JOURNAL OF EVENTS TO JULY 28

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 203, 9 August 1860, Page 3

JOURNAL OF EVENTS TO JULY 28

L From the I aranaki rierald.y • Saturday ', July 21.-—Front the Bell : Block we hear that a slight skirmish took place today between the-12th-and the rebels. It appeal's that during the day a number of natives from Mahoetahi, Mahau’s pa, near the Waiongana river, came upon the block visiting several houses and plundering'them. Mr: Everett, from the stockade, on his farm trim ; mirig furze hedges, was surprised by several of the rebels, and ordered to throw down his billhook and part with some of his clothing. This Everett did, and- offered, to shiike'hand? with them, which was refused by all excepting one-man, who did so, aud probably thereby saved his life. Everett was allowed to:, get away, and made all haste to the stockade ; subsequently the rebels came in. force on the block, fired several shots, and danced the war dance. Lieut. Lowry was then ordered by Lieut. Richardson, in command of the 12th, to go Out to reconnoitre, and was fired upon. Lieut. Richardson went out with a support, and the natives retreated. A few shots were exchanged, and one native was wounded: No casualties on our side. The rebels are in c.on-

SKlerabie jurce at lvianoetani. Monday , 23rd July.—At. IT a.m. asteamer was signalled in sight from the ©mata, stock ade, winch proved to be H.M.S.S. Fawn, 17 guns, Commander Cator, from England via Sydney, with Major Hutchins. Capts. Queade and lleeson, Lieut. Hair, Ensigu Hurst, and 4 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 100 rank and file of the 12th. reg't. The men encamped on the Market-place. The Fawn has come to relieve H.M.S. Niger, and. arrived in Sydney on the Ist inst. She is a fine vessel, fitted with an auxiliary screw, with engines of 100 horse-power, and steams about ‘ nine knots She has a full complement of men. The Victoria arrived in Sydney, from Auckland, after a rapid passage of five days, and was to leave Port Philip for this port direct with 400 men of the 40th and General Pratt. .The Tasmanian Maid came up from Waitara at noon. Mr. Brown rallied sensibly on Saturday. A correspondent writes lVe have been half under water, or rather mud, here lately. Since the two. 8-inch‘gunS were, mounted, and the pas occasionally shelled, the Maories have apparently evacuated them and retired t.o the gully on the south side of their former position, but they are'still in great numbers about;, as seen by Mv. Whitelcy the other day. They have not hoisted dny cblpurs' or signals for u Week or more.' Our sick list continues remarkably small, notwithstanding the lnclfeniency : of 'the wea.tildr ;''Which I td the salubrity of the climate, but principally to the men’s "rations of spirits being sufficient, 1 aud their being unable to obtain.any more. The

block bq^ finished, arui-is guarded by Captain McCarthy’s -company ofthe 10th, and Lieut. Kelly’s'company of the Naval brigade, with a six-pounder. tVe got a.good haul olbUllocksy.estei’diiy', but it was time, ns through the carelessness of somebody, we lost 42 sheep a few- clays"before -—a bore for the contractor whose- property they were. I imagine the l rebels ■'have' got hold of them. 50 of ATkorinla’s people; have come to Uiaia's pa from Mimi.’’ We hear i hat 1 Eruera,' W i Ivingi’s son, • killed Lieut. Brooke, ami, has -liis gold watch, sword; and uniform. Captain'Aeymnuf is still confined to his bed, but hopes to get his leg to the ground by the end of the week, as it-is doing very -well , ; -

Tuesday, 24th. —TTie gun fired’at Mount Eliot this morning announced' the of .the Airedale from tlie south, y/t noon another -steamer was-in sight,, which proved ' to be the ■ City of i lobart; with 16 sergeants,-.' 10 drum - mers, mid 207 rahli aikl file ofthe 40th regt.. including'the'band ami the folk.wing officers : f f icuti-Colonel" J'jPslrcV 5 Ghptairis '*4faro and! 81iuw,Tiieut. Hi.bbs,i>En&igus-'Morpliy, Cleric,. •Dudgeon;'- mol Burton', > Paymaster'-Stoney,. •Adjutant-J.-i.l«istota , ;v .Quarter Alaster Barnes,. Dr; Robertson. The whole Wer e -di S inbnrk'eil in a fewthoUrs. The City of-Hobart made on splendid-passage of six;days,.ha-ving'left'Mel-bourne on Wednesday*- last,, at noom. Front the south we hear thatThei rebels- are-in* great force at 'i’a'arainiaka. : The-Airedtiile left. for Manukair at Mu4c • hhdTakes V' ; • 'T~V' ' *'- J

