The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-14 00:00:00

TEE WAE, IN NEW ZEALAND,

(From the limes Correspordent.)
MELBOITENE, 2,1:,,ty, 26.
The war in New Zhaiand, which I percieve by
the English papers last received is supposed to be
at an end, has broken out afresh with increased
violence, and I am afraid is likely to endure for yet
many months longer. The history of our operations
during the last month is marked by a disaster of a
peculiarly disgraceful and perhaps unprecedented
sort. In order toma.ke the narrative of the subse-
quent events clear to your readers I will begin by
retracing the career of General Cameron after the
deeisive success at Orekan. Discomfited and almost
terrified into submission by their bloody repulse at
this place, the Ngnlimaniopotos, with the detached
portions of other tribes allied to them, fled in dis-
may, first to their strong position at Meungatauri,
and thence, evacuating that formidable pala,with all
its carefully-prepared fortifications, to Tactranga, the
chief habitation of the powerful Ngapuhi tribe on
the eastern coast. They were followed thither
promptly by Gen. Cameron, with the 433, 65th, and
portions of the 14th and 70th Regiments. The
General had also at his service the naval squadron,
under the command of Commodore Sir William Wise.
man, consisting of her Mejesty'sships Curacoa, Esk,
I#l iranda, Harrier, and Eclipse. The first operations
of this force were entirely successful. Immediately
on his landing at Tauranga the General marched
against a rebel pah at Maketn, a few miles to the
southward, which was shelled by our troops, and
abandoned by its defenders after a trifling resistance.
Returning to Tanranga, some large Armstrongs, in-
cluding a 100-poander, were got ashore from the
ships, and preparations were made for an assault on
a position called the Gate Pah, lying on the crest of
a hill on a small peninsula. The place consisted of
two pails, 1,000 yards apart, connected by a
covered way, and surrounded by rifle pits and by
BD inner line of rail fence, masked by branches of
trees and bundles of raupo. On the 27th ult. the
651 h and the flying column of the 70th, under com-
mand of Colonel Green, left camp for the Maori posi-
tion ; the 433, the Naval Brigade, Engineers, and a
heavy battery being posted in front, under General
Cameron himself. The rebel force was estimated at
800 men in all. At daylight of the 25th the bom-
bardment of the place was commenced with 13
heavy guns, and was maintained for nine hours. A
number of Maories being now seen retreating, the
68th were ordered in pursuit by a road which led
round the rear of the rebel works through a swamp.
In the meantime the Armstronge having effected a
practicable breach, it was determined to storm the
pah in front. The storming party was formed of
equal numbers of the naval brigade and the 43d,
under the command of Col. Booth, of the latter regis
meat, and of Capt. Hay, of the Harrier. In the
midst of a withering fire the party, advancing at the
double, carried the breach and entered the pelt. Up
to this moment all had gone well for our arms, and
some of the spectators doubted not that the victory
was gained and the Gate Pah in our hands. But
now commences the strange and sad tale of the de-
nouement. The story at this point is naturally a
little confused, end there have been at least half a
dozen versions of it before the public. The main
facts, however, are as follows—Our troops having
entered the pah found it, to their surprise, almost
deserted. Only two or three wounded natives were
seen inside. Thrown off their guard; the men
dispersed and it is said fell to plundering. In
an instant there opened from beneath and frcm
every side a tremendous fire of musketry, pointed
by unseen hands. The whole ground was alive
with Maories, and the air was rent with their
savage yells. A panic seized the 43d, and the
whole party, in spite of the heroic Efforts of their
officers, fled in terror from the deadly place. A
second force despatched to their support, under
Captain Hamilton, cf the Esk, arrived just in time
to share their fate. Their gallant leader himself,
while standing on the parapet and waving his
sword to the blue jackets, was shot through the
head, almost all the other officers being either killed
or wounded. The men poured headlong out of the
breach like a flock of sheep. To complete the story
of the disaster, the 68-,h, who had gone round, as we
have seen, by the rear of the enemy's position, were
also repulsed in an attack upon another face cf the
pah. Thrice were they led to Ilea aesauit, and thrice
driven back by the deadly cross fire. The night of
the 21h ciceed oo a scene perhaps unparalleled in
British military annals. A regular force of infantry,
supported by the crews of three or four men-cf-war
and by 13 large guns, had been beaten in a hand-
to-hand conflict with a horde of savages. A British
regiment had fled in terror from perhaps an equal
number of Maori-a. Our loss comprised no less
than 25 killed and 73 wounded, many of whom are
since dead. The proportion of officers slain is some-
what remarkable. The 43d Regiment lost in offi-
cers alone es many as, perhaps, any single regiment
at the battle 017 the Alm:. Tr fir colonel himself
(Booth) was left mortally wounded by his men
within the pßit, and is since dead of his wounds.
Four captains (Glover, Muir, Hamilton, and Utter-
ton) and two lieutenants (Langlands and Glover)
were also among the killed, besides several other
olficer3 wounded. The Naval Brigade lost Captain
Hamilton, of the Esk, and Commander Hey, of the
Harrier, both highly distinguiseel and popular offi-
cers, and both equally glorious in their death.
Among the Curaeee's crew was slain Lieut. Hill, the
senior surviving officer of the ill-fated Orpheus. The
Maories, on their side, are supposed to have suffered
but slightly in proportion. Their killed were fir
set down at 40, but later acceunts make them
only 20, el.laou;4h it is probable that, according
to the usual native custom, they carried off many
of their dead in their subs: Trent retreat. This
untoward affair has excited a profound sensation
throughout the colonies, and will probably lead to
an indefieite prolongation of the war, through the
feeling of exultetien which it will have engendered
on one side, and of es.aspereelon on the other. It is
fair to say that no blame is to be attached to Gen.
Cameron in this his first misfortune in the fiend. All
the arrangements for the attack seem to have been
well and carefully devised ; and allowing that the
best way of taking a Maori pah is to storm it in
front, everything was done that skill and diligence
could do to this end. The disgrace belongs solely to
the 433 Regiment, which fled ignominiously from
before the enemy, leaving their cfficers behind to be
slain.

