LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 362, 24 September 1863, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Every tiling still remains quiet as far ns the V' anganui natives are concerned, and several others of the leading hapns on the river are proposing to send addresses and guns to the (>overnor in tesimony ol’their loyalty, Topia still de-

chires that he will allow no fighting to take place here, and the Kaninihi natives, who have been hitherto among the foremost of the Kingite party, are applying to be admitted into the number of her Majesty's loyal subjects. We understand, however, that the Native Magistrate requires that, as they have taken an active part in the war, they shall prove the sincerity of their present advances by surrendering their arms, or some of them, and that they are likely to comply with the demand. An attempt has been made by Hamarama and two or three others at Tataraimaka to sow suspicion among the Putiki and other friendly natives, by a letter representing that the insurgent Maories had surrounded one of the stockades at Taranaki, and that the authorities there had imprisoned the whole of the friendly natives, to the number of a hundred. Ihe move, howevei*, was not only disgusted the more respectable of the Kingite natives here, several of whose leading men, on hearing of the letter, at once came into town and denounced it as a tissue of falsenood

In consequence of the detention of tne calves by the Waitotara natives Mr. White put a stop to the trade between the offenders and the. town. This led to disputing among the natives themselves on the subject, and the cattle were brought in in consequence on Saturday. On their arrival it was found that they had been branded as an assertion of the Maori King authority. ; and Mr. White has therefoi'e demanded that a fine should be paid by the natives for this act, leaving the question of th. asserted damage to a wheat stack to be adjudicated in the ordinary coui-se. A remarkable instance of the vitality of the lower classes of animals has recently been noticed in Wanganui. . Mr. Lyon, grocer, in unpacking a quantity of Barcelona nuts, obsei'ved among them an object about in. in diameter, which on inspection proved to be a snail.. Suppos ing it to be of course dead he laid it aside, and was presently astonished to see it crawling. On being supplied with food and water it fed ravenously, and has since been kept alive as a curiosity. It is not an English snail, so that there can be no doubc it must have got among the nuts before they were shipped from Spain, and have existed without its natural food, and certainly without water, during the eight or ten months occupied in the passages between Spain, England, and New Zealand.

The Lady Bird we are advised is to leave Wellington for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki and Manukau on Tuesday the 29th Instant.

The following rare yarn is in circulation among the natives, —Auckland has been sasked, aud 3,000 Pakelias killed. The Governor is on board a steamer 5 miles out at sea, and begging for peace, which the Maories will not make on any terms We have learned the following interesting facts from the Leader (Melbourne Paper) of the 22ud ult —“ The natives of Wanganui have attacked the settlers in that neighbourhood ; but the volunteers promptly repulsed them, and checked the outrages they were committing.”

THE COMMON SCHOOL. The annual meeting of the Wanganui Common School Association was lield on Mouday evening, the 21st inst, at Mr. Hackett’s long room. 'I he attendance was not so large as we could have wished; and we regret the committee did not insert in their notice the word “ rate ” or “ tax,” which lias on all occasions, when used in connection with this establishment, drawn out the public to a man, not excepting tlie clergy and beads of firms, who otherwise seldom give their countenance to any of its proceedings. However, notwithstanding the small attendance, the business was got through very satisfactorily. The following gentlemen were elected a committee for the ensuing year, namely—Messrs. Alexander, Bett, Bell, Catliro, Handley, Hackett, and W. Watt, treasurer. We are pleased to see the names of the committee, and should think they will give the necessary attention to the progress of the institution, as we believe that, notwithstanding the favourable report of the last committee, there is still room for improvement, and we should be sorry to see this school not kept on at least a par with the others in town ; although we must say that, taking the Government aid it receives into account, it ought to take the lead. A subscription list was opened, and £l2 16s subscribed. The following is the annual report, which is worth the perusal of parents and guardians.

Eighth Annual Report of the AVan-

ganui Common School Committee. To the Members of the Association, — Gentlemen, —Our term of office to which you appointed us last year having expired, we now beg to lay before you a report of the general working of the Common School of Wanganui during that period. We are glad to be able to corroborate all that was expressed by your committee in tlieir report to you last year relative to the progress the School had made during the then short period that Mr. McMiim had been in charge. It is unnecessary for us, we tlilnk, to go into detail with regard to the continued success the school has attained, further than state the fact that the total number at present on the roll of pupils, and the daily average attendance, has been increased by nearly 50 per cent ; it is very gratifying to j T our committee to report such a result, and at the same time to have the assurance of many of the parents of the general progress tlieir children are making in the several branches taught at the school. The total number on the roll of pupils is 68—namely, 57 boys and 11 girls ; average daily attendance for the last six months 49, and for the last

three months the average has been about Your Committee suggested, in their report of last year, the desirableness of raising the standard of the school with regard to the higher brandies of cducacation being taught, and held out a chance of a Latin class being formed ; this has been only partially successful, and we regret stating that parents have not availed themselves of the opportunity thus held out to them, although it has, at several times been brought under their notice by the teacher. It is to be.hoped that the committee you elect for the ensuing vear will be able to repoit moie favourably at next annual meeting, and we are sure that the teachci will do everything in his power to carry out what is requisite in regard to this desiied object being obtained, and also for the general advancement of the school by making it an institution equal to any in the Province for securing a general sound education. . .

