TARANAKI.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 435, 24 December 1861, Page 3

TARANAKI.

THE LATE WAR.

War Office, 26th July, 1861. We copy the following despatch of General Pratt from the London Gazette-. — . A despatch of which the following is an extract, has been been received, with its enclosures, from Major-General Pratt, K.C.B.:— Head Quarters, Camp, Waitara, April 2,1861. Sir—Referring to nay despatch of the 11th and 12th ultimo, I have the honor to enclose, for the information of hia royal highness the General-Commaiidiug-in Chief, documents as per annexed list, by which it will be seen that the truce with Wuemu Tamehana up to the 15th March led to no result, beyond the transmission of letters from Tamehana to the governor, the bishop of New Zealand, and to Sir. W. Martin, with a request that they should be forwarded by me, and that I acquainted him that; if he did not ngree to the terms I had of fexed to him, by the 14th March, I should commence hostilities; accordingly, the long expected Armstrong guns and mortars having in the interim reached me, on the morning of the 15th March, I had them placed in position. a,nd coaimepced the advance And attack more Vigorously than ever. The sap was pushed forward and the gups and mortars made excellent play ou the various positions.

During .the n'ght of the 16th March, the enemy attempted to take away the sap roller but were mopped, with loss, by the explosion of a shell which had been purposely placed in it.

On the morning of the 18th, the native secretary, Mr. MLeau duly accredited by the go veroor, at)J acoouopanied by several influential chiefs, arrived in my camp, and a letter to Tamehana was sent by Mr. M'Lean to the effect that if a white flag wa9 hoLt^d, operations, woa'd I© suspended, aud that at v conference the governor's reply to his letter would be commuuicated to him. Duiiig the whole day, however, the works were earned ou, ami übou: five p.m. a very brisk fire was opened on the skirmishers on the right flank, promptly replied to by us, iv which the enemy owns to have met with severe loss, while we had three men killed, aud two officers and four men, wounded.

At daylight on the 19: Ii March, a white flag was hoisted and operations were suspended,— the enemy were evideulty thoroughly sickened of the war. Mr. M'Lean had an interview with the iusurgent chiefs, and on bis return he informed me that the Waikato, the men from Wanganui, aud the Ngatiruanuis, would return co their respective homes, aud William King to Mmit*w<^to^ivforim of fw»\ «.?4.»tx*

