Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1869-05-21 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MASSACRE.  The Tinos New Zealand correspondent says matter% were (Iw.y becoming worse and worse, the rebellion having spread in such a way as to indicate the necessity of coping with it no longer at one point at a time, but on all sides at once. There had been a massacre of settlers at the White Cliffs, thirty five miles from New Plymouth, the chief town of Taranaki. The settlement was on confiscatid land, and comprised a few settlers who were scattered around a block hobs., from which, however, the local constabulary originally garrisoning it had been withdrawn so long ago aa March, 1..68, two natives being placed la charge of it instead. Lieut. Gascoigne had undertaken to give an eye to the redoubt and them, r,s 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 threatening character. On Friday night, the 12th of February, or early on Saturday mor ing, a party of natives must have called at Lieut. Gascoigne's house, and tomahawked fir-t him and theu his wile and three children. All their bodies were found together—his folly dressed, the children in their night clothe% and Mrs Gascoigne's partially so, as if she had been disturbed by a noise, and had •ttempted to dress herself 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 before the party burnt it that of the Rev. John Whiteley was found lying, shot with flee bullets, beside his dead horse. The rev, gentleman was last seen shortly after six o'clock on Saturday evening going towards die redoubt, and was apparently shot from behind some scrub on the roadway an hour or so afterwards, lie was the oldest of the Wesleyaii missionaries still in harness, having arrived in New Zealand in 1831 The generally supposed head of the small party who committed these murders was a native for whom he stood godfather when he baptised him. His name, too, was the Fame. Waiters being Maori for Whiteley, although it is also spelt Wetere, which means Wesley. tact 01 the murders having been committed was not discovered until Monday morning, and on information reaching New Plymouth, volunteer torces were enrolled, the bodies brought in, such steps as could be devised to protect the settlement from immediate danger were promptly taken, and • deputation was sent off to Wellingtan to urge the Governor to retain the two comitanies of the 18th (then under immediate orders for removal), and to su plement local elf,rt by a force of armed constabulary. The settlers arouiid New Plymoulh, regarding the murders as a meuace, meanwhile again abandoned their homes and harvest work, as they had already had to do so ilially times since war first commenced in 1860. As soon as it was kuowu that the troops were to be retained, and the volunteers strengthened by two companies of constabulary, confluence was sufficiently restored to induce most of the setters, excepting those belonging to the White Cliffs, to return to their homesteads. Their returning and remaining in the out districts, as SO [Daily settlers do at BO much peril should be a proof that, whatever fai.ings may be laid to their charge, any lack of stoutness of heart can. not be one of them. There is at present nothing conclusive as to why the massacre Was committed. The most feasible coojecture is that it is the carrying out of a design stvzkested by a few of the Ngati Maniapoin, a powertui Waikato tribe, well known in the last war as under the influence of Revri. A minority of this tribe have bug Linea desiring war, but were restrained by the maj .ray ; and to bring about an issue and force on war is supposed te be the reason why these murders have been committed. That they were planned in Waikato WMs to be established oy the fact of a chief there having dreamed that the settlers at the White Cliffs were being murdered. This dream was circulated by special messengers sent from him among the neighbouring tribes two days before the murders were perpetrated, the explanation being that this Taraphi Was a party to the design, anti thus sought to make his knowledge of *hat was intended to oCCUr a means of obtaining prestige among his countrymen. Ttie G ivernment agent at Auckland was Wormed a month or so previously by the resident magistrate at Waikato that these Nmati %Maputo, being unsuccessful in their attempt to InaLe war ti their own neighbourhood, would probably come dawn upon the White Crags.