Local and General News.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2110, 29 September 1864, Page 3

Local and General News.

Crowded Out.— The concluding portior of the " Diocesan Synod .Report,'' and r leading article have been crowded out. Miss Aitken's Entertainment. — Thi? talented lady, whose appearance has beei: already so enthusiastically welcomed by ti Wellington audience, announces a fashionable entertainment for Friday night, when she will be supporteel by Mr L. Batson and Mi Charles Russell. The high class of the entertainment, the merit ofthe performers, and the large measure of success they have alreado achieved, justify us in anticipatiag a crowded house. Cricket, — We are requested to notice that the I Zingari Club open their season on Saturday next, afc 3 o'clock p.m., on Thorndou Flat, when all lovers of the game are invited to attend. The annual general meeting of the club will be held at Wise's hotel at 8 o'clock the same evening. Return or thk Hon. Reader Wood. — This gentleman who has returned from his ministerial mission to England, arrived at Auckland on the 20th inst, in tlie s.s. Prince Alfred. Canterbury and Otago. — The mails from theso Provinces arrived yesterday by the Auckland, but with the exception of some correspondence relative to the Panama contract, to which we will shortly allude, the papers received contain nothing of general interest. Sale of Imported Birds. — The Lyttelton Times, says .- — Tho birds brought to Canterbury by Mr Prince in the British Empire were sold yesterday at auction by Messrs Ollivier ancl Son. Thej'- realised high prices, as may be judged from the fact that some of the canaries fetched from £2 os to £3 each. Three tumbler pigeons were sold for £-1 os. The Acclimatization Society purchased two brown linnets ancl three thrushes. Mr Prince kindly presented three bramble finches to the Society. Accident to Governor Gore Browne. — His Excellency the Governor of Tasmania, accompanied by Mrs Gore Browne and Miss Browne, had a narrow escape lately whilst out driving. One of the horses stumbled, upon the new metal that lay upon the road, and fell down on his side, dragging the oil sido horse with him. Both horses straggled and kicked violently ; the pole got above them. Tlie coachman, in his fright, dropped both reins. The horses were about getting to their feet, when Mr James Lord (who happened to be passing at the time), in company with some other gentlemen, rushed to the spot, seized the reins, and with wonderful dexterity and agility, brought; them lo their feefc, and their proper position. Fortunately no one was hurt. Hawke's Bay.— The Herald of the 2-lth inst says : — " News reached town on Thursday ot a tragical occurrence having taken place in the Wairoa district. Our readers will remember thafc a native died some time ago, whose death was attributed by his relatives to his having been bewitched by an old native named Mita Para. A native feud was imminent in consequence, and the peace of the district was seriously threatened. The dispute, however, was hushed vp — if we remember rightly, through the intervention of the Bishop of Waiupu and others. The intelligence to hand is, however, to the effect that Miti Para has been shot dead by two natives ofthe opposite party— after, it is said, a form of trial for witchcraft, and tliat, upon Mr Hunter Brown demanding tliat the two natives should be given up to justice, he was told, if not in so many words, yet in effect, to take them if he could. Surely we are not again to see iv this case the utter powerlessness ofthe law to punish native offenders." The Waitotara Block.— An advertisement elsewhere announces the approaching sale of this fine block of land. A trunk line of road is in course of formation through it, and a site for a township, consisting of 0 1,0 acres, has been reserved. The sale will take place on October 17th. Alpacas. — We understand that his Honor the Superintendent, (in accordance with the vote of the Provincial Council), has succeeded in purchasing for this Province ten Alpacas, eight females and two males, ancl that they may shortly be expected from Syduey by one of the I.R.M. Company's steamers. This will be a great boon to the Province ; ancl as the climate and nature of the country are said to be peculiarly adapted for Alpacas, we have no doubt they will thrive well, and that in the course of a few years, the wool ot the Alpaca will form a considerable item in our exports. The Sham Fight.— The sham fight, which was to have come off yesterday, was postponed in consequence of the inclemency of tho weather. Ifc will tako place this day, on Te Aro, weather permitting; but if it rains, then it will be again postponed to Friday ; while if that day should also prove wet, then the fight will be postponed indefinitely. Captain Hunter is to command the attacking party, ancl Major Gorton will lead the defence. Should the weather prove favorable, we anticipate there will be a large assemblage to witness the engagement. Road to the Lighthouse. — Complaints are reaching us from all quarters, relative tc the dangerous state of the road leading tc the Lighthouso, which has now become almost impassable. In some places overhanging a beetling cliff, there is not more than 21 inches footpath, and this is the only road by which persons can reach the Wairarapa b;y way of the coast. AYe are informed by i late traveller, that a good accommodation house has been established at Waimarea about six miles from Orongorongo. Tiu proprietor, Mr John Russell, was nearly losing a valuable mare lately while convey i in provisions to his homestead. \\ r e trust tin Government will take this matter in bane forthwith, and have the road made safe anc passable ere some serious accident occurs Six men in a week could make a really gout and safe bridle track. Sharks. — One or twoof tliese sea monster; have been seen diverting themselves in tin placid Avaters of this bay during the las Aveck ; a small one (4 feefc long) was captured Avhile a large one, some 6 or 7 feefc long Ava: hooked, but escaped. Rate op Discount. — The Aucklan. Weekly News, of September 17, says : — i meeting of a few of the influential busines men of Auckland was held on Thursdaj Avith a view of discussing the present rate c discount charged by the banks, and ifc wo ultimately resolved to present a requisitio to have the rate of discount reducedto 8 pc cent, per annum, the rate being considerc too high, and consequently, a prevention c legitimate trade and commerce.

