TARANAKI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 170, 15 April 1864, Page 5 (Supplement)

TARANAKI.

[From the Taranaki News , March 24.]

A great deal of interest was excited at the commencement of this week by the rumour that another attack upon Kaitake was to take place, and the musterings and marchings of troops and Bushrangers on Monday furthered the impression that the affair would come off before dawn of the following morning, and many who inferred that the morrow would see the Maori stronghold in the hands of the troops—left town in.the evening to be present, it possible, at the imposing spectacle of the storming. Arrived at Oakura it was found that Col. Warre with a large force and two guns (Armstrong’s) had moved down the coast about three in the morning, and nothing had been heard of them since. Was the day to end thus ? No —presently a stir in the camp was visible, and two guns from the redoubt seemed to signal the time arrived for movement of some description, and shortly after Major Butler, with a howitzer and an Armstrong gun, with a strong party of the 57th, left the camp, and having twice crossed the Oakura stream, were seen wending their way through the high fern, until they arrived at a spot opposite to what is supposed to be the main strength of the enemy’s position at Kaitake, and commenced practising with shell and shot, at intervals, on the enclosures and rifle-pits opposite to them. From the amount of force of this party and its position, it was evident it was merely a diversion.

In course of the morning large volumes of smoke was seen at the back of the Tataraimaka block, and by and by horsemen rode in reporting that a large pah had been found of recent construction, but not at present inhabited, and destroyed, and extensive cultivations hidden in the bush had been accidentally discovered, and as far as possible rendered useless. In course of the morning several head of cattle were driven in for the mounted men, and were recognised as the property of “ Big Jack.” The natives who fell on the occasion of the attack upon entrenchments at Katikara were buried in the redoubt, and on the graves was found a board on which was written in the native language : “Friend Mateno, —These are the corpses—We have seen. “ (Signed) Hoei Patene.” It appears to have been the intention of the Wanganuis to have exhumed the bones of their relations, but on examination to have found that decomposition was not sufficiently advanced, and they therefore decided to leave them. About 2 o’clock the Colonel and his force returned to the camp at Oakura ; Major Butler and the guns were recalled, and the business of the day was ended. What the intention of the expedition down the coast may be, we cannot undertake to say, but it is whispered that it was in reference to taking up further positions in advance of that at Oakura. Heavy firing has been heard in town this (Thursday) morning from that direction. At Wanganui the natives were perfectly quiet when the Storm Bird left. CAPTURE OF KAITAKE, XE AHUAHU, AXD 'TE TUTU. DESTRUCTION OF CROPS, ETC. Tms week has been marked by great activity in military matters here, and the results have been most satisfactory and encouraging—Ahuahu, Te Tutu, and another village, all south of Kaitake, having been taken and burnt, some horses and cattle brought in, and a great deal of growing maize and other crops destroyed—but the main thing has been the capture of Kaitake, a stronghold we have all looked at and talked about for the last ten months. On Monday, a force consisting of Capt. Russell’s and Capt Schomberg’s companies of fee 57th Regt., and the two companies of bushrangers under Captains Anderson and Good, were moved down to Oakura, where they camped for the night During the day a pretty constant fire had been kept up from the Armstrong guns upon the different positions at Kaitake, with the object mainly of drawing up the natives from the pahs to the southward so as to leave these comparatively undefended. Accordingly, at half-past 3 o’clock on Tuesday morning, Colonel Warre started from Oakura with 200 men, (Capt. Lloyd’s company 57th and the bushrangers) and two guns for To Tutu, a pah just beyond the farther inland corner of the Tataraimaka Block. This pah was awkwardly situated in the midst of the bush, and looked very formidable in the distance, but when reached was found to be a mere sham, as there were no trenches of any kind in it, and it was no doubt only intended as a sort of scarecrow. The natives had evidently not been there for some days. The palisading and live or six whares were burnt, and the force was about to retire when a good-sized clearing was discovered a little further on through the bush, which gave an hour or two’s employment to the men in destroying the maize, (about 6 acres), potatoes, kumeras, taros, tobacco plants, and other crops. It is probable that part of the cultivation belonged to Hoani Wharekawa (commonly called Johnny), as a Maori Testament was found in one of the whares with his wife’s name in it. In the same kit with the Testament was apart of a proclamation of Sir George Grey’s, about the murders of the 4th of May, cut to the size of a cartridge. It will be remembered that Hoani was the man who welcomed his Excellency so enthusiastically when he came to take possession of Tataraimaka. The force came back by way of the old Redoubt on Bayly’s farm. At the grave of the Maoris killed on'the 4th June, the Wanganuis had left an inscription on a board to say that they had seen it. In the meantime the mounted men had found and driven in six line working bullocks belonging to Te Meiha (Big Jack), the man who, (as we have just heard from Mataitawa and Wanganui), killed Mr. Patterson. On Wednesday morning, Capt. Russell, with 30 of the 57th and a party of Victorians and several carts, went down to bring away the remains of the Tataraimaka chapel, which, as was discovered yesterday, the natives had chopped down and pulled to pieces with the intention of carrying it away—indeed, some of the boards had already been carried close up to Te Tutu. No obstruction was met with, though some natives wore seen

