Waiuku, 27 Dec.,/60 My dear Sir, All continues quiet here and on Lower Waikato. The Ngatihauas who brought wheat will receive upwards of £200 in hard cash, how that money will be appropriated I do not pretend to say, but the tendencies of their tribe will enable you to conjecture. At the risk of giving you old news, which my location will occasionally render unavoidable, I write to say that a Mr. Edwards, of Otawhao, arrived here this morning, after the O. M. had left for Auckland, and told me that he counted 114 Ngatihaua natives, headed by Wiremu Tamihana, on their way to the Kopua, on the 18th inst., all of whom (except Tamihana) were armed with double barrelled guns, muskets and tomahawks, as well as 30 lbs. of ball cartridge, besides 3 pouches full of ammunition. This is the quantity of ball cartridge and number of pouches carried by each man. As Nepe opposes this wanton rebellion, the war party only succeeded in decoying a few of his young men, and then marched on to Hangatiki, where, from the antecedents of these natives, it is supposed their persuasive powers were more successful. The destination of this rolling black ball, is Taranaki, and I learn that the natives are greatly inflated with their superior prowess, and confident of victory. Mr. Edwards says there is scarcely a man left in Rangiaohia to cut the wheat but that they expect to return in time to save that valuable crop -- the old women (nearly all the young ones having gone with the taua) will of course gather the potatoes. The question suggests itself -- what is the occasion of this wide spread evil? No doubt the sympathy of individuals who stand high in the estimation of natives, does much to create this fever-pitch of excitement, and fostering as it does a conviction of tyranny on the part of the Govt., practically encourages rebellion. When the deluded natives return to common sense, the reaction which is certain to set in, may bring about disclosures seriously affecting individuals amongst us, and will assuredly sweep away all that maudlin sympathy emanating from some of the highest intellects in this country. I found natives here under an impression that so soon as the tribes in arms agst. us are subdued, we shall seize the whole country to pay expenses of the war, and so punish the innocent, as well as the guilty. I set them at rest on that point and wished them to make it known that so long as natives took no part in the war and remained at peace, no one would be permitted to harm them. Te Ao te Rangi will be here tomorrow, you may therefore expect him on Monday next. I am, My dear Sir, Faithfully yours, H. Halse 28, Friday. The 'Betsy' is in, and I send this by her.