AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 621, 24 October 1863, Page 8

AUCKLAND.

(PROM THE DAILY. TIMES COfcRESPONDEKT

6;h October, 1663.

There is a remarkable quietness prevailing at the front at the present moment. The troops may be said to be living in anticipation of what is to come ; and the experience of the past two months having taught them that after a caini corjes a st.orm, so m a little time theie may be gieat events to chronicle. "Ckdcr these circumstances all I can do vail be to give you particulars so far as I knov/ of the movements of our troops, and preparations made for in tended operations against the enemy. A strong military post, it 13 underst.od, is about to be established atJPaparata, to keep the natives in check in that district and to prevent their continuing for any great length of time in the ranges near. Parties of Rangers and bush scourers are Continually on the alsrt in Ihe bush, but he natives appear to have batisfitd their inquisitive«ss and Jove of desti notion for a timo, and passed over on to safer ground on the other side of the Waikato.

It wUI be remembered, that in my last letter I mentionedthat the Yen. Archdeacon Kaunsell, Mrs Maunsell and other refugees, had bean invested in Xukutii'« pa, since the murder of Mr Armitage and iiiiers at Camerontown. A great deal of anxiety has B^lurally been felt in rogard to their permanent eafet? and welfare, more especially as it was well knowu that the rebel natives had not only made use of very threatening language in regard to the refugees, but had be> n actually abiding in Ihe locality of Si«; pa, with the iatention, no doubt, of allowing the parties no way of encape The Key.'s Messrs Ashwell and Morgan have both written to Mr Maunsell. entreating him to take the first opportunity of coming away, and the General is said to have sent a ve-sel to conyey the refugees to a place of safety, but, strange to say, Mr Maunsell actually refused to leave the place. Already it ia known that Mr Maunsell had a narrow escape on the day when Armitage was killed, for had Mr Maunsell been in the same cmos he would in all probability have shared the same fate as Armitage d:d. Fortunately, however, that day he stayed behind ; and now when this gentleman might escaj c, and haa had the means of escape placed at hu riisijoaal, it seems a most singular thing for him to refuse to leave when he has only the slender reed of the promises of "friendly" natives as a sa'eguai'l. There will be need of great caution iv travelling to Waiuku. When there the other day, the Rev. Mr Morgan was asked by a frieudiy native, if he had come by the road, to which, he answered in the affirmative " Had he seen any natives by the wayi" •' No." The native was surprised, and assured the reveiend gentleman that a hundred ef the rebels were lying in wait for ten pakehas, as ittu for the native who was shot the other day at Waiuku, by Captain Lloyd's party. lam given tj understand that some three hundred natives have lately arrived from the east coast, their destination being Meremere. According to the statement of the Waiuku natives, they assert that they have received positive information that a party numbering about one hundred natives, still remain in the bush in that district, with a view to exact uiu for the man who was shot by the Waiuku Ranger*. This assertion is somewhat borne cut by the fact, lhat serious depredations committed after the main body of the enemy had crossed the Waikaio at Rangipokia. Under these circumstances it appears highly necessary to prevent mirchief by ambuscades, that some steps should be taken to render the road safe as far as possible by clearing away the bush, particularly as this may be done by a very trifling amount of work in fellina; a small quantity of bush, through which the road passes in two plnces. The flax and fern, which cover the road for gome distance, might easily be removed, and so give a horseman a chance of moving at a reasonable pace. ?hen it is certainly known that the enemy has Ue .and may be still in the vicinity of this road.

seeniß strange apathy to neglect this measure of ecuritr, It is to be hoped that the landing- at Rangipokia will aot be left open to the enemy, to pass and repass at pleasure with the horses and cattle of the settlers. The point might easily be watched, and perhaps even turned into a trap for the marauders.

