The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1865.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1372, 14 March 1865, Page 5

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1865.

mu wflr w ith the rebel natives in the southof the North I*»d still : e D tm»e» together with .to inevitable acSlaniment of enormous expenditure.. Oar £7Summary for England recorded the inter-. ° lion of the road part.es; the advance of General Cameron, with a considerable body of regular troops, and some colonial volunteers both horse and foot, to the neighbourhood of the Waitotara river, about twenty miles north-west of Wanganui, and not far from the sea-coast; the attack on lus advanced posts, with some loss on our side; and the repulse, with very severe loss to the rebels of a daring and determined assault made' by them on the British camp at Nukumaru itaelf. We then also recorded the preparations of the hostile natives to force their way from their strongholds high up the Wanganui river towards the British settlements near its mouth, and the firm attitude of our allies the friendly natives in preparing to dispute the passage. Since then, General Cameron, with a force much increased in numbers by successive reinforcements, has proceeded by the coast about twentv miles further towards Taranaki, and occupies, with probably 1500 men, a new redoubt on the south bank of the Patea river, and a camp on the north side, not many miles from the sea. In this progress he has been greatly assisted by the Gundagai and Sandfly, colonial steamers, which have been the first to enter the rivers Waitotara and Patea, and sent in their boats to help the troops across the Wenuakura, a small river a mile or two south of Patea, which was flooded so as to render the usual fordingplace difficult or impracticable. These steamers have carried heavy guns and ammunition, stores, horses and troops, and kept un the communications between Wanganui,

Waitotara, and Patea with unremitting activity. We notice complaints that the other small colonial steamers, now lying all but idle in the Waikato river, have not also been employed in the same service; but it appears quite possible that events may require themtobereadyonthe spot, in case hostilities should be renewed in the Waikato country. Sir George Grey paid a flying visit to .the General at Patea, on his way from Auckland to Wellington; and, after spending a few days at the newly-established capital, returned to Wanganui on the 4th inst., accompanied by his personal staff and by Mr. Weld, the Premier; Mr. Mantell, the Native Secretary, having preceded him. In the meantime, our native allies have attacked the position of the hostile natives up the Wanganui river, killing many of their chief men, and taking 80 prisoners, besides women and children. These were brought down by their captors to the native settlement opposite the town of Wanganui;.,but it does not appear very clearly what is to become of them. First, they are reported to have been brought, not as prisoners, but as free men, who have given up their arms, who propose to take the oath of allegiance, and who are to be let go where they like. Pehi, the head chief of them, claims " the right of fighting" (we presume against her Majesty's forces and allies) "anywhere else than in Wanganui!" : Next we hear vague accounts of some differences as to their treatment arising between Mr. White,itiie paid Resident Magistrate, and some unpaid Justices of the Peace, the only one ?being Mr. Churton; and the result of this disagreement is said to be that the rebel prisoners are set free. One result only is certain, '.that Mr. White, a gentleman who had acquired the confidence of the friendly natives by his knowledge of their language, manners, and habits of thought, and also by his indefatigable attention in getting their wants supplied, has resigned his appointment and left the district, and is about to receive another in the neighbourhood of Auckland! And lastly, we hear that the " report of the prisoners having been set free turns out to be not quite correct." Mr. Mantell attended a meeting of the friendly natives in their own pah at Wanganui on the 3rd inst. Their head chief, Mete Kingi, said that "Pehi having been conquered, was willing to submit and take the oath of allegiance. To this they had agreed, and it was for Mr. Mantell to confirm, the peace which they had made." A number of the natives then sang out in chorus, "Answer me, answer me." Mr. Mantell said that, "as Jar ashervas concerned he approved of what had been done; but as the Governor was at Wellington, he had written asking him to come up and see what should be done with Pehi. They had made peace, and it was for them, if they wished it, to recommend to the Governor that Pehi and his followers should be pardoned." So that we shall not learn, in time to send it to England by this mail, what final decision may be come to on this important question. A similar uncertainty exists as to the treatment to be received by eight rebel fanatics captured at Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, who have been sent to Wellington m a man-of-war steamer. As far as reports can be trusted, some difference of opinion appears to have arisen on the subject between his Excellency and his responsible advisers, and the result is that the prisoners remain on board H.M.S.S. Eclipse, which has been ordered on a trip to the coast near Wanganui and Patea. A " high priest " of the new rehgion, Tupaea, was taken with the above eight of his flock, but liberated at Auckland, at the urgent request of some influential friendly natives, and of some English settlers who had tor many years experienced kindness and witnessed good actions on the part the old man. .The gallantry and fidelity of the Wanganui friendly natives, who have now twice, with assistance from us but a supply of arms, °o'|, and clothing, signally defeated the re« elhouH fanatics, was rewarded in a manner Ir'y to encourage them in continued loyalty and courage. A very handsome flag, worked by e ladies of Wanganui, was presented by rs. Lojran on their: behalf to Mete Kingi, e commander of the friendly forces, before arge assemblage of colonists, soldiers, and a jvea, in the market-place of the town. etaclnnents of soldiers have been sent to T^ ril8 °n some positions on the banks of the angamii river, between' the town and the ° f nat >e k ® 8 f ou ght by the two parties ge^ ro P° sa^B > said to be for peace, had been tar h° one our re d°ubts near Waitoni a y natives, who still remain in a ti 0 ° n g llear the General's former posit - 11 a t Nukumaru, and these natives con- _ ne to fly a w hite flag of truce. The SBa ß e w as forwarded to General Cameron: * r *er asks why he has gone to Patea, to \vr Vlteß m ' if he wants to fight, to come areroa , the stronghold in question—

