The Habibe Rebellion.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 41, 31 December 1863, Page 3

The Habibe Rebellion.

[FEOM OUR SrECIAL COHKKSPONDEST.J Camp Taipouri, December 4. I 2 WiiEito, the friendly Waifc.to chief, vent rosterci.v to the W aikato head quarters to see the iCine'ii party, and ascertain their sentiments. The ' Pioneer' lias gone up the river some little distance beyond here, past the shallows, where I believe she is to lie for the present. Ii has rained all day incessantly, causing us the ! 1110s! intolerable discomfort. There is 110 news of ! importance, and the only subject of interest is the 1 speculation whether the Maoris will defend the ditlicult gorge between here and Xpmiawsliia or not -• 011 which subject there are various opinions, some thinking that they will fight there once more, and others taking n contrary view, and believing that the Ratigiriri defeat has deprived them of all power -of further resistance. J December T>. Te Wliero has returned to-day from Xgnruawahin, I and has brought intelligence of the utmost importance. and that will greatly all'ect the future conduct of the war. if I am not mistaken. He reports that on his arrival there he was received by about 1.000 Maoris who were established in ritle-pits. and that they formed in two lines, between which he passed, j the Xgatimaniapoto being 011 one side, and 011 the other the Waikato tribes of ami ' Ngiuthaua, all of them firing a salute in his j honour, and addressing him as follows :— " See your scattered people and broken canoes."' Signifying their comple destruction and powerlesssiess. lie w-us then requested to enter a whare. William Thompson, who was not there, was sent i'or. and arrived during tlio night. They then had a long debate amongst themselves, and To Wlteoro v. ..s ?cnt for and asked whether, if they laid down their arms, they would be treated as prisoners or allowed their liberty, ile replied that he could give 110 answer 011 ! that point, and tlicy told him that they would give up their arms and surrender the hmd as far as Ngaruawahia, 011 condition that they were allowed their liberty aud permitted to live in their own settlements and cultivate their own land, but that unless those terms were agreed to (hey should continue to tight There was then a lor.g discussion between the TVaikatos and the Ngnriniauiapotos as to the disposal of the King's tlag; the Ngatinninhipotos wishing to cut it (town, and the Waikatos wishing to send it to the General in token of their sincerity. Tlioy therefore, not being able to agree, wade it over to Te Wheoro, and left to his guardianship, the graves of their people at Xgaruawahia— amongst them being that of old Potatau. The disagreement ended in anger between the tribes, and the "Waikr.tos and Ngat.maniapotos tired over each others hea.ls 111 mutual defiance. Thev afterwards all left Ngaruawahia and deserted the place altogether, delaying the surrender of their arms until assured of their liberty, being afraid that the General might advance suddenly and make them all prisoners before any terms were settled. Te V<'heoro asserts; that had he not visited them they were prepared to fight again, and were well supplied with food and ammunition. The Kins; himself was not present at all. This is tiie sum of Te W'ueoro's most important intelligence, but lie also furnishes us with sundry other scraps of news, such as that the Kind's sister, who is magnificently dignified with the title ot - the Princess Sophia, was present at Kar.giriri sn.i was severely wounded in the knee, and that Te Wharepu was dangerously wounded, having no less thsa live bullets in him. 1 lie al-'o reports forty-seven of the wounded from P. as having died of their wounds. lie met j there with the mi>-,ir,g black servant of Mr. Crisp's. ! who disappeared after a light at Mauku, and has I sittee Ken advertised for. "He was taken a prisoner I and has since been well treated. At Meremere they ] ctfereel '.0 put him in a ounce by hitnseli and let llim j tkit down the river till pic'-i. d up by i'ie Mlni'ieing 1 Tor.es. but he refused, imagining thai h-s dark stttn ; would be certain 10 draw a volley upon him as soon j as he was seen. ! We march acain to-morrow moniinj, it is re- j ported, to the gori;o in the hills, about seven I miles from here, and five from N'garuawahia. the ; place where it was fully expected 1 tie Maoris would ; tr.ak- a last desperate st)--nd. Now I suppose we [ shall only halt there to rest, and 011 the following ; dav take undisturbed possession of Ngaruawahva- j 'Vlios, apparently, has ended the first part ot this j war, or at least tile shale of the 'A aikato trii'-e- in it; : and :ia they have always beer, held in terror over the Paiieha, as the great warriors whose decision was paramount in any disputes between us and other tribes, the useful lesson and wholesome but humiliating chastisement they have received will doubtless bo looked upon by