MAORI WARS AND SKIRMISHES.

Kumara Times, Issue 1589, 31 October 1881, Page 2

MAORI WARS AND SKIRMISHES.

THE GATE PAH. In an article on “ A Brief History of New Zealand from its Earliest Period,” from the pen of Mr R. P, Whitworth, we find the following interesting. account of the memorable escape of 300 Maoris from the Gale Pah, whilst surrounded by British forces. Although many of our readers will remember with regret the shameful retreat of the British forces on that occasion, the narrative which follows will be read with deep interest at the present time. We sincerely hope if the present aspect of Native troubles comes to the worst, the events here recorded will never be repeated as regards our own race. The Gate Pah may safely be said to have been at once the most disastrous and the most disgraceful episode in the war, so far as the British armies were concerned. On this memorable occasion the troops, consisting of 16 held officers, 20 captains, 35 subalterns, 8 staff officers, 94 sergeants, 42 drummers, and 1480 rank and file, and having one 110-pounder Armstrong gun, two 40-pounders, two G-pounders, two 24pounder howitzers, and cohoru mortars, “ artillery enough,” as was said by one who took part in the affair, “almost to have smothered Sebastopol,” we stationed at and about Te Papa, and the enemy, consisting of the Ngatiporo and Ngatiawa tribes, were held in check by friendly Arawas at Maketu and Matata, near Taimmga. A body of rebels, numbering 300, were strongly entrenched in an earthwork or | all, known as the Gate Pah, th ree miles from Te Papu. It was an oblong redoubt, 70 yards wide by 30 deep, well palisade), and surrounded by a p ist-aud-rail fence, and defended by rifle-pits, in three zigzag tier-*, roofed with wattles and thatched with fern. The place was undou .tedly strong, but it had no artillery and no wafer. The pah was oii-rounded by the British forces mi flu*, 27tb of February, 186-4, and at G. 30 a.m, on tho 28th the rebels opened fire, and were replied to by the baiteiies, which concentrated their fire on a flagstaff that the Maoris, with their usual cunning, had placed in the real- of their entrenchments. By-and-bye this eiror was discovered and ihe range shortened, and it may, perhaps, serve to afford some idea of the courage and determination of the Maoris when we recollect that, with a comparatively insignificant force, without artillery, and without water, with shot a..d shell screaming over their heads, or bursting in their midst, they held their own all day against what ought to have been an ovewhelming army.

By 4 p.m. one of the angles of the entrenchment was breached, and an assaulting party got into the main body , of the works, driving before them in full retreat, TJp to this all went well, when the Maoris, turning <m their pursuers, made a, sodden and desperate eharge, andj seized by an inexplicable panic, the British troops fled back in wild confusion, the natives firing on the flying mass with fearful execution; and regaining the position, they had lost. Night canie on, and in the darkness, after keeping up for eL time a succession of fearful yells and threats, the whole body of Maori* escaped. The British loss was 27 killed and 66> wounded. Only 10 Maoris were found dead in the pah, but it is probable that they carried off many of their dead, and all their wounded with them. A. bloody encounter at Tauranga, however, followed closely on this affair; and the Tauranga natives, after several severe losses, submitted. During these skirmishes the gallaiit Von Tempsky, who, with Lis Guerilla body of Bushrangers, had done good service, was unfortunately killed at Te Ngatu o te Manu. The war, however, continued, the Maoris of the east coast being led by the bloodthirsty wretch, Te Kooti, a notorious Hauhau chief. He was victorious at Paparatu, and signalised his victory by butchering 33 settlers and 37 friendly natives at Poverty Bay; Amongst these was Major Biggs, who, surprised writing in his house and being summoned to surrender, was shot in his doorway, Mrs Biggs and baity and servant being tomahawked, but a boy escaping by the back door, and hiding in the flax. The Hauhaus then went to Captain Wilson’s, and set fire to his house, killing him and his servant, Moran, when they surrendeted, and bayoneting Mrs Wilson and four children; one little boy, however, escaped into the scrub unnoticed, where he was found three days afterwards by a search party of settlers, who were led to him by the baiklng and whining of a poodle dog that had belonged to Mrs Wilson. Some of the escapes from the fury of the HEauhans were marvelous. Amongst many others ma. be noticed that of Mrs James, who, seeing them coming, contrived to escape with her eight children from a barn, and, after crawling a mile under the shadow. of the ehffs, got into the bush, and arrived at Tui-fmgunui twenty-four boors afters wai'ls, where she gave the intelligence of the rebels being out in force. Te Kooti continued a desultory warfare with vaiying success until he was defeated at Te Karetu with the loss of his principal fighting chiefs, and thirtyfour men. He. was afterwards again defeated at Natapa, where the powerful Hauhau chief, Mikora Te Whakauui, and 130 men were killed, and was soon after surprised at Rnahapu, bub contrived to escape into the King country, where, after a time, Sir George Grey made peace with King Tawhio in the Waikato district. Practically this was the end of the war, although several outbreaks followed it, notably one on the west coast of Patea , nor was the war really terminated until about 1868, when a threatened descent of disaffected Maoris on Wellington was promptly put a stop to by the authorities, and peace enforced. Thus, through mismanagement, maladministration, and persistent misconception of the native character, esjrecially with regard to the laud question, was the colony plunged for years into a disastrous war, with a terrible waste of blood and treasure, and with the result of almost ruining a vast tract of flourishing settlement. It is calculated that after 1860 (for previous to that time the figures are not altogether reliable), there were no fewer than 131 battles and skirmishes, the losses being: Europeans, killed 460 wounded 776; Friendly Natives, killed 233, wounded 155; Rebels, killed 1785, wounded 418, prisoners 1447.