LATEST FROM THE FRONT

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 409, 21 November 1868, Page 6

LATEST FROM THE FRONT

ATTACK ON THE WEREROA REDOUBT. FIVE HOURS' FIGHTING-. THE ENEMT REPULSED. THE REDOUBT ABANDONED TITOKO WARU'S ADVANCE ON WANG-ANUI.

By the steamer Wanganui there was only one copy of the Wanganu" journals received, and that copy onl\ ! reached our hands yesterday. From it we learn that the Wereroa redoubt, which had been held for a fortnight by about forty of the first class Militia, had bep.n attacked on Wednesday last, under the following circumstances:— Captain Wilmot Powell hid his men, or rather boys, out at drill in front of the redoubt, when a volley was fired at them by the Hau-haus from the opposite side of a gully, but without any mischief. They immediately re-' tired into the redoubt, pulled up the drawbridge, and stood every man to his post. The Hau-haus crossed the gully, and ascended the slope leading to the redoubt, firing and cheering each other on to the attack. Our boys returned the fire, and in a spirited manner kept it up from half-past four till half-past nine at night. Two Hauhaus were shot dead, and dragged into the bush by their comrades. The number killed and wounded could not be ascertained., but in the morning pools of blood were discovered in several places where the Kau-haus fought. There were no casualties on our side, but many narrow escapes. The f ring was noj; heard at Colonel Whitmore's camp although the sentries wei'e on the qui vice, but the armed constabulary who came from Auckland by the s. s. Rangatira, arrived at Colonel Whitmcre's -camp at 9 p.m., and reported that whilst on the march,they heard firingin the direction of the redoubt. Two natives from Pakaraka also came into camp and reported that on the previous evening they had heard firing in the direction of tie Wareroa redoubt. Colonel Whitinore immediately got his men under arms, and with 300 marched to the relief of the Wereroa, but on arriving there ho found that the Wanganui boys had done their work, and driven their assailants off. The redoubt is once more to be abandoned, and will in all probability be occupied by the enemy. The reason is unknown, but Col. Whitmore brought away the garrison, dismantled the place, and it is now deserted. On Thursday last authentic intelligence reached Wanganui of Titoko Warn having advanced and taken up a position on the Pakaraka block • about sixteen miles from Wanganui. Later in the evening it was reported in town that his advance post had been pushed forward towards Eai Iwi. All the Kai Iwi settlers abandoned their homes and came in. The settlers up the river bank came in on Friday, and there are but lew houses now inhabited more than two or three miles from Wanganui. Wi Tikorangi and another Kai Waike chief came into town and reported to Captain Noake -that Titoko Waru's men were at a ;part of Pakaraka close on the edge of the 'bush, and their plan was to come down that way to a place called Strafford flat on this side of the Wanganui river, and opposite Kai Waike. In a postscript, written at six o'clock on Saturday morning, the Wanganui Times says: —About three hours ago, the town was alarmed by the intelligence that Titoko Waru's force had advanced to within three miles of the town, on the Brunswick line. This has been discovered to be -a false alarm, but every man in the town is armed and ready for action.