Your committee would beg to suggest to the members of the association and the committee about to be elected, that if the pupils increase at the same ratio as during the past year, it will be a matter for consideration whether it will not oe necessary to have the services of an efficient assistant to the present teacher, your committee throw this out merely as a suggestion, although they may express it as their opinion that the number presently in daily attendance is quite sufficient for one person to give his attention to with advantage. The recent gale of wind having damaged the school house, has caused an additional expenditure this year oi 12/odd ; this amount would have been even greater had it not been for a few tradesmen, who kindly gave part of their services gratis in reinstating the school room on its former site ; this and the amount assessed upon the school grounds for the \ ictoriaavenue drain, 16/ sterling, renders it still necessary for us to appeal to the public for a continuation of that liberality which has been so readily bestowed on this institution, at the same time we are happy to say that no immediate call is necessary until the usual time for collecting the annual subse.tiptions, when we trust these unexpected charges w r e have been called upon to meet will receive your kind consideration, more especially as the Government liave sfcill further-retlucetl t-licii contribution towards the payment of the teacher’s salary. In conclusion, we hope the public at large will still continue their determination to maintaiu this rising institution, and increase its usefulness as the li people’s ” school, until the time arrives when it will be self-supporting. "We have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, Your most obdt. servants, W. 11. Watt, Treasurer and Secretary pro tern.

RANGITIKI. The inquest on the late Mr. Rayner is again adjourned. AVe learn that the settlers are subscribing for a reward to be offered in addition to that from the Govarnment; and that a detective policeman has been engaged to examine into the affair. From the evidence given at the inquest there can be little doubt that the murder was committed between ten and eleven o’clock on the Friday morning, as two persons who were at Capt. Daniell s at that time, heard three shots fired in quick succession on Mr. Rayner s premises, and supposed him to be firing at a dog or practising with his revolver. About twenty witnesses have been examined.

Maori Ingenuity. —The New Zealander has the following :—“A native woman entered Mr. ITassan’s boot and shoe establishment in Shoriland street, yesterday, and offered a sovereign for about a shillings worth of what are technically termed by the trade “ eyelets.” Suspecting something wrong fiom the extravagance of the offer, Mr. Hassan refused to her have them, and on enquiry ascertained that on the head ot a lucifer being inserted, they formed a perfect substitute for percussion caps. The fact was made known by Mr. Hassan to some of the authorities, who were utteily •ncreclulous until some of them were exploded in their presence. NELSON. Three Waikato natives named Wiremu te Rekereke, Tamihaua, and Poliavama Tohekore who had been for some weeks engaged in inciting the Maories at Collingwood and on tlie West Coast to disaffection had been arrested on a charge of treason and wore to be sent to Auckland for trial. Thirty men had left Nelson as volunteers for the Colonial Defence Corps. News had arrived from the Buller that two men in prospecting had turned out 103 oz. of gold in a few hours from one hole and that two others had got 70 oz. in a fortnight. A 35 oz. nugget had also been found at the Lyell. A Brigantine of 240 tons called the Delaware had been totally wiecked in Wakapualca bay about 15 miles from Nelson. The following particulars are from the Examiner, of the Bth inst : The brigantine Delaivare left Nelson harbor for Napier on the morning of Thursday September 3rd, at eleven o’clock, having eleven persons persons on board one of whom was a passenger named Henry L Skeet. The morning WlUi fine, but, as the wind was not favourable, tlie Delaware bad to beat out of the bay. With night came a fearful gale, and utter darkness. Hie Captain .tried, but in vain, to mrke out the Nelson

