TARANAKI.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 4, Issue 193, 1 June 1861, Page 4

TARANAKI.

Oub, dates from this Province are to the 16th inst. Sickness was still very prevalent, principally diptheria, and many deaths had taken place. v The steamer Tasmanian Maid was employed in taking the women and children and baggage of the troops from Waitara to Manukau. The families continue to return — about 200 having already left Nelson. The news from this province is meagre, and what there is of it is anything but cheering in character. We extract the following from a leading article in the laranaki News of the 9th inst. : — On good information we hear that intelligent from W. King has been received at Mataitawa» Waitara, to the effect that he is in the district o^ Kawhare, where he means to abide, and has left his business in the hands of an old chief there. Also that the Waikatos generally have determined to -support the King, and that a messenger has been sent to the South to tell the Kgatiruanuis. and other tribes, that if attacked by the Queen's forces they were immediately to send information of the same to Waikato : the inference is clearly enough indicative of a determination to resist any attempt that may .be made to punbh or obtain restitution of the brigand Ngatiruanui or any of their neighbours. In such a state of affairs where is the security which many fondly hope to see sufficiently esta« blished in a short time to enable them with safety

to proceed with then* ordinary 'occupations in this settlement ? It is true that it may be urged that peace settled with the Taranakis on the terms prescribed by the Governor — the members of that tribe will form as it were a human buffer between the Hgatiruanui and ourselves, but, what amount of reliance may -be placed on such a barrier the opening of the late, war has sufficiently demonstrated. ■ - .

fe We take the following from the Herald I of ihe 11th inst. : — '

I . The Warea natives have written to Mr. Riemen- |! Schneider^ their missionary, not to return. The |; war is not yet ended; others of the tribe had ; p- invited him to come back. £/ ; last Saturday arid Sunday the rivers were higher than has been known since 1843. I'A bridge near the Union Mill was washed away, |".'aad the . fo6fc bridge near the Taranaki Inn was |j "underw ater and displaced. . The wator was high

in the cellar's and out-buildings of the Masonic Hotel.

The rumour that Hapurona had gone to Waiiato is quite unfounded. W. Kingi has written to his adherents .placing them under the leadership of Ihaia Te Wharepa, an old chief little known to the settlers. The ceremony of giving and returning the land at Waitara to the King was performed] by W. King and W. Thompson a great many times, but at last it rests "in the hands " of W. Thompson. i

The Airedale arrived on Thursday with a good many passengers for Taranaki from Auckland, among them Colonel Warre, C.8., 57th regt., who takes command here.

The Taranaki Militia is constituted a regiment, Captain Charles Browne, T.M., is gazetted Paymaster.

The Advertiser correspondent, under date the 15th, thus writes : —

My only news for "you is that the section of the Taranakis who have shown a willingness to come to terms (the Ngatiwahanga) came yesterday to Moturoa, where there was a great deal of humbug, which resulted in their going back without signing the terms. Parris was very firm with them, and; would not let them come to town without wholly; agreeing to the terms. As they wanted toigti&ke . peace first, and talk about the terms afterwards, Parris would not admit them, and * they have returned without coiniag to any settlement. So we are just as far off as ever from peace. What a. wretched bungle and mess McLean has made of the affair. Wi Kingi is reported as coming down from the Waikato to Mataitawa at the head of a body of Waikatos to take possesion again of Waitara—and all the troops are gone to Auckland. And they are daily buying up ammunition, guns, &c, leaving us with one' regiment. What a disgusting and humiliating state of things.

The Governor's terms of peace,- which, acording to one of our New South Wales exchanges, should be burnt by the common hangman, and which are now working an evil influence throughout the length and breadth of the Northern Island, have not been accepted either by the Taranakis or Ngatiruanuis. The laranaki News of the 16th says : —

It is now certain that not only do, the Ngatiruanuis scout all offers of peace, and stand prepared for as much further aggression as their compatriots in the North will back them in, but, that the Tasanakis, from whom better things were expected, also decline to enter upon the consideration of the terms of peace proposed by the Governor.

A private letter has been received from Trrgnaki, via Wellington, dated May 15, which states that it is reported in New Plymouth that the Waikatos (number not named) had returned to Waitara, with the intention of fighting, and that the remainder of the tribe are preparing for hostilities both at Waikato and Waiuku.

It had also been rumoured that a European had been fired upon at Omata on the 14th inst. ' .

