The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-22 00:00:00

THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

Details nave been received of the recent defeats of the
natives in New Zealand. Intelligence from Hawke's Bay
says that the rebel position was attacked on the sth of
December. After a short struggle the Maories were
driven in, leaving thirty dead and 6,000 rounds of ammu-
nition. From Turanganui, December 4, a telegram from
Mr. Richmond states : " Two-thirds of the enemy have
iecamped. Eighty men left behind were attacked by
eriendly natives and twelve Europeans, and were dispersed.
thirty-seven dead bodies were found on the field, besides
)there burned (or buried). The loss of the enemy was sup-
posed to be fifty dead in all. llama (the man who led the
murderers at Turanga) was amongt them. Six thousand
rounds of ammunition were recovered. Our casualties in
;he last fight were two Europeans wounded, one dan-
rerously ; one native wounded. Total of casualties in all
tbeir operations, six killed, twenty-three wounded. Mrs.
Wilson is out of danger." This last item is, however,
tontradicted by later news from Poverty Bay, which states
;hat Mrs. Wilson is dead. _

The following account of another expedition is from the
Wellington Independent of the 22nd December :—" Capt.
Finnimore, with the Wanganui volunteer cavalry, had
made a most important expedition against the Hauhaus.
kfter passing Manutahi, the force—some sixty strong—
lroceeded into the bush, attacked a pa, poured in a volley,
tnd killed two Hauhaus. The troop then marched for
:he village of Mokoia, making a long detour, as
to one knew the direct way. The village was also burnt.
4. flock of 250 sheep were found on the Manawapou
5y two Patea settlers who accompanied their troop, and
:hey were brought into Pates, and restored to their
)wners, under cover of the cavalry. The village of
Ihupulai was also destroyed. Titoko-Waru's camp
tnd main body is still in the same position at Nukumaru.
The fishing village of Ototuk, this side of Nukumaru,
was burnt. A magnificent canoe, together with a
number of smaller ones, were broken and burnt, and the
work of devastation in the late expedition ceased, the
cavalry arriving quietly in town shortly after dark.
Elms ended an expedition in which five villages, one of
them a war pa, growing crops of potatoes, canoes, and
►bout twelve wharves were destroyed, two Hauhaus
killed, a large quantity of stock recovered, and the enemy
aughed at in his very den, after the work had been done,
tad all without the loss of a man or horse. The loss to
:he enemy cannot be less than £3,000, while the moral
effect must be infinitely greater."

A meeting of what is called the Hull Guardian
Society on Saturday passed the following resolution: —" That
be tax on trades and professions being impolitic on principle
incapable of realisation even approximately with equity,
►nd being most vexatious and offensive in its operation, is a
tax which should only be resorted to in cases of great ur-
gency. and ought now to be repealed."
CABINET COUNCIL. —A Cabinet Council was held

In Saturday in Downing-street. The Ministers present
were the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the Lord Chan-
enor, Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Earl of Kin.b2rley,
the Right Hon. H. A. Bruce, the Earl of Clarendon, Earl
3ranville, the Right Hon. E. Card well, the Duke of
Argyll, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Hon.
liugh Childers, the Right Hon. J. Bright, the Right Hon
a. J. Goschen, the Marquis of Hartington, and the Right
Ron. C. Fottescue.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.—On Satur-
iay afternoon the ordinary general meeting of the share-
holders took place in the theatre of the institution. The
receipts tor the half-year front visitors at Is. had been
£3,134 18s. Gd.; workmen and children at Gd., £5Ol 103.
5d.; and other items, such as reserved seats, Scc., had
brought the aggregate amount up to £4,576 19s. 6d.
Although considerable expense had been incurred, the divi-
dend would be 3 per cent. on the half-year, making, with
that already paid, 8A per cent. per annum. The report
was adopted.

THE APPOINTMENTS IN THE METROPOLITAN
POLICE.—The appointments in the metropolitan police
have now been made. The following gentlemen will,
according to the Daily News, be district superintendents
of police, acting in their several districts under the orders
of the Chief Commissioner :—Mr. Baynes, now governor
of the County Prison at Winchester ; Colonel Pearson, of
the Grenadier Guards ; Mr. A. C. Howard, of the Bengal
Constabulary ; and Superintendent Walker. We believe
that Mr. Gathorne Hardy had contemplated the appoint-
ment of four district superintendents, and would have
carried the design into effect if he had remained at the
Home Office.

The Treasury Minuta relating to the duties of the
Third Lord of the Treasury, dated Dec. 28, 1868, was pub-
lished on Saturday, and it is as follcw, : —" The First Lord of
the Treasury and the Chancellor of the Exchequer state to the
Board that her Majesty's Government has deemed it expedient
to assign to the Third Lord of the Treasury, Mr. Stansfeld,
certain duties, and the investigation and decision on cer:ain
subjects connected with the business of the department,
which will have the effect of placing him on a different foot-
ing from the Junior Lords; and in consideration thereof
they recommend that there should be assigned to him a
salary of £2,000 a year, and a private secretary, with a
salary of £l5O a year. It is intended that, under the in-
structions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the per-
manent secretary should transmit to Mr Stansfeld the papers
relating to certain subjects, to be determined by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, from time to time, the minute
of Mr. Stansfeld on such papers to have the effect of a deci-
sion of the board. The Third Lord will, on all subjects,
when necessary, communicate with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer and the Parliamentary secretary, so as to ensure
consistent and harmonious action.'

FINE WRITING.—It is hoped that the Chinese
and the Hindoos and the Persians, and such like kaythen
peoples, do not read the English newspapers. If they
did, what would they think of such a horrible spectacle as
is described in the London Standard when it says, "The
Conservative chief (Disraeli) has been marked out for
slaughter, and may be regarded already in the light of
a victim. A few short days, and we shall see
Mr. Vernon Harcourt trampling on the prostrate
form of the once prowl leader of a great party, and
dragging his mangled remains round the floor of the
House, amid the exultant shouts of the Radical back
benches, and the gloomy terror of the Opposition !" In
this country we may be sufficiently " civilised " to know
that this is only a bit of " tall " writing of the highly
figurative style ; but, as we cannot suppose all the rest of
mankind to be equally well informed about the manners
and customs of the British Isles, what must they think of
a country which permits such savage atrocities to be car-
ried on right under the nose of the Queen 7 New York
Times, Feb. 11.

A GOOD STAGE ANECDOTE.—The following story
is ben trovato, at least, and will furnish a pretty little
illustration for the compilers of stage anecdotes. It hap-
pened at one of the minor theatres of Paris. One night
the leading star of the place—a young lady who played all
the principal characters—after her last scene, saw a modest
two-sou bouquet of violets fall at her feet. She had the
gentle tact to take it up gracion.sly, and for several
successive evenings a similar tribute was offered her.
On inquiry, she learnt that this gallantry came from
a boy of 14, an assiduous frequenter of the
upper gallery, who had squeezed the price of his
offerings out of his very small savings. The actrice, a
kind-hearted girl, was touched by the affection of her
modest adorer, and got one of the jigurantes to hunt him
out and bring him to her. The enamoured youth was
standing behind the scenes when the lady of his dreams
came off the stage. With a cry be threw himself upon
her, much to the astonishment of the bystanders. Was
he mad? No; he had seen a tongue of flame creeping
round the gauze robes of the actress, and was trying with
all his might to put out the fire. He succeeded so well
that the girl escaped unhurt, but the courageous youth
Convatilallicatunt boopital fcgrfullY burst. p