wliick he has left, as it were, behind and inland of him. Three day a aftor the Governor left Wellington for Wanganui, the JNew Zealand Advertiser, of March 7, said, "We hear that there are good prospects ol an early peace, a decided disposition having been evinced by the tribes on the Wauganui and Waitotara to give in, take the oath of alle-, giance, and forsake the false prophet." But the same paper, only two dayß afterwards, says, " His Excellency, the Premier, and Mr. Mantell, were at Wanganui. We hear from a well-informed source that the probability of peace is as far off as ever, the terras required by the rebels being utterly absurd, and we believe that a determination has been arrived at, to the effect that from the present time the war shall be prosecuted vigorously —at all events, a disposition to do something is to be manifested." The Governor and his suite were expected back in Wellington that night. The accounts from the Waikato and from Hawkes Bay are, at the same time, far from encouraging. In the former district, King Matutaera, Rewi, and William Thompson, (who has not surrendered, as it was reported), are said to be in the immediate neighbourhood of our advanqed posts, and to be threatening a renewal of hostilities in that locality — although the crafty William Thompson is still writing letters, which lead their recipients to believe he wishes for peace. At*kauaeranga, 011 the Thames, a meeting of 1,2*00 nativeswasheld, at which allbutfour said they would not fight except in their own district, and then only if attacked; the four said they should be guided by Thompson's example, whether for peace or war. A party of emissaries from the moat fanatical rebels on; the East Coast have made a progress through the Province of Hawkes Bay, for the purpose of gaining converts to their new religion ; and they have succeeded with Te Hapuku, one of the chiefs hitherto much distinguished for his friendliness and loyalty, and who has influence enough to induce many to follow his example. These emissaries herald the forthcoming arrival of 400 Waikatos, with 500 guns, in that district. Th? last news from Patea represents the natives as in force, and on the alert, in front of General Cameron's position, shots having been exchanged between our pickets and roving parties of rebels, evidently reconnoitring. Full details of the above events and rumours will be found in other columns ; but in order to form a general idea of the present situation, and a reasonable conjecture as to what-may follow, it was necessary to give a digest of the news as gathered from scattered paragraphs in different newspapers. General Cameron has now taken possession of one of the finest positions between Wanganui and Taranaki for a base of operations. He can easily render it impregnable to the natives, and make sure of his supplies by sea. He has two courses open to him if he is allowed or empowered to continue his progress. By following the coast road to Taranaki he can occupy successive positions of strength, with the advantage of being sometimes supplied by sea; although we are riot aware of any harbour, or river deep enough even forasmallsteamer,betweenPatea and the roadstead at New Plymouth. He would find ample and rich pasturage on open land all the way. It is impossible to guess whether the natives would allow our troops to proceed along the coast unmolested, as they have between Waitotara and Patea; At any rate, there are not enough men to garrison as many positions along the coast as would protect mails and passengers from molestation. And no land, whether ceded to or confiscated by the Government, would be made any safer for the occupation of unarmed settlers by military garrisons along the coast alone. The other alternative is to re-open a road inland of Mount Egmont, which was cut as a j bridle track by the New Zealand Company so far back as 1842. It starts inland from a place called Waingongoro, about ten or fifteen miles further along the coast than Patea. The belt of open land, however, between the coast and the forest might be traversed in a direct line from Patea to the point where this old track enters the forest. Thence it proceeds over nearly level land and through heavy timber, until you have to cross some low hills just before emerging into the open land inland, and to the rear of the rebel positions near Waitara. But such a progress, with heavy artillery, horses, and the cumbersome commissariat and camp equipage of our regular army, would, of course, be very expensive and very slow. It would be equally necessary to erect redoubts at certain distances along this road as on the coast. Cattle would live on the shrubs in the bush; but horses would starve until clearings were cut and forage grown, unless food was carried to them from the open land at great cost. It is the very country for Forest Rangers, lightly equipped and used to bush tactics and bill of fare. In either case, then, it appears of little use that the General should proceed further, unless accompanied by military settlers, willing and able"to occupy and defend the country, as required, whether by cession or confiscation. His present position at Patea is the key to some of the very finest country in New Zealand. This character applies to both the open and the forest land. There is ample room tor tens of thousands of happy homesteads and productive farms, without depriving the loyal natives, or conquered rebels, of one inch of the land really required to secure affluence and comfort to them, if they adopt the ways of peace and industry. The Wanganui Chronicle of March Ist published the following extraordinary paragraph: — MiriTAitY Dictatob. —It is said that Lieut.-Gene-ral Sir Duncan'A. Cameron, K.C.8., has been appointed by the Home Government to conduct the war to a close without being hampered either by the Governor or the Ministry. It is also said that the Constitution Act has been suspended, but we scarcely believe that such an extreme and unnecessary measure would be resorted to. We suspect that the suspension must merely refer to the freeing of the General from his former trammels. Now that he has the power, we have no doubt that the war will very shortly be brought to a close by his energy and ability.