It has been ascertained, through the means of friendly natives, that the first shot fired at the attxek on Waima was by a friendly native named Adam Claik. He belorged to the Otau settlement, and was well kaovn to many of the settlers. His treacherous " ally" was the rascal who fired at young M'Nicol, a boy ci» ht years of age. but fortunately the bait passed through his cap. A Maori belonging to Te Wherro'a friendly jia, has been arrested at the instigation of Mr Gundry, the interpreter, charged with threatening to so over to the rebels. It appears this worthy native, whose name is given as Hikikohe, had been frst arrested on a charge of stealing a sura of money from the canteen ; but as it could not be proved against him. was leleased. On Ids way bask to tao lie used threatening language to■wards Mr Gundry, and proclaimed his intention of at once going .over to tie rebels. Suiting the action to the word, he took oft his policeman's cap and coat, and struck off on a track towaiVa Tuakau, but on the interpreter's arrival at thp pa be found him just coming out of his hut. Te Wheoro was then informed ot the circumstance, and the native wa3 at once made prisoner. He has been brought to Auckland to be tried on the charge.

An incident of a startling character, and wlrch created great consternation in the minda of the settlers, occurred at Haglan on the 25th ult. It appears that opposite to the township on the other sile of tho harbor, there have been two cannon lying for many years, partially imbedded in the sand. Very little as far as I can learn is known of their history, except that they belonged to tome vessel ■which was wrecked on the coast. One wad in pretty goad condition and the other not so. A party of natives numbering as reported 110 men, came in canoes, and dug up the guns, carried them away with then*, the only witness to the transaction being an old woman ! That the guna have been carried away is ascertained, the spot bore the tramping 3of many feet. It was first supposed that the natives were of the Waikato tribe, but doubts have since been thrown on th's idea they are generally believed to have been men of Hakaria's tribe, whose lcainga is situate on the North Arm. On the second evening succeeding the robbery, news arrived that 200 natives weie expected to come down from the Waikato to pihau the guns across the country. If this rumor was correct, the danger to the Raglan settlers was imminent, as it is more than probable that so many collected in a hody would would not leave the few settlers unmolested, knowing as they would, that both gun and ammunition were to be had, and that the number of defenders was very small indeed.

A large native meeting ha 9 been called at Waimate, by tha chief Arama Kaiaka, for the purpose of defining the boundaries of his land, and that of Moses Lawhia, and transacting other business. A correspondent speaking of the meeticg, says:— "A large building hud been put np on purpose, for the accomodation of hi 3 visitors. It is 99 feet long by 32 wide, but like a'l native structures low in the walls • altogether it is a very creditable building for natives and v.ill answer a varkty of purposes. There were it was supposed an assemblage of about 12C0 natives, and altogether the meeting y/as very orderly and quiet. The civil commissioner and some of his staff paid them a flying vmt, but did not remain a sufficient time to bear the olject of the meeting discussed, as it did not seem of any particular political importance. Arama Karaka and Moses Lawhia behaved admirably in rega'd lo the boundaries of their land, giving waj in sevfml instances to claimant.", {.imply because they wished to settle the suljccfc definitely and to set. a good exumpb.to others. There were several others that settled their land-marks, but some two or three of other tribes riispu'ed their boundaries, but no doubt they will be settled over a good poi of 'kororiro'i. There were some very loyal speeches made by some of the chiefs, but yet it was easy to see that seme others wavered in their opinions though thr-y W ere nearly all men of no note. Aro poit reached here the other day, and has since been c< nHrmed that a daughter of Mr Stevenson of Waima of Mafauri has been violated by a young native there. I believe the R.M. of Russell will investigate the circumstances. Parents should be very careful Ikw they sena their daughters Borne miles in the bush dnve cattle and sheep without any protection whatever The general feeling at the meeting was that *"'* offpniler should be broug.'st to justice, to which I expect he will be. Further particulars have not yet iia's-pire'i. In one of Arama Karaka's speeches he spoke most strenuously of supporting tha Government, and the most influential chiefs are much dis-r.os-.'d io mirch and aid in quelling the rebellion at Waikato. I do not think the JS gapuhi natives will be in the least disaffected as long as they are properly ireated Tlare is a report that Maiki Paiaone Kawiti intends calling a meeting shortly."

