THE TROOPS IN PURSUIT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2055, 5 September 1868, Page 6

THE TROOPS IN PURSUIT.

The Haioke's Bay Herald of the 21st inst., says :—When the news first reached Napier of the landing of the prisoners, Captain Bigga received a letter from Mr Johnston, upon whose run Whareongaonga is situate, and whose station is distant therefrom seven or eight mUes, stating that 49 armed men had passed his house; that he asked them' what they wanted, but they would not tell; that they killed a few pigs belonging to the natives, and then returned to their camp. Next day (Sunday) Captain Biggs, accompanied by Mr Blair, started for Wairoa upon business, and, calling at Mr Johnston's on his way, he had such facts placed before him as convinced him that the reports he had previously heard were too weU founded. He turned back, and without delay, called together the Europeans and friendly Natives—the former numbering about forty men, and the latter' about eighty—l2o iri all, but imperfectly armed^and with but little ammunition. They met at Captain Westrup's house, and started for Whareongaonga at 3 o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 13th, arriving about 1 o'clock, within half a mile or so" of where the prisoners were.ericamped, and from whence (although a deep ravine interposed) they could be plainly seen.

The first step taken by Captain Biggs was to send to their camp two Natives who had been originaUy deported to the Chatham Islands, but. were afterwards ireleased by the Government, with instructions to demand the surrender of the escaped prisoners and their arms/ In reply they ridiculed the idea of surrendering. They said that their god had delivered them from Wharekauri, and brought them safely there, to the place designed for them to live in ; that they had no wish to fight, but would do so if attacked or prevented from occupying; their land. The Native emissaries were not aUowed to see much; but aU the men they saw were fuUy armed, and one had an officer's sword in his possession.

Captain Biggs, after careful consideration, decided not to attack the party. He was incUried with many to believe that such an attack would be successful ; but he felt that in the event of a repulse, the whole district would be at the mercy of a horde of excited fanatics, and resolved not to assume such responsibility. He accordingly camped with his, men in the neighborhood as a party of observation, and immediately Bent a letter to Captain Deighton, YR.M., Wairoa, stating What had taken place, and requesting bin? to forward the inteUigence' to Napier. That officer did so; as our readers are aware ; and the astounding news arrived by express rider on Thursday, the 16th inst., at Ip.m.

On Thursday afternoon, a requisition for fifty volunteers for active service was issued by Colonel Whitmore ; and during Friday and Saturday, men were being Bworn in at the militia office. The terms offered were 3s 6d per day and found. The appUcations, however, did not come up to expectation—ascribable, partly, to the fact that the Thames Goldfields have withdrawn much of the avaUable labor from the Province, and partly to a strong feeling on the part' of the old Defence Force men, and others who might have volunteered, that the Government had broken faith before, and could not be relied upon to keep itinthe present instance, and that they were caUed upon to perform a dangerous service simply to retrieve a great poUtical blunder on the part of a Government that had left their claims for lands unsettled to' this day. Indeed, it was only the accidental presence in, town of a number of the Wairoa military settlers—who had arrived for the purpose of seUing their land and proceeding to the goldfields, and whose funds were not in a Very flourishing condition —that enabled the nulitary authorities to get as many men as they did. As it was, twenty-nine were sworn in. Any number of Natives volunteered their services, but Colonel Whitmore considered forty to be sufficient, and selected that number from the multitude that offered.

Soon after 10 a. va. on Sunday, H.M. S. Rosarib shewed round Cape Kidnappers ; she was boarded off the Bluff by Captain CeUem; and, about 1 p.m., she reached the anchorage in tlie roadstead. The first boat ashore was the Captain's gig, steered by Captain Palmer himself, who was received at the steps by Lieut.Colonel Wliitmore. After a short con: sulfiation, during which the master of the Murewai was caUed in and asked as to the nature of that part of the coast where the prisoners had landed, Capt. Palmer went off to the ship and" sent ashore the two cutters, which took on board the small party of volunteers. The number pf these should, we believe, have been 29, but there were four absentees, and of those who were present not a few gave unmistakeable indications that they had been enjoying themselves before responding to the caU of duty. The manner in which some of them scrambled over the thwarts and steadied themselves by catching at the up-ended oars was a caution; but the tars took the whole thing very good humoredly, and no accident happened beyond the immersion of a kit or two. Col. Whitmore foUowed in the pUot boat, with the arms and ammunition. He was accompanied by Captain Carr, and J. L; Herrick, Esq., as gentlemen volun-. teers ; and as soon as aU were on board, the Rosario (about 5 p.m.) got under weigh.

Yesterday morning, at an early hour, the twin screw steamer Waipara made her appearance round Kidnappers, and by ninej she had fetched the anchorage. The Native troops intended to be conveyed by her to Poverty Bay marched^to the Spit soori after. They were fuUy forty in number, and being picked men and dressed in uniform as weU as all sober, thoy presented a very creditable appearance. They were; well up in the commoner evolutions, and their marching wa3 very good indeed. Having been shipped iri watermen's boats, the steamer, having Mr Hanilin on board as interpreter, steamed northward at 2 p. m.

The exact number of Maoris on board was 42. There were also ten additional European volunteers.

The latest inteUigence is as follows :— Friday, July 24.

The mailman from Tauranga arrived here last night, and brings word that the Government party, consisting of 100 men (Maoris and Europeans), under Westrup, came into coUision with the Hauhaus at the Whakaongaongo. They fired upon the leading files of the Hauhau advance, with what result is not known. The fire was returned, and one white man and a Maori were shot dead, and others wounded. The Government partly finally retreated into the bush, leaving their horses, food, clothing, &c. in the hands of the Hauhaus. Wiate Koro is the name of the Government Native kUled; he was a very old man, and belonged to this place for a while. It was just sundown when the fight came off. The Hauhaus advanced along the ridge with the utmost confidence. The Go\rornment party were below in the crest lof a hill, and fired as from a parapet.

