WANGANUI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 650, 25 January 1869, Page 3

WANGANUI.

We take the following paragraphs from the "Wanganui Chronicle, 16th January :

Aeeivai. of Colonel Whitmore. — Colonel Whitmcre arrived by the ss. Wanganui yesterday. Considering the lai»ge force now at the disposal of the Commanding Officer, and the training which the men have undergone, some offensive operations of a decisive character may reasonably be anticipated very soon. The East Coast campaign has been a complete success: the capture of Te Kooti's pa, perched like an eyrie on a hill, whose summit couM only be reached by a series of zig-zag cuttings, was a great achieve menfc ; all honor to Colonel Whitmore for his share in it. Let us hope that the West Coast may now have some share of victory.

Ekttten of Constabulary from the East Coast. —Wanganui was in a state oi enlivement on Thursday, consequent on the return of a large number of the constabulary from the East Coast, after their 1 victorious campaign. In the forenoon the s.s. Ahuriri came up the river, having on board 19 ■ men in charge of Major Roberts. After suitable arrangements had been made for their marching to Westmere, they were landed and at once started for the camp. In the afternoon the p.s. Sturt, which we have missed for a nine time and were glad again to see, with captain and crew all well, oame in with 60 more of the constabulary, and, what is perhaps better, with 63 of the Arawas a part oftho.se natives that have done such wood service against Te Kooti. These two lots marched in the evening to Westmere camp, which became a scene of bustle and confusion—a Babel of tongues perfectly indescribable. Our Maori cavalry also got up the steam unci rode out to the camp with K- rap at their head. The remainder of the force at Hawke's Bay will be here very soon. The steamer St. Kilda is on her way with 100 men, and the Sturt returns immediately to bring on the last of them and some horses. The War. —As we slated on Thursday* 200 men marched from the Westmere Camp on Tuesday evening for Nukumaru They were accompanied by two field pieces. Their object was to reconnoitre the ground and obtain correct information of the enemy, which, we suppose, they accomplished as after firing at the rebel pa with the big guns for a couple of hours, the force was ordered to march back to Westmere. Colonel Lyon and the two troops of volunteer cavalry proceeded to Patea. Several of the shells it is said, lighted amid the enemy, who set up a hideous yelling, but they 'took care not to blaze away their powder and shot, and not a gun was fired during the day. Colonel Lyon may have had some useful object in view in this reconnaissance of his, but as it happens, its result has been unfortunate. On Thursday morning, according to Maori practice after an attack, whether great or small, the rebels by way of reprisal came down on the Kai Ivvi, and drove off about sixty head of Messrs Moore and Currie's cuttle. And there was no one to prevent them. Inspector M'Donnell turned out his men at Woodall's and fired a few shots, but the enemy were beyond range. There was no Kai Iwi cavalry to follow them up, and so they got clear off with their booty The cavalry, we learn, have gone on to Waihi, and the time of their return is uncertain—most likely it will be to-day, when Colonol L> on will confer with Col. Whitmore as to future operations. The latter is naturally anxious to do so preparatory to any movement. After going to Westmere yesterday afternoon, he sent off an Arawa orderlie with a despatch to Col Lyon at Patea. The Maori cavalry had started some time before, but it was sup posed they would r< st on the road, and the Arawa was ordered to overtake and join them, thus insuring safety for himself and his pape-s. He failed, however, to overtake the cavalry, but Btill held on his way, until he was fired upon and one ball went through his swag. This looked rather dangerous, and he turned back again. The Bev. Mb Elmslie.—Most singu larly a photograph i of the Presbyterian minister of Wanganui was picked up in Te Xooti's pa at Ngatapa. It was very much blurred, but there was no mistaking the likeness, and one after another of the officers and men, to whom it was shown, invariably said —"That's a photograph of the clergyman that used to preach at Woodall's." How such a thing could have come there is a perfect mystery. Mr Elmslie is the very least of a Maori man, and in no shape or form has he ever come into personal contact with the natives. Distinguished Visitors.—ln addition to other arrivals, Capt. Fairchild brought Martha, the wifs of Te Kooti, and the sister of Nikora, as visitors or prisoners to our shore. They were taken in the latter capacity at the capture of Ngatapa, and Mr Eichmond, probably not knowing very well what to do with thera, put them un der Capt. Fairchild's charge. The ladies are young and by no means so disconsolate as their fallen fortunes would lead one to suppose. In fact they enjoyed the good cheer on board the Sturt, and made themselves at home. They went yesterday to the camp at Westmere, whither the wives of several of the Arawas had gone before. They mean to live with these in the meantime.

Accident at the Slattg-hteb Yabd.—| A. young man, named Crozier, was gored severely by a bullock, at the Slaughter yard, this week. His arm is terribly torn by the animal's horn, and he _ has been bruispd otherwise. He complains uf the i accomodation at the yard as being insuffi-

cient —that it ia the want of a srate which led to the accident from which he ia suffering—and he states that the wonder is that more accidents do not take plaee. The owner or occupier of the yard should see to this at once. Death by Drowning-.—A. fine little boy, son of the late Mr Thomas Garner, we are grieved to say, was drowned on Thursday forenoon, while bathing in the river. He had gone in the water, at tin usual bathing place, below Churton's creek along with some other of his companions, and having waded beyond his depth or missed his footing, was drowned before any assistance could reach him. We regret to say that the body has not been recovered up to the lmur of our going to press, a circumstance which naturally adds to the poignant grief of his widowed mother.

