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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 7, Issue 446, 16 December 1863, Page 3

v The Navigation of the Waikato.— The

natives look to the river lowering in the summer as the means of hindering our communication and stopping our supplies. The "Taipo," or Devil, at- they call the Pioneer, will not then be able to go up above Kohekohe, Preparations are being made at the Waikato for the reception of the Sydney vessel with the frames of the steam barges that are to be put together here. Capt. Heaphy is said to have selected Putaraka Point, and the site of the old Mission Station, at Maraetoi for the locale of the new seaport town of the Waikato. H.M.S. Eclipse is now lying at anchor abreast of that place. Mr. D. Simpson, C.E., is engaged in preparing a yard for the necessary work incidental to completing the steam bai'ges. The channel of the Waikato entrance is said to have shifted somewhat since Capt. Drury surveyedjt, but tohave improved. The way in over the bar is very simple, but beacons on the sand hills are requisite for the guidance of strangers taking the bar. Mr. J. G. Boulton, 8.N., is afc the direction of Commodore Sir W. Wiseman, Bart, making a new survey of the entrance. The depth of water may be inferred from the circumstance of the steam gun vessel Eclipse, with her usual armament, and laden with stores for the font, going in without difficulty. — New Zealander.

The Übiweras.— This tribe, of whose threatened visit to Napier apprehension was some time since freely entertained, is thus referrred to in a letter from the correspondent of the Otago Daily 'Unties: — "Large reinforcements have just arrived to the rebels, bringing immense quantities of provisions and ammunition with them. One hun.dred of one single tribe, the Uriwera, whose locale is the mountainous region betwixt the Bay of Plenty and Poverty Bay, have just joined the rebel f .head-quarters. Each of them brought a casH of gunpowder on his back, and each was accompanied by a woman bringing a load of food for the commissariat. Thus they had travelled for two hundred miles over a road, to which your diggings roads would compare with vast superiority. They are a simple people and have long been storing powder which they do not use profusely at home, preferring rather the ancient method of snaring birds and other animals, at which practice they are exceedingly expert. Those who know the Uriweras well, say that they are the tribe which has least of all been tainted by civilization. Even missionaries, not to speak of the ]aw, had but a slight acquaintance with those children, of the wilds. They have been appointed to a post on the Waikato where they are expected to niaraud or forage without compunction."

■Lord Clyde. — It has escaped the chroniclers that Lord Clyde was commissioned by Her Majesty to proceed to Potsdam with the insignia of the honours bestowed on the Crown Prince of Prussia, previous to his marriage with the daughter! of Britain. Before starting on his mission he went down to Windsor to receive instructions, and on leaving he was told the orders and badge, &c.; would be forwarded in a box to his address in London. The box, with the Windsor seal, duly arrived, and Sir Colin,. attended by his ten everhaunting umbra, proceeded direct to Berlin, where he wais welcomed with all proper marks of respect The tour was officially announced for the interview at whioh the Crown Prince was to receive the representative .of the Crown, and Sir Colin, in full uniform, went to the box to take out the badges and insignia given to his charge. The amazement — we won ? t say dismay, for it is "not a word suited to. the man^of Sir Colin may be imagined when he discovered that he was indeed ;ihi the. wrong box, and that h& -had* carried so ;<;are|wly along- with him) "ft f plumnoakeand^soins \ other little tokens of affec^isC&ent. by- fflie Princess. Koyal to her betrothed, which had arrived before the Windsor officials had packed up the more stately, but perbapß less welcome, offerings. In a -day or two the box came, and the mission was duly performed.

