THE NATIVE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1614, 15 February 1866, Page 3

THE NATIVE WAR.

UNSETTLED STATE OF THENATIVES. REMOVAL OF MR. FULLOON'S MURDERERS. FURTHER REINFORCEMENTS OF TROOPS SENT FOR. MORE ATROCITIES BY THE HAU-HAUS. (From the New Zealand Herald, Feb. 2.) Yesterday we had quite a fleet of arrivals from the East Coast, bringing news of great importance from Opotiki and elsewhere. The first to arrive was the schooner Fortune, from Opotiki and Tauranga. She had intelligence of a rumoured outbreak at Opotiki, and the immediate removal of the prisoners to Auckland. She having brought up no mail or dispatches we refrained from publishing any i second edition, hut merely announced the information as usual on our telegram board. A few hours later the Hope arrived from Tauranga, bringing the mail and confirming the report; and last evening later intelligence came to hand by the schooner Kauri, from the Bay of Plenty. The following is an abstract of the whole: The Fortune was chartered to proceed from Tauranga to Opotiki with despatches, and upon arrival there they found that the p.s. Sturt. Captain Fairchild, had just come in from Wellington, with despatches from his Excellency the Governor. U he arrival of the Sturt was most opportune, as the natives in the surrounding neighbourhood were beginning to show signs of disaffection, and it w aß conjectured that probably an attempt would be made to rescue the prisoner* lying under sentence of death. This was thought the more probable in consequence of a party of rebels, who had not long since surrendered and taken the oath of allegiance, as also those acquitted at the court-martial, having suddenly disappeared in the bush. To prevent surprise or other emergencies the Sturt was immediately rietjg itched to Tauranga and Mukeiu for further reinforcements, and she left Tauranga on Wednesday last, with 120 men of the Ist VVaikato Regiment, namely 50 from Tauranga and 70 from Maketu. She would arrive at (ipotiki that night, and then leave yesterday for Auckland with the murderers (35 in number) on board, in accordance with the despaiches from Wellington, The Sturt may be exacted to arrive to day, but what is to be done here with these eourt-martial-doomed prisoners no one knows. One day last week three of the mounted troopers stationed at Opotiki went out in the hush to search for some horses that had strayed away, when they were suddenly fired upon by a party of the tlau-haus. One of the troopers waß shot dead, but the other two manager] to escape, and upon the officer commanding sending out an expedition the next day, the body of the unfortunate man was found Horribly mutilated, the eyes, entrails, &c, having been taken out. The friendly natives, who have been assisting us, of late complain greatly of the action of the Governor. They say that at the risk of life and everything they went into the hot-bed of llaubauism to capture the mur-

derers of Fulloon and others, and having done so, after they are tried and found guilty, why not hang or shoot them as they deserve, and not keep them to allow of the chance of escape. Several influential settlers, who arrived yesterday, inform us that the friendly natives are complaining loudly about this dilatory proceeding. ARRIVAL AT AUCKLAND OF THIRTY ONE OF FULLOON'S MURDERERS FOR TRIAL.