The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-03 00:00:00

COLONIAL

NEW ZEALAND.—The New Zealand Journal
of Saturday last rays : " We have received papers from
Wellington rep to July 21, from Nelson to June 26, together
with advice* from New Plymouth to the 16th July. The
Wellington district war, as usual, tranquil and busy, pre-
milting no events calling far comment. They had just re
ceived Earl Grey's instructions for the future government of
the colony, and were satisfied with them for anything which
appears in the newspapers to the contrary. We have no
doubt that the last thing they dream of is the measure for
cancelling them now before parliament, and that, too, be-
fore they have been permitted to work. From Nelson the
intelligence is unimportant. No More disasters at Wanganui;
and we have seen a private letter which would lead us to
suppose that the affair would soon be settled. From this it
would appear that Colonel Richmond havieg visited the set-
tlements, became desirous of proceeding to some distance up
the river, and proceeded accordingly, accompanied by Lieut.
Page, of the 58th Regiment, and others. Lieut Page had
got some distance ahead of the party when he suddenly came
upon the principal rebel chief (his name is not mentioned).
With the promptitude which has always distinguished this
gallant young officer, he immediately confronted the chief,
and remonstrated with him upon the folly of provoking
the enmity of the government, advising him, as Col. Rich.
mond was at hand, to apply to him for pardon. From the open
manner in which the advice was given, the chief at once
assented, and accompanied Lieut. Page to the colonel, by
whom he was received and pardoned, Lieut. Page receiving
the thanks of the colonel. We have been favoured with
I another extract from an officer of the corps serving at Wan-
ganui, in which he says, " the gallantry of Lieut. Page in the
field is notorious." These testimonials have induced us to
look more minutely into the career of this officer in New
Zealand. The first we learn of him is as a lieutenant in the
light company of the 58th, subsequently to the taking of
Kawiti's pah at the Bay of Islands, at which action we sup-
pose he was not present, as we can find no record of it. He
accompanied part of the 58th to Wellington, and was
employed in checking the natives on the Hutt, on which
river he was stationed with 50 men with no better defence
than tents, having been left thus by his superior officer. Die-
satisfied with his position, he stockaded three houses, and
the event proved the correctness of his judgment, for
he had scarcely completed his defences when he had
to sustain a night attack from two hundred natives, beating
them off after a hard but unequal fight, in which he lost
seven killed and four wounded, his men carrying the
dead and wounded, and laying them down whenever the
enemy showed fight. From another source we have
gathered the following incident, which happened to him in
this affair. At the time of the attack Lieut. Page was in
one of the huts, accompanied only by two men. As they
came out, a native coolly rested hie piece within three or four
yards of him, the ball grazing the young officer's breast.
The native was instantly cut down, and they fought their
way to the remainder of the detachment, which then drove
the natives across the river. A subsequent exploit of his we
find to be the timely aid which be afforded to Capt. Reid of
the 99th (since brevet-major) in securing a pass which the
zeal of that officer had left unguarded, in case of retreat, as
was the case, when, has it not been for the unauthorised in-
terference of Lieut. Page, he must have been cut eff by the
natives. He at once saw the danger to which Capt. Reid
was exposed, and, acting entirely on his own responsibility,
saved him. For this service he }Braved the thanks of the
governor, who stated in his despatches that "he had acted
with great promptitude "

THE CAMBRIA steamer, Captain Harrison, sailed
from Liverpool on Saturday, on her first trip to New York.
She will call at Halifax on her way out, and also on her
return.