THE LATE ENGAGEMENTS IN THE PATE A DISTRICT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 112, 22 September 1868, Page 3

THE LATE ENGAGEMENTS IN THE PATE A DISTRICT.

—^ — The following letter has been handed to the Lyttelton Times for publication : — Wanganui, 10th Sept , 186 S. My Dear ,— I posted some newspapers for you last week, but delayed writing until I could give you, with some truth, an account of the fight at Ngutu-ote-inanu. The statements in the papers are all bo6h and bombast. Tlic forlifictuion, itself, and the large runanga house were not destroyed — merely some huts outage, instead of niue dead Ilau-haus being found, only one was seen; and this the Natives admit to he correct, whilst the Nati-es hirrasscd McDonnell's rear, on his return, for some miles: we then lost 6 killed and 8 wounded. Since then, (last Monday) McDonnell, in fi>rc<-, attacked another position of theirs, about one mile, to the N .W. of Ngutu-ote-m ;nu, an<l I regret to say we have sustained a must^ disastrous and really disgraceful defeat. iJPJVe lose 5 officers killed. Among these are poor Von T«mpsky and Buok also, rainier, Pilmer, Hastings, and Hunter. Kowan andU- Dr Best are both dangerously wounded. TK^e also lose 14 rank and file killed, and 24 wounded, oeaides 2 men missing— Bay killedjuJL have not sevn any dispatches, as they gfcfnown direct to Wellington, but, whatever they may state, we here now know that the plain truth is too disgraceful to be told. After the first volley, our forces, in plain K.ngliah, bolted ! It was a regular stampede, and sauve gui peut the order of the day. You will scarcely believe rae, but it is a fact, that our retreat was so hasty and ill-mannged, that all our dead officers and men were left as they fell; and even the wounded were left to be tomahawked. The 24 wounded were able to walk, and a > saved themselves ; but not one single wounded man wa§ carried on a stretcher — if he could not walk or crawl along, when wounded, he was left to his fate. '1 he men. in driblets of threes and fours, came dropping home to their redoubt at Waini at all hours, of t!ie night on Monday after sunset, and about 1 pm., M'Donnell himself, and some 30 men arrived thereT\ The enemy have not suffered at all, it isgeHerally believed, indeed how should they ? The whole force in thoroughly dispirited and disorganised, whilst the liau-hauß are elated (and justly so) at their ensy victory, and the possession of the bodies of their fallen foes. This trophy was never allowed them before in such a wholesale way. Some men in town, on. furlough, this day refused t> return to Waihi, when

Gorton ordered them, and quietly went on board the ltangatira at midday, to proceed to Auckland. Most of the new levies have engaged to servefor three mouths; at the expiration of the term they will, to a man, refuse to serve any longer. An old Indian Artillery soldier, and a good settlerhere, about three weeks sincecametomy house, and requested me to keep his medals and discharge papers for him, and also giving me his two vouchers authorieinghim to receive some Delhi prize money. Having arranged this, I said to him, " How is it you are down here, and why are you not up *t Waihi ? " when he said, •• Well, Sir," '■ you got me a btrth thare in the Colonial forces as a good soldier, and I come to tell you that I had left them, and without leauj." He then said that he could not and would not serve under the officers, or with the men, up at the front. The officers, with one or two exceptions, were utterly ignorant of all military duty, and that the men were under no discipline whatever, knew not how to use their arms, and that the common subject of conversation in their tents «very night was, how they should hook it or skulk if ever they got under fire, and he addled, you will see, Sir, my words will corao true, the first ;time they see a man shot three fourths of them will bolt ; he also sailed for Auckland. Now, this man is no coward, but an unobtrusive and rather intelligent man, and as little likely to run away from danger as any man I ever met in my life. It is a sad sad business altogether, and a reverse that we shall not soon or easily recover from. I shall post you some more newspapers as they come out, but you will find what I state is correct. Everyone that is able is leaving here f;r the Auckland diggings. Dulness is but a poor word to express the thorough prostration of trade and genernlimpecuniosity. Provinci.il Government salaries are even unpaid for two months to police, boatmen^ and pilot.