THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 355, 31 December 1864, Page 5

THE NORTH.

Tin: state of the Northern districts would appear to be in a really critical position, if the rumours wliieli arrived in town yesterday are correct. A large number of disaffected natives, Kawau prisoners and others, were at Omaha and Matakana, and, it is said, had threatened to burn down Captain Meiklejohn's house as u(u for the destruction of the pah, 011 the Tainabunga range, which we are told was destroyed by Mr. Meiklejohn soon after it was evacuated by its rebel inhabitants. The master of the vessel which came up yesterday, in going ashore to a spring for a keg of water was challenged by three native sentries, and only allowed to go accompanied with a native escort. All this occurred on Crown land. How long is such a >t:itc of things as this to be continued? The ell'ect upon the minds of the Northern settlers is already shewing itself. Cultivation is neglected—the all absorbing topic is the danger threatening them. Already the utmost alarm prevails, for rumours have gained currency among the settlers that a day for the general rising and massacre has been fixed—some say for Christmas day, others for the first day of the newvear —and though, ofcourse,there islittlefear that the Natives have as yet reached this point of lawlessness, it is hardly to be supposed but that the existence of such reports amongst a scattered population, defenceless because not organised tor defence, should cause the greatest uneasiness and alarm.

It is within the power of the authorities at cuu'o to put down this state of anarchy and terrorism. The disaffected Natives in these districts are comparatively a linndful. Paikea, Tircrau, Otene. Winiata, Jimera, and many of the principal chiefs are loyal and may be depended upon. To allow this lawlessness to remain unchecked is to encourage it, and to ofter a held fur the commission of some act of agression, or defence from aggression, which may bring about far worse results than any which possibly could arise from manly and digniiied interferenceon the part of the Government to maintain the supremacy of the law. We were informed yesterday by an Omaha settler, now in town, that he had .-ecu and conversed that day in the streets of Auckland, with some twenty or more of the escaped prisoners from the lvawau—that they were at ilie time he spoke to us, in the purlieus of the Native Otlice. Have we returned to the good i.ld days of the tlour, sugar, and tobacco policy ? "Whether the rumours referred to above have any truth in them ornot.it is the duty of all Government to provide for the safely of the people, and to take such measures as shall render the possibility of any such occurrence so remote, that rumours such as those which now spread terror and alarm would be totally disregarded.—December 14.