COLONEL WHITMORE.

Southland Times, Issue 1080, 28 December 1868, Page 2

COLONEL WHITMORE.

Asa good deal has been said lately * ibout this officer, especially in connection with Poverty Bay affairs, we give » suminaiy.of what appears to us both sides - )f the question. A correspondent of the Hawke's Bay BEerald, noticing . Colonel AVhitinore's irrival says :-^- ; > . The Sturt arrived with a reinforcement )f t6 men under Colonel Wnitmdre. l?he irrival of Whitraoi 1 © was notified by nsv-ripfcioas upon j<ome of the more

febn&picuoiis of the buildings, anaouiicinj that "The Grave Bigger has arrived ! ' The Hawke's Bay Herald says:— Thi following memorial, prepared on Friday Jast, has already received some hundred" qf sigatures, and Will doubtlesss be siguei % nearly every^re^ideht who has thi Opportunity offprded him of doing so :— To Hid Excellent Sir & J\ B"owen governor, &c.— "The memorial of thi undersigned inhabitants of Hawke's Bai and districts immediately contiguou: thereto, i-espeetfully sheweth — That you; memorialists, regarding with great alarn and apprehension the condition of th< East coast, consequent on the escape anc $iss.equent acts of the Chatham Islanc jirisdhei'si were piealed to learn' that th< management of native and defence affair* on the East Coast had beeu entrustted bj your Excellency's G-overnment to hi; Honor Mr M'Lean, a gentleman in every way fitted for the difficult task, as well at enjoying the full confidence of both races of her Majesty's subjects m this portion df the colony. That your memorialists fcave since observed with deep regret that Excellency's Government have not always, acted upon Mr MTeah's advice, btlt have taken action contrary to his strongly expressed wishes* and calculated . materially to interfere with his well devised- plains for the pacification of the district, That, as one instance vf such action, your memorialists would name the Recent .departure for Poverty Bay, in comJnantTof the Colonial forces j of Colonel a gentleman who, whatever his attainments in military science, is quite unfitted to deal with natives, and is in the highest degree unpopular with both colonial and native forces. Colonel Whitmor^ your memorialists understand, lias been placed in this position contrary to the advice of Mr, M'Lean, and regardless of the memorials to the Government of the Poverty Bay settlers and Ngatiporou allies, as well as your memorialists believe, in utter defiance of public opinion generally. That your memorialists "w#ild most respectfully urge upon your. Excellency's Government the fexfcreme.dahger of such a course of action in the present exceedingly critical position of the colony. That position is one which, in the highest degree demands united, action on the part of those in fttithoidtyy and such unity cannot be secured by .the Government processing, on the one. hand, to give full power to the civil officer of a district, and, on the other^ bestowing a: high military appointment in the,«ame district upon a gentleman wjio cannot be expected to co-operate or to carry put his plaits for; fuelling rebellion. Tour memorialists' would, therefore, respectfully pray that, you? Excellency's Government will take such steps as you may think fit to remedy so anomalous and hazardous a state of things." „'A " 1 correspondent of the ' Herald' j itebkbiis \x§ wh&t Colonel Whitmore. has done in the following sentences. Writing from Poverty Bay, he says : — " As owing, to Whitmore's arrival, fighting has ceased, it may not be out of place to summarise his achievements upon this his second ominous visit, to Poverty Bay in t|ie.&atjacitf- bf & cbtiimanderV On SaturA&ji Dec. 5, Whitinore and his 400 men inarched fifteen miles upon a first-rate road. The forces camped at noon three miles beyond Patutahi. Although the enemy were known ; to be at Ngatepe, naif a^aky's journey beyond Whitmore's camp, that officer remained inactive all the remainder of Saturday and the ensuing day. On Monday, 7th, a reconnoitring party was sent by Whitmore to find out the enemy's whej-eabbuts. The party found that Ngatepe had apparently jtifit been abandoned, as it was still burning. As soon as the reconnoitring returned; preparations party made Wfbre Whitmore's arrival to follow tip and inflict a final crushing blow, were rendered abortive. Our friendlies sneer aitd ask what Whitmore came for, if not to fight. Our men and Whitmore*s are furious at the escape of the remaining lnurderers r - strengthened as they undoubtedly ate ty the natives ttho have jbiheci frbih here, whilst Eichihobd and WHitmore chtickle at the success of their sealed order trick; by which Wanganui akd a million's worth of property were abahdbnfcd and a- fifteen mile promenade upon a beautiful road was accomplished." The Poverty Bay correspondent of the * New Zealand Advertiser' (Government organ) may be suppoßed ( to represent the other side of the question. The' follow, ing Is his account of what Col. Whitmore ujd : — tjoloiiel .Whitmore arrived at Poverty Bay on the 4thj and fdund that the last news was that there had been a second fight which had been successful, but that the natives had fallen but over a prisoner whom Tareha wished to spare, and~ Bopata to kill, and that in consequence the Ngatikahungungu had retuMetitt) PatutaHij the end df the dray traffic/ l*he distances may be 12 miles to Patutahi, and 50 (in all) to the last * fight. Next morning (sth) communicaI tibn .was received by Colonel Whitmore | from the Ngatikahungungu in reply to a | note of the evening before (asking if they I thought the idea of going to Waihare, % Moana, Puketapu, oi- Wairoa, a good II idea' land likely to inteicept fugitives), % and from it, it was gathered that they / had learned that Ngatiporou had '% resumed tbe combat, and they were C starting to their assistance ; that in their JT opinion, as there was no fighting else- \ where, it would be best for Col. Whit- % more to -go up to the place where 'i# Ngatiporou. were, waging still "unequal "f^ war," and it was therefore decided to L march. Eraser and the rest were sent f on, Colonel Whitmore and Mr Eichmond riding on past Patutoe, some 15 miles, when they heard that the Ngatiporou were not fighting, but retiring; pressing on a mile or two they came to fcj^lotene and Bopata, both exhausted, footsore, but obliged to bring as the bearers - would left ..their wounde^. Colonel Whitmore, role back a'

i Whitmore ieni bearers to ijawy their ' wounded, and entertained Hbtene and b Ropato as they passed the camp, Hotenc y set- med inclined to take a huff, but afters wards came and arranged with them thai I they should to-day move on and scout c the enemy's last position, and if he had - not abandoned" it they were to rely on i, f i ir dipjjort; also they would send up two b guides. The guides never came, but a j note from Hotene to say that he could s not persuade any men to go as guides. r This morning, 7th December. Eraser was i sent before daylight with 60 men, and at 3 7 p.m. j the rest of the force was sent on, 1 Colonel Whitmore ridingdown to Poverty 1 Bay tothe natives with Mr J. C. Richmond 3 The result : of; the interview .was as j follows : — Ngatiporou will wait the result r of reconnaissance, and come up if sent for i Ngatikahungunu part (100 under r I Henare) will come if required, part waut s to go home by steamer, taking; the body s of their young chief, Kaurauria, with i them. There have been very hard words i used by the Ngatiporou about the ; jNgatikahuhguhti, and it appears . allowed i that the latter were not up to the mark in the late, fight. What difference in the state of affairs tKe non -arrival of the force might have made cannot be saidj but certainly there would have been some risk of the two tribes falling out, and the inhabitants, always fancying the wo?st, would have always thought Kooti iv position at the last fighting place.