WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 464, 11 February 1869, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(fbom ova owie cobebßpondent.) February 9th. The news which arrived in town on Thursday night, and which I sent you on Friday morning, is the first welcome intelligence which has been received from Wan ganui for many a long day. Hitherto it has seemed as though Tito Kowaru were invincible, and as if we were only occupying the district in front of him on sufferance ; as if he had but to order our settlers to march and they must obey. But the tide has turned, and his day, we hope, is over. The abandoning by him of his pa at Nukumarir, which he has spent the last two months iu fortifying, is the first blow to his reputation for success ; and I also .believe our forcing him to retreat is the first step towards his destruction. It is thus, I think, a success worthy of beiug remembered. There are a few people who sneer at the affair, aud who taik of our forces spending two days in shelling an empty pa. These would, perhaps, prefer to have heard of it being stormed, with the loss of many brave fellows on our side. I for one ain,pleased with the way iu which matters have turned out. It would certainly have been pleasing to have heard of Tito K .waru's death, and of the destruction of his band, but when you have read the following description of the pa, furnished by Major Finnimore, I think you will agree with me that the two days spent in shelling it were not wasted: — " The pa covers about two and a half acres of land. It consists of an outer palisading from 15 to 20 feet iu height. ' About four feet from this, another palisading of split timber is construe- ' ted, about 10 feet in height. At the foot of this palisading there are open trenches about 6 feet wide and 8 feet ' deep, flanked at each end by covered - rifle pits and traverses leading to ' sleeping apartments underground, covered with corrugated iron. lm- ' mediately beyond these trenches, cross ' palisadings of very strong split timber J are erected throughout the pa. In the left angle of the pa, a very strong two , c storey tower, most unusual in native j fortifications, had been eiectcd, containing no opening for ingress or egress but from underground galleries. This tower is constructed with double rows of strong palisading, fcne intervening space being rammed in with earth ; and the second iloor is composed a of strong transverse bc.inis, well ram- ° med to two ftefc in thickness of earth. * Both storeys are loopholed. The back ; of the pa and the right flank are pro- 1 tected by a strong dense bu3b, running t down into a precipitous gully. The J whares throughout the pa are level r with the ground, each being protected s by earthworks and palisadings, so v that a body of men getting inio the

first range of rilie pits and trenches ■would bo certain to be all killed in attempting to take the second series of works. Tae front of the pa was protected by a stage for riflemen, which ran up twenty feet above tha palisading. During the seigo the rebels were frequently seen on these stages running up and down and crying out to Major Finnunorc to send ouc all the fat pakehas for tbem to cook, as the ovens were ready. This stage workwas battered to pieces by the shells from the Armstrong guns." Can you read this and think that the capture of such a place w*s nothing? Although not an admirer of Col. Whitraore, I quite agroo with him when he writes in his despatch, " No troops in the world could have hewn their way through a double row of strong palisades, backed by ridepits, and flanked by two-storey erecttiou, such as were constructed in this fortification, and defended by excellent shots, and desperate meu." There is a rumour in town, brought in some round-about way from Wanganui—how it reached there is a problem I cannot attempt to solve—that Te Kooti is dead from the effects ot his wotmds. That such may be the case, 1 most devoutly wish, but the news seems too good to be true. The recent war intelligence reminds me of what is continually assorted at home, namely, that at the commencement of every war Britons seem to get the worst of it, but that as time goes on, their pluck, perseverance, and energy carry them on to success. That this will be the case here I don't for a moment doubt. We must be the victors, pise we have not our country's spirit in us. I mentioned in my last letter that the Militia office had been broken into and a cash-box rifled of its content*. Two men, Timothy Grleeson and "William Bracken, have been examined in the Magistrate's Court on the charge of having committed the offence, and have been committed for trial. The former wasbefore the robbery endeavoring to he enrolled in the armed constabulary, and the latter was discharged from the force a short time ago in Napier as medically unfit. A cerrespon.ient writing down to one of our local papers from Porangahau, in Napier, gives an account of a frigh'.ful thunder-storm accompanied by a fierce wind and heavy rain, which passed over the district on the 28th January. He says, after terrific peals of thunder, " the whole flat country round about the Messrs. Hunter's station was one vast, lake of muddy, ill-tempered, and badly disposed water. Wire fences wee carried away, posts and rails washed down, gates broken and encumbered with a mass of debris. As for the stacks they could not but be completely saturated, and Porangahau settlement had more

water over it than it had during the worst part of the winter. Every bridge between Porangahau and Wallingford has been carried away or dist placed." t The wreck of the s.s. Taranaki, now lying in some 15 fathoms water in Tory Channel, is advertised for sale by t auction on the 26th instant. i Among the few appointments and . promotions made by the Defence office . lately which have given general satia- ' faction, is the promotion of Capt. \ Finnimore of the Wauganui and Kai lwi volunteer cavalry to the rank of major as a recognition of his usefulness in the organization and management of the corps under him. I must tell you an anecdote ot one of his sergeants named Handle*, an old settler of the district and reckoned the best shot there. They were out looking about a little while ago when they descried a Maori on horse-back on the hills some six or seven hundred yards off " 1 say, captain," said Handler, " let's have a shy at that fellow." "All right, but look sharp," was the reply. Handlev was off his horse iu a second, and lying full length on his face sighted at the nigger with his breech-loader. Pre- , sently •' crack " was heard, aud the Maori tossed his arms and tumbled out of his saddle. " One less of them " said Handley, coolly mounting his horse, fating in and re-loading. This man is said to be almost the only one , who really takes aim when he fights. Some say he keeps tally of all he knocks over. H.M.S. Blanche left on Thursday ■ last for Wauganui. She took Major | General Chute and his suite, accompanied by Commodore Lambert. It is j understood that should Col. Whitmore i desire it 150 men from the Blanche i will be landed to assist him. The Wairurapa Mercury, a paper ( published in one of the up-countrv s districts of this province, speaking of '. His Excellency, who is about to visit g the district, says, " that a governor to f play the part of a dummy could be 1 got at a cheaper rate than the price now t paid for one." It also thinks that ,] " the sooner the Colony ceases to be a 0 colony of Great Britain the better." , This is rather good and strong for our little " Eatanswiil," is it not ? -,