LATEST FROM THE FRONT.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 355, 19 September 1868, Page 6

LATEST FROM THE FRONT.

(froai the patea co-respondent op the wangandi times.) Patea, 3rd September, 1868. After I wrote to you yesterday morning, Colonel M'Donnell started with a strong party for Manutahi~to see after Ilawkin's sheep and some horses, &c, that had been looted by the Pakakohi. When they got to the village they found in possession of those rascals, between fifty and sixty of the sheep, the remainder they had killed ; the sheep skins were lying about in all directions and several carcasses of mutton ready dressed for cooking. They also found two of the stolen horses and other loot. Colonel M'Donnell demanded the thieves, but the chiefs insolently refused to give them up. There was the plunder, there were the thieves, but Colonel M'Donnell dare say nothing : they were protected by Colonel Haultain's famous proclamation published in your paper, which warned him not to molest those people whuhadnot openly declared forrebellion. Then, as a man who was present tells me, M'Donnell gnashed his teeth, and finding that he dai'e do nothing but order the remnant of sheep, two horses, and other loot to be driven away, he marched back his men in disgust whilst Colonel Haultain's protected friendly natives laughed at him. These scoundrels are now robbing right and left, but they arc protected by what you call Colonel Haultain's edict.

"When our men returned they were perfectly savage at having their hands so tied by Colonel Haultain, that the PakakoEi plunderers were able to laugh at the degraded way in which they were obliged to retire and leave them unmolested. None of us blame Mr. Booth. He, of course must act up to his instructions. Even should those Pakakohis commonce to kill as well as plunder the settlers, they cannot be molested without special orders from the Government. Look Sir ! Three times have I thrown down my pen in disgust, but as your paper is carefully read at head-quarters, I face the miserable task of talking of

our degradation. Why does the Colonial Parliament allow the colony to he victimised hy keeping up a native difficulty that we .CQuld crush before the rebels had time to be encouraged, aa they are and have been by the Government ? What can the natives think of us ? What can our fellow-colonists think of of us but that we are cowards ? As soon as our three months are up lots of us will serve no longer.

Referring to our West Coast members a correspondent of the Colonist says : —Mr. Gallagher, of the West Coast, is becoming more judicious, and he is not satisfied with the proposals for Nelson, but his in experience lays him open to Ministerial trickery, which I dare say he would resent if he only saw its sly action. I have heard it said that that zealous whip, Mr. Haughton, carefully " shepherds " him. Mr. BariF, one of the Westland members, is a strong Ministerial ; Mr. Harrison is dubious, —he is hesitating ; but if he wishes to gain popularity founded on justice and sound principle, and to deserve the Chairmanship of the HTestland Council, to which he aspires, and I believe will attain, —he will cast in his lot with those who are represented by Mr. Fox.

A meeting of the Kynnersley Memorial Committee was appointed for Monday night last, but owing to a Masonic, and other meetings occurring the same night, it was postponed. It is the intention of the committee, we understand, to hold public meetings on the Coast very shortly, in connection with the subject, and the chief object in calling the meeting was to make suitable arrangements. Extra police have been sent down to Brighton, but more are needed there, we are informed. Sergeant Walsh who has had charge of that station for some time, went down to Greymouth yesterday and will be stationed in the Grey district in future. On Saturday afternoon last, a meeting of the Atkehaeum Committee was held but all the business done was to approve of a list of books to be furnished to the institution.

The Commander of the Imperial war steamer Dorade has arrived in Wellington. It is understood that he is commissioned by the French Government to negotiate with the New Zealand Government and Captain Benson, about the Panama steamers calling at Tahiti, or a branch line to that colony. The selection of a French Consul at Wellington is also said to be part of our naval visitor's mission. The Dorade has been in Auckland for some two months past. If some people grumble at the pull upon their pocket made by the institution of thetelegraphic system, others benefit in more ways than one by that useful means of communication. In Blenheim, it appears, times being rather " hard," as the expression goes, a Mr. Budge has taken advantage of a telegraph post to constitute it into a gate post, upon which the gate leading into his dwelling house hinges. A Gold Field in Waikato.—That Bangiriri will yet turn out a payable gold-field we have little to doubt, if it only succeeds in obtaining a thorough trial; but there is even still greater and speedier certainty of an extensive gold-field being opened up higher up the Waikato. The land belongs, it seems, to the natives, but they are willing to throw it open to European enterprise, and a private correspondent, from whose letter we quote below, expects that the lands will be thrown open by November, if not sooner. He says: —" The country I refer to is Matamata, Maungakawa, and Mauugatantari, and the surrounding lands. It is a very large tract of country. This information I received from captain Steele himself, whom the natives sent for to ask his advice as to the best course to be pursued. The Court sits at Cambridge in November, and he has recommended them to employ all the best lawyers in Auckland. Two circumstances have conduced to make the natives anxious to open up their lands : —lst They are very jealous about the succes of the Thames natives, and especially Taipari, who has realised the handsome fortune of £4.000 a year; and, 2ndly, they have heard that when the diggers come from Australia and other parts they will take the lands for digging purposes in spite of either themselves (the natives) or the Government, so they think it best to throw them open and secure the benefit themselves which they would not do otherwise, they think. The people here and at Cambridge are iu high spirits at the prospect of so rich a gold-field in the neighbourhood." We learn also from equally reliable authority, that exceedingly rich stone has been found at Matamata." Nelson Examiner

