SUMMARY. (From the Taranaki News.)

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

SUMMARY. (From the Taranaki News. )

Friday, Bth February —The ' Maid' from Waitaia this morning No active opeiations against the enemy had talcen place for several days, and the absence of movement on the part of the enemy ateo sec ma to have induced the notion that ho had deseited the ginuud to which our future opeiations appealed dhected. Our

people were not long left in,doubt upon this point, and en the still vigilant watch kept upon every move made. Commodore Seymour had walked some little distance in advance of the pap and was fired at — but happ'ly without effect. Others had been over the same gioiuul with impunity previously, and it was probably calculated by the enemy that a good haul of officeis might be made by lying quiet. The fire of the enemy was leturned by the covering party, but the Maon had missed his mark and would waste no more povv der. The gollant Commodore's escape is a mattei of sincoio congratulation with everybody, but the day was fated to be a black letter day for the province, and in the aftci noon we weie shocked by the intelligence that AVilh uu Outfield King (Militia) lay sJaughteied on his own estate, Woodleigh, within a mile and a half of Moisland Hill. Paiticulai"! of tins lamentable event — which literally clothes the communit3' m mourning w ill be found below. The day after our last issue was mai ked by .1 catastrophe which will cause it to be Ion? remembeitd vith soi row in the piovmce. Jn the afternoon it was leported in town that Captain W. C. King— militia, had been waylaid and shot by a party of the enemy on his estate, Woodleigh, little more than a mdo fiom tlm barracks on Marsland Hill from which it is oveilookcd The greatest excitement prevailed, and the militia cill having been sounded by direction of Colonel Silkuv , ,i considerable number of militia and volunteer's, followed by a detachment of the military sooned reached the spot, m fact many moved forward with such celent> on the first alarm, that Mr. George Hoby, of the mounted escort, was in time to scare off with his 10volver the two natives who had just come up with Capt. King and shot him as he lay wounded on tho giound, and prevented them rifling the body This is the second of the leading men of the piovince that this, war has deprived us of, and no one could have been picked out more widely respected — with laigci intei ests, or more family J;ies. Just entering upon a public caieer for which his position rendeied him cvoiy way eligible, and in which his abilities were calculated to shine ; respectable and respected m eveiy 1 elation, it 1 , not too much too say that a life of great usefulness has been cut short, and that his loss will be long; felt The deceased was Capt. of Militia, a member of the House of representatives, and of the Piovmcial Council Sunday, 10th — Heavy filing was heard fiom eaily morning in the direction of Waitaia The coming up of the ' Tasmanian Maid' was looked foi vith anxiety, but her anival brought no information, no news having come in fiom thefiont previous to her depaituie fiom the river. The funeral of Captain W King, of the Taranaki Militia, whose untimely fate is detailed in another column, took place at five o'clock at St Maiy'<-. The funeial was, at the request of the fnends, stiictly private ; but the mournful procession was attended by a veiy laige number of the settlers, anxious to testify their personal regaid for the individual whose spimg of life has been so lamentably cut shoit, and their respect and sympathy in the soirows of his moie immediate connexions This melancholy business was scarcely ovei when a telegiam leached town fiom VVaitata to the effect that Captain Stiango of the 65th Eegt., and one private of the same coips, had been dangeiously wounded in advancing along the avenue leidmg to Hapuiona's pa. Fiom the geneial respect in which Captain Strange is held, both as regards hi ■ abilities as a soldier and his chaiactci as a man, this intelligence was leceived with soirow, and the amval of more certain information by the ' Tasmanian Maid' was looked for with anxiety, but the evening brought no further intelligence. Monday, Hth — The 'Tasmanian Maid' amved about noon and by her an explanation of the continuous firing of yesterday, and we regiet to say onlj too ample details of the loss sustained duimg the daj— a part only of which had been communicated by telegraph. From Waitaia of yesteulay's date, we kain the following particulars. The Geneial had lesohed on the construction of another redoubt m advance of No. 6, »nd near to Pukerangiora — and a foice ovc 1200 men of the 12th, 14th, 40th, and Goth Regiment - with Artillery and Engineers, was detailed for the puipose. The space between the last position and the one it was thought desnable to att u.i is difficult giound, and every point which commanded the line of advance was coveied with nfle pits The filing was heaid at the camp at Waitaia fiom eaily morning, but it slackened dunng the day, until fiom 3 to 4 30 p m it blazed up again veiy hotly— big guv-> and mu«ketiy, and now and then a rocket At 5p m a lepoit reached Waitara that Captain Sti.mge of the (mUi Regt. was dangeiously wounded, aLo a pinite of tho Csth, and