CHATHAM ISLANDS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 819, 19 January 1867, Page 2

CHATHAM ISLANDS.

(FKOM- : OUB;6WNrCOßßßB)?b^i^ii)V^;^!l;- --■: ••... „,'v '■ ■■-■".■ ■/•. : .;';i^o^iß^gjJ| Christmas is once more: upon li^jb^gingi;:: most gloomy weather. On thel^nßpkjeai-r day a severe gale set in from i&e^Ni^^ and ; throughout the day the rain poured; do^,v ; without intermission ; niany : 6s^pjigmsti*y~ l;---promised themselves a pleasant sunny' time|' were woefully disappointed, «tilljit djd nd|j > altogether mar thed6mesiaQfestmtyi" : '^illJt^-.' closed doors, a glowing hearthi and bduhte- "» ous spread, the comforts withinour island" ,: homes bade defiance to the storm that rag^d^ : without. On that day the schooner De-/] spatch lay at anchor off Owenga, opposed ■ to the fiercest fury of the elements, under ; curtains of darkness'; fierce waves hissingly lashed the rocks, and downright sheets of \'_ storm seethed in the sea, whilst; tbrreiiifcS; absolutely pouring from the lowering skiea, threatened destruction to the^Httlebarque., ; She rolled frightfully -from side to side^ shipping tons of kelp, and doing some;little damage to her bulwarks, but through, the able management of her well experieiibed ; : master, aided by most unexceptionable t-\ ground tackle, she proved quite, equal to the emergency, and rode out the gale in comparative safety. ■ A retrospective view of the past year arouses many conflicting emotions. In that interval our infant settlement has made some progress. Pleasant homesteads, springing up as it were from the wilderness, betoken the awakening of civilized life ; other comforts have followed id due course. The gloomy forebodings with which many of us viewed the arrival of prisoners from the seat of war, has in a great measure passed away; indeed their docility and obedient conduct so far entitles them to our confidence. In bearing this testimony we; must . not be unmindful of the very vigilant officers upon whom the onerous charge has devolved. The firmness and humanity of our R.M., Captain Thomas, aided by Lieut. E. Tuke and their most efficient subaltern, Corporal Elliott, is universally acknowledged. . . On the other hand, we have had some, unfortunate casualties. Three vessels have been wrecked on our coast, and terrible disasters have occurred, which have carried death . and desolation into more than, one household, and to whom this season of festivity will be one of intense mourning. Hoary heads are bowed and trembling, Withered hands are clasped and wrung ; God hath left the old and feeble, He hath ta'en away the young. —Absorbed as our islanders may be by their own amusements, we are well assured that none are selfish or heartless enough to , withhold their deep sympathy from unfortunate relatives so fearfully bereaved. . On the 19th instant a meeting of the Maori inhabitants was convened at Wai- - tangi, for the purpose of ascertaining their . various claims to lands on the island. We understand this question will, be speedily adjudicated upon by an official gentleman . from head-quarters. We rejoice to hear s this, because no material progress can be made until the native title is clearly defined. Our roads are in a fearful state, but with ( very little labour, places which are now ' : -'j positively dangerous could be made pas- -: sable, and here and there, by clearing away a little bush and scrub, a wider and better track might be opened. Hitherto small parties of the prisoners have been allotted to such settlers as really require manual labour. That is all very well, but in our humble opinion they could have been more usefully employed on works that would have benefited the inhabitants generally. The 27th was the day of our races, and it was altogether one of the most brilliantly successful gatherings ever held in the Chathams. Of the racing itself it would be difficult to speak in terms too favorable. Such an assemblage of horses, as regards either number or quality, was never before seen on the Chatham racecourse. Judge, Mr! Robert Ritchie; Clerk of Course, Mr. L. W. Hood; Starter and Treasurer, Mr. Hood. The first event was the Hurdle Race, 1^ miles ; first prize, £3, second, £l 12s. 6d. Tapiri Moke (Mr. T. Ritchie) ... 1 Piuanga (Anthony Coffee) ... 2 Clyde (A. Shand) S Blackbird (W. Draper) 0 Tungane (Mr. Ford) ... 0 Ngatimarei (Mr. Hamlin) 0 Head Centre (Mr. Pattisson) ... 0 Fenian (Mr. Chudleigh) 0 Waitai (A. P. Brown) 0 Ti Tatnuna (Mr. Erskine) 0 Keveti (Kapa) 0 Wawairau (Piripi) 0 Pai te Rangi (Ra.wiri) 0 Maiden Plate, £5. 12 horses started. Rover (Mr. R. Shand) 1 Waiwairau (Piripi) ; ... "2 Pihanga (Anthony Coffee) 3 Ladies' Purse, £6. 19 horses started. Hutana (Jem Pirika) 1 Pihanga (Anthony Coffee) 2 Otarua (D. Shearer) 3 Consolation Stakes. 30 horses started. Tereinga (Jem Pirika) 1 Parau Keiti (Ngapiki) 2 Pihanga (Anthony Coffee) ... 3 Foot races, 300 yards, 20s. 8 started. M'Catchy, 1, Anthony Coffee, 2 ; 100 yards, 7 started. Anthony Coffee, 1 ; Teoteo Whavekauri, 2. Running high jump, 4 entries, £1. Mr. Ford, 1 ; A. Coffee, 2. Wrestling, prize £2. Rawini, 1 ; Herimiab, 2.