COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1436, 17 September 1861, Page 3

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Trade is in general dull. Some little activity has been created by the arrival of the passengers per ' Northumberland,' several of whom are possessed of considerable means, and have determined to settle in Auckland province. The retail business has not boen affected sensibly by those causes which operate against large transactions. Liquids go largely into consumption ; and considerable demand has been created for a variety of garden, field, and mining tools, by those who are leaving for the Otago gold-fields. This exceptional demand is likely to increase, rather than fall off ; and although a diversion may ultimately be created in favour of Coromandel and the Thames, this will only favour the traffic which we have noticed. There is but little real estate coming into the market Several small lots of house property have been quitted at fair prices. The first sale in Auckland, on invoice, was conducted by Mr. Stannus Jones last Friday, for Mr. Forsaith. Thirteen bales and cases of goods (invoiced to arrive per 'Northumberland') were disposed of for £607, an advance of 35| per cent, on English cost price. This remunerating figure was satisfactory to the importer, and ought to be assuring to English consignees. The goodi consisted of carpeting, matting, prints, clothing, &c, and were quitted without samples being shown. It is but reasonable to suppose that frequent resort wilt now ba had to this form of sale, the only thing required to induce traders to invest being confidence in the importers.

Ambnitifs op Wak in New Zealand.— As may be supposed Hongi became a lion in London. The king —George IV. — gave him a suit of armour, and he received innumerable gifts of fire arms and other things. It happened that during Hongi's absence, some of his tribe had been aggrieved by those of Hinaki. Hongi expressed his indignation, Hinaki apologised, but Hongi was determined on war; he wished to try his lately acquired material, and poor Hinaki, having in vain sued for peace, was constrained to prepare for war. Hongi went to attack him at the head oftbree thousand men. The battle was not quickly decided, for Hinaki was a skilful warrior, and though fighting under great disadvantages, long maintained the contest. He was at length shot by Hongi, and fell pierced by four balls Before life was extinct, the fierce victor rushed upon his enemy, and pulling forth his English clasp-knife, scooped out the eye of the dying man and swallowed it. He then pierced a vein of the neck and drank the warm blood as it gushed forth. The slaughter was dreadful; a thousand men were slain, Hinaki's two brothers were amongst the lulled. Their bodies with those of three hundred others were eaten on the field of battle. Hongi returned home in triumph, his canoes filled with piisoners, and the stems and sterns ornamented with the heads of his slaughtered foeß. When Fongi reached his own dominions, his daughter, whose husband had been killed in the battle, rushed wildly to the shore, and snatching the sword piesented to her father by George IV., she sprang into his boat, and of the twenty captives whom she found theie, she beheaded sixteen with her own hand, and to appease her still-unsatisfied iage, twenty moie were killed and eaten. After this, slw attempted suicide by discharging a loaded musket at her head, but failing in the attempt, she afterwards strangled herself. — United Service Gazette.