THE Wellington Independent Friday, May 30, 1862. NORTHERN NATIVE NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1729, 30 May 1862, Page 3

THE Wellington Independent Friday, May 30, 1862. NORTHERN NATIVE NEWS.

The news from Aucklaud by the White Swan is of an important character. — Important under Governor Grey's rule, but of an ordinary character under the rule of his predecessor- In Governor Browne's time a native magistrate might be, and was, murdered in open day, and contending tribes were allowed to " fight it

out," without exciting any very great amount of interest or uneasiness to his

government; but now everyone admits such things ought not to be, and they expect the government of Sir George Grey to put a stop to the armed contentious of the tribes. No greater contrast, between what was expected under the late governor and what is expected under the present, can be given than the feeling with which the intelligence of a long slumbering native feud having broken out into actual hostilities has been received by a portion of the Auckland press. The news of a quarrel having arisen between two hapus of a tribe to the north of Auckland, resulting in the killing and wounding of several, reached that city ou the 23rd, and is published iv the papers of of the following day. We exlract from the Southern Cross an article containing full particulars — an article iv which that journal literally gloats over the circumstance, and holds it up as proof positive that Sir George Grey's attempts at pacification are a failure. The Goverumeut know perfectly well that many most untoward circumstances will be constantly arising — none kuow this better than they do; but with patience and prudence these may probably be effectually overcome, without plunging the colony into a war whioh must last for many years and ruin all the Northern Island Provinces.

The "war now raging iv the North" as the Southern Cross delights to call it, must be the very thing of all others most pleasing to that Journal, not only as enabling it to assume that with regard, to the Native policy, lbs Governor and his Ministry are a parcel of charlatans, but as affording an opportune handle by which to grind away again at the absurdity of keeping pledges with Wellington, relative to the General Assembly. Because of this " war vow raging in the North," the Assembly, it will be argued^ ought to be summoned to meet at Auckland. This* excuse would have been gladly taken advantage of if the Cross party had been in power, but we know that the engagements with Wellington wilt be fulfilled to the letter by the present Ministry, if possible. We are told this news has not allured their determination to meet here next month, and if we may judge by the fact of several cases of papers — a first portion of the "archives of the Colony" — having arrived per Swan^ and the intimation of the intention of one of the Miuistry coming down in the Airedale early in June having also been received, it will take something of a much more serious character to do so. Our readers will see in the report of a Native meeting at the Thames taken from the Southern Cross, a statement that William King had returned to Taranaki in consequence of war having broken out there again. We need not say that there is no truth in the statement of war having broken out in Taranaki.