THE MAORI WAR.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 303, 14 September 1860, Page 3

THE MAORI WAR.

LATER NEWS BY THE ARIEL. (Extract from a private Letter.) New Plymouth, September 1. Dear Sir—There has been an awful destruction of property going on here within: these past three weeks, almost every house in the province except those within a mile of the town have been burnt to the ground, and all done in broad daylight, without any effort on the part of the authorities to prevent it. The natives came up to Waireka about 3 weeks since and dug rifle pits, out of which they kept up a continual fire of musketry for several days, at the camp there, without injuring any one; some slight efforts were made to dislodge them by shot and shell, and small sallying parties, but nothing decisive was ever tried to be effected.

During this time the darkies kept sending out small parties to lie in ambush for any poor fellow who might stray near them, and a number have had very narrow escapes. They have also driven away all the cattle, working bullocks, and horses they could find, and took away the plunder they had got with the settlers' own bullocks and carts.

On Monday, the 20th August about 100 natives came within half-a-mile of the town and fired at Thomas Shaw, junr., Richard ■ Rundle,jun.,and Mr. Billing, but fortunately hit none of them. On receiving the news in town, the troops, blue-jackets, and some volunteers, and Militia, went out after them in all about 400 men; as they advanced, the natives retired, keeping at the distance of half-a-mile or more, but not without loosing some of their number, 8 of them being killed, and several wounded ; there was not a casuality on our side. Report says the Maories are short of lead, as they were firing Balls made of Puriri wood: but the native department here appears determined to supply them; for four natives leaving town were taken prisoners by the troops, with about 30 lbs of lead in their possession, and it was taken from them. .Upon which, Mr. Parris and Mr. (rood came with the Brigade-Major, and told the men to give the natives the lead and let them go, when some of the men remonstrated, and said that lead will make some bullets to fire at us; they said "Mind your own business." So the natives departed, laughing in their sleeves at the way in which they can dupe the Pakeha. On Wednesday, the 29th August, a number of natives were seen about 2 miles out of town, on Dr. Nield's, Messrs. Poynter's M'Kechney's and King's farms: in about an hour after a force of 350 men marched from town, but previous to their marching, a pretended friendly native on horseback had counted their number, and rode off at full gallop, and by the time the force had reached their destination not a native was to be seen. The same native was in town on the following day, and not the slightest notice taken of him by the authorities in the way of punishing, but he with a number of others were fed with bread. How different would it have been with a Paksha. The chief at the conference very justly observed there is one law for the Pakeha, and another for the Maori.

All the Puketotara natives, except five, who left their pah, which was strongly fortified, some time ago (their ostensible reason for doing so was that they were afraid of the rebels; the true reason for doing so was to allow the rebels to take possession of it, and make it a rallying point, which they subsequently did) and came into the Colonial Hospital, have gone over to the rebels with the arms and ammunition served out to them by the Government, and yet with all these and many other acts of perfidy fresh in our memory, the Major-General directs that we should treat them as friendly allies. At.the present time they are supplied with clothes, rice, tobacco, sugar, and salt, besides pay; in fact, they are treated a great deal better than we are, and now the Government are fetching in houses from the Henui to town for the darkies.

On Monday night an expedition consisting of 850 troops, Volunteers, Blue-jackets, and Militia started for Burton's Hill, but previous to their departure, these same friendly Maories told the others to start, and by the time we arrived there the natives had gone. This is another of many similar wild goose chases we have had through mismanagement. To-day, Friday, the camp at Waireka have removed into town, and we expect they will get the route for Waitara before long. The pretended friendly Maories can tell us when the forces are going before we know we are going to start. Excuse me for not writing to you before, for what between expeditions, escorts, trenches and picquets, my time is pretty well occupied. Inv fact we are all quite sick of the way in which things are conducted here.

There has been terrible rows with the women and children about forcing them away from their homes; in fact, some of them who were warned to go by the Airedale, are gone somewhere with their husbands* guns, and cannot be found. Capt. King, (militia) was put under arrest yesterday for refusing to head some soldiers to fetch the women out of their houses. All praise to his gallantry ! Poor Simon Andrews was put in the Guard-room for saying it was a great shame to send the women and children off, and his wife said she was quite willing to go, but her husband would not let her; she has gone with her family. Her husband was taken out of it to-day, but sent back again, we suppose to try to frighten others from deterring their wives from going.