other tribes as equally applicable to them all; for the schoolmaster wno t finishes the big Loy uiay be certain ot the rcspect ol ail the Knoll ones and' once having- been fully and »nm:stikably taught the folly of any attempt at disputing the supremacy of the white raw, let us hope thai our Maori friends'will accent their lot and leap the benefits of living in peace with their kind and pntfius superiors evermore. They have always found us ready to he-v upon them gifts and indirect advantages that we should have denied our equals maybe; and it they have found the hand that could be so tender in kindness, so fearfully hard and heavy when compelled to smite, they have only themselves to thank for the discovery." It took long and bloody provocation to change the gifts of that hand into blows, and now that it may be held cut to them again in forgiveness, thev will accept it with submission, thankfulness and repentance, if they are wise, aud learn that what is given is given only in disinterested kindness, and never in fear. Kindness is too liable to be mistaken for weakness bv the selfish and the ignorant, but fortunately old John Bull when he is put out can correct that delusion as far as he its concerned, and the lesson wher. given in earnest, and to one who has proved himself worthy of an eilort, sold on wants repeating. Camp Rabini, I'okeka, December 7. We received orders last night to be ready to move at a moment's notice, and private intimation at. the same time that 3 a.m. would be the latest hour lor starting. Accordingly we packed up everything, including blankets, nnd lay down in our clothes, shivering. but with the gratified feelings oi a martyr sn lie ring in a good cause, and of course, as we wished to go to sleep for a few hours, we kept awake all night, and had the additional gratification of finding that our self-sacrifice was all unnecessary, for the cauip was not shifted till 7 o'clock. However, we all know that the " men's eonscifl rccti" is far more comforting than a night's rest, and that such trifica as a mere breakfast won't bear comparison with that respectable old adage for invigorating etl'eet. Therefore, I tieed 11 Dt further allude to the state mental or physical in which we loaded ourselves with our '• Lares et I'e.nates" which being interpreted, mtaneth our pots and blankets.—and started with our beat leg foremost. The boats and fiats with the heavy baggage had to be pulled up the river against a tremendous current and a gale of wind, and once more wc- walked over and took possession of u tolerably large slice of our enemy's best laud, and can now carry to the credit of his account with the New Zealand Government for war expenses another considerbleitem. We marched along the river bank all the way. At this height the Waikato is broad and deep, runs with a very swift current, aud on both sides is bordered with tine rich fiat land, covered with tall ti-tree scrub, fern and flai. Many thousnnds of acres easily convertible into tho finest farms lie between here and the spjl we left this morning only five miles away. On reaching here we pitched our tents, tho 'Pioneer' beiug at anchor abreast of our ground. The locality is just below the turn of the river through thf: gorge, between which it runs to Ngaruawahia, and we are within one more march of that place. On the opposite side of the river is a small Maori settlement situated in a lovely little valley, and planted with peach groves,—one of the huts is decorated with, a white fiag, and we hear thai there are some nine natives, relatives of " To Wheorc," our interesting ally, who arc residing there, having given up then' arms. To our right is one of the little lakes that seem to be doited over this part of the country. The ' Pioneer ' seems improved, as far as utility is concerned, by the removal of her cupolas, but she has lost much of her impreseivcly ugly and threatening appearance that used to make her look like a locomotive Pandemonium, and must have of itself been sufficient to rout an army of Maoris. We Lear that she has captured a large canoo capable of transporting sis or seven tons. A few natives have brought in their arms, and of course all bring in old guns of the last century, with broken old flint locks and rust-cetou barrels, that have never bwn UiV'l for fifty years, aud keep back their good ritles. A.:\ long as a man brings in a weapon of some description' it. is sufficient, find lie may keep concealed

what, tic pleases. Thus the disarmament of tho natives appears to be a f.irec, and an impossibility, without an annual search for arms and a penalty tor possessing more than a registered quantity

