The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-25 00:00:00

THE NEW ZEALAND 31ASSACEE.

The overland mail brings particulars of the massacre in
'Sew Zealand. The Southern Cross has the following
account :—" On Tuesday, November 10, before dawn, the
Poverty Bay settlements were attacked, and thirty-
live persons—men, women, and children—were indis-
-.:riminately massacred. Twenty are missing, three of
whom aro believed to have been killed. Neither sex
nor age has been spared, the returned prisoners from the
Chatham Islands having killed every one that they could
reach. The flocks and herds of the settlers are destroyed,
their homesteads and dwellings burned to the ground, and
one of the finest, if not the very finest district in New
Zealand, is entirely devastated. How the natives came
into the Poverty Bay district is not known certainly,
but neither Europeans nor natives had had the slightest
warning or alarm. Shortly after three o'clock, about an
hour before the dawn—a favourite time with the Maories
for surprises—Majorßiggs appears to have been awakened
by hearing Maories outside the house. Supposing them
to be some of the friendly scouts that have been sent out
to discover the whereabouts of the Han-Haus, he accosted
them in Maori. The boy Charles James, who is the only
one that has escaped to tell the tale, says that the major
seemed to be questioning the natives. Instead of answer•
ing him they fired, wounding him severely. He ran into
the house, calling out to his wife, `Emily, run for your
life ! I'm shot !' The major seized the gun, and was in
the act of loading it, when he was again fired at, and he
fell. The natives appear to have rushed into the house,
and commenced to devour whatever provisions they
could find about. They kindled a fire in the house, poor
Mrs. Biggs standing by her wounded husl4and all the time
with the child in her arms. Major Biggs now implored his
wife to fly for her life, but she heroically expressed her
determination to remain by him till the last. The servant
also determined to remain with her mistress. When the
boy last saw Major Biggs and the women, Mrs. Biggs
was standing by her husband, with the child in her arms,
crying, while the servant also stood close by. The boy,
seeing that the front was crowded with Maories, ran to
the back ; but they were there also, and, coming again to the
front, he crawled below a platform, and got into a flax-bush,
and thence into the scrub. Lingering for some time near
the spot, he saw a native standing over Major Biggs, and
beating out his brains with the butt-end of his musket.
The house of Lieutenant Wilson is a little farther up,
about two or three paddocks distant, and probablyanother
party attacked it at the same time as Major Biggs's house
was attacked. It was burnt to the ground. It
seems the first house the Hau-Hans came to was that of
Mr. Dodd and Mr. Peppard, both of whom were killed, as
well as two men in their employment. Mr. Dodd and Mr.
Peppard were found both lying dead, shot. Mrs. Biggs
was also found lying inside her house ; her child,
with its brains dashed out, clasped to her bosom. A
man named Garland alarmed the ladies at Bloomfield
House, and proceeded to Lieutenant Walsh's. He saw
Walsh, his wife and child, lying outside, shot. He then
proceeded to Cadle and Blair's store, about one hundred
yards from Lieutenant Walsh's. He saw Mr. Cadle lying
dead, shot ; also a friendly native, named Hoera Wakao-
neha, and a returned Hau Hau ex-prisoner, named Paul.
He (Garland) then proceeded to Mr. Uren's ; he found the
place deserted, and then made his way to Turauganui.
The list of killed and wounded, including 20 friendly
Maories, amounted to 54. It has been since reported that
Mrs. Wilson is not dead, and has one wound through the
abdomen, one through the thigh, and five other wounds.
She was three days by herself before being discovered.
She was during that time sustained by her heroic son
Jemmy, a boy of eight years old, who supplied her with
some eggs and a few potatoes. The brave boy when found
by a party of ours had a card upon him, upon which the
poor lady had scribbled an appeal for help in the following
touching words : Could some kind friend come to our
help, for God's sake. "
The Wanganui Times gives the following facts :
" Captain Noake has ridden across from Wairoa with
the intelligence that Okutuku was attacked at half-past
eight this morning, by Colonel Whitmore, with a force of
300 Europeans and 80 natives—the majority of the natives
not turning out when required. The encampment was found
to be occupied by a strong and well-posted force. After a
fierce contest, finding his casualties very heavy, and
there being no prospect of his gaining any advantage by
continuing the attack, Colonel 'Whitmore retired, carry-
ing away all the wounded that could be seen. The Euro-
pean forces engaged, including the reinforcements, landed
at Wanganui on Thursday lash, behaved nobly.
Kemp, and about fifty or sixty of his natives, also fought
well. Major Hunter died whilst being carried off the
field. Nearly all our casualties occurred attacking the
pah. Colonel Whitmore was preparing to resume the
attack next morning. The Itangatira has arrived
at Wellington from Wanganui. Pates and other
settlements have been abandoned. It is said that
the troops generally are discontented, and there is a want
of confidence in the friendly natives. One hundred and
twenty dismounted cavalry from Auckland arrived at
Wanganui by the Rangatira„ and further reinforcements
are expected. Business is suspended at Wanganui. The
governor and Mr. Stafford have left for Wanganui. A
meeting is to be held to consider the present state of the
colony. A public demonstration is likely to result."
The Wanganui Times, of Tuesday, says : " Colonel
Whitmore was obliged to fall back upon Patea, instead
of renewing the attack, as at first contemplated.
Yesterday morning Colonel Whitmore, with the main body
of his force, marched from Patea to Nukumaru, rid
Wairoa. The women and children from Wairoa, having been
taken to Patea on Sunday, came to Wanganui by the Sturt
last night. It is, therefore, supposed that Col. Whitmore's
object in marching by Wairoa was to take the men from
that redoubt with him and abandon the place. This is the
more probable as the Wairoa redoubt was attacked on
Sunday night, but the assailants were driven off. Major
Fraser and a few men only remain at Patea, and it is
feared that it must also be abandoned."

