MR. C. O, DAVIS AND HIS SEDITIOUS LIBEL.

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 67, 20 July 1865, Page 9

MR. C. O, DAVIS AND HIS SEDITIOUS LIBEL.

We abstain from making any comments on this case at the present stage, neither shall we in any way prejudice the public mind against the accused. Let the conxplaint stand on its merits, and on that alone. We may, however, publish a fair translation of the paper, for the printing and circulation of which Mr C. O. Davis stands accused, and so enable the public to estimate the ' seditious .libel' for what it is worth. Thus : — ' Statement of the errors of the Arawa tribe, for the information of the people. 'What tribe is evilly spoken of? — A. The boastful (big-mouthed) Arawas. ' What evil have they done ?— A. Their proceeding in grieving the Maoris. ' What was their motive ? — A. To get food and money. ' What errors have been seen by the people ? — A. Their attacking and killing the people of Te Awa-o-te-Atua. ' Another I—A.1 — A. The murder of Aporotanga. Another ? — A. Their apprehension of the innocent chief, Hori T'upaea. 'And now, can these errors be put a ston to ?— A. Let the Arawas be given back to t u eir ancestor, Hawaiki. 'Auckland, February 16, 1865.'' This was printed in Maori, and largely circulated among-st the tribes. As a practical commentary, it is rig-ht to 'add that the rebel natives have since made an attack on the Arawas, and that they are in some danger, unless the Government assist them, of being 'given back to their ancestor, Hawaiki.' As we stated in Saturday'spaper, the direct reference of ' evil,' by the Arawas is to the attack by that tribe on the rebels who had invested Maketu, and were driven out of their works by the shells from the Eclipse and Sandfly last. j year, about the time of the Gate Pah. affair; and Aporotanga was on that occasion shot by the widow of the old chief wynyard Beckham, who had fallen iit battle. The widow took uta, or payment for her husband. The arrest of Hori Tupaea, with Tiu Tamihana (high priest of the Pai Marires, whom the King-maker wishes the Governor to understand that he wants to see liberated), and six other fanatics, to which reference is made in the paper, will be fresh in our readers' recoK lection. Hori Tupaea was set at liberty y [jut although the Ministers would not receive the Pai Marires at Wellington, they have been detained as military prisoners in Tauranga camp. The Arawas, who are ' evilly spoken of/ for grieving the rebels(in other words for being our friends), and who are to be swept off for having fought for us, ought not to be deserted by the Government j and that is the point which we are desirous of enforcing. Whateverimportance may be attached to the printed document circulated amongst the tribes,, the Government ought to take good care that no friendly tribe suffers on account of its friendship to the European race. — ' Southern Cross,' 3rd inst.

We learn from the ' Provincial Government Gazette/ that during the Month of May of this year 43 sections of town lands, measuring X) acres and 3 roods, were sold, which realised L6BO. During the same period 150 sections of rural lands were disposed of, measuring 9996 acres, 1 rood and 34 perches, and the sum received was L 10,495 Bs. The total number of purchasers o? town lands was 39,. and the sections sold were 21 at Oamaru, 3 at Herbert. 1 at Hampden, 1 at Moeraki, 2 at Outram, and 15 at Lawrence. There were 54 purchasers of rural lands, of whom 5 purchased above SUO acres each, and 1 upwards of 10C0. A Tasmanian paper says — The only case of interest heard at the Melbourne Criminal Sessions on the 16th instant was a charge of obtaining money tinder false pretences against a man named Thomas Dodds. The fraud which had been perpetrated was of rather a novel character. According to the testimony of the witnesses called for the . Crown, the; prisoner, who appeared to have acted in concert with one Solomon Nathan, now. in New Zealand, had sold what he represented to be* a quarter-cask of brandy to the landlord of the Jerusalem Tavern, and had received £12 12s. inpayment ; but when the pnrchaser came to draw off the liquor he found that a small tin vessel, containing about "three pints of brandy, had been placed at the top of the cask where the tap was inserted, and that the barrel was filled with water. The defence was that the prisoner had acted merely as a servant to Nathan^ jianid that he was. innocent of the fraud.; The priaoner .waa acquitted ;