. The tATE Capt. Mekcbeand Capt. PjiEkP.<\ — *f he funeral of these much lamented oflicers took place on the 27th ult. Captain Mercer was buried to the left of Lieutenant Murphy $ Capt* Phelpß in the next grave ; and the bodies iuterral here now are ia the following order ;-^-Captaia Phelps, Captain Mercer, Lieutenant Murphy, Mr. Watkin, R.K, Commodore Burnett, the Chief Boatswain of the * Orpheus,' and Captain Swift, Tlie following account of the services of the deceased . officers is from the Southern Oivss : — Captain Henby Mercer, of the Royal Artillery, obtained his captaincy on the Siikd February, 1852. la 1855 he served at tbesiege of Sebastopol , and received a medal and clasps, and a Turkish medal. He arrived in Auckland in the early part «f March, 1861, and immediately afterwards proceeded to Taranaki, where he was engaged in the affair at the Waitara. He arrived there, it appears, on the first day of the trace — vi«., the 11th of March; and when hostilities were resumed on the 15th, he was present at the advanced post at Huierianga, opposite Te Aire, and opened tire with his Armstrong guns for the first time in New Zealand, The action lasted three days, and during that time fifteen of our men were either killed or wounded, including Lieut. MoNaughten, nephew of General Sir Willfam McNaughteQ) the well known Indian officer, who was killed at the disastrous retreat at Calml. Captain Mercer was afterwards employed in Auckland, and placed his battery at the disposal of the Government to assist in making the Great South. Road from Drury ±o the Queeu's Redoubt, ftnd in that work he was eugaged up to July, 1862. At the same time he had command of the garrison of Auckland during the absence of General Cameron afc Drury. In March of this year. Captain Mercer proceeded to Taranaki with his battery, who were mounted to act as light cavalry, with a view to operations at Tataramaika. After the murders at Taranaki, he accompanied the force that moved down to open communication with a detachment stationed at the Tataramaika block. About the loth May this year, he was in charge of the artillery acting as light cavalry for the withdrawal of the Waitara detachment, and he was with the troops at the attack on Waitekeri. On the removal of the troops from Taranaki to Auckland he came up to head-quarters, and proceeded to the front about the Bth July. He superintended the building of the whole of the gun-boats built; here for the navigation of the Waikato, and in. all matters concerning the practice of his profession he proved himself a tuost invaluable officer. His private virtues are known and appreciated by his friends ; and we need ouly give a solitary proof of this, by mentioning that the Committee of the Auckland Auxiliary Bible Society, of which Capt. Mercer was a member and who joined the funeral procession yesterday, have entered the following resolution on the books of the Society and forwarded a copy of it to Mrs. Mercer :—" Referring to the late Captain Mercer R.A., who received his death wound during the late conflict between her Majesty's troops and the Waikato Rabels at Rangiriri, the Committee of the Auckland Auxiliary Bible Society feel a mournful pleasure in recording their esteem' for the memory of that gallant dfficer and their appreciation of the zealous services he lias rendered to the Society as an active member of the Committee. The Committee also express the deep sympathy they feel with Mrs. Mercer in her bereavement, and earnestly pray that the promises and consolations of that book, in the spread of which her late husband took so great an interest, may be her succour in this the hour of her trial." The deceased officer was but 38 at the time of death.—CAPT. John Phelps was only 33. He served in the Crimea as Assis-tant-Surgeon, in the 57th regiment of Foot, and received the order of Medjidie for attending some wounded men under fire. Subsequently became Ensign in the same regiment. Promoted Lieutenant, 9th January, 1858, in the 14th regiment of Foot, on the raising of the 2nd battalion to that regiment. Crimean and Turkish medals. Since arriving in the colony he was promoted to a captaincy ; he served in the field in the Tavanaki war ; and had the reputation for being an able and gallant officer.

The Prorogation.— lt is expected that all the important business of the session will be concluded to-day, and the remaining business, which will be of a formal nature, -will be finished by Saturday, on -which day it is probable the General Assembly will be prorogued. Many of the southern members will leave to-day by the ' Lord Ashley ' and ' Rangatira.' In anticipation of that, and the speedy termination of the session, a ministerial dinner was given last evening at the Parliament House. The session, although a short one in point of days, has been a very long one as regards the number of hours which lion, members have sat, and the amount of business got through. Ten and twelve hours a day has not been at all an unusual sitting for the House of Bepresentatives, and excepting the refreshment hour this was increased to fifteen' hours out of the twenty-four on Saturday. No doubt the circumstances of the country necessitated this, so that the session might be brought to a close as soon as possible, or otherwise it must have been hardly bearable by those whose business lies more in the way of working than in talking.— Southern Cross, Dec. 8.

Reporting- by Government.— lt is proposed to the Government to employ a competent staff of short-hand writers, to furnish "full and accurate reports of debates," and this Mr. FitzGerald explained to mean, giving every word and sentence which was uttered in the House, from the commencement to the close of the Session. At least five shorthand writers -would be required for this work ; and the lowest remuneration that could be offered for this extremely laborious, irksome, and, all but impossible task, would be (£1,200 to £1,500. We estimate the stationery, incidental expenses, printing and binding of so many volumes of "rubbish" at over £2,000 ; and if Mr. FitzGerald's idea be carried out, which we never expect to see, it will cost the country every penny of four thousand pounds sterling to enable him to ride his hobby and read his own speeches,— Southern Cross,