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New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2905, 21 May 1873, Page 2

The question agked out of doors yesterday, was, What coarse does the Government propose to pursua with regard to the native difficulty, now that the King has expressed his intention not to give any assistance towards taking Purukutu and those who participated with him iu the murder of Sullivan ? It is right to state that opinion is divided as to the policy to bo pursued, although there in but one feeling in the matter, both felt and expressed. This is, that the murderers must be taken at any cost, and delivered up to the tribunal of justice ; but whether this shall be

• done by an armed body boldly entering the King country, and being prepared to meet all ? opposition ; or whether wo are to lemporife until we aro in a position to cope with hostilities, is wherein lies the difference of opinion. There is a strong suspicion among a large number of the citizens that the Government would prefer to let the matter " slide but the action taken by the powers at Wellington certainly indicate no such intention. It is not to be expected that the Government will divulge their plans, which the astute and wary natives would move to counteract. It is quite likely the Government, through Mr. Mackay, jun., is in possession of much information which has not, for very obvious reasons, been made public. The feeling is too strong in all parts of the province, and among the settlers on the East Coast, for the Government to remain much longer inactive. There is much uneasiness felt in the Hawke's Bay province at thn expressions of discontent among the native tribes, and the attitude they are assuming. The blame for the unsettled state of the natives is laid to the doors of certain Europeans at Napier, who, for years past, 1 have endeavoured to implant into the breasts of the Maoris that they have been unjustly deprived of their land, and advising them not to desist until it has been given back to them. A number of the men in the employ of the Harbour Board, were yesterday busily engaged in repairing a breach which was made in the wall on the eastern side of the wharf, nearly opposite to Oiley's block manufactory, during the late galea. This wall is uncemented, aud it wag found that the action of the sea getting in eA the crevices, had underminded the earth under the roadway, and caused a great deal of it to " cave in," while a number of the blocks of stone had fallen out. A day or two's work will put all to rights again.

The Essay and Discussion Class (Y.M.C.A.) met last evening, at the rooms, Wellesleystreet, when tho introductory paper of the winter session was given by Mr. F. G. Ewington, on "Present Phoses of Religious Belief." There was a very large attendance on the occasion—indeed the class-room was inconveniently crowded, —and the chair was occupied by Mr. B. Cass. The paper was one of the best that has yet been read before the Society, and dealt in a fair and dispassionate manner with the great social and theological problems that are now absorbing men's thoughts and perplexing mea's brains. A considerable portion of the paper was devoted to the question of the non-eternity of punishment—the gist of the essayist's reasoning being that if the word " eternal" merely implied an indefinite period of time, the perpetual felicity of tho just, equally with the punishment of the wicked, was alike abrogated, for the authority which proclaimed the one also pronounced the other. The discussion which ensued was conducted in excellent temper, the speeches much above the average, and tho proceediugs did not close until a late hour.—The business for next night of meeting (the 3rd proximo) will be a debate on the following question :— " Having regard to existing circumstances, is it at once the interest and duty of the colony to suppress the Maori-King-movement, and, if necessary, by force of arms ? "

