AUCKLAND.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 88, 8 September 1863, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

■ (FROM OUtt OWS C° IIB KBP°SPE« T -/ ■ j- < F * W 26th August, 1563. B ,rta£ of avery striking character present Knives for record since the date ol .my K«er to you. All is still preparation, a fen which will undoubtedly ear Ky of fruit when it once begins, but which Eat present while in progress those feaIcresagHS B s not to over-run mere*, bu t J ML Zealand ; and to do this w » * Hot wifli this , e*M£^ a daßh up the Krwisedo andmereiy cayalry Hkatowith » JJgJullof infantry, burn ■ perhaps a steamer i plant ations fc^J g^ghSorhood/and then ■™ Hii obfect must be to meet and ■ rtl ' ?i -i2Siter as many bodies of ■at with slaughter a .^ fieM ■yes as may ne j» « eubduea the ■Ks£ ye Hhatever conditions of ■■.submissive w them m e lt ma Ke great reasons for our slow ferrV^tois yet. The steamer mFP-JWJLtoAIv been many miles beyond ■" rh£, and of courae.the troops ■j?»t some risk be conveyed piecemeal by Kta : same M,M «»». ld f ect aPf B l .™ . „_ nosition in these respects. fc the Gen e r nßoth could and Sould ■!hnn the country without a day's delay, ■f coula sweep « great breadth of country ■ Aim as he went, and could moreover K If force all the moie salient points X, the line, so as to prevent a K?n of the Maories into his rear. H arrival of the steamer Tmpo, Ktfcc) "deviL " ifl the Waikato which may Kroected in about a week or ten days now, ■ form another most important step in our Kress towards a complete conquest of the Ktrv She is well fitted to contend with ■ difficulties of the navigation, and well Biased will penetrate a hundred miles if ■d be, beyond Mangatawhai. ■he natives have to a man deserted the Boded ranges of the Hunua and Wairoa, Bch have been traversed in all directions ■our "allant volunteer bands without meetB a single native even in places where they B been in great numbers, and had even put ■buildings of great extent, which were of Brsc destroyed at once. At first it seemed ■ a little doubtful where the natives had Re to, and fears were even entertained that ■attack upon Auckland by sea from the lames country, was being prepared for. ■is now apparent, however, that their only ■ect was to strengthen the force, which, is Spared to oppose stoutly any further vio-; ■ion of the Waikato territory, by the impe■us pakeha. The first great stand is to be ■ a place marked in the Southern Cross ftps as Mere Mere, at the junction of the Eiramaniii Creek and the Waikato lliver. lie position is a very fine one, and would be ■ but inpregnable if held by European fcops. As it is, the loss in storming it, wili übtless. be severe (probably over a 100 >n), which will render it the most arduous cur military matters yet transacted. The >ne>al is not ti raid, however, thank Heaven, out the loss of a few men, when a great jeet is to be gained, such as that which icloubtedly is to be at Mere Mere. All oper andeven possible precautions are being ken to secure us the full benefit of our perior appliances, and the General has ished Jus advanced post to the nearest point Mere Mere, on this side the Marnoma Creek. This will be of great rvice, as Armstrong guns planted on the gh bluff on whicli the redoubt is built, will i able to command with their shells the landg which will be necessary for the assaulting Sops to attempt from their boats on the rer. Without some such support as this it ould be a matter of the very greatest diffiIty for cur soldiers to effect a landing at I, as they will probably be commanded by c fire of some 1500 guns from the rifle pits, rather gallaries, which honey-comb the hole face of the hill Mere Mere. My own eat anxiety is not, I confess, for our success carrying the position, but rather for the curing a great loss to the natives. The iefartof Maori engineers seems to lie in eir marvellous power of securing a retreat om any position which they take up ; this, course, the General will endeavor, to prode against; but here again the want of men ill prove a serious obstacle, as all, or nearly 1 the General's disposable force will inevit ■ >ly be required in front. I believe we shall icounter for the first time at Mere Mere the )Wer of the Maori nation, and the destruc>n of several hundred of them would produce proportionably great eft'ect on the people, sides utterly shaking their confidence in eir leaders, who are all congregated, I learn i good authority, at the great position. At ast there is little doubt that both Thompson id Jlewi have been recognized as among the aori workmen on the hill at Mere Mere. We have as yet no accounts from Sydney to the opening of the campaign with the ggers by the Native Minister, but we may foe to do so on the arrival of the steamer, kpected to be later even than usual this lonth from wanting some repairs at Sydney, [Web. would necessarily delay her. I The troops so readily given up by the Taslanian Government,* to whom this colony wes a debt of gratitude for the same, have at as yet arrived, but may be looked for lortly ; and we 6hall probably not have long > wait for news from. Melbourne of some lovement in the troops stationed in Victoria, nless the Victorians have sadly degenerated om the high position they took during the rst Taranaki war. Sydney, I hope, will stand alone in her nenviable position of the only unsympathetic olony in these seas with the troubles of Tew Zealand ; and even from her, I believe, fie General's* Order will biing those troops faich she would not give up at the Governor's equest, to help us in our difficulty. We aust hope for much greater reinforcements han these if we are to put an end to the war his year, or even before this time next year, rad these have been most urgently demanded iotli by the Governor and the General from be Imperial Government, which, if not very inwise in its parsimony, will not hesitate for i day. The natives In the north are quiet, nd may be said to await the turn of events, 'hen they will side with the winner. We ould get their help now by paying for it, nd I happen to know that the General and otne of the Ministers are far from averse to 'uch a course, as we shall have to light the lorth hereafter, if thoy are not weakened now 7J Some other means.