IMPORTANT FROM OPOTIKI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1123, 20 June 1867, Page 6

IMPORTANT FROM OPOTIKI.

FIRST CLASS MILITIA 0 ;LLED OUT.

(FROil OCR COBBESPOFDEXT.)

Juno 7Kawa has just been brought inls camp resp-cting the fate of the two unfortunate settlors, Messrs. Bosg and Moore. It -would appear thai they are still in tho hands of the rebels, and kept as slaves until such time as their present impertinent demand is acatided to. They have the coolness to ask now that the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds should 1)3 paid, for tjio rausom ofeich of these two men ; but if they wait for that, they will wait for a long time j for however anxious wo may he ( seo our two missin" comrades back again in the mi tof us, stilt the policy of acceding to their de.nan for a ransom would b very questionable, and wou. for the futura !.>av the out settlers and their fi. ilies totaliv at their mercy ; and at the same time a curce of a good income whereby the lnzy ruffians ;; ight live coinfo t ably in idleness, at the expense ot the country, which has now quite suffic : eni tj do to kosp itself in a solvent state. June 8. A parade of those men wlio enrolled their names as volunteers for the expedition, together with those on pay, took place this afternoon, for the purpose of examining the arms, and for a selection to bemade of those men best qualified to undertake n few davs' heavy marching and fatigue. J line 9. The expedition consisting of about sixty men of all ranks left hero at five this morning, under command of Major J. H. H. Sc. John, accompanied by Captain Walker, Ensign Buckley, and Dr. Oliver in medical charge, with a few natives to carry the stretchers, &c. June 11. Some of the natives who have Utely had arms given them at the expense of the Government have this day come into camp, and returned them into store ; whether they fancy they cannot depend upon themselves and might by chanco turn ruund and use them against us, therby forfaiting their vi;;ht to possession, be-ides the chanco of their land heir."confiscated : so think it is safer for them to bo without altogether. Some few of the expeditionary force returned here for a couple of hours this morning, and left again to join the remainder of the column at Lit'le Ojutilu, ' where they will, doubtless, pass the night. They report having come across a party of about thirty of the rebels, some of whom they wounded, but for full particulars I must wait the return of the main body and forward by next mail. June 12th. Last night proved- a most unfortunate night f>r men to be out-camped in the open air, for ab ~ut six it eamo on to rain heavily, and continued almost without cessation the whole of tha At any rato tho grog buglo Bounded early this morning, and after a morning refresher they st nrtod agnin on the track of the rebels. Tho cutter Bella and schooner Fortune have just arrived with storea, See., from Taurang'i.

(FROM ANOTHEK. CORBSSFON DEST.)

June 8. *- There was a parade to-day for all the men on pay, and the men who volunteered their services to go out in search of those men of ours that arc missing, it is a fact that they are prisoners with the Hauhaus, but they are not killed. The Major called for Home of the First Class, and they were duly warned and paraded at 4 p.m., to take the oath of allegiance ; and also the Volunteers paraded to be sworn in. June 9. The Volunteers, numbering about G3 of all ranks, were paraded at five o'clock this morning, and marched out at about six, unaer the comma d of Ensign Buckley; they marched as for as Blake's camp, there to await the arrival of tho Major and Captain Walker, who followed out shortly after ; they v?ent under sealed orders. There wore fifteen natives from Opapa with them, they were under tho command o! Sergeant Edwards; they thought tho troops weie going to Whakatane, but they went an opposite direction, and took three days' provisions with them June 10, 10.30 p m. Tho Ma}or arrived in camp about 10 o'clock. They had cn engagement with the reb wounding one. Tho men marched all day on Sunday, and on Monday morning they came on a small party of .rebels who were on the look out. It was p'j p; o el to b« tho rabels' outlying picqaet; one wabino was vritH them and she saw cur party creeping along towards them, when she bawled out, " tho pakeha, p-tkclia, pakeba," and bo alarmed the others, who immediately op°ned their Are, fortunely without any effect, and took to the heels. The Major then divided th"- men ino twfi parties, one to Captain Walker, tho other to himself, thinking to cut the rebels off and to meet ;.£?am at Opapa, on the beach. It was a well arranged affiiir ; tho natives thought our men was coming by the | beach track, but- imte.id of going -h.it w i y t 'i . y went

the back road to them! After th™ 77 they met again at Opapa; that dm ? ei3 » treated them very well. The next °<W rr na^ lTe3 the llth, the men marched back to Browa^F^ 5 on the opposite side of the river, and arrived tw' about 11 a.m. this morning, and camped there for a ft. hours. Men who were not able to march anv furit W were ordered to fall out and come into camf l'f once; tnere -was not many to fall out. They S away ag.m at 4p.m. in the direction of tCt& where they expect to meet the enemy. g ' The weather has been all that could till to-day, it has been raining hard all and sotnc very heavy showers through the day,°uQnW sant for the troops who have no tents with and have to make the best of their blankets