MATTERS MILITARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 233, 11 August 1864, Page 4

MATTERS MILITARY.

THE SIXTY-FIFTH.—"BOYAL TIKEUS." " Should auld acquaintance I*3 forgot." Ik attempting to write a brief record of the services of the 65tli .Regiment, we feel an amount of dread, not of, by any means, arousing the jealousy of otlier corps, but of failing to do vustice to the merits of the dear " old Tigers." We have no fear, we say, of awakening jealous sensitiveness on the part ol other corps, beeausfe we are assured that in their estimation, the 65th are deserving of all praise. We are therefore in the happy position of being able to speak wellwithout making comparisons—whic.li are often odious. JS' evertheless we have a labor before us, but it is in truth " a labour of love." In contemplating the services of the Ooth Hegiment the strongest and best feelings, and sympathies ot our nature are brought into play. The 65th Hegiment have long, and will ever be considered (in conjunction with the 58th) as the Is'ew Zealand iencibles. Eighteen years ago, last May, the 65th stood upon the shores ot their native land, bidding a fond and hopeful farewell to fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and in many cases to dear betrothed ones. A few months later, this millant band entered the waters of the Waitemata and landing upon our shores, gazed upon the sites ot nearly all our present flourishing establishments, but then only, as the fern or scrub Well will many a one remember the keen interest with which we scanned thefaces of the youths and | striplings that filled the ranks of the then youne •Tigers. ' Those boys have grown erev old men m our service. Where there was then but the soft down of an incipient moustache there is now the lull flowing but grizzled beard. Where sunny locks of fairest auburn peeped out from beneath the forage cap now silvery curls betray the march of time Ihe pale stripling and the rosy cheeked youth, are alike bronzed old men become old and grey in our service les, the 65th are now in their nineteenth year in IS ew Zealand. What blighted hope*, what withered prospects once so lair. Ho-v often m anticipation of lioiae and home greet: :

ings, has the cup of joy been rudely dashed from lips burning with eagerness to quaff its soothing contents, during that long service of nineteen years ? Ah yes, soldiers after all tire but. human ; possessed of the same fine feeling and sensibility, the same fond love of home and home associations that mark even' true i ntriot. Who will wonder then that the odth have been longing for home? but in vain. In vain the oft repeated promises to old loving mother and aged father, yearning for a last embrace from their long absent son, anxious to give him their parting blessing, and then lutsie to their narrow home-. Ay and bo A- bitey loving betrothed ones have waited faithfull}', year after year, trusting the mist would bring home their "dear George, Sandy, or Pat—but in vnin. Prom tho period when, tht? Goth regiment arrived here (iu 1840) up to their second advent, in 1858. they have be'eii scattered all over the colony i but vrliereV.et they have been, whether in Wei ling toft > Wanganui, New Plymouth, NapteV, Bay of Islands, or first and last in Auckland, the Gsth have ever earned the same high character and gained innumerable friends. Has not their very name been interwoven with our prosperity? It has ; aiVd 'tis not a ! local honor we oiler, but the sincere gratitude of the colony as a whole-. Scores of nVeta in the Gst-h regiment have had their iiamcs enrolled for discbarge for more than twelve years, and but for the exigencies of IS'ow Zealand service most, if not all, of those men would now be in positions of comparative independence. Of those who have been fortunate enough to get away, we may say that m'my of them, in various parts of the colony, occupy positions of trust and honor —some as Government otiicers, s-ohie in mercantile anil agricultural pursuits, but all with credit to themselves and the corps in which they served. We feel then that in putting before the public the subjoined brief record of the services of the 05th, we do them even then but scant-justice, and trust that when the fitting time arrives, the colonists of New Zealand will Unite to do honour to our Fcnoibles in a more substantial way. In. th"e Seven Years' War the 65th regt. was ; Uie 2nd batt. of the 12th regt-., and was put on | the establishment of the arm}' as a separate corps, under its present number, on the Slst April, 1758. In 17C2 it formed a phr'u of tho force at the attack and congest of the Havannah, under the Earl 'of Albemarle. In 1774, in the early part of the American war, tho regt. was actively engaged, and the flank companies suffered severely at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, where Captain Hudson, of the grenadiers was killed, and the rest- of tho ollicers but one wounded. In 1782 a detachment from the regt. served as marines on board Lol'd Howe's fleet at the relief of G ibraltar-. Abotit this period tho regt. acquired a great Imputation for discipline, and was the first regt. which, under the superintendence of Sir David ■Dundas, ever practised and carried to perfection the system of lield exercise compiled by that otlicer and since laid down as a, general regulation for the whole army. From 1703 to 1795 the regt. served in the West Indies, and was engaged at the attack and capture of . Port Trinity and St. Pierre in the IsJ'rtiid of jUat'tiiiique and of the Island of St. Lucia und Gatulalupe. After the return of tlio regt. from the West Indies in 171)7, in consecjucnco of jts reduced strength, it was selected as .one of the corps to fill up with boys I'm' service in India, tho experiment hnving been planned and adopted about Unit period, and as soon as it was 1000 strong embarked for the Cape of Good Hope preparatory to its being sent to India. In 1803 the liead-quarters of the regt. lailded in Bombay ; two companies thi.it had embarked previous to the hettd-quartcrs were detained in Ceylon-, where they were actively engaged in the war against the Candians. From 1803 to 1800 the regt. was engaged in active operations against petty Pajahs at Mnlwa, Burtpore, .1 aypoor, ifcc., aud lost a great number of ollicers and men, chiefly through fatigue and long marches in the hot season. In 1800 the i'egt. formed part of the expedition to the Gulph of Persia against pirat'qs, and in numerous engagements b.oth by see. and land, more particularly at Kas-el-Ivhyma Shinaas, A;c., aud succeeded in cll'cetually putting a stop to their depredations. In 1810 the regt. formed part of the expedition to the Isle of Franco, and served during the operations which led to the reduction of that Island. In 1813 the regt; formed part of the successful expedition against IN'Oaiiliggar, and in 15-10 against Jiooi'e the Capital of Xuteh, Oal tauiandel and Katty War. In 1817 the regt. formed pari, of the 4th division ot the army of the Deccaii, which division was commanded by the Colonel of the regt., Sir Lionel Smith. Some idea of the harras*ir,g nature of the campaign which followed may bo formed from the fact of tho regt. havimr marched upwards of 2(j()0 miles in six mouths; the thermometer being sometimes up to 110. ihe thanks ot t,Jie Imperial Parliament was convened to tire troops in this service. in 18PJ-20 the regt. formed part of a second expedition to the Gulph of Persia, and was engaged at the attack and capture of Has-al-Xhyma, and various other nests of pirates in the Gulph. lowards the close of the year 1820 the operations in the Gulph having been brought to a sutislactory conclusion, the whole ol the regt. was ordered for service in Arabia, and is distinguished as being the only regt. in her Majesty's army having that word on their colors. In 1822, on the departure of the regt. from India, the following tribute to their services was published by the hon. the Governor, in Council :—

