A.—No. 1b

had advanced to within ten miles from its suburbs, and an attack was expected almost every night, followed, perhaps, by massacres of women and children like that which had then recently been perpetrated by Te Kooti at Poverty Bay. News, however, reached me that Te Kooti was near the lake of Taupo, where he had been joined by the influential chief Tc Heu Heu ; and that he was threatening a fresh raid from his present central position, whence he could come down the River Wanganui in war canoes, as the rebels came before the battle of Moutoa in 1864. The gallant chief Te Kepa (Major Kemp) at once consented again to take the field, and to march, against Te Kooti. with a strong division of his clan. It will be seen from my Despatch No. 140, by this mail, that he afterwards joined Colonel McDonnell, who had set out from Napier at the head of a combined force of Europeans and loyal Natives from the East Coast; and that Te Kooti has already been defeated with heavy loss in two severe actions. 3. Annexed is a copy of the Address presented to me by Te Kepa and the other chiefs of the Wanganuis. It will repay an attentive perusal, as showing their views with regard to the present posture of affairs. It will be seen that I again visited them at Putiki, their settlement on the opposite side of the river from the town of Wanganui, and harangued them in praise of their loyalty to the Crown, of which they have given so many proofs. I also inspected, accompanied by Mr. Eox, the houses at Putiki where the wives and children (about one hundred and fifty in number) of the rebels in confinement at Wellington are fed and clothed at the expense of the Colonial Government. They seemed to be in good health, and made no complaints of any kind. 4. Erom Wanganui we rode overland to Patea, escorted by a dozen troopers of the local Volunteer Cavalry. In disturbed districts, it is considered the safest course to form only a small party of horsemen, and to ride fast, so that the Maoris may have no time to lay their deadly ambuscades. However, on our entire journey we saw only three Natives, upon whom we came suddenly at the corner of a wood. One of them was identified as a member of Titokowaru's bands and an escaped prisoner; so he was sent back to confinement. 5. The country between the Rivers Wanganui and Patea, forming part of the Province of Wellington, and also the entire Province of Taranaki, has been described as the " cockpit" of New Zealand, like Belgium of Europe. Eor more than nine years past there has been almost constant fighting in some part of these districts, between, on the one hand, the Imperial and Colonial forces, successively under General Pratt, General Cameron, General Chute, and Colonel Whitmore, and, on the other hand, portions of the Maori clans of the Ngatimanuis, Ngaranuis, Taranakis, and Ngatiawas, under Wiremu Kingi te Rangitaki (the well-known " William King," of Waitara), Hone Pihama, and other leaders, and latterly under Titokowaru. There is hardly a league throughout the whole extent of this country without its tale of some desperate skirmish, bloody ambuscade, or fierce assault and defence of a native pa or of an English redoubt. We visited all the more remarkable scenes in the recent annals of the Colony. In particular, I may mention that we rode over the flat open land at Nukumaru, where, on the afternoon of the 25th January, 1865, General Cameron's camp was attacked by six hundred Maoris under Hone Pihama, who is stated to have forced his way, before he was repulsed, to within one hundred and fifty yards of the General's tent. On the rising ground two miles further, we visited the pa at Tauranga-ika, fortified by Titokowaru with vast labour and great engineering skill, but which he evacuated in last Eebruary, fearing to have his supplies cut off, when he had been nearly invested by Colonel Whitmore. The first night after leaving Wanganui we bivouacked at the famous Wereroa Pa, which occupies a very important strategetical position, and concerning which there was so much correspondence (since published in the Parliamentary Papers) between Sir George Grey and General Cameron. This post, as also posts at Wairoa, at Patea, and at Manawapou, are now held by strong detachments of the Colonial Militia and Volunteers. 6. On my arrival at the township of Carlyle, at the mouth of the River Patea (where a small body of settlers have maintained themselves with much courage and perseverance throughout the war), I was presented with an Address, of which, and of my reply to it, I annex a copy.

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DESPATCHES EROM THE SECRETARY OE STATE