MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR THE ENGLISH JULY MAIL. GENERAL SUMMARY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3134, 2 August 1867, Page 5

MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR THE ENGLISH JULY MAIL. GENERAL SUMMARY.

tVE regret that we have to report t!he commission of a double murder by the Hauhaus, on the East Coast. The victims were Mr. Bennett White (who b6 miraculously escapee} when Mr. Fulloon and the crew of the cutter 'Kajte' were. slaughtered at Wtiakatane), and an aboriginal native of the Atawa tribe, who waft' carrying the mail, The murder was committed on the sea beach between t)ie settlement of Whakatane and Opotiki ; • and two natives, passing soon afterwards, were j6r6d upon by the Hauhaus, ,but fortunately without effect. The murderers are believed to belong to tneTJriwera tribe, Who live inland, and occupy a wild and inaccessible country on the bounds of the provinoes of Auckland and Hawke's Bay. In fact, this tribe is able, when it pleases, to stop all communication overland between the provinces. The TTriweras are a savage tribe, and have been disaffected 'from the first. They lost' many of their best men at the Orakau Pa, in Upper Waikato, and have been in nearly every trouble since. As the great bulk of the native population are not concerned in these outrages, we trust the Government will refrain from treating them as political acts, or as acts of . open warfare. To do so would be to commit a grave mistake, and embroil .the colony in fresh troubles. Let every precaution ,be "taken to inform the natives that we view these massacres as cold-blooded and unjustifiable murders, which the law alone must punish, and offer suitable rewards for information regarding thecriminals, and additional rewards for their apprehension and conviction, and we are convinced the moral effect . will be most salutary. In all human proba- . bility the murderers will be surrendered to justice j but if not, the tribes will not have an incentive, by warlike demonstrations on our part, to renewed hostilities. The great bulk of the native people will remain quiet ; and in after years, it may be, the perpetrators of these murders will fall into the hands of justice without any extraordinary effort on the part of, the authorities to bring it ' about. In' that case, the law ought 1 to take its course; but we against armed expeditions being sent out to " scour " the bush," and inflict summary vengeance on any native encountered. ' There is ' great danger to the peace and prosperity of the country in the very injudicious conduct of certain officers of the local foroes in the disturbed districts. The details of the murder of Mr. "White and the Arawa will be found elsewhere, together with particulars regarding the discovery of the bodies of the two missing Opotiki settlers, who, it will be remembered, were attacked in their whare some time ago by a party of Hauhaus. The news (of which the foregoing abstract appeared in our supplemental summary, vi& Suez) would be incomplete were we to omit mention of the report of the murder of four Europeans and four natives, by the Uriwera Hauhaus, on the journey across country from Kapier to Taupo, with, cattle to Mr. Firth. This news is not confirmed, and there is still reason to hope that it may prove incorrect. However, we publish the report as we received it, merely adding that it has been ascertained thatthe party could not have been atthe place indicated at the date fixed by the natives for the murder, and that it was known that the TJriweras had held a meeting at • which it was decided to intercept the party, kill the drivers, and take the cattle. A son of the IJev. Mr. Grace, who formed one of the party, pushed ahead, and had arrived at Taupo in safety. This is the person alluded to in the letter of the native. "We annex the intelligence, with this explanation :—: — On July 27th letters were received in town, stilting that (oar Europeans and four natives, who were engaged driving a twd >f about 300 head of cattle from Napier to Mr. firth's run at Matamata, had been murdered on the aoad. The place at which .this is said to have occurred is Te Ruranga, about halfway between Napier and Taupo, and where the mountains of the Uriwera country come into the Kaingaroa plain. The letters are written from Maketu, by Mohaka, a native who has been in i charge ior some time of Mr. Buekland's cattle at Taapo. The following are the letters :— "Maketu, July 24, 1867. . "ToJosiah Firth. '• Friend, salutations. Listen! [ have heard the talk relative to the cattle»drivers. They bare been killed by the Hauhaas, by the Uriweras. They were the tribe who killed them. They were killed atßunanga. There were four Europeans and four Maoris. The principal reason why we suspect they were killed wai. as they did not arrive at Taupo. It occurred about fifty miles from Taupo. 1 will make further inquiries into the matter; but the people here ■ay that the statement is correct, that the people have been killed, and the cattle taken away by the Hauhaus— 4>y the TTriweras. It ia also said that, if , they had attempted to come on, they could not have : got so far as Matamata, on account of the toads ■ being stopped. Manihera said the roads were open, and he nearly got kilted for having said so." "Maketu, July 24, 1867. " To Mr. Buckland. " 0 father, salutations. This is the news that I heard : That the drivers, of Firth's cattle have been killed. They were killed by the Hauhaus at a plaoe called Te Runanga, near the [mouth of the creek, where the road- bends towards the TJriwera country. They did not arrive in Tappo during the three weeks that the person was waiting for them who lefc them at Mohaka; therefore we ( are sure they have been killed. J Also we tent a messenger who belonged to Tarawera to inquire. f The Haubans came down and guarded the passes of the road, and they were killed there." > ' One of the men who went down to drive Mr. Firth's cattle up was a son of the Her. Mr. Grace. * Another was lieutenant Owen, from Waikato ; the - others, Europeans and' Maoris, were engaged at " Napier. It is supposed that the'person alluded to " in the letter was young Graoe, as his duty was to • go on before the rest and prepare the natives at Taupo to receive the" cattle if the road from thence to Matamata was closed. The above arenU the faots that are known in reference to the matter; and- we shall probably havi 1 to wait for several days before certain contradiction i -or confirmation «an 'be received. ,We learn' by 'the steamer ,• Tauranga/ which arrived from Tauranga ; on Sunday, that the people there were inclined to ". believe fchatthereport was not true. Forourselves; - we' are bound to 'day that we can see nothing -at aU improbable in it. The killing of Moore and Beggs, and, of Bennett White and,, Wi Popata, show temper of. .the Uriwera,. who would be informed t from Napier, and possibly from Waikato, that thb *, pattle, were coming '..ovier'. - We know that there fe "nothing at all to hinder them from reaching the place < iwhtre the affair is said to have taken place. Most •^of tue, country) in that neighbourhood belongs to difI» f erent hapus of the Ararat j tut they have all cleared ; ; Out of it. Even the kaing* of the Tuhourangi at ;■ the Jtotomahana has been deserted fqr some time 1 . ' It h worth mentioning Jhalb, j^w^s, in this neighbobrj.hood that Adam Clarke encountered Kereopa and his band, returning to-'Waikato 1 from Opotiki, after tn» v. murder of Mr. yolkner, and. where five of tUe Arawa j ° «re Willed' and eafcn. 1 - i " 1 - 1 ;,/"„. -' It fr l 'impai«ibto'iorranyonetd say.^oiitivelywnethe, notice given t» Mr. Firth to quit Lis run vt

