TARANAKI. CONTINUATION OF JOURNAL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1350, 16 November 1860, Page 3

TARANAKI. CONTINUATION OF JOURNAL.

Saturday, Nov. 3. — A party of Militia and Rifl< Volunteers left early this morning to vUit the farms ( on the Frankley road. The party consisted of 50 uudei Capfc. Sang and Lieut. Jonas. They went *s#far as Pattersons saw mills, and brought in a quantity ol wood, sawn timber, &c. Tracks of natives were seer in the bush roads, and on returning the party searched Elliot's & Smith's farms, as they were informed, native: had been recently seen in that direction. Sunday/ November 4. — Weather gloomy with slight showers, Liout.-Colonel Carey and a party on horseback went this morning to reconnoitre a commanding site called Sentry Hill, landward of M*hoetahL The report that natives were occupying this position, and that large quantities of potatoes were stored there, was inconect. — Major General Pratt inspected the garriiOE u.t their alarm posts in the trenches this afternoon. Monday, Nov. 5. — A large vessel was seen ofE Bell Block yesterday. Information by the Tasmanian Maid received this evening from Waiter* that during the day while a working party 'from Puketakauore wer« engaged putting a bridge over a swamp they were attacked by a paf ty of the Waikato 3. A skirmish ensued, in which one man, private Lally, of the 65th, was severely wounded in the n<?ck. The rebels were ultimately driven back towards their encampment at Huirangi. They had two large banners with them, one vvhito and the other red. Information was also received that a party of Waikatos had occupied Mahoetahi. It transpired during the evening that a force from town, commanded by the General, would proceed in the morning at 4 a.m. to take the position named, and tho different corps were warned for this service. Colonel Wyatt, 65th Regt., to command the town. Tuesday, Nov. 6. — Before 4 o'clock this morning the troops prepared for the march to Mahoetahi, the carts were filled with baggage, ammunition, &c, and two howitzers (24 pounders), were in readiness to start at 5 a.m. The Militia and Rifle Volunteers mustered opposite the Militia Office, and the whole force commenced the march at 5 o'clock precisely. The expedition comprised the following : — Staft, Major-General Pratt, C.B. (commander of the forces), Lieut.-Colonel Carey, D.A.G., Lieut.-Colonel Sdlery, D.Q M.G., Dr. Mouat, CB., Lieut. Forster, R.A..A.D.C, Lieut. King (Militia) A.D.C. ; Captain Strover, TI.A., and 1 sergeant and 12 rank and file royal artillery (with 2 24-pounder howitzers) ; Capt. Mould, R.E., and 10 royal engineers ; Major Hutchins, Capt. Leeson, Lieut. Dudgeon, and 84 men of the 12Jh Regt. ; Col. Leslie, Capts. Richards and Messenger, Lieuts. Dowman, Jackson, and Johnston (Adjutant), Ensign Morphy, and 163 men of the 40th Regt. ; Capt. Turner, Lieuts. Bailie, Urquhart, Toker, Chevalier, and 223 men of the 65th Regt. ; Major Herbert, Captains Brown, and Atkinson, Lieuts. Morrison, Messenger, Hammerton, Webster, and 1 20 men of the Militia and Rifle Volunteers (30 of the former and 90 of the latter) ; Captain Dcs Vceux and 20 of the mounted volunteers. The morning was beautifully fine and the dew had laid the dust on the roods). As a Rifle Volunteer, and forming one of that corps in the expedition, we shall proceed to give an account of what took place as it came under our own notice. The Bell Block was reached at 6 a.m, when a part of the civilian force (militia) were left at the stockade and their place taken by Rifle Volunteers. On reaching the declivity before coming to the Mangoraka river, a holt was ordered, and the guns limbered up and taken to the front and skirmishers thrown forward, while Mahoetahi, distant about a mile and a half and the country adjacent, was observed by the General with a telescope. The order to march was again given, and the force proceeded — the 65th in advance forming a skirmishing party and support, with the General and Staff, followed by the Rifle Volunteers, the guns, the artillerymen, the engineers, and the train of carts ; the 40th and 12th being rearguard. The Mangorak* stream was forded, the men wading through the stream, and in silence and good order all advanced towards Mahoetahi, a hill on the left of the Devon Line, about 8 miles from town and 3 from Waiter*. In a few minutes firing was heard in the front and the order was given for the guns under Capt. Strover, R.A., to be brought to the front. , At this moment, one man of the 65th, private Connolly, came to the rear, wounded in the arm by the third or fourth shot from the rebels. The General here dismounted from his horae, and ordered the guns to take up a