AUCKLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1230, 3 May 1864, Page 5

AUCKLAND.

Br the s.s. Queen, which arrived in Port on Saturday last, we have our northern files to the 23rd inat. From them we extract the following items:— THE PANAMA CONTItACT. At a meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Gilfillan announced that he had obtained the following items of information from the Colonial Secretary as to the intentions of the Government on this subject:— " Ist. That it was the intention of the Government shortly to publish the whole correspondence on the subject.

" 2nd. That the Government hadnot confirmed the contract, while on the other hand they had not on the part of the colony rejected it; preferring to wait till the next meeting of the General Assembly should have the opportunity of coming to a final decision.

"3rd. That unless the contract should be very materially altered, the present Ministry would not feel itself justified in recommending its adoption by the Assembly."

Upon the above the New Zealander remarks:— " That it is easy to imagine that the Government found themselves in rather a puzzling predicament in reference to this contract. There were many antagonistic claims to satisfy, and many opposing interests to appease. It was impossible for them to arrive at any decision which would at once propitiate Auckland, Wellington, and Otago. The interests of the New Zealand Steam Navigation Company imported a new difficulty into the question. The only way to escape this perplexity was to decline all responsibility, by declining to pass any opinion on the subject, and of this little mode of escape they accordingly availed themselves. The decision has been left to the General Assembly at its next meeting."

It is thus admitted that it was the rival claims of Auckland audOtago, and the new difficulty imported imo the question by the N.Z.S.N. Company which caused this " boon to the colony " to be declined.— Advertiser, April 28.

MORE PEACE-MAKING.—REWI ALIVE. The principal news from the Front is that contained in the letter of our Te Awamutu correspondent, who informs us that some friendly chiefs had ridden into camp, bringing letters from the rebels, expressing their willingness to agree to terms of peace. It will be recollected that after the evacuation of Orakau, the surviving rebels fled in a southwesterly direction ; and that it was believed that Rewi, the great Ngatimaniopoto. chief, had been shot and had fallen in the swamp. It now appears that the rebels made their way to Rangitoto, about forty three miles from Te Awamutu ; and that Rewi is amongst them unhurt. Whether the arch-rebel is willing to submit or not, our correspondent does not state *, but he says that a communication was brought from two chiefs and their tribes, agreeing to terms of peace, and, perhaps, to giving up their guns. That a proposition of this kind has been made voluntarily is not at all unlikely ; but the ' perhaps' about giving up their guns throws some discredit upon the sincerity of their intentions; added to which is the fact that Rewi's name is not mentioned as one of the chiefs who are willing to surrender. No doubt their removal from the cultivated districts that they have been driven from to others less fertile in the production of food has made them considerably alter their notions on the subject of British supremacy, but whether it will confirm them in it remains to be seen. It would appear now that the Maori forces have been separated, and that while the escaped rebels from Orakau have fled to Rangitoto, William Thompson and his followers, or a portion of them, have joined the East Coast natives. It is not at all improbable that William Thompson's absence from Porewa was not to attend the funeral of a deceased brother, as alleged, but to negociate with the East Coast Tribes, and that the korero with William Naylor was to give time to effect that object.— Southern Cross, April 23. The following passage of the Southern Cross correspondent's letter from Te Awamutu, April 20, is referred to above:—

Great excitement in camp this morning. About lT a.m. three mounted natives were observed approaching Te Awamutu from the direotion of Kihikihi. They were mounted, and the foremost one held a white flag in his hand. So rumour with her thousand tongues soon carried the news into the remotest corners and crannies of the camp, asserting that " Rewi was coming in to give up his arms," and that the Ngatimaniopotos were suing for peace. The natives, who were very well dressed, were conducted to the quarters of the Brigadier-General, who met them in the yard fronting his quarters, shaking hands with and telling them that they were welcome, and an orderly was instantly dispatched for Mr. Main, interpreter.

