IMPORTANT NEWS FROM WANGANUI AND TARANAKI.

North Otago Times, 17 August 1865, Page 3

IMPORTANT NEWS FROM WANGANUI AND TARANAKI.

PIPIRIKI BESIEGED. THE ENEMY REPULSED WITH GREAT LOSS. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REBELS AT WAREA. LIEUT. BALLY, 70th REGIMENT AND THREE SOLDIERS KILLED. THIRTY MAORIS KILLED.

The Correspondent of the " Wanganui Chronicle" furnishes the following account of the siege and defence of Pipiriki. This is one of the few events connected *ith the campaign in that district which may be said to reflect credit on our countrymen : — Thp Military Settlers and Rangers at this post were attacked in the three redoubts simultaneously by the enemy, who mustered upwards of 400 strong, at eight o'clock a.m., on the 19th July, 1 8«5. The arch rebel Pehi, his eon Topia, Saul, and other chiefs of distinction, were recognised as leading the enemy ; our camps were besieged for twelve dnyn, and the enemy repulsed, defeated, and obliged to sue for peace. The force in the redoubts consisted of 2 51 men, chiefly Wanders and Military settlers, who, durini the time they kept up the defence, were short alike of arms and provisions. About eight o'clock on the mornint' of the 19th ult., a man named Campbell hud beqn out, fretting some firewood, when he was fired at and pursued by about fifty natives. " imultnneou«ly with this, a heavy and apparently preconcerted fire was opened upon the three redoubts — the Q-undaRai. Brassey's, and Stuart's — by the rebels from the hills, which overlooked these positions. Biaasey's redoubt sustained a terrible fire, which riddled the whole of the tents, and rent the furniture in the ollicers' and other tents into thousands of particles. Many were the hair-breadth escapes in the redoubts, but more particularly in the Gundagai, as the enemy had position and everything in his favor. The whares and tents are literally rent to atoms. Bullets weie whizzing and flying in "all directions; the rebels shouting, yelling, and Joint! everything in their power to induce their people to come on and rush the little Gundagai — whose people, I assure you, were not idle, and who dared not be, if inclined, as the example set them by the officer commanding,' Lieutenant Gossling, was all that could be desired of a British , soldier. Our men returned the fire with" precision and coolness, and must have been committing fearful havoc, as many of the enemy's wounJed wore dragged from'the rille-pits and uraves, even in the midst of the flrinir. About -11.45 a.m.. Ensign Clery, one sergeant', and 20 of tho TaranaU Military S-ettlers, were detailed as a storming party, and proceeded from tho main redoubt, and in a very heavy CKHs-firo from the rebels on Cemetery Hill, and from those to the rear of the main redoubt — to dislodge thu enemy from oIF Cemetery 11 ill ; and irrespective of shot, or the number of the enemy on the hill, which must have exceeded 150, and under the greatest disadvantages imaginable, having a high steep hill of 400 feet to ascend, sueceede I in ascending- and routing the enemy, from this, their strongest position/ I' vm? Juair/Mr.,Clqry uns .wounded, tho ,]inlf.of. Jus cur lii'iu;> l^Jojyj) pjl t,'}}'i n Vjullqfc ; but, tho, perpetrator cd (.hit, ttitiTwLo ivua tioiOit ,buriej up to hm ehoul-

derg in a rifle-pit, bit the dust in return, from a "welldirected slWt from Private Allen, of No. 8 Company. Private Dilly, of No. 10 Company, came in contact with another, but, fortunately) ,the rebel's piece missing, Dilly succeeded' in running him through; and disarming him. • G-aynor, of No. f 10 Company, whirled another into the deep gorge underneath, a lifeless corpse.' After th'e'eneniy had been routed from Cemetery Hill, they 'took Up other positions on our right flank, thereby pitching into the Q-undagai's rear-; but were disloged , from, this about six. p.m., when they retreated in various directions — some to the opposite side, and some to the hill on the left of the Rangers' Redoubt. On the 20th, the rebels threw up a redoubt on the risrlit flank of tho colouial force, distant about 1700 yards, on the other "side of the'rrver. * The lulls were at this time swarming with, the enemy. On the 21st. a party of Rangers and Military Set: tiers were sent to dislodge the rebels from their position in the rear of Brassey's redoubt, but the latter had " skedaddled." On the 22nd, some firing at long range took place between the rebels and the Colonial forces. The latter strengthened their position, ' . ' Firing was continued to the 25th, and on that day the G-undagai redoubt was abandoned and razed to to the ground. On the 29th tho garrison was surrounded on nil sides by the enemy. The rebels opened fire on all the redoubts at ranges of 200 and 300 yards. On the 30th June, tho rebel rifle-pits were within 100 yards of the redoubts. A fearful fire was kept up on the garrison, but not returned, as ammunition began to run short. Numerous hair-breadth escapes took place of soldiers in the garrison. On that day and the 3 let, the rebels hoisted a white^ flag, and proposed to come to terms^ finding they could not take the position, and that their ammunition was running short. On the 1st instant, the reinforcements of 500 men, under Major Rookes, arrived, on the seventh day after leaving Wanganui. 'This force patrolled the bush, and proceeded as far bb Pe'u's abode, but the rebels had flown in all directions. Great blame is attached to Major Rookes, by the Wanganui journals, for the delay in his expedition. - Every man engaged in this-defenco [deserves the highest "praise, but the hero of the "affair was Ensign Clery, who was the first, with sword and pistol in han 1, to storm the Cemetery Hill. The "Taranaki Herald" of the 5th. contains nn ac- ' count of an engagement with the rebels at Watva. ' Parties of 100 of the 43rd, and ' 140 of the 70th, under Colonel Colville and other Officers, started to route out the rebels who killed Captain Close and Corporal Hanaghan.- Major- Russell- and" his party, who were also in the fray, reached ,a place called Okea, when smoke was observed from an eminence at a distance of about 500 yards in the dense scrub. Captain Cay was sent with 60 men to reconnoitre. They soon found themselves close upon twenty whares. The natives being completely surprised, at first made little resistance. Eleven were bayoneted in the open, and a laree number more must have fallen in the dense scrub, and in the whares ; five were taken prisoners. On their way to camp, the uatives followed the troops for utu for their losses, in the search for which the features of the country afforded great facilities. Constant skirmishing was kept up. Col. Colville, hearing the firing, forced his way through a iense track, guided by Minarapa, and havinsr tot on the same track which Major Kussell had traversed, fell in with six natives en route, •hdt five of them, two of whom wero recognised by Minarapa ns chiefs. The following is a list of the casualties on our side : — Killed. — Lieut. Bally, private! Smith, Brown, and halph, 70th Regiment. Wound t d. — Lieut. Tylden, privates L&ughton, Royal, Saville, Ward, and Maley. Ward and Maley have since died ; the rest are wounded teverely. Prh ate S. Bolton w«s likewise killed in a skirmish at the burning of the whares, after the events above recorded took place.