HUIRANGI.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 4, Issue 188, 27 April 1861, Page 1

HUIRANGI.

(From the Taranaki Herald's Own Correspondent.) Saturday, March 16. — The active operations resumed against the enemy on Friday, were continued vigorously until a late hour, and before we left the field a second man of the 14th Regiment was wounded. There was a short pause after sunset, but soon after dark the thunder of bursting shell and raking shot broke the silence of night, as they carried to the Maoris the terrible warnings of their fate. The 8-inch gun, mounted at No. 6 redoubt, was moved forward this morning, so that there are now in front of Te Avei pah. two 8-inch guns, two 8-incli. and two 10 inch, mortars, as many cohorns, one 2&-pounder howitzer, and a 12-pounder, and one 9-pounder fieldpiece. One would think that this much artillery would be sufficient to annihilate anything in the shape of earthen defences that were ever constructed ; and the fact that the Maoris, without a single, gun, can hold out, even a few days, against the play of such a powerful ordnance is a proof of rheir formidable position, and shows also tliat the Now Zualand^r," thoagh a savage enemy, is by no means a nvan or contemptible warrior. The Greneral, accompanied by his staff, arrived early from head-quarters and directed the proceedings of the day. The Maoris, refreshed by a three tiavd' Iruce, and perhaps augmented in numbers and in supplies, presented a bold front to our troops, and fired this morning with a vigour that bespoke their determination to fight obstinately and to defend their positions to the last. The main, or double sap, and the demi-parallel that; branches from it to the verge of the valley, were amply lined by our coverers, who emulated each, in replying to the enemy's fire. The Royal Artillery also behaved with great energy. * * * The men worked the guns in a masterly style, and with matchless accuracy planted their shots where they pleased. But although these guns would quickly demolish a tower, a fort, or a town, they cannot perform great wonders on the underground works so skilfully planned by the Maori. The shells from the large mortars, and from the 8-inch guns, are far more effective in the destruction of rifle-pits, and in rendering them untenable by the enemy. These, falling with a ponderous weight, bury themselves in the earth and explode like a tuine, throwing up the ground on all sides like a little volcano. But, notwithstanding all this, the natives held their ground so firmly to-day, that their boldness was excelled only by the intrepidity of our coverers, who, under a heavy fire leaned over the parapets of the sap, deliberately watching for a glimpse of their crafty antagonists, whose rifle-pits on the edge of the valley were within forty yards. The Maoris, in' eights and tens, would hastily raise their heads to take aim, and as quickly would the fire of our men bo discharged on them ; the smoke from our rifles and that from the enemy's musket 3 mingling together, and mounting upwards in a common cloud, which ere it cleared the earth, was followed by another and another in quick succession. All this time the working parties and Royal Engineers were pushing the sap towards the enemy with as much coolness as if they were engaged in mere-agricul-tural pursuits. The cohorns played well; but so near was a portion of the enemy's pits to the brink of a precipice which overhangs the river, thafc some of the shells directed for tli9m.fell harmlessly over the cliffy and dropped into the stream that flowed beneath. Hand grenades were also brought up and thrown by the Royal Artillery ; some of them fell amongst the pits, but the distance was too long to allow of certainty in the practice, and, after eight or nine. were thrown, it was discontinued, to be re.n'evrad when we get closer. Two Maoris, strju^^^^^fiie bullets, were seen to fall, their musi^^^^^|d from their hands, .'and lay visible on xaeoSnk in front.,of the pits j the enemy made several attempts to recover them, but were met each time with a volley from our men thafc made havock among them. About four, p.m., Colonel Wyatt observed some natives moving towards the forest at the right of the Huirangi redoubt, and wheeling out the 24-pounder howitzer, he sent a couple of shells amongst them. But you will be sorry to hear that this day haa cost us four men, one of the 57th and three of the 65th regiments. The casualties of the 65 th are private Hannan, light company, who, while turning round to reload his rue after firing, was shot very

