LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 343, 14 May 1863, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT,

Wanganui,

May I.—Alex. W illiamson v Win. Steward. Debt, £3 5 9. Judgment confessed for 31 0 9 and costs.

May 6, J. McDermot alias John Coleban, who confessed to being a deserter Irom H. M 70th regt ; feloniously, cutting and wounding a horse. Committed for trial at the Supreme Court. May 7, James Connor v JMcFadden. Debt, A'6 18 0. Dismissed. May 8, G. Roberts vE. Miles. Debt, i-40 11 1. Judgment by default with costs. Jas. Caulkin behaving in a manner likely to lead to a breach of the peace. Fined 10s.

May 9tli, Horopapora, drunkenness, Fined ss.

May 11, Timothy Connell. Desertion Handed over to military authorities.

12, Chas. Fisher, clvunkeness. Fined ss. John Danderson, do. Reprimaded. Tlios. Kelly, deserting from H. M. 14th. regt. Handed over to military authorities.

The following cases were tried before J. M bite, Esq. R. M. and the Native Assessors at the various courts lately held up the Wanganui River : Parikino. —April 13. Heta Taura v Ratana Punipuni Cattle trespass. Judgment for plaintiff, damages 1/ 10s and costs.

14th. Piripi Koeka v Ratana Punipuni. Cattle trespass. Judgment for plaintiff, damages 12s and costs. 1 Karatia. —April 16. Reiliana Kauki v Manihera Tamiwhakarraoa. Payment for timber sawn by plaintiff while insructing defendant in the sawyes’s art. Judgment for plaintiff, 31 and costs- Ilipora Horahia * Katarina Maura. Defamatory accusations. Case dismissed with costs. Erina Horahia v Pekamu Te Rata, value of pig killed by the defendant. Judgment for plaintiff 11 10s and costs. 17th. Tahana Rukuwai v ITuka and Harihona. Pig trespass. Judgment for plaintiff, damages 5s and costs. Rania Pakihiwi v Hori 1 ikiiau. Value of a coat apparently borrowed and then kept by the defendant. Case deferred for further evidence.

Ranana.— April 20 Wiremu Te Pewa v Tame W hakakeha and Hira Haruru. Value of timber cut by plaintiff while being taualit to saw by defendant. li. this oase it appeared, that it was at first agreed that the timber cut by the plaintiff ancl others was to be taken as payment for their instruction in sawing, hut defendant having afterw2rds claimed and received payment in cash for his teaching, his pupils in turn demanded payment for their work. The plaintiff, a Kingite of no mean pretensions and bearing, had already got a judgment for 6/ from a Maori Runanga; but themoney not having been paid, he proceeded iu the Native Magistrates’s court. Judgment for plaintiff, 21 10s and costs. Iv auwaeroa. —A pril 21. Eruini Patara v Inaha Matau. Value of pig killed by defendant by mistake for one of his own. This case bad also been before a maori runanga, which gave a verdict for 21. Judgment for plaintiff 21 and costs—the 21 to be paid in equal shares by the defendant and three other nativrs concerned in the killing of the pig. Meteria Rimupanga v Arapeta te Nau. Cattle trespsss. Judgment for plaintiff, damages 13s and costs. A witness in this case was a Kingite in a sort of uniform with a badge in white silk on the right arm. Harawira te Koru v Marino Taukapu Value of pig killed by defendant. Judgment fer plaintiff, 51 and costs. This case had also been tried by a native runanga with the same result. 22d. Ateria tetua v Weretini Ngoio ; assault. Judgment for plaintiff 51 and costs- llie defendant in this case had savagely beaten his wife on suspicion of infidelity. 24th. Petera Mohira v Kiri HemataBalance of debt 10s. Judgment for plaintiff with costs. Hoani Rangitapu v Watene whero. Value of a cow, said on the one side to have been sold, and on the other to have been given as a wedding gift. Judgment for defendant, plaintiff paying costs.

