NORTHERN NEWS.

Southland Times, Issue 1259, 31 May 1870, Page 2

NORTHERN NEWS.

(FROM^OTJB OWN COBBESPOXDEITT.) Pfnedin, May 30. Mr Ward has been appointed to , the district ju'dgeship of Hokitika. He was offered the judgeship /of this district but declined,, considering that Mr "Wilson Gray had greater claims. Mr Fox asked Mr Gray if ; he would accept, but he refused, and offered to resign in favor of Ward, who' still refused to accept. The sea wall at Kakanui has been, destroyed by floods. " Another Maori prisoner has died. We take the following telegraphic summary from the Qtaqo Daily Times:— ':.* '..-.'■. Wellington, May 18. A fire took place early this morning in a grocer's shop in Willis street, occupied by Mr Eoberb Duke. It was caused by a lighted candle being left too near the roof. The lower part of the building and the stock were saved. Both the house and the stock were insured. The Commercial Hotel, Wanganui, was burned down last night. The wind blew the flamea towards the river, and the Bteamer Wallabi was with difficulty saved from burning, men having to pour water

on her sails and rig^in;*, while staaii wag f being got up. The building, stock, find 1 i furniture were insured in the New Zea- f land office for £500. The fire was caused s lay the explosion of a kerosene lamp. c . T Napier, May 22. i Tho St. Hilda left; last evening for i "Wiiiroa. She takes Ropata and his people v i home, they having scoured a considerable i portion of the TTriwera country. Lieut, i Porter, who accompanied Ropata, states i that 12 out of the 30 prisoners lately i taken were stalwart fellows, upwards of i six feet in height, and in every way fit 1 companions for TeKooti. "Winter has set < in in the Waikaremoana country. 1 Mr M'Lean was to le ve Auckland in the Luna to-diy for Napier. It ia presumed that lie will remain here a few days. Mr Locke left Napier this morning to attend the large Native meeting at Taupo, at which the King and Bewi are to be present. Mr Orinond will be unable to attend, his presence being necessary in the Provincial Council, which is now sitting. May 23. From Taupo intelligence. bas been received that on Captain Mair's force moving towards the Abikereru bush, 50 TTriweras belonging to the chief Hapiirona's hapu, came out and surrendered themselves. They have beeu taken to the Bay of Plenty, until it is decided what is to be done with them. Hapurona is one of the principal TTriwera chiefs. He was present at the Mohaka massacre, and was lately with Te Kooti at Taupo and Patetere. The prisoners state that they do not know where Te Kooti is ? but they believe that he is in the "Waioeka Gorge. They also state that the remainder of the Uriweras are at Kuatahuna, and are anxious to surrender, but • are afraid- of the consequences of doing so! ; ,- -1 ' ■ May 26. - Intelligence received from the Waikaremoana country states that; the enemy are in some force there. The friendly, natives under the command of Mr Hamlih have killed one Hauhau, and captured a canoe. Bopata has^expressedhis" willingness to enters upon a campaign in the spring, when he will scour the' whole of the TTriwera country, upon the- principle of no pay for no work done. „ . The Luna, with Mr M'Lean on board, is hourly expected. ' : r: Timabtt, May 22. A fall of about five inches of rain has taken place here from Wednesday morning to Friday afternoon. A few small bridges and culverts have been washed away. In the town itself, a culvert burst, and washed away a portion of Messrs G. G. Russell and Co. 's store, damaging a small quantity of grain. All the rivers were rendered, impassable. . . The Timaru jkerald, in noticing the proposal to unite Canterbury ,and Otago, says it is not practicable, but speaks favorably of the .annexation of the districts ? of T^naru and Gladstone to Otago, on ! the same terms as Southland. "No one," adds the Herald j " will dispute the broad, fact that, geographically," commercially, and socially,' the Timaru district is more, a portion of Otago than of Canterbury." - ■ May 26. At a meeting of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works to-day, Mr Stewart, Acting Colonial Marine Engineer, 1 reported in favor of a further extension of the breakwater, and was instructed to prepare plans and specifications.^ ,. ■