"MatimntaT* It is probable enough that, when the oideis w. re given that Mr. Firth ahould be warned, the Uriwera .were infortned of what had been done, wad instructed. to prevent these cattle coming over., Taking thu view of the matter, it would almott ■etm.Wmuoh to expect that Mr. Firth will be able to maihtairi hii place at Matamata. The fanatical Hauhaus, under the . chief Hakaraia, and Kereopa the murderer of Mr] Volkner; .have drawn an aukati, or line, close to Cambridge, in Upper Waikato, They forbid Europeans to cross this line, or to de- , pasture cattle, with the consent of the native owners, beyond it. In faot, they have established a reign of terrpr in the interior, and are moving about in armed bands, intimidating the more peaceably disposed natives. A considerable quantity of this land has been passed, thro^ighjthe Native Lands Coui#, and feasect to Europeans, who have partly stocked it with sheep and c£ttle..TheKing andEewi were pjiposed ko extreme measures at present, and desired peace for another year. However, intemperate counsels, appear to prevail tola certain extent, and the result has been that Mi*, jfcrth, *who leased a run , fr,om "William Thompson, has been ordered off by his son and successor. This is believed tohave been done under, pressure, because Thompson's dying instructions were -to protect the Europeans, and not to interfere with Mr. Firth. A great native meeting is now being held at Maungatautari,' (which was invested, it will be remembered, by General Cameron, and evacuated by the natives,) at which the King, JJewi, Tamati Ngapora, and other influential chiefs attend. On the decision come to at this meeting will depend the peace of the country. "We cannot pretend to offer any opinion- beyond this — that the fact of the King calling the meeting at a settlement in the heart of the peace district, may be taken as an indication of a desire for quiet on his part! However, there is no calculating on the decision of a popular assembly of New Zealand aborigines, when the question is peace or war, and the chance of success at ■all' probable. The instincts of the race are essentially warlike-; and when assembled in large numbers they are apt to overestimate their strength, and to under-esti-mate ( that' of the Europeans. There is, therefore, no telling what may happen. t Mr. Eirth, accompanied by Mr. 0. O. Davis, will attend^ this 'meeting. Meanwhile a goldfield has been opened at the Thames, through the intervention of Dr. Pollen, ' Deputy - Superintendent, and Mr. Mackay, Civil Commissioner. It contains about 7,000 acres j but there is a probability of a blo«k adjoining, of 90,000 acres, being opened by the native owners. The natives are to receive the license fees of £1 per man. "Upwards of 250 men went down to the diggings yesterday, which was the first day after it was declared. Little can be d«ne during the present month to test it, owing .to the swollen state of the creeks, and no prospect has yet been received to warrant a rush ; but a large number of men being out of employment no doubt accounts for the exodus from the city to the Thames. The following is the official proclamation : —

