MANAIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VIII, Issue 1372, 30 July 1886, Page 2

MANAIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The current opinion amongst some at least of the Plains natives is that Te Whiti has now gone to Wellington to settle matters with the Governor. They don't look upon his arrest; in the same light as we do at all, and evidently await a climax which will turn everything in their favor.

Wednesday's Taranaki News gave an interesting acconut of the arrest of Te Whiti, but it is slightly misleading in one or two particulars. Coustable Franklin formed one of the arresting party who entered tbe village, but it is not mentioned iv the report. The report also states thnt Te Wbili was " quickly driven oat of the eetcfement. On Teaching the outposts of Parihaka, Inspector Pardy read over the charge." The fact is that ! the buggy wns in waiting only about a chain from where Te Whiti was found, and although hurried away, he was tolerably well prepared, ns he was dressed with the exception of having his boots on. After putting his boots on, he was taken to the buggy, where the charge wa3 read over to him. This, of course, puts a slightly different aspect on the affair as regards the hurried action of the police, and shows that at the earliest moment when it was possible to do bo, Te Whiti wa« made fully aware of the charge upon which he was arrested. The well-planned arrest of Te Whiti by Inspector Pardy and his halt a dozen men has certainly saved the colony no end of trouble aud expense. Had the natives beeu iv anything like the temper for resistance which was manifested here on the 18th iustant, a capture in daylight by so 6tnall a force would have been a physical impossibility. The half starved, alwayswidenwake Maori curs were for some reason forcunately represented by only one dog, which barked once or twice, but not sufficiently loudly to cause any alarm.

Maoris at Okaiawa have today made their first aet-o£f agaiast the HUpoWuding account of the 18th iost. Mr. R. O. Hendy, who wns one of the most active in the work of impounding, to-day had 26 impounded. There may, however, be no connexion between the two circumstances.

The Harmonic Society have set themselves a very uphill job, and there is every prospect at present that it will have an existence of uot very long duration. •' Trial by Jury " lias beeu in practice for Borne limp, nnd those who attend are Retting into the music very well, but ihe attendance of ladies is so small that a proposal will be made to the committee, on Thursday eveuin», to wind up, and to instruct the counsel to enter a nolle prosequi. It is understood that five or six more Indies are require!. Your suggestion that a cavalry corp3 be formed here without delay should be acted upon in the present uncertain state of affairs. Although there is very little, if any, uneasiness experienced by Plains people, yet the results of fanaticism cannot be predicted with any certainty, and, therefore, to be in a po«ition of preparedness for any emergency, should commend itself to those whose families are at present entirely unprotected. Whilst Te Whiti holds supreme swny— even though it be from bis cell in Wellington — no violence need he feared, but the lenders left are not of the same pacific disposition, and might at any time Invor the evil counsels of the more restless spirits amongst the malcontent*. Such is not unlikely. A well-drilled nnd wellmounted cavalry corps would be of immense advantnge m its influence ou the native mind. July 28.