Holmes' Wharf, at the North Shore, is now in process of repair, of which it stood much in need j but it is, nevertheless, the opinion of many residents that it would have been a far better plan, and probably more economical in the end, to have built a new one. Messrs. Holmes Brothers have expressed their willingness to buy the old wharf, and build a new one at their own expense, if the Harbour Board will grant them the steamers' tolls (£8 ayear each) for five years. The inhabitants are not in a position, it appears, or at all events are not ready, to contribute liberally towards the erection of a new wharf, and if the Harbour Board declines to undertake the work, except in a modified degree—to the extent of not more than £300 —it may be worth consideration whether the adoption of Messrs. Holmes' offer is not about the beat thing that could be done. If the inhabitants of the North Shore cannot, or will not, assist in the matter, it is perhaps asking too much of the Harbour Board to do everything, aud the patching-up of the old and rickety wharf can only be a temporary affair. A new wharf will have to be built, by somebody, at no very distant date. Mr. Philips certainly deserves credit for the persevering manner in which he has, iu his pluce in the Harbour Board, endeavoured to get the Queen-street wharf chained. Yesterday he brought up his former motion in a modified form—that the wliarf should be protected by chains or hand-rails, at least aa far as the waiermen's steps. But the Board, in view of haying to spend a very large sum shortly on docks, and other gigantic schemes, did not feel justified in going to the enormous expense of twenty or thirty pounds, for the sake of saving a few paltry lives, and so the motion was not carried. Having been the first to suggest the chains for the wharf, [ we cannot but feel aggrieved at the action cf the Board, while on the other hand we cannot but accord every praise to Mr. Philips for the efforts he has made, although unsuccessfully, to carry out our suggestions. We think it very likely that before long the Board will assert its exclusive right to the wharf, and will fix up a strong gate at its entrance to keep otf suspicious characters or drunken men —or others who have no business upon it. On Monday night several of the men belonging to the ship Edinburgh Castle went ashore 011 liberty, and returned late at night —or rather, to speak more correctly by the card, early in the morning—to wit one o'clock. They passed down the wharf with great jollity, singing their national songs according to the latest directions received from Bacchus. But, unfortunately, on boarding the vessel, one of the party made a slight mistake in his calculation, and went in search of schnapper beneath the Queen-street Wharf. Mot finding what he was in search of, he sung out lustily to his mates that he thought he had better come up, but did not know exactly how to do it. So they speedily roused out their less exuberant messmates, who were sleeping the sleep of innocence in the forecastle, and the unsuccessful fisherman was rescued from the water —let us hope a better and a wiser, as he was certainly, a soberer man. The whole city bristles with hoardings at the present time, which, although they are undoubtedly a great nuisance to pedestrians, give promise of improvement in our local architecture before long. There is a hoarding just to the northward of the City Hall; there is another just to the northward of the Theatre Royal; there is one iu front of the destroyed Post Office in Shortland-street; there is one in front of the old jS T ow Zealanier office ; there is one in front of the destroyed Customhouse, in Fort-street; aud there is one in front of the stores lately burned down in the same street. In all caseß the public are obliged to go into the road, but we have no doubt that the result will be, in a short time, of a very pleasing character, bo far as the eye is concerned. The resolution which Mr. Wrigley wished to bring before the meeting held on Monday evening, at the Mechanics' Institute, in reference to the Education tax, but which he was prevented from moving by the disinclination of those present to hear him, and the ruling of the chairman thereupon, was as follows : —" While this meeting disapproves of the Education tax, it is of opinion that the tax should be paid this year, in consequence of the serious results that would ensue to the

cause of education in the province if the Board of Education were deprived of the means to meet the liability they have incurred for payment of schoolmasters and schoolbuildinga." A little boy eight years of age was killed on the Lyttelton wharf recently, by the accidental capsizing of three tiers of timber upon him by the passing of a railway truck. The boy had not been noticed near the timber, and it was thought the only damage occasioned was the upsetting of tho board;. Men were sot to work to re-stack the timber, and on getting to the lower planks they were astonished to find the body of the deceased, who must have beer, knocked down by the timber and killed. Death must have been instantaneous, the body being fearfully crushed. The usual weekly meeting of the Harbour Board was held yesterday afternoon, -when the principal business transacted was the discussion of the question of a graving dock for Auckland. A report on the subject, drawn up by Mr. McGregor, of Dunedin, was read and highly approved of. The report of the committee appointed to consider the question of docks, and whioh -was brought up at the last meeting, was referred back to the committee for reconsideration. In consequence of pressure upon our space, we have* been compelled to hold orer our report of the proceedings. The Harbour Board intend to sink the bore of the artesian well lo a depth of 350 feet. If no rise of water takes place beyond that which has been obtained, no greater depth will be sunk. The effort has been a very laudable one, but it is feared now that former expectations will not be fulfilled. It is thought that the water before rising to tho surface level cscape3 through porous strata at a distance half-way down the bore.

There is rather a dangerous place upon the western side of the wharf, just on the town side of the watermen's house. A quantity of the metal between the roadway and the edge of the wharf ha 9 fallen in, and left a large hole, which, is very dangerous to pedestrians, especially after nightfall. Something should be done to it, or an accident will be the result.

The galvanised iron eheds in Fort Britomarfc, lately purchased by the Harbour Board, are being pulled clown, and are in course of removal. In a few days they will be re-erected upon the new western tee, where their use will be found to be greatly beneficial. Something of the kind has been long required.

