The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 1869.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 528, 10 February 1869, Page 2

The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 1869.

f: A DiVEBiiTY of opinion exists about the direction the natives have taken since the abandonment of X uktimaru, some believing1 they have crossed the Patea river, and others thinking -they? have made in the direction of Kaiwhike.' -Colonel Whitmore is trying to discover their position, and - has out daily, as scouting- parties, the divisions of Colonel McDonnell • (who, has returned from Patea), and ' ( .Major Roberts., It is idle to speculate about-the tactics of the enemy. Hie may.want rest, or have run out of supplies, or be pursuingl a Fabian policy—no one knows but the enemy ' liimself. The history of the war, ■when written, will present this remarkable feature, that the designs of the enemy, his numbers, and resources, were unknown to all but himself. The war has now resolved itself Into a game of hide and seek— the enemy may be anywhere, he is Ttnown to be nowhere. Of this we may be sure—he is in the neighborhood of his supplies ,• but as these are distributed over a great , -extent of country, we are as far from arriving at a conclusion as ever. , In the midst of so much darkness it* would be wrong to impute blame. -The tactics of Titokowaru may be , partially known in a few days, and if it be found that he has crossed the Patea river with Ms whole force, the result of the late military operations maybe looked upon as favorable in & very high degree.

Small-pox and Chicken-pox.—The medical men of Victoria seem unable to agree as to the nature of a disease now •xisting 'in several cases in that colony. • Some1 of them maintain it to be smallpox, while others say it is only chickenpox. : Thb 1 Empire.'—The foundation of an empire should have strength—the superstructure, strength and beauty combined; and if by chance the bnilding should be defaced by the Bpoiler, the work of renovation will be light, and the original merit and effect will not have suffered. Mr O'Hanlon has come into possession

again of the Empire Hotel, and intends opening it to-morro,w morning witb something like its old appearance when he was formerly mine host. He is fitting up bath-rooms, billiard-room, and suites of rooms for families ; in fact, the Empire has undergone a complete transformation, so great, that inside you wouldn't know it. We have no doubt that Mr O'Hanlon's old friends will all rally round him again. We wish him success.