Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-09-07
Fearful A,roci,ie. in New Zealand.

Fearful Atrocities In New Zealand.
Late news received from New Zealand
is Of a most gloomy character. Despite
the military force in the island. active
operations remain suspended; and, worse
than all, the Pal Mariri superstition spread
ing among the loyal natives as well as the
rebel, inciung the latter to acts Of fearful
atrocity. Christianity, it was hoped, had
changed the nature Of a people whom it
found thirty years ago q race OF cannlbals;
but it n w appears that war has aroused
the latent evil passions of the savage.
Numbers Of the Maories are daily return
ing to their former state, renouncing their
religion. and adopting n which breathes
nothing but destruction to the white man.
The end It is impossible to conjecture.
Painful excitement has been caused by a
tragedy on the east coast, at a little settle
ment called Opotiki. The Rev. Carl Syl-
vius Volkner, q clergyman Of the Church
of England, whose kind and social man
ners and Christian simplicity Of heart en-
deared him to all, had been located there
some four years. He left Auckland for
his home on the 26th Of February, in the
schooner Eclipse, accompanied by the
Rev. Mr.. Grace. AS 500 aS the schooner
arrived she was seized by the natives,
who had been converted to the new
superstition by one of the parties the
Taraniki fanatics have dispatched to
traverse the island, carrying with them
mounted on poles, the dried heads Of MUIR
dered E%nglishmen.' The natives, who had
sworn to murder every clergyman and
every soldier they could capture, lodged
Messrs. Grace and Volkner in a WHARF.
but promised the master OF the schooner
that neither he nor his brother. who keeps
a store ut Opotiki, should be touched. in
asmuch as they were Jews. Mr.. Levy.
the master. offered the schooner and car
20, and all the cattle and goods in the
settlement. as a ransom for the prisoners,
and at first the Maories agreed to accept
these terms. Later on, however, Mr..
volkner was led out, and wa, told that
he was to die. He begged for five min
utes to pray but while he was kneeling.
offering his last supplications, a rope was
passed round his neck, and he was hauled
up to the limb of a tree, in sight Of the
church he had so long ministered in. The
body was lowered before life was extinct,
and as it came down a Maori ripped open
the bowels, tore them out, and threw them
TO the dogs. Then the heart was torn out
and handed round. as many natives as
could cutting of small pieces and devour-
ing them. The head vas severed from
the trunk. and vas carried round BY the
priest. the natives standing with upturned
faces and gaping lips to catch the blood
which trickled from il. The chief Of the
raranaki party took out the eyes with his
fingers, and ate Their. before the crowd,
which numbered some 800 persons. The
head was then set on q pole and given to
a captive soldier to carry ; and the body,
after being tossed to the dogs, was con-
t~emptuously thrown into q water closet.
Grace. for whose release Mr.. Levy offered
El,0o0, was informed that he would be
taken round the country with the soldier,
and ultimately killed as his companion
had been but the Levys were given lib
erty to leave, with their vessel, in ten
| DAYS. As the wind. however, was then
foul, the schooner anchored inside the bar,
In the meantime intelligence Of the afro
| CITY had reached Auckland, and h. NJ. 5,
Eclipse, with Bishop Selwyn on board,
was dispatched to see if the survivors
could be rescued. When the vessel wal
seen of the bar. the natives held a meet
ing to decide as to their course OF action
Levy having communicated with the
steamer, returned to land, and finding the
village deserted BY the men, huddled Mr.
Grace into a canoe, and padded down &c
the anchorage. and, though 6red upon by
the Maories when the alarm was given
effected his escape. His vessel was ther
u out BY boats from the man-of-war
but the enraged Maories broke open anc
plundered his store. Mr.. Grace's escape
was marvellous, and was entirely due L
the wit and courage Of Mr.. Levy. whom
the Maories fortunately did noA suspect
The fanatics are now marching through
the distric, in which Bishop Williams ha
settled. Here the natives have hitherto
been loyal, and the Bishop is still conf
dent in their good faith ; but at Auckland
his position is considered most precarious
A whale boat has been dispatched dow
the east coast. to warn the outlying set
,lers If their danoer