A correspondent of the Independent, writing from Manawapou under date August 17, after referring to the fact of peace being established between Otapawa and Patea, says :—lt: — It is, how ever, far otherwise in the district north of Otapawa, and extending as far as Warea. A burning thirst for blood, and a thorough deter mination to resist all law and authority, seems to possess the tribes, with the exception of Uriweras, of Kawai. After several conversa tions with our new allies I am led to believe that there are now from four to five hundred rebels •under arms in the district. Of these about one hundred and fifty are Waikato natives, -who but recently came into the neighbourhood. At Kate marai the notorious chief Ahitana is occupying a veiy strong pa with a force of over two hundi'ed men, half of whom are Waikatos. On Saturday last, Major McDdknell, his brother, and several others, counted over a hundred of his men, in a rifle pit near to the pa destroyed by General Chute at Katemarai, and were afterwards fired upon by them, but without doing any harm. On Monday last the escort from Manawapou to Wai ngongoro were also fired into, but without effect. Ahitana has frequently, during the past two

SHEEPSHEA.EING BY MACHINERY. — The fol lowing extract, on shearing sheep by machinery, will be read with much interest. It is from the New York Tribune :—": — " With two men, one to hold the shears and one to turn the wheel, the machine clips sheep with an almost unimagi nable rapidity, as there is no expenditure of muscular labour besides turning the wheel, which is not harder than a small spinning wheel, and the whole machinery does not occupy more room than such a wheel. A new principle in mechanics has been developed in this invention, which is the secret of its Buccess. This is a ffexible shaft, through which the power is com municated from the driving wheal to the shears, which are kept rapidly clipping as long as the driving-wheel turns, no matter in what position they are held, nor how much the driving-shaft is contorted, even to bending it round the body of a sheep. This driving-shaft, about three feet

SUPPLEMENT TO THE TARANAKI HERALD, SEPTEMBER V, 18(56.
