WAR AT TARANAKI.

Marlborough Press, Volume I, Issue 16, 21 April 1860, Page 2

WAR AT TARANAKI.

[From the Nelson Examiner .] The steamer Airedale returned on Thursday evening from Taranaki, bringing sixty-eight additional passengers. It was the intention, we understand, of several others to have come on in her, but for some cause or other they did not do so. To the letters of our correspondents we must refer our readers for the latest particulars of the state of affairs at Taranaki. We regret to learn that the health of the town i.s beginning to suffer, and this, we may expect, will drive many more persons away, so that by the next I»ip of the Airedale we may look for the arrival of -another large body of passengers. Mr. Halse, a gentleman connected with the Native Department, has been stopped at Mokau, on his journey from Auckland overland, and the Tasmanian > Maid steamer had been despatched to Mokau with a guard on board to bring Mr. Halse away. The export of stock, grain, and produce of any kind from Taranaki liadbeenprohibited, without a special permit. The Airedale left here at two o’clock this morning for Wellington, and will thence proceed to Taranaki and Manukau, so that we may expect to see her here again in a week or ten days. By the schooner Mary, from Wellington, last evening, we received an Independent of the 10th instant. The natives in the neighbourhood were all quiet. The paper contains an extract from a letter from the Rev. J. Whitely to the Rev. J. Buller, dated New Plymouth, April sth. It is as follows‘“ We hear the (Maori) King party of Waikato have sent word to Wiremu Kingi to give up, and that they will not help him. ’ [FROM OUR own OORRESrONDENT.] New Plymouth, April 11. * * The chief facts to be recorded for your consideration are—that the forces now- opposed to the Government in this district amount on the outside calculation to 350 men : the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki tribes as yet show no signs of recovering from the blow at Waireka; the Ngatimaniapoto to the north have declared themselves unequivocally for peace; and part of the Ngatiawa tribes and some stragglers, in all , amounting to no more than above stated, are the'" whole of W. King’s supporters who are at prein the field against us. How long this may last is not to be prophesied, but that it has been thus for a fortnight is undeniable. On the other hand, there are in the place not less than 600 bayonets of the 65th regiment, with a large number of officers and some few artillerymen, and not less than 400 volunteers andmilitia, after deducting all who are engaged on fatigue duty, in making block-houses, securing crops, firewood, timber, &c.: 1,000 men, three-fourths armed in the most improved style, and well or at-least fairly trained. I make no mention of allied natives, only a portion of whom can be relied on confidently. • The weather has been indescribably fine throughout the season, six hours of refreshing gentle rain occasionally laying the dust in our roads. W. King has been actively engaged in constructing a pah, which he intends shall be

