HUIRANGI.

Otago Witness, Issue 490, 20 April 1861, Page 6

HUIRANGI.

(From the Taranaki Herald's own Correspondent) Saturday, March 16. — The active operations resumed against the enemy on Friday were continued vigorously until a late hour, and before we left the field a second roan of the 14th Regiment was wounded. There was a short pause after sunset, but soon after dark the thunder of bursting shell and raking shot broke the silence of night, as they carried to the Maories the terrible warnings of their fate. The 8-inch gun, mounted at No. 6 redoubt, was moved forward this morning, so that there are now in front of Te Arei pah two 8-inch guns, and two 10-inch mortars, as many cohorns, one 24-pounder howitzer, and a 12pounder, and one 9-pounder field- piece. One would think that this mudh artillery would be sufficient to annihilate anything ' iv the shape of ear them defences that was ever constructed; and the fact that the Maories, without a single gun, can hold out, even a few days, against the play of such powerful ordnance is a. proof of their formidable position, and shows also that the New Zealander, though a savage enemy, is by no means a mean or contemptible warrior. The General, accompanied by his staff, arrived early from head-quarters and directed the proceedings of the day. The Maories, refreshed by a three days' truce, and perhaps augmented in numbers and in supplies, presented a bold front to our troops, and fired this morning -with a vigour that bespoke . their determination to fight obstinately and to defend their positions to the laßt. The main, or double sap, and the derai-parallel that branches from it, to the verge of the valley, were amply lined by our covercrs who emulated each' Other in replying to the- enemy's fire. The'Koyal Artillery also behaved with great energy. The men worked the guns in a masterly atyle, and with matchlsss accuracy planted thejr , shots where they pleased. But although these, guns would quickly demolish a tower, or a: fort, they cannot perform great rwonders on the underground works so skilfully, planned 'by the. Maori. The ■ shells from the large mortars and from the 8-inch guns are far more effective in the destruction of rifle-pits, and in (^Continued on Suppletnent.")

(Continued from page 6.)

rendering tftcni untenable by the enemy. TtieW faJlmij with a ponderous weight, bury themselves in the earth, and explode like a miiife, throwing up the ground on, all sides-like a little volcano. But notwithstanding all this the natives held their ground so firmly to-day, that itifeir boldness was excelled only by the intrepidity of out coverers, who, under a heavy fire, leaned over the parapets of the sap, deliberately watching for a glimpse of their crdfty anWptiists, -whose rifle-pits on the edge of the'valley- Were within forty yards. The . Ma6rie>, hi eights and tens, would hastily raise their Wads to take aim, and as quickly would the fire" of our men be discharged at them; the Shleke from our rifles and that from the eneinys muskets mingling together, and mdlfnting upwards in a common cloud, which, erd it cleared the earth, was followed by another* and another in quick succession. All thfe time the working parties and Royal Engineers, were pushing the sap towards the , enemy with as much coolness as if they were engaged in mere agricultural pursuits. The conorhs played well; but so near was a portion of the; enemy's pits to the briuk of a precipice w^ich overhangs the river, that some of r tH'e Sliells directed for them fell harmlessly over the 1 cliff, and dropped into the stream that flowed beneath. Hand grenades were also, brought ngf'and thrown by the Royal Artillery; somes of them fell amongst the pits, but; the distance was toolofag to allow of certainty in the practice, and, after eight or nine were" thrown, it was discontinued, to be renewed vheri'we get closer j Two Maories, -HitrucjWby rifle bullets, were seen to fall, their muskets d£6pp&r from their hands, and lay visiWdn ttfd tiitik? in' front of the pits; the enemy made seve'raV attempts to recover, them, bifV"Wsfe nte't each' time with a volley from our men" that 1 raaiditj'hSvoc among them. About 4 pj».' Colonel' Wyatt observed some natives moving' towards the forest at the right of the HiuTangi* redoubt, and wheeling out the 24poiiuder hb'witzeri he sent a couple of shells amongst them. But you will be sorry to hear ' tluit this fddy: hasr cost us four men, one of the 57tb mrdi three'of the 65th Eegiment. The casualties of the 65th are private Hannah, light' company, who, while turning round to rel<lßd rhiS*rifle after firing, was shot very dancerbualyj (it is feared mortally) through the hefelj Private Emmerson, light company, ■wa^<wJarid«fd very severely through the neck, arid private' Taylor severely in the hand. A private of the 57th received a severe wound in die side: all these men were wounded in

the sap by an enemy who was but a sbort distance off.

