THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Colonial Defence Office,
Auckland, 6th May, 1864.
HIS Excellency the Governor directs the
publication of the following Despatch
from Major Drummond Hay, A.M.
T. RUSSELL.

Maketu, 1st May, 1864.

SIR,-I have the honour to report for your
information as follows:

On the morning of the 27th ult., the enemy
had fired heavily at Fort Colville, com-
mencing at 4 A.M. Subsequently, H.M.S.
'Falcon' and the 'Sandfly' having arrived,
they were shelled out of their position and
retreated across Waihi, the men of war fol-
lowing them up the coast for about twelve
miles. I decided on pursuing them as far as
Te Awa o te Atua, the Arawa boundary. I
sent one hundred men across at once with
orders to follow them up, but not to proceed
beyond Otamarakau. In the afternoon I
crossed the river with two hundred men,
leaving one hundred and fifty in the pa. We
camped for the night at Waiheke, about
eleven miles from Maketu. At 4 $\frac{1}{2}$ A.M. on
the 28th we marched for Otamarakau, which
settlement we found the enemy had deserted.
A hundred men joining us here from Maketu,
made the force up to four hundred strong.
We marched on to Te Awa o te Atua; when
within two miles we saw the enemy coming
along the sand-hills. They took up their
position across a narrow valley between the
sand-hills and the cliffs, with a creek in their
front, the sand-hills on the right being lined
with their skirmishers. They were at once
engaged by two hundred under Winiata
and other chiefs. The firing only lasted
twenty minutes; the creek was then carried
with a rush, and the enemy retreated up the
valley. The whole force was so fatigued with
the forced march over very heavy ground
that they were unable to follow them fast
enough. They might have held Harema,
Otamarora, Te Rangatapu, and Teano Tarere
Hika, on the bank of the river, as, though
not palisaded regularly, or rifle-pitted, the
nature of the ground would have made it very
difficult to dislodge them. They retreated

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across the river; while doing so many were
shot. The enemy mustered fully four hundred
men; thirty-seven bodies were found on the
29th. Rangitukehu, the chief of the friendly
natives at Rangitaiki, and who arrived at our
camp on the 29th, told me that they had
found dead bodies along the beach and in the
swamp on the other side of the river.

The following leading chiefs were killed
-belonging to Te Whakatohea, Te Aporo-
tanga, Te Rangumatoru, Tipene, Hira te
Popo and Te Para; to Ngatiawa, Te Rangi-
pai; to Ngaitawarere, Tatuaharakeke. Their
loss must have been fully one hundred killed
and wounded. They acknowledge to a loss
of some five or six by the heavy guns while
at Maketu, and from thirty to forty casualties
while at Waihi on the 21st and 22nd. Three
old men and six old women, taken prisoners,
were released by me and handed over to
Rangitukehu and Roharuhi. I regret to say
that Winiata, who behaved most gallantly,
died from the effects of his wound. The
remaining six casualties on our side are doing
well. We have taken over forty stand of
arms, a considerable quantity of very coarse
powder and other ammunition, and other
booty as well. The Arawas behaved very
well. The Taupo natives were up at the
front when the firing first commenced, and
charged with Tohourangi; but as it was an
almost simultaneous advance of the whole
force, I think it unnecessary to notice any
one section in particular. The men of the
Defence Force and Forest Rangers attached
to the Native Contingent were so fatigued
with the march, having far more than the
natives to carry, that they were only able to
join in the pursuit. I believe that the result
will have a salutary effect on the East Coast
natives. I am about to make arrangements
for the better protection of the district, con-
cerning which I shall report as soon as
possible.

I have, &c.
GEORGE DRUMMOND HAY,
Major A.M., Comdg. N.C.

The Hon. Mr. Russell,
Colonial Defence Minister.

Printed and published by ROBERT J. CREIGHTON and ALFRED SCALES, for the New Zealand Government,
at the Printing Office, O'Connell-street.