New Caledonia.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3087, 9 January 1879, Page 3

New Caledonia.

A correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes:— Noumea, December 16.—Since the sailing of the Sea Nymph yesterday morning, passing tbe Gunjja mail steamer as she entered the heads, the following incident, illustrative of tiie instinct of the natives of New Caledonia, was related to mo by thp proprietor of the station on which it occurred. The place in queition is in the Koue district, close to the scene of the latest outbreak. The chief Cattelier, of the neighbouring tribe, named Tamao, had Undertaken to protect my informant's property. One day a smoke was observed mounting from a valley some miles away. The chief Cattelier summoned his men, to the number of nearly 200, the tribe being a powerful one,.and started with the intention of surrounding the spot. Gradually they narrowed their circle in their own wily manner, and in due time came upon • smaU^ group of fifteen men of the rebel tribe Ounoua, seated around a huge fire, on wh^ was a well roasted bullock. . The 1$ Ounoua rebels were killed. The roasted bullock was put on one' side, and the 15 dead blacks took ita place. More logs were piled on the fire. Tho expectant Tamao warriors waited patiently the necessary time, and they ate their dead enemies, and returned to their homes rejoicing. : The roasted bullock proved a complete waste,: owing to the decided preference shown by the men of Timao for baked human bodies.

December 22.—News. has.arrived that Naounbo, the chief of tne* Menifoo tribe at Bourail. has offered to surrender, with 150 of his fighting men, if their li»es .will be sparedi Naoanoo is one of the most important heads of the revolt. It was he who'niie evening! within speak'ng distance, but, hidden by the darkness, taunted the officer sent in search of him, saying he and his men wr»u!d fight to the death, chose every white man out of the country, except sach as they ate, which fate he especially reserved for the Commandant of Bo.urail, upon whose liver he said he would enjoy himself. . . This conversation ' wag carried on in good French, interspersed with laughs of derision at the chance shots fired at him in the dark, but which were spent upon the hard rocks behind which Naounoo was amusing himself. The rebels' game is evidently now deemed a losing one by themselves, though how Ions; it will take, in order to clear tho country of them, 'tis as yet hard to ■urmise with correctness. One thing is i tolerably certain, that if a severe lesson is not dealt by the Government to the Datives who have been in insurrection, the effect upon the other tribes will be very bad indeed, especially in view of the immense amount of injury they have been able to inflict upon the whites, when but a small part of the blacks rose against them; and of the length of time which these few tribes have remained hurling defiance at the authorities. In a few days just six months will have passed since the commencement of the outbreak, the gensdarmea having been massacred on the 24t^ of June. -••'■.•■■