LATER NEWS FROM TARANAKI.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIX, Issue 28, 7 April 1860, Page 3

LATER NEWS FROM TARANAKI.

By the Wonga Wonga, which arrived here from Taranaki between seven and eight o'clock last evening, with a fresh instalment of our guests, about fifty-nine in number, we have news of the proceedings there up to two o'clock, p.m., on Thursday. No movements of consequence had taken place; the intelligence going principally to confirm that already received. Twelve chiefs were killed in the conflict at the Waireka, ten of whom were men of importance, among whom was their commander, Paratuna, and his son. The number killed and wounded appears to have been even larger than was at first thought.

The natives from the south are much disorganized. They reproach the Taranaki tribes for beginning the fray without them ; and it is believed that they will talk and quarrel about this for a month before deciding upon their future course. The plan which had been arranged among them was, that the Ngatiruanui should come up and join the Taranaki tribes in a combined attack on the town, whilst Wiremu Kingi and his party should come down from the Waitara, and thus invest it on all sides. This precious scheme has been foiled for the present by their defeat at Omata. The Governor has offered a reward of £ 100 for the apprehension of any one of the seven natives who are known to have assisted in the cruel murders of the three men and two boys in the village of Omata.

At the Waitara matters seem much in statu quo ; the natives have retired into the bush, and report says are engaged in building a strong pah somewhere in the interior, which seems to show that they have no present intention of giving up the contest. Before leaving however, they plundered the settlers' houses in the Bill Block, as their allies from the south did those on the other side at Omata.

We regret to hear that Colonel Gold refused to allow the Volunteers to accept the compliment offered to them by the sailors, who proposed they should pay the usual military honours totheir deceased companion, by firing a volley over his grave. Upon this the sailors refused to carry the body ; and as Colonel Gold paraded the Volunteers at the time fixed for the funeral, it was left entirely in the hands of the military, without any other assistance. "We had given the gallant Colonel credit for more good feeling, and a more conciliatory disposition. Great want of confidence in the military officers still existed, and it was thought that unless some other commander arrived from Sydney, matters would by no means proceed so smothly as they ought to do ; the volunteers having refused again to go out with the troops unless under express command. On Monday last, the Militia went to Omata, thrashed a quantity of corn, and dug forty cart loads of potatoes, while the soldiers remained in the town ; they brought them in and buried them within the

stockade. From 150 to 200 men were engaged in keeping open the line of road, which was in length about three and half miles. The Wonga Wonga left Taranaki on Thursday at two, p.m., spoke the Airedale off Cape Egmont at 8, p.m., and encountered a heavy gale from the south-east, and a high sea, on opening out the Strait.

The passengers have requested us to publish the following resolution passed on board : —

That tha best thanks of the passengers be given to the captain and his crew for their kind care and attention to them during a rough voyage.

EXTBACT PBOM A PfiIVATE LeTTEB PBOM TABANAEI.

On Tuesday, March 27, my son William left home for the town soon after one o'clock, p. m., myself and two boys remaining. When he had left about two hours we heard the report of five or six guns which seemed to be fired about the inn ; we were on the watch for him, and thought we saw him coming over the hill by the inn, about a mile off. As we were watching, five armed Maories, headed by Manual, a Portuguese, came up towards the house ; I went to meet them, and Manual told me the Maories said I must leave the house directly, that fighting had begun, and that five Europeans were dead on the road by the Omata Inn. I made up a few bundles of blankets and other things, the Maories took them, and we hurried to Mr. Brown's; myself and two boys, Touett, Manual, Somers, Keeler, and all their women and children. At dusk a Maori came and gave us more information. Oh, what a night! We knew there were seventy Maories at Mrs. Jury's, 150 at Ratapihipihi, and more in the bush all round wi. To our comfort we were assured that we were safe, that we were all sacred, having been tapued, both our lives and property. We arranged with the Maori -who stayed all night with us, to go early in the morning to see if the Maories would let us bury the dead, as we feared the stockade people knew nothing of the murders. At nine o'clock Mr. Brown and all us men, with white scarfs on, went up to the pah at Mrs. Jury's. Our errand was known ; we were told to shew our faces to every Maori, that if a general massacre took place we might be known. We were just about to start when we were stopped by the arrival of 200 more natives ; we had to pass through the whole, look them full in the face, and shake hands with each ; Stephen and his father, Isaac, and many others whom we had known well for years, and had learned to respect, were with them, fighting against their own inclinations (we learned this after the battle). We now learned that three bodies had been taken by the people at the stockade. At last we were led down the Waireka by two chiefs, past the Wesleyan chapel to the bridge below Steers', where the bodies of the two boys were pointing out to us ; we put them in the cart, and made our way back to the inn — here Mr. Brown aud his son went on to the stockade, while we returned to the natives on Mrs. Jury's hill. The flag of truce was hauled down, more natives came up firing their guns, yelling and dancing about us nearly naked. Imagine our state. Mr. Brown and his son, on the road to the stockade by themselves, hearing the guns firing ; we amongst .350 natives. When Mr. Brown came back, he found us alive, which he did not expect. After dancing the war dance, the natives went down the hill towards the stockade. For hours we learned nothing ; we heard the constant report of guns, and could see a full battle was raging, so we concluded the troops were out, and seeing the Maori flag flying till dusk, we thought the troops were defeated and retiring. Soon after, a native came to tell about the fight, very imperfect, but horrid enough to be alarming. On Thursday morning, about ten o'clock, at the hazard of his life, Turner came running across with a letter from W. Carrington, who, with his wife, were in Tamati Wiremu's house ; from him we learned that a number of natives were killed and wounded, and several chiefs. Soon after Manahi (the traitor) and his party came to Mr. Brown's with plunder, as a general break into all the houses, except our own, had taken place. Guvs were constantly going off, and with a glass we could see to the Oakura hill, natives retreating in all directions with plunder at their backs ; we knew then that they had suffered a defeat. Manahi's party said they were going to bury their dead, make new laws, and come up stronger than ever.

At four o'clock, p.m., Mr. Brown and I. Keeler rode to the stockade with their scarfs on, and learned that an escort was waiting for us, if we could get through the bush road. This was an alarming venture,. having been told so repeatedly by the Maories that we were not to go to the town, and that our scarfs would save us only about our homes. However, three carts were loaded with beds, women, aud children, and we started down the bush road ; about half a mile from our house we met five natives with guns ; for a moment we thought them hostile, but they proved to be part of the escort. A little farther on twenty-five Volunteers were waiting for us. We moved quietly on to the inn, found more natives waiting for us there, who as soon as we reached them raised a tremendous shout of joy, guvs were fired, and we moved on with thankful hearts for our providential escape. At the Moturoa, more natives were waiting for us, who welcomed us with another shout; we. then moved on, and arrived in town safely. An escort will go out to-morrow, but not to our houses ; we hope in a few days to be able to go with one, and get Mr. Brown's things. I found that William, on his return from town on Tuesday evening, had come as far as the inn, seen the dead bodies, aud returned to towu with the information.

Dr.Livingstone'sPerseverance. — The Birkenhead steam launch proved a failure, Dr. Livingstone has sent homo orders for the constructiou of another, at an estimated cost of £2,000. This cost Dr. Livingstone proposes to defray out of his own pocket, from the means set aside for his children out of the profits of his travels. "The children must make it up for themselves" was in effect his expression in sending the order for appropriation of the money.— Liverpool Mercury,