7.30, p.m. — Several from the large mortars, afid projectiles from the Armstrong guns, have jußt been thrown amongst the enemy. It is a 'grand sight to behold the flight of those destructive shells at night, TOai-king their coarse through the air by the framing fuse as the missile rises in a curved tine to anitrimense height, and then falls almost perpendicularly, gathering spec"d, weight, and force as it descends, until it buries itself and burst* in the destined spot. The shell sent fortb by the Armstrong gun shoots forward vifh «nch lightening speed, that at night it almost daisies the eye to behold the bright line; traced* like a thread of light by the glaring fuse, as the projectile darts to its destination.

Sunday^ 17. — Patrick's Day, the first anniversary of a 1 war that has for twelve months cursed New Zealand," and' desolated the Proykße«f Tttcanaki, has' been marked by the irreparable loss of as brave an officer as ever fought and fell- on flood or field, as devoted a floMiertisJever Yon lustre for the British flag atihTpfice of his blood, Lieut, M'Naughten, JRJL

IBetweeaseven and eight o'clock last night, the natives endeavoured to carry off our sap rollers again, but this time there attempt was a failure, foraa enemy that they did not come to seek was most patiently 'awaiting them, and the. moment the gabions were stirred the Mabries'were astonished by the sudden explosidti of an 8-inch shell amongst them. The full extent of the damage thus inflicted on the <enemy is uncertain, but, before the natives had time to recover from their panic, several large shell'and shot were poured amongst them from No. 7 redoubt, which must have done great -execution, as traces of blood were this morning discovered in the sap.

The branch sap which runs from the left of

the main parallel was pushed to its destination at .an early hour to-day. Its extreme end rests on the brink of a cliff or precipitous bank, *wniofa rises as steep as a wall from the river to alraght of 250 feet, and stretches from the seft-A»d«ol >^be ijah <a hundred yards obliquely towards bur position. It is from the brow of this precipice that the Maories have always kept np their most constant fire ; it was from * here that- the fatal bullet came that deprived Lieutenant M'Naughten of life, and England wf his invaluable services. The fire of our

.'coverers from the end of the branch sap ■obliged the enemy to abandon some 30 yards ttfrom position ; but at that distance from our men the gronnd forms an obtuse angle with its point towards' the river, and the natives -still retain the far side of the cliff. It w only when one haa seen this position that he can appreciate the cautious manner in which the General approaches it. ' Most fcf the troops here' have often expressed it as their ardent wish to take it by a charge, and your ■correspondent also thought it the best and most decisive plan until to-day. But I now perceive that, to have charged this position, would he lßce "(ordering brave men to commit selfdestflaciioa. Even the natives, before they «ottld find footing on it, were obliged to dig away «, narrow -strip from the brink, thus aiatatjg « ledge for themselves to stand upon, and <even this, shelf is so narrow that not more than one row of men in single file can stand on - it; therefore, line of soldiers charging it must, in their eagerness to meet the foe, either fall over the precipice, and be dashed to pieces in tibe shallow river beneath, or, what would be -as.badj ; ttiey would have to retire defeated before tie destructive fire of an exulting foe. Neither could an 7 attack 'in flank be ventured along thisridge," as 'only one man could advance 1 at b time; ' It follows, therefore, that whatever o%ht be won by charging an enemy on ground presenting but ordinary difficulties, to; order a rush on such a position as this would be universally denounced as wilful madness, for the result could only be a terrible catastrophe. ' And I make this statement because trntn prescribes it, and justice to a General whose plans have been too hastily censured demands the truth. If there be still any one who thinks that a charge should be risked, we invite them to come and inspect the ground, Private Martin, of the 57tb, was wpunded to-day. .Mmiayl #f(i~rch ,.lß_;«-The enemy fired so little pn our. working parties in the early part of the] day tbafc every one rightly anticipated art Attack front Jhe natives in some unknown qtiarjto ; and ''JMgjor'' Kelson, who was field offiegf jbf/^^'day," frequently walked, round pnd .cautioned the men to be extremely vigilant. 'The 14th, 57th, nnd 65th furnished the wprkirig slid covering parties for the trenches, »nd s th^l^'nln, parallel was constantly gaining grpuu4 upwards fbe pah, under cover of the gunfi »na mortars that continually played on the enemy's positions. About three p.m., jtarg^columns of spoke rose up in front of the pa^*£fre:&ign&l : attracted the attention of our me^ajna they yrere' all instantly on the alert. Therpwas .now a few ininutes 1 silence on both sjdei, when suddenly several heavy peals. i>f jnuskeUywere heard to the right of No. 7 redoubt, followed, } by fierce and constant file , ' firing. The enemy, had made an assault on a <50jnjpany.gf,.the l '4oih', who were protecting a :sMffljaff%s£ regiment and of the Eoyal En- : gin|fefi J^p'gaged'ni erecting a battery for the •iJks9VMef fifth to play oh the pits and hills to

