The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-12 00:00:00

THE WIR IN NEW ZEALAND,
SEVERE LOSS OF LIFE.

We have now full pixilation of the serial'
encounter between our forces and the Macries,
which has been already briefly reported by tele-
gram. _ _ .

The last monthly account of the war left General
Cameron in possession of Mere-mere, and gradually
pushing forward his operations. Heavy reinforce-
ments from India and elsewhere were arriving,
and, more being expected, preparations were being
made for a campaign. On Friday, Dec. 4, the
Himalaya returned to Sydney, after conveying the
the 50th Regiment to Auckland, and with her came
the following message from the General Command-

November 21, 1863.

We assaulted the enemy's intrenclied position at Ran-
twirl at hail-past 4 p.m. on the,2oth, and carried it after
a desperate engagement. I regret to say oar Ines is se-
vere—Lieutenant Murphy (12th), and Midshipman Wat-
kins, R.N., and 35 men killed ; 13 officers and 80
men wounded, including Colonel Austin, 14th Regi-
ment, since dead ; Captain Mayne, Lieutenants Alex-
ander, Downes, and Hotham, R.N. ; Captain Mincer,
ILA., sines dead ; Captain Phelps, 14th Regiment, since
dead ; Captain Grown, Lieutenant Talbot, Lieutenant
Chevalier, Adjutant Lewis, 65th Regiment ; Captain
Brookes, R.E.; Ensign I)uerow, 40th Regiment—the greeter
part severely. The enemy fought with the greatest de-
terminatioa, and held the strongest part of their position
during the whole night. Being completely surrounded and
cut off, they surrendered unconditionally at half • past 5 this
day ; 183 in number are now prisoners of war, among them
several chief, of note. The enemy's loss has not yet been
ascertaised, but it is known to be very great. A party of
400, under William Thompson, approached the position
from the oast with a leg of truce after the surrender. An
interpreter was sent, who states that William Thompson
appeared inclined to surrender, but his pookle were opposed
to it, and went back, he says, and sent in his mere by the
interpreter, with what objects lam not aware. The King
was present at Rangariri, and escaped during the night by
'swimming across the swamp, se did several others. The
total number of the enemy present at the engagement is
not known.

Further accounts say that there was a naval
force, consisting of the Pioneer, with 100 men of
the 40th Regiment ; and the naval brigade towed
four gunboats up the Waikato till 800 yards from
the redoubt, when they opened fire. At the same
time a land force of 1,200 men, under General
Cameron, marched up, and a storming party, con-
sisting of 300 men of the 65th, 160 of the 14th, and
100 of the 12th, was led up to the fortification.
Captain Greeson and Lieutenant Talbot led the
skirmishers, under the guidance of Captain Brooke
of the engineers, who, with Captain Toker, of the
65th, led the ladder party, consisting of 48 men of
the 65th, 10engineers, 24 men following under Lieut.
Chevalier, carrying planks to within 300 yards of
the first work, which was a ditch, 13 feet wide and
18 feet deep, with rifle-pits in the rear, and con-
nected by covered ways occupied by Maories, who
fired steadily and rapidly. The troops cleared the
works in gallant style, and rushed for the centre
of the works—a redoubt of great strength. Mean-
time the 40th landed and took the swamp on the
other side, killing 60 or 70 Maories. The Maories
in the centre stood their ground bravely, feeling
like rats in a trap, when the blue jackets, led by
Mayne, Downes, and Hotham, rushed to the front
with revolvers and cutlasses. Night put an end
to the conflict, and in the morning the white flag
was hoisted by the rebels, who surrendered unoon-
, ditionally.
Of the latest news we have the following
telegram :
The Maori King movement is considered as extinguished.
' William Thompson has addressed the governor, suing for
peace on any terms, all his tribe except ►bout 40 being
killed, wounded, or primes -a. Governor Grey replied,
" The general must go aniaterrupted to Ngarniwaltia. The
Qesso's nag must be hoisted there. Then I will talk with
you.* Latest moments sty that Georg Cameros had
rapidly pushed through the Waikato country, and
that belay the Maories could recover the blow
even them at Rangariri he had reached Thomp-
son. headquarter, unmolested. The troops made simnl-
tensor,' movement.; from troberos, Mere-Mere, sod the
Queen's Redoubt. A portion was supposed to be intended
for the occupation of Ngarsiwakiii, General Cameron's
ability In the aueceedul conduct of the war is warmly eulo-
gised. Colossi Austin, 14th Regiweat, has died of wounds
rewired at Bongarizi. The other wounded Olean are ex-
pected to recover. The expedition to the Thames had col-
etrectcd a line of strong redoubt", completely cutting off
the upper country from the tweet ranges of Hanna and
Wauku. When Te Wham arrived at Ngaruiwahia be
found Ngatimaniopotie preparing to cut down the Ring's
flagstaff, to prevent its felling into the hands of the
British. Thompson and the Waikatoes would not permit
this, and gave possession to Ts Wheors, to nursed., to the
general,

