THE WEST COAST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 672, 12 April 1869, Page 3

THE WEST COAST.

COLONEL WHITMORE'S CAMPAIGN.

THE ESCAPE OF TITOKOWARU FROM

OUR FORCES.

THE WEST COAST CAMPAIGN FINISHED.

(From the Tarcnaki Herald, 3rd April.) Ik our last issue we stated that Colonel Whitmore's forces, aiter driving Titoko waru from CKo'a had followed him closely up into the heav of the bush, and at length it wes thought had overtaken him at a ( >lace called Te Ngah : , a bush swamp with an island in the centre, situatji- about 18 miles inland from Keteonatea. After many physical diffical ies the force succeeded in bridging the swamp to the island, where they landed on the night of the 24th or morning of the 25; h March, at about a mile from the settlement, without losing a man or even bet.aying their presence. At about daylight a move was made up to the village which appe?ved to be full of people who were apparently engaged at building what resembled a pah. So well had the place been surprised by our forces that they could easily have shot the native: there, but as they marched up some of them ran out towards them crying out "haere mai," (come here), and said that they were friendly, whilst others ran away as if from fear. Alter some questioning I he Colonel discovered that there were some forty natives under Ah'tana, on the island, who were neutral; and that ten oi Titokowaru's Te hauma ma, (i.e., 10 12th of his force) had been among them. A party of the Arawas immediately started in pursuit of the fugutives, but being ignorant of the locality and afier having reached a point called Oraporero on the line of G-e neral Chute's march finding they had lost the scent of the rebels, they up the chase and returned, -'bus Titokowaru eluded our £ roes, after being in their power. Titokowavu hos retreated it is said, to Te Ngutu o te Manu, with between seventy or ighty of his picked men, where he has given out he means to die ; the remainder of the force it is supposed being split up into small parties in the bush. Colonel Whitmore finding that nothing more could be done in that direction returned to Keteonatea, having first explored To

far other services. Tho East Coast is spoken of as being the next place for action. Colonel Whitmore has gone to Wellington, we suppose, for fresh instructions, and as Te Kooti is in the field again (although Whit more was supposed to have despatched him once) with some four hundred followers, it is more than p'obable that the next intelligence we receive will he that the forces have gone to the Poverty Bay district The effect of the late campaign, therefore, will be much the same as on the East Coast, and while our forces are there, Titokowaru will assemble like Te Kooti at the proper time, and with other natives keep up a chronic war. Our best forces will drive them from one position to an* other, but will never inflict a severe loss on their side. This position the settlers must realise, and the sooner the better and must act accordingly.

COUNTERMANDING THE FORCE GOING TO COLONEL WHITMORE'S ASSISTANCE. On Saturday last, on it becomijg known that the force, stated by us in our issue of that day, as having started for Te Ngairi f o assist Colonel Whitmore in securing the rebel Titokowaru, had been countermanded, the excitement of the settlers rose to such a pitch, that posters were immediately placarded about the town calling a public meeting of the inhabitants to consider the subject. The Provincial Council was cal led together on Tuesday, when his honor sent down the correspondence which related to the affair.

The papers consist of the original memorandum and several letters. The memorandum from his Honor the Superintendent to the officer commanding ia to the following effect:—That as the question as whether a force should at this time he moved from New Plymouth to intercept the escape of Titokowaru along the Mountain Road, was one of grave importance to this settlement, and possibly, in its ultimate rt-sults, to the Colony. He thought it best to put in writing his chief reasons for advising that such a step should not be taken without previously com muni eating with Coionel Whitmore. (l.)-In consequence of a threatened attack from Ngatimaniapoto, it had been thought ne cessary to add 150 men to the force previously in the settlement, to guard against that danger. (2.)-From information received from friendly natives, there appears groat reason to believe that the proposed movement of 250 men from Plymouth would disturb the present neutral attitude of the Taranaki natives to the south, and of a portion of the Ngatiawa tribe inland of this settlement. (3 )-The Government of Naw Zealand not being in a position at the present time to enforce the submission of all neutral and disaffected tribes through out the island, it was of necessity their policy to confine actual hostilities to limited districts, in which they may hope, with the forces at their disposal,to gain decided advantages over the enemy. He therefore fully believed that if Colonel Whitmore was aware of the risk which would be involved by the proposed movement, of drawing in tribes now inclined for peace into actual hostilities, and of the smal chance which there appears to be tha Titokowaru would attempt to escape alon the Mountain road, he (Colonel Whitmore v would not desire that his suggestion (which, although strongly urged, is by no means peremptory) should be carried into eifect. For these reasons he recommended that no force should be moved the mountain line without again communicating with Colonel Whitmore. Whilst strongly advising this as a measure of prudence, having regard to the great loss of property which must ensue from an inroad of the Taranaki, Ngatiawa, and Ngatimaniapoto tribes, without better provision for meeting them, he was deeply sensible of the humiliatiug position in which a Government was placed which had to consult the humors of savage tribes, as to the na ture of the movements against a declared rebel, but it app ars to him folly to ignore that such was their present position, and to act as if it were otherwise until they were better prepared. That such better preparation should be made with the least possible delay, it was the duty of every settler in this Province to urge upon the Government.