f: ?clangerously (it is feared mortally) through the * hiead..!* Private Emmerson, light company, was '■wounded very severely through the neck, and private Taylor, severely in the hand. A private of the.s7th received a severe wound in the side : all these men were wounded in the sap by an enemy ■who was but a short distance off. . ' , .7.30, p.m.— -Several shelta from the large! mqr- > tars -and projectiles from the Armstrong gtins have just been thrown amongst the enemy. ' It is a. grand sight to behold the flight of these destructive shells at night, marking their course through the air by the burning fuse as the missile rises in a curved line to an immense height and then falls almost perpendicularly, gathering speed, weight, and force as it descends until it buries itself and bursts in the destined spot. The shell sent forth by the Armstrong gun shoots forward with such lightning speed, that at night it almost dazzles the eye to behold the bright line, traced like a thread of light by the glaring fuse as the projectile darts to its destination. Sunday, March 17.— St. Patrick's Day, the first anniversary of a war that has for twelve months cursed New Zealand, and desolated tbe Province of Taranaki, has been marked by the irreparable loss of as brave an officer as ever fought and fell on flood or field, as devoted a soldier as ever won lustre for the British flag at the price of his blood. Lieut. M'Naughten, R.A., is, alas! numbered with the dead. This intrepid soldier was stooping over a mortar, in the act of adjusting its elevation, when a musket ball struck him in the hand which held the plumb-line, and then pierced his breast- An officer who was near him, exclaimed, " M'Naughten, you are hit ;" but the Lieutenant smiled, and "with his usual calmness, replied, " Oh, never mind, 'tis but in the hand!" They were his last •words! He 9tood up, turned pale, staggered backwards, fell, and died. The Borrow of the troops of all corps for the loss of this officer is inexpressible ; especially that of the 65th, 40th, and 12th, who next to the R.A., knew him. longest. Every soldier knew and appreciated his worth ; all admired his unsurpassable valour, his uniform coolness, and his skill in gunnery ; whilst hia undeviating affability and kindnesa endeared him even to the most thoughtless. His presence at the guns was the inspiration of confidence in the troops, for no one doubted the accuracy of an aim taken by Lieutenant M'Naughten. He walked up the sap to-day full of ardour, full of confi-lence, full of every quality that constitutes a perfect soldier ; alas ! that the green sh&mrock which he so proudly wore on his manly breast should be so soon dyed red with his life blood ! Many a stout heart sighed, and many a stern eye dropped a tear «s they beheld the noble soldier borne past them, ■a. lifeless corpse. When the ambulance which bore him from the field arrived at No. 6 redoubt, the oflacers and -men of the 65th mingled round the vehicle to get a last" glimpse of the honoured and beloved dead. The brow even of the most thoughtless wore a sad gloom, and rough hand 3 endeavoured in vain to conceal the big tears that rolled from eyes that could not restrain them. The memory of Lieutenant M'Naughten will be ever pre-eminently dear to our hearts. Between seven and eight o'clock last night the natives endeavoured to carry off our sap rollers again, but this time their attempt was a failure, for an enemy they did not come to seek waa moat patiently awaiting them, and the moment the gabions were stirred the Maoris were astonished by the sudden explosion of an 8-inch jjun amongst them. The full extent of the damage thus inflicted on the enemy is uncertain, but before the natives had time to recover from their panic, several large shell and shot were poured amongst . them from No. 7 redoubt, which must have done execution, as traces of blood were this morning discovered in the sap. The branch sap which runs from the left of the main parallel was pushed to its destination at an early hour to-day. Its, extreme end rests on the brink of a cliff or precipitous bank, which rises as steep as a wall from the river to a height of 250 feet, and stretches from the left end of the pah a' hundred yards obliquely towards our position. It is from the brow of this precipice that the Maories have always kept up their most constant fire; it was from here the fatal bullet came that deprived Lieutenant M'Naughten of life, and Eng- ' land of his invaluable services. The fire of our eoverers from the end of the branch sap obliged the enemy to abandon some thirty yards of tlm . position ; but at that distance from our men the ground forms an obtuse angle which points towards the river, and the natives still retain the far &ide of the cliff. It is only when one has eeenthie position that he can appreciate the cautious manner in which the General approaches. Mont of the troops here have often expressed it as their ardent wish to ; take it by a charge, and your correspondent also thought it the best and most decisive, plan until to-day. But I now perceive that to have charged this would be like ordering brave men to commit self- destruction. Even the natives, .before they •ould find footing on it, were obliged to dig away a narrow strip from the brink, thus making a ledge for themselves to stand on, and even this ' shelf is so narrow that not more than one row of men in 'single file can stand on it. Therefore, a line of soldiers charging it must, in their eagerness to meet the foe, either fall over the precipice and be dashed to pieces in the Bhallow river bek neatb, or (what would be as bad,) they would have to : retire defeated before the destructive fire of an exulting foe. Neither could an attack in 1 flank be ventured along this ridge, as only one man could advance at a tim% It follows, therefore, that whatever might b^frnk^by charging an enemy on ground presentir^^^^^ißary difficulties, to order a rush on s^pfin^p^^ion as this be ■ universally denounceoPWwilful madtness, for the result could only be a terribly catastrophe. And I make this statement i because '. :' trvih prescribes it, and justice to a General whose.' • plans have been too hastily censured, demands the. . 'trvtlt. If there be still any who thinks that a. 'chargeshould be risked, we invite them to come ; itid -inspect the ground. * * •< * Private Martin; of the 57tb, was wounded to-day. ■'I Monday, March 18.— The enemy fired so little ion pjur; working parties in the early part of the I Sayy that every : ope rightly anticipated an attack ''from! She natives in. some* "unknown quarter, and . lfaobr : Nelson, who was field officer of the day,

frequently, walked, round and cautioned the men j to be extremely vigilant. The* • 14th', 57th, and | 65th furnished the working and 'covering parties for the trenches,- arid 'the main parallel was. constantly gaining ground towards tbe pah, uud'e'r',' cover of the gnus and mortars that continually . played on the enetny's positions. About three p.m., large columns of smoke rose up in front of of the pall; the signal attracted the, attention of our men, and they were all instantly on the alert. There was now a few minutes'-- oiloncejon both sides, when suddenly several heavy peals of musketry were heard to the left of No. 7 redoubt, followed by fierce and constant firing. The enemy had made an assault on a company of the 40lu, who were protecting a party of their regiment and of the Royal Engineers engaged in erecting a battery for the 9 pounder guv to play on the pita and hills to the right of our position. The natives, stealing round by a distant route, gathered in great force in the bush and on the broaa of the gullies to the right of No. 7 redoubt, and delivered their fire with too much effect on our troops. The 4uth, though exposed on open ground to the deadly fire of their enemy, and only one division strong, maintained their position bravely, and continued firing and advancing upon their bold" assailants until aided by further reinforcements from their regiment, and by guns and lloyal Ar-' tillery from No. 7 redoubt, speedily despatched by Colonel Leslie. The Maoris around the pah, who ! were hitherto comparatively silent, now opened a very brisk fire ou the coverers in the sap, and Major Nelson caused the working parties to run for their arms, which were piled at some distance. A company of tbe 57th from No, 1 redoubt, and the inlying picquet of the 65th from No. 6, were hastened forward as further reinforcements, and the loud din of battle grew more furious at every moment, for the natives also fuuglit with great obstinacy. But they could not stand out long against the destructive fire showered on tiiuin from the well-aimed rifles of the 40th, and the shell and shot from the Royal Artillery. Groans of pain were frequently heard, coming from the enemy, and, after sustaining the vaiu struggle for upwards of an hour, they were forced to fly. But our gallant troops purchased the victory with a considerable loss. lam sorry to have to state j that the 40th had two officers wounded, and three | privates killed and two wounded ; the artillery, one wounded. I append a list of the casualties : — KILLED. 40th Regiment— Private R. Jelrey, Private J. Watson, Private M. Roche. "WOTJICD.KD. Royal Artillery— Gunner J . 'f adford. 