WANGANUI.

Wellington Independent, Volume II, Issue 69, 10 June 1846, Page 3

WANGANUI.

The Government brig Victoria, Captain Richards, arrived in port on Sunday morning last, from Nelson and Wanganui, with Ensign Symonds of the 99th r. gt., private Secretary to his Excellency C«tp». Grey, and Mr. Wills as passengers* the Commissioners appointed to settle the question of payment for the Wanganui district. It appears that,' at first, the natives were anxious to receive the amount of money awarded by Mr. Commissioner Spain as an equivalent for the land required by the purchasers from the New Zealand Company.

However, the Wanganui natives soon began to evince a disposition so often shown by their countrymen, of a desire to sell the ground, hut reserving to themselves the right of re-appropriating any- portions of the land they might afterwards take a fancy to. They made the most exorbitant demand for reserves, and picked out for such the whole, or the greater portion, of the wooded patches in the districts. During the discussion, intelligence ar rived in Wanganui of the late attack on

the TTnft pos\ and tl at eir<vms»ance ehnn- c I the aspe t of aftVrs mateiial'y. On hearing the the natives declined to sell the land, and. endnote themselves in such a manner a* to lead to the belief that they in'ended to 'ake pos seesi hi of the money by f< r^e. In c>• sequence of come i-norma inn, Mr. Symrind- can ed he money to be c<m. vev<d, secretly, on hoard the Government brigand afW another fruitless attempt to corn- t<> tern's wi li the natives, left the district. The quegtio'i thus remains as unsettled as ever, nnd we can ccc no probability of bringing the maories to reason, but by the use of force. The Rev. Mr. Taylor informed Mr. Synv-nds. that an accident had occur-ed in the Taupo country, wl-i h had deprived that tribe of their chief and fify men. It appears that the n tives bad dug out a e?ve, under a cliff, whiih at tlie time of ihe aeoi lent was oci-upiud by Te Heu Heu and fifty of bis followers, and that, perhaps owing to a heavy fall of rain, the £r< und haying-become foosfned. the earth fell in and buried 'hem all in thf ruin*, and that the who'e of them were kMed

On Monday week, a sawyer left \Van»anui for Ihis plane, famishing us with the following intelligence. On his arrriving at "Wanguihu, the natives were very violent, demanding a large payment to put him across the river, there being nt the lime a heavy freshet. Some of the natives took the poor fellow's luggage aTid preceeded Mm to Turakina. again demanding an exorbitant remuneration, which he was fcompellec! to pay. On "arriving at the beach be met with a native on horseback, the horse covered with foam. The rider stated he was bound for Wangauui. At Rangitiki, the chief of that place, Kafrana, informed the party that the native on horseback Was an emissary of Rangihaeata's, who had been sent by that ohief to collect followers, and induce the various chiefs to join bim. He was bound for Wanganui, and t*he Taupo country, and to any spot where it was deeded likely be might be able to collect men. Kawana. the Rangitiki thief, refused to interfere in the matrer, saying that " as Fangihaeata had begun r, so he might end it. That he wag fond of blanket?, tobacco, and other goods, anl wished the pakeha to dsvell on his land."