160

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Mongonui,
Bay of Islands,
Marsden,
Northern Division,
City of Auckland East,
City of Auckland West,
L. O'BRIEN, Esq. Parnell,
Newton,
Pensioner Settlements,
Town of Onehunga,
Franklin,
WILLIAM HALGE, Raglan.
Esq.
Grey and Bell,
Town of New Plymouth,
Omata.
Wanganui,
Rangitiki,-
ROBERT HART, Porirua
Esq.
City of Wellington,
Hutt,
Wairarapa.
GEO. A. OLIVER, Napier,
Esq.
Clive.
Collingwood,
Motueka,
City of Nelson,
THOMAS CONNELL, Suburbs of Nelson,
Esq.
Waimea,
Picton,
Wairau
Cheviot,
Kaiapoi,
Avon,
Heathcote,
HENRY B. QUINN, Ellesmere,
Esq.
City of Christchurch,
Town of Lyttelton,
Akaros,
Timaru.
WILLIAM FOX.

Colonial Defence Office,
Auckland, 5th April, 1864.

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

THOMAS RUSSELL.

Head Quarters,
Pukerimu, 1st April, 1864.

Sir, I have the honor to forward to your
Excellency the enclosed Report of operations
in which Her Majesty's Troops and the Colo-
nial Forces, under command of Colonel
Warre, C.B., have recently been engaged at
New Plymouth, and which have resulted in
the capture of the rebel position at Kaitake.

These operations were conducted by Colo-
nel Warre with an ability and judgment
which reflect the greatest credit upon him,
and that so formidable a position should
have been taken without any loss of life,
and with very few casualties on our side, is
to be attributed to the admirable arrange-
ments made by Colonel Warre for the at-
tack, and to the zeal, intelligence, and gal-
lantry with which they were carried out by
the officers and men under his command.

A Company of the Melbourne and Otago
Volunteers, under Captain Corbett, were
engaged for the first time on this occasion,
and distinguished themselves by the spirited
manner in which they assaulted and took one
of the stockades, considered to be the key of
the enemy's position.

I have, &c.,
D. A. CAMERON,
His Excellency
&c. &c.
Lt.-General.

Sir George Grey, K.C.B.,
&c.

New Plymouth, New Zealand,
March 26th, 1864.

Sir, It is with much satisfaction I have
the honour to report, for the information
of the Lieutenant-General commanding,
that by the result of a few days' operations,
the troops under my command have suc-
ceeded, with trifling loss, in driving the whole
of the rebel Maoris from the several positions
they have occupied since March 1863, on the
Patua Ranges; and by the successful attack
on Kaitake yesterday, have left the rebels no
place of refuge on this side of the Katikara
River.

Finding by the tenor of the Lieutenant-
General's letter of the 12th inst., that the
extent of his operations in Waikato would
prevent his sending me any further reinforce-
ments beyond the 12-pounder Armstrong guns,
and 30 non-commissioned officers and gunners,
under the command of Captain Martin, R.A.,
I think that this settlement could not be safe
from the incursions of hostile natives so long
as the rebels remained at Kaitake, I thought
it my duty to endeavour to carry out his
views either by turning the rebels out of their
formidable position at Kaitake, or by esta-
blishing military posts on the Timaru River,
to cut off their communication with the south.

With this object, therefore, on Monday the
21st inst., I sent the Armstrong guns to
Oakura, and placed them in position in the
afternoon to try their effect and show the
natives that we were able to reach their
apparently impregnable position at Kaitake
at long range. The practice was excellent,
and evidently made so great an impression
upon the rebels that I felt we could keep down
their fire while the troops rushed their rifle
pits.

Considering it right, however, to destroy
all their outposts, or places of refuge, before
I attacked their main position, I left two of
the Armstrong guns at Oakura to keep up
an occasional fire at Kaitake, and marched on
Tuesday the 22nd with the force noted in
Table A to attack the Tutu Pa, situated in
the Katikara river, four miles above the
rebel position so successfully attacked by
the Lt.-General on the 4th June, 1863.

Starting at 3 o'clock a.m., I hoped to gain
the bush in which the pa is situated by day-
break, and to take it in reverse by a bush
track which I had explored last year; but
on arrival in sight of the pa, at the extreme
boundary of the Tataraimaka Block, the