4l)oh Regiment — Lieutenant liees, severely; Lieutenant Whelan, slightly ; Private Ji. Uarey, severely ; Private J . Oiouau. stveroiy. i Sergeant Christie, E.A., was also slightly wounded, in the front of the sap, early in the mornuig. A heav^ fire was kept up on tiie troops whilst retiring, but we incurred no further loss. It may be interesting to scientific men to state that, to-day, whiiit Captain Mercer was throwing shell from a cohorn mortar, at the head of the sap, the following singular circumstance occurred in the flight of one. A shell when discharged from the mortar rose in the usual manner ana ieii in the place it was directed for ; but, to the amazement of ali, after striking the ground it rebounded from the earth, rose into the* air, and cauie back (without bursting) close to the place from which it was fired, like a boomerang. The shell must have fallen with the fuse down, and, as there waa not sufficient, powder to burst it, the explosion forced it back to us to be furnished with a better charge. Tuesday, March 19. — The white flag was again hoisted on Te Arei ilagstati' at dayiigut this morning ; our guns are silent ; our sap operations at a stand-still. Messrs. M'Lean, Pama, and Hay, and a number of friendly natives of distinction, amongst whom were Monganui, Tamati Waka's fighting chief, arrived at No. 6 redoubt about nine a.m., and after an interview with the officers, ' awaited the concerted signal for a. meeting with.^ the insurgent chiefs. At half-past ten, a white flag was hoisted near the skirt of the forest on the! right of No. 3 re*doubt, indicating their presence, at the appointed spot, and the above named gentlemen, accompanied by friendly chiefs, proceeded to the conference.. The natives were evidently very glad of Mr. M'Lean's visit, for we distinctly heard the hearty cheer with which they received and welcomed him. The conference lasted several hours, and, although the proceedings may not be made public for some time, it ia believed that the general result of the meeting is satisfactory. The business being concluded, tue most distinguished of the friendly chiefs and a few followers went up to Te Arei to spend the remainder of the day and the night with their friends in or about the pa. The truce must have brought a jubilee to the Maoris, for the guard at No. 8 redoubt heard them cheering loud and joyfully at 8 p,m. Wednesday, March 20. — The first apparent result of yesterday's conference wa« ; the. departure! < of s great number of Waikatos from Te Arei for' their homes at a very early hour this morning. The guard at No. 8 redoubt observed large parties of them crossing the Waitara valley by various paths from daylight until hall-past six. Where a path lay through, an opening in the thicket I counted eighty-three, but I saw only the rear division ; I was. told that far stronger bodies had passed an hour previous. They moved off at a very quick pace, in sixes and sevens, following each other closely in single file, and most of those I saw were laden with bundles. As they gained the hills at the opposite side of the valley, -a doubled- barrelled musket was discharged from the | '■ top of a steep cliff facing Pukerangiora. This j signal- was repeated several times at the same' place, either in token that they had crossed the'! river safely, or as a parting salute. Eight or tea-' ; Maoris (one of them mounted) returned back 1 ;' they were probably a few who went to see their, | late allies safe on their way. Another groupq£ natives who came out of the pah situated themselves > on the top of a commanding hill to our front, 1 eagerjy watching the departure of their friends. We do not regret them, they were very bad neighbours whilst -they remained. When they had all disappeared, the friendly chiefs who had spent the 1 night at Te Arei or Mataitawa came down from the pa with a -flag of truce, and were received in, front of No. 8 redoubt by lieutenant Urquhart,

65th. regiment ; . they are now staying at No. 6 redoubt. The natives report that the insurgents were on .the point of making another night attack; they .were to have come with all their force and make a , simultaneous dash oil one or other of the redoubts ' lii is fortunate for themselves that they did not venture it ; they could not have devised a speedier or more wholesome method of their own destruction, for our troops were not only always ready for, but constantly expecting such an event. The friendly ohiefs also report that Kingi anticipated an. attack from our forces by Mataitawa, and that, to prevent surprise in that direction, he has a line Of sentries from the ETuirungi bush to the hills behind Te \rei. Tiiey Btate tliat the natives live quite openly in whares behind the Te Arei hills, and that a shell sometimes drops amongst them. There are no pahs, in rear of the present position, but every hill is entrenched by well planned rifle pits. Thursday, March 21. — Affairs are daily assuming a peaceful aspect in this quarter ; so much so, that Mr. M'Lean conducted a small party of W. Kingi's natives to No. 6 redoubt to-day, and introduced them to Colonel Wyatt as " some of his fighting friends who had come to