THE LATE ATTACK ON THE SAP. (From the Taranaki Herald, March. 12.)

Otago Witness, Issue 488, 6 April 1861, Page 5

THE LATE ATTACK ON THE SAP. (From the Taranaki Herald, March. 12.)

[ex-Tract prom A private letter.] At about a quarter past four on Tuesday after--noon, March 5, the Maories in apretty strong force began to fire on the skirmishers who guarded the belt of bush a little beyond the old peach grove, and the 14th, who were in that direction, were not slot? to answer it; , and from the extensive rifle-pits off our right, and thdse in our front, near arid about Td Arei, as jolly a fusilade was opened as man. could wish to sec. The 40th, who " covered " between the head of the Sap and the' new redoubt, took it up, arid the 6'sth, who were partly at work and partly hi reserve in No. 8 redoubt, rushed for their arm 3 and joined in the fray. The 57th, who Were in the immediate rear of the redoubt, and in the sap, being rather angry at the treatment their comrades were experiencing, kept up a rattling fire on the Maories, and the guns and co-horns added not a little to the row. Suddenly, a volley was given by some natives' (who had concealed themselves under the broW of the hill to our left) on the men at the head of the sap, and one poor fellow (40th) fell dead; but before they could reload, the men in the demi-parallel, the redoubt, and the sap, had made it too hot for them, and they'niust hdve lo3t live 3, as some of the soldiers said they saw" them throwing bodies over the cliff to .prevent our having them, so they did not snow again. A detachment of the 12th' coming- ,up about this time, the field officer im dutjk'CColoiiet Wyatt, 65th Regiment, sent them aiL td tlie front, and they speedily entered into tfife spirit of the thing. Lieutenant M'Naughten and two gunners had, in the meantime, gone to the sap hcskL 'and commenced throwing hand grenades, and some of these burst on the edge of the hill and others rolled over, and the cohorns and ho* witzers in the demi-parallel pitched stfme shells with beautiful precisian into' the iflbre distant rifle-pits? while the sailors ik No. 7 redoubt with the 8-hich guti played the very deuce with the rifle-pits Under Te Ar"ei. Fast and furious did this fun last, and well was ft kepi up by all parties ; but the Maori bullets tid I longer flow low, their trajectories had become more elevated, a pretty certain sign they had had enough, and Te Arei, which for a time "bad been wreathed in white smoke, How began to appear. The troops in the trenches had by this time got thoroughly savage, and on all sides was heard " Why arn't we led on to charge 7 the pah and rifle-pits ? " and the officers had some difficulty in keeping them under cover, for lit their excitement many-had fixed bayonets and were preparing for a rush. By about half-past five o'clock- .the Maori fire had got very slack and faifit, and we anticipated another attack, but they knew better. The trench guards, which gencrally ;i march homcat six, p m. (leaving a strong party to garrison No. 8 redoubt), remained some time longer 1 ; but Colonel Wyatt, seeing that they apparently had had quite eriough, aud -were! not disposed to renew the engagement, marched his party home without being treated,' asf usual, to a single shot. Our force mustered 300; f and from the incessant "buzz" and " whirr"over | head, from both front and flanks, it is certain" that more than double our nUniberwere dpposed to us. i