The three natives proved to be friendly chiefs, the principal one being Hone Teoni, the magistrate of Kawhia. They had passed through Awamutu some days ago, bearing a missive from the head-quarters at Pukerimu, to Rewi and the Ngatimaniopotos, being provided with a pass to allow them (the friendly chiefs) to proceed unmolested on their errand. They have returned after visiting Rewi and his people, who are now at Rangitoto, and they bring a letter from two chiefs and their tribes who are willing to come to terms, and perhaps to give up their arms. Of course the contents of the letter are at present shrouded in mystery, being known only to '• the powers that be," and a few others of their confidants. Hone Teoni reports that Rewi was not wounded at Orakau, but that he and his tribe are apparently much dispirited from the effects of their late defeat at Orakau.

There has been some negotiation between General Cameron and the rebels, as the result of which (says the Auckland Weekly News): —" On the afternoon of Monday, the 11th instant, fifteen leading men amongst the rebels, including Ruihana, Kereopa, and Hapurona, came into camp, and deliversd up their muskets to the General in token of submission. The Hapurona mentioned is not, we may say, the Hapurona so famous in the Taranaki war, but belongs to the Ngatiwhauroa tribe. None of the Maoris who have come in appear to belong to Thompson's people, the Ngahaus, and Thompson himself had not arrived at Porewa when the party left to make their submission. In giving up their arms the chief stated that they agreed unreservedly to the General's terms. We must not be too sanguine, however, and conclude at once that peace is a settled matter.

The Auckland Weekly News thus summarises the news of the 23rd instant:—

The negociations for peace carried on with the enemy by William Nay lor, have utterly failed; the rebels have evacuated the pah at Porewa; and the scene of war has changed from the banks of the Horatiu to the vicinity of Tauranga, on the East Coast. All the items of news show that the rebels in the field are as little inclined for peace as ever, and that they * listened to Naylor only that they might relieve themselves of encumbrances and evacuate Porewa unmolested. On Monday, the 11th instant, fifteen rebel Maoris name into our camp at Pukerimu, surrendered their arms, and professed allegiance to the Queen. They remained all that day and during Monday night at our camp, being plentifully supplied with victnals by our commissariat. They acceded with great readiness to a proposal that they should return and endeavour to bring in their countrymen, and on Tuesday left for Porewa, little doubt being felt in our camp that at least half of the rebel army would return with them to give in their admission. On Wednesday afternoon, when it was expected that the grand surrender was to take place which was to give peace to New Zealand, our camp was all excitement. At length some of the ambassadors returned, and told that the main body of the rebels were coming down the river in boats, and sure enough 15 canoes soon arrived opposite the camp. But to the intense disgust of our soldiers, instead of the heroes of Rangiriri and Orakau, a long array of decrepid old men, and women and children, filed from the boats, bringing with thom pots, kettles, and even the firewood to cook the victuals they confidently expected from our commissariat, mats, clothes, tame birds, puppy dogs, &e., &c., while the Maori army, having thus got rid of its most serious impedimenta, leisurely decamped from Porewa, and a reconnoitring party could just see the rear guard driving some cattle over the ranges, it was supposed, to Tauranga. This movement necessitated an immediate change in our base of operations. His Excellency the Governor, who had gone tip to the front, where there seemed a chance of Naylor's embassy being successful, immediately returned to Auckland, with General Cameron and his staff, where they arrived on Sunday morning last. Just when the news was received of the change of affairs in Waikato by the departure of the Maoris from Porewa, the Sandfly, which arrived in Auckland from Tauranga on Sunday last, brought intelligence that the hostile natives in that quarter had been strongly reinforced, and everything seemed to

ndicate that the Waikatos marched direct from Porewa to Tauranga. The Sandfly left on Saturday morning, and during the previous night the natives had thrown up a large earthwork within two miles of where our troops were encamped, m addition to several fortifications which they have been working at lately It was reported that William Thompson was in the chief pah, and as it was evident that the rebels were in strong force, it was thought proper to wait till more troops were brought from Auckland before an attack was made—indeed the natives threatened to attack us. Colonel Greer, in command at Tauranga, dispatched the Sandfly to Auckland, with the news of the state of affairs, and asking for reinforcements. No time seems to have been lost by the authorities in dispatching aid; for on Monday evening the Sandfly returned to Tauranga with the whole of the marines and a number of blue jackets from H.M.S. Falcon and Cura<;oa in the harbour, and a detachment, which marched over from Onehunga during the day from the Harrier and Eclipse. These, with some soldiers of the 43rd Re-