( From the TaranaU Herald, September 8.) The military operations of the week have been marked by unusual activity, if not attended with equivalent results. From the

camp at Waitara Major Nelson at the bead of a flying column has marched throughithe country lying between Tikorangi, to the north of the Waitara river, and the Bell Blockhouse, and failing in his efforts to encounter an enemy, has destroyed every pah in his line .of march. From the town a powerful force of military, naval, and militia, under the command of Major General Pratt, C.8., started at midnight for Ratapihipihi, in the hope of surprising the southern rebels, but with like unsuccess. These expeditions, or explorations, confirm the belief that the main body of the rebels have retired from our neighborhood, and abandoned most of their fortified pas and positions. From motives with which we are as yet unacquainted, the country round about, may, with the exception of small marauding parties who have remained behind, be said to be clear of natives. So much so, indeed that the force at Waireka has been withdrawn to town.

Our object in. mentioning these facts is to invite attention to the great importance of not letting this month pass over without putting into crop some of the land lying handy to the forts and entrenchements. Withjn and around the town defences hundreds of acres of readily available land—a deal of it in grass, could be put into crop with little labor. This might be undertaken by farming men, who could be exempted from militia duty whilst so employed. The opportunity of getting fencing stuff from the bush was unfortunately neglected, but this difficulty might be got over by surrounding the land by a deep ditch and bank with a single rail on top. It will perhaps be argued as an objection to the work, that the rebels may again surround the town and destroy the crops. But such only as cannot well be destroyed need be grown—potatoes, turnips, mangolds, carrots, parsnips, &c. Wandering cattle would, in our opinion, be the enemy to guard against; but surely we are not to lose the season for raising food on the chance of any enemy laying it waste. We cannot look forward to a prolongation of the war without feeling apprehensive for the health of the people cribbed up, as they are within the limited lines of defence. The time may be at hand when it will be necessary to import our food, even meat, and from this source must not be looked for those root crops and vegetables which have become essential to our health.

Nor in the consideration of this important subject should our stock and working cattle be overlooked. All the heavy guns are drawn by bullocks and a large number are constantly employed by H.M. Commissariat for land transport. These may possibly be kept up to their heavy work by imported food, but there is no reason why, apart from financial considerations, they should not be partly subsisted on the food they have been accustomed to.

It is, however, only by the authorities that these things can be undertaken, for whatever may be the inclination of individuals, they cannot command the requisite labor. Other questions besides, might occur as to occupancy of the land, ownership in the crops, and ultimate distribution, all of which would-be readily adjusted under proper regulation.

The march to Barton's Hill will convince the rebels that our troops can follow them into their strongholds in the forest. True it is that again we have been disappointed in our hope of meeting with the enemy; still, the expedition which left town on Monday night has not been without its service. It has tended to give confidence to the men, and, at the same time, to the observant must have conveyed some idea of the tactics required should they be called for action against the rebels in the forest. The march was both difficult and dreary, not so much from the distance as from the excessive badness of the roads. Setting aside apparent result*, a step has been taken in the right direction—one that will prove to our wily enemy that from whatever cause we might have been prevented from following them up before, now the time of retribution has arrived, and the murderers and robbers must be punished according to those laws of civilization which they pretended to have adopted.

The plan of operations, as detailed balow, was perfect. Every way by which there was a chance of the enemy retreating by good generalship had been most effectually cut off. It is true that many of the natives might have escaped from the too well known deadly effects of the Enfield rifle, but this must have been through the bush paths too narrow to allow of wheeled vehicles accompanying them in their retreat; consequently, all the plunder must have again passed into the hands of the English. A question for future enquiry remains to be answered—Was it a foreknowledge of our movements that induced the natives to forsake their naturally strong position ? Have we enemies in the camp or not ? It is wrong to judge too harshly, arid great care must be required both to think and act in an unprejudiced manner; but, when a case that may be so serious in its effects comes Ifefore us, we feel ourselves bound to suggest caution at least. The care taken that all our movements should be governed by silence and order were such on the part of our superiors that no news could have diverged so suddenly from town. Before describing the order and incidents of the march, we will lay before our readers a descriptive plan of the country over which the various divisions passed on leaving the town of New Plymouth. By inspecting the map, a line of beach may be seen extending frdm the town to the Sugar Loaves, a little beyond which, about three miles in a right line from the beach, is Burton's Hill, the approach to which was made by three roads, which we will describees according with their distance from town» as numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. No. 1 is the Frankley road, taking its course almost in a southerly direction from

