WANGANUI.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 652, 28 January 1865, Page 3

WANGANUI.

The Wangaxui Uimiiver Natives.— The Chronicle of tho 14th inst. says :— " It is pleasing to learn that amidst tho great defection of tho natives to the " pat marire" superstition, there aro many that have boon confirmed rather thau weakened in their previous religious belief, by the absurdities and false pretensions of the now system. Among those may be reckoned tho loyal natives up the river. Last Sunday the Roy. R. Taylor was at Ranana, and ho gives a very favorable report of the loyal natives thero. He states that tho King Maoris havo declared it their intention to live quietly and make *no attack on tho Government natives at present, and that they are trying to make the loyal natives beliovo that they havo committed a groat crime in cutting off so many of their countrymen aiuTrelativLS at Moutoa. Mr. Taylor, hotvover, toA them they ought to remember that they stood not only in defonco ol thoir own lives as wall as those of tho Europeans and of thoir religion which these fanatics wished to destroy, but also had the victory not been gained by them they would not have boon spared, as the very ovenß woro prepared to cook thorn in although they were near relation 5 ", thorofore their cause was clearly a just one in the sight of God and man. They said this was true, but in one respect they folt they wore guilty, for although they themselves carefully avoided plundering the dead, some of their allies had not, but had Stripped them of their ornaments, meres, and evon thoir garments, therefore they thought they should make a sin-offering to God, and had thus responded to Mr. Taylor's call to repair thoir Churoh, not only in remembrance of llemi (a teacher who was killed at Moutoa), who built it, but also a sinoffering to God, and to Mr. Tuylor's amazement £17 ICs. Vfa's placed in 'the plato for that purpose. This with £7 given at tho Christmas meeting makes a sum of £25 for this laudable purpose, and there is little doubt but that many of thoir pakeha friends will willingly aid their ell'orts and have only to know in order to give the required assistance. The renovated Church they aro anxious to make ono worthy of tho cause."

The depredations to which wo allude in our second Icador of to-day as having been committed by the Wanganui cavalry c'orp.s during" the late recouuaisance made by General Waddy has led to the publication of the following letter in tho Wanganui Chronicle, of the 14th iusl. : — " Wanganui, January 14. Sir, — On tho return of last Wednesday's expedition to the Waitotara, I was surprised and shocked to hear that the party had committed wanton depredations noar some Maori huts which they found unoocupied. The property of the settlers in tho north- westei'n parts of the districts is quito unprotected, no pretence oven is mado of protecting any of tho property of any of the sottiers ; a groat deal is in fact at tho absolute disposal of tho Maoris. That the settlers' corps, with tho full knowledge ofthis, before tho fighting has commenced, before oven it ia known that there will be lighting at all, should kill and steal turkeys and fowJs and wantonly spear pigs is almost incredible 1 , and can only bo accounted for by tho high exariiplo said to have been shown them. When the war on tho Hutt commenced, tho Maoris 'alleged (hat the white had begun the cobbing and spoiling. At Taranaki they said the same thing. They will be ablo to say so hero with truth. The Maoris will retaliate or I am greatly mistaken. It would have been better for the exposed settloi'B, moro satisfactory to thorn in every way, if tho cavalry had been led into thoir paddocks for tho purpose of spearing their shoop and cattlo. Ido nob allude to tho mean and cowardly part of tho business, yet it is pretty ovident that had there been two Maoris in tho huts to fire a shot or two, tho party would not ha^& approached within a -thousand yards.— A SSTUEK?'"