AUCKLAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1700, 14 February 1862, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

The s.s. Airedale, Captain Kennedy, arrived in port this morning, at 11 o'clock, bringing intelligence from Aucklaud to the Bth, Taranaki to the 9th, and Nelson to the ISth instant.

The, Hon. Crosbie Ward is a passenger by the "Airedale, The %y*s by this mail is singularly barren ofStUerest.

The Kelson Examiner of the, 11th instant, in its monthly summary, says :— " By the arrival of the Airedale, we learn that his Excellency the Governor had left Auckland for fcfawke's Bay, by the East Cape. * At Ahiurri he was to meet Mr. Fox, who would proceed thither by way of Taupo. They vould remain there until the 24th instant, when a meeting or tangi is planned in honor of the late Moannui, an importaut chief of the Ngatikahuhungu. This ceremony disposed of, the Governor and the Colonial Secretary will go on to Wellington and thence to Wanganui, returning to Auckland iv time for a meeting in Upper Waikato which is arranged for the 25 th March. Just before the steamer left Manukau, news arrived from Waikato that a taua of the king party had endeavoured to intimidate Mr. Gorst, the Resident Magistrate isi the Upper Waikato into leaving the district. This Mr. Gorst refused to do, mocking at their threats and the taua retired, not having made up their minds to violence. Mr. Gorst wrote to Thompson and to Matutaere, the king stating the circumstances, and that he refused to quit the land, the property of of Europeans, on which he was living, Thompson and Matutaere, both condemned the action of the taua.

The Volunteers at Taranaki are disbanded, and the Militia suspended from active service. A public works corps is being organised for the relief of needy persons. Mr. F. A, Carrington has been appointed to manage this corps, an arrangement which gives great dissatisfaction, the qualifications and claims of that gentleman being denied by a large majority of the inhabitants.

The Southern Cross of the 7th instant says —

"The Hon. Ceosbie Ward, postmastergeneral is to leave for the South by the next steamer from the Manukau, for the purpose of completing arrangements by which the mail service between Otago and Melbourne shall be placed on a permanent basis. Contingent on the completion of this -scheme, the programme of the mail service will be entirely changed. The steamer to Nelson will be taken off, and placed between Sydney and Auckland, connecting this city with Napier, Wellington and Canterbury ; while the Airedale, which has been thoroughly overhauled, will be kept on the - west coast, between the Manukau, Taranaki, and Nelson, running in conjunction with the east coast line of steatneis.

(From the Neiv Zealandet , Febuary 8.)

The Provincial Council is still in session, and, as far as can at present be surmised, may continue to sit for months to come, to the great. profit oif the printers, and (o the great damage of the public, whose substantial interests are suffered to be in abeyance, whilst a few factious individuals, inveterate political and personal opponents of the present Snberintendent, devote themselves to the work of finding or making a quarrel with him in order avowedly to bring about a deadlock and a dissolution. They will, however, be beaten at both these games, as these same gentlemen, notorious disturbers of the peace in politics, are, so to say, known to the polioe, and watched with jealous vigilance.

The problem of the existence of a payable gold-field at Coromandel is in process of solution. A considerable number of experienced diggers, attraoted by the accounts of that district which from time to time have been published, have come up from Otago on a prospecting expedi-

tion, and are now at work at Coromandel. Th*ere has been a littfl^difiieulty in the work of reorganizing our local Volunteer Corps, which the patriotism and public spirit of the force have happily surmounted.

The military force is still busily at work upon the road to Waikato, which, it is hoped, will be completed before the winter. If that which has been done is to ob taken as a specimen of that which is to be done, the road will do credit to the workmen, and will confer a lasting benefit on both races in this - province. The natives are getting over the first feeling of jealously with which this movement of the troops was regarded, and begin to understand that the road, for purposes of peaceful traffic, will be a direct advantage to them.