the town, passing Patterson's sawmills, and joining at an acute angle No, 3, at the Mangotuku stream, which is known as Barrett's or the Whaler's Gate road, which runs up frdm the beach about two miles from town, a little to the eastward of south, so that tfre' two roads will be found to form an imperfectly-shaped A. Continuing along the Omata road from town, which runs parallel to the beach for about one mile and a-half, we reach another branch, on which Peter Elliot's farm stands, this leads nearly in the same direction as the other line, it being situated between them. Continuing past the road parallel to the beach, and nearly three-quarters of a mile beyond the. stockade, we reach what was formerly the village of Omata, from which the Scaly road strikes off as the others do towards our beautiful mountain, and is connected by a cross road with No. 3, ths Wairekarcamp being about one mile beyond on the main road that leads to Warea. The whole of this country is a dense bush, with the exception of those clearings which have been fitted for agricultral pursuits by the hardworking, but now ruined settler.

So quietly was everything arranged, that nothing was known for certainty of an intended movement until late in the afternoon of Monday, when, after being supplied with extra ammunition, each division was directed to fall in at the hour of eleven at night. "■■■- ' ..'; No. 1 division, with the artillery and rockets on the beach facing the boat house, No. 2 opposite the Brigade Office, No. 3 in a line at the Militia Office. Carts were provided to (Sarry forty rounds of extra ammunition for each man, at the same time each division was separately provided with ambulance accommodation in case of need, and every man directed to take cooked food with him. The battery of the artillery force which was attached to No. 1 division comprised 1 24-pounder howitzer, drawn by bullocks; 2 3-pounder guns* two horses to each; 3 b\ inch mortars; and 2 rocket tubes with 30 twenty-four pound rockets.

No. 1 division at the appointed hoar marched up the beach as far as the Moturoa pah, from whence they struck off by the cross road that leads to that which passes the Omata stockade, from whence Messrs.. F. Mace, Edward and Charles Messenger joined them as volunteer guides. Continuing on to Sealy's or No. 4 road they were joined by 100 men from the Waireka camp, when they immediately marched up the road towards Gudgeon's farm, from whence they struck across to the Barrett or number 3 road, upon which Burton's hill, the stronghold of the natives, was situated,

down which, after having communicated with No. 2 division, they returned to town.

No. 2 division commenced their journey by marching up the Omata road before described, until they reached the branch No. 2, or Elliot's road, at which they arrived between 12 and 1 o'clock. After proceeding some distance along the road they diverged, crossing some fields from Cowling's and halted, when Kingdon and Looney, the volunteer gaides, went up the road to see that all was clear. Having perceived recent native tracks, they returned to the main body, which remained stationary until daybreak, when the ammunition and carts being moved to the extreme rear, at eight a.m. they marched into the bush as nearly as possible in a southerly direction towards Wheeler's clearing, when a skirmishing party was sent out. Finding no signs of the enemy they returned to the open lands, from whence the Colonel in command sent out three horsemen to communicate with No. 1 division, which being effected orders were given to return to town, which was reached at 10J a.m.

The 3rd division, under their own commanding..officer, left town nearly at the* same time with the others, taking No. 1 or the Frankley road, along which they continued uutil Patterson's saw mills were reached, and a halt was commanded until morning, when an endeavor was made to open commonfcation with one of the other divisions, in which, from the distance and thickness of the bush, success was not met with; consequently orders were given to march, the first part of which was by a road through as dense a bush in parts as could very well be imagined. In the route some few houses at intervals were observed yet standing until Jtfewland's property was reached from whence utter devastation was noticeable until after crossing the Mangotuku stream and continuing, with a slight difference in the angle of our march, towards our return home that Messenger's house was found standing, about a half a mile from which, on the summit of the hill, the Omata church stands, which, in accordance with native superstition, as a matter of course, was unmolested; a small lean-to alone having been erected for shelter. In continuing the route little was observable until reaching Burton's hill, where some slight attempt had been made at fortification in the shape of a few rifle pits and light palisading. From this, passing through bush and muddy roads to Ratapihipihi, which was not quite so rapidly passed— some of the foremost of the division having rushed forward to burn the houses of the murdering traitor Manahi, —a halt was made at Honeyfield's, from which, by the Omata road, weary and tired, town was reached at about half past 1 p.m. The march of this division, composed solely of militia and volunteers, was both the heaviest and the longest, reaching as it did, in a right line from the beach, five miles and a half, being in the extreme rear of all the divisions. Allowing for the meandering of the road, the distance marched could not be far short of twenty miles.— Communicated.