POVERTY BAY.
Bth. April, 1866. Nothing of any importance has occurred here since the last report." I noticed jn your paper some particulars of an affray, of which brave Sergeant Walsh •was the hero, but there was no mention made of the Forest Bangers at all, which should have been .done,, as they were the only white corps that scoured the bush inland with'the friendly natives. Aparty of ten men under Ensign Cunningham had gone out prospecting for that rich goldfield which has been reported to exist here. After they had been gone three days a rumor came into camp (which unfortunately proved to be true) that Sergeant Walsh, Messrs Espie (Tather and son), and a half-caste named Tane, had been attacked, and that Walsh and Espie, senior, had been wounded. Immediately the news was corroborated by the arrival of Lieut. St. George, Captain Westrup gave orders for a party to march and search for the prospectors, and meet him and search for the prospectors, and meet him and what force he could muster at the junction of the "Waikohu and Waipawa rivers. . The party consisting of sixteen privates and twenty-five friendly natives, under Corporal Osborne, started from the camp at 4 p.m. At 6 p.m., when about five miles beyond Wairengaahika pah (the great pah), the natives halted, and wished to camp for the night, but Corporal Osborne, with commendable firmness, would not listen to them; said that perhaps the prospectors might be attacked; and declared his intention of pushing on if any of his men that were acquainted with the country would volunteer as guide ; whereupon Private Munn S L epped out, and said that he knew the country for thirty miles-inland and would guidethem as far Waikohu. Hisoffer being accepted, the party were quickly on the tramp again. About 11 p.m. Waikohu was reached, when the force camped and posted sentries. At 4 the next morning started again, and tracked prospec tors up Waikohu. Fell in with them at 10 a.m., and immediately started back, and met Capt. Westrup and fifty natives near the junction of the two rivers. About two miles further on we met Lieut. St. George and fifteen men, with 100 or so of natives — altogether constituting a strange sight here ; the whole of the Rangurs riding, and the showy troopers walking. As we were marching on towards the place where the skirmish had taken place, a native boy came up with a despatch to Lieut. St. George, recalling him and his foot troopers to Turanganui, as the Governor and Mr. M'Lean were there. He started his men back, but came on with us himself. Shortly afterwards we saw some smoke in a small valley, when a small party of Bangers were told off, with some of the friendlies, to search in the direction of the smoke. After being out for about three hours, it commenced raining, and the men returned — not having seen any Hau-haus. The men rigged up blanket tents for shelter. The rain continued throughout that night. In the morning the natives held a consultation with Captain Westrup,- and advised him to return with his men, saying that they would scour the bush for a day or two. This being agreed to, we started for the camp, and arrived there the same night. -,The Maoris came in two days after, bringing one old man, one old women, and a. youngster about seven years old. So this is the end of the grand expedition about which there has been so much fuss made, and which was going to scour the --country right through, from Turangannj to Opitika ! There have been two grand runangas here. One was to try and persuade the Government to appoint Lieut. Wilson as Hepident Magistrate here. How that will agree with the " powers that be " re> mains to be seen. The other runanga was held on a certain captain up here fox an amour with a fine-looking half-caste girl who is married to a native' chief This affair is not ended yet. Two chieff that lent him their assistance have beer fined — one of them ten horses and the other three. The aggrieved party thinks tbat because the offender is a white dim
and an officer, he ought to have had more sense, and should be made to pay well ; for what is the use of the whites coming here to fight when they are worse than the Hau-haus — not even respecting the i marriage laws? They have had an Easter meeting at the Rangers' camp, in the shape of horseF racing, which came o!f with" great eclat ; the day's fun wound up with a dramatic • } amateur performance, which, considering 3 the short time allowed for preliminaries, .. was a complete success. The same day the above took place a s Hau-hau came into Tamahana's pah and x gave himself up ; but we cannot elicit c any information from him. Another 3 good drafting would do a great deal of j good here. 3 Lieutenant St. G-eorge, Ensign Cunt ningham, and a party of natives, went [ inland the other day, and discovered the 5 oil springs that have been talked of for * some time here. It smells like kerosene, 3 and is rather thick. By dipping a piece 3 of wick in it, it burns quite brilliantly; 3 and lam told upon very good authority 3 that there is another spring much closer . to this place. } The Hau-haus seem to be very quiet I just now, as there is nothing heard o > them. -
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Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 248, 30 April 1866, Page 3
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924POVERTY BAY. Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 248, 30 April 1866, Page 3
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