New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, June 20, 1846.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 93, 20 June 1846, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, June 20, 1846.

The report which we published last Wednesday of an engagement having taken place between the troops stationed at the camp and the rebels has since been confirmed, and the following we believe is a correct account of the particulars so far as we have been able to collect them. Between three and four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, a strong party, consisting of forty soldiers under the command of Capt. Reid and Lieutenant Herbert, nine of the Hutt Militia, and fifteen friendly natives, left the camp and proceeded along the Hutt road towards Taita. When within half a mile of the latter place, a native who was a little in advance of the party suddenly gave the alarm that the rebels were in front, and discharged his musket, and immediately afterwards the enemy who were posted behind some fallen, timber, and covered by the thick bush, fired a volley at the advancing party, who were about fifteen yards distant. The fire was returned by the troops, .and after the engagement had lasted a short time, the officer in .command being apprehensive of an attempt on the part of the rebels to prevent the return of his party to the camp, sounded a retreat, and reached the camp, with one officer and four rank and .file woujnded, and^two men missing. In the retreat, Lieut. Herbert, who was wounded in the arm, and two of thewounded men, were left behind, and, for some time were exposed to great danger. Lieut. Herbert finding him"self separated from his ' party, contrived to conceal himself in the' bush, and fortunately escaped the observation of the rebels who were close to the spot, until the advance of a body of , friendly natives caused them to retire, and enabled him to effect his return to tne camp in safety. The number of the 1 enemy has been variously estimated, some accounts state them at between seventy and eighty, while others re-

poit them to have heen much fewer in number. It would appear that until the alarm was given the soldiers were not aware of the presence of the enemy, who had crossed the river for the purpose of collecting potatoes, and the greater part of whom resumed their employment on the retreat of the soldiers, until the advance of a body of friendly natives under E Puni compelled them to recross the river. It is not correctly ascertain- j ed that anyof the rebels were killed or wounded in the engagement with the troops. i On the report of the firing being heard at Taita, Ensign White left the stockade with a serjeant and detachment of twelve men, and hastened to the scene of action, and ©n . his march was exposed to the attack of the rebels, who immediately commenced firing on his party. The Militia returned the fire with great coolness and gallantry, and having posted themselves under the cover of the fallen timber and surrounding bush, kept up the engagement for a considerable time, but hearing voices on each side of them, and being apprehensive that the enemy would endeavour to outflank them, Mr. White considered it prudent to return to the stockade which he had left but weakly defended, as it was then growing dark. This he happily effected after an engagement of an hour and a half with the rebels, without any casualty occurring to his party ; while there is j every reason to believe that several natives fell under the fire of his party. j On Wednesday a considerable body of the ; friendly natives crossed the river and scoured the bush, when the rebels retired before them. They returned again towards the evening, and the settlers living near the bridge were under great apprehensions that their houses would be attacked, and many of them sent their wives and children to the stockade for safety. On Thursday the wounded were brought to Wellington in one of the boats of H.M.S. Calliope. The above plain recital of facts is the strongest comment that can be made on the system pursued by the Local Authorities. In every collision with the rebels the loss has been on our side. Disaster, and shall we add defeat and disgrace, have attended each engagement. And why ? — We have no intention of casting the slightest imputation on either the officers or men, who, we believe, have on all occasions fully sustained the character of British soldiers for courage and gallantry. But what avails the most devoted courage without the direction of prudence or energy ? From past events it is impossible to suppose that either the Superintendent or the Officer in command has formed any settled plan of action. They seem agreed on one point only, in refraining from doing anything, although every day's experience shows the folly and fatuity of their conduct. The rebels are permitted to choose their hour and opportunity for attack, and as a consequence the loss, as we have before said, has hitherto always been on our side. The troops have now been in their present position on' the Hutt nearly three months, but no attempt has been made to clear away the bush by which they are surrounded, and which allows the enemy to approach within musket shot of the camp without observation. It is now four months since the rebels were driven from the Hutt, and during this period, though the Superintendent has been repeatedly urged to remove or destroy all the. potatoes from the land formerly under cultivation by them, yet no active measures have been adopted for this purpose, and the district has ever since been constantly visited by the rebels to obtain supplies of food. Recently the friendly natives have been encouraged to remove the potatoes, but they have not takenany of those in the grounds above the camp, which still remain as a magazine for the use of the rebels. It is now five weeks since the friendly natives determined to make common cause with the Government in attempting to repress the present disturbances, but as no distinguishing mark has been given to them (for we do not consider the dirty piece of calico which may be easily imitated by the rebels deserving this appellation) whereby in any engage-

