EAST COAST LETTER.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 313, 18 June 1889, Page 3

EAST COAST LETTER.

(OWN OOBBB3PONDBNT.—“ NABBATOB,”) Since brevity’s the soul of wit I will be brief. —Hamlet. Because I have little to say, having only re. cently re-arrived at my old diggings by the deservedly favorite schooner Gisborne, and have hardly commenced “ takin’ notes ” as yet. We had a quick, interesting passage from Baukokore, in tbe Bay nf Plenty, leaving there at 10 a.m., getting the full force of the tail end of the lata heavy Nor’wester, off Oreti Point, and weathering Cape Bunaway amid a very heavy, confused sea. Thence squaring away, we scooted along in earnest to Hicks Bay, arriving nt 3.80 p.rn,, and I was not a little glad (though I have doubled the Horn, and seen some rough weather) to reach the grateful shelter and placid expanse of Hicks Bay on Tuesday morning last. By Jove, Mr Editor, I’ve got a swimming sensation yet. Here we found the Australia, from Gisborne, at anchor. She had had a buck at it—literally—but adverse Bolus, and Neptune in a wax, proved too much for her. We beat up to the anchorage in capital style, and passing under the stern of the steamer, the two captains exchanged a few remarks. I couldn’t i catch ail, but he of the Australia said, t* Could'nt ba worse,” alluding to the sea, to which our skipper, who had already experienced two or three days of it, consolingly replied •* It is worse," and we quietly glided up to our anchorage, In the early morning I just caught a glimpse of the steamer, rearing up, for the first time, as she rounded Matakoa Paint, and mentally congratulated myself that we were going to make a fair wind of it, and with huge tumbling seas in pursuit, and our smart ship "goose winged" racing before them, we. surged in .successive rushes through the "tide rip’* of the channel between the East Cape Island and ths main, dropping anchor again at Mr Robertson's, Waiapu, in a little under two hours. Thence on to Waipiro, which by the way is en fete, great preparations being made for a hull and succeeding concert, under the kindly patronage of the station management. To-day (14thy a cavalcade of some 80 of Tata Nihoniho’a natives arrived for the purpose of assisting at a •• Taiti ” or church service, extending through the night. lam unable to Anglicise Taiti, which, like the word hinoto, synod; is sufficiently obscure. Nothing like Mehikihireka, however, which being nearly interpreted faintly represents Melchisedec. The Taitist’s are whiskeying up a bit, and Tuta is singing “ God Save the Queen,” right loyally, both of which occurrences indicate the lateness of tbe hour, and the necessity of closing the pub—and this lettgr—till tomorrow, the 15th, Tawhiti Hotel and Store, formerly the pub of the coast, under the genial Mr (Jack) Harding, and since doing an excellent business under the management of Mr White, has again changed proprietors, Mr Connolly, late of Opotiki, having taken over the house from Somerville Brothers, while Mr White now runs TePuka Hotel, at Tokomaru. As before stated, tbe old hostelry, which was entirely renovated and made what it is by Mr White, still does an excellent trade, and Mr Connally is a courteous and obliging manager. There appears to have been a good deal of business transacted at tbe just concluded session of the B.M. Court nt Awanui. Most of the cases were of the usual trivial character—only one, a sheep case, possessing any joints of interest, Mr A, Banks sued certain Natives for a balance of £3O due on sale of sheep. It appears that Mr Banks originally paid only £2O for the sheep previous to sale to the defendants. These discovering this paid £2O and repudiated the balance. The verdict was for plaintiff for £3O 10a, with costs as by order of the Supreme Court to be assessed by Mr Booth. Mr' Bay, solicitor of your town, conducted the plaintiff's case ably throngh sfioala of conflicting evidence, and has created a very favorable impression up here. Waipiro, June 15