PAGES FROM THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1922, Page 9

PAGES FROM THE PAST.

■WAR WITH THE FIGHTING NEAR NEW PLYMOUTH. (By “Juvenis.”) In my last contribution I dealt with rhe troubles with Wi Kingi and nis claims to land in the Waitara district. We now approach the most eventful period in the hisrory of Taranaki, when the artisan was called from his pastures, shop, the shepherd from his pastures, the husbandman from his fields, and the bushman from the forest, to hold the land for the British Crown, and to repel the hordes of Maoris who came from all quarters to endeavor to drive the palefaced Pakeha into the sea from whence he came. The change from the avocations of peace to the pursuits of war was not entered into without very serious thoughts as to the nature of the struggle that would have to be made. So far as the settlers were concerned there was no alternative to engagement in the strife. The Govenor had come to the conclusion with his Council that it was necessary in the interests of the Ccl<;». and also as a matter of justice that rhe land-league should be broken up. and that the imperium in imperia, established in the person of the Maori King should be subverted, and accordingly the district was placed upder martial law. The settlers were led to understand that hostilities would ’be reported to should Kingi continue contumacious. and they distinctly proceeded to Nev. Plymourh :o seek protection for their families Tl.e pioneers who

had witnessed the ..ar dances of the Maoris in the early «la-s of the settlement. who had received every kind of insolence short of personal violence from the Puketapu hapu after its release from Waikato slavery, and had witnessed the internecine feud of that family, who had been compelled to submit to the exactions and robberies of the Taranakis, and to cultivate the most broken and heavily wooded portions of the district, while all around them lay thousands of acres of fine fertile, level and open land in a state of nature, felt how necessary it was for the sake of ultimate peace and prosperity to plunge into the war. and let the Maoris learn once and for ever the inviolability of the British Jaws. .MARCH ON WAIT AR A. To quote Wells, the historian: On Monday, the 20th, Mr. Parris, with Mr. Octavius Carrington and Mr. W. Hursthouse, of the Survey Department, and one of the armed police force, proceeded to Waitara. They were met at various parts of the road by parties of natives, but no obstruction was offered to their progress. Arrived at the land to be surveyed, a large number of natives. men. women, and children, were

found assembled, and a party, apparently appointed for. the purpose, attempted to obstruct the unpacking of the instruments, without success, but when the chain was thrown oixt and taken by Messrs. Parris and Carrington they effectually prevented their making any use of it. The obstruction was managed in the least objectionable way possible: there was no noisy language, and no more violence was used than was necessary to prevent the extension of the chain. They laid hold of the middle of the chain, and >o disturbed the measuring, and the surveying party, finding it vain to persist farther, forthwith returned to town. Subsequently a communication from the authorities was made, giving the Waitara chief twentyfour hours to apologise for the obstruction offered to the survey. Tck this an answer was received to the purport that he, Wiremii Kingi. did not desire war, that he loved the white people very much, but that he would keep the land, and that he and the Government might be very good friends if the survey were relinguished. SETTLERS RETIRE TO NEW PLYMOUTH. Shortly afterwards the country settlers began to move into New Plymouth. The little town had not room for half of them, much less fox* their goods. Many oontented. themselves with taking the most portable of their valuable goods to town and buried such as were not likely to he seriously damaged by the earth. The parting from the domestic animals was in many cases painful; pet lamb* ran bleating after those that fed them as if foreseeing the horrible troubles that were coming on the land. Many of the domestic cats went wild and preyed upon the rats, mice and birds, but some lingered about the deserted houses till they perished with grief and starvation. The dogs fared much better, for they all accompanied, their masters and appeared to thoroughly enjoy both the military parades and the actual engagements. Seeing the settlers crowding into town, an old Maori woman cried out in one of the streets, “Ah, you are leaving your houses and I shall shortly be applying a iireband to them," and then she chuckled, gleefully anticipating the mischief she was about to indulge in. All the dwelling-houses, warehouses and some of the places of worship were ..filed with fugitives and their effects.

On March Its the s.s. Airedale arrived from Auckland with Governor Browne and suite, accompanied by Colonel Gold, a military staff, and 200 rank and file of the 65th Regiment. The same day H.M.S. Niger anchored in the roadstead. t;he COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES. Oq Monday morning, March 3rd, at four o’clock, the troops of the garrison of New Plymouth, to the number of over 400 officers and men. ordered for the occupation of Teira’s land at Waitara. under the command of Colonel Gold, left the town with a long train of baggage and provision waggons, escorted by an armed body of mounted settlers, by the Devon line, and passed over the Waiwakaiho bridge and through the Hua and Bell districts, to the site of the Ikamoana pa, when they branched off to the left, pursuing a line about equidistant between the coast and the Devon line, where the country is more-open. The troops after refreshment encamped on high ground, the site of an old pa commanding the coa*t line of the disputed land. The s.s. corvette Niger was lying off the mouth of rhe river when tl:e troops arrived. During the follow-in? night a pa was built by the natives across the Devon line, but was found deserted on th? arrival of an escort from town with the following letter:—