Vfe have had additional reinforcements of troops end volunteers duing the past *eek. On the evening of the 2nd inst. H. 'M. S. Curocoa came into hasimr. having on board 251 men and officers of the l'2ih Regiment, from Sydney, under the command of Coknel Hamilton. S'r W. Wi6eman, Bart , the commodore of the station arrived in the Curccjoa. Inp larque Golden Age arrived from Melbourne je ten ay, having on board Cojcnpl Pitt and 140 ra»sn end officers of the volunteer militarj settlers from inatnty Thohon. D. Bell returned from Sydney in the Lord Athley, with 23 volunt-ers— th<: cuhFtfl<nt*havi therefore cenred in the Australian •■ci-.n.e'.thcrequisitenumberofvoluntecrshavingbcen o-.tain-d. The Ec'.ip?e with the gun-boat in tow arrive dsnfdym the Ma-'.aukau, on Saturday nuht. J Jie gunboat has been named Waikato. The weather W y Khflsr dml " 8 the "^ from As a specimen of the kind of work undertaken by the buh parties, I take the Lll.wing swap from 2° •Z y /,\ U T it one o'clock at night, 21 1 Sept. cur armed throng arosj silently and noisdenfy. Ky2o'cloekyoumightnaveseen?omathing resembling monster serp. ntwinding itsdarkwav through the labyrinth of fern ridgef, creeping around mps and fern headlands, till the grey dawn of day

saw the tail of it just disappearing in the forest cover at the south-eastern extremity of this vast opening. We had thus crossed this well-watched terrain unperceived, thanks to the far-seeing management of our commander-hi-chief, and a chance was now before us of coming upon tho enemy unexpectedly, in the direction of Caooerontown. To surprise them, a force of Maoris must be aimed at by corps like the "flying column"— once that we could prove to the enemy ihat he cannot do as he likes, fight when, where, and how he likes,— retire and rest under the san c conditions, then will our supmority become really apparent to him,— never before thut. With such reflections I tramped along the narrow and almost imperceptible track keeping a sharp look-out for fresh tracks, and a watchful tar for noi-.es, twenty yards being the general range of one's eyesight. We had first ascended the ridse that rises pretty abruptly to the south-west of Walters' clearing. We had followed the same til) tea oVock, and (hen we commenced Jo descend, and catch glimpses of the Waikato country thr&ueh some openings in the foliaae. Apart from the attractive nature of the^e glimpses, there was a higher intrest attaching itself to the locality. We were Bearing the ground ha'lowed by the blood cf brave Uaptain Swift. We skirmished in three bodies over all the immediate neighborhood of Camerontown, and after rounding the main hill at the back, descended rapidly towards the river. Nothing yet could be seen of anything like Maori habitations, but on peeping over a fern spur, in a downward direction, I ea~.v something like a weatherboard house, with an enclo-ure round it. Within a few minutes we were iv that enclosure, which now turned out to bs ths " formidable" pah ! the fr.'eudly natives had erected at a couple of hundred pounds expense to our Government. At a dis tance it looked like a fowl-yard. Close at hand jou saw there was not one stick in it ball proof, and the distances between the sticks were large enough to shoH* ths whole interior and its contents Sixty yards iv the rear an eminence overlooked the remotest corners of the pah. At another step in the main spur — which descends to the vtry river's edge — we found th'j ruins of the burnt storehouses and their contents,— the native huts, however, untouched. On the las-b step to the lur.d.ncc place we stept over tons of scattered maize and forage till we trod the very spot where Mr Armitage v.-as murdered. No recent tracks indicated the presence of an enemy. We halted for an hour, expressing disappointment and feeding alternately on the beauties of the splendid Waikato vallry and the contents of our haversacks. We then turned our faces Towards Mauku, intending to pass Fura Pura that day. and the Bald Hills the next day. We skirmished along the fern ridges and belt- of bush at the back of Oamorontown, till we sallied forth upon the steep river bank where Pura Pura lies a Hair {Teau, with the Waikato. Looking thence up the river towards Tuakau perhaps one of the finest pieces of scenery in the world entrances the eye. From Pura Pura towards the Bald Hills aud Rangipokia the umpistakeable signs of a large retreating force were legible in the soft clayey track, patted down by the number of feet, extinguishing one trait after another. Two or three head of small cattle were found shot, altogether untouched. Rangipokia of course was deserted— two tracks, howevrr, led thence towards Mr Browning's pla n e, where we lost their isoprtssion in the fern. These tracks, of course, meant that the enemy had probably left a little bo-y of observation somewhere, and that these were some of the scouts. We got into Mauku near the church stockade, after eight o'clock in the evening, having been more or less on our legs since two o'clock the previous night.

