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WELLINGTON.

(PROW THE DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENT )

January 24th, 1866.

A fortnight's holiday-making must excuse my omission to inform you of the very important events that have been taking place on the West Coast, under General Chute. You will have already reprinted from the local papers, all the details that are known of the many successful attempts at pah-taking that have astonished as well as delighted "us lately ; but your readers can scarcely form a correct idea of the difficulties that have had to be overcome before those operations could be carried out. I need say nothing relative to the mutinous state of the Native Contingent, which led to Dr. Featherston being sent up to Wanganui to "manage" them, the Wanganui " Times" having told the story very fully; but of the extent to which the demoralisation of the troops had proceeded, very little has been made public. General Cameron had so infusedhis own spirit into hisofficers, had so permeated them with his notions of the injustice 'of the war — waged (as he asserted) solely for the satisfaction of the colonists' greed for land and expenditure — that his positive orders that they were not to molest the rebels, were being carried out to the very letter, and would have continued to have been the rule, had not a change in the command taken place. It will scarcely be believed that the troops on the West Coast were under the strictest orders to do nothing ; but now with this key, the reluctance to help the Governor at Wereroa, the disgraceful inactivity on j the occasion of the murdeis of Kereti and Mr Brouqhton, and the attitude assumed by the 'Commissary- General Jones, are all explainable. It is not an easy matter to restore a demoralised army, and it is only because of General CJhute's conviction being openly avowed, that the clearing of the West Coast ought to be done and must be done, and his throwing his whole heart into the work, sharing the dangers of the fight in a way which, while all blame, all cannot but help admiring. It is only, in short, by his being earnest himself that he has made his officers earnest,and secured both for his own person and the object he is aiming at, the wild enthusiasm of his countrymen, of which the force engaged is principally composed. The mention of Mr Jones's name reminds me that there has been a copy or two of a Parliamentary paper in circulation during the past few weeks, containing some correspondence between that gentLman, General Chute, and the Governor, which is very interesting, if only to show how demoralised every department of the service had become under General Cameron's regime. Following in the wake of his chief, "Mr Jones writes a political letter, for the information of the Governor. in such a style that General Chute no sooner receives it, than lie feels it necessary to reprove tint officer for the impropriety of some of its expressions. But this is not all. Mr Jones actually sends home a copy of his letter to the Lords of the Treasury before it is communicated to the Governor, whose explanation and denial of its statements will not reach home until two months afterwards. I send you a copy of the Parliamentary paper, which I have been fortunate enough to obtain iv advance of its issue in the Blue Book.

The rebel piisoners, confined on board the hulk Mauakan, in this harbor, have nearly all escaped The circumstances connected therewith are as follows:— At the taking of the Wtreroa pah, last July, fifty prisoners were captuied on their way to reinforce its occupants, and have remained in confincmuit en board a hulk ever since. One or two have been liberated, and several from the East Coa<t added, so that lately their numbers have amounted to fifty-six. A guard of 20 soldiers of the 50th Regiment, under Lieutenant Campbell and a sergeant, were in charge, who had two boats, should it be necessary at night time to communicate ■with the shore. Nearly two months ago, one of the prisoners, named Heta, communicated to Mr Puckey, a gentlemen in the Native Office sent to visit them, that they intended to escape some night by means of the boats. lie declined to say anything fuither at the time, and hai not been more communicative since. The Native Office -wrote to the then officer of the guard, warning him of the intended escape, and the precaution was at once taken of allowiag only one native at a time to come on deck (for necessary purposes), after the hour for their all jioing below to bed had arrived. Tre hatchway was paced by a sentry, and the remainder of the night puard distributed about the dick. As no light was allowed between decks, the sentry could not see below; but those below could of course see him. For some weeks, we have had strong northerly weather, which sets the hulk towards the Te Aro end of the town. For local reasons, this direction would cot offer man} 7 facilities for escape alter they might reach the shore, and it was determined not to put their plan into operation until a southerly wind eet the hulk towards Kai

