WAITARA.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1379, 1 March 1861, Page 5

WAITARA.

Saturday, 6am — General Pratt, the Adjutant-Gen-eral, Captains Forster, DeVoeir?, A.D.D. King, 6 of the mounted corps and an escort of the 14th regt. and baggage waggons moved to the front, merely a round of inspection I returned to camp at mid-day The Commodoie visited Kauau, thence to Matarikoiiko to superintend the remo\al of big Jim to the front. Maories, but in what number I know not, aie seen at the pa on the summit of the hill — I should think about three quaiters of a mile fiom the garden of Peaches. I think I mentioned in my last that the rifle pits traversing the avenue were entered at about past 4 p m on Saturday, but I had no opportunity of visiting the spot until Sunday, when our little paity were much surprised at the immensity of labour thrown away by our persevereing although retreating enemy. Along the site of the old Huirangi pa, and skuting a little grove of the dark green Karaka on our right to the garden of peach trees, thence extending in a curved line across the avenue, which leads up to Pukeiangiora, and stretching along the front of the bush now fast disappearing, which forms the left side of the avenue, to the head of a gulley, and some 50 yaids along the lidge of the latter is one series of rifle pits, and so nicely arranged that any attacking party would have to approach through a semicircle of file — taking the whole series of the enemy's woiks they amount in the aggregate to, not less than 500 yaids in length, and of a great variety of form ovals, half ciicles, curves, oblongs, and some of the compartments geneially from 12 tol6 feet long, and all communicating with each other, are very snug little berths. I should suppose these were intended for their chieftains, being decorated and lined with variegated ferns laced and pinned to the sides with supple jack with a fringe of the common fern, along the edge of the pit facing towards the enemy, so that its wiley occupant might annoy his assailants without exposing himself — some of these apartments too, had small fireplaces with chimneys, certainly a step in Maori architecture, and it would appear they were \ised as dwellings) as well as for offensive and defensive purposes. The sappeis, assisted by working parties aie busily employed constructing a sixth redoubt on the left of the sap, which forms the trench on the right — this will be the strongest of all, being defended by bastions at three angles which enfilade the trenches on all sides, the 8-inch gun is mounted in [the bastion facing the pa, and at a distance of 2000 yaids estimated.