THE WAIKAREMOANA AND TARANAKI CAMPAIGNS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1081, 7 September 1869, Page 3

THE WAIKAREMOANA AND TARANAKI CAMPAIGNS.

(From the "'lndependent," August 26.) We have been prevented from returning to the history of Major Brown's intended expedition from Taranaki, and of the W.iikaremoana campaign because the whole of the papers were not on the table of the House. We have now the completed history of both affairs, of which we propose to give a short resume in order to remove from the minds of our readers, especially on the West Coast, the feeling of disappointment very generally expressed against the Fox Ministry, at the withdrawal by them (as was supposed) of both these expeditions. The history of the Uriwera-Taupo campaign culminating at Fort Galatea, commences in a despatch of Col. Whitmore's | on the 23rd April, immediately after his departure from Wanganui. In this despatch, after stating that " Mr. Richmond had decided that a campaign in the Uriwera should be at once attempted by the troops ;" he proceeds to say, " I beg the Government not to expect a complete success from these operations. Nobody better than I, can appreciate the difficulties before me, having last year spent eighteen days in hard marching on the mere outskirts of this district. The country is already doubtless under snow. The hills are so steep, that five miles as the crow flies is a long day's march. The enemy is sure to ambuscade and delay our inarch. Our convoy of provisions may, arid very probably will, be attacked in coming to us from the rear ; and our force being largely composed of native allies, to whom cold is hateful, and on whom it exercises an effect which they cannot shake off, may disperse like melting snow at any moment, even on the eve of completing all the objects of the expedition. All that can be done, with a full foreknowledge of these rockswhichmay shatter our enterprise, the Government may depend upon our doing; but this undertaking is so different from any other as yet attempted, and so much more liable to miscarriage, that I deem it a duty not to be sanguine myself nor to lead the Government to expect too much." When this was the view taken by the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, we can hardly wonder that Henare Tomoana, who had been " keen to go with Herrick -. anywhere," seemed to have "no stomach for the Urewera work," and "absolutely refused to go without at least 100 of his men." Even the Government Agent, anxious as he was to obey his chief, says on the 27th May, " I confess the difficulties of the whole campaign at this advanced season frighten me." But the fate of many brave men. is sealed by Colonel Haultain's stern reply: "Having commenced the expedition we must carry it on with all earnestness." Again on the sth May, Mr. Kussell telegraphs in fear, "No news from Waitoa yet; this sort of communication does not suit me at all." The Defence Minister again administers rebuke: "Don't get uneasy! the province is quite secure at present." To this the Government agent bows his head, and Mr. Russell, acting on the spot and advising the Government on East Coast

