EVENTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3025, 6 April 1867, Page 5

EVENTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

When the first of our colonies was established in New Zealand, in 1840, it was a well-ascertained fact that the natives were little more than half as numerous as at the commencement of the century, when Diffenbach made an approximate estimate of their population, and when they supplied the majority of the crews of the whaling ships an<? other vessels navigating the Pacific. Naj , according to their own assertion, they had been dwindling away even for a considerable period anterior to that date, and their story was corroborated by the ruins of deserted pas, and the many uninhabited districts which had evidently once been peopled. The cause of the depopulation was the constant warfare between the tribes, and its ruthless and exterminating character. Their mutual strife was unparalleled in ferocity, and literally resembled within its small field what history records of Attila or Tamerlane. After a visit to England in 1830, the >gapuhi chief Hongi brought back * supply of muskets, then a novelty in his country, and, arming his followers, immediately proceeded to use them, blotting out whole tribes where Auckland now stands, and as far south as Lake Taupo. The few Maoris now in the province of Nelson are the relics of the tribes which Rauparaha and his Ngatiawas destroyed in a similar manner in a temporary inroad across Cook's Strait. Our settlement in Taranaki was invited by the almost solitary state of that beautiful region. A Tew years before it had a large tribal population, but Te Whero Whero — the same individual who, at a later period, figured as the Maori King— had with his Waikatos laid it utterly waste, and it was with a returned remnant of those fugitives under "Wiremu Kingi that we had afterwards the dispute about the Terra block. The stoppage of all this bloodshed, the cessation of those furious wars, the abandonment of the practice of cannibalism, and that progress of the natives in peaceful and industrial pursuits, from which such great things were reasonably expected a dozen years ago, were all due, and solely due, to the exertions of the missionaries. They had surmounted the most serious obstacles, and fairly started the Maori on the path of civilisation. If this work had been followed up, if the opportunity thus prepared had been availed of by suitable action on the part of Government, either in arranging for an internal administration for the natives apart from the whites, or else by giving them representation and a share in the Colonial Legislature, for which their growing intelligence recommended them— if either of these things had been done, affording them a definite position and the rights and protection as well as the responsibility of British subjects, all these late quarrels with the colonists could have been prevented or amicably disposed of, and there would be the prospect — which now appears to have passed away— of a future for the native race. But the civilising work of years has been thrown back, and everything is lapsing into the old confusion. The Tauranga natives have broken out afresh to resist confiscation, and the circumstance will, of course, lead to their further punishment ; while, now that the old belligerent spirit and jealousies have fully revived, we find no lack of native allies in quelling this resistance. If any such steps as we have said had been taken to amend the position of the Maoris, and really incorporate them as subjects of the Crown, ample space for the growth and requirements of the colonies would have been obtained without difficulty and without the sword. The late amicable land sales in the Wellington province show this. The reluctance of the tribes to alienate superfluous tracts of territory would have given way if they once found themselves on the same footing as the whites beside them, and were gradually acquiring their tastes »nd habits, for their small population can make no use of the immense districts they hold in possession. For example, the NgatiTauranga, now anew in arms, number under a thousand persons, while their territory is estimated at 334,000 acres. The Ngatimaniopoto, Rewi's clan, was reckoned before the war at from 9,000 to 10,000 individuals, and then they held over two millions of acres. The friendly Ngapubis north of Auckland, with a population of under 6,000, are estimated to have 3,195,000 acres: and the eastern Ngatiawas, whose features are supposed to denote a cross of Papuan or aboriginal Australian blood, are reduced to 1,900 persons, but they still possess around them nearly a million and a half of acres. There was abundance of room in New Zealand for the two races, white and brown, to have lived and progressed in harmony «ide by side, and there was once a fair chance of its coming to pass ; but the opportunity has been neglected of achieving that desirable result, and of producing * new and honourable feature in the history of colonisation. — Australasian.

