LATEST FROM WELLINGTON.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 140, 17 October 1868, Page 5

LATEST FROM WELLINGTON.

On Thursday evening, in the Legislative Council, the Validation Act was read a first time. ’ The Libel Bill was rejected by the Lower House by 22 against 20. On Friday evening the Council rejected the Vote by Ballot Bill by 9 against 5. The following spoke :—For the Bill : Bonar, Russell, MantelL Against: Dr. Buchanan, Leej Stokes, Pollen, Johnston. In the Assembly on Thursday evening, the Marlborough, Rivers Bill was read a third time and ‘passed, and the Validation Act a second time. When in Committee on Ways and Means, the following items were passed •.—Marlborough : Picton, Collector of Customs, 200/. ' Havelock, Coastwaiter, 25 L ; ■ Wairau, Collector, 225/. \ Clerk and Landing-waiter, 140/.; and Contingencies, 50/.; also Registration and Returnin'? Officer, 25/. : and Revising Officer, 25/.

The screw steamer Taranaki is to sold as she lies in Queen Charlotte Sour G. Macfarlan, Esq., M.H.R: for Lytt ton, died at Wellington on Friday, at m night. : The Superintendent of Taranaki 1 has called out the whole of the Militia i active serviceasa “ precautionary measuri v From. Patea. we learn that the wo practices of cannibalism are extant amo the rebels; The wounded who were L behind in the retreat from Ruaru were dragged into the pah, subjected insult and torture, and evidently burnt death ; their bodies afterwards being c in pieces and divided among these hum: devils, and eagerly devoured by the worn and children; any of the men not fori nate enough to get a piece of flesh beii hooted at, and branded as cowards by th< wives.

Overland communication between Pat and Wanganui is stopped. Waitotara a on to 10 miles IST. W. of - Wanganui bei occupied by the rebels, The rebels’ loss at Ruaruru was fo chiefs and a great number of others. Amo: them several of the Ngatimaniapoto tril who came to assist Titoko Warn. T Patukai (Taranakis) are ready to join wh Titoko asks them. By Cobb’s coach we {lndependent) ha received our Wanganui files to the Bth in; We extract the following items : —• The Tunes correspondent writing on t 6th October says— Warn your readers not to attempt comi to Patea overland. The road between Wi totara and Patea is not safe. The redoubt at Kakaramea was attack three times last night. The defenders fir upon the Hauhaus. Ensign M’Donnell a tacked the rebels who had taken up a po; tion to intercept the road leading to Pah from whence relief might be expected. Our men held the post, and the Hauha were driven off.

Tauroa, Brown, and the whole of f Pakakohi have gone off to Titoko War This Brown’s proper name is Paraone, Manutahi, also a Pakakohi of great influen Last night parties of Hauhaus were o in our vicinity, and created some alarm. Natanahira, another friendly rebel, is pjisoner. He tried to escape, but was r captured by the troopers. We know no for a certainty that numbers of the Wait tara fighting men have joined Titoko Wa leaving only a few men of each hapu hold their possessions by professing to friendly. This I know from one of t loyal Wanganui natives just come in. "V have no positive information of Titol Waru’s movements.

The correspondent of the Chronicle , wri ing on October 6, says:— - , On Saturday night last Colonel M ‘Bonn* arrived from Wanganui and left early ne morning ; the same day Kasararaea was r occupied, none of the houses had been de troyed. Yesterday the chief Nahina, and a youi native named Hare, came in from Waukii to tell us all the news. Nahina says Ti Kowaru and his people are at Otoia—a po; tion on the North bank of the Patea rive and about six miles from camp. Accordii to Nahina, Tito Kowaru has received rei forcements from Ngatiawa, Ngatimaru, ai Puketapu, and has now about 400 fightii men ; he has brought down his women ai children. Tito Kowaru is to fight at Patej he will then proceed to New Tar-anal where whares have been erected for his a comraodation; from there he will go Okutuku (in rear of Wairoa), thence Waitotara, and from there to Kai Iwi, suppose (D. V.) Major Fraser took a step in the rig direction, and detained Mr. Hare a do prisoner; Nahina was allowed the liber of the camp, but in the night abused th privilege and crossed ,the Patea river, ev dently with the intention of bolting; 1 was, however, pursued and brought bac and is now properly cared for. It is to 1 hoped that Major Frazer will.be support* in this very politic act. t Last night,, at about 12 midnight, tl rebels attacked Kakaratnea, or, I shou say, fired" heavily at the camp for about t hour, and again at dawn this morning, trooper, sent from there with the intell gence, fell into an ambuscade near the san< hills, about half-way between here and tl post alluded ,to, but escaped. The firii was heard from here, and the camp w under arms nearly all night. I forgot to mention that Nahina stat< that all the houses’bh the abandoned lac have been destroyed, with the exception < the contractor’s store at 'Waihi, and als Bolfer’s canteen there; and that on tl other morning, after the evacuation of Mam Wapou, the rebels' found tlib grave of po* Smith, who was. killed at. the attack on tl escort on the last, day of September; the dug bus'body, cut" off one of his legs as took it aw&y- with*them.