QUEEN'S REDOUBT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 136, 20 April 1864, Page 4

QUEEN'S REDOUBT.

[PBOM OUB OWN COBIiKSroHDEXT.] A|jli] 18. Is my letter of yesterday I mentioned that the 70th Keginient were expected here from liie trout «/ route for Turanitki, but since then lurther changes in the stations ol the troops have taken place, and 1 am enabled to give the tollowing as reliable information is to the dispositiun of ihe loives. At an willy hour this morning the cjimp was astir, preparations being made by the '1 ransport department lor the conveying of baggage of the men expected down, a number of carts proceeded to the creek,to be in waiting for the airival of the GSthKegt. iroin Koheroa, Mere, and Ratigiriri, who were telegraphed for last night, to he in reaiiiness for the march this morning at six o'clock. The Koheroa detachment of the 05th have already passed through on their way to Drury, and the l>'ai;giriri and Mere 2tferc dctuclinicnts may be looked for hourly, as nil the available boats have been dispatched to convey them down. Though the whole of the men uro under orders to make forced marches it "is probable that they will not proceed lurther than this station to-night, and march as lar as Ulauuliu U>iiioiTore : the whole of their baggage is in bo carried for them so that they will be enabled to make thi:t distance with comparative ease. Last evening a special orderly was dispatched to j Rhodes' Clearing with ordeis to Colonel liyan, to have 1 the Fiving Column in leadiness to march thu> morn- i l'ngat six o'clock, for Oaihuiiu en route Jor 'l'.iiaiiak I I have heard from good authority that a force of I 1500 men are to be concentrated near Auckland by ! 'Wednesday evening, and at unco embark I'm* Xew J Plymouth. : The detachments of the 12th Brigade stationeil at , Koheroa and Tuakau, have been relieved by men of : the I Battery of Armstrong Ait tilery, as the whole j ofthel'ith Brigade are itiidw orders ior the South. : The FiSt-li lu-i'.inifnt are to join tiicir ii:ad-quartcrs ; Jif- whether ihey >vi!i nmain there 1 can- ; not I ell.

■ I have not yet heard h\ whom the populous up tile river are to be garrisonei, hut hope tu he able 10 forward that informalion 10-morrow. The (Battery, li. A., ore I believe tobeipiartercd in Auckland for the winter, to th.it in case 1 !icv may be wanted for Taranaki, they imiy he cl.'.se in humi. The Defence Force now at J e Awsnnm u, are expected to take up winter quarters at I'upakura. Though the Moveable Column sim-c their formation have not actually been engaged wiih the em-11l \, •vet indirectly they have prove I of great benefit, as they have always managed to keep the out-lying district pretty free of natives. and especially at the Vairoa, where their presence has doubtless been the only melius of protecting many oi the homesteads of our settlers in that di-trict, which might. now, (us in the Tarunaki war of CO', where no lining divisions were organized,) have been nothing but heaps of blackened ruii s. It has generally been the prevailing opinion that, th* "Flying Column" were a useless body of men, simply on account of their never having been actually engaged, but any person visiting the districts whi.il they have guarded, would instantly alter his opinion; there are some amongst that community who cannot fully comprehend the old sawthat ''prevention is better than cure. ' However, the Flying Column are now leaving us, and 1 hope that at Xarunaki, they mity have a better opportunity oifered them ot showing their prowess. It is rumoured that the Forest Rangers from the front will also proceed to the South.