THE AFFAIR ON SUNDAY. [From our Correspondent.] Huirangi Redoubt, Monday Evening, 11th February, 1861.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1379, 1 March 1861, Page 6

THE AFFAIR ON SUNDAY. [From our Correspondent.] Huirangi Redoubt, Monday Evening, 11th February, 1861.

Late on Saturday evening the troops stationed here wceived orders to be in readiness for the field and under orms at half-past four, a.m.,on Sunday. Punctual to the appointed hour the General was observed avpioaching with a reinforcement of the 14th from Waitara, and the troops instantly formed column in lear of the Huirangi Eedoubt. The force consisted of a party of Royal Artillery under Captain Stiover and. Lieut. McNaughten, a party of Royal Engineers under Col. Mould ; a detachment of the Naval Brigade, under Commodore Seymour ; two divisions of the 12th Regt , under Major Hutching ; 100 of the 14th ; fonr divisions of the 40th, under Colonal Leslie ; and four divisions of tha 65, under Col. Wyatt. Four field-pieces, and two cohorn mortars, and a 24j>o\iTKler rocket tube, accompanied the force. Lines of tkis nishers were therown out by each corps — those of the 40th had the honor to cover the advrnce, and the whole force was quickly on the route towards Pukoiangioia, by the aveuue leading through the Huiraugi A few minutes' march brought us to the open giound behind the Huirangi bush, and we advanced without meeting the slightest opposition until we arrived on an extensive flat thickly covered with high fern, about 500 yards from the range of hills whcie stands Hapurona's pa. Here wo received a

sudden, but not unexpected, volley of musketry from the natives, who were totally concealed in ride pits within a short range. The bullets whizzed harmlessly over us, and our skirmishers instantly returned the fire. The guns and rocket tube were at onoe brought into position, and the pa, the hills,and the gullies all around, were scoured with shell and rockets. The 8-inch gun also opened fire from the Huirangi Redoubt, and threw several shots into the very centre of the pa. This gun was manned by a detachment of the Naval Brigade, and their practice is always excellent. But the Maories held most formidable positions; they had long expected our attack, and spared neither labour nor ingenuity in preparing to resist us. Every available spot that a musket could be effectually fired from was entrenched and manned: their defences formed a grand semicircle, extouding from some ravines of the Waitara valley on oui left, to the dense bush on our right. They had also trenches dug aiound their pa, and the whole ridge of hills in front of us had tiers of pits one over tho other from which the Maories fired on us as from so many little batteries. What was most annoying, we could see nothing of our antagonists but the smoke of their fire, though in some places (on the low groimd) they were so near that a mirthful exchango of repartee, relating to warfare, passed between them and our skirmishers. When the firing commenced the site for a new position was selected, and an excellent redoubt planned by Col. and Capt. Mould. The Eoyal Engineers superintended its erection, and the men of each regiment worked at it, under a heavy fire with a zeal highly creditable, for the working parties and the gunners are geneially selected by the maories as marks best worth aiming at; but seeing that they could not interrupt the progress of our works, nor silence our gunners, they endeavoured by stratagem to turn our right flank. To facilitate this, a heavy fire was frequently showered upon us from the hills, and, when our attention would seem fully duected to this, a sudden lire would be opened on us from the bush in our right rear. Every pass, however, was so well guarded by the skirmishers of the various regiments, that the Maories were always frustrated in their attempts to cut off any part of our men, and driven twck every tune they tried to advance oil our lines. A few hours of the morning passed over before we suffered any casualty; but the enemy every moment measured our distance more and more accurately \intil 9or 10 o'clock, when, I regret to say, Capt. Strange of the 65th Regt., received his death wound. The ball, in passing through his thigh, cut an artery, and after several hours of agony, he expired from loss of blood. In Captain Strange the British army has lost a brave, zealous, and efficient officer, and the 65th Regiment a true friend. He was beloved by officers and men. In the field he always distinguished himself by his coolness and daring, and on all occasions he evinced the greatest safety of his men, whilst he considered no danger too imminent for himself. He was instructing and assisting the men of his company (who were skirmishing) to dig pits, for cover, at the moment he was shot. Although the enemy's fire was not so heavy as on the 29th Dec , yet, owing to their supenoi position, their bullets fe)l round us with more piecision yesterday. They did not fire at random, bet each tune selected some group to shoot at. When the skirmishers were called m our casualties were —

KmmD. Captain Strange, 65th Regfc.

