THE NATIVE WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 479, 2 February 1861, Page 5

THE NATIVE WAR.

LATEST FROM TARANAKI.

The steamer " Airedale," from Sydney via the Southern Provinces, arrived at Port Chalmers on Thursday afternoon. By this opportunity we have later intelligence from the seat of war at the north, but nothing of importance had taken place since the capture of the Makorikori pa b3 r our troops. The following is from the " Nelson Examiner," which is the only later news the papers that have reached us contain : —

By the arrival last evening of the schooner Jane, we have intelligence from Taranaki up to Saturday last, and our correspondents' letters, which will be found in another column, p,ive a concise account of the transactions of the war since our previous advices. The plan of the General appeara to be, to drive the enemy from their positions with his artillery,, nnd not to risk the lives of his men in assaults if he can avoid it. By pursuing this course, he is approaching close upon Huirangi, with little or no loss to himself, whilst the enemy must have suffered considerably, and is being driven out of his rifle pits which protect the approach to the pah, and compelled to seek shelter within the pah itself. So close have we advanced upon Kingi's stronghold that our next advices will in all probability tell of its capture ; but with this intelligence we must be prepared, we fear, to hear of a considerable sacrifice of life ; for all we know of the natives leads us to expect that they will fight desperately in defence of a position /which has cost them so much labour, and which they believed they had rendered impregnable.

A large body of natives, the Taranakis. and Ngatiruanui?, were hanging upon the southern outskirts of the town, burning such houses as they bad previously spared, and it was supposed contemplating an attack upon Waireka hill, the scene of their former defeat.

(From our own Correspondent.) January 19, 1861. The week has been a stirring one, and full of anxiety. Since I last wrot^kfe c ypu, the Niger and Robert liowe have arnved with troop?, which have been sent on to the ?3ene- j ral, whose operations will rccmire an enormous- j force. The result of operations at Waitara to ! the present time has been the taking up of several positions jn advance of Kairau, the natives showing considerable hpldness, but being unable to offer any serious resistance to the advance in the face of the heavy fire of our artillery . On the 17th a aapper and one of the 65th were surprised within 200> yards of -the camp. The former made his- escape with a scattered, arm, but the other was not recovered. I|e was seen to fall, whether wounded <?r not is not known, and it is hoped by, his comrades (notwithstanding the promises made bethel enemy $o save prisoners) that HVdied 6a t3fie r field, i- ' " ■'-„ -■• . ' , '-\ '«T Heavy firing was resupted .yes terj^ay^bu^ff was not until this liiorning .g?||^|y account -from Waitara. " " 'T-hej^enejhji ''■ gjifntlc^ another position .b^ftJ^-AjjtJ pf^i'AiUeJ'yf p^ thjs . commands ' tlie* HAe,rpiis^nii^^|UeoSM^:we>e^ourf||gra#MlJb^^|n|^s^B

pits against U9, and will act accordingly ; but * it is not felt that they are restrained in their 1 movements, or that the war \vill he 'eve? brought to a close in this way/ The best cori* rirmation of this opinion I can offer is, that whilst the General is, aa he imagines, dealing a heavy blow, and holding the enemy Iri check} they get in his rear, anil sweep cattle from the Bell Block without interruption, and fire on our people in the open day at different points, at about the same time 4 On the 14th, two men (Greenway Und Howard) herding cattle near the Devon road, . between the Waiwakaiho and Mr. Read's' fdrm, were fired unon, and only escaped by galloping past their enemy. - jVJtr. bundle's cart was fired at by the same party, and the drivers (a native and a half- cadte,) who escaped into cover, were rescued by Mahau and party} who were apprised of their danger. Mr. Rossiter (who will not learn caution,) venturing out to his farm in the forest, sud* denty came upon tracks of natives, and whilst thinking of what he had best do,:the. sound of voices in his rear put him to his wit's end* The Avenue-road, by which he had left town, was cut off, and there was nothing for it but to gallop some miles onwards until he reached the Carrington-road, and reach town by a junction line above Mr. Bevenish's farmOn the 15th a Mr. Maunsell (nephew* of Archdeacon Maunsell, and one of the mounted volunteers) Was fired at by natives near the Waiongona head*, where Mr. Richard .Brown received his death wound. Yesterday morning, hay-cutter's at Mf. Standish's farm, close to>the town, and within a few hundred yards of one of the posts, were surprised and fired into by a party of natives^ fortunately without effect. Amongst them were a Taranaki chief named Parenga Kingi (wounded at Waireka), Tipene .(an ex-potice-man), Waka (a younger brother of Bob Carrington), and the Ngatirnanui,Taimita Rakwa, who has been concerned iv most of the Omata murders. A large number of stock, chiefly horses, were carried off, and two friendly natives, mounted, were sent to recover a horse belonging to Mr. Standish. The taua, numbering about 150, was encountered near S* •Andrew's farm, and the messengers, in answer? to their demand, had their horses taken from them, and were sent home on foot. This morning natives (probably the same) were observed from the Omata stockade taking horses from Mr. G. Curtis' farm, but desisted on being fired upon. Forty men turned Cut from the stockade, and brought in the stock from Messrs. M'Kellar's farm on the opposite side of the road. The town, in fact, may ba said to be surrounded. At Paroiti, near the Ilua, in the Mangore road, adjoining Mr. M'Keckney's, the bush in rear of the town, and. at Wairekrtfiarge parties of natives, chiefly from the south, have been observed, and it is known that the Waikato* chief, Ephia, directsjfheir movements. It is. impossible not to feer from this circumstance, that some higher game than mere cattle lifting is afoot, and the coming week will probably put this to the test. Our people complain loudly, and not without reason,, at the prolonged separation from their families, but they have the comfort that at Nelson! they are safe. Sickness with us.is likewise o*n the increase, and without an extension of the lines, Btringerit sanitary measures, and the prohibition of the burial nuisance within the lines, one - cannot see where it will end. Our old friend, the Niger, is anchored close in, ready at a signal to land her men. The Tasmanian Maid is again -up from Waitara (two p.m.), but brings ri*o additional news.