MILITARY.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XIX, Issue 1954, 23 April 1864, Page 4

MILITARY.

. On Monlay last a force of about 250 men; under Major Butler (consisting of a party of the 57th and the. Bushrangers), went down to Ahuahu to seek for the body of the missing nian..,, I’he 57th advanced, up the. road from Hauran, theßushrangers going across the country.from W-airau, but their search was unsuccessful. The only thing: found was a rifle belonging to Seijeant. Bendy (?); which ho had to throw away when wounded. - It is something to have saved this from the natives who by this lamentable, affair, haye already got several,.besides a good deal -of ammunition. When the search had been given, up, the 57th proceeded to destroy some crops of.maize, &c., which had begn discovered, .the Bushrangers at the same time going up. the hill to where the, pa (Ahuahu) had stood. After-being.here some little time, the. latter ,were about, starting to explore in the direction of what looked something like a dearing.in the-bqsh at- the top of the range, .when they were recalled, as a heavy rajn had. set in, and there were still 1$ or 14 miles to be got over before reaching town. The force therefore returned. As the missing .body has not: been found there is little doubt that it • must have ; been carried off by the. Maoris ; if-this, has ..really been done there is too much reason.to fear that it, has been with the : -object of . perpetrating somejurther savage rites, but we will hear of this probably’ .when we’ get their own account of the affair by way of Wanganui. c ... . It is not .known where, these natives now are, whether, they have retired ciqwn the coast, or are, as is thought; more probable, by those who knqWr them, still at the, far end of the range inland of Te. Tutu; jf. in the latten neighbourhood, it. would nQt.takg. very lopg .to discover them though the.-cquntry is difficult.. If we are to go on .here with such force, as we have, it is, as we.said last week, of the.utmost, importance that something should bs done, at once to lessen the confi.ience of the natives, elated as they no doub.t are..by their successes, the savage and unmistakeable tokens of which are sure tobgain them a'lies before long. We have had-.,three, months of unexampled Cine weather:—the, swamps Lire as. dry,and the rive.rs. as. low probably as they; have been for many years.: but (he winter is a$ hand., and a week’s- rainy weather, which may.be .expected, any time, will do,more towards fprtify.ing the country of the;Taranakis than, they themselves could do in,a year. If,-. however,, the. report is true ..that, General Cameron.is coming down .here shortly with as many mep as he. can bring to deal, with .Ngatiruanui and Taranaki,in.the .same thorough way as he dealt wifh. Waikato the case is no, doubt (titered. .We trust the report may be true. It does pot do to linger over, the business of conquering—to make tlie teaching.im-. pressrve -the lessons should follow each .other with little interval; and, besides the I.pst news from Europe showed that England may soon want all her troops, therefore, for all reasons, what has to be done should be done quickly. , !,We have not referred to. the. above, because,, we still believe, as ,we have more .than once hinted r that that,place would, long since have.been taken if unseen influences frotq Government ,House had pot been at work to prevent it. We sbould .think however that tips, state of things wili)not be allowed to last much longer after the Ministry are aware of it.

Captain Atkinson, of No. 2 company T.V.R.,’ has been prompted to the rank of Major “for disjinguishqd services in the field This appointment will give general satisfaction, except perhaps to the membiiri of his late company,! who are very loth tri lose.hiin. He will spll, [continue we believe to conduct the Buahrangl irig as llitlieitb.