THE ARMED CONSTABULARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 920, 17 July 1869, Page 9

THE ARMED CONSTABULARY.

The following extracts from a letter received in Dunedin from a gentium m at pres«nt serving with the Armed Constabu* lary on the West Coast, have t een handed to us for publication: — "I received your letter the other day, but was unable to answer it before now, on account of being away on another expedition forty miles up the Patea Biver. We were more successful this time, although we were placed in an awkward position by being iv canoes on the river. We captured ' 107 Hauh&us, women and children included, whom we found short of powder. It was a lucky thim; for us too, otherwise they would have killed a great many of U9 before we could get up to them. I must say that it was a grand flight to see us returning with our booty down the river — Government, or, I should say, those in charge up here, aeem careless, with their prisoners, for they let them go about as tbey please, without guard or auy check at all upon them Theyreoeive rations, andafatigueparty was told off to put up teats for them. Another thing, also, whioh is very vexatious I is, that when at a village up th<* river, we ! were turned out of our huts to give place to I our prisoners. If it was for the reason to have them all together, it would be a different thing, but it could not be for tbat, because many of them were apart from each other the whole night, and many means of escape were left foy them. You and many others may wonder why they did not t.»ke the advanoa.ge given, but the only re»son, I Buppose,, is, that they know that the Govern, meat will feed th^m well for a while, and ultimately release them. They own to having fought at Okutuku, and many other great tights a -ainst our forces, where our poor fellows were roasted and eaten. A number of the Hauhaus who gave th«m« selves up to us, ware, I thiak, thi refuse of Te Kooti's gang, coming to üb, Ifuppose. with the knowledge that our Govern ment would keep them in ' tucker.' I thiak if Government would stick to their proposals as they ought to, we would have tho fellows out and shoot them at once. It may be their (the Government's) intention to do so aft<r this, 1 although I doubt it ; but why cive those fellows bo much hb-rty ? It was only yesterday that a prisoner was away on the river in a oanoe some distance from camp, and out of sight. When brought b*ck his excuse was that he got adrift and was trying to bring his canoe baok. Is not this sufficient to give the Armed Constabulary a disgmt for fighting ? I think so Enough of this. You can depend on what I say being true, and you Gin insert the facto of the oase in the Daily Times if you wish Major Noake wai in oom« mand, the old Colonel being abstnt in Wanganui on leave. * • • We are all off tomorrow on an expedition to Taranaki. where wa shall be reint ireed t>y No 7 and other corps, 200 in number, including the Ngatiporou, to attaok Tito Kowaru in his stronghold, whioh vrill I think b© a dangerous one, as the pahs, seven in number, from all accounts, are so plaoed that when you attack one, tho other aix can rako you in all directions ; however, uninviting ns it looks it must be done, and charged wi th a hear ty good cheer. ' r — The itatemonts made in this letter regarding the treatment of tho prisoners, are corroborated by tho Wangamn Times. That journal B*y« : — Previous to our mon Btartiug, the Wanganui Votoran Volunteer* put fchftr tents in order, dry fern upon whioh to stretch thoir woary limbs on thuir return, and othor little arrangements to secure a comfortablo nigh i's rest when they came baoft. Having prooeoded a long way up the river and mndu tho capture, they were told hy Mr Booth that the oanoos wore w»at»d for tho accommodation of the prisoners, and our mun mint march ovo-land for Paten tho t oat way they could. Tho notorious rebel Tnuroa, with tho mon, women, and children of his hapu woro oomfortubly accommodated in tho canoes, and started triumphantly dowa tho river kt P*toa. whoro they know that Mr Booth would food and accommodato tbem at tho oxpenso of the colony. Having »con Mr Booth's pots away in tho canoes, our poor fellows itartod to trudgo it on foot ovor prooipitons oliffo And through dome foreata, through whioh thoy had to out tlioir way. On arriving »t Patoa, iwrfoMly dono up, thoy at onoo proceeded to their tents, but Io And behold, thoy found thorn occupied by Mr Booth's pots, and w«re peremptorily told that they mutt nook qu&rton olsowh<<ro ! dipt. Koila remonstrated, bnt Mr Booth* anthonty as C^vil Commiftftioner wm supreme, and onr foot-aoro Volunteer Votoran* wore obliged togo into tho town and find quarters and pay for thorn tho beat way thoy oould.

Tho foundnttotvaton* of a " diqrgDni bakery" Urn boon laid at Nasoby. Tho pro* prietor promiMM, on condition of reottiving the support of thu mining population, to ■apply bread at a prioe oonwdmbly lowtj Hum tb» pwitat <m&