MILITARY ITEMS.

New Zealander, Volume XXIV, Issue 2605, 21 February 1866, Page 3

MILITARY ITEMS.

ARRIVAL OF GENERAL CHUTE AND STAFF. Majou-Geneuai. Chute and staff. with a considerable portion of the field force, consisting of ‘2GS men of the 1-tiii Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Trevor; the Forest Hangers, under Major A on Temp* sky; and the Maori Contingent, under Ensign AlacDotmell, arrived on the return march from Taranaki, at the Fa tea camp, on the Gtb instant. The whole force on nearing the camp on the right bank were met about a mile therefrom by the band of the 18th RegiI raent, and which played some stirring airs j in front of the force on entering the camp. I The troops afterwarps crossed the river, and encamped on the left bank previous to further marching downwards for AA'anganui. Alajor-General Chute stopped at Alanuwapu-for the purpose of directing 1 further operations with the 57th Regiment i against a newly-discovered stronghold of j the rebels. The noted Te Ua, the TuraI naki Prophet, was brought in a prisoner | with the field force, having been captured j at some place near New Plymouth. is | reported to be a huge burly-looking j scoundrel, and well clothed. The friendly I chief Ilori King! was in immediate charge of Te Ua. A young native female was also in custody of the friendly Maoris. Te Ua is said not to be tatooed, but is ugly I enough without further additions to bis visage. The General and staff arrived at AA’angnnui on the morning of the IGih instant, and embarked about 4 o’clock on the afternoon of the Pith en board the s.s. ‘Almriri,’ arriving at AA’ellington about 5 o’clock the next morning. There were also on board the steamer a detachment (40) of the 68th Kegt., composed of men who had been serving in the Transport Corps, but were ordered to join their regiment previous to embarkation for England. On the day previous to the General's arrival in AA’ellington a largely attended meeting of the inhabitants took place at the Odd Fellows' Hall, for the purpose of adopting .an address to be presented to Alajor-General Chute, as a mark of recognition on the part of the people of that city of the valuable services which be bad rendered to it and the colony generally by his late campaign on the AA'est Coast. Air. AA'aring Taylor was unanimously voted to the chair. The following draft of an address was read at the meeting and adopted : “To Alajor-General Chute, commanding the forces in the colony of New Zealand. “ AVe, the undersigned, settlers of the province of AA ellington, New Zealand, beg to oiler you our cordial congratulations ou the complete and triumphant success which has attended your march from AVanganui to Taranaki, and our grateful thanks for the important services you have rendered this province and the colony at large by this movement. “ AVo may be allowed to sav that the plan which you so boldly conceived, you have carried out with equal energy and courage, by penetrating the forest >4’ New Zealand by a new and hitherto untried path ; the hostile natives have at last been taught that the troops, under an able and energetic leader, can follow them where- | ever they may retreat, and that the bush will no longer afford shelter to disaffection, or allow them to offer with impunity an armed resistance to her Majesty’s Government. “ By your courage and sagacity you have in a few weeks brought to a close, on the AA’est Coast, an expensive and ruinous war, which has lasted for some years, which has been productive of most serious ; losses to the settlers, and has entailed ; heavy embarassments on the colony, and a I great expense on the mother country. AVe j have every reason to believe that, as a consequence of your success, the dinaff-cted I natives, finding any further resistance to the Government hopeless, will, by a timely submission, put an end to (he disturbances that have affected the country, and yield a willing obedience to the law ; and that the colony, by your exertions, will enjoy the blessings of a lasting peace.” At three o'clock on the afternoon of the 14th instant, Mr. AV. AA'aring Taylor, nc--1 companies bv his Honour Dr. Feathers ton and nearly all the leading merchants of AYellington, waited upon Alajor-General Trevor Chute, at the Club-house on the . beach, and presented him with an address, to which was affixed upwards of 450 signatures. The General, who icceived the | deputation most courteously, then read the following reply ; “Gentlemen, —I thank von for the 1 cordial reception , accorded me on my arrival in AA’ellington. “ 1 am happy to find that the successes of the troops under my command are -licit | as to lead you to anticipate imp riant results. The difficulties cncounter-d were rendered comparatively ea-v by the itssi—- ' tance I received from all around me, and to the gallantry and endurance of Her ; Alujesty's troops, colonial forces, and native allies, 1 am indebted for th - success uu | which you now congratulate me. “I take this public*opportunity of expressing my grateful sense of the services rendered to me by his Honour Dr. Feathers ton, Superintendent of vour province, who accompanied me throughout 1 the whole of the campaign. “ T. Chute, AL.j.>,-G.m -,-d. “AYellington, February 14, l8od.” On the succeeding evening, at seven o’clock, a banquet was given to the AlajorGeneral in the hall of the House of Representatives. A large number of persona were present, including the chief citizens of AA’eliington. The purveying department was entrusted to Air. Rcter Laing and Air. .Osgood. General Chute and staff embarked on ; the ‘Aliurin'' about Id o’clock on the night of the 13th, and arrived at Napier about 5 a.in., on the 17th. Stayed for three hours whilst communication was held ' with the officer commanding troops, and | left at 8 o’clock, arriving at Taurungn ! about !) o’clock on Sunday evening, the !18th. After a brief stay at JTuuranga, steam was again got up. and arrived here about two o’clock on Monday afternoon. The following were the passengers: Major-General Chute; Colonel Carey, C.8., D.A.A.G. ; Lieutenant-Colonel Gamble, D.Q.M.G. ; Major I’itt, Military Secretary; Depuly-Inspcctor-General of Hospitals Gibb; Dr. Manley ; Dr. Bos- | took, District Inspector of Musketry;

