WANGANUI.

New Zealander, Volume XXII, Issue 2390, 29 March 1865, Page 3

WANGANUI.

(from our otv.v correspondent.) Gimp Te Awhq Heal Quarters FHI Fircis, March 1(5. Subsequently to despatch of m- communicatio i of the 13th instant, regarding the attack an! cant rn of two (2) villages, distant 3 mile? front the Patoa Rivr, aud inland fro n the camp. I have now to report the march front that post to the present;—On the 14th inHant it became known early in the morning that it was the intention of the Lieat.-General to march forward with the Military Train under C.ipt. Mitchell ; 50th Head Quarters under Major Locke ; 57th (detachment) un ier Major Butler; and detachment of the 6Sth Light Infantry, tin ler Lieut. -Colonel Morant. A sufficient number of men being left behin 1 to hold the captured post, and construct a redoubt. About 9 o’clocck, a.m., the remaining portion of the 70th, under Lint.-Colonel Ham ley, and detachment 70th Regt., under Major Rutherford, which in my last report I omitted to mention as being laft at the Pitea, arrived in camp with the convoy. As soon as the reinforcements came np, the troops originally with Head Quarters were formed up in contiguous quarter distance column, right in from, in the following order : 50th right, 68th centre, and 57ih left battalion, the cavalry being drawn np in line on the route of march, facing to the left at right angles to the right battalion; acout 10 o’clock the whole force moved off in the order I have already mentioned. The real is passable for infantry throughout, but after the first 1000 yards a deep ravine or gully presents itself, through which it was with difficulty the long line of carts and bullock drays forming the transport portion of the army were managed, but eventually this intricate part of the business w is, by perseverance and zeal on the part of Major Turner, in charge of that department, and of those under him, succeeded in the difficult task. The main body having been halted on the opposite hill until all the horses and ammunition had crossed, after which two companies were left to form an escort fir the party, and the following day I believe 100 men were detached as a working party from camp Kakamika. for the purpose of rendering the passage practicable for carts without any untiecessary stoppage, after the main body moving off. The track is good, and runs across land of a more than average description as regards being easily brought under cultivation. The roadway is nothing beyond an ordinary track, running in the lower land, enclosed between jutting prominences on the left, and slightly rising ground on the right. A second steep is approached at about three miles from camp (from which started), at opposite side of which runs a slight stream, crossed by a bridge of very regular dim vision and build, but it was found necessary to employ a working party to form a road way for the carts to descend upon one side and atcend on the opposite bank. The brigade was halted at this point tor some time, the 50th and 68th on right bank, and 57th on the left bank. Whilst portion as vidottes, the cavalry coni 1 be seen amongst the tall fern that gradually rises along a low table land, stretching ini an 1 towards a neck of bush, from which a quantity of cattle were driven in fir the Commissariat departme it. i On completion of the work alluded to above the column again move! forward, but nothing of note is observable, until an opening in a neck of bush about half-a-mile from this post is approached, the cavalry extending to examine the flinks, whilst the 50th, Queen’s Own, pushed forwards rapidly, through a narrow pass, and occupied the hill overhanging the hush on the north side ; the rem under of the bit f a lions were now halted for some time, when the cavalry foil owe 1 the 50lh by thiees from the right, and the 68th and 57 th in succession, with the exception of the 57th, which were left the greater part of them extended on the lodges of the roadway passing throu rh the hush, whilst some were employed in rendering the road passable, the remainder under Colonel Weare, Acting Brigadier, pushed f>rward to this village. After a short delay, every precaution having been taken to prevent a surprise by the rebels, it was to the chagrin of the troops, found to bo totally deserted, but a general rush was mode to the wharcs and other places for potatoes, &c., of which the troops have been long in want, and I am glad to say a good supply was obtained. The drays came up late in the evening, and the greater part of the 57th regiment were kept in the bush until 10.30 p.m., in perfor nance of the arduous duty entrusted to that g diant corps, which had won the action of the previous day. Camps were pitched by regiments, and the duties posted by Ciptain Leach, D. A A.G., the principal portion of the duty consists in twoflank picqnetsof 50 men each, under an officer. I forgot to mention in the commencement of my letter that two rebel prisoners taken by a picket of the 57ih the day previous, were marched as guides under escort of the 50th (Queen’s own), but you may easily judge of the ravines the baggage hadtoens®, when it took them from 10 a,ra. to 10 p.m. to go a distance not exceeding five miles. We are at present encamped on the eft or principal p rtion of the village, and the men are out daily in procuring potatoes and vegetables for their supply, it being ver) r desirable that some nutritive and digestive food should be given with tiie field ration. There arc wild pigs around the settlement in abundance, and many interesting chases take place with the soldiers in pursuit of them, all sorts of war i nplimenti being used to master tle animals. The po atoes are generally handed over to the Commissariat, who will I suppose serve them out to the troops regularly free of expense, seeing that both lives and comfort are imperilled in procuring possession of the rebel strongholds, of which tiev b ions are only uncertain appendages. To-day has been exceedingly w t, and I may add for your information that the camp vacated is under command of Colonel Chapman, 13th Royal Irish, w th a detachmeht of his own regiment, a detachment of the 50th, a detohment (two companies) 57th, and the whole of the 70th in mis district. We expect moving forward soon, as two mire Native villages are visible from lure, north and stretching ini an 1, five or six M torics were seen mounted on the morning of the 15th instant, but they decamped across a gilly, and one or two seen c i rear of the camp in the evening, also some cattle on a hill to the rear of stripof bush, in a clearing about one mile off. Some shell and rocket were fired yesterday evening, and the former to-day, but for what particular purpose I am not aware, I regret being compelled to write this in pencil, but I have no other alternative in the field, the following is our position as indicate 1 : __