fin . December Sth. -llie Ueueral i* losing no time now, i'or carlv thi< morning ho went up to Ngaraavahiu, i n the 'IWcr' o 9uno>. It ho lias waited long to complete his preparations h:s rush forward, now that Vis own time has come, is_ swift, enough to satisfy everybody. ;* 0 l 'l°ck. Ihe ' Pioneer' has returned, having made the passage to Ngaruawahia and back ill less than three hours, and immediately orders have been given to the 05th aud part of tho'-tOth,—about, 100 men m all.— to embark and proceed to the King's place at once. W 0 are to go with a further force tomorrow morning. There is to be a force left behind to hoid this place, as a redoubt, is to be established here, and a depot for supplies. Tho redoubt Ims tuvn already begun, and will enclose a large spucc of ground. To-moruw I hope to be able, to send urn a description of Ngaruawahia and the Royal I'aHce. opposition is antieipateel to our appropriation ot the settlement, as nil 11 ic natives h:ive disappeared, one only having been seen 011 a hill side who, as soon as the • Pioneer' moved, ran over the lull at full speed, evidently to carry the news. Camp Ngaruawahia, December 9. At length His Majesty King Matv.taera lets played out his small farce oi' royalty, lie has been allowed to fret and fume his little hour upon the stage, and has doubtless comported himself with infinite dignity, but henceforth he must be contented to subsielc into the unsavoury ranks of Maori chiefs, with more tattoo marks than clothing covering their delectable persons, and only conspicuous when thev have committed some act of dishonesty or brutally murdered some defenceless pakeha. For his kingdom has departed from him and the flagstaff, that earned tho emblem of his royalty, now bears the Enfjisli ensign in its placc. 1 informed you yesterday that some of the troops had gone from the camp at Kahir.i I'okeka and taken j possession of Ngaruawahia. This morning- a further detachment- of about '200 men was moved up, and we were favoured with a passage at the same time. At about a quarter past six wo started, and steamed smoothly up the river, soon rounded the turn in its course, and entered the deep narrow valley through which it h-.-i-,- tuns tor some distance. On each side high hills either overhang the river or are faced by a mere strip of flat intervening land. On both sides the hills are generally wooded to the top, a barren-looking lorn-covered ridge occasionally varying the scene. The river runs broad and dee-p between, being easier of navigation than in any part I between here and Meremere. Tho forests on both 1 sides are very picturesque, consisting in great men- | sure ol' renin and other graceful pines, the kauri however being wanting. The deep gullies between the hills are tilled with tho tree ferns and nikan, the peculiar vegetation marking the course ot' some little stream on its way down to the great "Waikato. Overhead, the New Zealand parrot, with iis scarlet-tinted lining: !o its wings, and its hoarse, harsh ciy, occasionally llaps its way Clumsily from tree to tree, while numerous wild duck, and hand.-ome pukako, with black and purple plumage and red bill, enliven the river. Picture: the broad blue river rushing like a mill-stream, and from its rising slopes of quiet, solemn, daik green wooils, and in the centre the steamer, black and ugly, and filled with armed nit 11. belching out black smoke at the woods, and lasliintr the blue water into foam with its wheel, a-' it pursues it.s way to its goal in contempt of the small ftl'oits of nature to stop it, or f lie civilization it 1 epx s< firs. Uere "woida ha\t* bee.t the pla e tr-r the Maoris to have opposed us; for ti-'-n: the jiills i securely concealed in the bush, they might have ] poured a destructive, and perhaps fatal tire upon the steamer. The level ground in places is cultivated, and bears evid nice of a larire crop of potatoes, having been planted litis year by the MnorN. hardly in anticipation ot our ide being the gatherers. Proceeding with tolerable sjieed, and, wonderi'ul to relate, without a stoppage, wo arrived at a greater j breadth of fiat, where large Iraets of beautiful land j ■ire available !'-r cultivation. He-re at >:< -me little] distance, further, up -<:i the ritrht, is .situated the mis- i sion st-V.ii'i; ».■ i Ml. Ashwell—a white square weatherboard house, surrounded by a verandah, tho church iormine the left wing. And further 011 some raupo erections, contracting' their brown colour with the j luijfht of peach trees that enclose tie whole place in gr ve-, hedires, and regular jnntrles of j greenery. Tito whole Waikato ilistiict.in fact, seems the head quarters and chosen land el' peaches, for such m.isse.s of that fruit were surely never seen elsewhere. The appearance of this pretty .'.ookint: eiviliy d spot, with its evidences of good taste, and appreciation of the picturesque, contry.