From the Wanganni Chronicle, of the 19th. inst., we take the following : The War. —There was another muster and inarch of 200 men at Westmere camp on Saturday evening, consequent upon intelligence being brought in that there had been firing at Woodall's, and that George Swainson, one of Messrs Moore'& Currie's men, was amissing. The missing man or rather lad, we are glad to say, turned up, but ho and Mr Porteous, who was with him at the time, Having gone for some horses, had as narrow an escape as it was possible for two men to have. It turned out th'it the rebels were lurking about, and as Porteous and Swainson came near, more than a dozen rifles opened fire upon theun The balls went whizzing about in all directions, and the two ran and separated. How they were not hit is a perfect wonder. Mr Moore himself and Mr West, who were in close proximity, then became objects to fire at, and with great difficulty, these two also, firing and retreating, managed to get acroso the Kai Iwi. Before this had been effected, however, the men it Woodall's—after longer delay than seemed necessary—were turned out and fired upon the rebels, who contrived, however, to keep at a safe distance. The horses, of course, fell into their hands Of the sixty head of cattle carried away on Thursday, Messrs Moore and Currie con trived to bring back nineteen on Fid ay. The 20 »' men left Westmere camp in com tnand of Major Gumming, about right o'clock on Saturday night and marched beyond the Kai Iwi, where tiny were planted in ambush, in the expectation that one or more marauding parties of the rebels might come their way. They did not do so, however, Titokowaru having other work before him on Sunday, of which we shall speak presently, and so the men returned to the camp on the evening of that day. The other work referred to was a renewed briuh with the volu itcer cavalry, against whom, we daresay, Titokowaru Ims a special grudge. The two troops left Patea on Sunday morning about 7 o'clock, and marched by the beach till half way to the Waitotara, when they stru:k inland. Having e.-ossed the river we rested a short while, and then took the track for Nukumaru. in sight of the rebel pa at that place a short halt was again made, when the enemy was discovered to be in force. There were between twenty and thirty horsemen besides infantry, variously estimated from 150 to 300 men. Perhaps, if we strike a mean between the two num bers, we shall be nearly correct. It is impossible to estimate with accuracy the uuinerical strength of a body of men, who kept popping up from the fern in small detachments of five and six each. They had been eviden'.ly watching for the cava! rv, and a number of them began the war dance in front of the pa. It was clear that they meant mischief, and an orderly was sent to apprise Colonel Lyon, who had ridden some way ahead of the cavalry, of the precise state of matters. The cavalry wished to charge the enemy, but Colonel Ljon very properly negatived such an idea The disparity of numbers was too in-eat to think of it. But the cavalry had to get to Wanganui, and were not to be stopped by any number of Maoi:\is. They accordingly proceeded. Captain Finnirnore and tho Wanganui troop in advance. Lieut. Bryce and the Kai Iwi troop forming the rear guard. Sharp work followed. Firing was kept up briskly on both tides, the cavalry retiring all the while, often closely pressed —so much so at one time in rear that Lieut. Bryce, and those of his troop nearest him, made a charge on their own account. The natives ran before them, and on reaching the Okehu the whole of them drew off Trooper Hicks lost his horse, being the only casualty on the side of the cavalry. It is supposed that several natives fell. One conspicuously mounted on a white horse certainly did so—fell, to use the language of one who s.?w it, like a bag of potataes. In a couple of minutes the white horse was mounted by another. The two troops reached their respective camps without any further incident of importance. We have given the return of the cavalry before their start, because it came naturally in our way to do so. But a sentence or two on their start and progress will complete the story.' As mentioned by us on Saturday they left Nukumaru for Patea on Thursday last, and therefore passed on to Waihi. The country was looking magnificent, with grass up to the horses knees Saw no natives; destroyed a village; picked up a few stray horses, and returned home on Sunday with the result we have seen. Colonel Lyon complimented the troops on their courage and coolness. Meteor. —On Sunday night, about eleven o'clock, a meteor might have been seen sailing across the sky—" unhasting but unresting "—shining with a subdued splendour which was very beautiful.

' The Late Dbowning.—The body of the little boy Garner was recovered on Saturday forenoon, and followed to the grave by a large number of people on Sunday.

The War Ship Blanche. —This vessel lay off the heads yesterday and will remain at her anchorage there for a few days. The p.s. Woodpecker keeps up the communication between the vessel and the shore. Some of the officers have visited Wanganui, and gone out as far as the camp at Westmere. It is said that, in the event of a general engagement with the rebels coming on in a day or two, a lot of blue jackets would lend their assistance, and that a few of the ship 3 mortars would be laid under contribution. Of courso, all such service if undertaken would bo voluntary, and purely for the love of it, which would enhance its value. It would be fine to see such a thing. Victory could scarcely fail to rest upon our arms, were it for nothing more or other than the perennially popul.ir character and dash of the British sailor. All other nublic servants and institutions occasionally fall into bad odour, but the navy and its sailors, from the fine old admiral down to the powder monkey, always continue favorites. The beau-ideal of the tar—the honest fellow who was supposed to fry watches, swallow five-pound notes, and not go home till morning—is vanishing away in the light of common day, but faith in his more prospic successor still remains, and assistance from the Blanche would be be the turning point in our war.