the right of our position. The natives, stealing round by a distant route, gathered fn great force in the bush and on the brows of the gullies to the right of No. 7 redoubt, and delivered their fire with too much effect on our troops. The 40th, though exposed on open ground to the deadly fire of their enemy, and only one division strong, maintained their , position bravely, and continued firing and advancing upon their bold assailants, until aided by further reinforcements from their regiment, and by guns and Royal Artillery from No. 7 redoubt, speedily despatched by Col. Leslie. The Maories around the pah, who were hitherto comparatively silent, now opened a very brisk fire on the coverers in the sap, and Major Nelson caused the working parties to run for their arms, which were piled at some distance. A company of the 57th from No. 1 redoubt, and the inlying picket of the 65th from No. 6, were hastened forward as further reinforcements, and the loud din of battle grew more furious at every moment, for the natives also fought with great obstinacy. But they could not stand out long against the destructive fire showered on them from the wellaimed rifles of the 40th, and the shell and shot from the Royal Artillery. Groans of pain were frequently beard coming from the enemy, and, after sustaining the vain struggle for upwards of an hour, they were forced to fly. But our gallant troops purchased the victory with a considerable loss. lam sorry to have to state that the 40th had two officers wounded, and three privates killed and two wounded ; the artillery had one wounded. I append a list of the casualties — KILLED. 40th Regiment — Private R. Jeffrey ; Private J. Watson ; Private M. Roche. WOUNDED. Royal Artillery.— Gunner J. Tadford. 40th Regiment. — Lieutenant Rees, severely ; Lieutenant Whelan, slightly; Private R. Carey, severely ; Private J. Clonan, severely. Sergeant Christie, R.A., was also slightly wounded, in the front of the sap, early in the morning. A heavy fire was kept on the troops whilst retiring, but we incurred no further loss. It may be interesting to scientific men to state that, to-day, whilst Captain Mercer was throwing shell from a cohorn mortar, at the head of the sap, the following singular circumstance occurred in the flight of one. A shell when discharged from the mortar rose in 1 the usual manner and fell in the place it was directed for ; but, to the amazement of all, j after striking the ground it rebounded from the earth, rose into the air, and came back (without bursting) close to the place from which it was fired, like a boomerang. The ! shell must have fallen with the fuse down, J and, as there was not sufficient powder to burst it, the explosion forced it back to us to be furnished with a better charge.