The Hauhaus are greatly exasperated at being fired on; they are weU armed, and declare they wiU attack Tauranga. ! This is a verbatim translation of the Native story as related to' me. I should say there is every reason to beUeye it true. Monday evening was the date of the fighting, and the maU was made up in the morning of the same day. Further news arrived by T. Marsh, confirmatory of Westrup and Wilson's defeat, with the loss of their horses—some 80 in number—supplies, &c. The Hauhaus had not marched upon Poverty Bay, as previously reported ; but had advanced upon Te Reinga, doubtless with intent to effect escape in that . direction. Ihaka Whanga arrived at Wairoa with seventy men, and supplies were issued to I them. Paora te Apatu fled upon the approach of the Hauhaus, carrying with him the bulk of the Native force. Richardson and Saunders are on the waut. between Whenu Kura and Pukewhina hSaturday Morning. John Mitchell arrived from the front. Richardson's sentries had fired on the advance guard. Paora, son-in-law to Matiu Kauhuka, of Ngatikurupakiaka, concealed himself in the fern, and as one of the Hauhau scouts came along, mounted on Lieut. Wilson's captured horse, he sprang upon him, seized him by the hair, and, tearing him from the saddle, made him prisoner. There is sharp fighting going on. ,The Huangaroa river being flooded, prevents the Hauhaus escaping to the ranges. Several had faUen on either side when MitcheU left. Rakiroa, of Te Reinga, who was always a scoundrel aiid evidently a traitor, had, if not actually gone over to the Hauhaus, furnished them with information of the movements and numbers of the intercepting forces. Ihaka Whanga — dear old feUow— pushed forward, with his reinforcements, at two o'clock, .this morning. Paora te Apatu again fled, leaving Saunders and Richardson to the enjoyment of the position, and bolting this time to Opoiti. The whistUng of a buUet has peculiar terrors for his fat carcase. The Natives never thought other of him, and if there ever was any doubt, this matter has settled it. If ever there was " a perticler, out-and-out, crawling lump of funking humanity, that ugly ton of cow-beef is the identical Moses."

Whitmore and Biggs haye not been heard of. Volunteers from here to front are rapidly draining the population.,, A telegram iv the Wellington Independent of yesterday; dated from Napier, on Monday, at 2 p.m., says :—lt is reported that, the runaway Maoris crossed the Huangaroa branch of the Wairoa on Tuesday last, arid that they are now- in the Uriwera country, out of reach, with all their baggage, booty, and arms.

(From the' correspondence of the Wellington Independent, August 6th.) Patea Camp, August 1. I fear my second letter wiU Contain as unwelcome news as my .first, but nevertheless I think you will agree with me, that the event which I have to narrate has 'redeemed our character in the eyes of the Natives, #hen you hear what took place. It was the drays and escort with them that were attacked whUe returning from Waihi to Patea. They were just rounding the end of the bush when one of the party oaught sight of two or three Natives, and'immediately gave the alarm, "they are on us." Hardly had the words been said, when a volley was fired at the party, which wounded* the first horse that belonged to the contractor, and kiUed - a dray hofsa; the distance was from. 250 yards to about 60' or 70, as the procession was advancing at an angle: of some 15 degrees to the bush. The diays cleared away, and I am glad to say that the men stood their ground, and kept up a good sharp fire for over half-an-hour. One poor man was shot through the abdomen, and is in a very precarious state, but hopes are entertained of his recovery ; and one other man was very slightly wounded in his leg, a mere scratch, as he was not inconvenienced by it, but, strange to say, three other buUets had passed through his clothes. These were the only casualties" on our side. When the firing commenced at the point of the bußh, Major Yon Tempsky, who was put witha wood party higher up in the wood, endeavored to cut them off, but they were too. sharp to be caught thus,, and managed to effect their safe retreat. Nothirig could be better than the conduct of the men, who, when hard pressed, retired in good order, and did not forget their wounded men. There is a painful and distressing case of carelessness here. A man whUe cleaning his revolver, shot himself in the knee, and yesterday (31st) the surgeon and doctor tried to extract the ball, which was too firmly imbedded; they then would have amputated his leg Hid he been strong enough, but he is fas* sinking, and is the worst of any in camp. To-day aU the wounded are to be brought into Patea, when they wiU be under the care of Dr Bre wster. The last volunteers from Wellington are of the right stuff, but I leave their future actions to speak for them, as there is an old saying that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." The number of Maoris who composed the ambuscade amounted to about 70. This may be relied on as correct, because they came boldly out into the open and fired at the camp in their retreat, so the number was almost counted. The corner of the bush has humorously been christened " Tattenham Corner," and it presents much the same appearance as that small, though weUknown place does on a Derby Day, the troopers riding by at a considerable pace. As you can easily imagine, there is no j help for it ; a swamp runs within 150 yards of the point of the fbush, which must be passed to get to Waihi. In my opinion, it would be a very good thing if those gentlemen, who fancy the war is only kept up for certain people who have commissions, &c, &c., were to form a corps and march past, it would soon convince them otherwise, and would perhaps be beneficial to certain Southern members of the House of Assembly, who leave it to us to be shot and wounded, while they are endeavoring to keep away the* very thing which is most wanted, namely, money. The time is drawing close for a movement, which will^ 1 hope and trust, inspire terror and fear into those who now are gaining confidence through . their trivial successes—a confidence which may be the cause of their complete defeat and dispersion.