It does not tend to alleviate our sense of d:seom-
fit are, bat rather to add to our mortification, to learn
that the pah which had been so valorously defended
by the brave Ngapuhies was evacuated the same
night, and cccupied by us the next morning with-
out any di cu Ity. the Maories had followed their
tli
usual tactics on this ocnasion, of using their pah#
rather as means oe annoyance to an advancing foe
than as permanent works of defence. 11,inforce-
naenta hare boon sent to Gen, Cameron s army from
Auckland, end it is proposed to carry on a regular
campaign against the rebels of the eastern coast,
and to drive them from pah to pah until they are
ultimately conquered, as were the Waikatoes.
In the meantime some detalchd operations of
our troops in other Quarters have been crowned
with complete success. In Taranaki a large body
of Maories, for the first time perhaps in history,
marched out into the open field to attack a British
post on Sentry-hill, held by Major Butler,
some 30 or 40 soldiers. On this occasion the
?daories were in both senses on the wrong side: of
the fence. They were repulsed with great slaughter,
leaving their chief, Perenga Klegi, and upwards of
100 Mal killed and wounded. Tee lees on the
British side was absolutely nil. There has been also
another engagement at Maketu, on the eastern coast,
in which the rebels were defeated with great
slaughter by the 65th and a large body of friendly
natives of the .Arawa tribe. On this occesicn our
sable allies displayed great gallantry, ohargieg in
advance of the British troepa, and dying nearly all
the actual i-j2hting. The Arawas, who inhabit the
country of the hot springs in the romantic and
beautiful district of Rotorna, have an old grudge
against the Ngsphuis, dating from the days of the
terrible E liengi, who, 40 years ego, spread deso-
lation among the lake tribes with the aid in mus-
kets and money which he had received from King
,George The battle at Maketu is highly satis-
factery, as showing that the war is not altogether a
war of races, and that we can depend upon a large