ATTACK ON PIRATES AT FORMOSA.

Southland Times, Issue 863, 11 December 1867, Page 3

ATTACK ON PIRATES AT FORMOSA.

A !N"ew York paper gives the following : — The pirates of" the island of JFomosa, in March last, cruelly murdered the officers and crew of the American barque Rover, which was wrecked on that island, and the Admiral's purpose was to demand redress, aud, in case of failure, to punish the pirates. On the 12th of June, an effort was made to communicate wth the shore, with the objsct of having an interview with the savages, and offering ransom or any survivors of the crew of the Rover ; "but the party on this mission of peace were fired upon from the shore, and compelled to return to the ship. The next day preparations were made to punish the pirates. One hundred and twenty sailors and all the marines from both the Hartfordand Wymoing — in all one hundred and eighty- one officers and privates — were landed, under command of Commander Belknap, aided by Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie, fully armed and well provided with rations. The landing was made about half-past nine o'clock in the morning, when the savages were seen assembling on the hill about two miles distant from the shore, and armed with muskets. As the troops advanced the savages glided through the high grass, and delivered their fire from cover to cover, without being seen by our men, and retreated in safety. The troops pursued, being continually harrased in this manner, until two o'clock in the afternoon when the troops having halted to rest, the savages crept up aud fired upon a detachment of the party commanded by Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie. The officer placed himself at the head of his men for a charge, was led into an ambuscade, fell mortally wounded by a musket ball, and died while being carried to the rear. Several of the officers and men had experienced sun-strokes, and the command being greatly exhausted in endeavouring to get at the enemy. Commander Belknap deemed it advisable to withdraw. After a wearisome march to the beach it ■was decided to return on board the ship, which was done, and the expedition ended. The casualties of the day were one killed and fourteen sun-struck. The difficulties under which this gallant body of men laboured may well be imagined, whenitis stated that the mercury in the theremometer on board the ship stood at 92 degrees during the time the men were on shore ; a belt of jungle, onethird of a mile wide, intervened between the beach and the open space near the enemy ; the narrow footpaths or trails in this jungle would soon be lost in a thick undergrowth of cactus, runner, and prickly plants ; after emerging from the jungle the command entered an open space of about ten acres in width, with a few huts and clumps of bushes scattered here and there ; the huts were of bamboo, and they and the bushes were so green that they could not be burned : beyond this open space were spurs of rock, admirably adapted for an ambush, where the foe was concealed ; the main bcdy of the enemy was behind the belt of rock beyond, and a flank movement failed by reason of the harassing fire from the concealed enemy. Just after the command was reunited, and while it was resting, the attack of the enemy led to the charge of Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie, his ambuscade and mortal wounding. The spot whence those shots came was backed by a deep ravine, so that a further advance in that direction would have exposed the command to the risk of continued loss, "without any means or hopes of retaliating upon the enemy. Under the circumstances, a withdrawal of che force was the best course pursued. The attempt to punish the savages failed, not for the want of bravery on the part of officers or men, but because no advantage could be gained over an enemy so. thoroughly familiar with every inch of the ground as to be able to draw their foe into deadly ambuscades, or harrass every movement undertaken for the purpose of securing a more advantageous position.