The Bee-Hive : — 1869-05-22 (London, England)

SAO.RES IN NEW ZEALAND..  Writing from Wellington on March 12, the Times correspondent, says :---" The massacre at Taranaki occurred at ha White. Cliffs,, about 3.5 Who, to tlao, north of New Plymouth, the chief town in that province. The settlement was on confiscated land, and comprised a few settlers who were scattered around a block house, from which the local constabulary originally garrisoning it had been withdrawn so long ago as March, 1868, two natives being placed in charge of it instead. Lieutenant Gasooyne had undertaken to give an eye to the redoubt and them, as he was residing with his family only thirty yards off. The settlers appear to have been perfectly satisfied with this arrangement, especially as the local authorities promised to warn them should they hear news of a theeatening character. On Friday night, the 12th of February, a party of natives must have called at Lieutenant Gasgoyne's house and tomahawked him' his wife and three children. Their bodies were found together; his fully dressed, the children in their nightclothes, and Mrs. Gasgoyne's partially so, as if she had been disturbed by a noise, and had attempted to dress herselt in consequence. The bodies of two men Edward Richards and John Milne, were also found similarly tomahawked ; and, close to where the redoubt had stood, that of the Rev. John Whiteley WAS found lying, shot with five bullets, beside his dead horse. The rev, gentleman was last seen on Saturdly e /ening going towards the redoubt, and was apparently shot from behind some scrub on the roadway. He was the oldest of the Wesleyan Missionaries, having arrived at New Zealand in 1833. The generally supposed hew] of the small party who committed these murders was a native, for whom he stood godfather when he baptized him. His name, too, being the same, Waitere being Maori for Whiteley, although I see it is also spelt Wetere, which means Wesley. The fact of the murders having been committed was not discovered until Monday morning, and on information reaching New Plymouth Volunteer forces were enrolled, the bodies b ought in, such steps as could be devised to protect the settlement from immediate danger were promptly taken, and a deputTtion was sent off to Wellington to urge the Governor to retain the two companies of the 18th. and to supplement local effort by a. force of armed constabulary. The settlers around New Plymouth, regarding the murders as a menace, meanwhile again abandoned their homes and harvest work, as they had already had to do so many times since war first commenced, in 1860. As soon as it was known that the troops were to be retained, and the Volunteers strengthened by two companies of constabulary, confidence was sufficiently restored to induce most of the settlers to return to their homesteads. The one great error with which the present Government is fairly chargeable is, the attempting to carry out self-reliant policy at all hazards. This error is the result either of a failure to comprehend the gravity of the crisis, or of a dogged determination to maintain an 'idea,' notwithstanding the proof that they have not the means to maintain it accumulates every hour. The lands were confiscated by, force of Imperial arms, and could only be maintained and settled by keeping up an adequate military occupation. It was not in Maori nature, as it would not have been in any other, to allow us to occupy these lands unmolested when we could no longer-hold them."  AMERlCA.—President Grant has. suspended Mr. Hale from his ftmetions.as United States Minister at Madrid,  and has nomina.ed General Sickles as his successor.  General Lee left Washington on the 4th inst., after, visiting a number of personal friends ; it is positively stated now that his visit to the Presideut was merely one of courtesy. In the Canadian House of Commons &resolution was adopted providing for the- rescinding of all licenses issued to American fishermen during the past year. The debate upon the subject indicated a general opposition in the House to the granting of any privileges to American fishermen, whose entire exclusion from Canadian waters was advocated by the Nova  Scotian members.