THE WAR AT PATEA. THE ATTACK ON THE KAKARAMEA REDOUBT. THE DESERTION OF TAURUA AND PARAONE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3513, 19 October 1868, Page 3

THE WAR AT PATEA. THE ATTACK ON THE KAKARAMEA REDOUBT. THE DESERTION OF TAURUA AND PARAONE.

The Wangqnui Times correspondent, writing I on tho 6th October, says :— Warn your readers not to attempt coming to Patea overland. The road between Waitotara and Fatea is not safe. The redoubt at Kakaramea was attaelced three times last night. The defenders fired upon the Hauhaus. v nsign McDonnell attacked the rebels, who had taken up a position to intercept the road leading to Patea, from whence relief might be expected. Our men held the post, and the Hauhaus were driven off. Tauroa, Brown, and the whole of the Pakakohi have gone off to Titokowaru. This Brown's proper name is Paraone, of Manutahi ; also, a Pakakohi of great influence. Last night parties of flauhaus were out in our.vicinity, and created some alarm. / JNatanahira, another "friendly" rebel, is la prisoner. He tried to escape, but was*re\captured by the troopers. We know now for a certainty that numbers of the Waitotara fighting men joined Titokowaru, leaving only a few men of each hapu to hold their possessions by professing to be friendly. This I know from one of the loyal Whanganui natives just come in. We have no positive information of Titokowaru's movements. The correspondent of the Chronicle, writing on October 6, says : — On Saturday night last Colonel McDonnell arrived from Whanganui, and left early next morning. The same day Kakaramea was reoccupied ; none of the houses had been destroyed. Yesterday, the chief Nahina and a young native named Hare came in from Waukina to tell us all the news. ITahina says, Titokowaru and his people are at Otoia, a position on the north bank of the Patea river, and about six miles from camp. According to ITahina, Titokowaru has received reinforcements from Ngatiawa, Wgatimaru, and Puketapu, and has now about 400 fighting men ; he has brought down. his women and children. Titokowaru is to fight at Patea ; he will then proceed to New Taranaki, where whares have been erected for his accommodation ; from there he will go to Okutuku (in rear of Wairoa), thence to Waitotara and from there to Kai Iwi, I suppone (D.Y.). Major Praser took a step in the right direction, 'and detained Mr. Hare a close prisoner.' Nahina was allowed the liberty of the camp, but in the night abused this privilege and crossed the Patea river, evidently with the intention of bolting ; he was, however, pursued and brought back, and is now properly cared for. It is to be hoped that Major Fraser will be supported in this very politic act. Last night at about 12 midnight the rebels a tacked Eakaramea, or I should say fired heavily at the camp for about an hour, and again at dawn this morning. A trooper sent from there with the intelligence fell into an ambuscade near the sandhills, about halfway between here and the post alluded to, but escaped. The firing was heard from here, and the camp was under arms nearly all night. I forgot to mention that ETahina states that all the-irotraeß-on the abandoned land have been destroyed with. Exception of tlie contractor's store at Waihi and v also Bolfer's canteen there, and that on the other morning, after the evacuation of Manawapou, the rebels found the grave of poor bmith, who was killed at the attack on the escort on the last day of September ; they dug up his body, cut off one of his legs, and took it away with them.