LATEST FIJI NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 123, 23 May 1873, Page 2

LATEST FIJI NEWS.

STORMING OP KOROWAIWAI.

Korowaiwai is a town situated on the inside of the spur separaliug Tavna from the Raki Raki district. It is a mountain town, and some time back some of its people were guilty of the murder of an old chief on the coast, whom they cut up, and made a cannibal feast of. A. warrant was issued by Mr Leefe, the warden of the district, for the arrest of the murderers, bufc upon the warrant being sent to the town the people refused to allow it to be put into force, and also said that they were preparing to fight, and would come down and attack the whiteß upon the coast. The warden gave information of the, threat of the mountaineers to the Government, and called upon them to enforce his warrant. The Government were also informed through him of threatening messages that had been sent by the mountaineers to settlers upon thecoast, and therefore determined to take For remainder of neivs see fourth page.

immediate action in the matter. The troops which were available for Bervice when first collected in this district were 600 men under command bf Rafcu Isekeli. •On Monday, the 3rd instant, the town was summoned to surrender, and refusing, the attack was commenced on the next day (Tuesday), at eleven o'clock in the morning. Upon advancing to within about eight hundred yards of the town the irregulars commenced building fences. On being urged to go on they refused, saying that they did not understand fighting in such a manner. The attack was therefore continued with between sixty and seventy regulars, who had been drilled on Moturiki. These men went in Bplendidly at the. charge and took the town. The irregulars, seeing that the town had been stormed, and was in possession of their friends, followed .on, and commenced a massacre of tho townpeople. The regulars wei*e used to endeavor to stop this pro- ' needing, and partially succeeded. It was found that during the attack and tho slaughter by the allies there, was a loss of about, one hundred and fifty-seven townspeople killed arid wounded. There was ~ not any casualties among the troops. The engagements lasted one hour. The forces engaged were Fijians, with the exception of some three white volunteers, and four ■ white officers. The troops yesterday under orders were to march for the Ba. The towns which were implicated in the Burns massacre, which are situated on a tributary range running down towards the Ba, will be the next one to be attacked; but we believe there wijl not bo any advance into the mountains until after the hurricane season shall have been passed. Commenting on this attack, the Eiji * Times says :— " The boast in the columns of our" contemporary (the Gazette) on Saturday last is highly amusing. "The King's troops," it says, ■*■ have won their firßt victory. Led on by* their officers and if accompanied by two white volunteers, .assaulted the town of NaKorawaiwai, "f^nJ,Tu^esday morning last, and although '^^^^md -by a force of five times their a ditch waist deep in mud^ and a &9fytice of wet clay nine feet high, they, '.'-under a heavy musketry fire, surmounted ■ all obstacles, and stormed the position with all tbe steadiness of British troops. "At no time were they not perfectly under ~. command, and after the affair was over, marched in good order to their canton•meiijs." 7 ' rj^^hat a gallant attack ! what a strong , r f^iosition ! what a formidable opposition! '^ what muddy difficulties ! and above all, r what a heavy and murderous musketry ' fire* arid yet the forces go in and win, the only casualties being muddy feet, and a few soiled sulus. We hope that the commissariat was well supplied with soap for *"• such a trying emergency. How about the one , hundred and thirty killed of. the enemy? Did the townspeople make no ;< resistance, or was the affair a bloody -tragedy, a heartless, savage massacre of r unarmed men and helpless women and children? We leave it for our AttorneyGeneral,- who knows the truth or_ falsehood V. of* everything, to say; but rumor has it that it was a cold-blooded massacre. What matter, they were only nigger rebels. Rattle his bones over the stones, He's only a pauper whom nobody owns.