POVERTY BAY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 374, 7 May 1866, Page 3

POVERTY BAY.

(PBOM ODB OWN COEESSPONDENT.)

Bth April, 1866. Noimsa of any importance has occurred here since the last report. I noticed in your paper some particulars of an affray of which brave Sergeant Walsh was the hero, but there was no mention made of the Forest Rangers at all, which should have been done, as they were the only white corps that scoured the bush inland with the friendly natives. A party of ten men under Ensign Cunningham had gone out prospecting for that rich gold-field which has been reported to exist here. After they had been gone three davs a rumour came into camp (which unfortunately proved to be true) that Sergeant Walsh, Messrs. Espie (father and son), and a half-caste named Tane had been attacked, and that Walsh and Espie, senior, had been wounded. Immediately the news was corroborated by the arrival of Lieut. St. George, Captain Westrup gave orders for a party to march and search for the prospectors and meet him and what force he could muster a, the junction of the Waikohu and Waipawa rivers. The party, consisting of 16 privates and 25 friendly natives, under Corporal Osborne, started from the camp at 4 p.m. At 6 p.m., when about 5 miles beyond Wairengaahika pa (the great pa), the natives halted, and wished to camp for the night but Corporal Osborne, with commendablefimmess, would not listen to them ; he said that perhaps the prospectors might be attacked; and declared his intention of pushing on if any of his men that were acquainted with the country would volunteer as guide ; whereupon Private Munn stepped out and said that he knew the country for thirty miles inland, and would guide them as far as Waikohu. His offer being accepted, the party were quickly on the tramp again. About 11 p.m. Waikohu was reached, when the force camped and posted sentries, At 4 the next morning started again, and tracked the prospectors up Waikohu. Fell in with them at 10 a.m., and immediately started back, and met Oapt. Westrup and 50 natives near the junction of the two rivers. About two miles further on we met Lieut. St. George and 15 men, with 100 or so of natives—altogether constituting a strange sight here; the whole of the Rangers riding, and the showy troopers walking. As we were marching on towards the place where the skirmish bad taken place, a native boy came up with a despatch to Lieut. St. George, recalling him and his foot troopers to Turanganui, as the Governor and Mr M'Leau were there. He started his men back, but came on with us himself. Shortly afterwards we saw some smoke in a small valley, when a small party of Rangers were told off, with some of the friendlies, to search in the direction of the smoke. After being out for about three hours, it commenced raining, and the men returned—not having seen any Hau-haus. The men rigged up blanket tents for shelter. Tho rain continued throughout that night. In the rooming the natives held a consultation with Captain Westrup, and advised him to return with his men, saying that they would scour the bush for a day or two. This being agreed to, we started for the camp, and arrived there the same night. The Maoris came in two days after, bringing one old man, one old woman, and a youngster about seven years old. So this is the end of the grand expedition about which there has been so much fuss made, and which was going to scour the country right through from Turanganui to Opotiki! There has been two grand runangas here. One was to try and persuade the Government to appoint Lieut. Wilson as Resident Magistrate here. How that will agree with the “ powers that be ” remains to be seen. The other runanga was held on a certain captain up here for an amour with a fine-looking half-caste girl who is married to a native chief. This affair is not ended yet. Two chiefs that lent him their assistance have been fined—one of them ten horses and the other three. The aggrieved party thinks that because the offender is a white man, and an officer, he ought to have had more sense, and should be made to pay well; for what is the use of the whites coming here to fight when they are worse than the Hauhaus—not even respecting the marriage laws ? They have had an Easter meeting at the Rangers’ camp, in the shape of horse-racing, which came off with great eclat. The day’s fun wound up with a dramatic amateur performance, which, considering the short time allowed for preliminaries, was a complete success. The same day the above took place a Hau-hau came into Tamabana’s pa and gave himself up; but we cannot elicit any information from him. Another good drafting would do a great deal of good here. Lieut. St. George, Ensign Cunningham, and a party of natives went inland the other day and discovered the oil springs that has been talked of for. some here. It smells like kerosene, and is rather thick. By dipping a piece of wick in it it burns quite brilliantly; and lam told upon very good authority that there is another spring much closer to this place. The Hau-haus seem to bo very quiet just now, as there is nothing heard of them.