The late Volunteer Review and Sham Fight.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3042, 14 November 1878, Page 1

The late Volunteer Review and Sham Fight.

(FBOM A COBBE8PONDB1CT).

Te Aboha, Nov. 12,8 a.m.

! Sib,—l hare much pleasure in sending you a photographed letter I received last night from* a friend of mine in the Royal Hauraki Engineers, which I was reading to some neighbors when a gentleman present said, he was your special correspondent and begged of me to allow him to send it to town by your pigeon, which I willingly agreed to, hoping it will be in time for your summary so as to let the Brittish nation know that we are not afraid of Russians, Turks, or anyone else.—Yours in haste,

Lativia C.

P.S.—I have oat oat the beginning and ending, being private. P.P.S.—The K.H.E. are going to start electric balloons soon, so we sha'n't want pigeons.. *

My clear Vinny,—There ha> been a tremenjous battle here to-day in honor of the Prince of Wales. Our company got orders from Wellington to fortify the Thames in case of invasion. You know by the caleygrams that war is considered inevitable, and the British Government sent word to the Marquis that the Russians would be sure to come to the Thames for the sake of the enormous amount of gold'here; so we started at daybreak, and selected Tararu as the best place to throw up works for protection. We dug a " trench and parrapet" the paper called it a cemicircle, bat our officers called it a "scientific" name, meaning something between a line, an angle* and a curve. Our rear ..was secured by a " perpindifcfer cliff," and communication with- the " bass " of operations (Gddkin's) and the town in general was kept open by, a sloping hill, the place was undermined and the fusees coiled on sticks like the pictures of Moses' serpent stuck up so as to frighten the enemy. We were to be Attacked by the grand army of the Thames, namely, the Sailors, Scottys, Bangers and Maoris^ J and they sent to Auckland for their Engi-? neers to help them. But the Auckland regiment wasn't allowed to bring their ladders, axei, spades and other scientific implements because they had to land on Sunday morning and go to ohuroh.? The attacking. army wfca' to hare all come . by sea, but the Tararu wharf being broken they couldn't manage it, so they spread themselves in an'enormous line on the beach, and opened fire on tts with the sailors' big guns; but the: shot .all fell short, and they were afraid to come nearer because of the torpedos and invisihle " shovel-defreeze " we had planted about. Well, we hoisted our flag' and began peppering away at them. I should have told you that some of our officers bad been told off some weeks before to lecture the recruits oh the art of " fortyfication " with the blackboard, and so, as we hadn't time to build the "esplinade, glazes, scarfs, connterskarfs," &c, &c., we stuck up flags to show where they were. Then the whole army advanced in the new order of attack, and thought to make short work of us, but we didn't even troubles to hide behind our earthwork, but lay on the top and gave it; them hot. Our officers wanted- to give them a ohanoe and so supplied, us all with blank cartridge, which made them very bold and they brought their flags right up to the, " glazes" and then we were obliged, to pelt them with loose earth, which so frigh-, tened them that they ran for their lives; we wanted to make a sorty, but were not allowed as our' General (that was the doctor who was promoted for the occasion, and borrowed a fine grey charger to ride on) said it would be a pity to "nilate" such an immense army, and we might want them some. day to dp fateeg and piket for us, so when ,they had fairly got away and given it up as a bad job, our general eurragously galloped across the " shampain " {i.e., the racecourse) to the enemy fl general, to offer him forgiveness; General Moray gladly accepted the offer, and invited us to his camp to fraternize. Of course we, went, and helped "them fire the "ferdishwee," and afterwards joined in their review, as ire would not like them'to think they could do anything that we could not. We left the fort in charge of a sarjint, with orders to blow it up; but as soon as he lit the fusees the chief policeman came up and said he must see if it was done properly, because he had been obliged to take up boys for firing crackers in the streets; but this was only an excuse, for tie, slyly pulled the fuses and disconnected the train so as to prevent the explosion. He had. been' put up to this by the Magistrate whose palace is close by, and he was afraid of a big glazier's bill. I must not omit to tell you about our band: their whitefaced uniforms had been " swept" dean for the occasion—as they always are—and they remained on the field of battle ail day, and had the honor of playing the National Anthem at the salute; the ofher three bands were in the gardens having been politely invited by the enterprising proprietor, and it required the united efforts of them all to play " God Bless the Prince of Wales." When all the danger was over the Conimander>in*Chief sent the big bare-legged Scotty with die long stick to fetch them down into the field, and then we all joined in an " alfrisky " lunch, which means sandwiches and ale, on the grass. Oh! I wish you had been there to see us eat. ■ I heard a meanspirited civilian say, as be passed, " the lions were being fed ; " perhaps he would gladly have shared with them. The difference between our men and the corn* mon volunteers is that we are all " ejucated," and have trades, and professions, and any of us can knock out a bull's-eye at a dead oert&inty at

1500 yardsf because we have been raised in;a " nursery for cracked phots," which ene of our officers has painted most beautifully at his own expense. There were thousands of people out to see our "corpse" defend the city against such fearful odds, including all the youth and beauty of the place (but of course I did not look at them). Our uniforms got j very dirty,, but we were in undress. When you see me in my splendid Imperial scarlet you .will be proud of me. The Scottys had their new helmets. Some of our men who were in the Crimea say they were taken from the Russians at Sevastopol, and sinoe kept in Bay and Martin's blacking, and then reblocked, and the spikes polished up afresh, but I don't believe it. The Auckland Engineers are a fine lot of fellows, and have a splendid band, but the Thames men say that they can't march to it because all the instruments " play in tune." I'm too tired to write any more now.— Yours, &c, Hector Tameman, E.H.E.