TARANAKI.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 61, 9 June 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

TARANAKI.

(From the Advertisers correspondent.) May 26, 1863. Yesterday morning it was considered almost certain that before the week was ouf events of immense interest would transpire, but the elements have ordained it otherwise. General Cameron started with a force of 600 men from the town for the rebels' country, and by taking men from the different redoubts, would have been at the head of 900 men, and would have made good use of them had the weather not interfered with hi 3 plans. Of course I cannot say what his plans were, but it was pretty certain that he would not have come back again without attacking one or more of the pahs, and occupying some native territory. The troops had I three days-' provisions, left the town yesterday morning, halted at Oakura last night, and were to have started at four a.m. to-day, to commence hostilities against the southerners. The civilian forces were left irT charge of the % town, and although the extra duty ) made it necessary for some of us to go \')\ on picket, &c, two nights following, \IA there was not a murmur, for we hoped J and felt certain that the general would do something decisive. But all has been upset by^the sudden breaking up of the weather, and since an early hour v this morning; rain has poured down in- • ■ \cessantly. The expedition has returned J to town. Natives have been seen in rear of the town since the expedition left, and we had tobe on the alert, and more thau ordinary precaution taken against a surprise on any of our patrols and oat-. lying pickets, * ,

The Governor was to have gone to Tataraimaka in the Eclipse, but he could not have landed had he attempted it. I fear that the weather will greatly interfere with any movements against the enemy for some time to come, and I think it will be best to act only on the defensive during the rainy months. There is no donbt that when the proper time arrives the Taranaki and Ngatiruanui country will be occupied by troops, and the territory confiscated. Waitara, too, will fall into our hands, for I hear that the Mataitawa natives will join the Southerners this week, notwithstanding what the Governor told them, that he should confiscate their lands if they assisted his enemies. At present things are looking up. I believe the Governor now sees that the strong arm alone can restore peace to the country ; but to maintain law and order, the natives must be subdued, and the notion that they must be the dominant race taken out of them. The wonder is that his Excellency has been so long finding it out. The recent cold-blooded murders have raised such a desire for revenge in the breasts of the soldiery, that the only fear is that they will t>e too precipitate and rash in battle. It is a consolation to know we have a General who is both plucky and cautious, and who is determined to make an example of the murdering savages of Ngatirnanui's and Taranaki's. There was no salute here on Queen's Birthday ; troops all away, or preparing for service, and the Volunteers and Militia have been so used up by night duty, that the authorities considerately relieved them from the parade, &c, necessary. Don't think it was because we don't care for our Queen (God bless her!), for we are all loyal to the backbone, I believe, in Taranaki. An unfortunate accident occurred on Sunday night. One of the double sentries took his comrade, wlio had gone a short distance from him, to attend to a case of nature, to be a Maori coming through the fern, and after the usual challenge, which the man did not reply to, fired at him, the bullet smashing his wrist, and wounding his hip. Both were militia men — Ward and Wolff — the latter the wounded man. He is going "on as well as can be expected, but will lose his hand. (From the Taranaki Herald, May 23-) Sunday, 17th May.— H. M. S. S. Eclipse, commander Mayne, returned from Manukau this morning, and | brought 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and ] 7 j men of the Royal Artillery, and two ] Armstrong guns, together with a j quantity of ammunition and stores from the Commissariat and Deputy i Quartermaster General's departments. Major Mould, R.E., Staff AssistantSurgeon Tomlinson, and Mr. Rogan ; were also passengers. It is said that j the head-quarters of the 40th Regt. j may be expected here on the 26th. i Mr. Rogan has been recently in the Waikato country, and was the bearer of a letter from the Native Minister to Matutaera and the principal chiefs of Waikato, giving an account of the Governor's proceedings here, and the late massacre. It is said that Mr. Rogan and his party suffered some obstruction to their progress on the low^r part of the river, their baggage and clothing having been carefully searched. "Mr. Rogan, however, reached Ngarnawahia, and, without having been permitted to see Matutaera himself, delivered the letter to the person appointed by that chief to receive it. The Natives declined to pronounce any opinion upon the facts contained in Mr Bell's letter, until tlvy heard the other, or native side of the story. Matutaera is, however, reported to have made use of the following expression — " Waikato ! takoto, ka haere tenei ki a Ngatimaniapoto ki te whakamatau i tera ; " that is — " Waikato ! lie down, this is going to Ngatimaniapoto to make trial of them." The Eclipse left for Nelson in the afternoon to coal. It was signalled to-day from Tataraimaka that one of the Land Transport Corps was fired at this morning and slightly wounded by the Natives while driving into camp some strayed oxen. This, it will be observed, is the first action of the Southern Natives since the abadonment of Waitura. Monday, May 18. — It was signalled from Tataraimaka this morning — the signals can only give intelligence in as few words as possible — that a part of the 57th from the redoubt, under Lieut Brutton, fell in with a party of the enemy crossing the Katikara Stream, when the troops opened fire upon ihem, killing one, from whom was taken a gun and cartouch box. The Natives came out in force, and a skirmish ensued with loss to the enemy, for as many as six natives were seen carried to their pah on stretchers, killed or wounded. No casualties on our side. We hope to have further particulars of this affair, in which, we hear, Lieut. Brutton and his party behaved with great gallantry and skill. Tuesday, I.9th May. — The weather set in wet. No further particulars from Tataraimaka — the haziness of the atmosphere preventing signals being made out. This evening the Militia and Volunteers told off for patrols and outlying pickets, &c, marched to their respective posts in pouring rain, and, although many leave a comfortable home and fireside for the discomforts of the pickethouse and blockhouse (and in many instances lately every other night), all cheerfully do their duty without a murmur. It may be added that the General has expressed himself very much gratified with the conduct of the civilian forces in the present emergency, and has made it his business to attend particularly to the comfort of the men a? far a? lies in his power.

