The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1864. ATTACK ON A NATIVE PAH. LOSS OF 4 MEN AND 14 WOUNDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 121, 2 April 1864, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1864. ATTACK ON A NATIVE PAH. LOSS OF 4 MEN AND 14 WOUNDED.

SFECTEML'R ACF.NDO. Oivo every 111:111 thine ear, bi't few tliy vok'fl: T.'iko encli in,'iii's reusuro. but reserve tliv judeniciu. This aliovo all, —To thine ownself he trne ; Ami it must follow, , w the 111-ht the da>Tliou canst not then bo I'uUc'im my ina'u'."

Important news arrived yesterday afternoon from the front by telegram. We were placed in possession of tlic same at an earlv hour in the evening, bnt. considering that the plan of putting forth hasty telegrams in second editions is productive of more harm than good—more especially when the names of those killed and wounded have not been received.—we waited for further information and reserved all that we could gather tor this morning's issue, which we now place entire before our readers. We have also been favoured with the following extract from a letter received yesterday evening from an authentic source:— " Pukeriinu. 31st March. "The Ngatimaniapoto have begun to sive trouble on the road bet ween Pnkerimuand Awamutu, and the General is about to establish a post half-way, between the two ■places. Two of the Colonial Defence Force orderlies were Jired at a few days ago by an ambuscade of about thirty 'natives, * butescaped unhurt, though the'horse of one of them was wounded in six or seven places. " Yesterday Major McNeil had a very narrow escape. lie went to Awamutu and on his return, when about half a mile on this side of Ohaupo, seeing some natives move about, he sent, one of his two orderlies backto Ohaupo to fetch up a detachment of 100 men who happened to be there, destroying and levelling the pah. Shortly afterwards "a volley was fired at them by about sixty natives concealed in the fern." Major McNeil and the orderly immediately turned round and galloped back towards Ohaupo, but unfortunately the orderly'a horse feii, threw hia rider, ajid get looho. r i y :\o natives purauod. the orderly, yeiiiag. ard firing on him, but Major JtcNoil who had stopped immediately that he found the orderly was not following him, caught the horse and held him until the man came up and mounted. At this time the natives were not more than fifty yards from them, but Major McNeil and the orderly were fortunate enough to escape untouched, and join the detachment which was coining upquickly to their assistance. The natives made their escape imo the bush.

" .Sometime afterwards a party of the same people allowed the native messenger to pass through with the mail bag untouehed. "On tlie JHUh a body o|' natives way observed eonstrucling rilie pits a! Olawhao, about three miles from Kiiiikihi. Hrigadier (ieneral Carey inlenrls to at!aek them earlv this morning. (ieneral Cameron sent .Brigadier (ieneral Carey a reinl'oreement ;>f 300 men last nigiit." The telegram to which we allude is to the etl'ect "that. Brigadier-Oeueral Oarev had attacked Otuwhao pah. four miles from Kihikilli at daylight this morning (Tlnirsdav). that the pah was too strong to be rushed, and that he therefore had surrounded it and was sapping up with the inlention of blowing it up. Our loss, up to the time the Brigadier wrote, was Captain Hing. 1 Stli. dangerous!v wounded; Captain Pisher. -10th, slightly : 1men killed, and 1-1 wounded. The (leneral had sent a reinforcement of 300 men."

Late List night the following communication was kimlly placed in our hands liv a gentleman who had received the same i'rom a friend at Te Awaimnu :— "All our men arc away on an expedition to Otawhao, near Ivihikihi. Captains Eing, !iiid .Battalion lSth regiment, and .Fisher, 40th regiment, badly wounded. A good many casualties but names not known. The force have surrounded (.lie natives and are sapping up to the pah. Large reinforcements are reported U» be on their way over from the General's camp to Otawhao.'' "We also learn from a private source that a rush had been made upon the pah, but that the beseiging party had been unable to carry the enemy's works. In the onset we regret to learn that Lieutenant Chevalier of the Gut h, who had only just recovered from a severe wound received at Eangiriri, was accidentally wounded by the bayonet of one of our men. The dead body of a man of the (35th had been taken into camp at Te Awamutu.