WANGANUI.

Timaru Herald, Volume VI, Issue 162, 19 December 1866, Page 3

WANGA N U I.

THE FRONT. The following- is from the Wcaifjanui , Times of a late date. The com'spomlent to that paper writes from Korouiti, and reports an important speech made by the chief Topia m favor of peace : — I drop you a few linos to lot you know how things arc going- on up the river. On the 20th ultimo, si canoe started from this place for Athens, to take from thore the ; mortal remains of a native who was killed < by Hemi Napi at the battle of Moutoa, on the 14th May, 1864; and as they were ' going- to one of the rebel pahs twenty-four , miles from Monguioe, called Utnpo, I de- : tennined to accompany them. We arrived ' at Pipiriki on the 21st, and camped there : for the nig-ht'j started early next morning; and reached our destination about five p.m. j We were received by alwut seventy or eighty Hauhaus of both sexes, whose j heads were completely covered with weeping- willow, used by them upon that i occasion as an emblem of deep mourning, i They took the corpse — which our natives i brought up m a coffin — which was at once i removed to the inside of the pa, and placed i along-side the JYui, or sacred pole. They ' then commenced a Tanyi, which lasted about t\vo "hours. After the usual cere- i monies, the Hanhau priest advanced to ' the coffin, placed both his hands on the : lid of it, and cried out at the top of his voice, "Hauhnu, Hauhau!" He then i muttered something- to the remainder, which neither myself nor the natives with me could understand, but the Hauhaus immediately formed into lint 1 , anil commenced to march round the sacred pole. : As each man came m front of the Hauhau i priest he took him by the left hand, and, > placing the rig-lit hand on his heart, j stooped down and muttered something-, rose up, and moved on round the pole. This ceremony occupied half-an-hour, when the coffin was lifted and carried round three times ; it was then conveyed to its last resting- place, and the whole company returned to have a Korcro, of which the following- is the substance. Toria, the leading- chief present, distinctly told them that further fighting- was useless, as they never gained' anything by it, but, on the contrary, lost everything-. "He said, with great emphasis— " Hauhaus, m all our fights we have not gainet/ a single battle, and I think that is sufficient proof that the hand of God is against us, and that our works are evil. Another thing- that I have to sa}- is this, we are not only at war with the pakehas, but we are killing- our own race ; father against son, and son against father, and tribe against tribe, which is a sure way to exterminate ourselves. Let us live at peace with our white brethern and also the Maoris." He concluded by saying that his wife should return with our party, and go to Wang-nnui, and he would follow her m a few days. All the speakers followed m the same strain ; — there was to be no more fighting-, or it would soon put an end to the Maoris altogether. Topia's wife immediately prepared for her journey, left with us, and she is now amongst you m Wangaimi. Previous to her departure the priest wanted her to walk round the sacred pole, but sire obstinately refused to : perform the cereinonj*. Topia has since left, there, and is now at London^ on his <

w:iv to town ; ho will most liki !y be hi Wunganui by the t;:ii<; this readies y-.vi. Ifo told me that the Natives — Uauiiaus — , <if Muna Kohia are fearfully bit tor again.- 1 the Queen Natives, and n-iair.s tlm follow- ! i)j'_r outrage m proof of the bad feeling ; which exists between them : — The other j day a Queen Maori was out shooting; ' pigeons, and having gone too far m the direction of the Iluulmu pa. he was waylaid and shot/lead, his head cut off and j taken away, and his body completely cut to pieces." The Ilauhaus and friendlies up here, and for many miles above us, have a great deal of land under cultivation, and will shortly go to Wanganui with their produce. Those whom we visited made us presents of new potatoes, pigeons, — of which they have any quantity — and excellent kumeras. Nearly all the Natives of this place leave here for Rangitikei tomorrow, to receive their portion of the money that is to be paid by Dr Featherston on the ;"ith of December.