Wednesday, 20th May. — Rain poured down without intermission all night, and has continued all day, accompanied with a searching S.E. wind. The troops under canvas will have their endurance severely tried during the winter months, — In conversation to-day with a native who has had more than ordinary experience in the mode of native warfare, he said that the natives in attacking a place usually wait till the rising of the morning star (Tawera), when they prepare for the assault by moving down a gully or watercourse to within a convenient distance. Here a scout is sent forward to reconnoitre, who creeps on all -fours into the pah or village, and if he succeeds in finding the garrison unmindful of their duty, procures a calibash or one of the mats with which the food in a native oven is covered, and which he carries off to the main body as a token that he has entered unperceived. The place is then rushed, and an indiscriminate slaughter ensues. The night before the assault is to take place, the attacking party agrees upon a distinguishing mark, which is the white leaf of a certain tree (wharangi, &c.,) tied on the head, one hapu having it on the left, another on the right, another in the front of the head. This is to prevent confusion in the melee. However, they generally time it so that daylight dawns, or (as the native said) when they can see each other after the place is assaulted. To attack a tJwn, for instance, at night would not answer, he said, for the attacking party would not know the run of the houses, and friend and foe would alike have the same advantage ; indeed the attacked party would have a great advantage over the attacking, because the former would be ignorant how to find the latter, especially in their houses, where they would stumble against chairs, tables, glassware, &c. Before attacking a town, they would ascertain when the people in it were least on their guard, and as white people generally leave their arms at home in the daytime, and go about their several avocations, and at night are always on the look-out, he thought .that in the middle of the day a sudden attack might very possibly be made. The above is given as representing the Maori idea on the subject. Thursday, 21st May.— The Eslips ■ returned from Nelson to-day, after calling in off Tataraimaka, where she took soundings. Commander Mayne endeavored to land in his gig, but the surf was too high. However, by remainiug outside the breakers, he managed to hold a brief conversation with a person on the beach under the redoubt, who informed him of the skirmish on Monday ; seven or eight natives are believed to have been killed, but only one body fell into our hands, the man from whom the gun was taken, and who was bayonetted by Lieut. Brutton's party. Preparations for communication with Tataraimaka to-morrow by sea in the Eclipse, in which vessel the Governor intends goin^. The sun rose this morning in a cloudless sky, and the mountain wind, with a warm sunshine all day, has completely dried up the effects of the late rain on the roads, &c. A gathering of northern natives at Moturoa, similar to that at Mangaoue on the 18th ult,, broke up to-day. Upwards of eighty cartloads of potatoes, maize, kumeras, &c 3 have passed through the town as a present to Poharama and his people, and the same return of flour, sugar, blankets, &c, has been made. Friday, May 22. — Weather has been fine all day, and the sea calm as a mill- J pond. The Eclipse, with His Excellency ! the Governor and suite, the Generals and staff Colonels Hulchins and Gamble, Mr Parris, Assist-Native Secretary, and Mr. Watson, the Harbor Master, left the anchorage at 10.30 o'clock this morning for Tataraimaka. She took three surfboats laden with firewood, &c. About noon the report of heavy guns was distinctly heard in town, and it is believed that the calmness of the sea has enabled Commander Mayne to try the range of his 100-pounder Armstrong gun on some of the pahs on the coast. 7 p.m — The Eclipse has just returned from her trip down the coast. The surf-boats safely landed on the beach near the redoubt (the only landing place, which is represented by Mr Watson to be rocky and very unsafe even in fine weather;, and the Governor and the general visited the camps, where all is going on well. The gallant 57 ih at Tataraimaka keep a vigilant watch on thee movements of the rebels and only requir some actions on their posts to relieve th monotony of their solitary position. Th c General on reaching the camp at once complimented the troops on their conduct on Monday last, and also Mr Arthur j Bayly, the son of an old settler, who acted as guide to the party and advised as the best position to take up for securing their object. Before landing at Tataraimaka the Eclipse steamed down about two miles beyond the Redoubt and threw several shells into a kainga which, we. suppose to be Tukipapa, where a number of natives were seen, and also into a gully into which the natives scampered after the first 100-pounder shell fell ; and elsewhere along the coast at different times during the day. We hear that at one place the natives ran along the coast after the steamer firing off their guns at her, yelling, &c. The rebels were seen at work digging earthworks at different positions extending from Kaitake along the back of Tataraimaka to beyond the Katikara stream, and appeared to be in considerable numbers. Before returning to town the Eclipse went down as far as Warea, when his Excellency and the General had an ex cellent opportunity of viewing the country in that direction. The soldier wounded (in two places) by the enemy on Sunday last has been brought up to town, and is not dangerously hurt. The double barrelled gun taken from the native killed on Monday has likewise been brought to town. The natives have a series of rifle pits on the banks of the Katikara stream, and have advanced as near as 300 yards from the redoubt. Rifle bullets are frequently heard 'ping-ing' over the camp and one or two have dropped into it. From those rifle pits the soldier was wounded on Sunday last, he having gone so near that the only two shots fired hit him, and the

natives keep a sharp watch from them upon any stragglerg from the camp. Saturday, May 23. — We learn from the Poutoko to-day that one of Col. Warre's reconnoitering parlies last night surprised a small body of enemy in the bush, who fled precipitately, leaving the carcases of ten sheep in process of being cooked. We may well imagine what became of the hundreds of sheep lost during the last war. The outlying parties of the 57th at Poutoko and Oakura gave the rebels no rest.