394
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

and directing them to close upon their flanks as they
approached Manutahi, so as under cover of the
thick bush on either side, to get round the flanks of
the stockade, which I believed only rested on the
bush, I ordered the advance. This movement was
admirably carried out by Major H. Atkinson and
the officers and men of the Bushrangers, under a
desultory, but not very heavy fire from the stockade,
while the companies of the 70th Regiment, under
Major Ryan, with the two guns under Captain
Martin, R.A., were kept within easy distance to
support, should the garrison prove stronger than I
imagined. In a very short time the Bushrangers
succeeded in turning both flanks, upon which the
garrison ran away, leaving two of their number
wounded (one of whom died within a very short
time, and the other, severely wounded, was carried
into town, his wounds attended to by the medical
officer, but he succumbed to amputation of the leg,
and died the following day), and several others were
said to be hit, but escaped into the bush, towards
Mataitawa.

Leaving Major Atkinson to destroy the very for-
midable works at Manutahi, which, if properly de-
fended would have cost us a heavy loss, many of the
covered ways being casemated, and the parapet in
rear of the stockade being eight or ten feet thick. I
pushed on three companies of the 70th regiment,
under Major Saltmarshe by a cart track leading
through the bush to Mataitawa, fortunately the
troops were unopposed; every yard of this road
might have been successfully disputed, and the
passage of a small river with deep banks and two
gullies over which the road turns to Mataitawa,
which is situated on the top of a steep and perfectly
open hill, if held by a very few determined men might
have cost us severe loss. The troops in admirable
order pushed steadily forward, until the crest of the
hill was gained, and the villages were in our possession,
not a shot being fired, in return for a few fired at long
range by the enemy.

Having cut down the Flag Staff (which in itself is
a valuable trophy) and destroyed everything at three
different villages, I withdrew finding as I have before
stated that it would be useless to attempt to occupy
Mataitawa, on account of the difficulties of its
approach until the surrounding bush has been cleared.
Major Atkinson had, in the meantime, effectually
destroyed Manutahi and burnt the stockading and
whares, and the troops returned to their several
stations.

On Monday, the 10th, I again assembled the Royal
Artillery with two guns and 350 of the 70th regiment
at Mahoetahi intending to take and occupy Te Arei,
which I considered might be successfully turned by a
flank march over some high ground to our right, by a
line of road or native track, which leads directly into
the rear of that position, the importance of which was
rendered notorious by the operations conducted
against it during the former campaign, under Major
General Sir Thomas Pratt.

Accordingly, at daylight on the 11th instant,
assisted by the sap which leads directly to the front,
three companies of the 70th under Major Rutherfurd,
70th Regiment, and 150 men under Major Saltmarshe,
70th Regt. with an advanced guard of about 50 friendly
Natives from Waitara advanced steadily on the
position; a heavy curtain of white fog from the
Waitara river prevented the rebel natives from dis-
covering our approach, until within a few hundred
yards of the pah, and then by their rapid firing it was
evident that they were more anxious to call to their
assistance their friends at a distance, than to oppose
our progress.

The Waitara was unfordable, so that no assistance
from those on the north shore could be rendered, and
The actual garrison was too small to make any resis-
tance; the friendly natives and the troops advanced
simultaneously from both sides, and without firing a
shot, gained the position which was evidently incom-
plete; but the defences were much stronger than
formerly.

Having already described the nature of these de-
fences in a former letter, it is not necessary for me
now to repeat, except that a novelty in Maori
fortifications consisting of a strong parapet built of
earth and fern, similar to those we construct, but
about 16 feet thick, covered a line of rifle-pits, or
covered way, about forty yards in front of the line of
the stockade, so that had the guns been used the
Maori defenders being in front instead of in rear of
the stockade, would have been entirely under cover;
the shot and shell which would naturally have been
thrown into the stockade, would have been quite
ineffectual, and the garrison would have been able to
have received any attacking column after the palisades
had apparently been breached.

Sending forward the friendly natives supported by
a small party of the 70th, under Captain Backhouse,
70th Regt., and some of the mounted men (on foot)
to ascertain the nature of the ground in the rear.
Lieut. Ferguson, R.E., at once commenced the con-
struction of a redoubt on this very beautiful and
commanding position.

Lieut. C. M. Clarke, D.A.Q.M. General, who ac-
companied the friendly Maoris and troops, informs
me that the road was defended here and there by
entrenchments, but that otherwise the country, after
passing through about a mile of not very thick bush,
becomes quite open, they followed the path, which
apparently had not been much used lately, for about
three miles, destrowing two or three small villages,
from which the Rebels retreated after ineffectually
firing a few shots.

Although these operations have fortunately been
carried out with hardly the expenditure of a round
of ammunition, it is but just to give the officers and
men full credit for their excellent conduct, which
convinces me that all opposition would have been
vain, had the enemy been in sufficient force to have
offered resistance.

To Majors G. A. Ryan, A. J. O, Rutherfurd, and
Brevet Major A. Saltmarshe. of the 70th Regiment,
to Captain W. J. Martin, Royal Artillery, to Major
H. Atkinson, Taranaki Militia, and Captain F. Mace,
of the Mounted Corps, I am much indebted for the
manner in which they carried out my instructions,
as also to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and
men of the several corps of both regular and militia
services, for their untiring zeal which enabled them
to bear the fatigue of very long marches (on the
8th instant at least 24 miles in the 12 hours), over
roads rendered very impracticable by the heavy rain,
which had fallen during the previous week.

Fortunately the services of the Medical Officers
were not necessary, but under Dr. Wodsworth, of
the 70th Regiment, they were ready, as on all occa-
sions, to attend to their duties when required, as also
was Dep. Ass. Com. Gen. J. R. C. C. Graham, of the
Commissariat.

Lieut. C. M. Clarke, D.A.Q.M.G. and Lieut. E.
Brutton, Garrison Adjutant, both of the 57th Regt.,
showed their accustomed zeal in carrying out my
orders, and to the former I am indebted for the
effectual carrying out of all the necessary arrange-
ments. On this, as on a former occasion at Kaitake,
Lieut. C. M. Clarke volunteered and guided the
company of the 70th under Capt. W. H. Ralston,
(who was ignorant of the localities) by the flank
overhanging the river, where, had Te Arei been de-
fended, troops would have approached within a