AWFUL SUFFERINGS OF A SHIP'S CREW. MEN REDUCED TO CANNIBALISM. Mr. C. T. Bennett (a Newfoundland merchant), of Bristol, has received some awful details of the sufferings of the crew of the Queen of Swansea, which was lost off Cape St. John, in December. The Queen struck on Gull Island, on the morning of the 12th December. The captain and ten others got on shore by means of a hawser ; the other four went off in the ship, and must have met a watery grave. On the morning of the 21st April, the schooner Selina, Benjamin Rousell, master, was off the island sealing. One of his men, in a punt, wounded a duck, which he followed into the cove, and there found the remains of the unfortunate people. He immediately came on to Tilt cove and reported to Mr Gill, who despatched Mr Mullony, accomnanied by CaptainHoskinsand CaptainMoyle. They returned with the eleven bodies the following morning, and had them all buried in one graveyard. The worst has yet to be told. There can be but little doubt the survivors last to die must have subsisted on human flesh.

Two of the bodies were perfect skeletons; all the flesh eaten from their bones. Another one had three stabs near the heart, and ajnumber 01 slices cut from his breast and arm, the knife lying beside him. Captain Owens and Grenalda Hoskins must have been the last to die, as they lay over the others, and the man with the stabs and cuts close to them. On the person of Captain Owens were found two notes, in both of which he speaks of the dreadful sufferings he and his men were enduring, and how they had given up all hope of deliverance. " "VV. and G. Hoskins," in a letter to " Dear Father and Mother, Sisters and Brother," say, " We have been fasting 103 hours ; bu do not grieve for us; we are giving our devotion to prayer. There is no one dead yet, but getting very weak, all hands." A letter was iound on the person of Mr. F. Dowsley, addressed to his wife, in which, after giving particulars as to howthey were driven on the rock, he says : —" We were dragged up the cliff by means of a rope tied round our waists. Not one of us saved a single thing but as we stood, not even a bite of bread. This is our fifth day, and we have not had a bit or sup, not even a drink of water, there being no such thing on the island. It is void of everything that would give us any comfort; it is so barren and bleak that we cannot get wood to make a fire to warm us ; our bed is on the cold rocks and snow, with a piece of thin canvass full of glitter to cover us. Tou may fancy what my sufferings have been and are ; you know I was never very strong or robust. My feet are all swelling, and I am getting very weak. I expect that if Providence does not send us a boat or a vessel along this way to-day or to-morrow at furthest, that some of us will be no more, and I very much fear that I will be the first victim. If so you will not have the gratification of getting my body, as they will make use of it for food. I am famishing with thirst; I would give the 20s I took with me —yes, all I ever saw—for one drink of water. If I had plenty of water I would live much longer. I feel a dreadful feverish thirst, and no rreans of relieving it. ... I plainly see that in a few hours I must shortly appear before my G-od. "Whilst I am writing this under our littlebit of canvas, lam shivering with weakness and cold from head to foot ; I dont know how I have written what I have, but this I can say, the facts are worse than I have named. Give, my love to my dai'ling childreu, and tell them to think ot'ten of my sad fate ; tell them I leave it as my dying request to be kind and obedient to you, and to be advised by you in everything. I must now conclude, my darling, as I am unable to write more. Embrace my darling children, and tell them to be obliging and kind to each other, for without this they cannot expect to prosper. Tell them their unfortunate, unhappy father leaves them his blessing." In another letter, written two days later, Dowsley says:—" We have had no relief; our case is hopeless ■; our sufferings are becomingunbearable.' This is the last letter witten. Completely exhausted, the unfortunate men appear to have huddled together, waiting for each other's deahth. What afterwards took place has alreadv been told.

The wharf protection works are, we are glad to say, going on at a great deal faster rate, and what with the Mary bringing across shingle, and the tramway sand, the gap between the piling and the bank is being fast filled up, and there seems some hope that the work will stand.