" I lie whole period since the arrival of the 05th regt. hits been an almost uninterrupted course <ij active employment. Independent. ol' its services in the territories connected with this presidency, which alone would entitle it. to the cordial approbation of Gevernment, it has proceeded iu various distant expeditions by land and sea, and lias shared in some of the rno.st arduous marches and of the severest conflicts recorded in the Military History of the Ivtsl ; during every part of its long and extended course ot service, the strict discipline of the 05th, its cheerful endurance of fatigues, 110 less tliau its conspicuous spirit and gallantry in the field, entitle it to the highest testimonies of respect and applause. Ilie Governor in Council will always retain a sincere esteem for this distinguished regt., and will ever take the warmest interest in its future lame and prosperity." On the arrival of the regt. in England the honors conferred by His Majesty for their services in India, was communicated in the following terms: — " That in consideration of the distinguished conduct of the 05th regt. during the period of its services in India and Arabia, which has been represented through General the Marquis of Hastings, his Majesty has been pleased to approve of the regt. bearing on its colours and appointments the figure of the Royal Tiger with the word " India" supex*scribed, and also the word " Arabia." In. 1829 the regt. embarked for the West Indies, where it was stationed until 1833, during which period it sullercd severely from the climate, upwards of one-fourth of the cii'cctive strength having fallen victims to yellow fever, &c., during three years that they were stationed in liritish Guiana. In 1838 from the "West Indies, in the depth of winter, i.bf regt. was ordered to Canada, and s tillered severely from the climate ■until the termination lOf the rebellion.

In 1842 the regt. rctureed to England, where it remained until IRK! when it embarked for this colony. Its services in New Zealand are too well Itnown to need much notice here; it served with distinction during the wars ol IN-Mi-7, and in the Taiunuki campaign, having tiie singular good for time, most unustml in New Zealand warfare, to he successful iii eVei-y engagement they have hiid witli the Maoris, by whom they are Vix'll-khown and respected as the old " llikily-fif."