Samuel Rundlc of the Militia, who diove bullocks for the Commissan it — The scieum uf tho W.ukatos in the pa are descnbed as being awful, but whethei of iage or pain is not known — met piobably both At 7 further infoimation came m, Captain Stiange is moi tally wounded — the iemoial aitei^ is ( ut — and he cannot live. 6 othcib aie wounded, wo ot whom there is little hope of Ni^ht —Tho wounded who can be sent up will go m the morning by tho 'Tasmanian Maid'— theie am now 10 killed and wounded — 1 dp.id, Captain Stiange, and 9 wounded. Captain Stiange died from excessive hemoiihage '-hoi Jy after leceiving Ins wound Monday, 9 a in — Woid has ]ust been brought m that 17 dead bodies ot mtivi , have been found in the fern and got m this momma The position which the troops moved fouuud to vestaday morning has been seemed, and a new ledouol, No. 7, is in com se of constitution , and tho-o between Kairau and No 6 are to be foi th with destio/cJ Tho ' Tasmanian Maid' biought up the body of UapUm Stiange for inteiment , and such of the w ounded me a as could be moved to the mihtaiy hospital m tow n — The ' Lord Ashley having amved fiom Nelson on hi i way to Sydney with the mad for Euiope, the 'Ta,maman Maid' hastened back to Waitaia foi any despatches the General might be desnous of sending. Dy the 'Loid Ashley weleain that the chaige against Captain Johns legaidmg the £10,000 Commit imfc tieasuie, stolen and recoveied, has fallen to the giound. Not a particle of avidence, as far as we can undcistxnd, was produced, the prosecution was abandoned and tho Captain's bail released. The ' Loid Ashley wis detained till after 9 p.m. for the chance of the letuin of the ' Tasmanian Maid,' but she did not make hoi ap pearance. The 'Victoria' with tho supploincutaiy mail fiom Auckland has not amved Tuesday, 12th — Shoitly after paiade this nioinmg the Militia assembly -n as sounded, an alaim ha-\ nit come in, that the natives belonging to foifc Ileibeig were engaged -with one of the enemy's, maiaudmg paities about Captain H. King's giounds, and loquiied suppoit. The alaimpiovedaltogethei piematiue The natives at foi t Herbert had seen one or two of tho enemy slinking about the bush and a few In J gone out with the view of siupiismg them, but one of theie thrusting his gun through, a hedge befoio getting thiough himself discharged it — nanowly escaping icceiving the contents. The enemy became a\\<iioo£ hostile neighbourhood and decamped — while on tho other side thefiie gave rise to the impiessioii that an engagement had commenced The funeral of the lamented Captain Strange took placd this afternoon at St. Mary's church, and was .attended by a veiy large number of military and civilians. — News fiom Waitaia has been looked for with great anxiety, but no amval of the Tasmanian Maul. The weathoi gi owing boisteious the Rita put to sea yes-teiday, and thio alteinoon the Coidelia left herauchoiagc. Intelligence fiom Waitara oveilaud this evening — nioic casualties Fighting has been going on all day at the fiont and a. report had been biought m that Capt Richaids of the 40th is wounded, and 1 pnvate of the Goth killed autl 1 wounded. Capt. Richards' wound weaie happy to hear is not dangerous. No details of the opeiations in progress have yet reached us. — We also leaiu by tins opportunity that there is no foundation foi the leporfc that 17 Maones had been found dead m tho fern. Wednesday, 13th. — The weather has not luodeiated, and none of the vessels out have le turned to tho roadstead. The Tasmanian Maid has not yet come in fiom Waitara, and it is lumouied that she has come to some mischief, which we ti ust is not the case, foi the vessel has been inestimable value to tho pio\ nice, and her presence has lent confidence to tho community as well as assistance in tho stiuggle tlnough which we are passing. Eaily this morning an escoit of some 200 men, military and Militia accompanied supplies to the Block-house at Mahoetahi and letuinod about 1 o'clock without encountenngany obsti uctiou. Dm. I mg the absence of the escoit intelligence was biought into town that a laigo number of tho southern native-, who have left Waueka, aie again in the bush .tiound the rear of the town — what this concentiatiou poitends it is impossible to say , it will, hovvevoi, no doubt induce caution in individuals Later in tho day it was, we understand, signalled fiom Waitaia that a large body of natives had left, and weie going in the direction of town. The authoiities called upon all pel-sons outside the trenches to come in, and eveiy precaution against a siupnse was taken The night passed without any actual alarm, but this lnccssont harrass is telling its talc upon the population and sickness and death are busy with us. Thmsday, 14th — The weathei has moderated consideiably. The Maid came in about 1p m •bunging some wounded men to the hospital in tow n Tho iu>ut from Waitaia which we have given m this <mminaiy leceives but small addition — the opeiations o* tlio week will be found undei the head Waitaia. Tho Maid letumsto Waitaiato night. The Cuiudui, ha-, not yet i etui nod to the loadstead, but is cxpivte . homly She is under unmodiitooidcis fo' "W in ikai., na Waitai \, and a mailioi Anck'and •« ill I>j in ido up as soon as she is seen in tho olhng and put on boaid.