Lieutenants Marshal! and ■ liurkc, (!Btli Regiment ; foil! - stall 1 ’ clerks, eight stall soldiers, and about 30 men of the CStli Regiment, who embarked on board t'ne vessel at Wangnui. The ‘Ladybird’ was at anchor nt Napier when the 4 Ahnriri ’ left, having been chartered to take 130 men of the !2di Rent, to Tanran ;n, for the purpose of relieving the same number of the 68 th. itcgt., who are to be brought on to Auckland I'm embarkation for Kngland. The dfird have been placed under orders for Kngland ; and it is stated that unless a contingency arises which at present cannot bo foreseen, the 40th will be placed under orders for embarkation in May. Only one battery of artillery will be left in the colony; and the Military Train are to be likewise sent home. The 30th Uegt. goes to T aranaki to relieve the .Bird; and the 14th and, 18th remain at Wanganui for the present

Ma::ui'.o" Loners.—A western paper gives the.foil i-.iing notice:—“ All notices of mani igv v ! ■ :■■■ no bridecake is sent will bo set up in small type, and poked into some outlandish corner of the paper. •Where a handsome piece of cake is sent, io will iff put c nspiettously in largo letters; when gloves, or other bride favours, are added, u piece of illustrated poetry will be given iu ad I I ion.” The \Vi!i:ck or the ‘ Duncan Dumiar.’ —The 1 i unean Dunbar,’ a first-class ship, well found and manned, was on her passage to Sydney with 117 passengers and crew all told, and on the 7th of October bad approached within a short distance of Cape St. Roque, the extreme north-eastern limit of South America. Off this land, some 130 miles or less, is a reef, known as Las Roccas, lying in Lit. 33 32 S, and long. .‘?;i’43 TV. It was aft t 8 o’clock in the evening; and in the latitude, named, so near the Equator, there would be no twilight. The first intimation received of the presence of danger was the ominous cry of 44 breakers ahead,” and immediately afterwards the ill-fated ship struck upon an outlying portion of the roof, ami remained there immoveable. The succeeding hours of darkness which intervened before the break of day, were passed in a condition of suspense which may be conceived, but cannot be described. The ship was rapidly becoming a wreck. The reef might or might not present the opportunity of landing, and if not the chances of escape for the majority of the sufferers were but slight indeed. Happily, when the light returned, it. was found that the reef on which the vessel was fast breaking up, terminated in an elevated land, or rather two banks rising some seven feet above the high wafer ordinary tides. On this place the crew and passengers wore landed without any casualty, and by dint of continuous exertions sufficient stores were also landed to afford food and shelter fora brief period. When it is stated that all this was done under a fierce tropical sun, with the thermometer at 112, some idea maybe formed of the terrible nature of the (oil endured In the struggle for existence. Four days after rite landing the captain, six seamen, and one of the passengers, sailed away in one of the ship’s life-boats in hope of making the port of Pernambuco. This gallant attempt was, happily, successful; and on the 17th, after ten days of mortal suspense, the Brazilian mail steamer 4 Oneida’ rescued the sufferers, just in time to anticipate the outbreak amongst them of a “serious and desohti ing sickness.”— Mitchell's Register, November 11. Tut: Detective at Fault, —The case of Mr. Meade, who was treated most harshly by a detective at the Crystal Palace, has been gone into at the Lambeth Police-court. Warren, the detective, was put into the dock, and charged with excess of duly in having charged Mr. Meade with picking pockets, and in having marched him to a station-house, and searched him there. Warren wished to apologise ; but Police-Inspector Dunlop said that for a constable to consent to publish an apology was contrary to the regulations of the force, and he must, therefore, object to Warren making such an apology. The case went on, and the magistrate convicted Warren, who was fined 40s. and costs.