putting up the fence across the road, which had been taken down the day before, but they luckily disappeared. In addition to the timber, six horses were brought in, belonging to the Hauranga natives (Big Jack, Hopa, &c). At an early hour on Thursday, two companies of the 57th, under Capt. Russell andCapt.Schomberg, and Capt Page’s company of Victorians, the ■whole under Major Butler, moved down to attack Ahu'ahu, a small pah, but strong from its position, being on a steep spur of the range, with open land in front and bush behind. Fortunately most of the garrison were away at Kaitake, and the place was carried by assault. The only loss on our side, two men of the 57th wounded, occurred! in pulling down the palisade to get in. One or two valuable taiahas were found here. There was a large quantity of maize crops growing which were destroyed, and the force retired again to Oakura. * °

_ Information having been received that the Ngatiruanui were shortly expected at Kaitake, Col. Warre wisely determined to attack (lint place before they could arrive. The attack was to be on three sides at once. Major Butler, with three companies of the 57th (Capt. Russell’s, Capt. Lloyd’s, and Capt. Schomberg’s), Capt. Wright’s company of the 70th, and part of M’Kellar’s from the Omata Stockade, were to advance in front with the guns, Capt. Corbett was to take his com - (No. G, Otago) up a spur on the left, and Capt. Atkinson, with 170 men (his own and Captain Good’s companies of Bushrangers and 50 Volunteers, and No. 1 Militia, under Lieut, Hirst), was to go right round through the bush, and come down the spur at the back. The attack succeeded so excellently, that it seems almost a pity the efficacy of the plan was not a little more severely tried when its excellence would have been more apparent ; but as soon as it was put in execution the natives saw at once they were beaten, and acted accordingly. The Armstrong guns, under Capt, Martin E.A., opened fire between 7 and 8 o’clock and kept it up for about 3 hours, and the way in which these guns were served deserves the highest praise. In the earlier part of the week they had made some beautiful shots at over 3,000 yards, and yesterday the precision of their fire' was shown by the state of the pahs and whares. Col. Warre had arranged that the different parties should more to the attack at 10 o’clock but Capt. Atkinson’s party was delayed by bavin" to take a much longer round than was expected, indeed they went within a few chains of the top of Patnha, the highest peak in the range, and as there was no line a great part of the way, the land hilly and the supplejacks thick, a little delay is easily understood. Just before the latter party emerged they fell in with and killed a native who was either a sentry or trying to escape that way. Immediately after they heard a cheer in the clearing below, and rushing out they found that Captain Corbett had taken the pah. It seems that Colonel Warre, after waiting the appointed time, had told the men in front to give a good cheer with the intention of drawning the natives down and giving the upper parties a better chance of getting out, but Captain Corbett understood it to mean that the troops in front were advancing to (he charge, and he therefore thought it his duty to charge too, and his men gallantly following a good example soon had possession of the pah, the natives retiring precipitately into the bush above, where they kept up a sharp fire (wounding one man) till they heard the shot behind them, when they retreated across the deep wooded gully in which the Wairau runs. After crossing this, they collected again on the edge of the bush, at the back of a little plantation of maize on the' top of the other hill, close by the top of the bill where Captain Scbombcrg’s company of the 57th and Captain Page’s Victorians were stationed, and opened a sharp fire on them, which was well returned, and they soon retired, but not before they bad wounded one man and shot an orderly’s horse. Two mounted orderlies (G. Tatton and W. Brooking) captured the only prisoner taken. lie bad fired at one of them, and bad then bidden in the fern. They gave chase on foot and found him, and fired five shots at him with his revolver, one ball wounding him slightly, the others going through the different parts of his dress. He fell apparently dead, but as they approached to examine him he fired again at Tatton, who therefore knocked him down with his revolver. It is very much to the credit of these men that they did not kill him outright after he fired this second shot. He proved to be Ihau of Mokotunu and an enemy of old standing, as he was wounded in the former war. The man shot by the bushrangers was Te Kati, of Oakura, ’the largest claimant of land in this district.