E\en for January, proverbially a dull month, this has been one of the most inactive we have witnessed for a very great length of time. The port is all but empty ; we have had nothing from England since the Mermaid ; the Avalanche, hitherto a fast ship, is making a protracted passage, and bids fair to be caught by those that sailed after her. . # f 5R One by one, the Naval squajro^fnas left us, until only the Fawn, Comm"sprdW Cator, remains. Miranda sailed fo^SyNiney on the 3 1st, and with so much haste 1 that all sorts of rumours, in connection with the war with America, have been in circulation.

The troops are still encamped near Drury and the banks of the Waikato; where military roads, of, admirable consfructiou, are being pushed forward with the utmost vigour. All is quiet : ths season is now most favourable, and before a return to winter quarters be required, the frontier will have been placed in a secure position, and the country operjed up and connected in the most beneficial manner.

(Erom the Southern Cross, February 6.) • The last month has been politically one of suspense and conjectures. The new policy is on its trial, and time has not yet given its verdict. The troops are still at Drury and Mungatawhiri, engaged in road-making. His Excellency has been mostly m Auckland, whilst his peripatetic ministry have been starring it in the pro- " vinces. The Postmaster-General, Mr. C. Ward, has been visiting the .aboriginals of Hawke's Bay, and the Treasurer,; : Mr. R. Wood, the pakehas of the South both on very similar errands. The natives have been stealing cattle and the pakehas refuse to come up to Auckland for the next General Assembly, and so> both parties have to be talked to, for such "'".": is the new policy. Mr. Ward, we believe; was very successful, thanks tff the judicious use which he made of the public i ' money, but reports froni the South are not so favourable concerning Mr. R. : Wood's doings. The Southerners turn: i a deaf ear to all that he says, and decline coming up to the North, In all probability, therefore, the next session will be held at Wellington and, considering that, all the records of the colony are iv Auek-, . land, we are at a loss to imagine how it • will be possible to carry on the business; However, there are two sides to every? question. The present Government! : ' y could not afford to displease the Wellingtonians, and has certainly a better ohanca of remaining in office if the session is ' ■< held in the South. We perceive^ by th«; Gazette of Monday last, that the Assembly has been further prorogued from the sth to the 7th of April. V As to the general aspect of New Zea- ~ laud affairs and the probability of Sir G. Grey proving successful in his endeavours to settle the native difficulties in a peaceful manner, there are many opinions. Some speak with confidence of his success, whilst others predict that it will be : found that he is staving off the evil day i; The position of Taranaki, however, is critical. The Southern natives there have been enjoying the good things of; the Pakeha, after seizing them with the strong hand. They may be inclined to repeat the experiment, the more so as we should hardly think that the Government is prepared to keep them out of mischief by paying -them black mail, and the plunder of the. campaign must be nearly exhausted by this time. They \ would wait, however, probably till ttie settlers have returned to their homesteads, for such a clean sweep was made, of the province during the last campaign that really Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis \V would gain nothing buthatd blows by an. expedition at present. T<ate events gp ■far to prove that the^ spirit of hostility ii* as strong amongst them as ever.. ■ • : 7 It was rumoured some time back that Sir George Grey proposed visiting the South, but his plans are generaly unknown. So far he has prudently refrained from- visiting such of the natives as might be troublesome, till responsible' : . ministers bad first tried the dangerous. "; ground. Mr. Fox led the forlorn hope at Waikato, and retired with great los« r — of dignity, having offered to maker greater concessions than. we believe tiny . x man had a right to do, but which, were not accepted after all. • ' ' :.7 There is one circumstance, h^owey^, V; and that is the discovery of a v^ayj^g;>p; gold-field at Coromandel. whie;h;3Sfay^ : J much complicate the native question;^fcfejo large body of Viqtorian diggers have rived from Otago, who are at preseftt%|j engaged prpspecting at Corpmaudel;&^|?|S|fi The Northern natives remain %:tti^ytfpif the same state as hitherto. .;, .--Sir '■&e*bf|fe'^^ Grey's appoiutmeut of :; MrV-{(3larkl^^^P Civil Commissioner in that dis<rict*lnl^pfl not, however,:met with umyejsaVsft^jops^i al, and -petitions ; : lW|tisi;r^^^^^J^^ been received.

may say that the Maoris, even those most loyal to the Crown, are in a state df uncertainty and suspense.