pay him a visit." Tne Colonel (who knows well how to meet friend or foe) received his amiable visitors very frankly, and treated them very kindly, appointing Quartermaster Withers to cater for them. The soldiers grouped round, eager to get a view of their late antagonists, offering them such fare as the camp afforded with soldierlike hospitality, and viein# with each other in making them presents of pipes, tobacco, and other little things prized by the Maoris, Tbe natives looked very well, and were remarkably' cheerful. Their heads were decorated with white feathers in token of amity, and they would ocassionally take out one and present it to an officer as a mark of respectIt wa3 an. agreeable sight to hehold men, who but three days previously, were endeavouring to shed each other's blood, now shaking hands, in friendship, as free from any feeling of vindictiveness for part injuries, as if all the evils of the last twelve months were but a dream, for both soldiers and subordinate natives felt that they were not the causes of the unhappy and inglorious war in which they had been engaged, but the agents who were destined to prosecute it. Some of the IMaoris invited the soldiers to go for fruit; a few of the men went a short distance beyond the karaka grove to the right of No. 6 redoubt, and saw a number of whares, all occupied by natives, and surrounded by little plots of cultivation. The grave of private M'Kindry, 65th, who was taken taken away from No. 1 redoubt in January, was found ; it was neatly paled in, a small flagstaff was at the head, and the day, month, and year in which he was killed was painted or carved on a slab. The 65th also found Ramsay's grave (of the 40th), who was killed on the 11th September, 1860.

The following remarks upon this most extraordinary peace are from the New Zealand Advertiser :of the 10th inst : — It will be observed that tho3e terms are addressed to Hapurorm aud Ngatiawa, as the Governor intends to make separate terms with Waikato, Taranaki, and Ngatiruanui; but King had neither attended the Conference nor signed the treaty, and no security is required for peace in the future, There has been no peace made in the proper acceptation of that term, but simply a suspension of hostilities. We are told that the conditions offered had been accepted by the Ngatiwas, with the exception of thirty or forty, the personal adherents of King, who, with King himself, had sulkily retired northward ; but why such terms should have been offered it would be difficult to understand, and if the Responsible Ministry have advised such a step they deserve impeachment, and we trust that, if the law will reach them, when the General Legislature assembles, which we .observe is summoned to meet at Auckland on the ,30th May, means will be adopted to bring them 'under it. ' It would appear that McLean had obtained an interview with King on the 2Lst March, and immediately afterwards sailed for Auckland. This interview of McLean's, and his return to Auckland, brought down the Grovernor to the Waitara, who was accompanied by Mr. Weld, Mr. Whitaker, and the redoubtable McLean himself. In the interval, from the 21st to the 27th, hostilities were resumed, but previously a notice was issued by General Pratt that during the armistice " the most amiable relations ''should be keptup between the natives and settlers." Three days after the Governor reached the Waitara General Cameron arrived, with despatches and instructions which, we are told, left the Governor completely unfettered, and three days after that, viz, April 3rd, G-eneral Pratt " made himself scarce" by sailing from the Waitara for .Melbourne; and, in the meantime, G-eneral Cameron left f yv Auckland. Hapurona and others, including King's daughter, had had an interview with the Governor, and the terms offered, it was rumoured, had been accepted. The most intense dissatisfaction, it is said, is felt afc Taranaki, both by the settlers and even by the friendly natives, at the course the G-overnor has adopted. "They were not," as one correspondent, says, " prepared for this crowning me3B." The Nelson Examiner thinks that it would be premature to censure a policy of which but the first and inconsiderable portion is known to us ; but whether premature or not, the policy adopted hae been freely censured on all hands, and does not appear to have one redeeming feature. To effectually break the link which united the Waikatos I with the Southern tribes was not to patch up a 'peace with the Ngatiawas, but to conquer them. 'This appears to us co self-evident that we must conclude that the editor of thesmost" able journal in the colony has not shown his usual acuteness, 'or else actuated by party spirit, and by his admiration of the present Government, he has closed his eyes willingly, or without knowing it, to the folly of the course they have pursued. The Southern Cross— which, we presume, is the ovgun of the Government- thinks that it would perhaps be better that hostilities should cease in a district where nothing was to be' gained. Mlt may alter," it saye, " the venue of the trial, and it