At Kaitake itself as at Te Tutu and Ahuahn there were large quantities of maize, tobacco, and other crops, and a great many first-rate potatoes in store, which will servo our garrison now established there. A redoubt is to be built there, but in the meantime one of the pahs has been strengthened and occupied, and Captain Russell now holds Kaitake with his company of the 57th, and Captain Carthcw’s company of Otago Volunteers. It would not be fair to conclude without saying a word on behalf of two natives, Eopata Ngarongomate (Bob) and Ivomenc, who acted as guides to Captain Atkinson’s party. The Government before this have given their money freely for native purposes, much less obviously useful than this, and should not be stingy with it now. We hope our fellow settlers will not presume too much on the capture of Kaitake in going about the country carelessly, because Manutahi and Mataitawa have not yet fallen, though we have no doubt they will soon follow. Even after .that there would bo some time left for a little cattle hunting about the Kiln and Warca. The following are our casualties at Ahuabu and Kaitake— WOUNDED. 57xxi Regiment. —Privates Bishop, Morrissy, and Neary. Taranaki MiLixiA—Capt. Corbett’s Company —Sergeant Appleby. From the Taranahi Herald of April 2, we learn that—- “ The natives appear to be still hanging about Kaitake and have been making reprisals in their

owa way. On Wednesday last, at about two o’clock, a party of three, two belonging to Captain Carthew’s company (Otago) and one an artillery man, went down from the redoubt to the Wai_rau stream, which runs in the wooded gully to the west of Jv aitako. While at the stream they were fired upon by a party of natives who had been lying concealed close by; one escaped unhurt, the second one (F. Bilton) was wounded in the back, but managed to get far enough away to be safe (the total distance from the stream to the open ground where the camp stands is only about 100 yards) but Stewart, the artilleryman was disabled at once, the ball breaking his thigh bone, and when relief came, which was within a few minutes, he was found frightfully tomahawked, though not quite dead, he died however immediately alterwards. The natives, of course, had disappeared, but shortly afterwards another party of them fired a volley from the edge of the bush at the picket on the top of the ridge ; then they also retired. Where they are now is not known, but if the range were hunted over it would soon be found whether they are in dangerous proximity or not. Besides the potatoes at Ahuahu they have no doubt other cultivations not far off which have not yet been discovered, and while food lasts they are likely to hang about and do us mischief. It may be noted that this single ambuscade has cost us more than taking Kaitake itself. The prisoner lhau states there are three other large cultivations between Te Tutu and the Hangahuna, besides extensive ones at Mokotuna (his own place), where (as yet) there is no pah. It would perhaps be better to visit the latter place first, before disturbing them on the ranges if they are still there.

“ On Thursday an old Maori was taken prisoner sitting under a Rata near the cultivation on the hill to the right of Kaitake. His name is Wi Tokai; he was an old man when the first settlers arrived 20 years ago, and is thought to be about 90 now, and is so decrepid he can hardly move. He has been very properly given over to the Poutoko natives (his relatives) to betaken care of.”