THE Otago Daily Times. DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, FEB. 11.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2190, 11 February 1869, Page 2

THE Otago Daily Times. DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, FEB. 11.

It* the interests of the country were not HVHteinatically aacriliccl to tin; interest* of faction, it would be tliflicult to understand why any attempt, hliouM he made to undervalue Colonel Wihtjioke*h sticccsH at Nukumani. TJie capture of Tito Kowahu'B pah nrny fairly be considered the wont iinportnut nchievement of our forces. The real «eat of "war lay in the country infested by that savage and hi« fanatic followers. The prestige acquired by hi* almost uninterrupted kucccssck rendered him by farthemost fonnidnblc opponent we liad to deal with. The number of hi« followers greatly exceeded theme of TK ICooti. He had pouted himwelf in the heart of a cultivated diHtrict; he was in the immediate neighbourhood of important settlements; his movement* were watched with the greatest anxiety, and the occurrence of some overwhelming disaster inflicted by hia hands was fully exacted. A panic reigned in Wanganui for months and montlus—Biicli a panic ua might prevail in a Neapolitan village nt the foot of Mount Vesuvius, when the volcano gives Higns of eruption. The return of Colonel Whitmohe from the Kiwt Coast, and hi« Hitbsequent march towards Nukuimtru, were univerwally rcgaitlcd as forming the most critical period in the campaign. Feverish anxiety prevailed throughout the colony with regard to the result of an engagement at that point. No one supposed that Tito Kowaru would dream of retreating. He had no apparent reason for retreating. He occupied a pah bo fortified that any attempt to take it by storm must have involved a heavy sacrifice of life. He was not short of provisions, of ammunition, or of men. But above all, he was bound to maintain his prestige as a warrior of more than mortal genius. His ]x>wer over the minds of sympathising Maoris depended almost entirely upon his appearance in the character of a conqueror. To abandon his position and appear before them in the character of a fugitive, must necessarily have exposed the hollowness of his pretensions in the eyes of his followers. Thus we had every reason to believe that Nukumaru would never be occupied by our forces without a terrible struggle. This impression prevailed most Htrongly where the progress of events was watched most narrowly. A week before the pah was taken, the Wanganui Herald expressed the opinion of the district in the following comments on Tito Kowahu's expected movements : The enemy will assuredly stand and fight at Nukumaru. Retreat at the present moment ia not a question for dUcuision with him. Tito is a deity, believed in as such by his follower*, and poasibly by himself. Hu assumption in not by any means an absurdity if we consider the influence it given him, and the spirit it infuse* into his men ; ha does not appear, even to a European, le*u of a god than Alexander or Canute, who assumed as much. The two Hau-bau prisoners, now in Wanganni gaol, say that Tito cannot be defeated ; he is * god, and must oome to' St John's Bush. If his whole army is imbued with such a belief, as it most probably is, it is rather fortunate for us. It indicates that a stand will lie made atNukuinarn ; for the issue of tko contest involves, to Tito, prestige and a place among tha gods. .He cannot afford to be beaten back without the loss of the mighty power which exists in a deep faith. If be is Forced back over the Waitotar* Eiver, ho will consider it a defeat to bo driven from an old battle ground, where the Maoris always behaved with great bravery, and to a country where food i* scarce, and without cattle or sheep. Nukumaru will be the prcat battlefield of the war, and Colonel Whitmoro is right in introducing the element of certainty into his strategy- We mutt be prepared for surprises at all times, and, we believe, a desperate onslaught in force. The character of the enemy we have to deal with warrants ua in expecting the most extraordinary deeds of daring, before that prestige, which has been gained by successive victories, is destroyed! T<to's men are as brave, as he has the reputation himself of being prndent and subtle. Every man fights as it ho were a company, and throughout the whole of them there is the same spirit—understanding the game mennfl, acd intent on the same object. We are not overrating tho enemy ; we aro descri* ing him as jhe is whilst he continues to be victorious ; bat d« feat him and follow him up. and all that is, comprehended in prettigo With a savage is gone. The limits of h:e power are becoming more circn inscribed daily, and.if be cannot break them, he is strangled.. Onr suspense is at present an great as our hopes ; for » few days will decide much. Let us pray for a great victory. The fact that Nukumaru was not taken by assault does not lessen the loss of prestige to Tito Kowaru, even if it can be said to lessen the glory to Colonel Whitmore. The pah would certainly not have been abandoned if, in the judgment of its garrison, it cculd have been held against our forces;' Nor would the retreat .have taken place without' a desperate onslaught in force' to hide the Bhame of it, if such an onslaught could have been made with reasonable prospects of HTiccess.' ' The retreat of the enemy is a decisive proof ; that he considered himself not in a position to hold hia. ground. If the Wanganui journalist is any authority, Tito KdWAu'o*s power"inayncriTJe regarded as destroye<L * His prestige as a deity and jn warrior has faded away, fie has been forced back over the Waitotara river; he has been driven from an old battle-ground of his race without having ventured to strike a ; blow in self-defence, and he ia now retreating through a country ;wbei;e,[ fofid is soiree. The last we heard of him is that hia forces are .^supposed to bo scattered, some living "gone to Okuttikn,some;to.;the KarororerbvOsh; 'and eomeio ite, cav«» on th> river. They have notiftouglijit prtt-J