would be difficult to find a worse one i** from which we are to infer that terms were dliiie to with Kingi for the purpose of carrying out the war in a country which offered less natural difficulties toour troops. Still we 16am that on the day the Waikatos returned homfc the Taranakis and Ngatiruanuis left Waireka w|ith all the cattle and sheep theycouUd collect from all the farms, and had driven them to their own kaingas. Peace would be welcomed by every settler in New Zealand if they thought there was any prob- , ability of its being lasting. It is not peace itself -they complain of, but the conditions the Governor has offered to the rebels to obtain it. It looks very much like a confession that we have not only been worsted in the fight, but fi&m the fi>Bt altogether in the wrong. It is a pity that G-eneral Cameron had not arrived at Taranaki before the Governor did, and then it Is possible that the Bishop, representing one interest, and McLean another, including with it his influence and salary, would not have been able to induce His Excellency to make proposals so unsatisfactory, so little creditable to our arms, and so incredible a3 those we have published above. : Fear of a rising iv the north, and of a Waikato descent upon Auckland, joined with the influence brought to bear against his proceedings, and the little success resulting from our operations against the rebels, if not singly, may, all combined, afford a juatification for the course he has. adopted. If it wa3 to break the link in the chain which bound the Waikatos, residing at the north of New Plymouth, with the tribes residing at the south of that towii, and it should have this effect, the policy adopted may be the best that, under the circumstances, could have been pursued ; but the question which arises is, whether it will do anything of the kind. If the Taranaki and Nyatiruanui tribe?, bs is hinted, are to have separate terms offered to them, and, if they will not accept which, they are to be pursued with fire and sword, the danger which menaced 'Auckland may be transferred to Wanganui and Wellington. The war, instead of being confined to Taranaki, or spreading northwards, as the' Maori " Warwick" threatened it should, will be brought here: the venue, a's-vthe Cross happily expresses it, will not be changed to the Province of Auckland, but to that of Wellington. We are supposing that it will be insisted thac the murderers of the men and children at Omata shall be given up, and ample reparation made for the robberies and arsons those Soutiiern tribes have committed ; but we have no right to assume anything of the kind. From what we have witnessed it is more likely that under some pretext, or from gross imbecility, their crimes will be permitted to go unavenged. Hostilities have ceased — the Mabries have dispersed — General Prat, with the Victoria, is on his way back to Melbourne ; but the Governor is still at New Plymouth and General Cameron has returned before this time to the Waitara. In spite of what we have seen, we believe we may expect stirring news yet from Turonaki. No peace has yet been ratified, nor do we believe it ever will, however welcome to the troops and to the military authorities, until we have thoroughly convinced the Maorie3 that they owe our mercy to our forbearance — our charity not to cowardice but to Christian feeling — our humanity not to our fears but to an enlightened civilization. They are not convinced of this, and until they are there can be no peace that can be lasting. The Taranaki News publishes a nominal list of persons who have had tfyeir houses totally destroyed in the rural districts. The number of houses in the country was 212 ; and we find those destroyed amount to 177, while those that are left standing have been so broken to pieces that they might as well have been burnt also —many of them would have been had the fire applied to them taken effect. Q.uery — Are the rebels to be made, under the conditions published above, to restore these houses as well as the stolen property, and what guarantee has been given that they will do either ? Where are the hostages, and what security has been taken that the terms agreed upon will be complied with. The Taranaki Herald, published on last Saturday evening, says nothing about the terms offered by the Governor having been accepted by the Ngatiawas, and we know that Kingi himself has not been a party to their ratification.