affairs, sends to his superior 100 miles away, "Thanks for your telegram, which has encouraged me a good deal." All these prophetic warnings, however, were disregarded, and on the sth of May, two columns under Major Roberts and Colonel St. John, started from their respective camps at Matata and Whakatane, proposing to meet at Ruatahuna. Colonel Whitmore accompanied the first. A third column of natives under Colonel Herrick, and headed by the chief Ropata, was ordered to make a simultaneous movement from Wairoa, to Ruatahuha. Stress of weather, however, prevented them getting through. The "roads lay chiefly along river beds which became impassable in rain." v - The crossings of the river were numerous, and the passes so narrow that it was impossible to avoid receiving the first fire of the enemy." "Seven miles was found to be a long day's march," and " one mile a day could not be traversed," if the column were protected ' y skirmishers on the flanks. Notmbli*L;m iing that the "corps of guides prm-i;. led with the utmost caution," they fell into an ambuscade, and three of their number were shot. No wonder the Arawas declared " their intention to return at once ; as this country was too dangerous !" No wonder, after six days of this toilsome march, struggling on with wounded, and I fighting nearly every day ; when " all the reserve ammunition had been issued," our j most staunch allies refused to go on through; "difficulties greater than those they had overcome ;" and along a doubtful track ." without guides in the snow." They remembered "that in all former wars the Uriwera had hunted their assailants out of ! the mountains with terrible loss," and " evident anxiety was observable among them." What was the physical condition of the na- ' tive allies is not stated, but may be inferred since the Europeans " were living on potatoes, laboring under heavy packs, with clothes torn to rags, and their boots destroyed." " Poor fellows bleeding in their feet, who had hardly a day's rest since the previous November." It is high credit to English pluck, but no disgrace to the natives, that under these circumstances " they J were not ready (like their English comrades) to face the Huirau snow-covered heights with scarcely a sound garment among them, or to risk possible starvation or a long retreat." After one engagement in which twenty of Te Kooti's force were killed, the first column returned halfway to a more favored country, where potatoes were more abundant and three pounds of bacon lasted for ten days. The column under Lieut. -Colonel St. John, had reached the appointed place of meeting on the 9th May, had been " waylaid at Huhanui very much as the other column was," and had met with the same difficulties, and suffered a loss of two of the best officers and fourteen men. On the 9th May, too, the Opepe massacre occurred, which cost the country fourteen men. In all, the small force of 300 Europeans lost twenty-eight of their number between the sth and 9th May. The losses and dangers of the four days' campaign, and the difficulties of the midwinter season, have, however, no effect on the resolution of the Defence Minister to continue the campaign. He still hopes to announce a success to the House, and the expedition is ordered on to Waikaremoana. Eopata, one of our most staunch allies, refuses to join. " Excuse (says Major Herrick) near approach of winter, men would J suffer much, in that altitude, from expo- j sure to cold, snow, and rain." Ropata "is J influenced (Mr. Russell remarks to his chief) a good deal by superstition about the autumn always sending down rain and snow to protect the Uriweras !" A superstition not without foundation, as we learn hv the same telegrams. On the 17th May, w. f.-irj of "Heavy rain for several hours." On Hi- 21th, " Frightful weather for some days past." On the 4th June, " Weather wet for two days and raining heavily." On the 10th, " Country thoroughly saturated with incessant rain for a week." On the 19th, " Weather very bad, roads dreadful.' On the 23rd, " Heavy floods," which prevented the carriage of despatches from the 19th to the 23rd of June ; and, on the very day when the Assembly justly pronounced him unfit to be entrusted with the lives of men, Colonel Haultain was told (27th), "In consequence of swollen state of river impossible to throw three months' supplies into garrison" at Waikaremoana. Notwithstanding this peculiar superstition, Ropata went and shared to the full all the hardships he had foreseen. Mutiny and insubordination, the result of danger, cold, hunger, and nakedness ; an expedition as purposeless as it was reckless ;.not anticipated to do the enemy much harm " yet of no possible use for anything else ; lastly, an expenditure ruinous to the colony, and seeming almost designed to produce those terrible results so clearly and emphatically foretold by every leading man concerned. What might be the secret orders to the leaders of the expedition will be a puzzle to any ordinary mind when this telegram is read: — " Lieut.-Col. Herrick to Col. Haultain — Waikaremoana, June 25, 1869. — I think it is a great pity to sacrifice this expedition after all the expense and trouble, and consider it a very great risk, knowing enemy to be on both flanks. Will of course carry out Col. Whitmore's instructions, and send two divisions at once to Taupo, but think it most injudicious. DOIU anticipate doing the enemy much harm, but will accomplish object of expedition:' We may rejoice that on the next day Col. Haultain forwarded his last telegram in reply, "Tell Herrick to remain and carry out the original plan of operations, if he has reason to believe the enemy are in front. If he determines to come away, he is not to leave any men behind. The new Ministry will probably be sworn in to-morrow, and I cannot say what their intentions as to military operations may be." The Fox Ministry were sworn in on the following day, and their first official intelligence was of the open mutiny of the sick and starving garrison at Fort Galatea since the 18 th of the month, in spite of which the Stafford Ministry had still persisted in forcing on the men to certain destruction. The last parliamentary paper on the subject is so pregnant with facts, when the date of the appointment of the Fox Ministry is considered, that we publish it in full elsewhere. When that is read the country will little wonder that Mr. Ormond, acting for the Fox Ministry,' — " came to the . conclusion (oh the 10th July), that it was not in the interest of the public service that the expedition should be continued."

The history of M»jpv:^^m%B^^'^ r , tion will prove the subject of another and' shorter article with which Nwe^shall close ;; our record of the Stafford- Mtoistry.^ Of /; them, when we review their adminiattatibn, it may well be said in the celebrated woJ«is / of M. Tbiers, addressing the' ministerial^ ' bench of Corps Legislate— -line vow rests ' ' '[ plus maintenant une seulefaute a commetre?