The proceedings of the Provincial Council have not been without interest : the several propositions appearing in the Superintendent's address on opening the Council having afforded matter for wordy harangues, and some intemperate language. The conduct of the Superintendent in coming to an arrangement without the consent of the Council, in accordance with the terms of the following paragraph, was severely commented upon : — "At the invitation of the General Government, I feel it to be my duty to aid in introlucing into tliis Province, from the neighbouring colonies, five thousand men of good character, to be located upon lands in the Waikato, so as to form a chain of military posts in that district. The conditions on which these men are being enrolled have already been made public, and are doubtless familiar to you ail. In maturing this plan the objects aimed at were, to bring the rebellion to a speedy conclusion, and also to relieve the settlers in a great measure from the arduous military duties which they are so cheerfully performing, so as to enable them to return to their usual avocations. Under the extraordinary circumstances in which the Province has been placed, I gladly availed myself of the means placed at my disposal by you for immigration, a*id have authorised the expenditure of fifteen thousand pounds (L 15.000) towards the expense of providing passages for these Volunteer Settlers. I know of no other means that could £o eflectually strengthen the hands of the Government in securing and mniutaiuing a lasting peace in this Province.'' One hon member (the ex-Provincial Secretary, Dr Pol'en) in speaking on the reply to the address, and alluding to the character of the men volunteering for military settlers, was guilty of great injustice to the Volunteer?, and for which he was afterwards severely taken to task by many of the councillors. He remarked that he would be sorry to see the heritage of the Maori portioned out amongst the offscourings of Melbourne and Otago ; or by another report " portioned out amongst the sweepings of the streets," &c. The learned doctor might, however, have wisely reserved his remark', for it appears the agreement had never been definitely agreed uron by the General Government, who on the day succeeding sent down to ihe Superintendent the following letter : - "Colonial Secre'ary's Office, "Auckland, September 29th, 1863. "Sir, — With reterence to our correspondence on the subject of the sum of LI 5, 000, which your Honor agreed to contribute on the part of the Province of Auckland, towards the introduc'ion of military volunteers for Waikato, I have to inform you that while fully appreciating, a3 the Government does, the zeal and judgment which induced your Honor so promptly to accede to its suggestion, that the Province should contribute towards the carrying into execution of a scheme so thoroughly calculated successfully to meet a grtat present emergency, and to produce results so beneficial to the colonists generally, and to the inhabitants of Auckland in an especial degree, the Government does not iutend to avail itself of your Honor's judicious and publicspirited offer. "As Government has other plans in contemplation connected with this scheme, involving heavier expenses than those originally contemplated, it is eousidered that it would be better that the General Government, should undertake the whole of these expenses, leaving to the General Assembly the ultimate apportionment of the same between the colony and the Provinces benefited.

" 'Ibis decision wa3 arrived at some time since, and has virtually been acted upon, as your Honor is aware, the Province not having been called upon to repay any part of the cost of introducing the immigrants in question.— l have, &c,

" Alfred Domett. " His Honor the Superintendent, "Auckland."

The Superintendent's proposition haviug thus been rejected, all further comment on the subject by the Council was unnecessary, and the reply to the address as agreed to.

We are in great want of some amusements just now ; not a single place of exhibition, concert, or any thing taking plhce, or even being promised.