' morning there w>is not. tin insurant in iiiyjioat | all liuvini» gone. When : ah-..-ut..-to ' S'/:sil. a f<i-? j-men lo occupy th^ position, Mi> M"Lean (o'ii n s e, that i» native opinion, 11*—y having retired from ray trout was submission,'and-to occupy the position would now le considered som<nvhifc unfair and would retard negotiations. I siipulated, however, that whilst we' should keep our advanced positions, the pahs and positions before me should be vacated »nd that no one should remain in or near them during the cessation of hostilities and pending the arrival of the governor. His Excellency arrived on the 27th March, and negociations are now going on which I trust will terminate in an honorable and lasting peace. On the 30th, when being sworn in as a mem« ber of the executive council of the colony, the English mail arrived, and Lieutenant General Cameron, C.8., reached my camp with orders to assume the command of the force3 in New Zeal-, land, which w*s to be separated from the Australian oolonies, while I was directed to return to my command in Melbourne. I enclose a list of casualties Bince the 11th March, until the cessation of hostilities, amongst which will be found the name of Lieutenant Macnaugbten, Royal Artillery, who fell at the head of the advanced demi parallel whilst serving a Coehorn mortar. The gallantry and coolness of this young officer during: the whole of' ibis war had rendered*'Ufm,*)geneial?^oiiW,and his untimely fate has been deeply felt io the force from the general to the private; I have now to bring to. the notice of his royal highness the services of Commodore Seymour and the Naval Brigade. The cordial co operation which I have experienced from this gallant < ffioer has been uninterrupted during the whole period in which we have served Together. Lieutenant Battisoombe, of her Majesty's ship Pelorus, has rendered valuable ass'stance, not only with the naval brigade, but also with the royal engineer department, to which he was attached; and midshipmen Hotham and Wadlow bad opportunity of showing their gallantry and good service whilst working the heavy guns. ._,■■•.• The services of the Royal Marine Artillery and Royal Marines, under Lieutenant Morris, R.M.A., were as aw ys, most valuable. Commander Not man. her M j^sty's colonial steam s'oop Victoria, has, with his ship, proved of incaculable value dirirg this service; and his ohief officer, Mr Wu>d<, late R N., did good service whileattached to the Naval Brigade on shore. ■ It is my duty to bring to notice the very valuable services of Colovel Mould, commanding Royal Engineers, assisted by Captain Mmicl and Lieutenant Warburton, R.E. The document from Colonel Mould, which accompanies, this despatch, will show how gigantic were the works designed and superintended by him, and the arduous labors of the troops who constructed them for so long a period under daily fire, The Royal Artillery, under (Captain Strover, have, as they always do, rendered most valuable service during tbe campaign. Latterly the Armstrong battery, uuder Captain Mercer and Lieutenant Pickard, showed the power »nJ precision of that arm, though attack on mountains and forest, and an uuseen foe, is not the position which shows this powerful weapon to its full advantage. A valuibla report on this arm, by Captain Mercer, accompanies this. I also beg to. bring prominentLy ; . before his Royal Highness the services of the foil )wing officers commanding corps and detachments, many of whom have been named before in various actions; and they have one and all done a duty sometimes very severe, with cheerfulness and alacrity, namely: Ist Battalion 12th Regiment: Major Hutchins, Captain Miller (wounded). 2nd Battalion, 14th Regiment; Major Douglas., 40th Regiment :-^- Ljeutenint-Colonel Leslie, Major T. L. R. Nelson, who commanded a detached force at the Waitara for a considerable period, Captain Bcwdler, Captain Messenger, Captain Richards. This la9t officer wag wounded. 57th Regiment: ' Major Logan. 65th Regiment : Colonel Wyatt, Capita Turner, who was wounded, Lieutenant Ufquhart, Leutenant Toker. Taranaki Militia: Major Herbert, Captain Stapp, Captain de Vaux, Lieutenant A. King, my Militia Aids-dc-Camp. Staff: Colonel Sillery, D.Q.M.G. (wounded), Lieutenant-Colonel Carey, D.A.G. Captain Paul, 65th Regiment JU'jor of Brigade; and Lieutenant B. Foister, R.A. and ADC. Deputy-Inspector General J. Mouat, C.8., V.G., whose services were at all times most valuable and always available in all positions; and be has bought to my notice— ; Surgeon T. E. White, 63th Rogiment, and Assistant-Surgeon B. 'Style's, "'4oth Rod's- : ment. . ■" k. Deputy Commissary-General Jones, and J. P. Dv Moulin, Esq., who has acted as Deputy-Asststant-Commis ary-Generai, and has dona duty with the troops in the field during the whole period of the service. D. Hay, Esq., Native Commissioner, who has been attached to the forces whilst iv the field, has also rendered efficient and essential service in his department. There is one staff-officer, however, (Lieutenant Colonel Carey, D.k.G:), who I venture to bring to his royal highnesses notice as being worthy of some special mark of her M»j«sty'a approbation. His gallantry and unremitting exertions during the whole of the war have been siuguiarly conspicuous, and have been remarked not only by myself, but by every member of this force. Aud with regard to the soldiery of all arms, it is my boundeu duty to point out their arduus and unceasing labor in erectingj strong redoubts and pushing forward the sap, always uutler heavy fire, and driving the enemy from hia lines of rifle pits and B'rong positions with a 1.88 to us indescribably small, thus showing tbia wily, brave, and skilful foe that all was unavailing against scieutifio works carried on by gallant men, I have &c T. & PRA.TT, Major-General, Commanding in the Australian Qolouk-f. Tq the Military SeoreUrv, v