giment, made up a force of nearly 200 men. On Wednesday, General Cameron, Major McNiell, Major Pitt, and Lieutenant St. Hill sailed from Auckland for Tauranga in the Esk. A number of troops were aiso taken by the same vessel —the moveable column, 200 strong, composed of drafts from various regiments, and 115 men of the 43rd Regiment. A few hours after the Esk had sailed, the Falcon left the harbour for the same destination, with 246 men of the 68th Regiment, and several officers. The Falcon also took three 61b Armstrong guns and six cohorn mortars, with artillerymen. The Harrier is expected hourly from Onehunga, when she will embark a large number of troops who are now in readiness. There is no doubt, therefore, that the rebels, in their new position, will shortly be confrsnted by an irresistible force, led by General Cameron, while our troops in Waikato may be usefully employed in strengthening their hold on the country; and, by making roads and clearing bush, preparing the land for settlement and cultivation. And at least one lesson has been thoroughly taught us by the unsuccessful result of the late negociations that we must fight oil till the Maoris, unasked by us, offer to yield. It is true that Naylor was not authorized to treat with the rebels as an emissary sent from the Government, but he could not fail to be regarded as such, as he had just had interviews with the Governor, and during the negociations lived at our camp. The natives are evidently unsubdued; they have merely changed the fighting ground from Waikato to Tauranga. News from the East Coast is anxiously expected in Auckland, but up to our going to press none had been received later than that brought by the Sandfly. A letter in our latest war news from Te Awamutu contains some important intelligence, a message having been received from Rewi intimating that the Ngatimaniapotos were willing to surrender.

TAURANGA. H.M.S. Falcon has just arrived from Tauranga, having left there at 4 p.m. yesterday. On Wednesday last, Major Colville was out shooting, and was fired upon by a native. He returned to camp, and took out ti force of 200 men with him. A alight, engagement ensued at Maketu, in which four of our men, (68th or 43rd; were wounded, one dangerously ; and it was reported that about thirty of the rebels had been killed or wounded. On Monday, the 18th, the troops were under arms from half-past three o'clock in the morning, and were in the expectation of an attack, as the rebels were about. The troops went out subsequently, but returned without meeting with the enemy. On the Sandfly's passage down to Tauranga she called in at the Thames, to send the Esk up, and -while off Mercury Island it was so rough that she had to lay there for twenty-four hours. One of the marines of the Harrier fell into the engine-room, and was crushed to pieces. His mutilated remains were buried at Mercury Island. All the troops were safely landed at Tauranga. The Esk had stuck on a rock for three hours, but had received no damage; and the Falcon was for eight hours on a mud bank. The Sandfly had gone down with the schooner Mavis, to Maketu, and took troops with her. Yesterday the natives hoisted a white flag on their first pa, but red flags were still flying on the other.

The day before yesterday, 200 men started as a covering party to bring in the cattle belonging to the Commissariat. A few of the party had been fired on. The troops had been under arms for two or three nights, hourly expecting an attack from the rebels. Judge Johnston came up by the Falcon, and is to -leave by the Queen for the South to-day. The barque Constance, from San Francisco, has been signalled, and another steamer is coming in.— Southern Cross, April 23.