PROCLAMATION. By Daniel Pollen, Esquire, Deputy-Superin-t endent of the province of Auckland, in the colony of New Zealand. "Whereas by an Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand, intituled the Goldfields Acb, 1866, it is enaoted that it shall be for the Governor from time to time,' by proclamation, to constitute and appoint any portion of the colony to be a gold* field ; 4tnd whereas, under the provisions of the said Act, the powers of the Governor have been duly delegated to the Superintendent of the province of Auckland : now therefore, ia pursuance of the said power, authority, and delegation, I do hereby constitute and appoint all that block of land hereinafter described to be a goldfield under the provisions of the said Act ; that is to sayAll that block, of land commencing on the sea coast at the mouth of the river Kauaewnga ; thence by that river to the junction of the Kakaramata stream ; thence by that stream to its source on the ridge of the hills ; thence along the said ridge to the sources of the Hape, Karaka, Waiotahi, Moanataiari, and -Kunuiui , stream, turning thence down the Kuranui stream to the sea coast; thence by the sea coast; to the mouth of the Moanataiari stream; thence inland to the base of the hills ; thence crossing the Waiotabi stream, and by the base of the hills to the Parareka spur ; thence ascending the said spur to Waiowharilci ; thence descending a spur ,to the Karaka stream ; thence by that stream to the sea coast ; thence by the sea coast to the point of commencement. Given under my hand at Auckland, this thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord Oae thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven. Daniel Polmn, Deputy-Superintendent. From the Bay of Islands we have to report a collision, between two hapus of the Ngapuhi tribe, about a .piece of land, which has re- j suited in six killed and two wounded. The j belligerents suspended hostilities until after the burial of the Yen. Archdeacon Williams, whose death we are sorry to record; and since then no collision has taken place. Messrs. Williams and Barstow, Resident Magistrates, are using then* utmost endeavours to preserve the peace. At Mongonui, farther north than the Bay of Islands, a large party of natives has •assembled,' owing to a land dispute, and a collision is anticipated. These are old intertribal quarrels, which have nothing to do with the Europeans or with any decision in the Native Lands Court. We regret that the sitting of the Native Lands Court at Poverty Bay has been post,poned, for the third time, by the Government, because the law did not enable them to carry out their design in regard to the lands at ; Turanga and Waiapu. There were six hundred natives present ; and about two hundred and fifty of them have petitioned the General Assembly against the oppressive action of the Government, and in favour of an alteration of the law. A bill has been introduced by Mr. Carleton, however, to repeal the Native Lands Act, 1866, which will doubtless become law. If that Act were repealed, and some amendments in detail made in the Act of 1865, and the East Coast Land Titles Investigation Act were repealed, the natives would be in a position to have substantial justice done them. His Excellency' Sir George Grey left Auckland, in H.M. s. * Charyfodis,' for Wellington, on the 3rd, where he arrived on the Bth, and opened; the General Assembly on the 9th. The proceedings of the General Assembly have not been of any great interest. The address, in reply to the Governor's Speech was carried on the^voices; and only one party division had been taken up to the 25th ult.: ihd date of our latest' advices from Wellington.! This division ws on a motion by Mr.- Vbgel^. to } the 'effect' , that the, Goverjnor's powers under tb.e Gold fields Act be delegatedoto Supeßkte&^ts^wM'ch wak tantamount .to; & 'Vattr of /tytofrtif confidence j'in Ministers, "who'. .had: irefusedr; to, delej. .gate, Jlje t powers 1 " , jSaperintenflen^ of Otagq, Mr,' -Madanmfe^ 3 -inasmuch to his own ase, and to nave proclaimed Jus

private house a common gaol and committed himself thereto. The Government have promised to, introduce and pass an Act, enabling them to delegate the powers to the Provincial Executive Council in each case. The Government amendment was oarried by a majority of four, but we regret that the majority of the Auckland representatives voted for the original resolution. The .same party, led by Mr. Yogel, and supported by the Superintendent of Auckland, "and tbe majority of the Auckland members, introduced financial resolutions which would have had tbe effect of relieving the Middle Island of all liability on account of native' affairs, and enabled them to have struck their own balance on existing colonial engagements, the Northern > provinces undertaking tbe management, and paying the cost, of native affairs. This proposal never came to a division. It broke down before the intelligence of the House, and the Auckland ( party were saved from stultifying them- j selves. , The Government may be considered safe for the remainder of the session, unless they do something very foolish ; and the Provincialists, through mismanagement, and assuming that " provincial " institutions " meant Superintendents, have defeated a good cause. There have been two elections since our last. Mr. Thomas Macfarlane has been returned to the General Assembly for the Northern Division ; and Mr. Dacre has been elected to a seat in the Provincial Council for the same division. There was a contest in each case. Captain Cooper contested the seat for the House of Representatives, and Mr. Staines contested it for- the Provincial Council. Colonel De Quincey having resigned his seat for the Pensioner Settlements, Mr. John Kerr, M.P.C. for the same district, has addressed the electors. The seat will be contested by Mr v James J. Jackson, of Howick. Major-General Chute, X.C.8., and staff, leave for Sydney to-day by the s.s. ' Auck- j land.* In the face of the menacing attitude j of the natives, this province is left with an Imperial force of twenty men. H.M. s. ' Esk sailed for England on the 3rd instant, her term of service on this station having expired.