-ting with the wild, iiigLt-d, savage nature around, is wonderfully refreshing am! pleasant. Here on the left the level land extends into a larsre plain, and on it stands another bare and lonely-looking botee. also connected with the mission ; and the river taking a turn again, we reach Ngaruawahia, on the b'ft--» diii'erent seene altogether lruui that described on the opposite side of the riv--r, and one that has been doubtb-ss pictured in the imaginations of many who have followed the course t events of late years,with manv varieties of conception, but hardly as it is presented in reality. On a large plain, covered with fern, with copses of tall ti-tree here and there, are "nattered a fi-.w rushbuilt native whares, perhaps fifty at the outside— rather larger than usuui in native settlements it is true, but still of the same form and general appearance. Oil the river bank is a line of ritle pits, and Hanking that em the left runs another line ; within is a regular redoubt of earth ->.nd lorn, surrounded by rifle pits, nnd beyond that lio a few acres, may be, of ground roughly turned over by the plough, and planted with potatoes, corn, pumpkins, and kinm-ras. In front of one hut, rarlier larger than the others,is the famous flagstaff, a regular mast with a cross-yard und signalling tackle, altogether about GO or 70 feet high. The river branches to the left, another one, the Wuipti, running down on the right atiel uniting with fhe main stream of the Waikato. bounding the «:'tbment thus on two sides, namely the east, and west by water. On the other side of the Waipa the wooded hills again rise from a narrow strip of valley, and this is nil. Here we have the royal domain of King Mattitaera, the opponent of Queen Victoria and the l'lnglish race. On landing we proceeded to examine further tiny peculiarities that may be descried to distinguish this from any other native settlement, arid certainly found many things to excitn interest, and some even wonder, in an observer not. long and thoroughly experienced in the habits and capabilities of the Maoris. The Redoubt is, as usual with Maori fortifications, an extraordinary specimen of engineering, considering the men who planned it, and is still incomplete, a working plan having been found showing that, when finished, it was to have been a maze of rifle pifs communicating with oncanolher, the centre being in the form of a coil of concentric lines of ritle pits. At present it consists eif a parapet enclosing a square of thirly paces, surrounded by rifle piii communicating with one another, and bv a covered tvay with the inside of the redoubt. Passing the fiarrstatf wo reach the royal whare, which is a rush building with the usual eloping thatch roof, the entrance being from one. end, with a small window 011 each side of if. Tlr* for some feet hevond the entrance is walled in, and thus ie>nns a kind of verandah ; or rather an otitor room, open in front to the air. At the point 01 the roof, over the entrance, and forming a pinnacle, i.s a carved figure; nnd on each fide of the verandah two broad slabs of wood running down the front of the sloping thatch project, lor .some distance on each side, ami are finisheel oft" by ati upright board supporting- them. All this ornamental woodwork is pierced with the usual Maori carving* of figures and concentric lines. The middle pole ol the verandah is .nippii'ted by another carved figure, and the skirting board is carved in a peculiar parent. All the carveil work has origimdly been coloured red, but the colour has been in a great measure rubbed off The interior lining of tho walls is beautifully ornamented by black and white interlaced strips ot 11 ix and the roof pole is supported midway by_ a wooden pillar decoratcd with a carved figure again. •Vll the inside is blackened bv the smoke ot the wood fire, and is gloorcv, <lirty, foul-smelling-, and abomidin" with fleas to an extent that renders it. to J'.nglisti I ideas a work of sonic risk to enter it. His Majesty litis evidently been accustomed to squat by the fire in the middle of the bare eartbfin fioor, surrounded by his thickly populated courtiers, and to discuss the royal short clav pipe along with matters ot state. Tiie length of the building is thirty-two .eet. by about- fifteen or sixteen wieie. Jnsme wo two empty boxes, and many old letters and pa,|Cis, doubtless referring to affairs ot state of last importance, one that I picked up be.ng to a of tho Court, iL«kin£ hnu for tho payment for a blurt. When the troops landed first there was found on he door a letter to Ihe officers ol the army and the stAimers, from A. Barton, a Weslcyan native mission:uy at Waipa, of which the following is a ropy:'-