dent to meet our force*, and trust to their superior skill inimsh warfare ;is a means of retrieving tlieir lost prestige _ In the face of tlte.se facts, it is mere jugglery to argue that the capture of Nulsutnara is an unimportant cvont, aud that the abandonment of such a position was in reality a strategic movement- It has ni-ver been the fashion ot Maoris, any more than it has been the fashion of EuropwuiH, to abandon a well fortified and wtrll provisioned post .in the absence of compulsory reasons: So long as Nukuuiaru was iv tho hands of the enemy, it was a standing menace to the peace and safety of our settlers. A series of successful HktrmishcH in tho bu.«h would not liave restored confidence to Wtuiganui, ho long a.s the enemy maintained their position in an impregnable pah. To dislodge th'iin from the spot which they had chosen to make; this stand upon, wag essential to our kucccmj. It may very well be that much has yet to be dono before our success can be considered complete ; we muf-t hold ourselves prepared to hear of further losses; but in the meanwhile we may reasonably congratulate ourselves on the good fortune which ha~s befallen, our arms.

A meeting of the electors of the Roslyn district took place yesterday, at the Kaikorji drill abed, fur the purpoue of nominating candidates for the representation of the district in tho Houae of Keprcsentativea, The returcing o(liuer, Mr John oillica, read tho writ and tho notice appointing the day of nomination, after which Mr J. Sibbald pro. potted, and Mr C»lkndcr seconded, Mr U. JJriver an » candidate. .Mr W. Barr then proposed, and Mr W. Sheddcn seconded, Mr V. Allan a» a candidate. Messrs Driver and Allan addressed the electors, and a allow of hands wan taken, tho Keturning Officer declaring there were '23 in favour of Mr Driver, and 13 of Mr Allan, and that JJr Urivcr wan therefore elected. Mr Allan demanded a poll, which wu accordingly tixed to take place on Friday next (to-morrow), at the Drill-shed, Caverikain; the Schoolhouno, Mornington ; tho Drill ■ ahed, Kaikorai Vallwy; and tho Schoolhonao, North-East Volley. On the motion of Mr Drivor, seconded by Mr Allan, a vote of thanka waa given to tho Returning Ofiiser, and tho meeting then terminated. Tho Otago Eleven will return from Canteri bury by iho a.B. Airedale, which reached i Lytteltoa at 10 20 a.Jn. yesterday, and which miy therefore bo expected to arrive at Port i. halincrs in tho cturso ol to-day. Considering tho pluck displayed by them in bringing au uphill gamo to aucb a satisfactory conclusion, thus aaviag tho honour of Otago in the cricket field, vre tliiak that not only the members of the Duucdm Cricket Club, but all the lovera of tho noble game, should meet them on their arrival at the jo'.ty and give them a right roya1 reception. The arrangement* for opening tho Fine Arta Exhibition arc, thanks to tlio unremitting assiduity of tho Committee, now com. pletcd, and we may depend on tho opening ceremony taking place to-morrow. In this Madame Biihop has consented to take a leading part. Thcro was no business of importance at the Roiident Magistrate's Court yesterday. A special summoned meeting of the Loyal Duncdin Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., will be held this evening at 7-30. The monthly meeting of tho Otago Kilwining Lodge, No. 417, S.C., will bo held this evening at eight o'clock. Our readers will bo glad to learn that tho Ilev. Win. Campbell has accepted a call to the pastorate of Unrogham aud Linton, in the Presbytery of BaUarafc, Victoria. A notification in the Provincial Govern- , ment Gazette of yesterday, states that a public pound has been established at Gleakenich, of which Mr Ocorgo Williams lias boon appointed keeper. Tho approximate estimate of income and expenditure of the Corporation of Port Chalmers for tho current year shows the estimated income to bo LIOOS, and the estimated expendiiare Llloo—the latter being thus LOS in excess of the former. The postponed match, between tho Citizens' Cricket Club and the employes of the Times office, will (weather permitting) bo played on Saturday. Yesterday afternoon, about five o'clock, as a lady and gentleman, in a pair-horse buggy, were coming down that very awkward part of Forth plaoe at ita junction with Queen street, the horses swerved, and drew the carriage over tho bank on tho east side of tho road, which is entirely unprotected. Fortunately, those in the buggy escaped with only some trifling scratches, the machino itself being only tlightly damaged. It is high time the Corporation, did something to improve the very awkward gr» tient at this part of the street. We learn that on Wednesday evening an accident of a serious nature happened at Green Island, near the Kaikorai Hotel, to Mr Gow, farmer, Taieri, Whi'o driving from town, the horse ahyed at some utenca, and capsized the machine, by which he received a severo cut upon the head, tie other occupants receiving slight harts. No time was lost in" carrying the sufferer, who was unconscious for some time, to;i:r Ingl>B,. auder whoso treatment he ia progressing favourably The Customs revenue received yesterday on poods cleared for consumption wa» much larger than ordinary, amounting to LI4OO 188 46. Thia is owing in * great measure to the large quantity of drapery good* cleared, tho duty on which amounts to L 772 17b 3d. During tho month of January there, were 16 days vu which r*in foil in j^unedin^ the total fall during that jperiod being 3,522 in. The greatest rainfall on one day w«B LEOOin on the 28th. The mean daily velocity of the wind during the month was .222 miles, the greatest velocity observed for 24 hours being 050 miles on the 3rd. The approximate mean teioperatttte for the "month was 55.8deg, thq highest maximum temperature during that pciiod being 74<ieg, and the lowest minimum temj eratur* 43d eg,' showing an extreme range of tcmperatttre for tnor month of 31deg;f;.:r •'■/="!:.;.'..'.'>"•.. < IWe have received. fttmpw Mess; s Burton, photographers, an excellent reproduction ol a. diguerreotyEe likenwo of the firat Superintendent of the' Province the late Captain Cm^U. Tho arUsU have been sucoessf ul in executing an enlargod jwtrait in Bepi* from the 1 daguerreotype, the result being .a very, life-like picture; TH« pHJtiire''h«i been photographed. We wfom it wffl recommend itsolf to all who valtfe. the memory of I 4W fonnte of .Qtagtv;; .fffiilaw *lso »• iceiTedßome photograiiio view* of Dnoedin