And the New Zealander of a recent date says as follows : — An Unpublished Dispatch.—lt is reported (says the New Zealander) that his Excellency Sir George Grev received a dispatch by last mail, in reply to a reauisition of Sir Duncan Cameron for four regiStsfor service in New Zealand. The reply of the Secretary of State for the Colonies is said to have been a recommendation to raise the regiments in the colony I We give the rumour for what it is worth. Until the next session of the General Assembly we have no means of ascertaining the truth of these ramours. Wecanonlv recret that the movements of the General, although they hate been more rapid than those of the Waikato campaign, have not, as vet furnished the prospect of permanent peace 'as their result; have not secured the permanent establishment of roads through the disturbed country; and have not pro-

▼ided for its permanent occupation when the troops shall have been Withdrawn. efforts of the Governor, Mr. Weld, and, Mf* Mantell have not, hitherto, produced ftnj more satisfactory result. Ana, moreover, it seems by no means impossible that in jpe Waikato and Hawkes Bay districts the 'discontented fanatics may take advantage ot the scarcity or absence of troops to renew hostilities and re-occupy country from which they have been driven. In short, the army has advanced so many miles; no occupation by military settlers has taken place, except on a totally inefficient scale in the Waikato ; peace has not been established on a reliable footing anywhere; rebel prisoners, taken arms in hand, are still rather an incumbrance than a gain, from the want of a prompt and definite policy as to dealing with them ; and the enormous cost and anxiety of the whole proceedings, whether pacific or military, continue to be the grievance of all but the contractors who profit by the expenditure, and present as great an appearance of an endless burden on both colony and mother country as they have ever done since the commencement of the troubles. .

