A.—No. 8

10

PAPERS RELATIVE TO MILITARY OPERATIONS

Summary. Killed. Wounded. Missing. Officers ... ... ... ... ... 1 0 0 Non-commissioned Officers and Men ... ... 8 19f 8 Total ... ... ... 9 19 8 No. 5. Copy of a Letter from Colonel TViiitmoue to the Hon. Colonel Haulta:tn. Sib, — TVanganui, 17th November, 18G8. Herewith I have the honor to forward to you a list of the casualties which occurred in the late action at Moturoa. They are slightly in excess of what I formerly, and before I had had time to receive detailed reports, informed you to be the number. I also append the explanations given me by the officers who had led me to believe, when I drew the troops from the bush, that all our men had been brought oif. I have been unable to obtain the explanation of Captain Grilling as he is at Patea, and I am unable to state whether he has since been able to inform himself by inquiry on this subject. I have endeavoured to ascertain the fate of these missing men, without satisfactory result. But three are now positively stated to have been killed. One of these was a wounded man, who, while being carried to the rear, was shot through the head by the enemy, and the same volley having badly wounded one of the bearers, the stretcher party left the dead, and brought off the wounded man. One other man is supposed to have absconded previous to the engagement, on grounds of some probability. Two others, it appears, are known to have been killed. If the rest were, as is possible, lost in the bush, having wandered away from their comrades, the fact of the removal of the enemy, consequent, probably on that of the troops, and the proximity of the TVairoa redoubt, which is very conspicuous, together with the circumstance that so many dray roads lead in that direction, afford hope that some of the missing may yet return. One unwounded man, owing to these circumstances has returned, and as the men had rations with them, there are still hopes as I have not moved lately in that direction, and their road is clear that others may have escaped. I have, &c, The Hon. Colonel Haultain. Gr. S. Whitmoee, Colonel.

Casualty Eetuen of the Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Colonial Poeces at the Action, of the 7th November, 1868, at Moturoa. Killed. Inspector Hunter ... Armed Constabulary ... No. 3 Division. Constable J. Path ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ C. Lees ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ G-. Satler ... Ditto ... Ditto. Private S. Brewer ... Patea Rifles ... Ditto. Wounded. Constable J. Lynder ... Armed Constabulary ... No. 1 Division. Kepa ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ Cecil Foote ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ J. McDowell ... Ditto ... Ditto. Jas. Kelly ... Ditto ... Ditto. TV. Keane ... Ditto ... Ditto. TV. Vance ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ Gr. Cole ... Ditto ... No. 6 Division. „ D. Dolan ... • Ditto ... Ditto. C. Eastwood ... Ditto ... Ditto. a. B. Monk ... Ditto ... Ditto. C. M. G-. Thompson Ditto ... Ditto. A. TVelsley ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ J. Williams ... Ditto ... Ditto. J. Cooksley ... Ditto ... Ditto. Anita ... ... Maori Kupapa. (Since dead.) Four others —names unknown to me. (Since dead.) Missing. Constable Norman ... Armed Constabulary ... Xo. 2 Division. ~ Jos. Savage ... Ditto ... Ditto. „ Nogus ... Ditto ... No. 3 Division. „ TVm. Nicholls ... Ditto ... Ditto. Killed. D. Urquhart ... Ditto ... Ditto. Killed. Sergeant Kirwan ... Ditto ... No. 6 Division. Constable ~R. Thompson ... Ditto ... Ditto. T. Poole ... Ditto ... Ditto. Private J. Devon ... Patea T. Cavalry Corporal Stockfish ... Patea Eifles „ Kenally ... Ditto Killed, 5 ; Wounded, 20; Missing, 11 —of whom 3 are now found to have been killed, and 1 is believed to have absconded before the action commenced. Casualties, 30. t Including slight wounds.