Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1869. ANOTHER DISASTER ON THE WEST COAST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 651, 28 January 1869, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1869. ANOTHER DISASTER ON THE WEST COAST.

A telegram, received yesterday, and published in another part of this morning’s Times, gives information of another disastrous attack on a reconnoitring party by the rebels under Titokowaru. This is very sad news—more especially as we had strong hopes that by this time we should have had to chronicle tidings of a very different character. The telegram, as usually the case, is very brief: but it informs us of the slaughter of two more of our brave fellows, and the wounding of a third —the wound being, as we judge from the description given, of a dangerous nature. There is no certainty that the enemy suffered loss in consequence of his attack, though it is believed he did. It is to be hoped that a day of reckoning is at hand, and that the annihilation of his party will put an end to a state of affairs so deplorable. Here, at such a distance from the theatre of operations, it is of course quite impossible to know anything of the reasons for delay in striking an effective blow against the archrebel who has been the cause of so much trouble and cost to the Colony ; but we must be willing to believe that there are good and sufficient reasons for it. As a Wanga~ nui contemporary puts the case, no good can be expected to result from operations prematurely begun, or that are not carried on according to a well-devised jfian. It seems to be undeniable that the disasters which have befallen our forces on the West Coast have generally been owing to too great rashness in making our attacks before our plans were i ipe, or the levies sufficiently trained to take the field. Accordingly we find now that while one party is blaming Colonel Whitmore for delay, another party regards this veiy delay as the element of ultimate success. We trust, however, that ere many days have passed the delay will be over, and the decisive blow struck.

No doubt the eyes of the disaffected natives on this coast are turned in anxious suspense to the result of operations on the West Coast. It is certain every story of a successful raid on the part of Titokowaru against our forces is regarded on this coast as a favorable omen, and reproduces delusive dreams of a future rebellion; while the news of his defeat, capture, or slaughter would be

almost sufficient to put an end to all such foolish ideas. We have little doubt that the news of Colonel Whitmore’s success against him, when it shall come, will destroy the last hopes of the disaffected here, and restore confidence to the European population.