OPERATIONS BEFORENGATAPA.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 511, 21 January 1869, Page 2

OPERATIONS BEFORENGATAPA.

The following* interesting particulars are given by-the Poverty Bay correspondent of the Hawke's Bay ,'iHerald : ; — -.^ \, . , ... _ , _ A . ,-.^.' M Sunday Janii^ry'"3. v 2 p.m.—Got some dinner, and walked from^thei-crow's hest'up^to carnp^- which'may he a hundred yards from JN Tg-atapa.? .The/g-rtfiirid'is clear from camp to the pah. After deliveringl, .my,.,.despatch,,,l, ■■visited ,our. trenches, which are within twenty yards of, the. enemy's ,lower tru^. Here I saw 'Major 'Wes'trup," Mr Johnston, ? and,;.o^her Poverty Bay survivors'.' gruafdin'g' :the'trenches atid working 5, :at the .right Tsap. Major v"P restrup kindly explained the nature of the different- ; works. -,■■ I was 'told that he and other officers and gentlemen •take.'theirr regular^lui'nsyv,ith the_ pick and shovel. Our peohad 'passed -'three' nights in the' rt'ren-; ches, whj.ch.,.,were : knee-deepf.. f %Yith. mud and water, in some places, after the late heavy'rains.' 'I was informedthat thejjsnemy-'. Jiad ;made seven •charges during- yesterday and last night, -lint '"were beaten back: with ; heavy- ioss^.-Qne^charge w,as made ; upon Major Fraser, who occupies a post of honor ;ahd greatest danger,5 by thirty men. In repelling, this1 charge, Fraser's men killed twelve of the thirty ; two...broke through ,our men and escaped; the remainder. fled T back inlo JN Tgatapa. ,• Fraser and' his men are partly stationed upon 'a ledge of rbck; berieatb?*a)^pre-; cipice, which is the.rear-of iSg-atapa.' VVhenever a shell falls iDto INgatapa from the front, the _en_emy rush to t'he| rear to escape its effect. At; such, ..times , they_.. are shot down by Fiaser and his'then who, from their ledge, have to fire straight upwards. "~ A supplejack ladders . hung*- over, the'precipice, by which the enemy meant, to escape if • harjdly pushed ; but Major, Westrup has; cut away'their,ladder, and they rhavje no ' mean's of constructing'1 another, they have however, become so desperate that two men, having first stripped themselves, threw themselves from the summit of Ngatapa, preferring;; to being-taken alive. More were preparingl to follow, but Major Fraser, by firing at them, stopped their game.' Four men, one woman, and; a .child."cairie down to g-e't water, not knowing1 that their supply was cut off; -the--men were killed but the woman and child were spare.d. ' Last'high!?, four- more attempted to escape. They were taken and immediately shot. Three of Frazer's men and three Arawas killed and some of Fraser's ■ wounded. One of the Arawas: 'killed is a very great Maketu chief, Hakareta by name. His bod} r has been embalmed by Dr. Gilibs, and will be carried to Maketu. for interment amongst,those of; other chiefs of his race. Captain Brown was killed yesterdaj:. His body was forwarded,.to, r Turangani toj-day. 'It may be some consolationfto his friends to learn; r that Captain Brown is universally lamented by his men, who say they'"have lost their best officer, .and whose, kind, treatment of his men is spoken of with affectionate" > regret.' .-One!of Fraser's, men, -in warding, of a,--, tomahawk blow, missed his' foothold, d,hd fell' over >a ;preci])ice,..:hut-, is! not.,much, hurt. Another man ran out of the trenches and caught-a-Hauhau and killed him. Sub-Inspector Capel, ■who !is ■•' decorated'- for • China/ was wotinded yesterday. I -ami happy to say' a very body appears delighted at having trapped Te.Kooti, and although-bur people have undergone great hardship, not'a murmur 15 heard' ->-;'! ..;■•' .-)