[From the Correspondent of the Wellington

Independent.^

May 6, 1861,

In my last I noticed that some of the friendly natives had gone back into the bush clearings and helped themselves to the various live stock of the settlers still remaining on the forsaken farms, since which a representation of the unjustness of acting in this manner has been made to the leading chiefs, and the result has been that the natives have confessed their error, and moreover have subscribed amongst themselves the sum of six pounds six shillings and. sixpence, which had been given over to the native department as payment for the pigs, &c., that were taken. The money, lam happy to state, is to be returned to the natives, with an expression of satisfaction at the acknowledgement of the error, coupled with, a warning for the future.

Reports are abroad that the native department has been warned that if the settlers viuit the bush they will be murdered. I need Bcarcely tell you that this report is utterly without foundation, and I write now, trusting-through the medium of your widely circulated paper to stay the propagation of falsehoods which, if disseminated, may tend still more to unsettle this unhappy country. On Saturday last a public meeting was held at Taranaki, for the put pose of nominating a committee to open a correspondence with the English and other relief funds that have been commenced for the ruined settlers of this province* The object of the proposed committee was not to find fault or cast doubt upon those who had been in powery. but simply to" show those who had bo kindly come" forward to our assistance, our present position, and future prospects. It appeared the unanimous opinion of those present, that whilst the inhabitants of the province . were recipients of military pay, assistance from the relief funds would not be requisite, but that there was a time coming when we shall once again return to our farms, and then pecuniary assistance will be most acceptable. How anxious one and all are to enjoy once again their homesteads is evinced by the readiness with which, on permission being granted, the.refugees returned from Nelson, and I feel certain so long as we act in unity, assistanoe towards replacing us in our future position will not be wanting.

There is no doubt that at some distant period from this, Government compensation will be given to the losers of property during this war. In the meantime, by the kind assistance of those who have voluntarily come forward to our aid, we shall be enabled, as soon as peace is declared, to rebuild our houses and erect fencing on our farms. During this last week we have experienced the most inclement weather : for upwards of three days the rain has fallen in torrents equal to those of the tropics, causing the iloods to rise higher than they have been known for years, whilst the winds have been so powerful that trees of long standing have been either broken or swept to the ground. In a sanitory point of view the late floods have been of great bonefifcj as any accumulation of filth

must have been carried into the sea by the rapidly flowing current.

May 15, 1861. As a recompense for the heavy rains and accompanying floods, we have, for the laßt ten days been in the full enjoyment of the most beautiful weather, our picturesque* roadstead remaining calm, with scarcely a ripple to disturb its glassy surface.

We are now daily drilled by the officer commanding the Militia and Volunteers, in order to fit us for taking part in the grand military show on the 24th of this month, in honour of her Majesty's natal day. The colours, which have been woven in England, are to' be presented to us by the ladies of Taranaki. They are chaste and pretty, both having embroidered upon them a view of Mount Egmonfc, enclosed within a double oval border, containing the words on one, the " Taranaki Militia," and upon the the " Taranaki Volunteers,'* surmounted with a crown in gold, whilst in the corner of the flag is a Union Jack. Notwithstanding these grand colours, our uniforms will present such a varied hue that I doubt very much if our old friend Falstaff would feel inclined to march through Coventry with us. \ It strikes me that most of us, instead of thus wasting our time in playing at soldiers, would far -sooner be engaged in taking some determined steps that would enable us to demand from the Southern natives a permanent and honourable peace, bo that we could once again aettle upon our homes>

Ths thistles are now spreading so far that in another year we shall almost be placed in a worse position than those settlers , who acted as the pioneers in redeeming that wilderness which but a year ago formed the garden of Ifew Zealand. But this is not all the mischief that is engendered by the present inaction, the younger branches of our community are becoming reckless and idle, whilst the storekeepers and publicans, by obtaining substitutes, are introducing amongst our former industrious population a class of persons utterly unfitted for obtaining a living by following agricultural pursuits, which, with few exceptions, offers the only legitimate means in Taranaki. „ > > Yesterday, May 14, the Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis met Mr. Parris at Moturoa, when the peace question was discussed. The chief subject was that of the murders. The natives deny that murder has been committed ; they say that we shed the first blood in our attack on the L pah. Another report is that Wi Kingi is about to return to the Waitara with some few hundreds of the Waikatos. Although we have no authentic acr count of such amovement, still there is aprobability of an occurrence of the kind, and it will be as well for us if we prepare ourselves so as to be in readiness if required. Many examples of by-gone days loom forth as warnings.

W. I. Gh