IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE FROM WANGANUI.

Grey River Argus, Issue 75, 5 July 1866, Page 3

IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE FROM WANGANUI.

MAJOR o'dONNELL AND PARTY FIRED UPON BY HAU-HAUS IN AMBUSCADE. We extract the following from the " Wanganui Times" o£ the 19th instant:-— r -."..■"_ „.■;;•'■ '•'■■•■•. ; Patea, June 18. Dear Sir — I hasten to forward by express the following important intelligence :— , . At noon on Saturday last, 16th irist., Major O'DonnellJ accompanied by Mr O'Carrington (Chief Surveyor), Mr Percy Smith, Surveyor ; Lieutenant Wilson, Native Contingent (Whirihana); and t ivo orderlies of the W. Y.C., started from Waingongora to Patea. When they had proceeded about three and a-half miles, a little beyond the Waihi rivei", Lieutenant Wilson, who was a few yards in advance, noticed a peculiar movement in the fern- -In doubt, and suspicious of his old friends the Hauhaus, although the road is considered* comparatively safe, he checked his horse suddenly, which brought the party altogether. Wilson's doubts were soon set at rest. He shouted out <?Hauhau!" and at the same instant up rose ~oyer twenty" natives at a distance of about forty yards, andifi^ed a volley into the party. In a second or two, another lot of about twenty more sprang up at the same place and fired a second volley, and until the Europeans got out of range, all the Hau-haus fired as fast as they could load. It will hardly be necessary to state that as soon as they had recovered from their sui prise; they all wheeled their horses round as quickly as they could, and beat a speedy, retreat, more especially as none of the party were armed, except the. two orderlies, who only had their swords "and revolvers. .Whilst retreating, Major O'Donnell;' who was liding in rear, received a severe blow in the eye from a clod thrown up by one of the horses. As he was quite blinded by this, and was in great pain, he called out to the remainder to slacken their

pace when thejr had gone *l short distance, which they' did, -although still within range of the-' Hau-haus, who kept up a constant fire.' But Here again, the sharp ' eyes of "Wiri^faat^etected another body of Hau-hai^^oubJing down a blind gully on the' r^ft^to^ to cut them off; they were ther^os|f again obliged to increase their pace)'ancP eventually .reached Waingougora in safety. As it was important that they should return to Patea the same, night, Captain Dawson, Royal Irish, commanding the regiment, kindly furnished a party under' the command of Lieut. A. Jackson, Royal Irish, who escorted them to Manawapou. On reaching the scene of the ambuscade they examined the ground around. It was entirely shewed with cartridge papers — not only with the ordinary native cartridge, but also with Eniield cartridges— proving that rifles had ; been in play as well as single and double barrelled guns; 'A short distance* further, on the opposite side of the road, the. tracks were discovered of another party having been in ambus cade. This made it apparent that it had been the intention of the Hau-haus to allow the party they were lying in wait for to pass the first ambuscade, and when abreast of the centre one to discover themselves aud tihus place theirV victims between three fires. '-•'•-*'