make the usual visitation, expecting co return to his own parish in the course jof six or eight weeks, instead of which lie has been a prisoner on the islands for fifteen weeks. More than htflf of this period was spent on Pitt’s Island, where be and the census collector, owing to squally weather, were imprisoned for eight weeks. The census collector’s case was a hard one. As the total population of Pitt’s Island is only jthktejnr persons, he found more than anT^fe ’• timefaro down every particular cbncermiig them.