proof against the strapnel and canister that disturbed the tenants of the one on Teira’s land. This new fortification lies on the Kairoa road—a broad track,' commenced by the agent of the New Zealand Company many years ago, and'since finished by the natives, leading inland J of Egmont ' through the forest and emerging at Waimati or thereabouts. The position seems to be chiefly valued for the facility it offers for retreat upon the southern districts. The fortnight has been spent by the European population in constructing blockhouses on eminences round the town, in desultory work for housing and thrashing crops, and m carting them and timber and other property into town. The natives, having constructed their stronghold, began this day, as is understood, to carry back their stores. ~ You will have heard, before this reaches you, of the destruction of several houses in the Bell Block the part of the settlement nearest to W. King’s encampments. This is understood to have been done in retaliation for the destruction of a small pah belonging to Tamati Teiro, a Maori prophet active in the cause of King. I believe these are nearly all the facts that will interest your readers ; and from them it appears, without the aid of any commentary, that the tactics of the commanders are, for the present at least, purely defensive. You are aware that a considerable addition to our forces is expected shortly, in the shape of part of the 40th and 12th regiments, or of both, and sailors from the Pelorus frigate. Much might still be told of the bungling way in which the secondary business of the war is conducted, but I am not disposed to say more of this in detail, It must be allowed that there is a willingness at head-quarters to accept from all sorts of persons such special improvements as they may suggest, and where such is the disposition something may be hoped for. I cannot resist pausing to observe, in passing, how little the education of our military officers adapts them for emergencies such as the present. The evils of the system by which commissions are filled have been before the public until the, talc i 9 threadbare. But grant your commission filled bv what way you will, there is yet a wide field for choice as to the future training of your young officer - Perhaps these colonies offer an example of training the worst that can be. The pioneer of civilisation, struggling against the deadweight of wild nature, and gradually acquiring property, with its powerful educational influences, becomes a man, even though a rough one. progress —property, are indeed educators of the first class. What, however, is the position of the military man placed in the midst of these pioneers ? He Brings, in many cases, the notions about the dignity of idleness which guard the finger nails of the Chinese grandee. He holds the settler, in his blue shirt, as greatly below him. He seldom acquires property. He lives a life whereof the duties are routine; the accidental excitements are so few, and the leisure so great, that unless he be a man of more than average resources he falls almost inevitably into lounging, flirting, and conviviality. I use the mildest description of his life. How feebly this pictures the evil let those say who have seen It * * * To return to our present position here. You will understand our deep regret that the precious moments in which this business might be brought to a bearing are slipping by. The winter rains can hardly be expected to defer to our necessities and wait the arrival of succour. We are now an overpowering force, and by active measures the enemy might be easily reduced to something like the ignominious position in which we find ourselves, a state of siege, namely, where the besiegers are one-third the number of the garrison. But from the first opening of operations the fact has been blinked, that war cannot be carried on without risk. Scouts may traverse the land, north and south, and find no foe; yet mathematical evidence not being accessible to prove his non-existence, the rule seems to be that he must have the benefit of the doubt, and be supposed to be somewhere near. To carry on the campaign properly, it will be absolutely necessary to abandon the hope, “ nothing venture, everything win." If the menace on the town that comes from the mere existence of natives two days’journey from ns be soserious an affair, that to save the town all operations must be indefinitely suspended, the question naturally arises, Is the town worth saving on those terms ? Against the possibility of loss by reducing the forces in the town, set the certainty of loss by the passing away of the favourable season and the suspension of the whole profitable labour of the province. Against the expected succours set the probability of the spread of our calamity to other parts, and the possibility of reinforcements to the enemy in this district, and the true character of our delays begins to come out. Moreover, we allow the- favourable impression of the late success to wear off men’s minds. Our own feelings sober down, and we again contemplate the forgotten risks: our enemy’s spirit rises, observing our wonderful caution. The change in our life is more entire and more irksome than any that is called for from the natives, and our weariness exceeds theirs. Golden moments have fled and are flying, and we talk with no little dismalness of a campaign, or rather a siege, of twelve months, with the entire suspension of agriculture and utter ruin of one and all in the province. We can face this prospect, if it is inevitable; but our dissatisfaction is deep, that such a result should be entailed on us by the want of grasp in the mind of a single man, or the unwillingness of those on whom the responsibility rests of having commenced this war to take the secondary responsibility of conducting it or causing it to be conducted with vigour. Let our caution be bolder: let us continue to remove our defenceless population, as many as we can find an asylum for, and secure the remainder in entrenchments, if need be. But let us be acting. Our enemy is not übiquitous, nor free from any ill that flesh is heir to; his men have Bodies that must Be fed, and are aceessißle to the same wounds as our own people; his commissariat is a work of labour, like ours. It is outrageous to allow him to inflict on us, by the mere dread of his possible presence, difficulties thal we might inflict on him by our actual presence in overwhelming force. We must, sooner or later, follow him to his retreat, be that where it may. The present moment has many advantages, if we had but the man to employ them. Slumbrous delay is the worst of disaster; and for any conclusion that present courses can bring, we may hang about our houses till we have nothing but our heads to keep in them. EXTRACTS FROM A FRIVATB LETTER FROM A VOLUNTEER. v New Plymouth, April 11. I received your note by the Airedale, which arrived last night; also the supplement to the

Nelson Examiner, which I have read carefully and can vouch for the truth of it. There is a slight discrepancy, “ The Naval Brigade gave excellent," &c. It ought to have been “.The Naval Rrigade and a sub-division of the light company of the 65th, under the command of Lieutenant Urquhart.” These were, willing to stay, and mad at being called away, as they were, just at the critical juncture. They certainly did render us great asststance during the short time they were there. But in one respect it would have been better if they had not been present, for they took the ground that some of our fellows were holding, and consequently, when they retired, this ground (the holding of which was very essential to our position) was left uncovered. Colonel Murray gets severely handled. Whether he or Colonel Gold are to blame I don’t know ; but at all events he. ought to have taken the responsibility upon himself, and not left a party of civilians untrained to strategic warfare, surrouuded and almost helpless. Urquhart behaved admirably, but as a subaltern, could not take much responsibility. I expect an official account will be published, which will give a different version of the affair, though the account published in the Examiner will he corroborated by all present at the engagement. * * * * We are doing our duty manfully, but it is both arduous and unpleasant, nearly the whole of our time being devoted to the Government. Wet and cold weather coming on, dark and cold nights, and what will be worse, crowded houses, for the authorities are measuring all the houses, and purpose alloting so much room to each person. Those who possess large and commodious premises are in daily expectation of the Government demanding them for the accommodation of the reinforcement expected from Australia, and are greatly perplexed as to what they shall do with their furniture and goods, which they apprehend will get knocked about and destroyed, for they may have a lot of fellows billeted upon them who have hut small respect for property. The snubbish manner, too, in which we are spoken to By the military authorities is hard to bear by people in a position equal to tbeir own, barring the little temporary authority they possess. If this should last for the length of time that some of us anticipate, I would not answer for the devetedness to duty which at present prevails amongst us. A new and horrible feature presented itself last night. At eight o’clock the town was immensely excited. Fires were seen at the Bell Block, * and two rockets went up from the stockade there. Messengers left town aud returned with the intelligence that five homesteads had been burned by W. Kingi’s natives, the the estimated value of which was £12,000. Rundle’s, with all his grain ricks; Arden’s, with all the their furniture; the two Willis’s, and Northcroft’s. This, as I learn, was done in retaliation for an act committed by R. Brown, in command of the friendly natives at Waitara, and who on Wednesday, burnt an old ruined pah, somewhere on the native lands, sacred to one of their prophets. We do not expect any further similar mischief, provided no aggression of the same kind is committed by us, as W. King is desirous of keeping aloof from such proceedings; but it is impossible to carry on the war without resorting to it. We are in total darkness as to the plans of the Government; but the rebels must be routed and driven out of the bush form off their own land, and then the work of destruction to property will commence. I think the settlers stand a very poor chance of ever seeing their country homes again ; but the land of the rebel natives, I sincerely trust, will be confiscated, and then we may get some compensation, but nothing adequate to the loss we shall one and all sustain. The present state of affairs is ruinous also to those who are in business, as no one can pay old accounts, for the ready money all goes to supply present wants, and no credit is now given. The Government expenditure is, in the place, about £2OO a day, and this will he nearly doubled when the reinforcements arrive. The Niger came in this morning with tidings from Auckland, that the Waikatos were arming. She sails again this evening, taking all her men with her, who were our chief mainstay, and Captain Cracroft, who is a “brick.” * * We are under lasting obligations to your people for the unexampled kindness shown to us in our troubles. We cannot express our gratitude sufficiently ; we have not time and opportunity to say much, but it is felt, that warmly, nevertheless. I hope all our settlers will meet here again in better times, and no face be missing from amongst us, though Heaven only knows how many may meet their fates from the hands of these scoundrels. It is a comfort to know we are in the right, and our cause good, and that we have the sympathy of all our fellow colonists.

