WANGANUI. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 931, 2 October 1869, Page 10

WANGANUI. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

September 20th. News from native aourcea ia proverbially unreliable, and ovon after a siiftioiontly reasonable time has olapaod to ovorcomo preliminary uncertainty, tho result is by no moans to bo rashly roliod on. Tho killing by To Kooti of three Tuupo nativea is a caao in point. A lottor rocoived from Wirihana by tho authorities hore eight days ago, distinctly alHrmod that tho men did not bolong to his tribe ; and by tho forciblo logic of native antithesis, (concluded thoy woro To KooH's own followors who had fallon ▼iotims to tho brutal caprico or suspicion of thoir leader. It has boon since reported that thoy woro scouts of Wirihana surprised by To Kooti ; but this has been oontradiotod. After tho lapse of tho proverbial nine days, tho conclusion to bo arrived at is that neither of tho above versions is tho correct ono, hut that the slaughtered natives belonged to neither pirty, and paid the penalty of neutrality in a struggle whore those Who aro not for, must bo against. Wirihana, after retiring before To Kooti from Tokanu on the bank* of Lake Taujw,

to Murimo'u, on the edge of the bush, and thence by a still further retrograde movement to Banana on the Wanganui river, has, within the last few days, commenced to retrieve his lost ground. Major JECepi (Kemp) having raised a contingent of Kupapas here, proceeded with them up the river to Wirihana, at Banana, arriving there on Tuesday last.' Kemp had been preceded a short time by the arrival of , 100 Arawas from the East Coast, wh6 had' been despatched by native tracks through the Huahine ranges to the assistance of Wirihana. The forward movement 1 began the following day, and news may be expected at any moment of an engagement having taken place. It has . doubtless been already communicated to Dunedin from the Bast, Coast that a simultaneous movement against Te Kooti has been made from that direction by a force composed of Constabulary and " frieridlies." The' Hon. the Defence Minister arrived here on Tuesday evening in the Sturt, for the purpose of pushing on the reinforcements from this quarter, but, as they had already left, his services in that particular direction were not required. Mr M 'Lean's presence in Wanganui was, however, taken advantage of for a widely different purpose than the levying of war, on a subject which is at present engrossing not only the feverish attention of the people of the Province of Wellington, but also of our friends in Hawke'B Bay. This is the recently discovered gold-bear-ing reefs in the .Kaimanawa ranges, A deputation of the leading settlers waited upon Mr.M'Lean on Thursday, for the purpose of. drawing his attention to the advantage that a road constructed to Taupo, by the Kaimanawa, was calculated to confer, not only indirectly, on the progress of the colony generally, by opening up a gold-bearing country, but its importance in a strategic point of view. Native reports, and the evidence of the few Europeans who, in more settled times, have traversed the country, describe the track proposed to be one of unusual expediency. As a general configuration of the country in this province," it may be said that running parallel to the ten or <welve miles' extent of settled coast line, is a belt of bush of like diameter, beyond which are rolling grassy plains converging on the great inland lake. By taking advantage of the constructed roads along tho Wanganui River, so as to carry the traveller beyond this broken timbered belt, the open country may be struck laterally, and an almost uninterrupted plain crossed to the foot of the Kaimanawa ranges, and so on toTaupo. A couple of timbered saddles of no great altitude constitute the only engineering difficulties in the way. A sum of L2OOO would make a passable road, of some 60 miles, by this route, which has the advantage of lying for the most part through the territory of friendly tribes. Mr M'Lean received the suggestions of the deputation very favour ably, but deprecated any action being taken until Te Kooti, whose presence near Taupo at present threatens the security of the whole district, has been dealt with in a manner which it is to be hoped will restore the country to peace and security. The specimens which have been brought into Wanganui have been forwarded to Wellington, and favourably reported upon by the Government geologist. A local association, comprising a limited number of gentlemen, who have subscribed for the purpose of fitting out a party to take up ground for them on the supposed gold field, has been already formed. The Superintendent of the Province is expected here in the course of the week, and he being deeply interested in the development of the resources of the district (for the Kaimanawa is within the Wellington province), will immediately, supposing public enquiries boar out the prosent indications, have the goldfield j proclaimed, appoint wardens, issue miners' rights, and otherwise put everything in train for action.

Tito Kownru would appear to have subsided for the present, nothing being known of his whereabouts.