AUCKLAND.

Grey River Argus, Issue 71, 26 June 1866, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

TAURANGA. ANOTHER WAR THREATENED. ARRIVAL OF THREE HUNDRED WANGANUI AND TARANAKI ■ ' • NATIVES. The correspondent of the " Southern Cross," writing from Camp Te Papa on May 30, says : — It is again my unpleasant duty to have to record tho fact that the peace which we have lately been enjoying i 3 likely to be but of short ; duration. Yesterday morning Mr Isley, an old settler of Maungatapu, came into camp, and for the first time gave us the said alarm that war was again likely to be commenced ; that our peaceful slumbers wero again on the eve of being disturbed ; in fact, that a struggle of a far moro serious, savage, and daring character than has hitherto taken place is now impending, and if report is correct, that the natives were flattering themselves that the plans and savage schemes wliich they purposed adopting would annihilate every vestige of European existence or civilisationwliich formerly was so happily spread^ through the length and breadth of this highly favored district. For this purpose • largo parties of natives were reported to be assembling, from all tho disaffected districts—such as Rotorus, Taiipo, Wanganui, Taranaki, and W?ikato — in the ranges, where large supplies were left by the Pai Mariris when they returned to thoir homes after their last pilgrimage to the Hau hau shrines. Mr Isley had not long been gone from camp, when your hamble correspondent met a native an old offender in rebellion, who called Mm on one side and began to acquaint him with the imponding troubles which are about to fall not only on Taxiranga, but on all New Zealand. He described tho heavens as being dark and overcast, that the elements wore growing thick, and that Avithin a very short space of timo the heavens would burst, and .all Europeans would be destroyed from the surface of the earth. He then said this was now- being fulfilled. All Europeans at Taranald had already perished, and he had now the painful duty to request me, as an old hand, to 'flee at onco from impending dangers. I listened attentively to his stoiy, which wa3 a very long and tedious one, mixed up with many ridiculous and f abrdous tales ; and then asked 'him', in: 'the most serious manner, a3 if giving credence and faith to his story, what length, of time would be* required before I should siistairi injury in preparing to flee. "Oh," says hej "delays are dangerous ; fiee at tho first noticVof the approach of evil, and then you affd your children will be safe. Flee to Auckland, where there will ha no storm, no danger, because that city Avas lawfully and universally appointed as the land whpreon Europeans may safely rest and reposfevjfor it was there Te Wherowhero erected his houae and resided, to bo a protection to' all Europeans." I then asked him if these troubles, wliich were about to afflict this district, were, to, be at the instigation of the Hau-hau3;.or-how it was to take place, and by whom? Tfkfhgi he replied that they had seen the f6lf|l y of*%linging to Te Ua, the prophet, who had been, found to be an impostor and#traitbr ; but?that a new prophet had arisen amongst Taranaki natives,^y^^at one word could command the heavenf%nd the earth toyield to his sway and authority, and that it was by him that all the Europeans in the Taranaki district had been , destroyed. Tins rebellious and superstituras man had scarce left me, when I was accosted by two others — a man and his wife — who related verbatim the story; and the earnestness with which they nar- ' rated the particulars was such as to convince me that they seriously believed it, for at -the conclusion they urged me to deliver into their charge my children, that they might protect and defend them, observing that they had facilities for sheltering the little ones which I had not, for the storm would not be of long endurance, but that in its results it would be decisive and effectual. The following morning, finding the p.s. Sturt, Captain Fairchild, had arrived from Auckland, and hearing that a company of the Ist Waikatos", in charge of Lieuienant Way, -were told off to proceed to Opotiki, I at once went into camp to ascertain further information, and I was allowed to remain long uninformed. Meeting Arama Karaka, a respectable chief ofrMaunga--tapu, he at once expressed his disappointment at finding Mr Clarke's absence. His countenance expressed feelings of great anxiety ; and having no other individual to whom he could unbosom his cares, he at once commenced with a full and explicit corroboration of the story which I had the day previous received, with the addition" also that messengers had arrived from the fanatics encamped on the ranged, at once, to proceed there from all the hapus or families of each settlement within Tauranga. He further stated that several natives from a neighboring hapu had gone to worship and fall down at tho shrine of ■the j new prophet. On hearing this, early as it was,- 1 at once proceeded to" the residence of Mr Gill, clerk to the Civil Commissioner's Court, and laid before him all the information which I had obtained. Mr Gilljwithgreatpromptitude, dispatched a messenger to Maketu, which caused the Native Minister, Mr Clarke, C.C., and Mr Mair, R.M., to return to camp that night ;-and on the next day orders were issued that the detachment of Ist Waikatos, who were in readiness to embark for Opotiki, should not, doubtless owing to the uncertainty of Maori affairs, leave. From information wliich has baen received by the arrival , of the cutter Bellaj Captain Faulkner, which left Opotiki at the same time as the Sturt-^-the 27th inst. —we learn that the enemy is still lurking in the neighborhood of the camp, and that the once friendly native Te Rakaraka is at thoir head. They are supposed to muster about 300, and 1 have sent messengora to the friendly natives to y clear out from the position which they now hold, and wliich was very recently set apart for them by Commissioner A. J. Wilson.

A discovery of some importance has lately been made near Waitahuna. Messrs Nation and Co.", after some twelve montlis' •prospecting, have found a reef of rotten slatey rock, about twenty feet thick, whichis intersected in every direction by veins of cinnabar ; some of the specimens have been operated on by the retort, and ) have yielded about 70 per cent, of pure mercury. Practical joking appears to have assumed a rather dangerous character in Hokitika. The West Coast Times sayn :— " We cannot too strongly condemn the folly of such pracl tical joking aa occurred in Revell street on Wednesday last, and which, through a paragraph that appeared in the Evening Star, induced the police to enquire into the matter ; and from them we have obtained the following particulars. A gentleman and two > ladies were . returning homewards from the » Masonic ball, where an acquaintance happened to espy .them, and wishing to have a ' lark ' at their expense, muffled up his face, accosted them in the most approved bushranging fashion, and demanded their money. ! Awed by hi 3 ruffianly appearance, ..and couldn't-on-any-consideration-be-deniedman-ner, his behests were obeyed, and. some '■ money accepted by him, when he immt- . diately departed rejoicing. The property, however, was returned the next day, and we daresay a hear by laugh was indulged in 1 at the expense of the fair ladies' chaperon ; but although it ended thus pleasantly we would strenuously advise the perpetrator of the above joke to abstain from such pleasantries for the future, or he may chance to , find himself within the four walls of one of those interesting log buildings in the Camp. If he had only seen the grim smile upon the wsHps of the sergeant who related to us the Y A j>ove, and tho sinister remark, . tonching 'possible consequences, which accompanied it, he would have shivered iv his Wellington boots, and considered himself well out of that which might have proved a very awkward'scrape.'"