BELL BLOCK.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 294, 14 August 1860, Page 3

BELL BLOCK.

{From our own Correspondent.) Saturday, August 4,1860. This has been a day of unusual excitement, the enemy having been very busy about seeking for any white specimen of humanity that chance might throw in their way, or their industry, in that particular pursuit, find out. At about half-past 7 o'clock, a.m., an alarm was given that Wm. Lyall was pursued by some of the rebel natives, who had been lying in wait at Mr. Hulke's bush. A party of Rifles from the blockhouse, ever willing to turn out to have a brush with the enemy, were soon doubling down the hill to the immineut danger of their necks, to assist a comrade in such urgent need. It seems that Lyall, on going to Mr. Hulke's early in the morning, as was his usual custom, to see that the premises and garden were all right—fortunately for

him, observed five natives in the bush about 100 yards off; he levelledhis rifle and fired at them, ran to the friendly cover of a furze edge, reloaded and fired again; 5 shots were fired at him in return, but were wide of the mark, he then made the best of his way to the stockade, but before reaching it was joined by the men who came to his assistance. They pursued the natives, but without coining up to them, who retreated to the bush adjoining Mr. A. Wills's, where no doubt they found their friends; the pursuing party returned to the stockade, their morning's excursion having given them an excellent appetite for their breakfast, the inroad into the day's rations being rather alarming to their messmates. At 10 o'clock some of the enemy were observed driving cattle off Mr. Everett's land; none were allowed to leave the stockade for the purpose of preventing it. The 3-pounder gun, charged with round shot, was fired at them; they were observed to run to cover, but the shot did not seem to go near them; the second or third discharge proved more effectual, as ohe of the group of natives was seen to fall, and Bombadier Madewell gave them another in the same style, which, if it did not the same execution—as a son of the Emerald Isle remarked—"shure it made them lave that." The remains of the departed rebel having been picked up by his surviving relatives, n!ot forgetting the cattle, they departed without further molestation in the direction of the bush, where they were soon lost sight of. The annoyance and vexation of the settlers may be conceived on observing their property driven away by the enemy without being allowed to try to prevent it, or without any hopes being held out to them of being remunerated for their loss. it ; The rebels commissariat department seem most indefatigable, and worthy of imitation on our part, having, as my friend Patrick remarked, " lashings and lavins, shure they have mate for tay in the mornin', and tay in the evenin', and mutton to the fortnight"; bad luck to the nagers, there's no gettin' a slip ay a pig now at all at all—crapen about the hedges, not contint wid beef and mutton, galore, shure it's forsogers the bastes are lookin, and the Miliaha, God help them!" In the afternoon an escort party consisting of 50 men under Lieutenant Richardson, proceeded to the Paraiti pah for firewood; on the men being posted to command the gullies and clumps of bush in the vicinity, the right of the party was fired on by some of the enemy concealed near Mr. Ibbotson's. Edward Freeman having crossed to the corner of Mr. Everett's land where the road turns down to the Mangati stream, observed on the rise of the opposite bank, distant some 300 yards, a body of about 40 of the enemy, concealed from Lieutenant Richardson's party by a clump of bush • he was fired^on, but, disdaining to run from a Maori he waved his huge cutlass, his only weapon, in de fiance, and in the excitement of the moment calle , them sad names, which no doubt hurt their sensi tive feelings and the dignity of their chiefs; smal time however was allowed for the interchange of civilities, some of the soldiers and Rifles coming up, they handled their rifles so effectually as to hit several, and the rest made a precipitate retreat. One aspiring individual of the enemy's party having taken up a post of observation on the bough on a neighboring tree, after firing a few rounds, was observed, and a soldier of the 12th fancying the savage's time had come, let fly at him, and knocked him off his perch just as he was about thinking of leaving it by a less direct method. Owing to