These are the outspoken utterances in yesterday a issue of the Waikato Times .-..'hthat id not with mo is against me." This sentence was uIU.-ed more than eighteen centuries back. We have used it now b„. cause it exactly applies to our position with the native race at the present moment. Bv a telegram in another column it will be seen that Mr. Mackay has returned from his interview with the Ngatiraukawa tribe. The best terms he seems to hare been able to make with them are, that one povtion of the tribe will remain friendly, and the other at W neutral. The time has come when every native in the island must be called upon to evidence his loyalty and desire f or the maintenance of law and order in a mor ~ practicable manne- than by word of mouth There is not a so-called friendly „ at i ve does not pretend to great indigoatiou on account of the late atrocities. It is ih e i n . tereat—and wish, if their words mean anything—to wipe out such men as Purukutu and his followers. We consider that we are perfectly justified : n calling out alt of the race to assist us, also to treat all who refuse as enemies to be fought and conquered, ta thei inevitably must be. Wo would surest as a remedy for the preir-U half-and-half position which many of the wily natives occupy, that the Government should apply to every tribe to supply a contingent to fight in company with the white man, the uumber of fighting men to be demanded to be in proportion to the strength of the tribe. Any tribe refusing to supply the required number, or where men act traitorously, should have their land immediately confiscated, and every man of the tribe treated as an enemy to be hunted down. We cannot expect our friends amongst the native race to act without fee or reward We suggest, therefore, that a fair proportion of the land of those who persist in remaining savages shall be divided amongst those who take part in,expelling them from it. It is as painful to us as to the most bigoted speaker on an Exeter Hall platform, to adrocate such harsh measures. We only do so because we believe that the course we suggest would, in the end, cause leas loss of life, aud inflict less misery on both races, than the half-merciful and half-eruel policy that has been hitherto pursued.

A very general feeling exists amongst th* settlers of this province, says tho Daily Tehgraph, that serious troubles will shortly arisa with the natives of Hawke's Bay. The prevailing impression is not ill-founded, and there is no good object to be served in or attempting to hide the fact that the Maoris aro in a very excited and discontented condition - a condition, indeed, in which semi-sarages require but little to provoke them to commit n breach of the peace. Tho systematic mauner in which evil-disposed persons have, for the past two years, educated the Maoris to believe that they have been ill-üßed both by the Government and by the settlers, has at lensth borne ft"' and we hear that the natives have stated thn. unless their wrongs (?) are redressed, they will take the matter in their own hands, and re-take possession of the lands they have sold. In Hawke's Bay, we have bec-ri accustomed to think that the Maoris of the province havo too much to lose to rebel against the constituted authorities, but we must remember that the number having property ia small co-nptred to that which has nothing to risk in the event of hostilities. A report was current last evening, say 3 the Thames Advertiser, that the cattle landed from the Comerang during the day were infected with pleuro-pneumouia, and that seven beasts had been buried on the beach at Tararu, by order of the consignee. A report to that effect was lodged with the police, accompanied by a serious complaint of the danger to human life arising from the stench, aud the fact; that diseased cattle were at large iu the district* From inquiries we have made, however, wa learn that these fears are groundless. It niil be seen elsewhere that the Comerang hai a very protracted passage from Port Ahuriri, having to contend against head winds and gales. A number of cattle and sheep were trampled upon and killed, aud others died from exhaustion, caused by the long V6Ya» •. The carcases were saved for boiling down, and the skins kept, and some seven head were killed after the cargo was landed yesterday morning. Speaking of the murder of Sullivan, the Tfawke's Bay Herald, always well posted upia native matters, says : — "It was, clearly enough, not the result-of any special cuarrel with the individual murdered; on the contrary, it seems pretty cert .•.in that the Hiuliaus did not know who it was they were firing at. They fired at several individu-'s. Had ".hey killed them all, the significance o£ the deed would have been neither greater not less than it is at present. The murder, moreover, was not the act of one isolated person, but of a band of rebels, about twenty in number, guided by a prophet who appears to be animated by the same bloodthirsty fanaticism which has led to tho perpetration of most of the atcrocities of which the Maoris have iu the past been guilty."

