The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-18 00:00:00

THE NATIVE WAN. IN NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Sydow!, Alurnieg Herald.)

By .he Prince Alfred snail steamer we have papers
from New Ply th (Taranski), to the 30th June.
She Isrings news of • very paisdul and diniustrous
elianicter. An advance upon the rebels' pals at Waiters
lAA been made, and. after li;,lstin,; for re than Nor
hours with great gallantry ageing large number of natives
covered by their inirenclinients, our force, were obliged
to retreat, leaving 29 dead and 33 wounded ion the field.
The die is cast. It is plain that we have a foe to deal
with who in not to he despised • it is equally 60 thst. he
must be put down at all v.t.. 'Major Nelson end Cant.
Seymour, with the whole of their men, Iti.Dear to have
behaved with, great gallantry, and in a hammier equally
re 4 f okm-caution or foolhardiness. The Tara-
naki
.Herald soya :
. . . .

While last Sauniay's sheet was printing, guns neer
beard at Waitara, and the Tasnumia Maid on Turisbry
brought intelligence that a reconnoitring party of the
40th had here fired on by the natives from the pall re-
stored at Pukrtakauere. This act of aggression loosened
(lie hands of our military commander, and step. were
taken to punish the insurgents for their growing bold-
ness,

--Wmluemloy morning was fined for attacking the pah.
Gun+ and reinforcement+ of the 4ntli Regiment and of
the bluejackets were depatched from town, mid plans
of proceeding concerned by men with and without
authority.
Weather of the niost inihment kind that this country
knows added to tho liardahips of this preparing for the
rough businesa.

The reinforcements waded out through a sea of mud,
under moth-we'd squalls and ahoy:ere.
The l'uketaksuare Pali consiato of two atockades ; one
upon the intrenclituants of theol.l pall of the samenaine,
the other new and apparently without intrenchniente
They stand on a edge formed by two mall gunk.. Thew
inflica meet a little below the wh,, and open on a
swampy ground in the Waiter& Valley, for g a sort
of long Y, the stalk towards the river, and the atoekades
in the fork.

The main body, consisting of this Grenadier and Light
Companies of the 40th Regiment, finder Captain
Richards, and 611 blue-jackets, under let Lieutenant
fliattiscowbe of the Monis, with the Artillery, ap-
proached the loth by the directeat road from the camp,
and at 6 o'clock cm, the guns were brought to bear, Anil
the men eztentl.l on the north-west, or seawaid aide of
the palm, the smaller gully between them and it. With
this division were Major Nelson, and Captain Seymour,
of the Pt-lotus.

A second division of about 50 men, under Captain
Messenger, WWI posted 011 die fiat of the Waitara. to cut
off the retreat on that vide ; and a third, under Captain
Buwdler, poised along the river banks, and attempted to
take die pall in the sear.
The natives were aware of the movement, and on the
alert. The first firing was sin the rearward party, and a
Maori informant states that, finding the troops. advanc-
ing on that side, many of the natives went out of the
stockade, smile of theta elideavounng to escape, and
some occupying the intrenclimente of a aeotattl old pals,
to the rearward of—that is so any, nearer tolls,. Waitara
thait—the two stockades. It could he seen Hall the
party under Captain Messenger WWI doing great execu-
tion on the stnigglers who attenipted to escape, and fur
a time it appeared Ad if the attack in the rear would
monied ; hut, after a abort aloes., • large reinforcement
front the island bettlementa ;if Wi King, arrived among
the high fern. NMI • fierce battle ensued, the natives
greatly outnumbering the troops.
The Grenadier company of the 10th Ile:intent and the
lilue•jacketa formed the right wing of the main partv in
(rout, and extended beyond the bead of the gully,
faring partly round totrarda the southwest aisle of the
pals. Large numbeni of the enemy canal to the brink
of the gully, and the pal. was probably most empty. The
oimiliatants wen, about 150 yanls apart, divided by the
gully, firing briskly and steadily, but not able to close
except where the right wing overlapped the head of the
191l1b•, and here • deapande struggle took plate with •
party of natives who had a trench at one of the outworks
of the old fortifications. Here was the hottest fighting
and the greatest ham itustainel by Chia divisicu•
rly in the day • messenger of the rebels was seen
to start (rein the rear, and between 9 and 10 o'clock
large reinforcements came (non inland ; part of which,
aa we have already said, attacked the 2nd and 11rd
divisions, &sal the remainder outflanked the main body
in front.

Having held his ground for some time, without rein-
forcements arriving, or any sign, of a diversion appear-
ing, Major Nelson gave orders to witind the 'ret;re.'
klouie attcmpt to follow was checked by a murderous Are
from the artillery. and the inaiii body retreated in order
and without serious molestation, anti arrived in camp at
I psi. The other divisions were much liarao•e•l in
their retreat, not having heavy guns to support them.
We believe it is..a in retreat that Lieutenant Brooke
and the other gull.nt fell.•ws of these divisions wale
kale& They endeavoured to retire as they had advanced,
lint we fear • alisinalerstanding or vistulte of the
ground was partly die cause or the serious loss on this
aisle. They had to fight their way hack to the camp.
'"' .

There went men present cool enough to sec that the
lir.tish honour vras not only sustains.' but exalted by
this fleece struggle. The greet numerical superiority of
the natives clone loads it necessary for our troop. to
Mire. Ofacers wad rasa fought with steadiness and

energy, eider a fire which an Indian officer compares to
thas it F. nacallali and Sobram., snot which • soldier of
the Critnes atates to have been hotter than that in the
The gallant Captain Seymour, of the Pelona*,
received r. bullet in the leg. Lieutenant Brooke sold
his life dearly, and fell only alien his 'wont arm WAS
helplessly wounded. Nosi-sanuinissioned officers and
privates were recognized in some cases coolly firing on
large bodies of the enemy, and then as coolly retiring.
The elieuiv, too, %bowed unexpected resolution. and
been provol the first body or men able to meet the
British bayones.
It must not he omitted, either, that thoughtful pre-
penssions had beesi Weill by the excellent commander
,of the 40th for she day's work. Double rations of food
were cooked, carts, bullsolca, ammunition, everything
was punctually at its place and the excellent plan of
operations and gallant, sionduei of the attack dud fresh
honour to tlas name idolised by Britons.
This sanguinary fighi, would have been the anniliila•
tion of the dative force at Waiters had snore troupe
been present.
The large army assembled about Kingi is a fine com-
ment on the policy of our Government, which stands
trifling with mild ad tresses and Maori Parliaments.
while the men whom it, seeks to conciliate gather by the
thousand, with arms in hand, to give thas dignity to the
deliberations of their senators which beloaga to a sense
of their power.
IThe hitting bowies of Tataraimaka, in the rear of our
retreatiso• column on that side, are a further Madre-
I lion of trio system of irsusiug between every blow iii a
Istruggle to make overtures to the foe mud ascertain Jr lie
has meglo up his leant to ...Annie Cie conteut. Clemency
is the privilege and emhel/iNliment oi" vigour. India
might base taught what New Zeeland is repeating.
that the must tremulous bend makes this Moodiest
I work.

bc officers engaged neve :--
Natal Brigade Battiscoinbe, Mid.
liarnett ; Lieutenant
Morris._ Royal Marine

- .
:oyal Encineera. —Lien tenant Mould.
Royal Artillery.-- Lieutenant W.Naughten.
Iteginient.--Major Nelson, Lieutenant Brooke
(killed), Lieutenants Ituarinan, Jackson, and Rees, Ensign
and Adjutant I.lTlielan.