" We have been here on 7th December. We came to see if you had arrived here. You will send a mc-vsenger to lot us know the terms you wish. .V * vou " find a letter from Wm. tlarton oil tho window of this whare. , " (Signed) A. Bahton." The letter from Wm. Barton was merely asking that the 1 tombs and whares might not be destroyed. Beyond the king's hut- is the tomb of old Potatan, a square white-painted wooden building, with narrow glazed windows, and ornamented round the roof with soma fillagreo work. This has apparently been erected by some European carpenter. The bones of the old fellow were stolen by tho Xgatimaniapoto, who left the Waikato at- the battle of Itangiriri, aud ; they have taken them somewhere up the country. I Another large lint is the council chamber, where, I doubtless, the. pakeha has often been defied to do his j w oi st, in the most bombastic of Maori eloquence. There are several others of superior size and build to the common sort, but of no particular interest. Beyond is another, once belonging to the Roman Catholic Priest- who resided here/ This one is divided iuty su i a 11 apartments, and ornament ed characteristically with a little kitchen garden. Outside wo found some scraps of old papers, and if, was curious, so many thousand miles away tt-oni France, and in the de'pths a barbaixm.-, land, to find a manuscript copy of some of Lamar!ine's verses; bv it was lving till old number of the Crttsx. and near to that a pieco of a broken lithographic, stone, melanevidences of peaceful eflbrts to reclaim the Maori, thrown away and perhaps lost for ever. A few more old whares, and one or two tombs scattered about the place, and the place is described. The plain seems ol great extent, and far away in the distance is a range of high hills or mountains named " The Peirongia." The white tents now add to tho scene, and tho men j bustling about, and goats and poultry found and j appropriated by some, make it already a new place, and tell the beginning of a new history of Xe'aruawahia. Ihe sounel of the be.glo ringing over the j ancient hills and forests for the first time since the I creation wake up the sleepy old echoes to the advent | ot a new race, before whose steps their haunts will | now have to give way, and male: room for the men of | the axe, the pick, and the steam engine. I December 10. i Last, night word came in that the ' Pioneer' on her ] passage down had run into the bank and broke her I paddie. At first it was tbared that the consequences would be very serious to us up hen 1 , but it appe'ars to be reparable on the spot. Last night also the chief Te "Wharepu sent in his grand-ilaughler to the General, signifying, according to .Maori custom, his sincere submission and desire for peace'. She is a child of about lv.-olve years old. The Chiel himself, who received five bullet wounelsat Uangiriri, two of them through tho breast and one through the neck, is in a very precarious condition. Ile fought bravely to the last in spite of his wounds, and is tile leading warrior of the Waikatos and is deserving of the x-espect with which we hear bis overtures are treated. December la. It no news is good news, then my present comnumieation must lie c-nsidereel particularly satisfactory for there is absulmelv no news stirring hero. We are still waiting and discussing probabilities — whethcron ! the one hand we are to advance into the enemy's j ce'untrv and destroy the Maoris lit an illimitable ex- - penditiire of time and money, or whether on the con- j t.niry the. desire for submission and peace that thev i now evince will be met responsivcly by their eon- j qimrors. Of course it. is all mystery to us. The ! Oonentl is away, and whatever is to come is 1 sup- j po. t betUr kav-v.i, to An,'..'and peiple than to us. Our only trouble is how best, to e r ; iuro tl.e snS'ecr.ting heat and to support one's strength under it upon dry biscuit which v.otdd require the- throat of a boa e-vinstrie tor to swallow in any quantity, and salted mas.-es of animal matter which are conventionally termed mi at ; nnd which to keep hndv and soul together we absorb info our sfomaehs with due thankJnlness once a day. From tec time e>f the ehimc of tiie i'eil-iiirds pevihng their matins to the dawn, till the last sin ak of daylight in the M'est. " we are aweary, aweary—we're very weary it's said." Th'Te is a redoubt being lmiit it is true, but as it has eiidy jiu-t been begun, one cannot by anv n.-e or abuse" i-i language elescribe it. It is only to be said that it will be of eomidorable extent when finished, | and will enclose the celeb:ated flag-staff. The j scenery around is precisely what I have before described ; little scattered cultivations of the late pro- : prietors of the soil, broken down dirty old huts, and ! broad swift rivers on either side of the plain. With the old woods looking down upon us and whispering mysteriously as they bow their majestic heads, one can only imagine e.nd draw pictures of the future when this plain shall bo the seat of a great eentral town. Another t.ovn in the Southern Seas, built by the great Gold Demon perhaps ; for it is said he has quarters in these hill--. A town of iron nnd eon!, perhaps black and ugly, roaring with furnaces, and soiling the hands of thousands with hard and dirtv e'arned money. For coal and iron are aho spirits of tie; Waikato, and wh'-ie the 1« e now drains the honey from miles of the t'.owerv ti-iree, shall teem {tin-shops and streets rampant with the vice of great towns. The! liver no more the solitary haunt of the wild duck, .