This day, at noon, Mr. B. Tonka will sell, upon fifty years' leases, by order of the City Council, the following very valuable anil central properties:—Two allotments at tha corner of Queeu-atreet aud approach to the new Market-house; an allotment at lha corner of Cook and Grey-streets; an allotment at the corner of Albert and Wellesleystreets; two allotments at the corner of Mount and Symonds-streets ; and an allotment in Symonds-street. These are all valuable leaseholds, and will no doubt he very warmly competed for, as it is seldom such sections are placed in the open market for sale.

j The Independent says:—The present high ; price of timber in Wellington is interfering > very much with building operations in all 1 parts of the city. Six or eight months ago timber could hare been purchased at lis pec 100 feet, but the quantity taken up by tha largo contracts has so increased the demand 1 that the price has gone up lo 20s for totara, ' aud 22s for rimu. There is no desire at all to ' attend to email orders, and the consequence ! is that the erection of many buildings which would be immediately proceeded with is de« fened on this account. The usual meeting of the Edwardes-street Band of Hope was held last evening. _ Mr. Groldie occupied the chair, and the chairman and Messrs. E. Wood aud Corr addressed tha meeting. Several recitations and readings were given, and a pleasa-.it and, probably, profitable evening was spent. The auuual soiree of tliia Baud of .Hope will take place on Thursday next. Two deputations waited upon His Honos tlie Superintendent yesterday. The one waa from Coroniandel, and the other from tha Mount Albert Highway District. A report of their applications and. the manner in which they were dealt with, will be found in another column. We understand that a review is to be held on the Queen's Birthday, Saturday next, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Major Gordon ha* writt en to the Improvement Commissioners fot the use of the Albert Barracks, on account of the Domain being very muddj with the lata rains. The ordinary drill of the Yictoria Company and Cadets took place in the Princes-street Drill-shed last evening. There was a good muster. Captain Derrom exercised the men in a variety of drill, "which was Tery well gone through. Pilkington, who met with so severe an accident at tbe All Nations claim on Alounay afternoon, is, we regret to say, in a dying state, no hopes being entertained of his recovery. The usual weekly drill of the Scottish Company took place in the Princes-street Drill-shed last evening. There was a very good muster, and the drill was fairly gone through. A special meeting of the members of tha Auckland Naval Brigade is to be held iB the Princes-street Drill-shed, at half-past 7 o cloct this evening. The final competition for the possession o the champion belt of the Rifle Brigade ta a place at the Mount Eden Range at 9 o cloe this morniug.

. .. -r'/■■■*ii — executive committee of the Young nfs Christian Association held its monthly g t ; n „ on Monday night —Capt. Daldy, V'ce-President, in tho chair—when various counts, to the amount of £50, were passed 3C , or de'red to be paid. At the annual meetin March last, it was stated that on the 'urrent account of the year there remained a u:];ty of £50, temporarily advanced to the ■ -titution. The committee, on Monday nToht, instructed tho treasurer to pay oyer £25 j' u part liquidation of that claim. A vote was passed to the library subcommittee, for the purchase of new book?, and Tarioui improvements in the lecture-hall were lirected to be carried out. A question came before the committee for decision, which has n ot hitherto been a source of difficulty to the management at any previous period in the hi-torv of the Association, viz., whether any further sale of cards for the course of winter lect .'es sli'juld be permitted. After the laugural meeiing the whole of the cards had been withdrawn from sale, ponding the decision of the committee, and they decided that, baring regard to tho convenience of the public and the rights of regular ticket-holders, it was E ot desirable to continue their sale. Additional sitting accommodation has been furnished m the lecture-hall, which will now seat -150 persons. Seats will be reserved throii' T liout>the course for ticket-holders up to -.20 p.m., thereafter single admission, onesliil- ■ save when'a gentleman is accompanied .iv a lady,wUen the one charge shall cover both, is some of the lectures, from their speciality, are likely to bo attended by a very large --umber of people, the committee contemplate kir.g the City Hall on such occasions, and the scale of admission has been raised, :iot so much for purposes of revenue, as io defray the additional expense thus incurred for the convenience anil benefit of the jeueral public. Ihe lecture-hall, as is well Ljowh, was crowded throughout tho previous winter course, and the wisdom of 1 lie decision row come to, cf withdrawing cards from sale, will be apparent, when we state that, the receipts already in hand are within a few pounds of the gross total of the past season, although not a single lecture has yet been delivered.

