WAIPA AND WAITETUNA—IMPORTANT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1458, 6 December 1861, Page 7

WAIPA AND WAITETUNA— IMPORTANT.

Under date, Noveuibci 5, we have leceived authenticated intelligence, from a lespectable correspondent, which shows the state of the native mind, and thocouise the natives seem bent on at the piesent crisis. We make the following extiacts • " Some time back Willmm Toetoe and hh party i roceeded to Mr Co well's lesidence on the Waipa, and demanded his guns, &c Mr. C. lemonstiated with them on the injustice of their demand, when Win. Toetoe came foiwaid with his tomahawk to attack Mi Cowell, who said— ' Throw aside your tomahawk, and come on.' Another native heieupon 1 mhed in between them and prevented any farther peisonal violence. Subsequently the natives took Mr Cowell's guns, and also a gun belonging to Mr. E. W. Dickson, a gentleman lesidmg in Mr. Cowell's house. Walking off with then- plundei, they pioceeded to another settler's, and demanded his fhearms They weie disappointed, howevei, foi the fiieaims had been becieted before their airival. I enclose you particular!) regaiding a moie lecent outiago on Mr Chitliam, as it was communicated to me , and Ido believe, that if things aie allowed to go on as at piesent, without check on the pait of the government, loss of life must be the inevitable consequence The natives aie acting m such a way, that unions the settlers leceive piotection they will be compelled to leave tins distnet. The affair at Chitham's took place either the day Bishop Selwyn left, or the day after

[Enclosure.] "1 saw Cowell yesterday. He tells me that Bishop Selwyn has been at the Awa Matu, and that ho says we will have no war I, howevei, doubt this veiy much, as he at the same time said that the governor would insist on having the load opened to Wellington. This the natives will not agiee to , m fact, when the Bishop mentioned it to them, some of them called out " cmani pu" A paity of some foiuteen natives, headed by William Toetoe, have been ill-using Chitham and his son They were both knocked down, kicked, and even jumped upon— a fellow named Mania knocking down the fathei and William the son. They have taken a bull and hoise with them. The bull, it seems, has been i mining at Bangiawahia, for which William made a chaige of £5, which Chitham lefused to pay, because William had pieviously told him they would mike no chaige as the bull was of use to then cow-). Tins is the Einopean stoiy , when we heai that of the Alaones' piobably theie will be some cliffeience, but nothing can excuse them foi 111-tieatmg the men as they ha\ c done. Chitham is living on Ins own piopei fey, x nside of which tins affair took place." We may mention, for the information of such of oui leadeis as aie not awaie of the fact, that the native chief William Toetoe, has appealed in the august presence of loyalty, having been presented to the Empeioi of Austna, by the commandant of the 'Xovain,' on the leluin of that fngate to the Geiman watei^ How fai hio savage habits have been changed by the impeiial presence and lengthened mtcicouise with polished Euiopeans, may be learned from the aforementioned facts , levying '■ black mail" seeming more congenial to his taste;, than the opeiations of the punting piess piesented to him by tne Kaisoi. But the state of affairs is penlous to Euiopeans m the Waipi, and steps must speedily be taken foi itstonng law and oidei in the district. In continuation of this aftan we make an extiact fiom another lettei addiessed to us fiom a lespected conespondent, dated Waitetuna, Nov 13th " Some time since sent 200 sheep to Auckland in chaige of a few natives, to be dm en along the sea coast The sheep weie not shorn, but they weie dincn slowly as they were in low condition, there being plenty of time to leach Auckland and be shorn befoic the lipening of the lionh -uai (natne bun), v>lnch is so dcbtmctne to wool At Waikato heads — a place winch has always made ih settleis of Whaingaioa feel quite a tians-Alpine section of the Auckland province — the Maoii autociats theie demanded 3s per head foi ciossmg This exoibitant chaige -was demuried to by the choveis, who wiote — foi instructions Such a, state of matteis is mtoleiable , and theie is no tiansit auoss the Waikato without a good deal of bai gaming with the holders of the position. I have myself been mulcted 12s to be ciossed, after being detained on the houseless waste of sand lulls on the noith head for foity eight houis. This was m May, 1855. * Theie has been nr> icmt-dy ; and up to this moment, e\eiv tiavcllei must be a diplomatist and negotiito with mesponsibk and unauthoiised natives foi half an lioui oi inoic, before ciossmg a feny of a quaitei of a mik>. If government made us a road up the Waikato fiom Mamigatawlnu, we should considei ouiselvcs tieatcd as Bntish subjects " These ficfcs speak foi themsehes, and lequue no comment fiom us to give them force Wo le-uo them with the authontics to deal with as may be thought best, merely lemirkmg that if the countiy is to bo go\eined by English law the private lights of Bntish settlers should be protected — "Southern Cioss," November 19.