HAMILTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1314, 1 February 1868, Page 6

HAMILTON.

(FROM OUII OWK COUHHSL'ON'DKNT.) January 2S'h. At the Police Court to-duy before W. N. Bea.iiuecke Esq., R.M.. The following case was heard : — imovrjf v. l'emi'Bibkb. Plaintiff suod defendont for wrongfully detaining the sum of £10 9j, the value of a hor»o £old at an auction for plaintiff bj him. It appeared from the evidence alduccd thnt Mr. L'Rinpriere supposed the horse to belong; to Mr Dyer, whose son-in-law plaintiff is—ho having commissioned him to sell it, and the amount stated was detained in consequence of Mr. Dyer owing him a contra account Plaintiff was nonsuited. During the above caso, a receipt for £5 10s was presented to tho Hdtich us evidence of tho hoive having been sold by Dyer to Brawn —and buiiig unstamped, was handod over to the police Constable for the purpose of tft'-ing proceedings against Mr. Dy«r under tho New Zealand Stamp Act. The Hamilton hotel has changed hands, Mr. Penj ington of ihe Hoservo hotel being the purchaser, he i j iniends removing into it shoitly. Dating the short time he hns been wich us, he has done a great deal of good in the settlement, and I am surj we shill iili be glad t> see so entorprisiug a settler prosper. It is a great pity we had not a few more like him Mr. j<o33 hao also called for tenders for the erection of an hotel hero, but as we have three already I scarcely think another will pay. FIGHT BRTWKKy THE AtAOKIS AKD HALF-CASTKB aT TAUKANG-A. (FROM! A COBKKorONDKNT.) A gentleman who retur.-.ed yesterday from Tau--1 ranja hue left with us the following piircieuUrs with regard to thi-. disturbance, to which a TauniP(;a correspondent alluded ii Ins leUer published yest':rday. 'Ihe township of Te Papa hns been unusually lively for th" p ist few days, owing to the Muoris receiving £3,0u0 from tho" Government, being ijio purchase money of land at Kulekata, in tho Bay of Plenty. Some unpleasantness hns ntisen amongst a few of the Natives on account of th.: unequal nmoiint di tributeii betwwn the different tribe?, and one influential cM'ef hr.i refuse-! to accept his portion, and is requested to go up uhn country t< join tho liauhaus. It i-i Tory niucli to be rejected tliat the purchase could not. be cflVscted satisfactorily to all parties, for if u chief is dissHtibficd his tribo will to bo, and if that be tho case they will always view with a jyaloua eye thoa--- who fettle on it. The purchase mouoy was remitted by the (.Government to Mr. Clarke, the Ccmmissioner ; for distribution and the source of discontent appears to be that the money was given to some two or three chiefs io distribute amongst the different tribes, when e-'.'.-h chief wanted the amount due to his tribe to distribute himself. The Commissioner h':«i co means of ascertaining tho sum due to each tribe, so he give tho money to threo or four of the most influential chiefs to distribute amongst the rest. But of course it would be almost impossible to please the whole of two or three hundred natives, and the wonder is not so much that a few are dissatisfied, but :hp.t so many are Well pleased. It was amusing us well as painful to see 17 out of 20 were intoxicated, and each tried to outdo his ffllow by shouting and dancing. The uproar was carried to such u pitch at time:; that the police had to interfere, and as soon as they did ao th'j scene was enlivened by a fight; twenty at least, taking purl. 'I'owarda dujk most of them bssran to disperse, and not H few received a severe ducking ero they reaelmd their eettletnent-on the south :.ide of the bay, for so many rolled into the boats at a ti:ne that they were almost sunk. But others, not quite so frightened of tho d<nkniiss, a≤ Maoris generally arc, remained till late outoidc the different public-houses treating the " woulJ-bo " slumber'n-a to an indescribable noiau between a groan and a laugh. It would b>) well for the tr:despeopie here if the natives received mi equal amount of money moro frequently, for there are but few Slaoria wric can keep money long ; it soon goes in either grog or store*. On Monday there w;is a great fight on the beach between 'he and ' the Maoris. About 90 or 100 of them (many of whom had hcen drinking rather freely,) were holding a. " iiorcTO " when aoino remarks were made about half-cuptes, which gave great offence, and at j or.ee it was resolved to settle the difference by tho arbitration of" ihe fist." The Maoris for some" time J seemed unwilling t-i 50 into the fiVnt with spirit. One of the influential chiefs was knocked-down like a bullock, ni)(i was carriud away bleeding to thn Com-inie-.iouer'H house. Ky this tiniu the natives hud become very oxcited, and joined thoroughly in the melee. None but those who have witnessed a wardance tat: conceive the noisn and excitement which prevaikd,—the women were dancing and crying, the men shourinc; and fighting like demons. In some places a half-caste wis strupirling with a dozen Maoris, and when they got him down they woul 1 jump on him most unmercifully. Others fought in the water and gave each other jjnod duckings. This curious contest Liwted iin hour urn! :i half, when tbu hulf-ci:teit at lur.;.;th carried off tho palm. The Maoris returned tr> their canoes with bloody f.uwe and torn clothes, leaving the ma-tiirs of the field. There were two or three native policemen and one European present, but they wisely abstained from interference. The natives considerably outnumbered tho half-castes.