NOTES FROM THE EAST COAST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 799, 27 June 1870, Page 3

NOTES FROM THE EAST COAST.

BY A EETIRED OFFICES.

From the Wellington Daily Advertiser. THE EXPEDITION TO TAUPO. When the Fox Ministry came into office, there was an expedition under Colonel Herrick at Waikarimoana, We had been there nearly three months, and after a good deal of labor and expense, had completed two boats capable of holding a hundred men each; in three days more we should have been prepared to cross the lake and destroy all the cultivations, &c. My Ormond, who from the first commencement--of this Government seems to have acted as Defence Minister, sent for Colonel Herrick, and ordered him to abandon the expedition. Col. Herrick tried hard to be allowed to go on, promising in a fortnight to destroy all the settlements on the lake, at the same time representing that all the expense had been incurred. Mr Ormond replied that it was of no use, and unless he would guarantee to kill or capture every native on the lake in eight days*, he must abandon the expedition immediately. That being absurd, we received orders to retire; the boats were sunk, and the stores buried and destroyed, and in fact it was more like a flight than anything else. Mr Ormond at this time ordered a to be left at Putere, and it was only after a great deal of trouble that Colonel Herrick proved to him that it was an act of madness to leave men there, owing to its isolated position, and the difficulty of sending supplies, that he gave up the idea. Since then a force of natives under Messrs Hamlin and Witty have been sent up to Waikarimoana to destroy all the cultivations, <kc. This we might have done, as mentioned above. The force arrived in Napier at the end of July, and received 3 mouths' pay. At this time it was brought under the notice of the Defence Minister that there were a great number of useless men in the force; still we were only allowed to discharge a certain number. After remaining a few days in Napier, the force moved to Petane. Dnring this time we were unable to get clothing, tfcc., out of the stores so as to equip the men for a new expedition; neither was there proper means taken to organize a transport corps for an expedition like Taupo, the few horses they had being done .up and useless. The necessity of doing this had been urged on the Defence Minister. Mr Ormond said arrangements had been made, but the sequel will show it. On the 21st August tbe men suddenly received an order to march to B,uuauga, and take as little as possible with them. From the sudden order, and the want of preparation, we thought it would only be a short expedition. On oar arrival at Te Haroto, Colonel Herrick found that the horses were quite insufficient for the transport work, so he ordered Mr Ferguson to go up the country and buy some fresh horses from the runholders. Mr Ormond countermanded this, and said that he would get them. He put an advertisement in the paper for ten, Captain Bowers himself bought them at <£lo each (the most miserable creatures ever seen) ; one of them, a bay mare, had. been offered for £5 and refused by Mr Ferguson, but was bought by Mr Ormond—she belonged to Hamlin. From this time things began to go wiong, as Mr Ormond, who was in Napier, took command; even if he had been a competent man, his distance from the front would have insured a failure. At Te Haroto, instead of finding plenty of supplies, there was hardly any. This was a great mistake, as before going, into the Taupo district it should have been well supplied, as Napier was too fardistant to get stores direct from, as there were so many rivers to cross, and. being late in the season, they were very often flooded. On arriving at Tauranga, we re ceived oi ders to build a stockade and establish a post. We had only been there a few days when the rations began to fail—-thus early the ti*ans* port broke down. Mr Ormond at this time ordered most of the mounted, men to send back their horses to Petane, not being able to send up oats for them; this they refused to do, preferring to go on without oats,,

#s4uring jblie Waikavjumana expeslion they left their horses in Napier, and ,ou their return found that not f>nly their saddles, fcc., had been stolen, but they had even lost horses, and many of them were in bad con^ 1 ijition. through not having been looked after, ife thereupon sent a telegram saying if they had not been Jn the face of the enemy he would

jhave disbanded the lot of tfyem. • At jlhis jtime the Napier natives, under fc Heijare -Tomgapa, came up on their way to Taupo; this was a most unwise proceeding, as they could do no good alone, only disturbing the jenemy and driving them further \wc%, as turned out to be the case, and completely Colonel Herrick's plans. About the 11th of September, we heard that the Napier natives had been attacked, and we received orders to move U p and support them. Colonel Herrick made all arrangements, ordering up Sub Inspector Gudgeon and his men to take charge of Runanga, while he moved on with No, 2and the troop. We started on the 12th, and had not proceeded far when an orderly overtook us with a despatch from Orrnond, saying that he had countermanded Col. Berrick's orders, and that Sub-Inspector Gud- " geon was to remain at Titiokura, aud No. 2 at Kunanga, while the Colonel was to go on with the mounted men. (This was not the first jUnje he had done this—he did no thing but interfere with the orders.) By doiijg this he upset all the Colonel's plans, as with only the mounted men he could do nothing. On arrival at Tauranga on the lake, we found that Te Kooti had attacked Henare and his men; but was driven Tback, owing in a great measure to the natives shouting out that the pakehas were coming: by that letting them knowing we were on the advance.