1| M'aJ'AMj-; V'.iH*.LLts jJKtfjmT.— Madame f , Vitclli took a benefit afc the Odd Fellows' a Hall last evening, aud notwithstanding the 1 1 inclemency of tho weather, there was a large c aud fashionable attendance. The fail fi Bencjlriarc was in capilal voice, and amongst s other gems, sang the " Mocking Bird" ex- - quisitively, which was applauded to tlie s echo. Thatcher inf reduced several new s locals, and was encored three times. Small a j was great, as he always is, while Mr .Russell sang so well as to elicit heady applause. Mr Oakey presided at the piano, ancl contributed largely to the entertainment, wliich we noed h-'rdly say was a complete success. Champion Belt. — The "Wanganui Chronicle" says : — "We believe this prize will come to Wanganui this year. It will be re- • membered that Mr Humfries of Taranaki aud Lieut. Owenmade each a score of 40 at the s General G overnment Prize Firing. M r Hum--1 fries then made a score of B—L8 — L outers and a 1 miss out of his five shots. Lieut. Owen fired ' on Thursday, and had 1 centre, 3 outers and - a miss, making 9 poiuts, or one above his op- ■-' ponent. We do not know what the measure- • ments were at Taranaki, so that we cannot 1 give the exact result of the firingTnis Chatham: Islvnd Natives. — Mr W. i S. Thomas, the Besident Magistrate at the Chatham Islands, has written a letter to the t " Lyttelton Times " with reference to a statei ment made in the " Southern Cross " as to ■ the treatment by fche Maories of the aborigi- > nal inhabitants of tlie Chatham Islands, the . Morioris. Mr Thomas says : — " The writer • of the article must havo been wrongly informed as to the precautions taken by the - Maories to render the increase of the abori- > ginal race of these islands, the Morioris, an ' impossibility. After making careful inquriea, ' and feeling much interest in being possessed of reliable information, 1 am able to testify l to the correctness of the statements made by ■ the writer to the main facts quoted in refer- '■ ence to the Chatham Islauds. On the arrival of theNgatimutunga and Ngatitama here ■ from Porfc Nicholson in December, 1830, under Wiremu Piti Pomare aud Wiremu Kingi Meremerc, the Morioris existed in great numbers. The epithet 'great 'l cannot clearly define, and the same uneerlaintj' exists as to when the Moriories came here ; i but from 5000 to 6000 may be taken as . the maximum of their numbers, when the Maories arrived, who certainly killed them indiscriminately ; but a, far greater portion died from disease and other causes incident to the presence of a more powerful race. The survivors were reduced to slavery, a practice i abolished some time ago, but they now participate in all the privileges afforded by the pro- ■ tection of the Government equally with the Maories. Their numbers now amouut to 119, including men, women, and children. I ; have written this letter, more particularly . with the desire of giving you reliable information as to the statement, in the article quoted, with reference to the mutilation of the males, which never took place. The Natives' Land in Rangitigei. — The same journal has the following : — " We understand that the dispute between the tribeselaimingfche Eangitikci blockhas nearly been amicably arranged, in proof of which Ihakara the chief of the Ngatiruakawa, presented a green stone mere the other day to Mohi the chief of the Ngatiapa. A Model Journal. — Woobseiwe that our contemporary the " Wauganui Chronicle," makes a very stupid attempt to justify some of its mis-statements of facts having reference to the Wanganui Steam Navigation Company. Relative to the accounts it remarks : — "The only point which requires an answer is the statement regarding the accounts. We never hinted at their being incorrect. On the contrary we allowed that we made an error in the statement, aud said what we considered necessary to put it right. We did not then say what we now say, and have always thought, that the account was made up in a wrong manner, and was fitted ; though nofc intended to convey an incorrect ■ idea ofthe amount, receipts, and expenditure. The result of course was right, as we stated in the acknowledgement of our error." All this is is more than disingenuous — it is almost entirely untrue. The ' Chronicle' first made a gross blunder in printing the ac- - counts, then endeavored to blame the gentleman who prepared them, and now while admitting its error contrives again to insinuate the former charge. If we were to call such ; a proceeding by its proper name we might ■ be tempted to use strong language, such, for , instance, as thafc employed by Mr W. H. » Watt in a recent letter to the ' Chronicle,' i ■when he talks of some writers " as grave Pharisaical psalm-singing hypocrites, who ■ make it a rule to avoid the real question at • issue by adroitly misquoting and mistaking L the truth so as to niake it appear the very , reverse to what it really is." The latter part - of Mr Watt's statement very happily de- . scribes the tactics of the 'Chronicle.' Our ; contemporary complains thafc our correspon- . dent did not send his contradiction to it — in- - stead of to Wellington. We think the gen- , tleman in question acted wisely. The l ' Chronicle' has a habit of suppressing dis- ;' agreeable letters, or it is much belied, i News fhom iitij Cape. — The Arc/its reports tho receipt of news from the Cape of i Good Hope up to the llth of July. Con- • siderablc uneasiness was felt at some recent r proceedings on the part of the Kaffir chief . Kreli ; but the commander of the forces an- ; nounccd in Graham's Town, at tlie Mayor's 1 dinner, thafc he did not apprehend a Kaffir j war at present. Bishop Colenso had de- ■ clared his intention to return to Natal after 5 his jietition to her Majesty has been replied I to.