ment our friends may be discerned from our foes, it has been more by good luck than good management that no serious mistake has yet occurred. Some time or other it is intended that each friendly native shall have a blue shirt with the letters V.R. painted on it in white characters, as a sort of uniform, but the preparation is so long and tedious, that the war may be over before it is completed. We have adduced the above examples to shew, that even in minor points and matters of detail, much mischief might have been prevented by a little common sense and activity, even if the authorities had determined to remain on the defensive. But nothing has been done to prevent disaster or guard against defeat, everything has been left to chance, and the lamentable events which have occurred since his Excellency's departure, are only the legitimate consequences of the conduct pursued by the Local Authorities. We believe the Superintendent has received official despatches, giving an account of the late engagement, but up to the hour of going to press, no copies have been for- • warded to the Spectator to be published for the information of the settlers.

The Superintendent and the Officer in command of the troops were the last to hear, and the last to believe the report of the late engagement. They affected to treat it as idle gossip. Such faith have they in their do-nothing system, that nothing short of an official despatch could convince them the rebels were more active than themselves.

It is reported that the two missing men returned to the camp on Thursday morning. At the end of the skirmish they found themselves separated from the main body, and being observed, four of the rebels set off in pursuit of them. They shot two of their pursuers when the other two retreated, and shortly afterwards they lost themselves in the bush, and did not succeed in making their way back to the camp until Thursday morning. One of the men was slightly wounded in the forehead.

It is reported that during the absence of Ensign White and his party from Taita, a party of the friendly natives who had approached the stockade were fired upon by the Militia at that station, under the impression that they belonged to the rebels. The natives immediately threw themselves on their faces, and Mr. D. Scott, who was with the party, went forward and rectified the mistake. This circumstance sufficiently justifies the remarks we have made when alluding to the neglect or delay of the Superintendent to provide against a contingency of this nature.

On Thursday two soldiers belonging to the 99th regt. left the camp in company with some friendly natives, intending to return to Wellington. While travelling the load leading from the Hutt bridge, a short distance from the pa at Petoni, they were fired upon by the rebels, and several shots were exchanged between them. Fortunately they succeeded in reaching Wellington without any accident.

The funeral of the late Richard Rush, whose barbarous murder by the rebels was recorded in our last number, took place on Thursday afternoon. The body was interred in the Public Cemetery, and was followed to its last resting place by a considerable number of settlers. The Rev. R. Cole performed the burial service. It is intended to raise a subscription for his widow and children, and we earnestly solicit the attention of our fellow settlers to the appeal made to them in this day's Spectator on their behalf.

We are requested to warn the Public that the Police have been instructed to lay information against all persons firing guns on Sundays in the Town, or on the belt surrounding the Town of Wellington.

The private communications from England vid Sydney received by the Kestrel are of an encouraging nature as to the future prospects of New Zealand. It is believed now that Lord Stanley is out of office, that brighter days are in store for the colony under Captain Grey as Governor, and Mr. Gladstone the new Colonial Minister. Our friends in England have yet to learn how the incompetence and mismanagement of the Superintendent has been more than sufficient to blast the fairest prospects and render the brightest hopes delusive, as the events of the last few weeks abundantly testify.

Wellington Savings Bank. — Mr. William Hickson, Mr. P. D. Hogg, Mr. T. Hoggard, and Mr. M'Donald the Managers in rotation, will attend to receive deposits at Mr. Ross's office, from seven to eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the 20th June, and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock on Monday forenoon, the 22d Junt,