ARRIVAL

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1852, 7 April 1863, Page 5

ARRIVAL

OF THE "PRINCE ALFKED," WITH LATER NEWS FROM TARANAKI & AUCKLAND. By the Prince Alfred, we have Auckland intelligence up to the 30th ultimo. The Airedale from Auckland via Tatanaki, arrived at Nelson on the 2nd inst., and may be expected here this morning. As was anticipated, the Airedale has made two extra trips from Auckland to Taranaki, and that accounts for her non-arrival here at her appointed time. The Harrier had also made two trips to Auckland and back, for troops and munitions of war. The Lord Ashley, hence, arrived at Manakau on the 30th ult. An outrage had been committed by the Natives at Waikato. The correspondent of the Nelson Examiner says :— " Events have transpired in Auckland province which may have an influence, of an adverse tendency, on the work of" reinstatement" at Taranaki, on which ! his Excellency is so ardently bent. The Waikatos*have shown their teeth: in saying the Waikatos, I mean the section ot them engaged in the Kohekohe, I would be sorry to charge a whole community with the offences committed by an armed party of from 100 to 200 men. I will not trust myself to give you a narrative of the facts, but quote the only report of the transaction that hus appeared, from the Daily Southern Gross of the 27th instant: —

THE WAIKATO. j

We have dates from the Waikato to the 25th March, and the news from that quarter is not agreeable. However, we will narrate the facts, and allow our readers to draw their own couclusions. The Governor determined on building a court house and police station atTe Kohekohe, and a quantity of timber was sent there, and workmen employed in the construction of the place. This work was undertaken at the request of the chief, Te Whero. The king natives gave frequent warnings that they would interfere with the work, and, unlike our rulers, they made good their word. On this day week 200 natives came down to Te Kobekohe, but deposited their arms two miles off, or thereabouts, and made their appearance to the workmen so far iv a ..pacific mauuer that they did not carry arms. Takari, one of the king chiefs was the leader of j the party, and he proved bis special qualifications for the post of leader. He said if he could induce the carpenters to leare their work, and abandon the place, should he take possession afterwards, he would hare no quarrel with the Pakehas ; his quarrel would be with the Maoris, and he apprehended little difficulty on that score. Accordingly he induced the carpenters to give up work and leave the place, (of course under pressure,) and the wily and faithful henchman of King Potatau the Second took possession of the place, in the name of his master, we presume. A raft was then formed of the timber, which was floated down the Waikato river to Ai (Maungataubiri), and left there. The carpenters have likewise been sent down the river to Ai.

We believe that the instigators of this outrage are thiee of the hangers-on of Governraeut House, Native Assessors, and paid by the Government for discahrging their duties as faithful justices of the Queen. These men were

returning from a meeting up the Waikato, where they should not hava been, and we believe it was their report that satisfied the fire-eating legions of Potatau that '.the fplace " looked like a pah," and in consequence of previous threats, the aforesaid legions dismantled it. Te Whero was naturally indignant that natives from a distance should interefere with his arrangements, and he posted off to Auckland and told " the powers that be" that he meant to take back the timber, and have the buildings proceeded with. What the upshot will be, ij is not easy to say, but it was only the prelud c to more vigorous measures by the kingites. On the following Tuesday (the 24th March,) the valiant soldiers of the Maori king marched from Mokau to Te Awamutu, and broke open the door of Mr Gorst's printiug office, taking away the printing press, types, &c. Mr Gorst at d his assistant were absent at Mr Read's, of Waipai when the domiciliary visit was paid ; and, on their return, they found their premises invaded, and the light of the Pihoihoi Mokemoke extinguished by the agents of the Maori government, without first civily adopting the plan of a celebrated Maori doctor, and serving the editor with an avertissement. On Mr Gorst's reluru, at eight on the evening of the same day, he found thirty of the soldiers of king Potatau encamped at the gate, and sentinels posted all round the house. On inquiring the reason for these proceedings, the gentleman in questiou was told that it was to prevent any one fivra setting fire to the buildings or stealing any of his property. This is a magnaiiimous trait in the character of the natives, for which they cannot be to highly extolled. Did they not actually place sentinels around the premises to guard them from molestation ? But this again is a digression, pardonable only from the admiration which contemplation of this act of friendship naturally produced in our mind. The guardians of the pillaged premises threatened to take Mr Gorst and all his party away, by. conveying them down the Waikato to the landiug, and leaving them to keep company with the carpenters and their raft. The natives who committed this gross outrage are Ngatimaniapotos, of whom Aporo and Hone Ropiho are the head men. Next morning (25th) the mob came up from the gate, close to which they were encamped, and requested Patene and Mauuka, kiug chiefs, to go away, and not interfere with them, but let them do as they pleased with the house. This the chiefs refused to do, and the mob returned to their encampment by, the gate. But it does not appear that these lawless bands are to go about much longer unopposedHone to Papiti was near at hand on the 25th, with a large mob, bent on opposing the Ngatimanaipotos. What turn affairs may take it is hard to say. One thing is certain, that the best directed and most pacific efforts on the part of the Government, to benefit these people, are of no avail. The law is openly violated, personal liberty is interfered with, and personal property seized without legal process. As there does not seem to beany likelihood of a stop being put to these proceedings. We en tertain considerable solicitude for the personal safety of Mr Gorst and family, and the gentle, men who, with them, are devoting themselves to the thankless task of instructing and civilizing the natives. We are anxious to know, however, whether the three native assessors have had their salaries increased on account of their eminent services in the case of" law and order ;" and whether Ts Whero has been snubbed for venturing to declare he would resist the doings of the soldiers of the king ? I believe this report to be substantially correct, and that it valuer understates the circumstances than exaggerates. It is said the carpenters are kept in "durance vile" by the Maoris. Mr Gorst and his family, and those who formed the establishment of which he was the head, have been ordered to leave the Waikato within three weeks, or remain at their peril. The Airedale was detained by the Government to carry men, horses, and munitions of war to Taranaki. She has made two trips, and transported, besides troops of the line, artillery, (100 men and horses), ammunition, and military stores. I learn by private intelligence from England, that the 651h Regt. are to be replaced by the 2nd battalion of|the 18th Regt, ; and the 70tb, by the 2nd battalion of the 20th Regt, These changes will break many ties in New Zealand, and withdraw from us men whom we look upon almost in the light of settlers."