The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-16 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND.

OUTBREAK OF THE NATIVES.
We (Melbourne Argus) have been without so fre-
quent intercourse with New Zealand this, as for
some months previously. This is principally owing
to a decline in operations at the Otago goldfields,
and to some interruption in the steam postal ar-
rangements. What little news we have, however,
is important. Last month his Excellency Sir
George Grey left Auckland for Wellington and
Nelson, and was to have -visited Otago before his
return to the seat of Government. Whilst absent
a long-standing feud between certain tribes in the
north broke out into open hostilities, of which the
following is the best summarised account that has
reached us :

" The scene of confict is Waitomotomo, within
18 miles of Wangarie, in the Auckland district.
" The chief Matiu having set up a claim of
ownership to certain lands in Tirarau's block, in
1856, a dispute arose between them, which has con-
tinued up to the present time, but did not assume
any very serious aspect until somewhere about the
Ist of May, when Matiu went down on the land for
the purpose of surveying it. He at once commenced
to build a pah on the block. Tirarau, on being in-
formed of this proceeding, went up to the block
and took up a position in front of Matiu's encamp-
ment. They continued fronting each other for some
time, while endeavours were being made by the re-
sident magistrate, Mr. Aubery Manihere, the native
assessor, and the missionaries, to induce them to re-
tire to their respective settlements, and leave the
final arrangement to the Government. This pro-
posal was acceded to by Tirarau and his party,
but peremptorily refused by the other party ;
and what made the matter worse was that Arama
Kreke, one of the newly appointed native assessors,
joined Matiu, and who, on being asked why he, a
paid magistrate of the Queen, embroiled himself in
this quarrel, replied, ' I don't come exactly to fight
about the land ; I come to fight about old quarrels.'
He is an earnest advocate of the war. From the
remarks of Matiu and party it was seen that a
pacific solution could not be come to, and a line was
drawn between the two encampments, it being
arranged that neither party should cross it except
as a declaration of war.

" On Friday, 16th May, some natives of Matiu's
party crossed the line, were seen, and immediately
fired on by Tirarau's people. This commenced the
actual hostilities, and a battle ensued, in which five
men were killed and a number wounded of Matiu's
people, and three of Tirarau's were wounded. Since
then, up to the 23d, there has been no actual fight-
ing, but the natives are posted fronting each other,
ready at a moment's notice to renew the conflict,
and watching each other with the utmost vigilance.
At present the parties are pretty equally balanced.
Tirarau has 200 men in his pahs, and Matin had
180, but was receiving reinforcements. A number
of the Hokianga and Bay natives have gone to the
Kaipara battle-field and taken sides, and larger
reinforcements are expected. Before taking up his
position Matiu went to the settlement of Hemiora,
and took away his entire property of horses, pigs,
cattle, and household effects. Hamiora was a man
noted as being an ally of Kawitti in Heke's war.
On hearing of this robbery he at once started to
Tiraru's pah, and on his arrival there took to his
bed and died, as the natives say, through grief of
the outrage. This has greatly incensed Tirarau's
people and others.
" On the 23d Matiu, with from 200 to 300 men,
started by a circuitous route to take up a position
on the hill Pukiatua ; and Tirarau, with from 170
to 200 men, went to intercept him, seeing he must
cross the-line of the Wairua. A fight was expected
to come off that day, but we learn that, owing to
the illness of Tirarau, the battle was postponed.
" Parties of armed men have been going through
the British settlement of Wangarci to join Tiraran.
On the 22d May a party of natives, on their way
to join Tiraran, took two casks of power with them.
" The most serious part of this very unpleasant
business is to come. If the pretensions of Matiu
be good, then all the land sold by Tirarau to the
Government, and now in the hands of the resi-
dent settlers, has been illegally disposed of, and
with the improvements must be paid for over
again ; but at the time of sale no pretence to
ownership was made by Matin or any of his people.
Sir George Grey has since written to these
parties, and was expected back in Auckland, but
the dispute had not been settled at our latest
dates thence, although it had not assumed any
aggravated features. Sir George retains his
popularity with the peace party, but the war party
still look on his policy with suspicion. Tiraran
is a great friend of the British, and although this
outbreak is to be deplored, it does not seem
likely that our forces will thereby be drawn into
further hostilities with the natives.
The natives refuse to sell the land to the British
in the neigbourhood of Coromandel, where new gold
fields are said to have been discovered in the pro-
vince of Auckland, and the search for gold in that
district is consequenty limited. It was at no time,
however, a very promising gold-field. No other
news of importance from Auckland.
FURTHER AND LATER NEWS.

We received our Auckland files last evening to
the 7th inst., and our Otago files to the 18th inst.,
but they do not materially alter what is given above,
or add much to it.
Sir George Grey has returned to Auckland, and
there seems a fair prospect of the outbreak with the
natives, referred to above, being amicably adjusted.
The Sydney papers speak of a renewal of hostilities,
but there seems to be some confusion of dates, this
renewal being said to have occurred on the 29th of
May, of which the New Zealander makes no men-
tion in its summary of June 7. There is a revival
of the talk about the success of the Coromandel
gold-fields, but we see nothing in the papers on the
subject worth extracting. The Maoris had held
their first ranunga, or parliament, as the New Zea-
lander ostentatiously calls it, and it is spoken of as
likely to be of use.