SUMMARY FOR THE NOVEMBER MAIL TO EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1982, 12 November 1863, Page 5

SUMMARY FOR THE NOVEMBER MAIL TO EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA.

Wellington Independent Office,

11th November, 1863,

With a view to afford the utmost possible space for the highly important news received from Auckland yesterday, with regard to the details of which public curiosity is naturally very great, we shall confine our summary (o the barest outline of events transpiring dining the past month, and refer our readers to other columns for such fuller particulars as our limits will permit us to supply.

The incidents of the Waikato war have been much less exciting than was anticipated. Several skirmishes have taken place with isolated parties of natives, between the " front" and Auckland, and several settlers have been shot or tomahawked while pursuing their ordi< .nary avocations: The corps of " Forest Eangers" and the recently foiraed " Flying Column" appear to be insufficient or unable to follow up the numerous small parties of natives who hover about the thinly settled districts, and pouDce upon their victims whenever a chance occurs. A sergeant named Johnson, of the 40th Begt., was shot from a Maori ambuscade on the 12th Oct. On the 13th, Mr J. Hamlin was shot and a lad named Wallis wounded. On the 15th, Mr W. J. Jackson and a lad named Sutherland were attacked while engaged in fencing, the former was shot and the other knocked on the head and wounded in the leg. A pensioner named John Fahey and his wife were attacked on the 16th, the man seriously cut about the head and the woman killed. On the 24th, two lads, Nicholas and Richard Trust, in escaping with their eldest brother from a house that had been attacked, were shot down. On the 2nd instant, a young settler named James Droomgould was fired at and tomahawked, while looking after his horse, close to a stockade. It was never supposed that the natives would have luiked so close to an outpost, and unfortunately shows that the lesson it was hoped Merejoete would have afforded opportunity to teach, still remains to be taught before we can expect an end to these continually recurring and shocking evidences of the presence of war.

Several cases hare occurred of shootings by sentries of their comrades, but these accidents invariably occur where large numbera of men are massed.

On the 23rd, a skirmish occurred between a party of Australian Volunteers, or of the Ist

Regiment of Waikato Militia aided by the local Militia, numbering, altogether a hundred, and about five hundred natives, at a place called Maukt* to the westward of the road to the front. Our loss was severe, consisting of Lieuts. Perceval and Norman and six others.

In connection with the movement of troops beyond Meremere, both piior and subsequently to the evacuation by the natives of that position, there have been several skirmishes, at one of which we had one man killed and four wounded.

( The great war event of the month has been | the " bloodless victory" at Meremere. Mail after mail having arrived with the intelligence that the General was concentrating his troops close to Mereraere, and only waiting for reinforcements from India or the iron-plater! gunboat Pioneer, public expectation has been screwed up to tlte highest point, and the universal belief (fostered by the universal hope) was that a cordon would be drawn so that all retreat should be effectually cut off. A force of 600 men were moved on Friday night to the apposite side of Meremere to that on which the camp was, for the purpose of hemming the natives in. The natives ineffectually skirmished with them on Sunday morning, the Ist Nov., and then retreated by a stream to the eastward. They had on the Thursday and Friday previously tried the power of resistance which the gunboat presented, and on the afternoon of Sunday, or the day before the attacking column was to march, tbey were discovered paddiing away in eighteen canoes, in a direction so abounding in swamps that no force could be placed to check it. Their number must have been comparatively few. It had been estimated from 1500 to 7,000, but the former number must have been close to, if not over the murk. When the troops took possession not a creature was to be found. This result is so different to what was expected that it cannot but be most disheartening. It was hoped that the blow would have been a crushing one, and because expecta tion had been raised to the highest, the disappointment is most keenly felt. The natives have, it is presumed, gout' towards the East Cape.

The General Assembly was opened on the 19th, and everything bade fair for Ministers firmly retaining their seats, if they could but reconcile their personal differences. Tlie Premier, Mr Domett, had become personally obnoxious to his colleague*, and they endeav ored to persuade him to resign in favor of Mr Staffoid. Failing in this they resigned on the 241h, but on the 26th the Governor endeavored,', although vainly, to bring about a reconciliation That afternoon. Mr Domett also resigned, and next day Mr Fox was sent fur, having only arrived in Auckland a couple of hours previously. The reason given by Mr Domett for the breaking up of his Ministry was their inability to find a member of the Upper lluuso willing to represent the Government therein. This was too flimsy an excuse to deceive any one, especially as it had been well known for months that much personal variance existed in the Cabinet. On the *30th October, Mr Fox announced the formation of the new Ministry thus

The hon. Frederick Whittaker, te be Attor-ney-General and Premier.

The hon. William Fox, to be Colonial Secretary and Minister for Native Affairs.

The hon. Reader Gilson Wood, to be Colonial Treasurer and Commissioner of CuMoms

The hon. Thomas Bannatyne Gillies, to he Postmaster-Gener.il.

The hon. Thomas Russell, to be Minister for Colonial Defence,

This is a cualition Ministry. Mr Whittaker was Attorney-Genera! in the Stafford Ministry, Mr Wood was in the Fox Ministry, and whs,' with Mr Itissel!, also in the DotnJtt Ministry! Mr Gillies is a new minister, if we except his nominally holding <,ffi C c under Mr Domett during a few weeks of last session. The policy of the Domett Ministry will be mainly carried out, , and the war be as vigorously proceeded with as as far the most active support, they can afford General Cameron will enable it to be. Confiscation of the lanrl belonging to the Waikato and Tarauaki tribes the planting of Military Settlements in Waikato and in the Taranaki country, bj means of a large immigration from Australia and England, and a "coercion" measure giving the powersof martial law over individuals with out extending it to districts, are the principal features in the war policy, while the proposition of a temporarily Resident Minister in the South to be followed by the creation of a Lieut.Governor and Executive is the chief novelty in a political view. The latter is however only a suggestion and is ;to be discussed, Ministers agreeing to consider any other plan the Southern members may propose. The necessity of having a Native Minister (i.e., not combining it with the Colonial Secretaryship as at present) is also to be debated. The Budget has not yet been brought forward. It will be the same as that prepared by the Domett Ministry, or nearly so. A loan is to be raised, repayable from the sale of confiscated lands. The Session is expected to be very short, as no opposition is offered. The 24th instaut is spoken of as the probable date of prorogation. The land marks of former party strife having by time and other circumstances been red moved, the coalition is regarded with favor, and is not so incongruous as otherwise might have been supposed. The respective powers of the General and Provincial Governments are now defined, the Waitara question finally disposed of, responsibility in Native matters accepted, and the peaceable means introduced two years since by Mr Fox having failed to prevent outbreak, the necessity for a resort to force for its suppression is admitted on all hands. Nothing therefore of any moment really remains to prevent a coalition ministry working harmoniously — the removal of the Seat of Government haviug never been a ministerial question. In the Wellington Proivince the aspect of affairs has been unruffled. The natives of the Wairarapa have been quiet, a squabble between two small parties only excepted. The Natives of the West Coast have been equally quiet, a squabble between two parties there, being likewise the only exception. The half-yearly report of the N.Z.S.N. Co. has exhibited a prosperous state of affairs, and the raising of the capital from £50,000 to £250,000 has been resolved upon.

In subsequent columns will be found, as above stated, such details of the month's history as tbe large demands which the important news from Auckland afford us space to furnish.