-hall run black and filthy under bridges, and bearing thousands of ships upon it's ugly bosom, and umb r it the ln-dies of sin-haunted hungermaddened suicides", whose last gaze has heen upon the rlare of gas. The woods long swallowed into the insatiable maw of civiliy.atiein shall have given place to snug villas and suburban gardens, with omnibuses running to "Prospect Rise," "Telegraph Hill," or " Commercial View." Farther on some traces of the old Maori country may still be traced, but bow altered ! There will be the ivy-cove.",l church tower and trim hedges, with rustic gates and styles under the shade of the hedge row elm—where some transplanted " Pretty Janees" may hold sweet converse and be entreated to "name the day, the happy day" and Old Kngland may then be a dependancy of the Britain of the iSoutii—who 'knows. So the world goes—one side up ami tho other down. The old Romans never thought that tho naked blue-painted Britons would he greater maulers of the ftorhl than they ever dreamt of being-. Dr. Cumming- says the world is to end in ISGO. But, certain as he is of eternity, could he tell what is to happen next v.eek in his own little sphere---who knows '! There is a tub: current hero this morning that armed Mauris have been seen in the neighbourhood. There is a general wish that it may be true, and that the armed Maoris woulei only muster till courage enough to use their arms. Our native missionary friend Barton was here again yesterday, and brought some important letters, it is said, for the Governor. 1 have trespassed enough upon your space in writing something about nothing, and will eoncluds. December 10. The 'Pioneer' arriving to-day we have received tidings of the death of Te Wharepu, the Waikato (Jeneral who wtLS so severely wounded at h.'ingarii'i. 1 [is death w:is reported to'the 'Pioneer'by a few natives with a fiag of truce, who asked that a cotlin might bo made for him, and a party sent on shorn to attend his funeral. A coffin is being made for him accordingly; and it is said that a party will attend at his burial, lie. wtis a bravo man, and worthy of the respect tli:>.t isbeuig shown to him ; and it is wolf by of tii'j Knglish character to treat with lion our a "fallen fo'C. The blooel of our brave men, shed so copiously, may consecrate the remains of one, however humble, who in fair light was capable of causing so much loss. The ' Pioneer ' also conveys a mute though great prophet of tho future city of the Waikato, in the shape of a store of coals dug near the cump at Kahtii I'okeka. They are tho finest, coals I have seen in _N"cw /calami, and are to be had in any quantity, the mine being about half a mile fistn the shore, and the lode running to great, depth. The. steamers employed on the Waikato will now be able to supply themselves with i-ueJ. Thus, at all events, one eliilietilty in our way is removed, and the question of fuel need no longer stand in the, way ol steam traffic to and from our camps or on the banks of the Waikato. I'itillv days though these, may bo to speculate on what is to come; each discovery made-, or each treasure made available, is one step in advance, and therefore this apparently smalt affair of coal ma}" bo of great interest to many. Divers are to be employed in the removal of the submerged forest that now impedes the navigation of the river; and increasing trailic will doubtless remove the eliHiculties in this great lino of communication that at present exist. December 21. Since my communication of tiie IGth inst., we have had several visits from our Maori friends. Among then timber has been young Andrew- Barton, who seems to bo a fine specimen of the aboriginal raco. It will be reeollecteei that he is tho young man who wrote the letteir adilresscd to the. ollicetrs of tho anny and steamers on the ovHcnati'jii of the Maoris from this place. 110 is now doing a good trade with the troops in the line of supplying fresh provisions,

such as eggs, milk, fowls, &c., for which he receives the Auckland market price. _ Late on Saturday night throe more natives arrived in camp and delivered themselves up as prisoners, they were unarmed, aud consequently permitted to go about their business. ii' 'v 3 twelve noon, there was considerable bustle in the camp occasioned by the approach of. a party of natives, having in lieu cf the white Hag (which we are so much necustomoei to of l-tte* n beautiful British Ensign. On coming into canpit was found that the party consisted of William Naylor the Raglan triendly chief, Willism Burton aud Samuel, both missionaries, and six other natives from \\ angaroa and Raglan ; this party were at once introduced to tho General, who treated them in a kind and hospitable manner. , said that- William Naylor litis come as an 1 intercessor for the "\V aikato people, with what success j remains to be seen. Tho party, however, remains j Imre until to-morrow, when they proceed to Waata "\\ aata, where it is said the Chief Navlor will remain until the