“To the Chief who obstructs the Queen's Road — / “You have presumed to block up the Queen’s road, to build on the Queen’s land, and to stop the free passage of persons going and coming. This is levying war against the Queen; destroy the places you have built; ask my forgiveness and you shall receive it. If you refuse, the blood -of your people be on your own head. I shall fire upon you in twenty minutes from this time if you have not obeyed my order.” On Friday, March xhe 9th. twenty marines, thirty blue japkets, the first and second lieutenants, a midshipman, an assistant surgeon, and a gunner, with .( 12-pounder howitzer were landed from H.M.8.15. Niger, and encamped on Mount Bryan, a hill on the east side of New Plymouth, which was temporarily renamed Fort Niger. On Friday evening, March the 16th, it was reported to the officer commanding the forces that Wiremii Kingifs natives had erected another pa on the laud purchased from Teira. Early on Saturday morning, the 17th, Mr. Parris was sent to -ascertain whether or not it was within our boundaries. It was found to be two chains within the boundary, and about four from the Devon line. Soon after it was reconnoitred by one of the mounted escort, who reported that it was a very strong pa with double palisading, ditch and galleries. A letter was addressed to the natives by Colonel Gold ordering them to move off the Queens land, and warning them of the consequence of refusal. This they would not even receive. ATTACK ON THE PAH. Subsequently Colonel Gold resolved to destroy the pa with rockets and 24pounder howitzers. At half-past twelve, three companies of the 65th Regiment, under the command of Colonel Gold, . assisted by Lieutenant-Colonel Sillery, Captains' Paul and Barton, 65th Regiment, and six subalterns; six sailors from H.M.S. Niger, under Lieutenant Wells, with a rocket tube: two sergeants and seventeen men of the Royal Artillery, with one 12-pounder and two 24-pounder howitzers, under Lieutenant McNaughten; nine sappers and miners, under Lieutenant *Mould: and twenty mounted volunteers under Captain Des Voeux. . This force passed along the Waitara Road within range of the pa unmolested when Lieutenants McNaughten and Mould were despatched with the mounted escort to find a suitable position for the guns and rocket, tube. They fixed upon a little mound at the distance of 750 yards from the pa, from whence, so soon as the artillery and troops reached the position, a fire was opened, upon which the natives danced the war dance, hoisted their fighting flag, and returned the fire from the three faces of the pa. From the pa being placefl in a hollow at the head of a gully, at first a few of the shells and rockets fell short, but the range was ascertained and the practice was excellent, the shells and rockets exploding in the pa and raising clouds of dust and smoke. After a short time it was found that the distance was too great. The Mounted Volunteers were extended on the right to threaten the enemy’s line of retreat, and soon exchanged shots with some natives stealing up the gully to the pa. one of whom was wounded in the back and was toppled over. The guns moved to within three hundred yards of the inland face of the pa and with the rocket tube kept up a smart fire, making good practice and carrying away the flagstaff. The troops then rook ground to the left, and the guns were fired at long intervals, when the enemy having ceased for more than an hour to reply to our fire it was supposed he had deserted the pa. Under • this impression two or three of the volunteers made a

dash at the flag, reached the palisade and were tugging away at it when a volley was fired from every face of the pa: the two at the palisade escaped unhurt with about two-thirds, of the flag, but the third, who was galloping up, received a dangerous wound, fell from his horse, and after ’ crawling a short distance was gallantly carried beyond the reach of fire by a sailor of the Naval Brigade and a private of the 65th Regiment .About this time two privates of the' Gath Regiment were also badly wounded, one of whom afterwards died. AMMUNITION GIVES OUT. The guns soon silenced the fire of the pa, and finally took up a position within 200 yards of it. Night now approached and the gun ammunition was expended, the skirmishers were called in, and the troops formed in close column, the escort was despatched with the amrnunitioii waggons to the camp, entrenchments were traced by the engineer officer. and the trenches soon formed, where under cover of the guns the weary soldiers lay down under arms. During the whole of this time the enemy kept up a smart fire from rifles, of which he had several, and musketry, and bullets were flying about the ears of the troops like hail. The natives at dark having comp out of the pa, the escort returning with the ammunition was under fire for ten minutes, but providentially escaped uninjured, and having completed their mission were ordered back to camp, and ran the gauntlet by creeping slowly along the road end under cover of their horses. The supperless soldiers remained -in the trenches all night. Shortly before day-light the enemy fired three guns, and is supposed then to .have vacated the pa. MAORIS ESCAPE. At early, dawn on the 13th, the guns and skirmishers advanced nearer to the pa, the sappers throwing up an earthwork in their front; the fire was opened under cover of which another breastwork was completed within fifty yards of the stockage. The shot soon reduced to splinters the palisading at the south end, and through the breach Lieutenant McNaughten coolly entered, followed by the troops, who were chagrined to find the pa abandoned. The pa was somewhat in the shape of a capital L, about IM) feet long and 33 feet wide. The ditches were five feet wide, and four feet deep, and were covered with a framework of split timber, and about two feet of earth and fern in layers on the top. These communicated with chambers worked out of the solid red earth, and were snugly lined with fern. In them fragments of shells, whole shells used as solid shot, and grape- shot were found scattered about, als<. two -p.ar<. a hngle, two mats, with a supply of potatoes, melons, prepared ms.i’/e. dri< ? mutton-fish, and other food sutlh-ient for several days’ consumption. As it i* positively known that there were not less than SO men in the pa when it was attacked, it may be assumed that the casualties were numerous.