New Substitute for Collodion. — M. Perioz, Fils, has recently discorered * method for obtaining a material possessing the B*me characteristic qualities as collodion. La Lumiere says :-— "This new substance is produced by dissolving silk in » suitable solvent, and then separating the latter by means of dialysis. If the film be of a certain degree of thickness, it assumes on drying a golden tint, but this would no doubt be scarcely perceptible in a thin film, such as would be used in photography. The solvent chosen by M. Persoz is chloride of zinc, which, when kept at a warm temperature, readily dissolves the silk, but if the solvent be not warmed the silk takes a much longer time to dissolve. Before employing the chloride of zinc, it is heated with a small quantity of oxide of zinc, in order to neutralise any excess- of acid in the chloride, and then filtered through a piece of fine cambric to remove the superabundant oxide. To separate the chloride of zinc from the solution of silk, M. Persoz has recourse to Professor Graham's method of dialysis. The apparatus for dialysis, which is a kind of sieve, is made by means of a broad strip of gutta-percha, bent round and cemented in the form of a cylinder, at one end of which is fixed a disc of parchment to form the bottom. The apparatus is floated upon a vessel of water, and the silk solution,' previously diluted with water to the consistency of collodion, is poured into it. The chloride of zinc percolates through the moistened disc of parchment, and mires with the water in which the apparatus is floating. Tn a few days the whole of the chloride of zinc will be found to have become separated from the silk solution, but the presence of a slight quantity of the chloride in the material is of no great consequence, as it merely gives rise to the formation, in the sensitive film, of a minute quantity of chloride of silver. Although M . Persoz does not mention the f.ct, there is no doubt that a dry film of this substance would be quite, insoluble in water. Its em- , ployment is Very dimple. It is first icytaed by mix?ing with it an aqueous solution of iodide, and then dried and sensitised ; the exposure and derelopm t are. qo.pdu.cted in %he ordinary manner,

DRUNKENNESS. John Hughes, George Cavanagh, John Doolittle, Maria Randell, and Robert Peroevill were severally punished for this offence.

ASSAULT CASES. Alfred Burgess Griffiths was charged with having, on Saturday last, assaulted a respectable woman named Margaret Lamb, by striking her with his clenched fist. Defendant pleaded not guilty. Mr. James Russell appeared for complainant, and Mr. Macdonald for defendant. The complainant deposed that the defendants brother was firing bricks and stones at her fowl, in the pond, near her house. She caught the boy by the wrist to prevent him and until his mother should come. "Whilst holding him, the defendant came up and struck her a blow on her left breast, with his clenched fist. This closed the case for complainant. Alice McGrath deposed that she saw the complainant holding defendant's brother, when defendant came and snook her by the arms. She did not see him strike her. He held her by the wrists. Benjamin Griffiths deposed that he was not pelting Mrs. Lamb's geese. She rushed out and caught him by the hair of the head. He cried out "Mother!" and "Murder!" His brother came up and shook her by the harfds. Witness did not see him strike her. Cross-examined : Witness did not see any person present when Mrs. Lamb came up. He never threw stones at the geese. His Worship said he was somewhat sceptical as to the truthfulness of the boy's testimony. He should find the defendant guilty, and order him to pay a fine of 55., or undergo 48 hours' imprisonment. There'were two other cases of assault withdrawn —Blanche "Burton against Margaret Kichardson, and Margaret Richardson against Annie Burton.

BREACH OI 1 MUNICIPAL POLICE ACT. Two soldiera of the 50th Regiment, named Thomas Young and Joseph Webb, were placed in the dock, and about to be charged with a breach of the above ordinance, by smashing the shop window of Mr. T. Macready, watchmaker and jeweller, Queen-street. His Worship said that the 50th Regiment were on the eve of their departure for England, and it would be better for the prosecutor to put up with the inconvenience and expense rather than keep such characters in this place. Commissioner Naughton might communicate with the colonel of the regiment with the view of having them placed in close confinement until the embarkation, as men who could be guilty of such a crime as that upon which they were brought up would Boon commit a more serious offence. He would remand the case until next day. Mr. Commissioner Naughton said he would be able to ascertain, before that time, whether or not the prisoners were going home with the regiment. The prisoners were then removed. This concluded the business before the Court.