The right of the villages rest upon a sharp descending ground through long fern into a gully which | is on the opposit ■ bank not near so high, we therefore ' have all the alvantages resting upon our own side, as I regards disposition in cose of any attack. In closing my letter I have only to add my best J wishes (or the successful issua of the able and energetic movements of General Ganeron in this war*so | tota ly at variance with all general principles, an 1 so unworthy the courage of British troops being wasted in from its guerilla system. Camp, Head-quarters, Manawapore, 19th March, 1865. j In transmitting this my report at an advanced post, I have to readuce it in allusion to my communication of the 15th instant, regarding the forward movement of the force. I intimated to you, as already alluded to, that the whole force of '.he Maoris were supposed to have concentrated to the left of the village, which

I origi tally mentioned and design ite I under the heal* mg of “Te Ani,” and which I -mbs qneulv in very authentic informUion found t> be iva Iv i Manra. The subsequent in irch which I alia lei to in my letter of 1-Uh or 15tb instant, I regret not having retained copy of, led to a village mini; 1 Man itahi, and the present position has been gnine I in front of ihe a 1vanced post in the following order. Yon are, I presume, already aware that prior to the occupation of this post, Gone-al Sri). A. Cameron. K B,ha I byvirtue f miliia- p authority alone obtained possession of the traversing villages a the Maunutn. bv a strategic movement, which reflects not less hritlian -y anon the u>n commissioned o.fi -ers aid m n engaged than upon the gallant tiene al him-elf. I have, I heg to submit, alrea !y tractd tile route from last camp to this by systematic exigen -y, which I trust will be found favorab'e in die eyes ot my adherents, that the necessary development >f exigencies on the line of march naturally resulting from exposure und over exertion of nature have a tendency to depression of mental faculties. The 17th \Io-ch(St Patrick's Day) was noted to the Irish soldiers by no particular event; beyond the preparation on the m >r li ;g of th > IS hj for the 57th Regiment, under coram md of Major Butler, to march from he ulquarter camp ot the brigade to iho present position, prior to which movement being carried into effect the D A.A.G. General of the brigade directed that 250 non-commissioned officers and ran, composed of the Queen’s Own, 50th, :>7th. and fiSh Light Infantry, under comman I of M j >r Hiunond, 57;h Regi nent, be despatched tor the purpose >t destroying any cultivations whic t might he foil ad in their way. Tuis order was very well ca-ried oat hy Major Hassard, considering the diffim't nuure of tlio ground he was forced to traverse, and iu th evening ho returned to camp. After an absence of four hours an 1 destruction of all vegetable existence that came within th > sphere of 1 is commandative province, it was early issued mi that evening that a rumor was prevalent tor removal of troons from the head quarter camp, and it was generally known that the 57th Regiment ( lolonol Warm's pride of infantry) would he the regiment hold in hand to form the advance, which result of communicatory opinions ended in the march being commenced by them at 7 o’clock a.o. on the 18th instant, having one corporal and five privates of the V i'n ite-r Gavel--* attached as videttes. Ihe whole moved oil nylons from the left, having the left company of the baited on thrown out as an advanced guard. Vfter reacting a slight incline injecting inland from the seaward line of march, at a distance of a mile from camp, rwo Maoris were discovered hy a party of soldiers from the m in body, upon which discovery Maj >r Butler, commanding detachment 57th Regiment, under iustruedons from Maj >r Hussard. 57th Regiment, commanding officer of the Northern advance posts, extended a company over hills under Captain Hasted, a i I examined .he surroun ling ravines. None having bo -u found, the advanced guard again pro ended ftr vard, under Captain G. G. Clarke, 57th Regim mr, nod deflh-1 through a narrow pathway. Groping thruigh a thickly-floating flax and toi-toi-covered fl it, after which they entered upon a slowly auduliving lino to the left, marking a small village, overhanging a elid to the left and flanked to its right and front by a very strong hill, say 150 feet from the level at low watc>-. The advanced guard rushed forward a: th - double an 1 occupied litis position fwharas to the iCtt), facing outwards from the beach in column, so that eventually the line of tents were pitched in dou >.e, facing the hills reverse to the sea, the sea being tu.i rear, the M inatahi the right, the Manawaipori ri er the left, an I range of hills to the left front at three mil ;s fro n the General’s canp, at Manatahi. The front, a road, w,s also put nn ler course ot construction to the left front it a range ot hills, and circling round their disc, to enable a communication to be o toned with steamers on the beach, sending up hops towards tne place, for landing of goods for the troops. The * Sandfly ' and ‘ G.i tdagai’ were in harbor, or I should miner urn the expression seaward, or roadstea 1, on the 13th instant. No road was rea ly, although the soldiers wrought hard, and up to the hour of writing no chine-of getting anything landed. The Deputy Quarter- M is -r General, Colonel Gamble has been here to-day, as m-i Colonel McNeill, Aide-de- .-’amo to the General, yesterday, and General Cam iron, C.8., in possession, t <- dav. The 19tit instant has been very wet, and still no sign of further movement. This port remains un ter command of Major Hassard. 57tb regiment, and every exertion is being made to clear the fro.it of the camp from fern, See,, which will eveutualiy be the case, I dare say.