THE SEAT OF WAR.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 110, 4 November 1863, Page 3

THE SEAT OF WAR.

ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE REBELS LATEST FROM AUCKLAND. 'Owing to limited space we are'unable to-dry to publish at length the address of His Excelleucy the ' Governor at the opening of tie As sembly. The following is a summary of the speech from the -New Zcalander of the 24-th inst : — " The event of the week has been the opening, by the -Governor in person, of the current session of the New-Zealand 'Parliament. The -speech opens with an allusion to the Taranaki Escort murder, whicli, the Governor says, was the result of ""the occtfpation of *b block of land by my orders,'' and was " instigate.! and directed by the tribes of Waikato, who have for some time past been endeavoring to form a general combination oi the natives, having for its avowed object the indiscriminate slaughter of the European inhabitants of the colony." In the face of aH tin's he thought it his duty not to attempt to complete the purchase of the-Waitara Block, The Imperial Government was applied to for military assistance, and tho neighboring colonies for military settlers, whilst active niea-suies were taken in the colony itself, by which means he hoped to bring the war to a successful issue. A large expenditure was necessary, and to meet this, an Act for raising a loan wmild be introduced. Tbe Imperial Government had deciileu that the direction of Native policy and Native affairs should be placed, under the control of the General Assembly, and he advised their acceptance of the responsioilty. He relied on th«-ir sapport to make thrs the last war " which shall afflict the inhabitants of New Zealand." To do this, and "to render future insurrection hopeless," he"proposed the opening up of roads into ftie interior, and the introduction of military settlers on to the waste lands of the rebellious natives," ufiding : It is only just that they should be made to feel some of the evil consequences of plunging the coudtr }'j by wanton and unprovoked aggressioire, into the expenses and miseries incidental to civil war ; and thus it is hoped to afford a warning to other tribes to abstain from conduct which will be attended with the kind of punishment they ate most apprehensive of." ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REBELS. We give the following additional particulars of the last engagement with the native*:, from the Daily Southern Cross, of the 24ih inst: — By two o'clock to-day I sent you intelligence of the fact that the rebels had crossed the Waikato, and were in the neighborhood of the Bald Hills at the Mauku. There h.ive been, for some time, various rumors of the approach of several Southern tribes to this and the Waiuku districts. At length they have come. I don't knr>"W how far our authorities are to blame in allowing them to'come, aud why posts have not been established t© hinder their approach. "But T?ura Pura has been -neglected, and the rebels have had liberty to come across. •I believe their object was to attack the Pioneer * as she steamed up the Waikato. Tii'ed of waiting for the steamer, they concocted othermischief. Between eight and nine o'clock this morning, some forty volunteers, under Lieutenant Lusli, went out Swd when near The Mauku church the rebels appeared in "sight towards , the Bald Hills. Lieutenant Lusk at once dispatched a messenger to Mauku stockade for. reinforcements. Twelve men and Sergeant Hill were dispatched 'to reinforce Mr Lusk's party, under the command of Lieutenant Percival of the Ist Waikato Regiment. This . small party took tlie wrong track to the church \ where Mr Lusk and party were posted, and came suddenly upon the Maories. Fire wasopened on the enemy by this small handful of volunteers, who kept up the unequal conflict for full half an hour. They then retired in skirmishing order, firing as they retired, keeping the enemy well in check. The volunteers retired without loss -to themselves, but 1 have reason to believe the enemy, who were in the open for a considerable time, and whose numbers were very great, was not so , [ fortunate. This contest lay between fourteen of our volunteers and from four hundred to five hundred armed natives. The party succeeded in reaching the larger ' force at the Church, which was waiting for ' reinforcements from ...the Stockade. On the reinforcements .joining, the whole party proceed towards the rebels. !From what transpired I should say that the Batives, seeing the approach of the volunteers, divided themselves into two parties. They waited until the small attacking force had got well, into the bush, and i then managed to outflank and surround them. They opened a heavy fire, which \v»i returned by the volunteers. Under the circumstances, and fightingagainst •such fearful odds, it was deemed prudent to retreat '; aud the men gallantly fought their way out of the bush, but not without loss. Lieutenant Percival fell moi«tallv wounded, a bullet having passed through his neck. Two of the Waikato volunteers were also shot, and seven of thefx comrades are missing. The dead and wounded were left upon the field. Of those missing, six are supposed to be Victorians, and one of the Mauku volunteers. Lieutenant Norman, second company of the Ist Waikato Regiment, left Drury yesterday, morning fi>r the Mauku. On his arrival there he found his comrades engaged ; and having procured a rifle and ammunition, he joined them. Up to the time 1 left he was amongst j the missing. When Lieutenant Percival fell, several of his men attempted to remove him from tbe field. The gallant fellow would not permit this, however, recalling them to their sterner duty by the words — "Leave me alone: revenge my death." This young officer's death will be greatly felt by the volunteers, by whom he was ■greatly esteemed. He was the son of Spencer Percival, Esq., for many years a leading mem.. ber of the House of Commons, and grandson of tho unfortunate Prime Minister of that name, who was shot in the lobby of the House.