ZEALAND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

27

A.—No. 1

Enclosure in No. 19. Copt of a Despatch from Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron, to the Eight Hon. the Secretary or State for AVar, with Sir George Gret's remarks thereon. Sib D. Cameeon. Sib George Grex. On board P. and O. Steamer " Yeddo," 4th September, 1865. My Lord, —I have the honor to forward to your Lordship a copy of a letter, and its enclosure,* which I received before I left New Zealand, from Brigadier-General AVaddy, commanding at AVanganui, reporting the evacuation of the Weraroa Pa by the rebels on the 21st July ' last. 2. A Despatch from Sir George Grey to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, reporting the operation which led to the evacuation of the pa, and a Speech made by His Excellency at the opening of the General Assembly, on the 26th July, were published before I left the Colony, and will reach Her Majesty's Government by this mail. 3. I beg to draw your Lordship's attention to them, and to the following remarks which I have to-make in answer to the complaints which they contain— 4. Ist, Of the delay in attacking the Weraroa Brigadier-General AVaddy, in his letter of the Pa ; and 2nd, of orders stated to have been issued 19th of July, 1865, stated, that from the instrucby me to Brigadier-General Waddy, Lieut.- tions under which he was acting from Lieut.Colonel Trevor, and the officers and men under General Cameron, he could only direct an their command, precluding them from taking any immediate attack on the Weraroa Pa when active part in the operations against the pa. Lieut.-General Cameron directed that such an attack should be made, and that he could not undertake this operation against the pa unless he received the orders of the Lieut.-General Commanding the Forces to do so. 5. I would begin by observing that the most The enclosed extract from Despatch No. 82, of ssrious delay which has occurred was caused by the 6th of July, 1865, will show that such was the postponement of hostilities until January, by not the case. (See Appendix A.) which three or four of the most favorable months for operations in the field were lost; and for that delay Sir George Grey alone is responsible. 6. In my Despatch to your Lordship of Feb- This Despatch of the 4th February last was ruary last, I explained to your Lordship my never communicated to me. I had no idea of reasons for moving the column under Brigadier- what were the objects contemplated by moving General Waddy's immediate command to the the column under General Waddy to the Patea. Patea without attp.cking the AYeraron Pa; and in The maintaining the objects of this movprnPTit a my Despatch of the following month I acquainted secret from the Governor of the country, who had your Lordship with the instructions I had received so largely to aid in the operations, shows the from Sir George Grey to occupy the coast between system which was pursued. Taranaki and Wanganui. 7. Of these instructions, which defeated the General Cameron never stated the objects for object for which I moved General Waddy's which he had moved General AVaddy's column to column to the Patea, and which for a long time the Patea, and never stated that any instructions prevented any operations being undertaken which. I had given had defeated those objects. Ido not bad the capture of the Weraroa Pa for their think any instructions I gave could have done so. object, Sir George Grey makes no mention in his They are contained in my letters of the 13th of Speech. They were given, I presume, with the March and 22nd of March, which are enclosed, concurrence, if not by the advice of the Colonial (See Appendix B.) Ministers, who, as well as Sir George Grey, were This quite mis-states the instructions I issued aware of my objections to the occupation of so with the knowledge and assent of my Eesponsible large a tract of country by Her Majesty's troops. Advisers. It will bo seen above that all General Cameron was asked to do, was, —that as he could not attack the Weraroa Pa, as it was so formidable a work " He should continue his advance as far as the means at his disposal would admit." The extent of the tract of country was thus left entirely to his own discretion. 8. A chain of posts having, in pursuance of these instructions, been established, which I was requested to occupy during the winter, Sir George Grey proposed to me in the month of May that operations should be commenced against * General Waddy to Assistant Military Secretary, 25th July. Governor to General Waddy, 23rd July. 7