LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 349, 25 June 1863, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Tlie Wanganui ancl Turakina : magistrates have forwarded to the Government a memoria 1 urging the necessity of at once, establishing constant direct communication between here and Taranaki. . "

An Honest Maori.—A correspondent informs us that an Adams five-chambered revolver was yesterday placed in the hands of Mr. Shields, of the Wangaehu, fey Henare Tahau, the supposed original of “ Parnapa,” in “ Malioe Leaves.” The pistol was picked up by him somewhere on the No. 2 line. Our informant suggests that some recognition ought to be made of an act of loyalty and honesty on the part of a Maori, as a set-off against much of another kind at present the fashion with the natives. >

Oim Trade.—lt is highly gratifying to notice the increasing number and size, of the vessels especially steamers now engaged in the cattle trade, of this Port ; and no doubt this increase will become greater as the easiness of access and security of our river, and its facilities for shipment, become better known. In addition to this coastwise trade; we understand that it is contemplated sending the coming season’s wool clip home direct, the vessel returning to this port; it is hot expected the ■freight home will much exceed the present cost to Wellington, and on the inward cargo a great saving will also be .effected. . . : 'On Monday : Evening G, F. Allen E.:q., delivered a Lecture.. at the School-room of the English Qhurcli,on “ Eoads and Railroads,, and those who travel by them.” The illustrations were well selected and the descriptions extremely graphic'. Ah accouut of a journey from

London tolEpsom'))y>Ml'lffofded''miuih amusement ; and the juvehiles present were ; -highly delighted by-.aimodel-of- a locomotive propelled by clockwork., .-.The proceeds. go towards the fund for forming a library in connection with the Temperapce Society,, • • A : hra\Vl3 >cciii*red tin Thfesday• Even jug on th e beach bet Weeh 1 a'soldier - and a -native in whielf thedatter’s head : was"cutdj)S}i With a-stick; .Tlnff soldier escaped. . The Natives. —The concluding item of native news in our. last, though‘.much doubted at the time, proved quite correct. .. After the refusal of Mr. White and the Pit tiki chiefs to attend the Kaiwaiki. meeting, th® venue, was changed to Pipiriki, so.asrto have,the meeting simultaneously with the mourning for Hori and his l companions.. Of course there was great lamentation ; aud some of the, widows worked them selves ,up to such a, pitch of excitement that they were . with difficulty restrained from committing suicide. .Revenge was of course demanded ; but as the whole blame of the affair —in first leading Hori into the scrape, and then deserting him at the moment of danger—was ascribed to the Tai anakis, the vengeance of the ‘ meeting was declared against that tribe. Hence arose tlie order to the Wanganuis to return from the scene of the conflict ; which order was backed by. a further letter sent off ou Monday by. a number of the chiefs,, and of which Epiha’s son was the bearer, Mr. White re f us iug to let-any of the men go with it. All the Wanganui natives .’froniVAromoho upwards are now clamouring tu be allowed to go and revenge tkemselyes-,; - but to this Mr. White'''"refuses, his sanction. To Euro--peans suspicion on-its ‘ facbv ’yet'fffs quite dn'apbqrdaiice with native usages. -A-casS’occurred some years ago ’in the north, when a tribe 'whicli had gone to the assistance of Another was nearly exterminated by the latter as soon as.their joint war was ended, ’oh the plea 'that they had not rendered such assistance as had been exjiected of them.

;: Letters havebeen received from T’ataraimaka .this week. All Was quiet. as between the troops and .natives, but the latter were quarrelling among themselves, and the Wanganui's had declared- their intention to return home. It appears that an ’understanding was pome to that any person approaching • either of the pahs after sunset, should be challenged, and failing a reply fired on ; but by some mistake sixteen Ngaraurii; who went to visit Taliana’s pah, were fired ,on without any challenge'at all, and at once, made-tracks for home This led to a row, which, coining on the back of the short commons, and the desertion of the Taranakis, seenis 'to have disgusted the Wanganui men -with the whole affair.- 1 -Nothing hut the wish to avenge Hori seemed to detain them.atTatarainiaka : and. when .they learn the determination of the Pipiriki meeting, that, this vengeance ouglit’to bertakeii off the .Taranakis they will probably return at bimel’■ A meeting is to be held at Kaiwaiki ; on Friday next to discuss this matter further.; and the natives declare that if they so fai- yield to Mr. White as to let the affair stand: oyer till the Governor lias done with theTarahakis. tlie'y -Will-then go and exterminate the latter and seize their land. It is reported that the native;position-at,Paiaka Malioe where Hori was killed, has .-been reoeeupied by 700 Maories distributed as follows—3oo Wanganui men in the redoubt where he fell, and which ;they seem to have-pledged themselves to hold in his memory or die ;. 200 more of different tribes, iu another .redoubt on the spur by whichMajor Logan and his men ascended . the hill; and 200 more in a third redoubt placed so as to support both-the others. It is further stated that a double line of; deep . trenches surrounds the, whole position. It is reported amongst them that the Governor has;determined that there is to be no fighting during this war except on the 4tli of each.month ; if they think themselves strong enough they will be able to plant tlieif ambus-cades-beforehand on the look out; if otherwise, they will decamp to the bush till the time and danger are.passed. , . .. . , The Kingifce -gate off the Waitotara road is removed. 'WhemHore Tiptiie and Horni heard of the exertions made by Rio (whom they regard.as;a renegade), to put it dowm; they sent word that nothing was to be conceded to him, but that if Mr. White and Hori Kiugi insisted the gate was’ to' be taken down out of regard for them. ■

