OPERATIONS AGAINST REBEL NATIVES.

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A.—No. 3p.

No. 3. Copy of a Letter from Major Brown to His Honor 11. E. Eichmoxd. Sib,— Militia Office, New Plymouth, 26th March, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge your memorandum of this date against the projected expedition on the mountain track. I assume your memorandum to be intended as a withdrawal of your approval given to my memorandum of this morning. If so 1 find myself in this position, that I have taken action, on the joint approval of yourself and Mr. Commissioner Parris of what I proposed to do, to carry out the wishes of Colonel Whitmore, to effect if possible a very important and desirable object, that may be lost by the delay that you propose. Under these circumstances I do not feel justified in delaying the expedition, unless the approval given by your Honor and Mr. Commissioner Parris jointly is jointly withdrawn. I have, &c., C. Brown, Major, His Honor the Superintendent, New Plymouth. Commanding T.M. and V.

No. 4. Copy of a Letter from His Honor H. E. Eichmond to Major Brown. Sib,— New Plymouth, 26th March, 18G9. I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of this date referring to my memorandum just forwarded to you, and beg to state that it was intended, as you suppose, as a withdrawal of my previous approval of your memorandum of this morning, in consequence of information of probable danger to the settlement, of which I was not then aware. I have forwarded your letter to Mr. Parris in order that he may take such action as he thinks proper in the matter. I have, &c, 11. E. Kiciimoxd, Superintendent. I concur with His Honor the Superintendent in the opinion conveyed in his memorandum to Major Brown, and beg to withdraw the approval referred to by Major Brown, for the reason explained in this note of His Honor the Superintendent. Major Brown, Commanding Militia and Volunteers, E. Parris, New Plymouth. Civil Commissioner.

No. 5. Copy of a Letter from Colonel "Whitmobe to Major Browx. Sib,— Keteonetea, 26th March, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge your letter, by Colonel Gorton, and to thank you for it. I am deeply grieved to say that after carrying out laborious and difficult operations, without rest since the 13th of the month, in the heart of the forest, we at length, as we believed, overtook Titokowaru at To Ngaere. We had many physical difficultities to overcome; but we bridged the swamp and landed on the island on the night of the 24th and morning of the 25th, about a mile from the settlement, without losing a man or betraying our presence. At daylight, or about an hour before it, we moved up to the village, which we knew to be full of people, who were apparently preparing a pa. "We succeeded in surprising the place and could easily have shot the people, when they, or rather some of them ran out, shouting " Haere mai," and answering for every one of the people 1 saw making off —as they pretended, from fear. It took some time for me to find out that ten of Titokowaru's "Te hau nia rua " had been among these people, and to form an opinion, almost amounting to a certainty, that many others had belonged to his band. I then attempted to overtake the fugitives with the Arawas, who were more likely to carry out this service than the Wanganuis, who evidently sympathised with Ahitana, some of whose people were said to be among those who fled. However, the Arawas, ignorant of the locality, lost the scent and gave up 1 lie chase, so that all these people escaped aflcr being in my power. Although I deeply regret having thus lost the party of the rebels evidently there, I am not sorry I did not violate the neutrality which has been allowed to Ahitana, as I feel sure that a single man lost to him would have served as a cause for the outbreak of all those tribes in your district which, like Ahitanas, have not broken the peace. At all events, we have shown that no stronghold can save them from us. and we have ascertained that if Titokowaru is retreating in your direction he is going by small parties to Ngatimaru. The fugitives were pursued to a point called Orapoera, on the lino of General Chute's march. They are said to be congregating at Te Ngutu-o-te-Marm, where Titokowaru gives out he means to die on his own land. But this may be untrue, and used to cover a visit to Waitara or Ngatimaru. I have returned to Keteonetea, finding nothing to pursue towards Te Ngaere, and I take this opportunity to acquaint you that you may countermand any expedition to co-operate with me in that direction, which my knowledge of the enterprise and pluck of your settlers makes me feel sure will have been set on foot after the receipt of my suggestion of two days ago. Please show this letter to Mr. Parris and take his advice. I fear that if even Titokowaru has retreated to Ngatimaru you would be thwarted, as I have been, and the country 1 learn is difficult; possibly the civil arm might more easily capture these men, if they be in small numbers in the district, than the military arm has proved here. I shall not move towards "Waitara under present circumstances, and shall certainly first explore Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu and its vicinity. These people ran away exceedingly fast. Half an hour's si art can never be regsired completely, and the women and children go as fast as the men. I"ew precautions, however, are now necessary, aud they may be safely rushed anywhere. Believe me, &c, Major Brown, Commanding Taranaki. Gr. S. Whitmobe, Colonel. 2