position at 50 yards distance from the pa, where he remained while a heavy and continuous fire was kept up from a gulley to the right of the enemy's position, and proceeded on foot to the front where he remained during the whole action guiding and directing the movements of the men. An order was now sent to Major Herbert, commanding the Rifle Volunteers to take position to the left, in skirmishing order, which was at once done, the men skirmishing in high fern, and across a deep swamp, gradually approaching the enemy's position. Firing was now opened upon the hill by the howitzers, with shell, and the crack of the rifle was becoming more and more rapid. The 65th in front were under Capt. Turner and Lieut. Tokcr, the light company, under Lieut, Urquhart, being sent to the extreme right, to protect the flank of the attacking foice, and Lieut. Chevalier, with 30 men, to protect the guns. The Volunteers were extended to the left fiont of Mahoetahi, and their left flank under Captain Atkinson on the extreme left, and were fast lessening their distance, and by a rush took possession of a hill about 100 yards from the pa. The order at this moment was leceived by Major Herbert to charge the pa, whon he ordered the men to fix bayonets, and with a hearty cheer the pa was gallantly stormed simultaneously with the 65th in the front (the General being with them), the men running up the hill under a rapid fire from the rebeld, who when the pa was reached retired behind the banks and whares in the rear. Wow commenced a fierce fight, hand to hand in some instances, when two of the 65th, privates McGivern and Rooney, and two Volunteers, H. Edgcombe and F. Brown, fell mortally wounded, shot by the enemy at a distance of a few yards. Captain Atkinson, with a tfmall party, occupied a low hill on the left and kept up a destructive fire or the rebels on their flank, thirty or forty of them being a few feet distant from the rest of our party on the hill. It was some time before the natives could be dislodged from the rear of the pa, where they were keep ing up a smart fire wounding several of the 65th anc Volunteers, including Capt. Turner, severely in mouth, and Colonel Sillery slightly. Lieut. Toker and a few men of the 65th, with Mr. W. S. Atkinson (Native Department) were hotly engaged at the right of the pa, while the Volunteers were as actively employed on the left, when most opportunely Major Nelson's column from Waitara, with 100 men of the 65th from Puketak*uere, under Colonel Mould, R.E., and Lieut. Talbot, 65th, came up in the left rear, and with a 24 poundei howitzer dropped a shell amongst the rebels under the bank in our rear which caused them to make a precipitate retreat down the hill into a swamp and across the country. Some of them ran up the Huirangi rood where they were taken in flank by the Waitars force and in the rear by Lieutenant Urquhart'e i patty with fatal effect ; two shells were also thrown with good precision amongst them by Lieut. MeNaughten from Wnitara. It was now a complete route, and the natives Bti.ll fell in making their retreat, throwing away their pieces and' cartridge pouches in the fern. Several hid intho swamp where they were shot It was a short and deoisivo victory — no natives were to be seen, beyond a few stragglers in the distance. The General, now, with a reconnoitring party of the 12th, 40th, and & part of the 55th proceeded up the Huirangi road and came round back by Ngataiparirua and Puketakauere. At Huirangi two flags were flying, a red and a white one ; shortly after they were seen the red flag was lowered and the white one lowered half mast. Several bodies of the rebels were teen lying in the Huirangi road. The friendly natives, 100 df whom accompanied the expedition, w'th Messrs. Parris, Atkinson, and Wills, proceeded with carti and for* aging parties of soldiers, to gather the bodies of the rebels, who were lying on the ground in rear of pa and in the swamp: The greatest number lay on right of the pa, where the shells andicannister from Captain Strover's guns did great execution. Thirty, one, including two principal chiefs, and the head chief of th» tribe (Ngatihaua), Te Wetini Taiporutu, were brought up and laid out on tho ground.' One prisoner (unhurt) and six woundedv all dangerously^ were also brought in. > A large pit was dug under tho brink of, the hill and 28 bodies interred, the bodies of the three chiefs being, put into a cart for inter rentr ent in town. We aretold by a friendly native that the body of a young chief, named Te rurewa, was left behind, and buried with the, rest, Ho is a chief of more import&nce than than Taiporutu, being son of Te Maka, and nephew of Te Waharoa. the great ancestor and warrior of Ngatihaua. At 3 p.m. the. forces prepared jbr the .return to town,, .leaving ■200 men ot 'the 12th and Gsth under Major Hutchins to gnrmon and fortify Mahoetuhi. , Five of the wounded rebels wei;e put into cart*, the_sixlh being