Wounded. , 12th Regt. .... 2 i 40th 1 65th ... 3 Royal Artillery 2 Nilita (a bullock driver) . 1 Total 1 killed— 9 wounded. Besides these, there weie several men wounded so slightly that they may be considered "nairow escapes." For instance, a man of the 65th had his ear pierced thiough with a bullet, and one of the 40th was touched on the crown of the head, the ball passing quite through his cap Six of the working bullocks (poor creatures ! unconscious and undeserving of having an enemy) were wounded. About 6 p.m., the foit being nearly completed, a force of 400 men, composed of the 12th, 40th, and 65th, were left to garrison the position, under command of Col. Wyatt ; and the lemamder of the field forces marched back to their respective camps, — not to rest, but to mount guards and pickets until the morning's sun should call them again to labor or to fight. The troops that remained m the new ledoubt had no tents. During the night it required all their vigilance to keep the natives in check, and firing was kept up till morning. Early thib morning (Monday) a division of the 57th, and two divisions of the 65th, advanced again to the new redoubt, and formed woikmg parties and coverers. The whole of the 40th ■sveie also removed fiom No. 3 redoubt, and Col. Leslie's regiment alone now garrisons the impoitant and dangeious position that was established on Sunday. The firing was kept up all day, and lam sorry that our casualties were increased by the death of a corporal of the 40th, who was shot inside the bi eastworks. When this man was struck he placed his hand on the part of his body wheie the ball entered, and, walking outside the fort, sat down to die before any one knew he had been hit ! Anothei of the 40th was wounded ; and the captain of their Light Company had his clothes perforated with a bullet. The rumours stated in our last respecting proposals of peace have since found some confirmation from the visit of Messrs Govett and Whitcley to the enemy's camp. It is not difficult to see that every effort to the end of peace unless out of entire submission and restitution must now prove abortive. Those gentlemen have we understand, failed to elicit any more from the rebels in arms than that, the condition on their part of the ending of the war here, must be the unconditional cession of the Waitara land to William King — that is the sustainment of maori sovereignty and land league, and the subjugation of British interests in the island. The real animus of the war could not have been better shown than in this reply, which at once proves the proportions of the struggle in which the colony is engaged. Whatever may be the feebngs of some of the northern chiefs and people in favour of British rule, it is pretty clear they have little power to control the hordes of their more savage compatriots by whom we are here surrounded, and who, to use a significant vulgarism, beem inclined one and all to do business on their own hook. Thus all treaty is impossible, for there is no head to treat with, and such being the case, every proposition of settling the war except by conquest, can but carry delusion on its face ; meanwhile terrible are the complaints of military mismanagement and procrastinations, coupled with copious advice volunteered by irresponsible parties suggestive of more vigorous meaBures, which of course may be taken for what it is worth. The Government have written and published a great deal to prove that this is not a war about Teira's land, but merely takes far different dimensions— which in truth has all along been believed by all but the fe-vr who were unwilling to see. We learn too, upon semiofficial authority, that the General has had instructions to press the war with vigour, and this demand on the part of government is incessantly thrown in the General's teeth, and indeed there are some incongruities in the course of the business, which the uninitiated are able to detect without possessing the key to a solution of them. For instance, if government be so pressing, as described, for the vigorous prosecution of war what means the clerical and other influences eminating from Auckland and coming here every now and then at most unpropitious junctures. They have at times appeared to control to some extent the progress of the war, but they certainly do not originate with the military authorities here. Where then do they come from ; can it be the act of the government, and that with recommendations of vigorous proceedings on their lips delay is the wish of their hearts, or is there still another power, which, notwithstanding the unequivocally expressed determination of the British Government to subdue this rebellion and assert the Queen's supremacy, dares btill to attempt to throw its blighting influence over the efforts of the country. The saddle should be put on the right back; and it is therefore with satisfaction that we see a memorial has been originated, requesting that His Excellency will favour this province with a visit, that he may be enabled to judge for himself of its present situation. The natives who laid in wait for and assassinated Capt. W. King, are now well-known to be Ngatiruanuis. It appears from information brought into town by a native who was at Poutok on Sunday hist) and consequently had to come through the tawa on his way to the Institution) that the rebels were aware of Capt. Eng's going backwards and forwards to his farm by the hoof tracks of his horse, and a party of about 30 laid in wait for him — they were in ambush two days for the particular purpose. From what the rebels state, he was in the act of shutting the gate after him on entering his grounds when he received a volley. Both himself and horse were wounded. Notwithstanding the horse jumped either the gate or fence, when he fell and threw his rider, Capt. King now ran for it, but, after some httlo space fell on going down a slope, no doubt from exhaustion, when two of the lebels (men it is stated, who had formerly worked for him) who had run after him came up, and notwithstanding Ins appeal to them to spare his life as he won wounded, he was deliberately shot through the head, and itruck with the muzde of a double barrel gun across the forehead with such violence that the gun-barrel was bent. The names

of these miscreants are said to be Hori Kiwi, *nd Hohepa Kohirangatira. All the marauding parties in the neighbourhood of the town hove their head-quarter* at "Waireka, from whence they go out in parties to plunder, murder, and burn. The most active in these proceedings is the Ngatiruanui tribe ; men who have received greater kindness from the settlers of this place, than almost any others. Formerly they were constantly employed by the farmers here in cutting bush, harvesting, &c. ; and now, without even the shadow of a, cause, they come up, and turn out perfect fiends. It is to bo hoped that a day of reckoning will come, when they will be obliged to disgoigp their ill-gotten plunder, and receive such chastisement as will be a warning to the rest of the tiibes. It is much to be regretted that some strong demonstration is not made to the south The impunity with which these tribes have been allowed to cairy on their depredation, and cold blooded atrocities, is from all we hear, not unlikely to induce thorn to make an attempt on the town. The past week shows the taste of these savages for blood, and also that their appetite is not yet satiated.