arrival of his Hxccllencv the G-ovemor. I may mention that a Kuropean gentleman, Mr. Randal Smith, accompanied the party from liaglan. _ This gentleman is fatlier-in-law of the late Mr. Armitage who was killed at Camcrontown, and Ins present object in travelling- through the .country, is tiie recovery ot his children, who were taken from him at the outbreak of the war. So far he has been unsuccessful in their recovery, but entertains a hope that- he may tinel them at Mr. AsiiwcJi's mission station. In my conversation with one of these natives, I leamt that- they thoroughly understand the consequence ot the present struggle, they are fully acquainted with the dread provisions of the " Suppression of Rebellion Act,'' and have a good knowledge of the Military Settlement scheme. It is well that it is to, as it will certainly deter otherwise evil inclined natives troin trying their strength with us. Tho natives havo just commenced a new system of traflic this evening which will conduce much to the comfort of idl concerned, by tiie suppling of live cattle to tho Commissariat; they have just brought in five bullocks, for which they received 7d. per pound. o have had a succession of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning this last three days, which makes our camp infinitely more miserable than it has been for some time. I have written this in the dark, and though there are some oilier little matters which T intended to mention, 1 must defer them till my next. December 23. I woulei have delayed writing until somewhat more interesting events would present themselves : but as " e-aiiing events cast their shadows before," 1 write meivly to prepare yon for future " details of impoitanre." The 'Pioneer' has just arrived, conveying an extraordinary amount of provisions in the; shape of live sheep and biscuit; but her mission has even be.en more " \\ aikato," for she 1 las conveyed two gunboats, preparatory to (be future move. The steamer ' Avon,' which has been lyinj up in ordinary so long, has arrived at the next camp, and is loading with coals. 1 lev absence, no doubt, has been ] the cause of all this long breathing time. ; Lieut.-G.il. Sir 11. ilavelock, with Mr. Mainwarang, of the native department, left here yesterday I lor the purpose of reconnoitring tho enemy's pesi- i tion, and returned late in the evening, being as sue- ! ces "ul as could be desired. j It is now known that Rewi and his followers are ' preparing for a grand stand. They have already three redoubts constructed, and it is firmly believed I they will make a stand : ut all events it is to be j The Natives still continue to trade with the troops. , but let us hope that this mi:v be stopped when the time comes for our departure. •11)0 more troops are expected in a day or twosupposed to be ihe 1-th Kept. 2Gih December. Perhaps 1 ought to ilclny writing for a day or two, when I may'probably have something of interest to "onnnunicate; but as there are some incidents of secondary importance daily oecuring preparatory to the grand move, 1 will let you have them in a few brief si'Titenceß. We have had a visit from t'-e 'Pioneer' and! ' Avoa' en Thursday last, lite fonn.-r conveying one j sergeant ami '20 rank and file Royal Artillery, with two | twelve-pounder Armstrong guns, two Cohorn mor- ; tors, and a very large quantity of ammunition, being j only a small part of the armament to be used j in our next operation. In addition to our present force, our commissariat i have, fur the present, to supply t'ooel for twelve j unexpected visitors, who arrived per same steamer, j I will g-ive yon a few paiticulars respecting the i arrival of these interesting gentlemen. It appears ■ that, for sonic time past, many of the enemy, taking advantage of the white tlag tiiat protected the Into j chief Te Wharepu, at his temporary residence | opposite the next camp, were returning to > and fro in numbers and tit times that made their business seem somewhat suspicions. On Thursday morning as the usual fatigue party I of the troops had crossed the river, the natives assumed a good deal of their original bouncing, and i lold the soldiers they had no business coming 'hero.'j The party returned reporting the circumstance to Col. i Hamilton of the 1-th, who sent another party back to bring them to account, but on the approach of the escort, some of them made off, which evidently proved that they wore—what was all along suspected—a bodv of rebels. 12 of them however were secured, ar-d forwarde-d up here for the disposal of ;the General, who, 1 believe', has decided upon sending them to Auckland. None of the natives were armed, but 1 j learn that wli'-n the steamer had them on board, ; tiring was beard about half a mile off, considered to be i about 1-1 shots. Tho brother of the late chief Te | Wharepu arrived in camp about 5 o'clock this morning, bringing a letter for the General. ! The move is expectcd to couie off on Tuesday j morning. I " «