It is expected that the Queen will return tc
Windsor Castle on the 19th or 20th of February. After
wards her Majesty intends paying several short visits to
Claremont, and during the London season the Queen will
reside for a time at Buckingham Palace.
The Earl of Derby has been suffering from v.
severe attack of gout. During last week, when Knowsley
was full of company, the noble earl was compelled to keep
his bed. His lordship has of late improved in health, but
is still very weak.

The Bishop of Salisbury still remains in the
critical state as before reported, at his apartments at
Claridge's Hotel. His lordship is under the constant care
of Dr. Gull. Prayers for his recovery were offered on
Sunday in many of the metropolitan churches.

TIIE SHORT-TIME MOVEMENT.—At a meeting of
the Trades' Council of Edinburgh, held last week, it was
resolved to agitate for the adoption of "fifty hours as the
regular week's work." It was also agreed to recommend
this decision to the favourable consideration of the
Trades' Unions throughout the United Kingdom,
and to request an expression of feeling from the
various trades as to whether they should unite into one
great body for the purpose of carrying out the object in
view.

The South London Press says the following is
a " fac-simile " of a document sent by a well-to-do
contractor to a public board, whose duties are carried
on within a hundred miles of Southwark : " Gentle-
men of the Westry I ave to ask you to alow me to
give up my Contract for Dusting at the End of the
Saccond year as I ave Reasons for So duing and the
Contract is I Believe for one, two, or three years if you
Will kindley give Me the Benefit of it I Will Be
Much abligh as I ave Reasons or I Should Not
ask."

An amusing result of the passport system is
reported from Paris. A certain mayor had to make out a
passport for a certain duchess. The duchess was wealthy ;
the mayor was in her service. The duchess was something
of a coquette ; the mayor was anxious to gratify her
humour. But the duchess was one-eyed, and the mayor
had a difficulty in making out the passport. How was he
to describe her eyes? He entered them in the schedule as
follows :—" Eyes—dark, beautiful, soft, full of expression
—one of them being absent." This is surely the triumph
A courtesy, and worthy of the nation that plumes itself
m its politeness.

A machine is in use at Melbourne for shearing
=beep by steam. It is made of brass, something in the
thape of a small trowel ; the motion is got up by a turbine
wheel about three inches in diameter, and this is geared
nto another wheel on which is fixed a cutter. In front is
t comb, which serves as a guide, and against cutting the
;kin of the sheep. The steam is conveyed from the boiler
a tube of indiarubber. The tube or pipe is double,
'laving one inside the other ; the inner one is the injection,
and the space between the two is the ejection. The
nachine is used in the same fashion as the shears, but
nts much quicker and far cleaner, without the least
longer of injuring the fleece or the sheep.
MEMORIAL TO TIIE LATE ARCHBISHOP OF
.;lANTERBURY.—II, has hem resolved to erect a memoriel
.0 the late Dr. Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of
lanterbury, in the west front of the Cathedral of Ripon,
if which diocese his grace was the first bishop. Among
hose who have most liberally contributed to the scheme
ire the Earl of Zetland, the Duchess Dowager of North-
imberland, the Earl of Dartmouth, the Bishop of St.
ksaph, the Bishop of Ripon, Lieutenant-General Sir W.
sell, Mr. J. D. Dent, M.P., Lady Mary Vyner, the Deans
4 York, Ripon, Durham, Hereford, and Salisbury, Arch-
leacon Musgrave, Archdeacolg Cult, Lady Augqta

• •••