(•■ Wednesday, 2Z)th.— lI.M.S.S.'Fawn sailed to-day for Manukau. The City of’ ITobart also left this evening for Melbourne!' ' The Tasmanian Maid sailed for Waitara. -

Thursday ; 26/A. —A native messenger arrived to-day from 1 the ' routoko' pa,’ with information that the southern insurgents are approaching Tamati; Wirimu’s pa*'(’Z’e Poutoko). They are in great force, and intend to build a pa' at Waireka’’ancß occupy- Ratapiliipihi. Tamati- Wirerau, with -30, men,, -will, holdj his pa, which Isv’on-The foilin' rd'ad. The TasmanianGVlaid'camefup fromWaitarathis'evcningpand'i reports'That' Brow isslightly |Letter,, has a good appetite;Tuid-better. hope; is. entertained; oft his recovery.' Nelson has come up iu the -Maid.. This evening-. an outlying sentry (No.h3 Church piquet) of the 40th, fired at a man who did not answer his challenge, anti : shot’him in Hie leg. The wounded man proved l to 1 be a corporal-of the .65th regiment, of the 1 name;of Bellringer. . Friday , 27th.- 1 -200 men; 12th and 40th,. with a party of artillery and engineers,.. ini command of- Major Hutchins; started'‘early.this morning to take up a position at Omata,. to- check tlie onward lnovement They,, were seen last, night at. Wa’rau, on the beach tin's: side of Tataraimaka, and are believed- to be above 1000 strong—including • women ami children, who have accompanied. this expedition to attack New Plymouth; ;No * less than 10 pas are erected on the Tulavaimaka block, I on Oxenhanvs farm, and 9 on Greenwood’s farm.' These pas are to be occu- - pied in ease of retreat, and each is capable' of bolding 100 men—the pas are all near each. other. - These rebels, comprising the different;-; hapvs throughout the Taranaki and Ngatiruamii districts, inhabiting the country as lar as Waitotara, twenty miles from Wanganui, are bent upon ;; mischief, and failing'an attempt upon the town, intend to destroy everything upon European territory, and kill any settlors they may capture in their marauding expeditions. - The Pakakohe, the Patea river tribe, we bear, have taken a prominent part in the aggressive movement against us,; and have sworn to kill any white man who may travel through' their Dud.: We believe the Patea is navigable for small vessels, or for a small steamer ; and there is an excellent landing place at Waimate; near l the old Mission station. - -

4 p.m. : —7’he troops under Major Hutchins are encamped oh Jury’s hill, on the site of the rebel stockade taken by- Captain Cracroft, RIN., and his men, on the 28th March. The Tasmanian Maid : sailed at 2 p.m., for Waitara ; Major Nelson has returned in-her. Coloriel Leslie, and- 30 men of th6 L -40th; Ttkewisu proceeded in the steamer..

(From- the ,7 News, 2nd-August)' We mentioned in our. last the fact of the erection of 8 or 9 pas on the Taraimaka. Block.. In the course of last Thursday intelligence was brought into town that, the Natives were again assembling in great force, and iutended to march immediately on'Tamati JFiremu's- pa,, and then’ forward t o their old ground at'the W'iiireka, where a new-..pa- was to be erected. On the ■following mbrningv a ■ force consisting of 200 men- of the 12th and 40th Reg'ments, with a.party of Artillery .and Engineers, under Major Hutchins, .of the 12th, left the town to - take up apposition in. that ae: gh b ourhood { , and check the-, in ten tied operation. 7’he place chosen is, we- understand, at the eiWn ; of the Waireka,. Hill,; and thoentrenchments for its protection w'ere,.- com-: menced immediately. f l his . move. may;.possib!y save that part of Omata near the De von - line between the position now taken aud the Block-houSe from the fate of Tataraiimaka,- asthe enemy will scarcely yenture in' that, direction. They will, however, have access throughthe bush from the Tapuae to all the hack clearings’ of the district, and also to-all those ih the rear" 6f the tJo.wii; ThCir forte is said" to he over 1000 souls, but a large number of, women and children accompany the, expeditions. Y' - : • '■ ‘ ' '' '■’•i "i : ■ Our other ' extreme post' North at ,/Fkitara furnishes; ; wo . regret to’say, another melancholy, incident of this struggle, in the death of a son : "of aii old respected settler, 'who was shot' and Tomahawked ‘Vy :; t-hc • Natives oa-

