The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1868. LATEST FROM THE FRONT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 238, 7 October 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1868. LATEST FROM THE FRONT.

We copy the following from an Extra issued by tbe Taranaki Herald on Monday last : — Honi Pihama (the Native mailman) arrived in town late on Saturday evening, bringing intelligence that the road between Patea and New Plymouth had been closed by the rebels, and that his man Creed had been stopped and detained a prisoner by Tito Kowaru, but who has since been released. We gather the following particulars of the affair, which may be reiied on as authentic: — Creed and another native were going to Patea to fetch the New Plymouth mail from that place, and when they reached Manutahi they fell into an ambuscade of the rebels, who made them prisoners. Creed and the other were Ihen told to dismount from their horses, which they refused to do; so the rebels sei2ed them and by main force dragged them off, and took their horses away. They then marched Creed and his mate into Tito Kowaru's camp. A council was held as lo whether they should be killed or spared, and after some korero it was decided that they should be spared. The same day the rebels attacked a convoy ot Europeaus going from Manawapou to Patea, and succeeded in driving them back to the l'edoubt at Manawapou. At daybreak next morning the rebels went toattackthe redoubt, but on arriving there, found it evacuated. Inside they discovered a body of a dead European, who had been imperfectly buried. On Thursday last, Honi Pihama finding Creed did not return with the mail from Patea, sent his brother and six men to look for him. On these arriving at Manawapou, they saw the redoubt in flames —no one being near it. After passing this redoubt they fell into an ambuscade of the rebels, who suddenly confronted them with their guns; on finding that one was Honi Pihama's brother, they did not fire, but called on them to come and partake of the flesh of the pakeha. Patohe replied : —' That's your work, not mine. I'xa looking for Creed, have you seen him?' To which the rebels replied, 'We caught them yesterday; they are not dead, they are at the camp.' On Saturday Creed and his mate were liberated, and on his leaving the rebel district Tito Kowaru gave him two letters, one for Honi Pihama and the other for NatanaMra. The contents of these letters was an invitation for them to join Tito Kowaru, who stated that on October Ist he had closed all the roads and caught his carrier; that he had punished some with death, but had spared others. He had received information that a war party of 280 of the Wanganui had arrived at Waitotara, ' but what was that to him. 1 Creed says that when Tito addressed his men he stated to them that he intended they should place their crops for this season in the farms close to Wanganui town, near to St. John's Wood.