and Port Chalmera, fonaing landscapes of besnty. Two view*, ctpucially, ol tho Harbour at Port Chalmers, are partienlsrly good. ♦'The PresbyUrirai Synod," another of the photographs, in deserving of nctico, although one or two of tho figures aro obscured, owing probably to the parties hwing changed position during tlie execution of tho phot' graph, ar.d a^ heavy eliadc has been thrown on th« countenances of several on account of ifieir hnving kept tlieir hats on. On the wnolu, tho likenesses aro clear and goxl, and the members readily distinguishable. -:.-..

A gentleman from Shag Valley informs us that shearing w nearly completed in that district. On tho stations of Messrs F. \Vayne and Dillou Bell, the new proctes of washing with hot water, eoap, and soda, win adopted for tho first time lost tcason. Tho baticri»s were improved this season, but owing to tho ecarcity of water during the late spell of dry weather, a good deal of the wool had io be shorn in the j,rea*o Tho new process worked well, and ita elects on tho appearanco of iho wool were remarkable ; but there is room for still further improvements. Tho changes, however, will consist chiefly in tho tubstitution of iron for wood. Tho yield of wool on these two stations us a little lighter thin that of last year, bnt tho quality of tho utaple ia excellent. The crops look well in the Shag V. l!ey di»trict— especially the wheat. Oats have been somewhat affected by tho dry weather. Reaping baa just commenced. The potato crop will be, good. ' ; In tho City Council yesterday Mr Fish called attention to the fact that the Post Office clock had for soreo timo past been immured in darkness during tho cveningß. lie wished to remedy thia, by malting arrangements to have it lighted at lea*t till midnight. Some o£ tho councillor* objected to tho expenditure of any money in tho direction proposed, and one of them, in support 'of his . argument, triumphantly pointed to Melbourne as a city in which the Council had wiaely dono nothing to givo tho public tho " timo o' tho night" That gentleman oonld. not have been aware of tho fact that it has been for years a standing reproach to tho Melbourne Corporation that it left to private _citizens tho duty of providing tho time for the public after dark. To meet tho retiuirementa of the people, the now Post Ollico and Townhall will both bo fitted with illuminated clocks. The export of butter and cheese from Weilington is again occupying tho attention of *Jbo looil press. Tho Independent asserts that tho reason for tho amallncss of the demand for Wellington butter on tho gold fields is to be found in the fact that no distinction was made either in price or brand between tho ! good and tho inferior article. Tho same i journal continurs :—A correspondent of tho lviarna Independent has received a latter from London dated November G, conveying tho following answer to a query ho submitted:—" Butter is very dear, and very indifferent; none to be had under Is Cd per pound." These figures should, he thinks, stimulato local producers in two directions :—lst. To endeavour to discover some euro and effectual mode for preserving butter, whereby it may bo fitted for a distant market. 2ad. To form a local company for tho direct shipment of butter, and placing it in the hands of a London agot t. Could any effectual mode of preserving bnttor for a period of, say six months, bo discovered, India and China, as well as England, would glaily avail themselves of it But butter in England, in tho middle of winter, as in New Zealand, will fetch a much higher price than in tho middle of summer, and wo fear that butter hero is produced in excess of tho demand, because it requires less work and care than the production of cueece. The Polytechnic Hall waa again crowded last evening. On Saturday an afternoon performance will be given for the special benefit of the juveniles. Thero will bo almost an entire chango of programme at fho Princess Theatre thia evening, when that touching ballad, " Come Home, Father," will be «ung for tho but' time. In consequence of the meeting in connection with Bishop Jenner taking place to-morrow evening, Madame BUhop'a benefit, has been postponed until Monday next.