AUCKLAND

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 100, 12 October 1863, Page 2

AUCKLAND

T The grgM|pbsiho|rof Mere Mere na9 no been st^iTO^jjtgSs^trac, aad I think it likely to do~so for^sjjtne weeks" to"' coma ; Tjie .jqeliidn r fpf| 'tsi£* (i<i|^ou) .'..■ Jutteip, "cnange* of tactics iyjMyjshould . m JCojii *j^ov^£^rr^t^oTve^«be»owins*-ift^a | degree, £oj thgi^tf f@dec^aidijSi!geli r natiyeta^ticsL-AvMcli . has. taken place di the last fortnig]jtpjs s^/ißefore last So'm] J^iail theiaea^in tKe^Maori mihd'seemaJi that of pre'veiitirig 4 sjFalFjrfelßs any ad,, .up., .the. :Waikato ; : by-mean^o^~the fotj . position} afr^ rentiy $uddehiy-abiin3pasd forT^ sonable one of i aCI renewed \ attempt to q the r war liito^'our forest on alL^sides^of our 4ine3 f of defe ■living : upon J tlie,;se i i;tlers f ',cattleV and inn desultory attacks on different i parts of lines of defence at the same'ltirae. (j skill has beeritshowh in the method on »j this'has b ?.en conducted fry the natives; I am happy to;say /that, owing; to our rapt improving means of offence and dafencj every direction^ . ths .scheme. h'a3.-j not broj with it almost any: of- that profit whid cleverness would -- seem to haye A desen Therehave during the' last teri days beenalt daily encounters in some part .or 'other of forest between' our men 'and* the native?,! in all cases our (civilian '"' troops i' have j their own share of •< the; fighting/ and doni well too. : It is satisfactory to have | record that in no single case \ of ; a skirt did our people^give way, but that on the,! trary the Maofies nave'.invariablyUaken J after a sharp* fight, an<i; generally after »; considerablerloss pnj their patb. ?. You have probably -heaKFWjFsbme of indirect \ means of/ communication',! bfc there are now a good many between thisp and the Southern Province^, of the murti Mr Anni tage, late Resident Magistrate in Lower Waikatq, by the* natives. II- $ to have been basely by aboutr4o fessedly friendly, native?, . iyho were, enga under his supermtendenqei in "boating hqrse feed from the store. ship at them; of the river to the camp. at the Bluff. 1 chery seems to have been at the" root of unfortunate affair;- ! as, whether the .trap known before to the friendly natives or there cannot be a 7 question that they left Armitage and two "other . white men, secured in some way their own safety at expense of the European's lives, and of convoy ot food which they 'had 'in clii The only notice that has been taken of i conduct has been the palling down tha that overlooked bur' position^ and, sen] them to live' at another which Hneyh'aii some distance down the livSf. In conseqn; of the news of these murders and the cap! of stores, a small detachment of 50 men;'ui Captain Swift, of the 65th Regiment, fir'asi out from Auckland, to advance thriugl forest in the direction of the spot indicate] the burning provisions, which had been fire to by the rebels on finding it ua& human consumption^ The ; number ufi sent by Colonel Murray was^-already" sin as the event proved," but nevertheless gallant captain made his way nearly Jo place without being stopped.- Sudde however, he found himself opposed ia forest by a force of nearly 200 natives, attacked them at once, but most-unfortuni received a mortal wound at the first i charge. Outnumbered as four 5 to one, gallant band fought on for many hours, at last actually succeeded in first driving t and then putting to flight the enemy by.i own unassisted efforts. Of course^pursuiii out of the question, as'themen^ereabsolii worn-out by their, super-human exertions,! having, there can/scarcely be, a' :doubt,jila hors de eonibat upwards of thirtyjUienqf enemy, of whom," not 'few short of ten i absolutely killed s pn{ )tlie spot.; f Lieute Butler, who was fsecond inT command; severely wounded^; jbutVcontinued to fire revolver while brbught-upon—his-knees, actually shot twq^Maoris 'dead" [while in position. Qur r casualties ( in the affair i two men, besides^hej lamented Capt. Si and some six or seven-wouuded,"*U of ift are doing ■well. "OaTtne ? same r d*y then curbed a sharp /struggle between sa comii party of .two of 'our -local ran] corps and a body of Jabotit one hundred tives, at a place ;abput ;:four"miles' from scene of Capt. Swifts action. .The i being more equa:> (there were. fully fift : our men), the struggle was much shoi and only lasted' for about half-ah-hqur. S ral natives were .killed and wounded, owing to the lateness :of ;' tlie'.. hour at' i I the fight took place, and the darkaWof I thick bush, the flying: Maoris i jstttceede I getting away all the bodies. " '"Hie .third, f most serious engagement Lcif Jatelhas beet attack upon the stockade at Pukehohe,? was made on the 14th of the .month/ garrison were but 'Veryifewtraen, and ti perfectly raw,i)eing volunteers who had v seen a shot fired in earnest. __in_.theiil before ; still, when the attack was mad the forenoon by a large force of a)>out I hundred nWtives.thteyheidithem adia in the heart of the. forest, , miles fran assistance, with the - most gallant fortil and kept the enemy af bay?- r Gradually s detachments from the nearest posts, hei the firing, which was continuous and he began fo arrive tp^their relief, jmd to? the afternoon, theiforceof. out/men eng amounted • to about rlso l :meQ_,,,c^)nsist« soldiers of the 15thand; 40th Regiments, vi teersj militiamen orPittjs brigade, and thi ginalband of Puhekohe. volunteers. It ws until dusk that, the natives gfive-iip top making anything of the.business' aud -rf leaving all tlieir" dead wlib had fallen o? the foiest in our hands. ..The rest wit! wounded they carried off as their custo Nine bodies 'were thus /found by our met buried, wliile., our 'loss 1 was three men 1 and seven wounded.^, ;The: native .loss have been very heavy, and could not been less than/fifty /tors de \ combat, prol this estimate is I much ' tdo/low;; ; Tliere been several fights at.the Hairoai - in sm which several, natives, have been ..killed left in our hands, but generally the M will run almost incredible risk to carry b bodies, seeming' to view them much * American Indian would" the : scalps ol fellow : warriors— things to be saived « costs. Our arrivals of " yoluriteei s have most satisfactory. The ■ Star qf; India Melbourne brought mbre.thaii 1400 jnen the Caducius withia .like number is oti at this [moment from thejsame place. J 250 have come from, Sydney^ -and nu* daily expected. From Otagojwe 'have 1 100 men, and we must, I Vsiippose coi that source of supply'at least. partially .& by the great finds of ] gold reported Iron province. V Troopsj haye, .also , 'arrived Melbourne' in the Quefen of ' tine' South) ' number of, 150 of/the-'iOtb.':' About 100' I'2'tli are lo6ked r fdr*dailyJfrbni Sydney % Cur acoa; frigate, . which scwas =;to;jleave^ 19th instant.- "Two ships f with jruniiS hay ,isin^j^^|M^J«ingirig ? 500 passengers, thpyiare tEe Owen Glen l andtbeAinnie^ilspnxS'i -Sjg/f. V The - Provinciat GouiicU meets this i noon for the despatch^ of ; business. session "wiir;be^6^^;,^V»^iJ^^; The coriyjct t^^per^ suffered" deate Tuesday within the]i4p.i at '-Mount Edeu profeg£^d{!enitence.,V s . T r;;-^ j. -_ v i