Wellington.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 22

Wellington.

(FROM OUB OWN, GOEBESPONDENT,)! I ,

Wellington, 1 March 26th. • Major Atkinson went North by the- mail steamer this afternoon! 'He goes to Taraiiaki and Auckland, and is expected to return to Wellington in about 10 days. The object of his journey has not transpired* but it is understood to be public business. Mr 'Dick fclso leaves Wellington to-morrow, -going by th| Te Anau to Lyttelton, on his way to Dunedm. He will prdbably be. absent from Wellington about a fortnight. The general assembling of Ministers in Wellington in preparation for the session is still postponed, and cannot now fake place before the middle of next month. ■ I understand; however, that a good deal of Spreliminary work has, already been cleared away, so that when the full Cabinet does meet its deliberations will be devoted mainly to the more dobateable portion cf the Ministerial Parliamentary proposals. I hear that the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Bill has peen finally, remitted to the printers. In the main it is much the same bill as that introduced, last session, but has undergone alterations and improvements where these seemed to be suggested either by the discussion in Parliament, by experience, or by subsequent events. . r Wellington, March 27p. Owing to the non-arrival of the steamer Te Anau, Mr Dick's departure for the South is postponed until to-morrow. , I , As some surprise may be created by the intelligence that one of Te Kooti's Poverty Bay gang of murderers has, had the remainder of his sentence remitted, I may as well explain the circumstances under which Government have decided to ad visehis Excellency to take this course. Te Maka Raitai was convicted injlS72 *f murdering a friendly Native, who \ was acting as messenger for the English forces. There was no doubt as to the facts. The messenger happened unconsciously, to stray close to Te Kooti's encampment, and on Te Kooti s order Te Maka Raitai advanced, seized the led ,him to the cemetery, 1 and there deliberately shot him. The prisoner freely admitted that he had done so,; but simply stated that it was in obedience to Te Kooti's order, which he dared not, for fear of his life, disobey. He had no doubt whatever that Te Kooti would have shot him instantly had he hesitated. Te Kooti threatened death to any follower who disobeyed him. Te Maka had ample reason to know that he would be as good as his word. Besides the dread of direct violence, he,- was doubtless influenced by that superstitious awe which Te Kooti's followers, like those of Tohu, entertained of their chief's supposed supernatural powers ; so Te Maka Raitai implicitly and murdered the Maori messenger. He pleaded guilty at his trial, and was sentenced to death as a necessary warning to his race ; bufc the sentence was immediately commuted to imprisonment for life. It was, however, intended by the Government that if his conduct in prison was good he should be released when he had .served 10 years, as there was no doubt he had acted under duresse to some extent, and was in bodily fear of Te Kooti. A year or two ago an application was made to the Government for his release, but Ministers held firm to their decision that ho must sorve his 10 years, and the decade ended 1 this month, and as his conduct in gaol is reported to have been uniformly good, Ministers remit the remainder of the sentence. His Excellency has acceded to their recommendation, and Te Maka Raitai will be released at once. Mr Bryce telegraphs an amusing account of

his expedition up the Thames River with Pinoha, the chief of the erstwhile troublesome Ngatihako tribe, for the purpose of personally superintending the initiation of the snagging operations to which, after long opposition, the tribe had at last consented. It seems their opposition was due to their fear that on the snags, which were the refuge of innumerable eels, being destroyed, their fishing-ground would likewise be annihilated. Accordingly, as Mr Bryce and Pineha travelled up the river in a canoe, the latter beguiled the time by singing most pathetic songs of farewell to the logs and snags. " Farewell, old houses of my eels" he wailed in piteous strains— Oh! homes of my fish, a long_ farewell! But he was quite cheerful and for the snags to be removed, and promised there should be no fuither obstruction on his people s part. He also agreed to the demarcation of the boun-dary-line between his own tribe' (Ngatihako) and their neighbours (Ngatipawa), the chief of the latter, Tapare,' also consenting. This is considered a very satisfactory point achieved, in view of certain contemplated futurd'operations which have hitherto been impeded by the jealousy between these tribes. • I understand that the ' Judicature Reform Bills have already been drafted and forwarded 'to the Attorney -general for his revision and approval.