Porirua,
4th August, 1846.

SIR, After frequent consultations with your
Excellency since your arrival from Auckland
relative to the movements of the Force under
my command, particularly after the receipt of
intelligence by the Government that a number
of disaffected natives had left Wanganui, and
were moving down the coast with a view of
forming a junction with Rangihaeata, and the
rebels at his pa of Pauhatanui, in the northern
branch of the Porirua river; and that this
movement was being made with the sanction
and connivance of Te Rauparaha, and some dis-
affected chiefs of the Ngatitoa tribe residing in
the immediate neighbourhood of our position,
it was determined that an effort should be made
to destroy this party, or to induce the friendly
natives on the coast to prevent their progress:
also, that an attempt should be made to arrest
Te Rauparaha, and the disaffected chiefs with
him, in the event of obtaining further evidence
against them; and, should these movements be
attended with success, it would enable us to
make an attack upon Rangihaeata and his fol-
lowers, without the apprehension of Te Rau-
paraha, or any evil disposed Ngatitoas aiding
him; and then, the pa at Pauhatanni could be
regularly invested, and the rebels destroyed.

To effect these objects, a combined naval and
military force was embarked on board Her
Majesty's Steamer Driver, under my command.
We found it, however, impracticable to attack
the Wanganui natives as they proceeded down
the coast, as gales of wind and excessive bad
weather prevented the landing of the troops:
but the rebels were precluded making a further
progress than Ohau, as the friendly natives op-
posed them.

The next movement, I am happy to inform
your Excellency, was completely successful, as,
on the morning of the 1st ult., a disem-
barkation before daylight, in boats of the Her Ma-
jesty's Steamer Driver, with 1 officer and 30
men of the 58th Regt., 3 officers and 70 men
of the 99th Regt., 4 officers and 30 men of
Her Majesty's Ship Calliope, accompanied by
Captain Stanley, together with the Inspector
(Capt. Durie of the Militia), and some
Armed Police, surrounded the pa, and ac-
complished our object without any collision,
from the admirable steadiness of the whole
party, bringing with us Te Rauparaha, Kanae,
Horpu, and some others, who are now prisoners
on board Her Majesty's Ship Calliope, as well
as disarmed the disaffected part of the tribe.

Annexed is a list of the arms and ammuni-
tion taken at the time.

Nothing now remained but to attack Rangi-
haeata and the rebels in the pa at Pauhatanui;
for this object, after leaving 100 men to rein-
force the camp at Farmuniteta Point, the Driver
returned to Wellington, in order that the portion
of the Calliope's crew which had embarked in
the Driver might return on board, and that both
ships, with the detachment of the 65th Regt.,
just arrived from Sydney, might return to Po-
rirua.

(2)

On the 29th ult., your Excellency received
intelligence, which you did me the honor to
communicate, that Rangihaeata, alarmed at the
movements that were going on, had evacuated
his pa, and fled; but where was uncertain: it
was, however, supposed that himself and a few
of his followers were remaining in the vicinity
of his former position.

Apprehensions being entertained that the
greater number of Rangihaeata's followers might
have returned to the hills in the neighbourhood
of the Hutt, it was considered unsafe to detach,
for any length of time, a large body of troops
from Wellington, until the country between the
Hutt district and Porirua harbour had been
thoroughly reconnoitred. To accomplish this,
a mixed force of Militia, Armed Police, and
Friendly Natives, were therefore ordered to
move from the Hutt in the direction of Pauha-
tanni, sweeping the country as they went along,
and either investing or taking possession of the
pa on their arrival, as opportunity offered. A
simultaneous movement was directed to be made
by the troops under my command, which, I re-
gret to say, was defeated, from Her Majesty's
Ship Calliope being delayed from stress of wea-
ther; but on our arrival, on the 1st inst., we
found the movement of the force from the Hutt
had been successful, having found the pa eva-
cuated, with the exception of some chiefs, one
of which (an influential chief) they captured,
and another chief was captured in the course of
the same evening by the friendly natives.

On the 2nd inst., I proceeded to the pa at
daylight, in boats supplied by Captain Stanley
of Her Majesty's Ship Calliope, with Major
Arney 58th, 7 officers and 160 men of the
58th, 65th, and 99th Regts., which, on reaching,
I found occupied by the Militia, Armed Police,
and Native Allies.

On examining the pa, I found it to be built on
a very strong position, having a double row of
timber palisades, with trenches and traverses
across, about 80 paces long, and 35 broad, in
the shape of a parallelogram, with flanking de-
fences.

There was also a bank of earth thrown up on
the scarp-side of the trenches, which, owing to
the heavy rain, were full of water. The posi-
tion altogether is a very strong one, and would
have been almost impregnable without artillery;
but a hill about 500 yards distant opposite the
front face commanded it completely. There-
fore, had the enemy remained, we might soon
have dislodged them with our guns, which were
in readiness at Porirua, in command of Captain
Henderson, R. A.

The pa stands on a very high ground fronting
the harbour; at the foot of it runs a deep nar-
row creek fordable at low water, the ground
about it being excessively swampy, which the troops
had to pass over. On the side the pa stands
rises a very steep bank, which, even without op-
position, the men had difficulty in mounting.
And on the proper left of the position is a very
deep ravine, the side of which is thickly wooded.
The right face is also thickly wooded, and the
ground gradually slopes away into the valley.