TANGATAWARE IWITAI REPRIEVED. Tangataware Iwitai, the native convicted at the last criminal sessions of the murder of Droomgould, and sentenced to suffer death, has had his sentence commuted to penal servitude for life. The joyful intelligence was communicated to him in his cell on Tuesday evening by the superintendent of the stockade, through Mr. Monro, the native interpreter, whose authority was the sign manual of the Governor and the hon. the Colonial Secretary. On Mr. Monro explaining to Iwitai the contents of the document which was to relieve him of the pains of an ignominous death, he fell down on bis knees and said to the Rev. Mr. Gitto, who was in attendance, " Let us pray, and be thankful! " Up to the period of his reprieve, however, he denied being guilty of the murder, but, sentence being passed on him, he appeared to be convinced that it would be carried into effect, and was preparing himself for his last end by great seriousness and apparent religious devotion. Ruarangi and Okeroa, the other two condemned men, were in adjoining cells, and although they could not hear what was going on, they evidently suspected something which was the cause of painful feelings to them, for after Iwitai was removed on Tuesday night to another part of the gaol, they both commenced crying. The fact of the commutation of Iwitai's sentence was not communicated to them, and whether it was that they surmised it, or thought that their own end was drawing nigh, we are of course not prepared to say; but both appeared as if something had affected them very deeply. Ruarangi cried for a whole hour, between nine and ten o'clock, on the evening that Iwitai was reprieved. The Rev. Mr. Buddie has been very assiduous in his religious ministrations to Ruarangi, and Dr. Macdonald has been the same to Okeroa. Both of these men still assert their innocence of the crime of which they have been found guilty, and they eat and sleep well. The document commuting Iwitai's sentence is dated the 12th instant. The investigation winch was being held by some of the Kaipara chiefs into the circumstances which gave rise to the suspicion that another native named Hare was the murderer, or took part in the murder of the Thomsons, has resulted in their satisfying themselves that he is innocent of the crime. The suspicion which rested on him arose out of a family affair, in whicli Hare's father-in-law threatened to hand him over to the pakeha to be punished for his " great crime." This was surmised to refer to Hare's complicity in the Kaipara murder ; but it appeared that the threat was made in consequence of Hare having illused his wife and father-in-law.—Southern Cross, April 14. EXECUTION OF THE CONDEMNED MAORIS. Ruarangi and Nikotenm Okeroa, the Maoris who were convicted at the late criminal sessions—the former of the murder of Mrs. Thomson and her child, the latter of that of a native chief at the Bay of Islands —suffered the extreme penalty of the law shortly afier sunrise yesterday morning. The execution took place privately (as is the custom in this colony) in the yard of the Mount Eden Stockade, and was witnessed only by those whose duty or necessity obliged tlieni to be present. Several people, however, influenced by a kind of morbid curiosity, assembled on the top of the hill overlooking the stockade, to try to get a glimpse of the execution, but judging from the respective positions of the hill and the scaffold we should say they must have seen very little of what went forward. Twelve men of the Armed Police Force, who left this town at half-past five o'clock yesterday morning, under the command of Sergeant Foster, were present on the ground, and they lined the path from the gaol door t> the gallows." Among those who witnessed the execution were two |.\lfioris, Wiremu te Teti, a native chief, and Parata Puraini. There were also present two other Maoris, who had a permit to take away the body of Ruarangi, but they did not see the sentence carried out, preferring to retire out of sight of the scaffold before the executiou took place. At a quarter to seven o'clock, or about a quarter of an hour after sunrise, the officers went to the cells of the condemned criminals, when they were pinioned in the usual manner, and shortly after the procession, consisting of Mr. Flynn, the jailor, the turnkey, the criminals, and the clergymen in attendance on them, and the hangman, issued from the prison door and marched between the police placed on each side of the path up to the scaffold. As they went along prayers were read by the Rev. Mr. Baker. Ruarangi mounted the steps very firmly, and with a courage worthy of ft better cause; evidently showing that he