[From the Taranaki Herald, April 7.] JOURNAL OF EVENTS SINCE OUR LAST PUBLICATION. Wednesday.—The Tasmanian Maid from Waitara, and the Wonga Wonga from Wanganui, were at the anchorage this morning. The Wonga Wonga brings Wanganui news up to the 3rd instant, but nothing of importance. The most wonderful news were current there from Taranaki; one of whieh was that “ the natives had attacked the soldiers and killed so many that they could swim about in their blood ”!! The natives in consequence were very insolent, and seemed to chuckle over this bloody intelligence. When the Wonga Wonga returns with the truth of the matter they will find there is little to chuckle over. A general parade of the 65th, the Volunteer Rifles, and Militia, this morning at 10, on the parade ground; these forces assembled together for the first time, and formed a very imposing line. At the conclusion Colonel Gold addressed the Volunteers and Militia, in fitting terms, on their gallant services at Waireka, and general good conduct. The following is a free translation of the notice posted by the rebels regarding the families of the Rev. Mr. Brown, James, Emanuel, and Touet: — “ Listen ! Listen all the tribe. The road to our Minister must not be trodden upon, also the road to his friends, James, who is from the Kihi, to Emanuel, who is a Portuguese, to his children and wife, to Touet, with his wife and children, who are French; let the thought he light of these three tribes to their farms, to their property, let it be light, because the word has gone forth from Paratene, Hoani, and Kingi (Parenga) to those people, that we must strictly* preserve them. Let. there he no mistake; with us, the three tribes of Taranaki, Ngatiruanui, and Ngaraura, let it he light. That is ail. From Paratene, From Kingi. Hoani, Porikapa. “From this tribe of Ngamahanga, from us all as far as Mokotunu. ”

Thursday.—ln the News of to-day there is an assertion made that Manahi, “ although the instigator of the Omata slaughter, was not one of the actual murderers.” We have been careful in deriving our information, and can positively say that Manahi was one of the party who fired upon S. Ford, who had no less then five bullet wounds. Manahi was seen ten minutes after the affair by Mr. Ware, who can also testify that he saw Kerei, Tamati Wiremu’s brother. We arc told that Manahi Perere, Paratene, and a party of natives from the Ratapihipihi were behind the hedge when Ford and the others rode past, and that they fired a volley, which brought them all down. This evening, about eight, rockets were seen in town from the Bell Block stockade, and soon after, flames and smoke in that direction. Two or three persons rode out, and ascertained that several of the settlers houses were in flames, fired by the natives, which were believed to be the houses of Mr. Arden, Mr. Rundle, Mr. Northcroft, and the Messrs. Wills. Great excitement prevailed in town, as the glare of the burning houses could he distinctly seen, though five miles off. Two guns were heard from seaward at eleven, supposed to he from the Niger or the Airedale. The Wonga Wonga left this to-day with about fifty passengers for Nelson. Friday. —H.M.S.S. Niger, the Airedale, Tasmanian Maid, and the cutter Pegasus, were at anchor in the roadstead this morning. News received from Auckland by the Niger to the effect that the natives were about to rise in that Province. The party of bluejackets were ordered on board, and passed through the town with their guns and camp equipage about eleven, a.m., for embarkation, and were heartily cheered by the townspeople and military. The gallant Lieut. Blake, R.N., was sufficiently recovered from his wound to he taken on board. The Niger left for Manukau about seven this evening, and also the Airedale for Nelson, with 120 passengers. The brig Rover, from Canterbury, bound for Melbourne, called in for news this evening, hut did not anchor.