THE NORTHERN PROVINCES.

Southland Times, 2 March 1864, Page 2

THE NORTHERN PROVINCES.

LATER $!ROM .THE SEAT OF WAB. ENGAGEMENT AT WAIAU. By the s.s. Airedale we {Daily Times) Lave later news from the seat of -war, via "Wellington. We copy the following particulars of war from the New Zealand Advertiser of the 20th inst :— Colonel Waddy, 50th Regiment, has had an engagement with "the enemy, in which 24 Maorie.? have been killed, and eleven of the bodies brought in. Our loss has been four killed and five wounded, of whom two have since died. FURTHER' PARTICULARS. Intelligence has just been received here that the 50th Regiment and the Forest Rangers have had a a brusli with the natives on. the llth.~^ ' The following are the particulars of the case as far as I can learn : — The soldiers are in the habit of going to. bathe, arid the natives, knowing this,' have been prowling about in canoes. ■ An ambuscade was laid to entrap the natives, which proved entirely successful. A small party of soldiers went down to the river swing- . ing their towels about their heads to show the tj: enemy that they had no rifles-with them ; the main body "of troops kept out of sight. The natives seeing our men going into the river fired on them, killing four of the 14th Regiment. The Forest Rangers and the gallant 50th did their work well, as sixteen bodies of the enemy were brought into the camp.this.evening, and eight more this morning, making in all " twenty-four of the enemy killed, and eleven or twelve wounded. This ambush has been so well managed that it will make our Maori friends, more careful. Capt. Heaphy, Auckland Rifle Volunteers, was slightly wounded. No blow has yet been inflicted upon the rebels — the delay having arisen seemingly from untoward - accidents to the small steamers employed in the navigation of Waikato. , < •.','•-' The following extracts are from \hs\Neyj\Zcahmd Herald : — As will be seen by, our own correspondent's letter,- t - the report that the Governor's luggage had been stopped, and the escort fired upon, was quite correct, one of the drivers -having, it appears, been wounded. , . - There appears to be no sign as yet of auy decisive blow being about -to be, struck ; .meanwhile our men, are subject to the occasional raids of an ever watchful enemy, and fall ingloriously, and as we fear in many cases, unavenged. The Avon is not only, reported as. a total wreck, her stern under water, and her bows driven high upon a snag, but it is even, said that it will be necessary to blow her up to clear the channel. The ink was scarcely dry with which we chronicled the successful performances of the Koheioa, when we learnt that the 1 Commissariat Department had received a telegram from the Queen's Redoubt, intimating that on her maiden passage up - the - Waikato she had grounded on a sandbank, broken " \ her back, and in point' of fact had- become o, total wreck. - '' This was sore tidings to all disposed to look hopefully and trustfully ■to the -future. For ourselves, we were for some time being , thrown flat aback. However, some short time afterwards, another telegram followed, from Waikato Heads, from the Hon. the Minister of War, who, with Ids .well-known zeal for the service, was on the actual spot. From thai; telegram we learn that after having exhibited the most perfect success in every: evolution, she was unfortunately run upon a sandbank, split one of ber plates, and got strained. The damage, nevertheless, was considered so easy of repair, that the Koheroa was expected to be in a position to take a fresh departure for Waipa this (Friday) morning. CAMP TE ROREi (From the New Zealand Herald's Correspondent.) 9th February; • We are still in the .same place, and, all ,our expectations have been paralysed for the present by another- accident to the Avon. She has knocked a hole in her bottom, and some say she has sunk, and will havfl! to be blown up" to clear the^channeliii th^ river. It is most unfortunate just at' present, and shows the want of other light draught steamers on the river to assist in the transport of the :commis- • sariat. His Excellency the Governor arrived in our camp last night, accompanied- by the Hon. Thos. Russell, Mr Heaphy, Mr Seed, and Mr Rice, of the Native Office- The patty had, travelled via Raglan. His Excellency has had an opportunity of judging of the strength of Paterangi, as far as appearances can guide him, and ot the inveterate hostility of the Ngatimaniapoto. He might have, formed some ; estimate from the fact of his baggage being seized at Ngahinepouri, a little below here, and the escort fired upou, one of the drivers being shot. At daylight yesterday -morning an out-picquet from our front redoubt was fired upon in the mids.t of a party from Paterangi, and "four men" of the ■ •10th Regiment wounded, one of them, W. .Connor, dangerously through the neck, and another very severely in tlio temple. Several heavy volleys were fired from our side, and it' is said that two Maories were dropped. Sir Greorge Grey has left us again this morning, having made but a few hours' stay amongst us. I believe he goos> direct to Auckland • again via Raglan. THE FEONT. Great auviety is daily evinced as to the tidings from the front. As will be seen from the correspondence from ; Tellore, there -was to have been a * forward movement on Monday afternoon to the camp before Paterangi, leaving only a force behind ..sufficient to guard' the 'redoubts 'which have been thrown up around Te Ron. The' tents were actually struck, and all were ready to set out on the march, when the order was countermanded. It was thought that the • accident to >the Avon,* and the ' inconve- - ' nience, if not interruption, thus caused •> in' 1 the - regular transport of the supplies for 3000 men, ;as also forage, for the hor&s and bullocks, jilias had more r or less influence on the ".movements ,of the troops. When we look to the vital importance, of •_, getting forward the requisite supplies for the troops, on which everything may be said to dependj we are confident that any embarrassment will' only be temporary ; and that, failing for a time the^direct water communication, "other means will be taken L to over-, come the 'difficulty. — Weekly Neivs, 13th February. ~ The Koheroa. — The community- had scarcely time to congratulate themselves + on the , important fact that the J new tug steamer, the Koheroa, had got fairly afloat, and that her machinery was working most satisfactorily, when intelligence arrived hi town on Thursday that this vessel had met with an accident which would cause* a serious^ delay. Another account, however, did~not'put a gloomy construction on the mischief? being'to the effect that the Koheroa had been inadvertently driven on a sandbank, by which, she • had 'got strained. Still she was not radically disabled, 'and according to the - - same report was to leave for .t he Waipa yesterdiiy* - r morning. It has been also stated that - the Avon, Isteamer,,which stuck .fast, with, her stern under, •water, is not a total wreck, as was at first supposed, ,; , but that there are some hopes of raising and repair--. ing her, so that she may again be available for. the public service. ' The trial trip of the Koheroa took