THE STATE OP THE WAIROA,

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 976, 8 September 1868, Page 3

THE STATE OP THE WAIROA,

Wairoa, Sept. 1, 1868. Sic, — I beg, through your columns, to call the attention of the authorities to the state of this district. Oar first grievance here is the unprotected state of the whole Wairoa district generally. Three several attempts to capture the Hauhau prisoners have lately been made, as you are aware, without success ; but in each affair a slight loss has been inflicted on the enemy, and this followed up, as it has been in each case, by a rather hasty retreat on the part of the pakeha, will doubtless produce a two-fold effect on the minds of these fanatics, inspiring them, on the one hand, with a feeling of confidence in their own prowess, and on the other with, a spirit of revenge for the loss they have sustained. From the friendly natives we learn that the Hauhaus are still in the locality of their late fight with Col. Whitmore's party, where they are said to be erecting a pa. When this is done, so that they may have a safe retreat, if they wish to mate a raid on this district, there is nothing to prevent them sweeping not only the outlying settlers but the .very township of Clyde; for Col. Whitmore, with his exalted intelligence, perceiving dangers which in his imagination menaced the town of j^apier, after having enraged the enemy and excited a feeling of revenge, for reasons above theken of ordinary mortals, removes the whole of his force, and leaves us to the mercy of these enraged fanatics. Can you imagine anything more calculated to inspire these wretches with confidence in themselves, as this step, represented, as it will be, by their prophets, as consequent on "defeat," and will tend to swell their ranks at once, as there are numerous natives about here only too anxious to join in a disturbance which they fancy will prove successful — if not in the main object of driving the pakehas into the sea, at least so far that it would produce a state of anarchy and confusion, and this would enable them to appropriate a great quantity of loot. Supposing a descent to be made by the Hauhaus on this district, there is no organised force strong enough to stop them. The Military Settlers who have settled, are, all scattered along the banks of the river as far as Opoiti — over 20 miles from Clyde township — and could be cut up in detail. At the Military Settlers township near Pakowhai, there are not more than a dozen men living. And here is another specimen of official folly. On a point commanding the Waiau junction (one of the roads to Waikaremoana), a blockhouse has been erected about 300 yards from any of the men's huts. ' This blockhouse is at the present moment protected by a common padlock, the key of which is in charge of a man living on his agricultural section up the Waiau river, and to get to whom would take half a day. Inside this blockhouse there are now about 30 stand of arms, and about 3000 rounds of ball cartridge. Any day half-a-dozen men could easily seize this treasure, and this fact is perfectly well known by the natives living m the pa opposite (reclaimed Hauhaus), and will no doubt be by them transmitted to their Hauhau relatives, and their first step would be to seize possession of this place. These facts have been fully represented by us in the shape of a memorial to Colonel Whitmore, but at present without any effect. When the horse is gone, it will be to late too shut the stable door ; but I suppose this will be another instance of government economical cheeseparing folly. If- the Maoris obtain possession of this place, there would remain nothing but the township of Clyde to retreat to ; here there is no place of security whatever. I believe there has been a small party of Maori scouts sent out by Mr. Deighton, to find out where these Hauhaus are at the present moment, and to give us warning; but what satisfaction would this afford us, as we should then have to retire to the blockhouse, where I dare say we could hold our own ; but we should not be able to save our houses, fences, crops, and cattle, and should consequently be ruined. If a small force were to be stationed, say on the Marumaru. flat, where a small redoubt could easily be made, this would protect the whole of the outlying district, and, in case of a descent, we could all go tip there and assist any troops stationed there in stopping the progress of the enemy. The Marumaru flat commands both roads to where the Hauhaus are supposed to be — that by Te Beinga, and also by Mangaaruhe — and by one or other of these tracks they would have to come. A force stationed there would of course serve not only to protect our own immediate locality, but also the Clyde township. # I think we are entitled to claim protection from the Government. We have inivested our capital and labor ; houses are .built or in course of erection all along the river ? from the township at Pakowhai up to the Marumaru Flat ; paddocks have sbeen fenced in and laid down in English 'grass • and all along there are patches of clearing looking just now beautifully green with the rising wheat and barley. t Two of our number have built accommodation houses— -one at the Pakowhai Township,and the other on the Marumaru Flat (about 4 miles apart), and each of them hare a bush public-house license, Should

we be driven off, and our places destroyed the tardy compensation we might possibly receive from Government, some years hence, would never repay us for what a few hours would accomplish, and would not keep us from starvation in the interim, if our crops were destroyed. If this same party of natives were encamped a day's journey from Napier (the same as they are from iis) would the same apathy be displayed, and why should we be left totally unprotected, especially in a case like the present, where the government is to blame for the whole occurrence; If I could have written all this in a multum-in-parvo style, I would not have troubled you with so lengthy an epistle ; but it is a subject of vital importance to our infant settlement. You can easily imagine the disheartening effect the present state of affairs has on the minds of our young settlers, who, though busily employed in fencing and sowing their crops, and fighting hard against the natural difficulties which beset the path of every pioneer of civilization, are now working with a painful feeling of uncertainty as to whether they will be allowed to reap the reward of their labor or not. Unless this is speedily remedied, it will inflict a most serious injury on our thriving young settlement. Hoping that I shall succfeed in enlisting your support, — I am, &c, A Militaey Settles.