Wofar gone to movej two died on the 103 d, and wo readied town, tir-H and' begrimed with dust, at 5 p.Vn,— the termination to this memorable engagement. Our casualties were ns follows ;— WotmnßD- Colonel Sillery, D Q.M.G slightly. 40th Reot.— WotiNDEb : E. McKay/ slightly. 05th;« Kox.-KtttßD: Private Wm. McGivern, Private Francis Rooney. Woundbd : Copt. H. F. Tumor, tight side of lower jaw, severely, ball lodged, Sergt. .Wm. Knight, right check, severely ; Privates 1 Bernard Boyhan. very severely, ball lodged ; Thomas Coleman, chin and neck, severely j Patrick Connolly, left fore-arm, Severely ; Hugh Gibson, right toe of left foot, slightly ; Daniel Meßrierty, left arm, voty severely, compound fracture; Win. Robeits, both legs, slightly; Cecil Wm. Ray, right lore-arm, ono bone broken, severely ; George Wflmott, right thigh, very severely, compound fracture ; Richard Whitlow; left side of head, severely, bone touched. Riplb Volunteer!.— Killed : Privates H. Edgcombe and F. Brown. Wounded : Richard Langmnn, jun,, slightly in breast and arm ; John Ward, slightly in groin ; W. Vetcoe, slightly in knee ; Thos. Veale, slightly in knee. While' "the bodies of the rebels were lying after being placed in a row at Mahoetahi, the prisoner (Renata by name) was ordered to pnss along and give their names to Mr. Parris and Mr. Hay. He could only give the names of the following : — ( Ngatihaua Tribe— To Wotini, Taiporutu, Hikai riiia, Pari, Harawira, Wharawhara, Harawha, HemTaiporutu. Ngatiapaku— Wharangi. Ngatiksora— Hnkopn Nguruhi , Ngatiru,ru — Kotainu, Tamihana, Hemi Karena, Flemi. ' -. Ngatitamainu— Hakopa, Kaiaha. Ngatikoroki — Hakopa, Wanganui, Tamihana. Urukopi— Heneriko. Ngatikaukura — Hirini. Ngatingawairo— Kaiamuha Tamahiki. Ngatikaukura— Tamati. Ngatiapakura — Wirihann, and- one of Ngatingamuri, name not known. The'above are mostly chiefs, Wetini Taiporutu, Wharangi, and Hakopa Ngariihi, being head' chiefs of Waikato. < One of- the wounded natives died on the way into town, and two died shortly nfter their arrivnl. The bodies, five in number, and our own killed, were conveyed to the Military Hospital. The two wounded, Te Poari and Te Ore, a native monitor, were placed in medical cure in the native hospital in Te Itawau pa in town. The prisoner who was brought in by the Rifle Volunteers, was put in irons and placed in the town jail. This man, Renata, was caught without arms. He was found in the fern feigning to be dead, and required several good shakes before he thought proper to show animation. A large number of muskets, double-bai relied guns, and pouches filled with ammunition were found and brought a*ay. We are told about 60 stand of arms were recovered. A 65th soldier took from a dead native a 40th rifle and 14 rounds of rifle cartridges. Many of the men came home with a trophy in the shape of a gun or pouch, and one had a valuable green stone god, taken from one of the chiefs. Where every one did his duty in this sanguinary conflict, we need not particularise. The charge of the Rifles is acknowledged by all to be a brilliant one ; and the bravery of the 65th men, who were the first in the pa, needs no comment from us. Cupt. Turner, who was severely wounded, and Lieut. Toker, we believe were under a heavy and continuous fire. Major Herbert, and Capts. Atkinson and Brown, led their men with conspicuous gallantry. The Staff Officers also were conspicuous, and were to be seen where\ er their presence was required. A Volunteer ( W. Marshall) saved the life of private Jones, 6jth, by bayoneting a native who was in the act of tomahawking him while struggling with anothei native in the (a amp who had closed with Jones.— The Steamer Wonga Wonga arrived from Manukau this evening. She brings intelligence of the approval by the Home Government of the Governor's proceedings in reference to the native disturbances in this province ; and that the 14th Regt. is on its way from England, and the 60th (3rd bat.) is en route from India. This news is particularly gratifying in the present stage of affairs in New Zealand. The severe loss sustained by the enemy to-day will either be a. death-blow to their hopeB, or bring about a general rising of the Northern tribes to avenge the death of their chiefs — the latter the most probable, from the disaffected state of the natives. It is stated to-day that reserves of natives were seen in the distance, on Sentry Hill and inland, Rewi's party, and Wi Kingi's people, who no