To which Major Brown replied, "I assume your memorandum to be intended as. a wifchdvawal of your approval given to my memo andum of this morning, if so, I find myself in this position, that I have taken action on the joint approval of your self and Mr Commissioner Parris, of what f proposed to do, to carry out the wishes of Colonel Whitmore to effect, if possible, a very important and desirable object, that may be lost by the delay that you propose. Cinder these circumstances, I do not feel justified in delaying the expedition, unless the approval given by your honor and Mr Commissioner Paris jointly, is jointly withdrawn."

His Honor the Superintendent then sent to Major Brown the following official letter, withdrawing his and Mr Parris' ap proval of the forces going to assist Colonel Whitmore: —

New Plymouth, March 25, 1869. Sir, —I have tne houor to acknowledge your letter of thia date, referring to my memorandum just forwarded to you, and beg to state that it was intended, aa you suppose, as a withdrawal of iny previous approval of your memorandum of this morning, in consequence of information of probable danger to ihe settlement, of which i was not then aware. I have forwarded your letter to Mr Parris, in order that he may take such action as he thinks proper in the matter.-—! have, &c, H. B. Richmond, Superintendent.

i 1 concur with his honor the Superintei - , dent in the opinion conveyed in Lis*memor , andura to Major Brown, and beg to with i draw the approval r ferred to by Major e Brown for the reason explained in this note of his Honor the Superintendent. [ B. Pabbis, Civil Commissioner. Major Brown; | Commanding M. & V., New Plymouth. The Superintendent and Mr Parris also sent a messenger with a letter to Colonel Whitmore, of which the following is u copy:— New Plymouth, M*rch 27, 1869. Sir, —We have the honor to inform you that yesterday morning a memorandum was submitted to us by Major Brown, a* to a proposed movement of 250 men from this place along the mountain line to in tercept Titokowaru, and at the same time Major Brown allowed us to see your letter, in which you strongly urge that this step should be taken. Although aware that a certain amount of risk would be incurred by this movement, of implicating in the present struggle some of the tribes on thf borders of this settlement who have hitherto preserved a peaceful attitude, we did not at first consider the risk so great as to justify us in offering any opposition to the proposed movement. But from the very strong opinion expressed by Ihaia ana Tiera of Waitara, and by Ma'nau, tli it by so doing we should involve not only the Ngatiawas living near the mountain line, which was to be expected, and who are few in number, but also the Taranaki natives on our southern frontier. We have with the greatest reluctance felt it our duty to advise that you should again be communicated with before such a step is taken. As we understand that a copy of a memorandum on the subject, giving the chief grounds of our advice, has been forwarded to you by Major Brown, it will be unnecessary to repeat what is there said, and we need only add that even if you should not be satisfied that these grounds were sufficient, we trust you will acquit us from any real indifference to the duty o' assisting you in your operations against Titokowaru; and will believe that only a sense of that greater evil was likely to result from the proposed movement, than you could be awaie of when proposing it, would have induced us to give advice in many ways repugnant to our feelings.— We are, &c, H. R BICHMOED, B. i'AßjtolS. Colonel Whitmore.