Warra, which is the outlet to Porirua and the West Coast. On Saturday evening the wind sprang up from the southward, and during the whole night the weather was thick, accompanied by heavy rain and frequent gusts. Nothing unusual seemed to be occurring ; but soon after daylight on Sunday morning, the police flag was hoisted, and several blank vollies fired from on board, rousing up the people sleeping on the beach, among whom was Lieutenant Campbell, who appears to have been all night snugly ensconsed at the Club. On a boat putting off, it was found that 53 out of the 56 prisoners had escaped through a lar^e bowport, originally fastened up strongly ; but which the prisoners had for some time been, steadily unloosening. The boat that had been hanging astern was gone, the second boat having been sent ashore th: day previously. The sentry had heard nothing all night, but, looking down the hatchway at daybreak, had found the hold deserted. From what has been since ascertained, the prisoners spread blankets below to deaden the noise, and, taking advantage of the thick, gusty weather, got out of the bow port one by one, some dropping astern and getting into the boat, and souie holding on to it, while others swam ashore unaided, or by the assistance of a few pieces of plank they had secured. The distance from the hulk to Kai Warra is fully two mile?, and the wind and sea setting in that direction, made the escape thither comparatively easy, although, under these favorable circumstances, it was a most dangerous business. A few had rolled their blankets up and fastened them to pieces of plrmkiDg, but some who did so were evidently drowned, or the blankets would not have been found lying unfastened on the shore. The prisoners appear to have scattered in the water, those in the boat and accompanying it evidently landing close to the toll-gate, and making towards Porirua. Along the shore six naked bodies were found, all of them those of once powerful men, and the probability is that more bodies will yet turn up. Yesterday (Tuesday) morning a nearly exhausted Native, quite naked, walked into Wallace's public house, four or five miles up the road leading through Kai Warra to the Hutt, and gave himself up, stating that he was one of the escapees, and had been with a, companion secreted in the bush close by, where his companion had died overnight. He knew nothing of the whereabouts ol the others, having seen no one else since he left the hulk on Saturday night. Information was sent along the various lines of rorid, as soon as the desertion from the hulk was discovered, and two companies of the Hntt Volunteers started under Capt. Cltland and Lieut. Mills, across country to Pourua. No news of any success has yet come in.

The pub ie were much disappointed to find that the Coroner's inq-iest, which sat on ths six bodies ou Monday, was confined strictly to the cause of death, it being; thought probable that a searching enquiry would have taken place. The lion. Mr Paterson and Mr Prendergast were present, and we can only suppose that the} 7 will deem it incumbent on them to direct thit some further investigation shall be made. The conduct of Lieut. Campbell in sleeping ashore especially demands enquiry, as it is impossible to say how much it may have teuded to produce laxity on board. I see it stated that he could not get on board ; but that pLa cannot avail, as the contractor for supplies put three days' provisions on board the same evening, without any inconvenieiiCe. Whether the absence on that night was a solitary instance, or whe- i ther it was not more common than otherwise, also wants investigat'nj;. Considering the thick weather and the gustiness ot the night, I do not (personally) think that the guard are in any way to blame ; but if now strikes everybody that more attention should have been given to the state of the timber bow-port. Out of the twenty men composing the guard, cix were often on shore at a time, as many engaged in fishing over the side, and others mixed up with the prisoners — so that, had the prisoners choseu to rise, they could have overcome the guard easily. From the ballast bein£ stone they would not have wanted for missiles, as was to have been made evident had the escape been prematurely discovered, large stones being wrapped in blankets for the purpose of braining tru-ir captors. One ot" the three piisoners left behind, who was examined on the inquest (the same that gave information two months ago), statts he did not see them go, as he was asleep ; and though this may seem incredible, I do not doubt its truth, as, from laying down blankets to deaden the slight sound of their naked feet, the whole affair must have been carried out most stealthily. The jury found a verdict of "Accidentally drowned;" and the six bodies were buried in the Church of England Cemetery. I send you slip from to-day's Advertiser of the inquest. The Assembly has been again further prorogued to the 20 th February. It will still be some little time before the dissolution takes place, and the writs issued. Mr Stafford went to Nelson on the 20tb, to

me:t his constituents, and proposed being away about ten days. He has stated here that he will take that opportunity of addressing his constituency, and thus put the colony into possession of what he has been doing and what he proposes doing. This speech will have to get over the Colony before the elections come on, but I fear it will not be so complete as recent circumstances would render desirable for all parties. The Northern mail to-day goes via Napier, so that, if it were not for a chance steamer to Nelson to-day or to-morrow, he would not know of Mr Weld's retirement before his return to Wellington. It is to be hoped that it reaches him before he makes his speech, as that retirement must exercise a most important effect on the plans of both of those in favor of and opposed to the present Ministry. In Wellington the news has produced the conviction that Mr Stafford is perfectly safe for the next se : sion, and I doubt not it will produce the sime impression elsewhere, and favor Mr Stafford's supporters at the hustings. A Gazette has been issued, containing a complete list of the polling places, and there is about it this peculiarity — no polling place is outside the district with which the voting is connected. The R.M. Court in Wellington has, for inttince, always been a polling place for the Porirua district, which bounds three sides of the city district, and was a most convenient arrangement. This is now abolished, and throughout the colony the polling for any district must take place within its own boundaries.

There have been a great many runnurs relative to the Governor's goin? to Wanganui, but no one knows anything about his movements. The Sturt, which was to have taken His Excellency, has gone to the East Coast, with supplies.

Our twenty-sixth anniversary was celebrated on the 22nd, with more than usual spirit. A pleasure excursion in the steamer Wanganui to Picton, fared somewhat badly, having been obliged to anchor in the Sound all night and half the next day, returning to Wellington on Tuesday evening, instead of Monday night.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18660203.2.34

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 740, 3 February 1866, Page 15

Word Count
2,134

WELLINGTON. Otago Witness, Issue 740, 3 February 1866, Page 15

WELLINGTON. Otago Witness, Issue 740, 3 February 1866, Page 15

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