doubt would, as at Puke'Ealcauore, have attacked our forces in flank and rear, but for the sudden and spirited charge into the position of their friends. These reserves never rendered the least assistance to the besieged and routed party of Ngotihauos. A few shells discharged by Lieut. Me Naughten into a bush about half-a-mile the other bide of the river no doubt prevented them making any advance. For further particulars of the battle we refer our readers to another column. Wednesday, Nov. 7. — One of the wounded nati\ es in Hospital died this morning : his name is Hemi Taiporutu, son of the chief Te Wetini Taiporutu. He was dangerously wounded, having several bayonet wounds in his body. Two wounded now remain — Te Poari and Te One ; the former severely, the latter a flesh wound in leg. The latter has written a letter to the Waikatos at Huirangi — "to Eewi, Porokoru, Te Paetai, and all the tribe," in which he has expressed his appreciation of the kindness shown to him and his fellow-prisoners by the Pakeha — so contrary to their treatment of the 40th, who fell wounded into their hands at Pukctakauere. He made no secret of his letter, and the general purport of it is urging the rebels to return to their homes. He alleges that he came down to urge his party to return from Mahoetahi, when he was shot in the leg. He immediately sat down on the ground, and to the first soldiers who came up he handed his gun, butt first, and begged for his life, which they spared, and carried him to camp. The Taranakis having expressed a desire for peace, Archdeacon Govett was requested to visit them by the General. We hear that they are quarrelling amongst themselves, and would be willing to cry oft on equal terms. Some horsemen who have visited Mahoetahi to-day report that the rebels came down this morning and danced the w»r dance. The Victoria left for Manukau last night, -with despatches for the Governor Capt. Norman during the day, yesterday, arranged with Col. Wyatt to land some men to work the guns in case they might be needed during the absence of the force at Mahoetahi. Weather fine. The Wonga Wonga left to-day for Wanganui and Wellington, having completed her engagement with the Government.

Thursday) Nov. 8. — The Tasmanian Maid, fiom Waitara tliis morning, reports that J. Hawken, contract butcher, has been missing since yesterday morning. It appears that J. Hawken visited Mahoetahi today that elaven more dead bodies have been found in the fern, and that the natives acknowledge to havincr 71 missing of their tribe. The ascertained number of the native loss is 45 killed. The Airedale arrived from Manukau at 10 a.m. ; she brings many members of the General Assembly. All quiet at Auckland. The Victoria reached just as the Airedale was leaving Onehunga. At 12 o'clock, noon, the bodies of the three chiefs, and the three natives who died from their wounds, were buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, the 1 funeral service (in Maori) being read by Archdeacon Govett. The bodies were placed in coffins, and buried in two graves. The f uueralc: of the soldiers, Rooney , and MoGivern, and the Eifle Volunteers, Edgcombe and Brown, took place at 2 p.m. They were buried with military honors, the bands of the 40th, 65th, and Sides being in attendance. The General and Staff, all the officers and men off duty in the garrison, and a great number of Militia and Volunteers, followed the bodies to their last resting-place. The bodies of the Rifle Volunteers were carried by 65th men, and those of the two soldier* by Rifle Volunteers. Rooney and Brown are buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, Edgcombe in the Primitive Methodist cemetery, and McGivern in the Roman Catholic burial ground. We are glad to report that the wounded are all progressing favourably. Capt. Turner's wound is very severe, and all the attempts to extract the ball, which is firmly lodged in the jawbone, have proved fruitless. He left for Wellington in the Airedale this evening, with two months' leave of absence. Friday, Nov. 9.— Late this evening H.M.S. Niger and colonial ateam sloop Victoria arrived from Manukau with despatches for General Pratt. Saturday, Nov. 10.— From information received today through friendly natives there is no reason to doubt that John Hawken is killed. His horse was shot by a boy, and in falling, and before Hawken could extricate himieU from the saddle Tamilian* of Kaipakopako despatched him with a tomahawk. , Information hai just been received that the following chiefirwere also among the slain on Tuesday, and that several natives died after getting near to, and a< Huirangi : — Tritfe— Ngatiparitekawa Te Paetae " — " Mokau " — Ngatimahuta Timoti