light,so that he could be enabled to run to a safe auchorage. He continued tacking his vessel, and sounding until break of day, when he perceived that he was off Wakapuaka Bay, the wind then blowing violently in shore. GVtptain Baldwin endeavoured to weather Pepin’s Island, iir order that he might run to a safe anchorage ; failing in this endeavour, he next attempted to pass round the Croixelles, but his efforts were fruitless. In these attempts the jibs was carried away. Finding that his vessel had been blown farther on shore, the Captain ordered an anchor to be let go ; this was in thirteen fathoms of water. AA hen ninety fathoms of cliain had run out, the patent windlass gave way ; the second anchor was then immediately dropped, and this held on for some time, but Captain Baldwin, seeing that no hope existed of getting his vessel clear of the shore, and feeling assured that in the tremendous sea. which was rolling it was imposible for the anchor to hold, he determined on beaching the vessel in order to save her being carried broadside on. In doing this there was but the smallest possible choice as to the part of the beach on vdiich he would run, though he strove hard and manfully to reach a small spot less rough than the surrounding rocks ; in this he failed ; he then determined on running her stem on, this being the - only prefer-

able chance that was left. The Delaware first struck the rocks at about twenty minutes to nine o’clock on Friday morning, being then some 120 yards from the shore, and the tide making. After the J vessel had struck the mate, who was a good swimmer, volunteered to attempt reaching the rocks with a rope round his body. -The attempt was fruitless and disastrous, for by it he undoubtedly received the serious injury which led to his being left on board the ill fated vessel, i Lifebuoys were thrown to him, aud fail- j ing to catch them he was hauled on board again, but was then apparently dead. Even in their then perilous condition those on board used every effort in attempting to restore animation by rubbing he. He at length spoke, but again relapsed, and, being apparently lifeless, was taken forward and placed in the house on deck. At this moment Maories were seen running towards the vessel, and, on their arrival opposite where the Delaware was fast on the rocks, they plunged nt once into the sea, and succeeded in reaching a lead line thrown to them by one of the crew named Morgan. A rope, after being made fast to this line, was hauled ashore by the Maories, and made fast round one of the rocks. This rope was made fast on board to the cathead, it being feared that the masts would speedily go, the wind and sea being so fearfully high. Down this rope the several persons on board singly passed by holding on with hands and legs, and working themselves down into the raging sea. When the ship rolled landward, down, down beneath the water sunk the struggling man. to be suddenly again jerked up, and held high in the air as the vessel rolled to the sea It was a fearful struggle, but in it they were nobly aided by three Maories (two men and one woman, named Martin, Robert, and Julia), who rushed into the waiter and wading towards the straggler helped him to the shore ; this passage from the wreck to the shore, it need not be said, was a most dangerous and hazardous one. The captain w r as the last man to leave the vessel, and even then before he left he went and looked at what all thought was the dead mate. Captain Baldwin examined him, and, thinking him dead, came down the rope but was not one instant too soon, for ere the Maories had reached him the rope parted. About one Lour after this, to the astonishment of every one on the beach, the mate w r as seen standing at the side of the vessel | near the fore rigging. The Maories, I though urged by every possible persua- j sion, replied that it was impossible to j attempt to rescue the '.man, the sea "was still running so high, and the tiae also j coming in. Those who had been saved frequently went down to the water s ed-m, and gave him cheering words, telling him to hold on until the tide should turn, and that then he certainly would be rescued. He was warned to go to the main rigging and hold on there till sue- j cour should arrive, and, while passing j along the vessel in obedience to their i advice, Air. Skeet stood far in the water j with a lifebuoy ready to assist him, j thould he fail to reach the spot. lie, j however, succeeded, and putting his arms around the rigging held on for a considerable time. At length fatigue and, no j doubt, the injuries received when in the water, caused him to loose his hold, he was washed overboard, and his body was not found till the following morninh. When ashore, the Maoris behaved most kindly. They lighted a large fire for the ship-wrecked party to dry tluir clothes by, and, as soon as they could obtain it, also plentifully supplied the whole of the raivivors with food. They also very kuidly received them at their pah, and gave up to them a wliare and blankets. 'I lie beach for two miles, was fairly strewed with broken cases, torn blankets, eanoles shawls, sadderly, and wearing apparel. An enquiry, concerning the death of Henry f-quircell, late chief mate ot the 1 rlgaii.tiue Delaware, was held on the beach, near the wreck, by Nathaniel Edwards, Esq., who acted as Coroner. The Drury returned a verdict ot “ accidentally drowned.”

Tln*ee snilots were upset in attempting to cross the lJullor when flooded in a boat which they had knocked together out of a few boards. Two were drowned, but the third succeeded in getting on some rocks, whence he was rescued by our fel-low-townsman Thomas Taston, who also endeavoured in vain to i’ocuvcr ? che bodies

of those who lost their lives. Easton and his party had a narrow escape in ascending the river, having lost e\erything but the clothes they had on them. HAWKE’S i;AY. By our latest dates from lienee we learn tliat the iil-feeling between the native tribes still continued, and Unit it. was haired the settlers might get. involved. Great exertions were being made for the defence, oi the Province, as Waikato emissaries were at wuilc urging a combined rioing of the East and \\ est Least Natives.