had no fear of the death he was about to suffer. He shook hands with Mr. Flyim and the reverend gentlemen who had been in attendance on him, in a cheerful manner, thanking them for their kindness and attention to him ; and of all there, no one seemed less affected than himself. Nikotema Okcroa, on the contrary, although he mounted the steps with great firmness, evidently had a juster sense of his position. He listened most attentively to the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Macdonnld, the Roman Catholic clergyman, who had been in attendance on him, and while he was standing on the drop kissed the cross, which Mr. Macdonald presented to him, with great fervour. It has been said that Okeroa was entitled to the clemency of the Governor on the ground that he was insane, but those persons who were present at his trial must know that he fully understood the enormity of the crime with which he was charged, and the proceedings which were being taken against him. His guilt was brought home to him, and he was accordingly sentenced to suiter death. That Ruarangi deserved punishment no one had the slightest doubt; and even the natives themselves, who if anything, would be prejudiced in his favour, held a kind of extra-judicial tribunal, and could not difpute the justice of his sentence. These were the two men that stood side by side yesterday morning on the drop, one in a state of extreme dejection, the other careless, indifferent, and even cheerful. The hangman, whose head and shoulders were completely covered by a black veil, .and who, judging from the appearance of his hands, was a coloured man, at length advanced to perform the duties of his office. He shook hands with the unfortunate men, and on the signal being given let down the drop. They struggled but very little, and their sufferings soon terminated. Up to the last moment there was no alteration in their behaviour; Okeroa was as abstracted as usual and Ruarangi still protested his innocence; but we that Ruarangi, besides the two letters which he left with Mr. Flynn for his wife and mother as detailed in our issue of yesterday, left with him some other papers. These papers have not as yet been translated from the original Maori; we are, therefore, unable to lay the purport of them before our readers. All of them will of course be handed to the Governor. They might perhaps contain a confession of his guilt. We are of course not aware whether Okeroa made any confession to the Roman Catholic clergyman, but he may possibly have done so, as confession is part of the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. The bodies hung for nearly an hour, when they were cut down and placed in the coffins which had been prepared for their reception at the foot of the gallows. The faces were not at all distorted, showing that death must not have been prolonged. The fall was upwards of eight feet. The body of Ruarangi will, as we have said before, be given up to his own people; and two natives, named Reibana and Watarauki, were present in the gaol-yard with an order from the Colonial Secretary to that effect. The body of Nikotema Okeroa will be interred in the cemetery. IKQUEST. An inquest was held at 12 o'clock, oh the bodies, by Dr. Stratford and a jury who consisted of the following persons John Wrigley (foreman), Robert Russell, James Nelson, Hugh Dunn, Andrew Irwin, John Hodgen, John Kelly, Henry Cranway Turner, Peter Pope Fagg, Samuel Douglass, George Handley, and David Snodgrass. The jury having viewed the bodies and heard the evidence, returned a verdict to the effect " That the said Ruarangi died by being hanged by the neck, agreeably to the sentence pronounced upon him by his Honor Judge Johnston, at the Supreme Court, held in Auckland, on the 26th day of March, and about the death of Nikotema Okeroa, a similar verdict.—Southern Cross, April 19.

WANGANUI. The Natives.—Several rumours have been current during the past week in connection with the disaster at Taranaki, in which there is no truth. The only head brought down the coast is that of Captain Lloyd, which was this morning at a pah on the Waitotara some miles up from the sea. The native policemen have done what they can to obtain it peaceably, but without effect. They are ready to bring it by force ; but the Magistrates hesitate to sanction such a measure, wincing at the probable results.—Wanganui Chronicle, April 21. A prophet has risen up among the Maoris in this neighbourhood, who is in communication, according to his own account, with the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary; both of whom informed him the other evening that Maungatautari was taken on Saturday by the natives, who had killed 1000 soldiers ; and two friendly natives from this neighbourhood, Bio and Kemp, and eaten 19 soldiers' bodies. He advises that Wanganui should be attacked, and at his instigation the ,mission ground at Piperiki has been reclaimed. We mention this to shew what absurdities the poor creatures are ready to believe. Kuka, a Ngatiruanui chief, who a few weeks ago, we mentioned as having agreed to surrender himself, on going home for His family, was seized by the natives, deprived of all his cattle and horses, and is now kept a close prisoner the care of ten men.—lbid.

Captain Lloyd's Head.—The same journal adds: " After the above was in type we learned that the head of Captain Lloyd was on its way down the coast to Piperiki. On enquiring as to the truth of this report at Mr. White, R.M., we were informed that it was correct. The head arrived at a pah between the Patea and Waitotara on Thursday, at midnight; and on Eriday morning before 7 o'lock, Mr. White was informed of the fact by some of his friendly natives, who had ridden in, post haste, with the intelligence. The head is on its way to Piperiki as a present to the widows of Hore Patene's tribe— the ladies for whom Mr. Booth, in a letter we published a few days ago, solicited the charity of the British benevolent public. The head is also paraded along its route to excite the vindictive passions of the misguided savages. Mr. White has sent out eight of his men to endeavour to obtain it ; but has no hope that they will succeed. Its route does not lie across this settlement, as we were at first informed, but up to the Waitotara and thence across to the head of the Wanganui."—lbid: