474

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

issued under the Seal of the
Colony of New Zealand, this
twenty-ninth day of October, in
the year of our Lord one thou-
sand eight hundred and sixty-
three.
G. GREY.

By His Excellency's Command,
ALFRED DOMETT.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Auckland, 29th Oct., 1863.

HIS Excellency the Governor directs the
publication of the following Despatch
with its enclosure, from Lieutenant-General
Cameron, C.B.

ALFRED DOMETT.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL CAMERON TO THE
GOVERNOR.

Head Quarters, Queen's Redoubt,
October 28th, 1863.

SIR,—I have the honour to acquaint your
Excellency that on the afternoon of the 23rd
instant, I received information from Lieut.-
Colonel Chapman, commanding at Drury,
that Lieutenant Lusk, commanding the out-
posts at Mauku, had reported to him that a
large body of the enemy had approached
within a mile of Mauku church, and that he
had left the stockade with part of his detach-
ment to endeavour to ascertain their strength.
Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman stated that he
had sent a reinforcement of 80 men, under
Captain St. John, Waikato Militia, to Lieut.
Lusk's support.

At about 10 o'clock that night, I received
further intelligence that Lieut. Lusk had in-
cautiously engaged the enemy with his small
force previous to the arrival of Captain St.
John's reinforcement, and being greatly out-
numbered and attacked on both flanks, had
been compelled to retire with loss.

I immediately ordered Lieut.-Colonel
Chapman to despatch a reinforcement of
200 men, 18th and 70th Regiments, under
Major Ryan, to Mauku, with orders to
attack the natives and drive them from the
bush, and requested him to call upon Lieut.-
Colonel Nixon to co-operate with part of
the Colonial Defence Corps from Papakura,
at Selby's, to move as rapidly as possible by
Tuakau and Cameron to Pura Pura, with the
view of intercepting the enemy, who were
likely to attempt to recross the river at that
point.

Lieutenant-Colonel Nixon and Major
Ryan arrived at Mauku early on the morn-
ing of the 24th, and found that the natives
had decamped from the neighbourhood.
Captain Rutherford pushed on to Pura Pura
as expeditiously as the difficulty of marching

through the bush at night would allow, but
was too late to cut off the enemy's retreat.
I herewith enclose Lieutenant Lusk's
report of the engagement. The force which
this officer had at his disposal was too small
to attack so large a body of natives, advan-
tageously posted in the bush, with any pro-
spect of success, but the gallantry which
Lieutenant Lusk, and the detachment under
his command displayed in extricating them-
selves from a very critical position, is deserv-
ing of the greatest praise. The conduct of
the officers and men of the Mauku Volun-
teers, and Waikato Militia, on this trying
occasion was admirable.

I regret to say that two officers, Lieut.
Perceval and Lieut. Norman, both of whom
greatly distinguished themselves, and six
men, were killed, and one man dangerously
wounded.

I have, &c.,
D. A. CAMERON,
Lieut.-General.

Governor Sir George Grey,
К.В.С.

Lieut. Lusk to Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman.

Mauku Stockade,
24th October, 1863.

SIR,—I have the honor to report that I
started yesterday morning, with a force as
per margin,* to attack a body of the enemy
who were shooting cattle on Mr. Wheeler's
farm at the Ti-ti; an advance party of my
force, under Lieutenant Perceival, got close
up to the enemy's position under cover of
the bush : when discovered, they were hotly
pressed by the enemy, and retired skirmish-
ing in good order on the main body without
loss. I then advanced, having been joined
by Lieutenant Norman with eight men. I
drove the enemy through a strip of fallen
timber on to open ground beyond; but
seeing that they wheeled round into the
standing forest on my left flank, where they
were largely reinforced, I deemed it prudent
to retire. While re-crossing the fallen
timber, the enemy, numbering from two to
three hundred, charged us from the bush on
the left; and after about ten minutes very
heavy firing at very short range (from ten to
twenty yards), where both parties suffered
severely, I being outflanked on both sides,
enemy did not venture to advance on us
after we were under cover of the forest.
I then re-formed my men, and retired
leisurely on the Stockade. Our loss was 1
Lieutenant (Perceival), and 5 men killed; 1
man dangerously wounded; 1 Lieutenant
(Norman), and 1 private missing. The
enemy's loss I believed to be about 16 killed,

• Mauku Volunteers.—1 Subaltern, 3 Sergeants, 1 Corporal,
  21 Privates.
  No. 9 Company, 1st Battalion, Waikato Militia.—1 Sub-
  altern, 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal, 17 Privates.
  No. 4 Company Militia.—1 Subaltern, 1 Sergeant, 1 Cor-
  poral, 13 Privates.