TARANAKI.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1471, 13 November 1860, Page 3

TARANAKI.

I FROM OUR OW.V CORK E3PODNE NT. New Plymouth, 31st Oct. 1860. r On Friday night the 2Gth Inst , at 801 l Blocl. the houses of Messrs. Hoskin, 11. Street, J. Street, Hollis aud Hirst were quietly given to the flames. j Oa Saturday the 27th about 9 p.m. the houses oi [ Messrs. Hulke and Everett with their valuable out ' buildings were burned. On Monday morning at 2 o'clock a.m., tho house, barn and rick yard belonging to Messrs. Arthur and Wm. F. Hoskin, Bituated within 350 yards of the Hua Fort were ' burned, the rebels saluting tl.e Fort with a few shots; to complete their mornings work, they also burned the houses of Messrs. J. Pepperell, Charles Waller and Thomas Ihbotson, so you may rest assured that the natives are not idle in their endeavours to drai ous out. Inthe Herald ofthe 27th Inst., you will find in the Journal of Events . the arrest of Mr. Hulke by order of the Military Authorities, on the charge of giving one hundred sticks of tobacco to a Native named Mattiu for the purposo of recovering his horse-, Mr. Hulke was also charged with offering the sum of fifty pounds (£SO) to William King or to his natives as au inducement for them to spare his house (which by the way) was burnt during the timo of Mr. Hulke's arrest. With reference to tho first charge, Mr. Hulke publicly acknowledged it, stating that Mattiu a friendly native employed as a spy by the Government offered to procure the restitution of Mr. Hulkes horse for two hundred sticks of Tobacco, the ono half down the remainder onthe delivery of the horse, he being a valuable and a favorite horse. That he had a right to employ friendly natives to save any property, that he had made no secret of so doing, and that he knew of no law to prevent him. To the second charge, ho pleaded not guilty, but informed tho Court, that if they substituted , name of Potatau for William King and friendly Waikatos for rebel natives, lie would acknowledge the charge, also proving by the evidence of Mr. i Parris, the Native Officer, that he had requested that gentleman to inform the Brigade Office of hia intention of employing the Waikatos to save hia property, and that he, or any one else, had a right to deal with any natives for the preservation of property, provided that such natives were not in arms against her Majesty or declared tobe outlaws by the Government, and he (Mr. Hulke) had yet to learn that Potatou or the tribes of Waikato -come under this head ; that as a settler he had on every occasion used his utmost endeavours to prevent his property as well as that of others from being stolen or destroyed, but had always been hindered by the Military, giviug as an instance, the taking of the horses from Mr. Bundle's field by three natives, on the 30th July last, close to the Hua Fort, Major Murray, quietly looking on at the time, having an armed force of 300 men under his command. The evidence having been taken by the court of enquiry was forwarded to the General Commanding, who iv a Brigade order read to the Militia on parade, stated that no reason fora Court Martial could be entertained against Mr. Hulke, as he had done everything in an open and public manner, having forewarned the authorities, but at the same time informing him and all others that they laid themselves open to the 1 5th clause ofthe Mutiny Act, if they had any dealings with rebels to save property or otherwise—So you see Mr. Editor, all prospects of any property remaining to the unfortunate out settlers of Taranaki is gone, prevented as they are by the kind consideration for their lives by the Military, on the one hand, and by the clauses of the Mutiny Act on on the other. Nothing in short remaining for them, but a passive acquiescence in these "disgraceful proceedings, instead of the high moral tone, and the eagerness shewn by the Taranaki Militia, on all former occasions to volunteer, on every^ chance of a brush with the enemy, nothing now is heard but sullen murmurs of discontent and a steady refusal to volunteer for anything oue and all giving as a reason, that whilst the settlers had property and health, they were refused permission to act, and that the rebels were allowed to occupy the houses within ono mile of the town for more than a week, and on every occasion, on our arriving within sight of the enemy, we havo been recalled, having now only our lives to lose, we shall follow the example shewn us by the Military; that of acting entirely on the defensive, and for the future intend as far as practicable, to allow tlw Military all the honour and glory of dealing with the enemy ; an enemy rendered ten times more numerous and courageous by continual success, solely attributable to the gross blunders of the British Commanders. Such Mr. Editor is the Btate at present of the settlers at New Plymouth, strengthened I am sorry to say, by the great improbability of getting compensation for losses if we are to judge from the report of the Committee on Taranaki affairs, we are told that we have no legal right to compensation only a moral one and though the Committee acknowledge the loss up to the present time to amount to £100.000, strange yet true, it has only voted (£10,000) in full of all demands for the present and future, and this is the treatment the settlers of Taranaki are to receive, for the unfortunate fact of their having been compelled to be the scapegoat for all New Zealand and for the war being confined to this Province, a truly kind and charitable proposition emanating from a Government that could vote double or treble that sum for a Telegraph and acquiesced in by Provinces that would willingly spend £200,000 or £300,000 in other projects ; but allow me to warn the settlers of Wellington that our case to-day may prove to be theirs of to-morrow, the dog once guilty of sheep killing, has always au itching after them. The Natives, not thoroughly crushed now, will rise again. New Plymouth will not offer tho same inducements for plunder, as other Provinces, and you may then probably wish that you had taken a more liberal view of tho war of Now Plymouth. [Our correspondent is in error relative to th© amount voted and the object with which it was voted. We refer our readers to our Auckland Correspondents account* uuder date 22 Oct.— Ed. W.l.]