THE REBEL STRONGHOLD ON THE WAIKATO.

Otago Witness, Issue 621, 24 October 1863, Page 7

THE REBEL STRONGHOLD ON THE WAIKATO.

(From the Southern Month']/ Marjazine.)\

It may be interesting if vn give the pu'>Hc some detailed description of the sifcu\tion of ths grsat f notified position of Mere Mere now held by the natives, in fnnt of oar alvancid posts, towards tin Upper Waikato. This very strong position was well kmwn to Waikato touribts long b -fora an invasion of the ■acKd river had entered t!ie mind of the most fv.rseeing olonial politician. It was then the site of a small Maori village, where travellers were wont to get a hospitable reception and lesve to r st, if the inject tribe 3 did not conspire to-> strongly to prevent tliem from carrying iheir d°sign int? execution. Its great natural aJvankge* of position as a forti-333 ouli scarcely be expeated to escipe tha military eye of fie nativta whm once reduced to casting about ia their, minds for the b?st mean? of rap llin^ an Euro )oan invasion. It was accordingly tiken po3sPs«ion of by the natives in fjre-J, about tin 10th of August, and they at once sat to work wifi great ener^/ to heighten all its natural a lvantages, and to, as f j,r as possible, obviate its defects. The position of Mere Mere is fbrmeJ by the extremi end of a riiige of hills that stretch in very irregular musses iv a direction almost due north-east, and o.ily preseutfd from behu parallel with the Waikato by that river's taking a bend to the westward jugt above the village. On either side of th'i3 ran^ the lanj 13 almost as low as the river bed level, and is oomsquently covered for a considerable distance with a dreary sea rf rushes and swamp g ac se3j hidiugan impassable mora-.s, and only tare and tiicre \a iel we can s«nrcoly siv relieved, by th» existence of belt's of kahikfitia or white pine trees, which grow grey tall and desolate looking, from the unstable soil along the rirer's bink. The hill of Mere Mere it-elfmty be sail to be unwooded, and merely covered by scrub and f«rn, whiuh afford but slight and iaeufhetfut cover agiinst an eoemy. It however rised with considerable abruptness from the river's bank upon which it abn*3 for a short distance, an.l forms even a good although a my limite.l landing pUce Its slope, like that of all New Zealand hills, is not regular, but of that conformation which may almost be callei t^rracf d ; bul of this, full advanta/chas bjen taken by the Native engineer. At fi-st. th<re wore but three lines of rifle pits formed, although, since than, great »«Hitkn9 mid improvements hay be^n made m t. l v- pans cf defence. The line of rifle pits may roughly be s-id to be three, although it csn be only mi approximation to the truth to speik of them 33 lines of pite at all, when every varirus Hope of the ground is mule use of t> givp another flanking apgle. The first of these is on alo vel with the river, am! would prove very trouble3->me ; and '_veu destructive, to any force attempting to land, unless covered by a heavy fira from vessels in the stream. Tbe second and ihiivl line? are so wri^ed as to command the face of the hill, and swe?p, if need bB, any enemy who hU pared the first 'me, baYs again in confiwion. Probably, however, the fint line bei'ir; «t jrm«>d. the principil danger would be over ai when our tnnpß could once form, it would scarce' j be JNative mu-kalry that would throw them into contusion, maeli lesj cause a retreat. The great strength of the _ place, however, lies in its inaccessibility from all bat one dn-ctlon. Tbe belt cf swa.np> laud that Intervenes between ths bise of the hill &nl tin Wbaagamarino river, although not wide enough to prevent our throwing shells int 3 the position, is quite wide e/.ough to render a passage ac.-oss jt impossible. If, therefore, the natives arc to be piWjotel .ro-B ramping, the only way ia i 8i 8 to se-ure the pri'h t? Paparati, which goes alo-ig the rrited te of hjllß, and mvo've3 necessirily a long detour for ouv troops through a difficult aad hostile country. That this will bj made, and that the General will when the fitting moment arrive?, storm the position', is by no rrean3 matter of doubt ; but, at present, it is and the probability b tint it will hereafter remain tha most iutTestit',g locality upon ths V7aikato, as bs-ine the most formidable position tint presents itself for defence to tbe Natives, or for storm by Her Majesty's forces. Oarbketch, it will h*. observe], w is token from the river, on the second oc2a«ion on which the Avon Kuaboat made a reconniisance of the position. The lines, as we have said, were at that time only in prcpresj, and, to foim a correct idea of the defensive works of Mere Mere, the reaier must so far task his imajnnation as to suppose the rifle pits very considerably multiplied, especially from the slope of the ftUl toTrarda the left of the picture.