LATEST FROM THE NORTH.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 68, 23 December 1863, Page 6

LATEST FROM THE NORTH.

The Auckland correspondent of the New j Zealand Advertiser (Wellington) says : The rumor about William Thompson and | King Matutaera, as anxiously soliciting for ' peace, has yet to be confirmed, all the answer to the Waikatos is stated to be, " evacuate ; the King's territory, retire from thence ; and from the British head-quarters at Ngaruawa- | hia, the terms upon which submission by the King and Waikato chiefs will be accepted, ; will be made known to you!" Here, it is generally dreaded the Government will be too lenient to the Waikatos, and then the question arises, if peace is made now with Waikato, will it be lasting, or a solid peace,— what is to hinder the natives from breaking out again when they have recruited and supi plied themselves with plenty of powder and shot, &c., then the Ngatiruanuis and Tara- ! nakis have yet to be conquered, as well as ■ other tribes that have aided and abetted the j Waikatos.

1 What about the Maori prisoners? I should ! say, treat them as the prisoners of the Crown | at Tasmania, and set them to work in the same manner, place an armed guard over i them, and improve their health and appetite as well as their physical stamina, by setting them to work on opening up roads through the country, say from Auckland overland to Wellington, from Wellington to Hawke's i Bay, and Taranaki, as well as from Auckland to Taranaki, and Napier, also join the two latter places with a road. Lately a Maori came down the Waikato , River with a white flag in his canoe, ana , brought four letters, one for the Governor, one for the General, one for Bishop Selwyn, and one for Bishop Pompallier. It is supposed that these letters were soliciting for peace; but the popular voice is against peace here just now, except the natives north and south, including Taranaki, surrender unconditionally. Colonel Austen, of the J 4th Regiment, has died from wounds received at Rangiriri. i The General has made another forward movement, and got up as far as Taipouki. The troops landed four miles above Rangiriri, and marched overland through the village of Paetae; here lines of rifle pits skirted the whole banks of the river. Native signals gave notice of the movement. The baggage was taken into boats, and the troops are encamped 10 miles from Rangiriri, having reached the gorge in the mountains through i which the Waikato takes its course towards Ngaruawahia on the 3rd instant. Deserted villages, with a few stray dogs yelping about, were the only objects visible to the troops on their march up the Waikato. In a whare near Rangiriri, 17 stand of the rebels' arms were discovered, and some old gun barrels also ; in the bushes and swamps also, some muskets were thrown away by the natives, in their haste to escape, which would I encumber flight, and no doubt more will be ! found. One 65th man found a bag with £lO ! in it, and 5 lbs. powder ; another man found ! £2O. _ i A strange phenomenon is seen on the Waikato ; river. In the water is seen a submerged forest, whilst not a tree or shrub can be seen on the banks, nor inland. The proposed expedition was : to land just above this point, which is considered j about 16 or 17 miles above Rangiriri. From a native source we hear the Waikatos ' are saving their powder for another fight, higher ' up the river, and the white flags were all only a " ruse" to obtain more time.

Typhus fever has broken out at the Bay of Plenty and carried off 60 Maories, and several Europeans, during the last five weeks. The same authority, of a later date, says:— The reported overtures for peace are all unfounded, The King-maker says he has only 40 of his tribe left, and the Governor says he will talk to the natives when our flag is flying over the Maori King's palace. It is said the Kawhia natives are bent on utu, and that 100 of a war party were to cross the Waikato to take the bush, bent on revenge.

William Thompson says it is only the native j prisoners who are sueing for peace. '