CIVIL COMMISSIONERS COURT

Parikino. —April |O. Hakaria v Keruihi. Disputed ownership of land, arising out of some change of boundaries.. It was decided that Keruihi had no claim to the land, but that Makaraia should give half to one Renata who had some interest in the land —Bakaraia was to do this as a penalty %’ having taken the law into his own hands, and knocked down Keruihi. Kauwaeroa. —-April 22. Harawira te Ranui v W iripini, Heremia, and Hone. Disputed ownership of laud at Kauwaero, said to be less than an acre in extent. The decision was for the defendants, being to the effect, that as the land formerly belonged to Hinehou and Riiru, Tiinehou’s descendants, Harawira and Hone, should have Hineliou’s poi'tion, and Ruru’s descendants, Wiripini and Heremia, should have Ruru’s portion. In the above report it will be seen that the cases tried before Mr. White as Resident Magistrate were of the ordinary type of native cases, the most noticeable feature being the recognition of the authority of the new courts by professed Kingites. In some cases this has evidently arisen from there being no means of enforcing the decisions of the native

courts, and if those of Mr. White and his assessors can be carried into effect, a great step will have been gained in pro-ving-the superiority of the Queen’s courts over those of the so-called Maori King. In every one of the cases above reported Mr. White lias effected this, bv preven ting the parties from leaving the Court until money was . either paid or a satisfactory security given for it. The cases in the Civil Commissioner’s Court are interesting, not only as. being the first- - fruits in Wanganui of the new system of adjudicating native. land disputes by courts under European Magistrates, but .as illustrating the difficulty of arriving at any clear understanding of the merits of such cases. In both the dispute has arisen from some native being allowed to cultivate land belonging to others, and an assertion being afterwards made by him or liis descendants that he had cultivated in right of being owner or pqrt owner of the land. The evidence, which unfortunately is too lengthy and complicated for insertion in our columns, was of course based almost entirely on the descent of the claimants, and was of most conflicting character, as might naturally be expected in genealogies handed down orally from generation ,to - generation. Possibly so long as.the natives; adhered to their custom of publicly,reciting the genealogies of the tribe at frequent intervals as a sort of religious duty, the order of succession was handled down with tolerable correctness ; but, since this custom lias fallen into disuse, and no written records have been substituted for it, of course great confusion has arisen, consequently, we find that nearly every witness gives either an entirely new genealogy, or makes considerable variations in a preceding one. Fathers and sons change places iti the different lists, and those -who- in one list appear as father and son, are, found- in another seperated by several other links in the genealogical chain. One witness seemed by.no means clear as to which of two individuals lie named was his,grandfather, and which liis great grandfather ; and of course when doubt exists iu so recent a portion of the chain it attaches still more strongly to the remoter links of a tew centuries back. One witness evidently sought ,to render liis evidence final ancl conclusive by giving not only the list of his ancestors but also the name of their canoe, and even of the. pot in which they kept the oil to smear their bodies with before going to I'ccitothe genealogy in the jWharekura. Another, when asked respecting his opponents genealogy, said that “. he could give if lie choose butwould rather liis opponent should do it for himself.” In fact, while it is very difficult to discover any tangible principle on which the Court’s decisions were based, it is evidently a matter of the utmost importance that the native laud claims should, as speedily as possible, be placed on a tangible basis of survey and writing and that, till this is done, there is great risk iu purchasing or renting native laud.

The Native Lands Act, passed by the Geneaal Assembly latt year, if it has been sanctioned by J’tlie ■ Home Government, will have done more towards settling native laud questions, by rendering the proofs of title necessary as a preLminary of sale oivleasing,.than probably any other measure that bould have been clevsed ; and its framers deserve the thanks, of all iu the colony for having made it the Maori’s interest to secure a legal basis for liis land claims, and in so doing, lessen the danger ai’ising to the colony from the purchase of land of which the ownership is disputed.

