A—No. 8.

28

PAPERS RELATIVE TO MILITARY OPERATIONS.

Having settled this part of the question, I informed him I wanted information upon various subjects from him, which he gave without the slightest hesitation. I will now give a summary of the intelligence he gave, which was entirely in reply to questions from myself upon different matters I conceived to be of interest. In regard to Nini or Matuahu and the Ngatituwharetoa Tribe, he said they would avail themselves of an invitation to come in; that he had invited Nini to join him, when he surrendered ; but that Nini, and the tribe, expected harsh treatment and preferred retiring to Tuhua. He states, however, that the tribe have entirely separated themselves from Te Kooti, are antagonistic to him, and are assisting to bar the road to Waikato against him. From another letter which I send by this mail, you will see that I have taken measures to communicate with them. He then stated that Rewi was at Tuhua when he (Heuheu) surrendered; that there were 300 men there, of whom 170 were Ngatimaniapoto, the remainder Ngatituwharetoa, with some of Mamaku's people; that they barred the road to Wraikato against Kooti, and would attack him if he tried to pass ; that another party of eighty watched the road by Titiraupeka, their orders being to stop Hakaraia and his people from joining Kooti, and to prevent Kooti from taking the road to Hauraki, which Heuheu states is where he wants to get; he further says that the Upper Wanganuis, Topine, Wi Pakau, and Topia, have also refused to allow him to come their way, and that he is barred in, and has no way out, except along the north-west side of the lake, where Tapuaeharuru post would intercept them. I made detailed inquiries as to the roads open to him, and ascertained that the road by W ranganui River, and thence to Waitara, was the point he could most easily pass. He is believed to be hiding in that direction, and the road is only guarded by Wi Pakau, of the Ngatitaepotu hapu, who has fifty men at O-Tapu, where the track for Waitara leaves the Wanganui River. I also remember about this said Wi Pakau that he is a rank Hauhau, and has been very troublesome in the past. However, that gives you Heuheu's information on all those points. He states that when he left Kooti the force with him was a little over 100, and was composed of his own men (Chatham Islanders), Ureweras, and a few people belonging to Poverty Bay, mostly of the Aitangamahaki hapu. All the Urawera chiefs seem to be there, except Wenuanui; but Heuheu says the men who lead in everything are the Chatham Islanders, and he names Tahau (who was not killed at Tauranga), Karanama, Nepia Tokitahi, Meika, and Petara as the ringleaders of the rest. Hapurona of the Urewera is the most active. As for Te W raru and the others, he says they only want to find rest, and hang to Te Kooti only because no one will receive them. At the time Heuheu left Kooti he was living on the produce of the forest, the principal food being toi, a kind of bush cabbage-tree; he was also very short of ammunition, the practice being before an engagement to serve out what could be spared. He was very short of gun-caps, but a supply of fifteen boxes reached him shortly before the fight at Porcre. Of these boxes of caps, two were for Minie rifles, the remainder for fowling-pieces; this supply came from a settlement at Hauraki named Mataura. This may-be worth inquiring about. I gather further that Te Kooti intended to have made Taupo his head-quarters; that until his defeat he was largely supported, and, if successful, would have obtained possession of the centre of the country. Also that he had a determination, constantly expressed, to go to Poverty Bay; there reinforce himself) destroy Poverty Bay, punish any few real friendlies there, and then attack Wairoa. That includes all the information of any consequence I could get from Heuheu, and with it I will conclude my report. I have, &c, The Hon. the Defence Minister, Auckland. J. D. Ormond.

No. 39. The Hon. the Defence Minister to His Honor J. D. Ormond. Sir, — Auckland, 13th November, 1869. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the sth instant, containing the account of your proceedings with reference to the Chief Te Heuheu. I have perused your report with considerable satisfaction, and have to convey to you the thanks of the Government for the judicious and effective manner in which you have dealt with the various important matters to which your letter refers. I approve of the course you have assumed in altering the mode by which it was proposed to inquire into Te Heuheu's case, and I feel assured that your endeavours in that direction will prove satisfactory, and lead to the successful issue anticipated by the Government. The evidence given you by Te Heuheu of the intended movements and position of Te Kooti and his band, is full of interest, and containing, as it does, elements of truth and sincerity, I think it undesirable to proceed any further with the inquiry, except as a matter of form. I have, &c, His Honor J. D. Ormond, Napier. Donald McLean.