DOINGS IN WAIKATO.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1707, 14 March 1862, Page 3

DOINGS IN WAIKATO.

(From the " New Zealander," Feb. 15.) Rumour has been busy, as usual, relative to some recent occurrences at Otawhao, and, as usual, at Auokland. hat been at least somewhat premature in the announcement that the European Magistrate, Mr. Gorst, had been forcibly deported, with we know not what extent of violent outrage. The facts of the case will be found in the following oarrative, the authenticity of which may be relied on : —

On Friday the 31st January, a vague rumour reached Mr. Gorst, that three bands of the Ngatimaniapoto had set bat from the neighbourhood of Hangatikei— one, to drive away the Rev. Mr. Snaekenburg from Kawhia ; a second, to expel Mr. Reid from Waipa; and the third, to remove Mr, Morgan and Mr. Gorst from Otawhao. • *- Mr. Gorst went over with Mr M Clarke the same day to Kihikihi to see if any tidings oould be obtained of the hostile force. They found a party of Ngatiawas from the Waitara there, whq were very sulky and would not talk^ther professed to know nothing about the arrangements made for the la^o* at tara. This was false, ajs they wer^^i^l turning from a visit to -Ngaruawahia?^ti|2 Gorst asked for Rewi, he not sfelpi coming; and as for the men fron^Eliol^ tike^whohad come down, -

nothiug about them. Finding them* hopelessly uucommuuicalive, Mr. Gorst wished them good bye and went home, fully convinced that the Hangatikei story was a fabrication.

. Next day, however, news came thaf the hostile array- was actually at liengiaowha, and- on Sunday a chief of Taati's party named Water-house came to say that the intelligence was 100 true; the Ngatimaniapoto" soldiers, anxious to kill two birds with one stone, had gone rouud by Rangiaowhia to arrest a Waikato malefactor, but as the Waikatos were not willing to give him up, the two parties were in a fair way of coming to blows. Monday, however, was a drenching wet day, and it was hoped that either the rain or the'intestine quarrel might prevent further operations

