LATEST INTELLIGENCE FROM WAIROU.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 96, 30 June 1843, Page 2

LATEST INTELLIGENCE FROM WAIROU.

We have been favored with the following statement of the late melancholy affray at Wairau, which embodies, we believe, all the testimony given by the survivors, and all the information which could be collected on the spot: —

On the 15th of April, Messrs. Cotterell, Parkinson, and Barnicoat, surveyors, having contracted with the New Zealand Company’s Agent, to survey the lands at Wairau, left Nelson with about 40 men, and landed at Wairau on Tuesday, April 25. Shortly after this, Rauparaha and. Rangihaiata being at Porirua in attendance on the Court of Land Claims, made known their determination to prevent the survey from proceeding, and Mr. Joseph Toms repeatedly stated that he understood from them that they would make a stand at Wairau, and lose their lives rather than allow the white men to take possession of that place until they had been paid for it. Mr. Spain used his influence to pacify them, and obtained a promise from them to do nothing before his arrival. He undertook to meet them there as soon as possible ;<fter the adjournment of his Court on the 19th of June. Mr. Toms said lie would take Rauparaha an < d Raugiaiata in his schooner to his own place f' x Charlotte s Sound, and keep them there until he ° communication from Mr. Spain. The survev was carried on with some digit interruption fiom a small party of Natives not resident at Wmrau, but collected from all parts of the htrarts, until Rauparaha and Rangihaiataarrives with a body o c Natives on the Ist June, Thev were brought by Mr. Thoms in W and landed at Port Underwood, in Cloudy Bay' whlTd “a j7 e andothersettlers, sLeof declared Pl ace many years, and determ, ? atl0 “ to burn down the urveyors houses, and drive them off the land. buiSnt’do" t0 t rV heir threa ts into effect by training down the house of Mr. Cotterell hav- . to S hfm h ‘ S go ? ds - Which the J restored Mr Firl<h,7* e i.“ 3 Slmdar “annerdestroyed Mr. Parkinson s house, and compelled all the

; eyors to remove to the mouth of the river. Cotterell was then dispatched by Mr. 'tett to Nelson, to inform Captain Wakefield, information was then laid before the Police rjstrate, Mr. Thompson, who granted a niiit against Rauparaha and liangihiata on i; uge of arson. Having been informed that Natives were armed, and in great numbers, Magistrates determined to attend the exe0n of the warrant himself, accompanied by fined force, and expressed his opinion that ! a demonstration would prevent bloodshed, impress the Natives with the authority of jaw. It is clear, from subsequent events, no one anticipated any resistance. The of the labouring class were not armed at ;3n, nor selected as fighting men. They . sent down as a reinforcement to the surig staff, and on arriving at Wairau, arms j distributed among them, but up to the moment, no one had any expectation of a us encounter. There were about 40 men e labouring class> most of whom had never led a firelock. They consisted of surveymen and 8 boatmen, left at Wairau, to ii Mr. Thompson brought an accession of consisting of four constables and 12 men, were engaged as additional labourers in jiirvev department. Mr. Thompson was mpaniecl by John Brook, as Interpreter, the following gentlemen, viz., Captain .efield, Captain England, Mr. Tuckett, Mr. •>rtlson, Mr. Patchett, Mr. Howard, Mr. ; rell, Mr. Bellairs, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. ; icoat. The whole party consisted of 49, :om Messrs. Tuckett, Cotterell, and Patchett, B unarmed, the other gentlemen had nothing Bad two or three pistols and one fowlingflamong them. It appears that the party flv Mr. Cotterell at the Wairau had been Belled by the Natives to follow him on his Bo Nelson, in the Company’s large boat, ■were met by Mr. Thomson’s party, and Baccl with them to Wairau, some in the fl and some in the Government Brig* fa-ia, which brought the Magistrate from