Several, letters received Wanganui this week, had on,the. envelopes a sort of stamp to denote their Kingite. official character. It consists 1 of afrircle surrounded by tlie name of Matutaera,; and 1 a 1 grotesq uc head sum minted by a single: talL feather. , This last, which may be regarded as.a.crest, is supposed to represent Tapaue, the man from whom tlie Waikato tribe ■but more particularly Potatau’s family, take 3 it’s origin’.' LETTERS ?TO 1 THE EDITOR. ~ . "West Coast, June 20tli, 1863. Sir, —I. dont of course pretend to know t who it is that supplies your column of Native Intelligence. ‘ He, doubtless, has no intentions of. Receiving your, readers; but lie should remember that the value of his information depends very much on its accuracy., .. , - ' In the paragraph, headed “ Tlie Natives,” in yourlast issue, there are several As y.our - local ; informant has probably been “ gulled” by. the Wanganui deputation on their return from the Otaki, meeting, it may be as well to state that the little story of the flax line and the 370 wlio passed over it, in expression of their desire to go to Taranaki, is altogether a myth ; that the Kingite chief Epiha, who is represented in your former issue as having “made a formal submission to tlie Queen’s authority” after the gunpowder seizure and .left his two sons at Piitiki as hostages, passed down this Coast; in full Kingite character, and that Iris speech at the Otaki meeting manifested anything but a disposition to “submit,” that the letter?tlie (good) “old man” Pohi wrote to the Ngatiraukawa chiefs was a tissue of falsehood about - tlie • lat.e- encounter ! at Taranaki, stating the result at 140. soldiers killed and only 24 maories, and crowing over tlie fact that “ the rifles,' to tlie number of 140, are now piled up-in Talianas prison house.” ! ! If- your informant has. any knowledge of Maori character, he should be careful not to iiccfepi;"for Gospel everything that the -quasirepentant Rio and Epiha may tell him. ■ - l am. &c. .••.On® 1 or Your.’ Readers. .

[Had we, as the:writer of the above letter assumes, rmule incorrect statenicuts in consequence of.,.information from Epiha, and had there been, as our correspondent’s letter would imply, a substitution’ of one letter of Pehi’s for another ; of a totally, different character, our giving the intelligence as we received it would have done good, by leading to the exposure of a gross piece of deceit practiced on the authorities and settlers here. Our statements however, were not gathered from Epiha alone, but his account of, the meeting, and particularly the part respecting the flax string and the number who stepped over it; was confirmed in his absence, and separately, by one of Mr. Buller’a assessors and by Komene, a Ngatiawa native closely connected, we believe with the Rev. Riwai te Abu? of Otaki. A comparison of dates -disproves the latter part of our correspondent’s letter, as, Pehi’s was written on the sth, and he went away up the riyer next day,; the news of the engagement only reached here oh the afternoon of the Bth. AVe know quite enough of Native character to he careful not to state anything from, them as a' fact until corroborated by ■Some.-independent testimony.] [The following,is a translation of a native letter, b’y a Rangit'ikei native, which we have been requested to publish.] •' This is aii answer to the words |or Ngatiraukawa. 1 1 ’ Pakcha .aml Maori friends, listen ! Eo not

be blinded by the words that William lias sent to the Pakeha'newspapers. His words tbat I have stopped-.-the road because of my angry stomach about the land i 3 false. No ; my rea.soii for shutting the road is, that guns may not bej brandished before the eyes of my Pakel a Me lids at Ilangitikei, Tui'akina, and Wanga%hu.‘ Who knows your thoughts,-William ? [I know them, because lam a Maori. When a .Maoiipwar pai’ty went of old, it overthrew, des* tr<lyed, stole, and did many other evil deeds by the.way. Yours is a war party for Tatarainfaka, and hence lamon my guard. The matter, ■ hOAvever, rests with the Governor. Ihakara Tokonui- claims the right to let Ilangitikei. The right to say whether the Pakehas shall'go or stay belongs not to him, but to the chiefs whose names are on the leases. If trouble arises on this land, the leases will be at an end. Wait ; the consideration is long. As for the .speech about the killing of me and Ngatiapahy Ngatiraukawa ; Pakelia and Maori friends, it is false. Friend William, 500 of mine were not killed by you Ngatiraukawa. How many of 'my chiefs are gone by your means ? Speak trulytell tlie Pakehas and Maories. Your sin: id'telling lies is great.

: If. 1 had been taken .by him as a slave on to liis land, my land would also have gone through him, ail'd I would then have said his words were true.:; This 1 is the 'speech of Ngatiraukawa, ‘‘.Let the Pakehas know that the iand of Ngatiapa is liis.” But know tlie acts of the man who thrust him from Maungatautari hither. These same Waikato Ngatiinaniapoto now urge the Ngatiraukawa to return to Maungatautari. Now do you inquire, Is this speech i-iglit ? is tips', speech true ?. Perhaps not- ’Some have returned to Waikato. These remain, and are stealing my land till it is all consumed. Then they will go too. From me, ... From Kawana Ilunia te Hakeke.