The Natives.— The following letter from Pelu Turoa, (one of the principal chiefs on the river) to the Wanganui settlers, has been handed us for publication by Mr. Chas. Broughton, who arrived here last evening from a meeting at Raurikia, on the Wanganui Liver, at which were present about 800 natives : Raurikia, 12th Meihi, 1863.

Haere ra e talcu leta kite taone ki nga pakeha katoa. Ehoa ma he kupu atu teuei naku kia koutou. Kei mahara koutou tenei he wawai mo to tatou awa, ara mo Wanganui. Kanaka e wliakaweliia nga pakeha e noho ana ki runga i o ratou wlienua, wailio kia noho ana. Ki te hiahia nga pakeha kite wawai me haere ki Taranaki wawai, ai a lea hiahia nga maori kite jwawai me haere hold ratou kei reira, heotiano taku kupu, kia kotou, me noho mariri koutou i runga i o koutou wlienua, ekore ltoki i ngaro te tikanga mo te wawai ki Wanganui i aliau, kei maharo goutou kite kororo ote tangata haere atu, kaliore, engari ki a hau te tikanga. Heotiano taku korero kia koutou, he aha koa kei te ngaro atu tetalii iwi me tona whakaaro, kei aliau te tikanga, kei ahau te ritenga mo nga xnahi katoa. Heotiano, Naku, na Pehi Turoa. I panuitia tenei pukapuka kite aroaro o nga Rangatira katoa o Wanganui, o Ngatiraukawa,' o Ngatikahungunu, o Ngarauru, i te whakaminenga i Raurikia, i te 13, o nga ra o Mei, 18G3. Ko nga kai whakatika o tenei pukapuka Ko, Tare Paraotoue. Epiha Turoa, Aperaliama te Huruhuru, Noha te Rauhihi, Karaitiana, Haimona Hiroti, .:. c „ Aperaniko, . ; I-loliepa Arapeta Turoa, Hori Kingi, Te Mawae, Mete Kingi, , Iloani liipango.

[Translation.] ■ Baaurikia, May 12, 1863. : Go tliis my letter to the town and all the pakehas. Friends this is my word to you. Don’t think there will be any fighting in this our river, viz. Wanganui Do not let the settlers living on their lands be frightened, let them remain where they are. If the pakehas wrnt to figlty let them go to Taranaki and fight, and if the maories want to fight, let them go there also—-this is all my word, do you remain quietly on your own lands. The decision of making Avar at Wanganui will not be unknown to me. Don’t pay attention to the wotds of people passing your way—the whole matter rests with me. This is all I have to say, although other tribes are absent and their thoughts unknown, the decision remains with me, and the determination of what is to be done ’’ 3 his is all, From me, ... From Pehi Turoa, This letter was read befdte all the Chiefs of Wandganui, llangitikei, Ahurir, and Waitotara, cssembled at Raurikia on Wednesday, the 13th May, 1863.

Witnesses, , C..W. Broughton, Epiha, Tuton, Aperahama te TTurnhuru, Noha te Rauhihu, Koraitiana, ITaimona Fliroti, Aperonika, Ploliepa, Aropeta Turoa, llori Kingi, Te Mawae, Mete Kingi, lloani Hipango. Military Changes.— The Army and IS avy Gazette says that General Cameron, will probably be appointed to the command of the camp at Aldershot. The 'Australian command is to be a Major General (not yet appointed) in New Zealand, with a Brigadier General in Melbourne. Colonel Chute, of the 70th is to go to Melbourne. It will be a sad day for this Colony when General Cameron, leaves it. Western Ragitikei Literary Association. —The usual Monthly Lecture in connexion with this Society was delivered in the Church on Monday, the 4th instant, by William Fox, Esq. M.H.R., The subject being <£ Shipwrecks.” The Lecturer, after referring to some of the most important shipwrecks that had occurred on the coast of New Zealand and elsewhere, proceeded to explain the probable causes of, and the means used for prevention of similar disasters. The Lecture was well attended, and at the close a vote of thanks was unanimously presented to the Lecturer. • '