ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Wellington Independent, Volume II, Issue 102, 3 October 1846, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To THB Editor of the " WELLiNarow Independent.' Wanganui, Sept. 28, 1846. : Sir,—Should you deem the accompany, ing information sufficiently interesting to merit a place in your paper it is much at your service. — The sta'oof poor Wanganui is becoming critical j we are 100 much inured to fighting our own battles with the natives here to be needle-sly alarn ed, consequently the return of E. Muku aid not produce any apparent anxiety; but from the number of chiefs in this district, who have loag wished for an opportunity of creatine mischief, and their determined hostility to any authority foreign to their own, I am a:raid ere lonjr that things will wear a serious as; ect. It was a fatal error to allow the two great rebels to escape or to cease in their pursuit whilst there was a chance'of taking them. Their present safety has con&i lerably diminished the opinion even of the friendly natives here, of the prowess of our military defenders. ' Had Rangihaeata and E. Muku been either destroyed or taken, the war would have ended at once ; but, as it is, what has passed is a mere prelude to more serious events. The disaffeciion of the Wanganui chiefs is no new trait in their, character, it does not arise as might-be supposed from their relation E. Muku being at war with the Europeans. E. Muku and his friends have lonjr.since meditated a hostile movement, and only waned an apportunity to put their, plans into'execution. Any one at all acquainted with what was passing among the natives here, three years ago, must have been satisfied that there was a canker in the bud ; and 1 have every reason to believe that Rauparaha, soon after the Wairau affair, was the primum mobile. At that time a good deal of correspondence nassed between Otaki and Wanganui, and even Tairoa of Otago, and Tauanui of Waikato were engaged in it. Even now, frequent enquiries are raado as to whether Tairoa is peaceable, and with, regard to his movements generally. A great deal has been discussed here since E Muku's return, which I did not M„ert in the accompanying paper, as it would create needless alarm; but the ultimate objects of the chiefs seems to be the annihilation of the Europeans, for they dread the increasing power of the Governor. They would rather trade with them as of old, from the ship's side, than 6ee them.firmly established on land. All this, however, they keep profoundly secret, and profess to wish for peace with tho Pakeha 1 have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, George Rees. Wanganui, September 28, 1846. Two parties consisting altogether of twenty men well armed, arriycd in the town on the 18th, from Kaiataita', the uppermost settlement on this river, with the intention of joining E' Muku, but returned immediately on learning that he was daily cx- , pected here. Iwikau arrived from .Wellington on the 21st., accompanied by Palreru, Tnhau «nd some of E' Muku's natives, they left the. last named chief at Kangatiki; he and Pakeru had become reconciled. About the same time, a party of Ngutikahuuas arrived on a friendly visit, bringing with them as a present two kegs of gunpowder which they obtained from a whaling station on the Ea&t coast.

A.numberof pijjg belonging to Mr. Churton were seized by the rebel, at Raugatiiu, but Te K*wana, a friendly chief of that place recovered them, and'sent them back to Wanganui. On Thursday evening the 24th, E' Muku arrived with eighteen men, a dozen women and several children; they encamped on ih< s«n I hills for the night, arid on the following nWoinir entered the pah Putiki. After the usual welcome, E» Muka and others of hi, party ad Iressei the nattves present and justified the part they had acted. After parrtaking of food they retired to Puma, the residence ot Pakero.and, being there amon* his relation. E' Muku spoke more freely. He said the war 'had been commenced at the instigation ofTe Raup,raha, who had suggested every step that had been taken, declared it was not ended, and that the Ngatiawas should pay dearly for their interference, but with respect to the Europeans if they did not molest him heshould not act aggressively towards them. Harangitiwere upbraided him for having joined the old enemies of Wanganui, in ordej to ac- against the Europeans, who had never injured him, and exhorted him to live at peace with the white men, whose maori frieujg he said were fast dropping off. On Friday an intimate friend of E» Muku, a nalive of Nelson, arrived with seven men from Oaraihu in a canoe, he is supposed to have been aiding the rebels, as he left Wanganui when they first took possession of the Hutt, along with E. Muku. This morning, the whole party proceeded to Kaiwarro, where Makatu has his cultivations, and it is expected he will build a strong pah there, and another at, or near, his old residence opposite the town. By the last accounts from the coast received on Saturday, we have heard that Rangihaeata was at a small stream within four miles of the Manawatu where he intends to remain unless likely to be attacked, in which case he will be provided with canoes by the Ohau natives and come on to Wan?anui. In the meantime, it i» his intention to kill any wbite man travelling along the coast, with whom he may chance to meet, and also any, native ally of the-British, One at least of the murderers of Rush is with E' Muku, a young man aged about 21. He kept close to his chief daring their stay at Putiki. One of those who murdered the Gillespies is aUo stated to be here. The party who endeavoured to join Rangihaeata, by striking off from the Minuwatu, to Wairarapa,. are also here, consisting of vie man and two women. They reached Wairarapa. but were informed by some Ngatikalmnas that the soldiers were in search of the-aa, when they immediately returned to I Manawatu. Makatu was not of the number. E'Muku's principal topic of conversation is, of course, the war; he has taken the greatest pains to instil into the minds of the nativrs here, the utter inferiority of British soldiers, and speaks of them most contemptuously. He has pointed out how he and Rangihaeata, with 105 men, (ihe highest number it seems they ever had in action,) set at defiance all the force tbat could be brought against them—that the military more than once precipitately retreated, and have never succeeded in capturing or killing a single maori; he, however, admirs the efficiency of the seamen and militia, and takes care to make it appear that he was not compelled to retreat, and that his object, in coming to Wanganui, is to obtain assistance in order to carry on the war against the Ngatiawas. Here, then, is his policy.—Knowing his weak points in having commenced an unjust war, he wishes to make his future movements popular, by appearing to direct them purely against the Ngatiawas. Great exer. tions will be made by his friends here to obtain men, and a large army, consisting of Waikato, Taupo, Rotoruo Nut, and Wanganui natives, are confidently expected to assemble here early in the summer. With this force, it is intended to drive the Ngatiawas over to the Sound, and to take possession of Waikanae. They also speak with confidence of their ability to reduce to subjection the British, should they be opposed by them! There has been a slight quarrel between Nga Para, Makatu, and Pakeru ; the first named chief urged the destruction of all the Europeans here, a measure he has been mooting during the last twelve months. Maketu wished merely to drive them away, and seize their property, but Pakeru opposed both proceedings, and the consequence was, that the parties separated in anger. Nga Para's principal argument was, that they could then carry on their measures with both safety and secresy. During his retreat among the hills, E'Muku was abundantly supplied with potatoes by the natives of Tifapa, a small settlement of the Ngatimara tribe, on the coast near Wainui. There is also strong evidence tending to inculpate the Ngatitoas under Puaha, particularly the chief who, it appears, has acted all along with the grossest deception. I have thus, Mr. Editor, given you the principal facts connected with the return of this band of murderers, thinking they would be interesting to your Wellington readers., The time has now ar. rived when something decisive ought to be done in regard to Wunganiii, for if the rebel chiefs remain alive and uricaptuied, a war will cc commenced this

summer, which wilt require extraordinary force, and still more extraordinary measures, on the part of the British, to prevent ending calamitously. If, therefore, the Government be not prepared to protect Wanganui, the settlers ought to be immediately removed to a more peacnful location.