ARRIVAL OF THE SOHOONER RIFLEMAN FROM THE CHATHAM ISLANDS.

| GREAT TIDAL WAVE,

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.

LOSS OF-LIFEi

[The foUowing was publiahecl aa a D.,T. Exfcrct, yesterday.] ■'' ' •'• ]i '"' '■'■ ' L - '

.The schooner/Rifleman arrived at Port Chalmers this morningj from the Chatham Islands, with a cafgo.of cattle and horses. 'She left the Islands on Friday last, • and hasi consequently'made a' fine run.

We" are'iridiebted; to Mr. Hood, tlie owner of the cattle, for the following in^ formation:— .,.:,',' .^'"'' \\'i.-,,, • .-*'.". •

i On. tte i-:mprnin^6f J.;'tlid.'i,isth'inflta'nit the] Chathams were visited by three tidal waveaj whi6h, although' not so large as other parts haye';^been.;'yißited;:.mtlij were attendedwith loss of life and1 property; The settlement /of, ; Tipunga^ ■;■ situated on the northern side of the Island, /felt the; greatest force of it. The Bettlemeiit was; entirety destroyed ;! not a,mark is left.to tell where;it stood, the' gkrand beingcovered with sand and seaweed. The inhabitants,' principally Maoris, narrowly escaped with their lives. They were awoke by the JSrat; wave which came into their houses, and'instantly fled"into, the bush, on higW^onnd j^thejriiad barely time; to ( escape ; before. the, second ■■ wave came, followed by a thirdy whibhdestrbyed and i carried away, all their dwellings and everything; belonging1 to them. 'Captain Anderson's house was washed awayj and he narrowly escaped with; his wife and children; his 'residence was about four miles from Tupunga. < A> Maori, while trying to save a boat belonging ta Captain Anderson, was carried out to sea' by thk drawback, and lost his life. >■-•-»•-• ---- -

Farther along 1 the cciast, facing S.W., a Mr Thomas Hay, sheep-farmer, lost ,aU he had, his house and all being carried into the sea, leaving him without a shoe to Ms foot or a coat'to his back. Mr. Amery, who was staying with^ him, was awoke by his man-servant, who, on .hearing the first wave, ran in and roused Captain Anderson. Mr. Hood believes that since it happened he has recovered many of his fchings. But not so with Mr. Hay; all heifound -. was his iwatch and, &n axe;;

The Settlement of ; Waitangi was the scene' of the next disasters. Mr.. Beamish's Accommodation House was ;wrenched off the; piles, and a great quantity) of Government •■ stores' and fencing carried out to sea,' with some ooats.i The beach was ' strewed; with bags'of; Jtoiir^'&c. "-'-' Here, as well as at' other places, people miraculously escaped. Doubtless the river which runs out of ;Waitahgi .Bay, in a ? measure saved * the place.' rAs the water, rushed up the river it inundated a large flat. The Maori pah being built on high grijuhd escaped, but the Maoris would not return to the pah for SdaySj'fearingtliewaveßmightvisititagain. OnthejEast side of the Island a vfew Maori huts w;ere" destroyed^ and somb valuable -boafe. i : The. 'Rifleman? was lying at Warigaroa at the; time, and fortunately^ escaped any accident; but in the same harbor jhuge spars were carried away and lifted : high and dry in the flax, on the opposite side of the" harbor: " :

The iforce of the water iii * -Tupanga was so great that drays-were smashedj and a great stone weighing 7 cwt. was carried 'a considerable distance, j',. .. •, ■

. Jt will be seen that, the above disturbance occurred on the same day that the tidstl wave visited our own coast; and consequently it must have travelled withgreat velocity. Mr. Hood does not state the exact time in the morning it occurred. Messrs. Houghton and Co. are the agents for the Rifleman.