THE NATIVE WAR.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 637, 17 February 1870, Page 3

THE NATIVE WAR.

FIGHT WITH TE KOOTI, THREE EUROPEANS WOUNDED. TEN OF THE ENEMY KILLED AND FIFTEEN WOUNDED. [SOOTHEIIN CROSS, FEB. 10.] By the arrival of the p.s. Sturt we have important news from the East Coast. An engagement has taken place between Te Kooti and our forces. Te Kooti was passing Rotorua, having asked permission from Gilbert Mair, who is stationed there with 60 men, to pass that way, alleging that they were friendlies returning home. It was found out that it was Te Kooti's party. A fight ensued, in which three of our men were dangerously wounded. The enemy lost ten killed and fifteen wounded. Kereopa himself was Wounded, and another, a half-caste of notorious character, who has acted as Te Kooti's interprater, was killed when talking to Mair. A Maori coming up to him, said, " Oh, we have had enough of yon," and shot the miscreant dead. Great credit is due to Mair for his vigilance and courage. . Te Kooti and the remainder of his party fled towards the Urewera country, and M'Donnell and his forces are hard in . pursuit. We learn from a gentleman who came ud in the Sturt that the fight between Lieutenant Mair's forces and the Hauhaus took place near a pass situate between Ohinemutu and Paparata, in the mountainous country a few miles north of Lake Rotorua. The pass, it appears, was held by a body of Arawas, to. whom Kereopa's followers represented themselves to be friendly natives. In order to aid this trick, a letter was written by Te Kooti, as though from Hauraki, and which, it seems, was dropped by design where it would be picked up by the Arawas. The natives, guarding the pass, however, seem to have had some misgivings as to the party under Kereopa, and accordingly engaged them in parley while - Lieutenant Mair, who was in the neighborhood, was being communicated with. Lieutenant Mair was in command of some 60 natives, and, suspecting the true state of affairs, he put himself at the head of his men, and set off after the. enemy, whom, he defeated in the manner described. ' Colonel M'Donnell happened to be in the neighborhood at the time, but was almost alone, having left his men at their former position, and come over to communicate with Major Fraser. The Colonel, however, hastened back to Tapapa, and is probably by this time in pursuit ofTe Kooti. Major Mair has also collected a •force, and proceeded in pursuit of the Hau haus, who ?re in full retreat for the Urewera country. It is doubtful, however, whether or not they will succeed in leaching it. Hakaraia, it is known, is with the party, which includes the whole gang of Maori desperadoes who inhabited the country about Tapapa and the canges behind Tauranga.