TARANAKI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 157, 15 January 1864, Page 3

TARANAKI.

Ax attack was made on Kaitake on Wednesday last, which very nearly resulted in its capture. A day or two previously Lieut. Clarke 57th Regiment, with three friendly natives, had been to explore a line he had discovered, and found that it led up through the bush to the ridge which overlooks the main fortifications of Kaitake. The Colonel commanding determined to send an attacking party of 70 men of the 57th under the command of Capt. Shortt and accompanied by Lieut. Clarke up this line, and they started accordingly from the Tontoko redoubt at 3 o’clock on Wednesday morning. A second party of 150 men (of the 57th and 70th and Capt. Webster’s company of Bushrangers, and part of Capt. Corbett’s company of Otago Volunteers) went down to Hauranga and extended inland to cut oil’ natives who might escape from the pah, and prevent the arrival of reinforcements ; and a third party of about 150 men (57th, Captain Atkinson’s Bushrangers, and Capt. Mace’s mounted orderlies.) proceeded up the road from Wairau. With this last force were some of the Royal Artillery under Lieut. Larcom. having two howitzers and a cohorn mortar. A position was taken directly in front of the main line of palisading at a distance of 600 or 700 yards, at about 10'30 a in., a little before which the Maories fired a few shots, of course without effect. The 57th were extended to the right and Capt. Atkinson's company to the left, just under the end of the ridge we have mentioned which apparently was not defended, and fire was opened from the guns with excellent effect, so that in a little time some large breaches were made in the palisading. The Maories kept up an occasional fire, and at times as many as four or five guns went off at once (as when Mr. Parris accompanied by Captain Mace and the orderlies very pluckily rode up to within 50 yards of of them to discover whether there was not a road up round the left hand end of the palisade, which proved to bo the case.) It is perhaps difficult to estimate their number as only ten or twelve of them were seen, and not more than that took any active part in the engagement; the others, if any, with rare self restraint, must have been acting only as a reserve. After waiting in vain for four hours or more for Capt. Shortt’s party to appear on the ridge above, the strong tempations to an advance were resisted and the forces withdrawn. The reason of Captain Shortt’s non-appearance was, we believe, as follows :—He arrived in one of the hollows on this side of the ridge, but there found that his men were in the line of fire—fragments of shells falling close by; he therefore endeavored to join the main body, but missed his way,—a very easy thing to do in the dense scrub—and came out on the main road. When our forces retired, two natives who had been previously garrisoning the little pa above, came down and manned the rifle pits on the edge of the ridge but their fire was without precision and took no effect. Late in the evening a considerable body of Maories (estimated at 100) arrived as a reinforcement from the South, and during the next day nearly two hundred more. Major Butler’s party discovered a fine large canoe at the mouth of the Tiraaru, and it is now safely lodged at Moturoa. It had been brought up from Warea, wo believe, for the use of the Kaitake natives in fishing. We cannot conclude without specially noticing the fire of the artillery which was excellent, and great praise is due to Lieut, Larcom and his gunners. The portions of shells which fell among Capt. Shortt’s party were, no doubt, from the cohorn—the shells from this gun (from want of a

proper fuse) several times bursting high up in fh clouds, but the howitzer pract ice was as good a from tlie Armstrong guns. The men, both regulars and volunteers, were a good deni disappointed at not getting any of the Kaitake potatoes, which they had reckoned on as part of their Christmas dinner; but one important tiling Ims been learned by tins expedition that the swamps which were said to form one of the main defences of Kaitake are proved to be purely fictitious. The whole of the ground, ineluding tho bottom of the gullies round the end of the ridge, was as sound as any in tho Province.— Taranaki Herald , Dec. 20. Death of P. Wilson Esq., Colonial Surgeon. Since our last publication the painful duty devolves upon us of recording the death of Peter Wilson, Esq., more than 2U years a settler in New Zealand, and for the last 16 a resident of this settlement. From 1810 to 1813 the deceased gentleman served in the navy% and in the latter year entered as Surgeon attached to the 11th Regiment of Foot in the hope of being sent to Waterloo, but was ordered to Gibraltar, hi 1810 he wont on half-pay in consequence of being appointed to the Civil Hospital at that place, which appointment he held for 15 years. He then became a fanner and vine-grower in Spain for several years and in 1811 came out to New Zealand wit ; some oi its earliest colonists. Remaining at Wanganui for a or six years, he removed to New Plymouth, where lie has ever since remained. He was appointed Colonial Surgeon here in 18ID, and held the position to the time of his death. To his professional attainments, which ranked high, wero added considerable literary ability and large general knowledge of the events of the most momentous half century in the history of the world. After a long, useful, and active life, he succumbed to repeated attacks of an insidious and painful disorder of some standing, borne with great fortitude on Friday last, in the 72nd year of his age. His accustomed face will long be missed by a large circle of friends, and his valuable assistance by the afllicted.— News. Dec. 24.