THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
395

pa, under cover of a ditch and bank fence. The
Native Contingent, under Tareha, Hapuku, Ihaka,
Kopu, Renata, and Karaiteana, and directed by Mr.
Locke, occupied the edges of the swamp and outside
of the cultivations, at a distance of several hundred
yards, opposite the dray entrance. I formed the
Napier Militia, Nos. 1 and 2 Companies, and a part
of No. 4 Company, into open column. This part of
the force was placed under Major Lambert, and I
gave the signal to advance and to hoist the Union
Jack at the flagstaff from this point. On sounding
the advance, Major Lambert moved steadily forward
and gained the top of the river bank, where he at
once came into collision with the enemy. I found
the Hau Haus drawn up and armed, and myself
ordered the leading files to fire. We then received
their fire and returned it, penetrating the outer
courts of the pa. At this moment part of the Native
Contingent which had approached the pa also entered
the outer parts, and, coming unexpectedly under fire,
moved to the right in some disorder to take shelter
under the river bank. Their movement disordered
our Militia, and finding our men entangled with the
Natives, I ordered them to take cover under that
part of the bank which commanded all the ground we
had taken. It was just now that Captain Kennedy,
commanding No. 2 Company, was wounded; and
finding him apparently determined to remain with
his men in that condition, I ordered him to leave the
field, and Lieutenant Wilson took command of the
Company. A very hot fire was now kept up for a
quarter of an hour, and the friendly Natives joined
our men and gradually pushed back the enemy, who
abandoned the huts and took shelter in a hollow
roadway near the further end of the pa, where he
found complete shelter. Finding I could not easily
dislodge them from this without unnecessary loss, I
now sent orders by Mr. Hamlin to the Napier
Volunteers to advance on the pa by the river. The
fire from the main body was then stopped to enable
the Volunteers to leave the shelter of the bank
which protected them from our cross fire; but as it
slackened, Captain Buchanan drew out his Company
and gained the river bed. At first so exposed
were the enemy to this new advance that the
Volunteers mistook the men for friendly Natives and
withheld their fire, but at length, being perceived
and fired upon themselves by the enemy, the
Volunteers opened fire and quickly drove him out of
his position. Major Lambert thereupon moved up
the bank and drove the Natives into the last of the
several court-yards into which the pa was sub-
divided, many of the friendly Maoris notably.
Takeha now moved up also, and in a few moments
the last stronghold would have been carried by
assault had the enemy not at this moment displayed
the white flag. After some time in making his sur-
render known and stopping the fire, I called to the
chief man to advance and lay down his arms. This
having been done he assembled the survivors of his
party, whom I placed under charge of Tareha.
Meanwhile a party, unperceived by me, had quitted
the pa and had come into collision with the detach-
ment of No. 3 Company, which had taken up the
ground vacated by Captain Buchanan and Mr.
Browne. Captain Rhodes met this party in a spirited
manner, and delayed it for some time, but, being
unable to get his horses through the fence, was pre-
vented from arresting the flight. I now reached the
spot, and, fortunately receiving intelligence of the
arrival of the Cavalry, I sent for Captain Gordon
and his men. Mr. Ferguson, of No. 3 Company, in
gallantly endeavouring to delay the fugitives, had his
horse shot under him. Captain Gordon overtook
the fugitives before they gained the summit of the
hills, where his leading files assailed them with their
sabres (the only arm I had to give them) and they
surrendered after some resistance; a few straggling
Hau Haus escaped. The number at present is un-
known; one, however, was taken this morning, and
another was found dead, so that, according to the
prisoners' account, nine only remain unaccounted for,
of whom some may be dead in the adjoining swamp,
where they were heavily fired upon.

In this action, which lasted nearly an hour and a
half, which was maintained with the greatest gallantry
by our forces, and an obstinate bravery, possibly
stimulated by fanaticism, on the part of the enemy.
I have to regret the loss of one man of the Colonial
Forces and two of the Native Volunteer Contingent,
among the former one officer, Captain Kennedy, and
8 men, of the latter four Maoris were wounded. The
exact number of the enemy's casualties I do not yet
know, but 23 have been buried and at least as many
are now wounded in our hospital. The prisoners
amount to 76, and of these two are chiefs of second-
ary rank, Nikora and Henare, while Kipa, the head
chief, Panapa the prophet, and Kingita a notorious
character, are killed. The enemy had the advantage
of position and cover to compensate him for a dis-
parity more apparent than real of number. The
Militia and Volunteers turned out 204 rank and file
being every resident between the ages prescribed for
the first and second classes for whom on such short
notice arms could be obtained. But out of this
number I had to furnish a guard of 13 men for the
canoes, and another for the reserve ammunition, so
that there were not more than 180 actually engaged.
None or almost none of these men had ever been
before in action yet they marched in excellent order
straight into the pa and though borne on one side by
the Native Contingent they never again allowed
the enemy to re-occupy that part of the pa they had
at first taken, and gradually gaining ground under
a very hot fire eventually hemmed him in a space of
a very few square yards of ground. Only a part of
the European force was employed in attacking the
pa in front. It is true the reserve and Volunteers
made a flank movement which materially affected the
result, but at no time were there more than 100
men about the pa itself in actual collision with
the Natives. It may be out of place to remark
but I pray your indulgence in doing so, that the
manner in which all ranks turned out was beyond all
praise, and proves the high spirit and determination
to support the law which animates our settlers. At
seven p.m. on the 11th, I assembled the officers for
the first time, and told them of the intended expe-
dition, explaining what duties and posts were assigned
to them, and the hour at which I wished them to
parade. The men, who had done their usual day's
work, were summoned to march that night quite
unexpectedly, and the last left this town at midnight
with scarcely an absentee, and leaving no stragglers
on the road. They then marched nine miles to the
ground, fought the action, and returned to Napier in
capital order, carrying their wounded with them.
These were not trained soldiers, but civilians from
the town, who left their shops and their work at a
short notice during the night, and countrymen who
left their homes with just enough warning to dress
and reach the rendezvous. Captain Rhodes's Com-
pany, from Havelock and Clive, unable to march on
foot so great a distance in the time, was represented
by upwards of half, who voluntarily obtained horses
and rode to the ground. So high a spirit made
success certain, and could only have resulted from
the firm determination of the settlers of this Province
to put an end to a state of things which of all others
is most repugnant to an Englishman's feelings of
submission to and respect for good order and the law
of the land. I must not omit to bring to the especial