.e whole party landed on the loth and iof June, and proceeded on the afterjof Friday the 16th, about five miles L; banks of the river to a wood where eweeted to find the Natives. Muskets i. # : cartouche box of ball cartridges with were distributed on the Friday evening kfurday morning, and cutlasses to as many he to avail themselves of them. The whole [dept at the wood called Tua Mautine. fo.ivs that the movements of the party were |;d and reported by scouts, in consequence L:k the Natives had moved further up the land that they were joined, in the night, b canoes full of people. They then conlof about 80 or 90 men, 40 of whom were li with muskets, besides women and cliilI On Saturday morning, before sun-rise, fiats having "been brought up the river, liropsans embarked in them and ascended ■ four miles further up. They then found lie Natives were posted on the right bank lien rivulet called Tua Marino, about 30 Bide, not fordable, and flowing into the I on the left bank of it. The Europeans |:ed and placed themselves opposite to ■fives on the left bank of the rivulet, with 1 behind them covered with fern and Ik and sloping upwards with several i&r terraces. The Natives were on about

iter of an acre of cleared ground, with a thicket behind them. The police magisdicd upon Rauparaha and Rangihaiata, guested a canoe to be placed across the |: to form a bridge, which was done by hives. The magistrate with the constaH interpreter and some of the gentlemen [lover, and entered into a parley with the

lii the meantime the men on the

title, under cover of a small thicket, were into two parties under the command of i England and Mr. Howard. Mr. son, through the interpreter, explained tents of the warrant. He said that he e Queen’s representative, that it had

! to do with the land, and called upon iha and Rangihaiata to surrender ; Mr. son was very much excited, and pointed tfmed men. The Native chiefs refused snder; they said that they would not tta they were expecting the arrival of 'in and Mr. Clarke, and would have a p they came. The Missionary Natives farmed and their chief E Pua came I with the New Testament in his hand, ideated Mr. Thompson not to permit rr ’ u '’ warrant was presented to the

» or three times, each occasion Natives who had been sitting sprung % feet and levelled their muskets at Mr. Thompson then ordered ■to aoss the river, *ch f y udno 1 the canoe as a budge. omeSt a general discharge of musketry Jincnc a get gentlemen ?th°en to cross ilie rivulet by the «din so doi 2 d^‘e *J m TfeTwonnded “ 11 Pantin Wakefield called upon the hilt and form on the They began to do so. At this moment Gained S tlmt the Natives were on

point of taking to flight, when Rauparaha, seeing the retreat, excited his men, and raising a war cry they darted across the rivulet and pursued the Europeans, the majority of whom never halted, but fled round the sides of the hill and escaped. The gentlemen, who were unarmed, accompanied by a small number of the men, formed upon the hill and lay down to await the arrival of the Natives. They then exhibited a white handkerchief as a token of peace, which was understood by the Natives. Captain Wakefield then ordered the Europeans to deliver up their arms, which they did, and became prisoners in the hands of the Natives. They were standing quietly in a group when Rangihaiata, who had just discovered that one of his wives had been killed by a chance, ball, came up and said to Rauparaha, “ Don’t forget vour daughter.” Rauparaha sat still and consented, and Rangihaiata, with his own hand, put to death the whole of the prisoners. Some of the survivors found their way to the beach through the swamps, and were picked up by whale boats the same night, others wandered into the mountains and lost themselves several days. The last of these reached Port Underwood on Wednesday, having tasted no food but three turnips, which he picked up on Tuesday. As soon as the Natives had perpetrated the deed, they left the bodies without rifling them of anything beyond a few articles of clothing, and retreated to the mouth of the river. They shortly after abandoned Cloudy Bay, accompanied by all the resident Natives. On the Saturday afternoon, Mr. Tuckett, and others who had escaped through the low grounds to the beach, set sail for Wellington to procure assistance, and arrived in the night. A deputation from the bench of magistrates returned in the brig on Wednesday, as soon as a violent South-easter would permit them to leave .the harbour. On their arrival at Cloudy Bay, they found that Mr. Ironside, the Wesleyan Missionary, had proceeded with two boats’ companies of Whalers to inter the bodies, which they did on the ground where they fell. It appears that the Natives afterwards were seized with great terror, and had formed the determination of retiring up the Manewatu, a fortified pali in the interior, there to await the vengeance of the white men, which they fully expected would follow them.

The following is a list of the killed and O missing : KILLED. Captain Wakefield, Captain England, 11. A. Thompson, Esq., G. R. Richardson, Esq. Patchett, Esq., | Howard, Esq., Cotterell, Esq., Mr. John Brooke, Interpreter William Clanzay, Thomas Ratclifte, William Northam. Thomas Pay, Coster, James M’Gregor, William Gardner, Ely Cropper, Henry Buraforth, Thomas Tyrrell, MISSING. Malen, Chief Constable, Edward Stokes, Thomas Ilannam, John Burton.