the skilful arrangement of the men under Lieutenant Richardson's command, the natives were evidently at fault, and their peculiar tactics of surprising a small party could not be brought into play. A support of about 40 of the enemy being observed from the stockade advancing from the direction of the Tima pah, a signal was given to Lieutenant Richardson to koep a sharp look-out on the enemy. A small party was also sent by Captain Q,ueade to the Mangati, on the Devon Road, to prevent any surprise from that quarter. These precautions were scarcely required, as the enemy seemed extremely shy, firing from a distance that, rendered them harmless. It was amusing to watch from the stockade their endeavors to draw on a few stragglers into their vicinity. One would occasionally walk out into the open field, at a safe distance, with seeming carelessness, and drive any cattle that happened to be about; but such opportunities of bagging a native were invariably refused, and finding nothing to be gained by a closer encounter, after a little more skirmishing, in which two or three were said to be hit, they returned in the direction of the Tima pah, about 70 or 80 having been observed leaving the neighborhood of Mr. Northcroft's land. (From the same,) August 20, 1860. Sunday and Monday passed without one of the enemy showing themselves, they were doubtlessly busily employed in giving a decent funeral to the departed, and binding up the wounded—the results of the Saturday's skirmish, but the crying being over, the required number of guns fired off, and the mourners mourned to their hearts' content, on Tuesday morning, we were astonished at hearing a number of guns fired off at the Wesleyan Chapel, about 1000 yai"ds from the stockade, to let us know, I suppose, that though some had gone where even Maoris are at rest, that still there remained a few who had not arrived at that state of repose. They were shortly after observed pig hunting at a very nice range from the boundary of the block and continued so for the greater part of the morning, but as this is said to be only a post of observation, they were observed accordingly, telescopes being in great request, rifles a drug in the market. A memorial of the settlers of the Bell Block and others on the station, was this day agreed to, requesting permission of the Officer Commanding her Majesty's troops to endeavor to protect the remnant of their property from the enemy, by going in pursuit whenever they were seen on the block, which request it is to be hoped will be granted. It is greatly to be deplored that our brave soldiers and volunteers have not been led out oftener against the enemy- in their own style of fighting and on their own ground, with our superior weapons and intelligence: of the 1 result there is not the shadow of a doubt. By our inactivity the enemy is rendered bold, and ascribe to fear what is the result of indecision at head-quar--ters. The friendly natives, astonished at our* quietness, after our friends are murdered and our> property destioyed, say we are only fit for eating. and drinking—for warriors they refer us to the enemy, who, roaming from one extremity of oursettlement to the other, destroying and plundering, and keeping hemmed up in camps and stockades double their number of armed men. When are we to have our guerilla bands properly equipped, to encounter the enemy in his hiding-place and surprise him in his fancied stronghold, and driv6' from our settlement this dreaded because unseen foe, who is said to be hovering around our town, ready at any moment to pounce upon, and eat us up ? Well does the enemy know that they need apprehend no danger from us, except in the immediate vicinity of our encampments, so that they roam over our cultivated lands, drive off our cattle, and pillage our houses without encountering a foe. Yesterday some of the enemy's horses were captured, and one of the stoutest raffled to 40 subscribers at Is. each. It was the source of great amusement to the whole garrison; Collins, the bugler of the 12th, was the fortunate winner. The destiny of the animal was duly provided for, the owner of the animal intending to hire him out for rides round the camp at 2d. each, but the Fates decreed otherwise—in the morning the horse was nowhere to be found. There has not one of the enemy been aeen since Tuesday morning up to the time I write, and if our request of going in pursuit whenever they show themselves on our land be granted, their visits will be few and far between.