Tuesday, March 19. — The white flag was again hoisted on Te Arei flagstaff at daylight this morning ; our guns are silent ; our sapping operations at a stand-still. Messrs. M'Lean. Parris, and Hay, and a number of friendly natives of distinction, amongst whom were Monganui, Tamati Waka's fighting chief, arrived at No. 6 redoubt about 9 a.m., and, after an interview with the officers, awaited the concerted signal for a meeting with the insurgent chiefs. At half-past ten, a white flag was hoisted near the skirt of the forest on the right of No. 3 redoubt, indicating their presence at the appointed spot, and the above named gentlemen, accompanied by friendly chiefs, proceeded to the conference. The natives were evidently very glad of Mr. M'Lean's visit, for we distinctly heard the hearty cheer with which they received and welcomed him. The conference lasted several hours, and, although the proceedings may not be made public for some time, it is believed that the general result of the meeting is satisfactory. The business being concluded, the most distinguished of the friendly chiefs and a few followers went up to Te Arei to spend the remainder of the day and the night with their friends in or about the pah. The truce must have brought a jubilee to the Maories, for the guard at No 8 redonbt heard them cheering loud and joyfully about 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 20. — The first apparent result of yesterday's conference was the departure of a great number of Waikatos from Te Arei for their home at a very early hour this morning. The guard at No. 8 redoubt observed large parties of them crossing the Waitara valley by various paths from daylight until half-past six. Where a path lay through an opening in the thicket I counted eighty- three but I saw only the rear division, I was told that far stronger bodies had passed an hour previous. They moved off at a very quick pace, in sixes and sevens, following each other closely in single file, and most of those I saw were laden with bundles. As they gained the hills at the opposite side of the valley, a doublebarrelled musket was discharged from the top of a steep cliff facing Pukerangiora. This signal was repeated several times at the same place, either in token that they had crossed the river safely, or as a parting salute. Eight or ten Maories (one of them mounted) returned back, they were probably a few who went to see their late allies safe on their way. Another group of natives who came out of the pa situated themselves on the top of a commanding hill to our right front, eagerly watching the departure of their friends. We do not regret them, they were very bad neighbours whilst they remained. When they had all disappeared, the friendly chiefs who had spent the night at Te Arei or Mataitawa came down from the pa with a flag of truce, and were received in front of No. 8 redoubt by Lieutenant Urquhart, 65th Regt. ; they are now staying at No. 6 redoubt.

The natives report that the insurgents were on the point of" making another night attack ; they were to have come with all their force, and make a simultaneous dash at one or other of the redoubts. It is fortunate for themselves that they did not venture it ; they could not have devised a speedier or more wholesale method for their own destruction, for our troops were not only always ready for, but constantly expecting such an event. The friendly chiefs also report that Kingi anticipated an attack from our forces by Mataitawa, and that to prevent surprise in that direction, he has a line of sentries from the Hnirang* to the hills behind Te Are.. They state that the natives »ys quite openly in whares behind the Te Arei hills, and that a shell sometimes drops amongst them. There are no pas in rear of the present position, but every hill is entrenched by wellplanted rifle-pita.

Thursday, March 21.— Affairs are daily assuming a more peaceful aspect in this quarter ; so much so, that Mr. M'Lean conducted a small party of Kingi's natives to No. 6 redoubt to-tfay, and introduced them to Colonel Wyatt as ,'♦ some of his fighting friends who had come to pay- hjm, a visit." The Colonel (who knows well, bow to meet friend or foe) received his amicable visitors very frankly, and treated them very kindly, appointing Quarter-master Withers to cater for them. The soldiers grouped round, eager to get a view of their late. antagonists, offering them such fare as the camp afforded, w|th soldierlike hospitality, and vicing with each other in making them presents of pipes, tobacco, and other little things prized by Maorles. The natives looked very well, and were remarkably cheerful. Their heads were decorated with white feathers in token of amity, and they would occasionally take one out and present it to an officer as a mark of respect, It was an agreeable sight to behold men who, but three days previously, were endeavouring to shed each other's blood, now shaking hands in friendship, as free from any feeling of vindictiveness for past injuries as if all the evils of the last twelvemonths were but a dream, for both soldiers and subordinate natives felt fh&t they were not the causes of the unhappy and inglorious war in which they

had been engaged but the agents who w"ere destined to prosecute it. Some of the Maories invited the soldiers to go for fruit ; a few of the men went a short distance beyond the karaka grove to the right of No. 6 redoubt, and saw a number of whares, all occupied by natives, and surrounded by little plots of cultivation. The grave of Private M'Kindry, 65th, who was taken away from No. 1 redoubt in Januar)', was found ; it was neatly paled in, a small flagstaff was at the head, and the day, month, and year in which he was killed was painted or carved on a slab. The 65th also found Ramsay's grave (of the 40th,) who was killed on the 11th September, 1860.