’. .. Saturday last. The victim, Corbyn Harris, ; was op f service at the camp with ii s bullock . «art; anddeft, accompai ’el by two so-Hers, all unarmed, to; get firewood from the belt of . bush behind the swamp in front of the camp. *Vome Natives were in ambush, and were apjn him before lie had time to care for his retreat, not having heard the call of the soldiers, who had seen, them approaching, "and were enabled to reach the camp by precipitate flight. The natives came uj on their unarmed victim, who does not appear to have , uttenipted escape, and placing a musket at.his . head shot him through the temple, a second shot took effect through his left side. A party of soldiers turned out from the camp to the rescue, and the Natives took to flight, leaving the bullocks and cart, and taking only his cap. The deceased was of exemplary cha- . rader, and, hold in high estee n by a large oircle of fiimds, by whom his untimely fate is deeply regretted. The body was brought iby ; boat to town for interment on A/owlay morning. ... By the arrival of the Tasmanian Maid this day we learn that on Sunday last a party of Marines were out togather wood on the sandhills and beach by the mouth of the river, and were fired on by some Natives concealed in Ihe neighbouring bush, who attempted to cut them off. A party of the iVaval Brigade, who were practising evolutions, came to their .assistance, and a sharp fire was kept up for •Borne time by both parties, the Marines, retiring to the Camp, and the Natives following At much the same rate. During the skirmish some shells Were .-.thrown, and are reportod to have done them some damage. On our side . there are no casualties—many of the enemy’s shot passed ov'er the .steamer. Mr. Brown, we regret to say, remains in much the same . ' State as last accounts left him. ’ ! At Bell Block it has been a week of turmoil. On Monday a party of Natives were observed driving the settler’s cattle from the Block, and a small party went out from the Block-home to attack them. The Natives re.tired precipitately to the house once occupied by Rawiri, into which several volleys were fired., It was then found that another body •of Natives were endeavouring to get by,the gullies on the right of the Devon line between the . attacking party and the Blockhouse, and they retired, and the Natives returned and drove off the cattle. Some of •friendly Natives afterwards visited Bawiri’s • :house and report some pools of blood as if ■ some of the enemy had been wounded. On Tuesday, about daylight the enemy came again on the Block, broke into Mr. Hulk’s house and took his horse out of the adjacent field and also ten head of cattle from the neighbouring farms and got off with them; It was signalled .to the town-that more men were required to support the settlers in the protection of their property. By the time this message had reached town Col. Murray with the Light Company of the. 65th ar rived. Shortly afterwards some 5 Natives were seen at the back of. Mr. Hirst’s house in Mr. Bundle’s field, where they had taken several horses and were leisurely leading them Away. It was, however, no part of the Commanding Officer’s duty tp send men out to re-capture them, his instructions preventing him doing so—his presence there with an ad<li ional force was to supported e garrison in the block-house in the event of an attack on the fiTowing ev< niig, intelligence having reached Town that such was the intention of the .enemy. No such attack however took place and the Light Company of the 65th return to .be replaced by a company of the 12th. The stock carried away, by the Natives is as follows 7.,pair of bullocks, 20 head of cattle, 200 sheep and 7 horses. The Town also was in a state of great excitement on Tuesday, and the Militia and Volunteers were called out suddenly. Orders were also issued for every one residing outside the Town to come in for the night. The reason assigned was that the Natives were moving in the bush in the rear of the Town .and contemplated an assault. None however took place, but the Military and Militia are ou extra duty on the fortifications. Families, numbering nearly 200 individual have received notice that they will be required to embark for Nelson by the next trip of the Airedale, which i» expected here tomorrow.