THE SOUTHERN MAIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 277, 1 October 1864, Page 4

THE SOUTHERN MAIL.

The ' Lord Ashley,' which arrived at midnight on Thursday, brought our Southern files, from which wo take the following intelligence : — OTAGO. The dates from Dunedin are the 25th inßtant. The ' Aldinga' had arrived with the linglisli mail on the lGth. The Dail;/ Times, oil the suMert of the Loan, tabes the same view of the conduct of the Imperil Government in its drillings with Now Zealand, that. most people have taken here, namely,—that it ' ias been mi her that of « huckstering creditor, seeking to make the best possible bargain for himself out ot tlie necessities of his debtor, than that ot a nation arrogating towards its distant children ihe name and character of tho "Mother Country." It says th at tho Colony is invited by the home authorities to com. Mit a most dishonourable action, by giving to the guaranteed loan precedence over liabilities already incurred—in other words, to repudiate its existing debts in favour of the Imperiallixchequer. Tins it justly regards as a humiliating proposition, and as, after all, only affecting a saving of few thousands of pounds—the' difference, namely, between the price ot our loan on the market with or without- the guarantee. CANTERBURY. The Pr vincial Council of Canterbury have adopted for tho Great If oi thorn Baihvay tho line recrmme.nded bv the Commission, including; the lino distinguished as tho Western lino between Kaiapoi and Ashley Crook *, an immediate survey is ordered to he made of tlie line, and tho Superintendent is authorised to make purchases of tho land required,' pending the obtaining from tho Geneial Assembly powers for its construction. £6491 have been voted for defences, including £100 for drill instructors, and £27,150 for immigration. Thev have also placed on the estimates a sum of £"250 for public amusements, in spite of tlie opposition of tho Provincial Secretary, who did not think the province was in a condition to bestow money for such a purpose. It has been resolved to submit to the General Government the necessity of empowering tho Provincial Legislature to make laws for levying and assessing rates on land held on depasturing licenses The proposed miximum rate on sheep is £5 per 1000 head ; tho produce to be appropriated to the use of tho road boaid, the hospital and sheep inspection.

WELLINGTON. Wej.i.jngtox dates are to the 21th inst., but the papers contain little of any other than local interest, being almost entirely filled with the news brought by tlio English mail. The Independent takes a truly independent tone in commenting on the despatch of the Colonial Minister. It says: —"If Great Britain •wishes to alienate her colonies, if she wishes to drive them into independent —perhaps hostile combinations which can protect tl oinselvcs and afford to despise her aid, slie his taken tlio best course to bring about this result. Englisl man, as colonists, have an intense feeling of loyalty and patriotism implanted in their breast-, but 'they mil not submit to be wantonly slandered and villified. Already we have exerted .'.'vtilv oiu selves in the present war, and ~c are prepaid to make further sacrifices if Great Britain will assist. But if, as wo are told, we have to light ouv own battles nearly unaided, if wo are to pay an ooxorbitant price for troops which will not bo under tur own control, it will bo better that we should face ho s'rugi'le in our ov. 11 way, and cut the cord which binds us to a protector but in name. HAWJvE'S BAY. Murdku or A XIIVK. We have Napier files to tlio27tl). The ITaiv/.e's liny Herald urges very strongly the completion of the trunk road from Auekhu d to Napier and Wellington, ns being imlispensible to llie permanent settlement, of the Northern Island. A correspondent writes from Wairoa, under date ol of the 21st. A most atrocious and cold-blooded murder lias been perpetrated here upon the person of an old JNlaori named Poro J \vi, hy two young men of his own tribe. The circumstv.il-'es areas follows : — It appears that for s( mo years the deceased has been notorious among t lie natives as being u powerful sorcerer, and the deaths of many people (even his own children) l ave been attributed to the inlluence of his spells. Lately, however, a young woman died (from consumption), and about the same time ail olt man became seriously ill. This was Poro Iw ■-'i.'iiin ; both the illness of the one and death of tin other were of his contriving, and it was said tlia there were many others whom he purposed t< destroy. So in order to put a stop to such a-whole sab: death dealing, it resolved to remove th< supposed aullior, and it appears that two youn< men, l'araikele and Ilotene, undertook the deed It seems to have been pre-arranged and long pre meditated by a good many people, who had lorelations and friends ar.d wished ior " utu" ; ani " utu" they obtained of a terrible kind, for on ?>loiv day last 1 lotene and Paraikete proceeded to the oh mail's whare, and while one held him in conversation the other shot him through the head from a distanci probably of five or six yards. Deceased fell where ho sat and died almos immediately, the ball passing clean the head. Th« sassins withdrew, and, arming their iriends, m'.dt no attempt at cone'ealment. On Tuesday a coroner's inquest was held o.i the body by C. H. Blown, Esq., R.JI., anil a. 7dry ol twelve "JSiircpoans (Mr. Carroll boing forcma-i). Wit-nes-es were examined, and with the murderers and | their people not half-a-milo distant, a ver iict of wilful murder was returned against both Ilotene and Paraikete.

tjinco tl.o.'i a large number of jMaorics have assembled, and while I write shots ure i acessaant, above, below, in fact all over the river, f.ed in the ;iir by natives either coining or retnrnrjg. I i'ccr it v,-i 11 he a diflienlt thing to secure the r.mrdcTCrs, as they have sought or are about to seek rei'ugo with the King party inland. Mn.n.utY. —The coranmnd of the troops at Napier will bo assumed by Colonel Trevor, and Colonel Dwyer pioceeds to taV.e command of the detachment at Wellington. Ms> jor Douglas lias been gazetted Urevet Lieutc-nuul -L'olonel.