We remained there one day, when Colonel M'Donnell arrived and took pomman,d—a most unfair tiling, as Colonel Herrick had no intimation of it. The following day, having been joined by Captain George arid 115 Arawas, we moved up to Tokano, and found that Te KooU had left there and gone further back into the pountrv, proving the madness of sending up tlie Napier natives. On the 16th, the M.D. joined Colonel

McDonnell's na+ives at Poutu, on the banks of Rotoaira. On scouting we found that the Hauhaus had taken up a position about eight miles from the lake. No. 2 was sent back for, together with some more aramn nition. This order was again altered Tby Ormond, and word sent that Kemp was coming up with three hundred other natives. For more than ten days we were kept doing nothing, and Te Kooti in the open all the time. The Napier natives and the Arawas remained at Tokano, while the M.D. and men stayed at Poutu, a most insecure position; put off from our supplies, and the transport service broken down. Luckily there were some potatoes and a few cattle on the plain, or else

we should have had nothing. During

this time Ormond sends up the most absurd telegrams, for instance — '?' The mounted men to discover Te Kooti's position and capture the Napier natives' horses," they having been taken when they were attacked —we knowing all the time his position, and that the horses were in the rear, Qn the 25th Te Kooti attacked Tokano, and after an Jip-ur's hard fighting was driven back, leaving seven dead behind him, and having several wounded. Here occurred one of the many blunders that Colonel McDonnell made. If he ftacl ordered the force from Poutu to move up to tjhe back of Rotoaira at the time he sent to us for the doctor, and followed up with the Tokano natives when their bjo.od was hot, we should have had him between two firep, as when once they

begin to run they never rally to attack. It may be argued in defence pf Colonel M'Donnell that the Poutu force was too small j bu + it must be reniembered that the men were mounted, and that it was all in the open; &nd, taking into account the great success it miglit have been, it ftughij t°» have been done, as, if he \\-as too strong for us we could easily

After this little affair things became worse ) the potatoes were done, and the meat failed. J>uring this time Orrnond keeps dictating orders from Napier, such as the number of men to go on escort, and how the men were to be posted. Supposing he had been a competent man, how could he tell at that distance, and being ignorant of the country, what was required ? Another telegram came up, saying that No. 2, which had just come up, was to remain at Tokano, and the M.D. at Poutn, as there was plenty of grass. There was not a blade of grass in the place. At this time our horses required shoes, as the pumice-stone of Taupo destroys their feet. Orrnond sends up word that he will send up a forge and shoes. Ai this time we had been seven days without groceries, and five without biscuits. If he could not up rations, how cotild he other things ? 29th of September.—Kemp, at this time, had not made his appearance, and the natives say he doesn't like to be u#der Colonel M'Donnell. From tTiis date M'Donnell has been placed on pay, though he is receiving a pension.

On the 30th a party went out scouting, and found that Te Kooti had gone back about four miles to the edge of the bush, and was making a redoubt, thus showing the chances we had lost by not attacking him in the open, which we might have done when Ormond kept back No. 2, and also after the fight at Tokano. On the Ist October Kemp came up with seventy men, having taken six weeks to come through the bush.

On the morning of the 4th we left the camp, joined the foree from Tokano the other side of the lake, and found Te Kooti in a small pa eight miles from us. At daylight next morning we attacked him, and after an hour's fighting, we drove hin. out and into the bush, killing thirtyseven, and taking several prisoners. Here,again, Oolonel JVf'Donnell made a fatal mistake. Though it was only ten o'clock in the day, he velusecl to follow them up, and ordered us to return to a small kainga about four miles in the rear. On the following day we returned to Poutu. We found out afterwards that there were a gieat many wounded Hauhaus in the bush, and that Te Kooti himself was ill a creels badly wounded, and had great difficulty in escaping, so that if we had followed up we should have destroyed the whole band. Tlius a second chance was lost. At this time Colonel Herrick left u* disgusted. From this time to the 17th of December we did nothing but go oet on useless expeditions wheneverOrmond telegraphed where he was. I have seen the most absurd telegrams, saying that he had certain information that he was at Moeraugi or Waihi, both these places being within a few miles of our camp; another saying he was at the Wanganui river, that being about twelve miles from camp. Tq be continued in our next.