" Thus," says one writer, " we terminate the
month', news with far more reason for satisfaction
than at any other period of the war. We hear of
fresh reinforcements es route from India, and some
of these have pot in at Adelaide for a few hours for
supplies. There is some talk of putting the rebel
prisoners on the Chatham hlanda, as a sort of penal
settlement, but nothing is quite settled. Every-
thing shows that there is to be no relaxation of the
efforts to complete the subjugation of the country,
and it is not unlikely that a few months will restore
tranquillity."
The parliament of New Zealand have voted
2,0001. for the orphans and widows of those killed
during the war.
Rangariri was well chosen by the Maoris' for de.
feoce, as, being backed on two sides by the Waikari
Lake, it gives great facilities for escape by
water in the rear, while its front defences had been
tendered as strong as all the resources of native
engineering talent could make it in the best part
of a year. The party on being brought out was
found to number 166, including one or two women,
with 175 stand of arms A guard was put upon
them, and, " strange as it appears, but in wax it is
always so, the men who half-an-hour before were
plotting each other's destruction were now chatting
and laughing together, the Maories appearing quits
happy and contented, and sensible that their
lives were perfectly safe in our hands." The number
of bodies found in the trenches after the place was
taken amounted to 24, one of them being that of a
white man, who was recognised as a deserter who had
been in the Artillery, the 66th, and 12th Regiments.,
He had met the fate he so richly deserved. Another
is reported to have been among them, but be had
effected his escape. During the engagement the
Pioneer lay alongside the bank, and the wounded
were conveyed on board as fast as they could be
brought down from the scene of action. There
they were attended by the medical officers, and
disposed in the cabin below, every attention being
paid to their comfort. The numbers being so
great it was found necessary to convey some on
board the Avon, and the cabins of both vessels
were well filled. The church was set apart solely
for those who had fallen, and on the morning fol-
lowing the bodies were disposed around, the
flooring being eovered with ti-trea
Orncssn Rlicrew o► Eaten.

Royal Arlallory.—Boaabacher William Mazda, gasohol
wooed through load ; Gomm Oulvanrall, gunshot

wound left chat; GUISE Leven, gambit wound left
leg and chat
Ist Battalion. 121 A Regiment—Lieutenant W. L:
Murphy; Private BMW Needham ; Private Thomas Ow
borne ; Private Derby Shea ; Private George Smith.
2nd Battalion, 14th Regiment —Private Thomas Bellew,
gunshot wound through bead ; Lance-Corporal Charles Bur-
rell, gunshot wound through head ; Private Richard Nolan.
gunshot wound through head ; Private Robert M'Crcay,
gunshot wound through head ; Private Henry Russell, gun-
shot wound through heart.
40th Regiment—Private Edward Loughlin, wounded in
head ; Private Benjamin Barber, wounded in neck ; Private
Edward Hone, wounded in chest; Private Edwin Golds-
borough, wounded in head; Private William Behr,
wounded in chest ; Private John Daley, wounded in abdo-
men ; Private John IrNally, wounded in bead ; Private
John Jaws, wounded in head.
63th Regiment—Private William Johnstone, Private
George Bell, Private Alexander Private Thomas
Blackbam, Private Robert Clarke, Private Alexander Hap-
burn, Private Jonathan Neat, Private John Oavanegh,
rate Thome Roberts, Private Petri* 'Dag, Private Peter
Manley, Private Mooney, Private James WCasland—
nature of injury not known. .

. .
Royal Navy. —Midshipman Watkins, Cosmos ; Quarter.
master J. Woods, CIIIIN011; A. B. William Tidy, Curios*

A. B. Frederick Osborne,

of injury not

known.

Marine.—Private Richard Dowser, Harrier, nature of in-
jury not known.

•
To thew must be added Captain B. Mercer, of the Royal
Artillery, who was shot through the head, and Captain
Phelps, 2nd Battalion 14th Regiment, who was shot through
the abdomen. Both these pliant men were wounded in
the severest manner. Captain Mercer's jaw wee frightfully
fractured and his tongue sadly iajured. Captain Phelps,
an odloor and a gentleman of whom New Routh Wake—his
wive coantly—is proud, was hit in the abdomen, the
bullet being enplaned to have lodged in the kidneys.
Having entered the army as a medical ofbeer—in which
capacity he distinguished himself in the Crimes—be at
once pronounced his wound to be fatal, and hi death,
together with that of Captain Mercer, is announced.

(mmWe

FURTHER DESPATCH OF AUSTRIAN
TROOPS TO SLESWIG.
BRESLAU, Pia 12.

According to a telegram received here a body of
Austrian troops, numbering 3,400 men. will arrive
in this city in a few days, on their way to Slaswig.
They will be conveyed by eight special trains,
and will be quartered here for the night.
A meeting of the directors of the railway took
place at Cassel yesterday.