The North Road.—The flood in the Ashley, which stopped the traffic on Friday, had barely moderated yesterday sufficiently to permit the passengers who had been waiting to get across. It is stated to be the highest fresh that has been experienced in that river for four or five years. The fact is singular, inasmuch as the river had been remarkably low just before; and the rain, which alone affects the Ashley, had lasted only about 30 hours on the plains, and there was only a mbderate fall during that time. On Monday (yesterday) morning, the south bank presented a singular spectacle. Between six and seven o'clock a.m., attempts to cross began to be made, and not less than 250 men were waiting to take their turn to try. Some were " stuck-up" in the river, their horses refusing to take; the stream; others were inventing and practising all sorts of dodges to effect the passage. 'The pile-driving machine, which had been lately _putfto work in the bed of the stream, was capsized ; the boat which had swamped on Friday, so nearly drowning its passengers, was lying* bottom upwards on the beach; and the Ferryman's sod hut was exhibited without its chimney, which had been washed clear away. A new boat was being worked with oars as a speculation, the proprietor taking two men over at a time and charging thema shilling apiece, the passage being effected in abbot fifteen minutes. This trade was soon spoiled by the introduction of a large Yankee wagon which took over thirty men at a time. The large coaches which were bound northwards caused a great deal of difficulty and anxiety. The passengers were taken over separately, and eight horses wereput onto each coach; and by dint of severe exertion, pot unattended with risk, the crossing was made at last in safety by one of the drivers, Mr. Greening, assisted by Mr. , Anderson. The Ashley was passed at 10 a.m M and the Weka pass was reached in safety at 2.30 p.m. Besides the Ashley, theWaipara river has risen; and the Weka creek was high enough to prevent the Northern coaches coping down on Friday. The rush northwards is greater than ever, and great confidence is felt by all who are on the way. On Sunday 350 men are calculated to have passed through Leithfleld, and orderly conduct is the rule pn all hands. Two men came down overland and reached Leithfleld the day before yesterday. In reply to the most minute enquiries, nothing could be ascertained beyond their intimation that they were well satisfied, and meant to go back by the middle of the week. The extreme closeness and guardedpess of the men may mean anything, but it was taken by the rest to mean good tidings and tangible results. An accident occurred on Sunday at Leithfleld to one of Messrs. Bruce and Coe's small coaches. About eight passengers were in it, who had probably been refreshing powerfully at one of the hotels on the road. They seem to have made noise enough behind the two horses to frighten them into a galop, and they bolted down the main street, and, in front of the hotel, the vehicle capsized whjle at full: speed. No one was much hurt, beyond a few scrapes. The horses bolted with the front of the coach, and the top was considerably damaged. , »

City Council.—We are compelled, by tne pressure upon our columns, to omit the report of the City Council, which held its usual weekly meeting last night. Mr. Luck presided, the other members present being Messrs. E. B. Bishop, Ollivier, Burnelli Barnard, and Far. The principal business was the passing of a resolution proposed by Mr. Ollivier, to the effect that the sura of £100 per annum should be granted to the Fire Brigade, they undertaking to comply with the suggestions sent in by them, and read by the chairman at the meeting held on Feb. 9th. Two bills, one at three months for £500, and one at foijr months for £575 (each to bear the current rate of Bank interest), were accepted by the chairman on behalf of the Council, in payment to Mr. Beece for the pans supplied by him. The City Surveyor, in his report, made some suggestions with reference to the taps of the artesian wells in the city. Posthastes. —Mr. J. W. Wilkin, chief clerk at the Post office, Lyttelton, has been appointed Postmaster, vice Mr. F. LeCren, resigned.