THE LOYAL wWANGANUI NATIVES' SECRET EXPEDITION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 1002, 5 December 1868, Page 3

THE LOYAL wWANGANUI NATIVES' SECRET EXPEDITION.

GBAVE CHARGES AGAINST COL. HAULTAIN. [From the "Wanganui Times."]. Many of the Putiki and up-river natives felt sorely aggrieved at beingcalled cowards by Col. Whitmore, and abused by certain persons in Wanganui. Having been dismissed with arras and ammunition in their hands, they determined to show to the Government, the people of Wanganui, and the colony at large, that they -were not only thoroughly loyal, but perfectly able, single handed, to beat Titokowaru and his men and drive them out of these districts. To do that, however, they must be allowed to fight in their own way, and under commanders in whom they had confidence. To carry out their object they planned a kind of secret expedition under the following chiefs :—? Poma, of Kawaerea; Hakaria, of Eawaerea ; Mci, of Karatia ; Pauro, of Hiruharama ; Toma, of Hiruharama; Aperaniko, and Meti Kingi. On Wednesday, the 18th instant, Poma called on Capt. M'Donnell, informed him of their intentions, and strongly urged him to accompany them in their dangerous enterprise. On being questioned he said that he was about to start next morning up-river, as far as Jerusalem — the farthest up of our friendlies' settlements — to raise the tribes and order the men to muster at Raurikia, where Meti Kingi and Aperaniko would join them. He further added, that they would then, with three or four hundred men, strike through the bush, their scouts and spies would bring them on Titokowaru's position,"ahd imparted other information which we deem it not advisable to publish, but all tending to show the feasibility of their plans. Capt. M'Donnell at once consented to join in what he felt confident would be a successful attack upon the arch-cannibal, and rid these districts of himself and his followers. On Thursday, the 19th, about 5 a.m., Poma, with Capt. M'Donnell and fifty Kupapas started from Wanganui in canoes on their up-river expedition. Commencing at Kaiwhaike they visited every settlement, aroused the, tribes and directed a muster of every fighting man at Raurikia, by Monday the 23rd, so as to be ready to start with four day's provisions ready cooked, on the morning of Tuesday. On Saturday, the 21st, Poma and party reached Jerusalem. The Kupapas there, as well as at all the places they had visited on their way up, at once agreed to join in a united attack upon Titokowaru. There were 87 fighting men at that settlement, but it being the farthest up and on the boundary of Pehi's territory, it was arranged that 42 of those men should remain there, and the other 45 accompany the expedition. On Monday, the 23rd, at 5 a.m., they started down river for Raurikia, the appointed place of rendezvous. On their way down the Kupapas at London, Koratio and other places were in readiness by their canoes, and on the approach of the main body at once joined them. On arriving at Raurikia they were joined by the Kai Whaikes and other hapus which increased the force to over 300 fighting men, and as others were shortly expected under Mete Kingi and Aperiniko, the whole were elated with the prospect of a glorious victory. Their old Pakeha chief was to be sent for ; their four days' provisions were already cooked, and anecdotes of their former exploits when they fought without pay and in their own fashion enlivened the camp — when, lo ! a messenger from the evil genius who presides over the destinies of this province, and unfortunately, in a measure, of the colony at large, arrived amongst them. Weed we say that was a messenger from Colonel Haultain, imperatively ordering those men not to dare to attack Titokowaru, as the Government would not have it done in that way ! ! ! Shortly afterwards Mete Kingi, Kemp, and Aperiniko, also arrived, when it was ascertained that Mete Kingi naturally supposing that Col. Haultain would be delighted to hear of an effectual blow being about to be struck at Titokowaru, and that too without any expense to the Government, had divulged to him the plan of the secret expedition. That our Defence (?) Ministers had positively prohibited Mete Kingi, or any of his people, from having anything to do with it, and had sent himself, Kemp, and Aperaniko on to order them to disperse ! ! ! The Chiefs said to Meti Kingi— "You told us to muster here, and that you would meet us here to go out and attack Titokowaru. What is this word that we are not to go ? Are we sold ?" Mete Kingi did not reply, but Aperaniko said : — " This is Col. Haultain's word. You are not to go through the bush and fight Titokowaru. If you do have a success, no matter if you kill Titokowaru, you won't get a sixpence for it, and if you get out to Colonel Whitmore's camp you won't get a single ration given to you, or anything to eat of any kind." One of the Chiefs replied — "We are not going to fight for rations or for money. We are going to fight Titokowaru in our own Maori style. What has Colonel Haultain to do with us ?" The leading men then talked of tho battles they had fought, and in which they had always been successful when they didn't fight for money. They said they would go now without any pay. If they succeeded and beat Titokowaru, and drove the rest (not killed) of his people before them out of this province, the Government might recompense them if they liked ; if not, they would not ask them to do so. If, on the other hand, they did not succeed, the Government could lose nothing. At all events, they said, " we will drive Titokowaru out of these districts. He challenged us to fight near Waihi ; we will fight him now. We are certain of success." Mete Kingi said : " I thought I had better tell Colonel Haultain what we were going to do ; so I went and told him. Colonel Haultain said to me that we were not to do it. That he would not allow it. That the Government did not want it done in that way. That he (Mete Kingi) was a bad man. That Kemp was a good man, and would be supported by the Government. That he (Colonel Haultain) had been told by several natives that he (Mete Kingi) was working against Kemp in every way. Mete denied it, and said, "Kemp and I aro one;" and also said that, as Colonel Haultain refused to let them go and fight Titokowaru in their own way, he would go and bring the Kupapas down, and would then defy Colonel Haultain to point out any of them that had told him that he had advised the men not to go with Kemp. The men would never go with Kemp to fight under Colonel Whitmore. They wanted no one to advise them about that. They refused to be drafted out like a lot of sheep from a flock, the fat ones to be butchered under Whitmore, and the rest to wait their turn. They would go all together under Colonel M'Donuell and fight in their own way. They wanted no pay nor anything else from the Govei'nment. When he had said that, Col. Haultain again said bad words to him, and insisted that they must bo brought back directly. Poma said — " Well, Mete, we are all one. We will eilner all go as Kupapas under Colonel M'Donnell or not at all.

We won't go under Whitmore. If Colonel Haultain won't let us fight now we will go home. We are all one." Several of the chiefs and leading men having spoken to the same effect, the men prepared, to return to their respective homes, N but on Tuesday morning they came down to Wanganui at the urgent request of Mete Kingi. Thus has Colonel Haultain once more acted as Defence Minister to Titokowaru. What will the press and people of the colony say to the manner in which the people of Wanganui and surrounding districts are victimised by the Stafford Ministry ?