But on Tuesday just after breakfast, it being a fine sunny day, there was a report that the enemy was at hand. The party at Mr. Gorst's all ran out into the road and seeing a short white line bobbing up and down' amongst the distant fern, at once perceived it to be the white caps of one of the royal regiments. In a few minutes the army came up, — first Rangiaowhia men on horseback, who had come down to see the fun-, then Patene, the hostile leader a Ngatiamauiapoto chief of equal rank with Rewi, and his friends, and last, after a long hait on the bridge out of sight, --whether to arrange their programme, prime their guns, or put on their breeches is uncertain,— a regiment of 30 men in blue with a red officer, who marched past, countermarched, halted, faced about, rehearsed a few military exercises, and finally " stood at ease" exactly opposite to where Mr. Clarke and Mr. Gorst were leaning against the fence. It was a ludicrous scene. All Mr. Morgan's school was perched upon the fence; there were many ladies and most of the Europeans from the neighbourhood as spectators ; children and babies, horses, and Maories, and the 30 soldiers standing grave and solemn in the midst, the only still object in the picture. After shaking hands with the enemy and loitering about for five or ten minutes, as nobody seemed disposed to begin, Mr, Gorst weut away into his house. One of Mr. Morgan's teachers was soon sent in to ask Mr. Gorst to come out and talk to them; they Blso invited Mr. Morgan to come and listen, though they disclaimed all intention of meddling with him; it was Mr. Gorst, not he, that was to be driven away. When Mr. Gorst got out, a man in the road was reading a written declaration of loyalty to the King purporting to be signed by 2079 persons. The only phrase that was distinctly heard, for he read very hadly, was " the Bishop and Morgan, aud other false prophets." An adjournment was then proposed to the shade in the church field, so they sat down on the church steps ; the army was reformed, reprimanded by the red officer for allowing the boys to poke fun at it, manoßvured through a gap in the hedge into the field, and drawn up, with guns and bayonets, a couple of yards before the party. Patene came forth in front and made an oration. He dwelt on the wrong committed by the Governor in sending up a Magistrate when they had passed a resolution that none should be allowed to come : it was of no use Mr. Gorst saying that he had never judged any Maori, Patene had seen in the newspaper that the Governor had sent him up to be a Magistrate. Mr. Gorst said he was on his own "piece," aud Patene had no right to meddle with him. Patene said he would not let Mr. Gorst stay unless he would consent to become a trader, and sell blankets and tobacco, and give up being a Magistrate, Mr. Gorst said that he could pay no attention to the words of one man ; he must hear what Matutaera, what all Waikato,-said to this. Patene replied that he himself was King Matutaera, and that all the Rnnangas had agreed that Mr. Gorst and Mr. Clarke should be driven away ; they were worms, baits that Sir George Grey was fishing with, aud if they, were suffered to remain some of the tribes in Waikato would inevitably be caught. He repeatedly ordered Mr. Gorst to go. Mr. Gorst positively refused. Patene then said that this time he had told Mr. Gorst quietly to go, but if he persisted in remaining he should soon come back and send him away ; he should take Mr. Clarke and Mr. Gorst, he said, with their goods (he would not hurt either them or their goods), and put them into a canoe and send them away. Mr. Clarke said that he and Mr. Gorst would" have to be carried down to the river, and would not help to paddle. Patene replied that was just. A Maori in a striped red flannel shirt, said to be Ihaia, an influential Rangiawhia. chief, with a merry goodhumoured face, also addressed Mr. Gorst, and pointed out his errors; but he used no threats of removal, and seemed only half in earnest. The great and unlooked for obstinacy of the magistrate terminated the proceedings; the soldiers were into the road again and marched away ; there was a general rush of the public into- the road to see the army march through a puddle that extended across the road, but the red officer deployed into single fiie in a masterly manner, and the men crept by the hedge side, so the hopes of the public were disappointed.

In the afternoon Taati paid Mr. Gorst a visit, and said that his Runanga would not agree to appoint him to be Assessor. He said they were afraid lest they should lose their ' man a,' and that it was owing to fear that no one ventured to accept the Governor's plans. AH the Runangas had agreed that no additional school*

masters should be admitted into the district, but ho said the violent proceedings of Ngalimaniapoto were not sanctioned by the rest. Mr. Gorst pointed out to him that they had come, with arms aud threats, upon the Queen's laud, which on their own principles, was wrong. Three or four Waikatos from Kihi-kihi were also down in the afternoon, they expressed disapproval of Patene's conduct.

On the oth February Mr. Gorst sent Mr. Clarke with a letter to Matutaera, at Ngaruawahia, to ask whether he had sanctioned or approved of his men being employed to drive Mr. Gorst off his own land, and to point out that such an act was a violation of the peace, and a personal insult to Sir George Grey who had placed him there. Mr. Clarke got as far as the Rapa,

and there met with Tumuhuia and Hoera who are two leading men from Ngaruawahia. They told him there was. no US3 in his going any further, for Matntaera had goue to the Waipa, and all his business was transacted by two councillors, (a by- stand er whispered, by the speakers Mr, Clarke then produced Mr. Gorst's letter, and gave them an account of what had hapened. They said that Matutaera had not sent Patene, and that his conduct was wrong ; Mr. Gorst ought to go and tell Wi Tamehana about it. Mr. Clarke said that in Ngapuhi such behaviour would be called a " kohuru," and that Matautaera should be held responsible for the acts of his soldiers : he also fully explained what Mr. Gorst had come up for, and 'how he would proceed. They said they would themselves come up aud enquire into the circumstances, and that Mr. Gorst's letter (which they read) should be answered by the next Mail. After Mr. Clarke had had some food, they called him back and asked him to take a letter for Pateue and Rewi which Tumuhuia wrote, ordering them not to molest Mr. Gorst,