The Awitu district (aays a correspondent) was enlivened on Friday, the 16th instant, by a bail and supper given by the Mauukau Rifle Volunteers, to commemorate the anniversary I of the corps. The school-house was the building chosen for carrying out this object, which was tastefully decorated for tho occasion with flags, mottoes, &c.; and this being' brilliantly lighted, gave the whole scene an appearance of grandeur. From an early hour visitors began arriving from the neighbouring districts., and by S p.m., the hour appointed for opening the ball, the room was agreeably fu!l. At this time the music struck up, and dancing commenced in earnest, and was kept up with great, spirit until daylight warned the guests it was time to separate ; aud in doing so, each expressed themselves highly pleased vri;U the night's entertainment. The committee deserve great credit for the satisfactory manner in which the whole uas conducted and carried out, aud the Volunteers generally, for their liberality in providing a good spread. The fish known as the " killer," -which is found in some of the waters of Tasmania, must be rather an awkward customer to encounter. One lately captured in Pittwater, near Sorrel, is thus described: —Tho animal is of the female kind, aud of full growth, exceeding by 3 feet the length of the only skeleton of the same variety now in the museum. The exact proportions are as follows : Extreme length, 23 feet; length of side fins, 5 feet each ; length of dorsal fin, -i feet; width of tail from tip to tip, 7 feet. The jaws are nearly 2 feet long, and the teeth are dog-like, two-rowed. Ibe following calculation ought to startle the boldest lover of the weed: —If a tobacco chewer consumes two inches of a plug per cay for ;3fty years, he will chew in that period 6,470 feet, or nearly half-a-mile, an inch thick ami two inches broad, costing 2000 dollars. Ar,d ejecting one pint of saliva per day for fifty years, the total would swell into 2300 gallons—a respectable lake, almost enough to tloat the Great Eastern in ! Our correspondent writes : —On Sunday last, the Right Rev. Dr. Croke (Bishop of Auckland) made a pastoral visit to Onehunga. On the occasion, His Lordship received into the Church four adults who had been for some months in preparation ; and t-venty-seven candidates, after a rigid examination in the Christian doctrine, received the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation.

We have been requested to state that the | public meeting of the Auckland Auxiliary j Bible Society is to be held on Wednesday j evening, June 11th, when it is hoped thai the ministers and congregations of the different churches will arrange to be present, and assi.-t with their presence and contributions in i'lirthering the objects of that noble iustitution. The body of Mr. Richard Morton has not yet been recovered. Possibly, if a couple of men were engaged to search the shores of Bangitoto, Motu Ihi, aud the coast ulong the Lake and the Wade, it might be found even yet. AVith the duties appertaining to the wa:er-poiice, it is not possible for them to undertake such a task. The ruined walls of the old Post-office in Shoriland-street have now been pulled down. All that remains standing are the stone arches in front of the former colonnade ; but even these are to be taken down—after which the re-erection of the entire structure will be commenccd. Considering the strong counter attraction at the Choral Hall last evening, and the benefit of Mr. Henry Gordon on the previous evening, there was a very good attendance at the Chy Hall last evening, when an excellent programme was gone through. There will be fnother change of programme this evening. Our Waikato contemporary slates that there is a considerable quantity ot building going on in but nothing equal to the demand. At least a dozen cottages could be occupied by amicus tenants. The following is the estimated cost per ton, by contract, of getting and delivering coal at Greymouth, by rail, viz.:—Royalty, Oil; howing, 3s ; hauling, Is Gd ; carriage, 2= Gd ; total, 7= Gd. We notice that Messrs. Cranwell and Co., the upholsterers, have removed from Queenftreet to Shortland-street; where they will carry on business in the premises lately occupied by Mr. Harris, the stationer. According to advertisement, the members of the Choral Society gave a performance "last evening, at the Choral Hall. Subject: Mozart's " Twelfth Mass" and selections. The general half-yearly meeting of the South British Insurance Company will be held at the office of the company, Queen-street, at 3 p.m. to-day. A Court to revise the electoral roll of duckland City East will bo held to-day, at 11 a.m., in the Supreme Court Buildings. The annual meeting of the Auckland Institute will be held in the Museum Building, (his evening, at 7.30 o'clock. The Engineers and cadets meet, for their Usual weekly parade, ill the Princes-street Drill-shed, this evening.

The Gorernment have increased the number of the Constabulary force at Gisborne. An eifort i$ being made to establish a Masonic Lodge at Gisboruc. The partnership Litberlo existing between Frederick Archard and John Brown, coal and firewood dealers, has been dissolved. The business will, in future, be carried ou by Messrs. Archard and Co. A meeting of the shareholders of the Linsoln Castle G.M. Go. is convened for the 18th of June proi. We notice that Hugh H. Lusk, Esq., Provincial Secretary, intonds standing his candida-ture-for the next Superintendency. An extraordinary meeting of the shareholders of the American Engle Gold Mining Company is convened for the 13th June.