The following Memorial to the General has been handed to us for.publication :— v

Hua Blockhouse, August 7, 18(50. The respectful memorial of the undersigned settlers of the Bell and Hua district, and others stationed at the Plua Blockhouse, sheweth, that the Bell district is level, comparatively free from

bush, and mostly laid down in grass, and that the Hua Blockhouse occupies so commanding a situation as to overlook the whole of the surrounding country, so that the movements of the enemy may generally be observed at a considerable distance.

That the rebel natives are daily in the habit of overrunning the district, lying in ambush for the murder of settlers, and driving cattle from the farm's in the immediate vicinity of the Blockhouse, that with only one exception, no steps have been taken to rescue the cattle, or to prevent them from being driven off. ' That the undersigned respectfully ask to be allowed the privilege of endeavoring to protect the remnant of their property, with such assistan.ee as the officer in command of the Hua Fort can spare; ("Here follow 30 signatures.] The Hon. Major-General Pratt, C.8., &c, &e.y &c.

(From the Taranaki Neivs, August 9.) Early on last Friday morning, the Victoria steam-ship arrived with General Pratt, 0.8., from Melbourne, which port she left on the 26th ultimo, having performed the voyage in eight days. The General was accompanied by LieutenantColonel Carey, Deputy Adjutant General, Lieutenant Foster, R.A., A.D.C., Deputy Inspector General of Medical Department, J. Mauat, C.8., Captain Paisley, R.E,, and .50 men of the 40th Regiment. The General jyisited the camp at Waitara on Sunday; aiid on Tuesday inspected the troops at their posts in. the event upon an attack on the Town.

In the forenoon of Friday last, a messenger came in from Omata with intelligence that, on the previous day, John Hurford a farmer belonging to the district, had left the stockade to visit his clearing in the bush, and that he had not been heard of since. It afterwards transpired that he had called at the camp at Waireka, and left there accompanied by three Artillerymen. Two of these had returned, after many hours' absence, by different routes to the camp, and reported that they had encountered a party of natives while searching for pigs on Hurford's section, who had fired several vollies at them; and that, being unarmed, they took to flight and separated, and had great difficulty in finding their way back. Captain Burton, in command of the Militia at the stockade, had an interview with Major Hutchins in command of the camp at Waireka, and it was arranged to send a guard of ten men from the camp with a party of Militia in search of the missing men. In the course of the afternoon this detachment returned, bringing with them the body of the Artilleryman (Gaffney), which they had found in a gully near Hurford's house, mutilated to a frightful extent about the head and body with the tomahawk, but without any gunshot wounds. They had not been able to find the body of Hurford, although no doubt could now be entertained of his fate. On Sunday, another party went out, and after a long search, discovered it among some bushes. He appeared to have been shot in attempting to escape, and had fallen down a steep bank into the bushes. The ball had struck in the region of the heart and his death must have been immediate. There were no other marks of violence about his person. It appears probable that the body, having fallen into the bushes escaped the observation of his assailants and they thought he had escaped. The body was brought to Omata, and interred close by the Independent Chapel: that of Gaffney was brought to town, and buried on Sunday in the Catholic burial ground, Courtenaystreet. No blame attaches to any but the unfortunate victims themselves; for weeks past, notice prohibiting the garrison at the Block House going to the bushjhad been posted, and had been oftentimes disregarded before this fatal instance. We may attribute the disregard of danger to obstinacy and wilfulness or daring, but we should recollect that acquisitiveness is a virtue in men with large families on their hands, and we believe that anxiety to see, from time to time how his stock fared, had much more to do with the risks he encountered than either blindness to danger or wilful disobedience. And so we fear it will be with many unless some general and simultaneous move is made to sweep in the whole of the remaining stock in the outlying districts. If they could not be fed in the neighborhood of the town, they might be killed and salted. The Wanganui and Wellington papers contain, we observe, advertisements for tenders for supplying beef for the Commissariat at Taranaki. The supply necessary might be had here with little trouble and, properly set about without risk, and an important element of sustenance at the same time withdrawn from the enemy. This last consideration alone is sufficient, for it were certainly better to drive them into the .sea than let them fall into his hands. Until some such measures are adopted, we shall surely have frequent recurrence of these mslancholy incidents.

By the arrival of the Lord Worsley yesterday, on her way to Sydney to take on the English mail we learn that the return of the Airedale must not be looked for till after the 20th instant. Also it will not be well to forward more people to Nelson at present. We therefore presume that the departure of any further number of families will for the present rest on the return of the Victoria from Manukau. Captain Johnson reports that two pas in course of construction between the Tapuae and Tataraimaka.

The Exodus.—The Airedale returned from Nelson on Friday last, and left again for that port on Sunday, with passengers, and familes belonging to this place.to the number of 109 individuals, principally women and children. The Victoria left for Manukau on Tuesday with two or three families, and despatches for the Government, and is expected back again imme- . diately. Applications have been made to the authorities by families desirous of going to Auckland and other places in preference ■to Nelson, and there is every desire to

gratify their ■ wishes. The return- of the. Victoria will probably bring further direction and arrangements on this head, and generally regarding the deportation of the remaining families.