The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-13 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND-.

we have a file of the New Zealand Spectator and Cook's
Straits Guardian, published at Wellington, New Zealand,
to
23d May. These papers supply us with the offi-
al and other details of the affair of " The Hutt," in
it will be seen, six men of the 58th Foot were
Riled, and four wounded, by the natives (Meories), led
by
.kaegiaheata, who took so active a part in the
aleeghter of our countrymen at the commencement of
the disputes in the northern parts of the colony.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR.
Wellington, May 21, 1846.
Sir,._ Wellington, the desire of his Honour Major Richmond, I
Li
beg hand you copies of the reports of Major Last and
~e
," • • Page relative to the late attack by the natives on
11 etachn:ent of the 58th Regiment stationed at Mr.
cott's farm on the Hutt, in order that the public may
ik possession of authentic information on the subject.
I am, Sir, yours obediently,
S. E. GRIMSTONE, Secretary.
(Copy-)
Wellington, May 18, 1846.
f Sir,--1 have the honour to enclose a copy of a letter
itrwe Page, 58th Regiment, detailing an attack
41* Pont'im by the natives on the morning of the
16th cast, in Whieit I regret to state our loss has been
wa"" ,as will be seen by the annexed list of killed and
,nounded nut of the 50 men under his command that were
Zthe position he and his small party so bravely de-
eded at Boulcott's Farm, about two milts in advance of
, "eek:lde, containing 50 more of the same regiment
cpr Captain Hardy.
t hearing of the attack I instantly dispatched an
er for Captain Hardy and his men to move forward
tor
thl;eut. Page's support, sending the same number of 99111 Regiment from Wellington by a forced march,
toe eel lace them in the stockade, proceeding myself as
,9"iehly as possible to the scene of action, and on reach-
for thy position, about eleven A.sr., just 1; fore the rein-
foircement had arrived, I found the enemy were still
!ering in the vicinity of the position, and firing on us
at Hite rtals from the thick scrub on the opposite bank of
the river.
At this time Captain Hardy and party came up and
several volunteers, when I immediately advanced with
endmy whole force (as far as practicable) in extended order,
directed a heavy fire of musketry, which drove the
elty back and silenced them.
The thickness of the forest precluded our being able to
a
tise'ltain what casualties occurred, and there is no
01114 they must have been considerable.
pardr• Galbraith, of the 99th Regiment, on his arrival
reepi e erY attention to the wounded, whose cases he
the —4 over from Dr. Turnbull, who happened to be in
ttneighbourhood at the time, to whom I am under
r:aitthnbligations for his skill and care until Dr. Gal-
are Goinghell, and I am happy to say the wounded men

I have the honour to be, Sir,
,„ Your most obedient servant,
(Signed) EDWARD LAST,
Major, 99th Regiment, commanding
troops, Southern District.
h 14i8 etura. 40nouhe Superintendent, &c., Wellington. _
~ ~r t.
the of tue.killed and wounded of the Force under
t Command. of Lieutenant Page, 58th Regiment,
ItvhniLe resisting, an attack of the rebellious natives in
vt.e Valley of the Hutt on the morning of the 16th
1)!-443', 1846.
liiiied-B.th Regiment—Lance Corporal James
bolt 4.1; Privates William Allen, Robert Brett, Thos.
Wo„J.,llTadden, T. Sonham. Total killed, 6.
Privau_llaecl.--Lance Sergeant ;E. : logran (severely); Tot a, vs Patrick Bevan, Thomas Tayler, John Ward.
al, 4.

(Copy.)
Sir TL. Carnp River Hutt, May 16, 1846.
hoSoir CT" have the honour to state that about half an
where'l're; daylight this morning the sentry in front of
Maori Li
° "113.41 picquet was posted observed several
Mel), aestereePiaftow towards him ; he fired, when immedi-
rooodi "'uvY rush was made from all parts of the sur-
just tng w„(L'od• The picquet was overpowered in an
oceoalnil, ,:"• he Maories then surrounded the outhouses
up 4°4 O.Y part of the troops, at the same time keeping
cheek. 'avY lire. Sergeant Norton here succeeded in
hous.l4i3 them with a few men who got out of the
two :3' I rushed from the back part of my house pith
salliedtants, but we were driven back directly. We
made our forth again, and with a few men who joined up,
tato °ur way at last to the barn, round which I had
(:)47 It. small stockade, occupied by half my force (25)..
as w,r.riving there, I advanced in extended order, with
take-44Y more of the men as I could in all safety
acres from the stockade, and drove the enemy
b 1,„8 . the river. They then plundered a, house.
Per,.:"ging to a settler of the name of M Hardie.,
te,ita the darkness we were unable to judgenrcL-
tv'Y of their numbers; from those w
W'r dance they had afterwards, I shouMftssuapw'osae there
o. ,
b -e bout 200. I feel convinced but tha. for.pthe alert-
;eft of all turning out, and the determination of the
meat we should all have fallen. The enemy were so
) P L4aa letel • superior in numbers, and having the advan-
uot knowing the ground, and watching us for some
"41e befo the alarm was given. It was impossible to
14e4lain i:ethe outhouses, as none of them would resist a
lballet in the slightest degree. I am sorry to say our
c's has been severe for the number of men engaged;
4eve shirehe enemy were killed, but carried away by
othectly they fell. I have the honour to be, Sir,
Ycur 9bedieni servant,

(Signed) G. HYDE PAGE,
Major Llst, 991 Regiment Lieutenant 58th Regiment.
•N.
Doet POSTSCRIPT.
reclr•••- • °I.
evo:sto be in the neighbourhood, arrived about two
-after with some volunteers. He also rendered Y assis.tance in his power to the wounded m.,n till
the arrival of Dr. Galbraith from Wellington.
(1,1 bog to en l. se a list of the killed .nd wounded.
' "e names are toile same as mentioned above).
True espy,
M. Richmond, Superintendent.

FURTHER DETAILS.
(From the New Za land Spectator, May 23.)
ii,
tv e have rut togetheerin a connected narrative the
)articulars of the attack on the troops last Saturday,
led an accourt of the events of
the past week. It may
k necessary, however, for theinformationoeinf_ouo week a
r readers
d
to
a distance, to state that deutreirnt he pr
g the
ithateat some sudden
rery general opinion was
114:even:lent was in contemplatione by Rangihaeata and the
h . firin on the recon-
aatives acting under him.
!loitring party from the campT etirPoriruga, on the 10th
iPti,,lllst., was a declaration of open hostilities on their part,
as 110 measures were taken to punish
.this outrage,
j," ,was confidently expected that Rangihaeata, ern:
"Maned by • punity, would proceed to further extre
reifies. A.• impunity,
mentioned last week, the troops sta-
tioned at Porirua were warned that a sudden attack was
intended, and an order was in consequence issued that
the ,
suould be under arms every morning at daybreak.
.. uni's warnings and offers of assistance, as we have
Frei,. toasty stated, were treated by
.Major Richmond
pith iudifference and neglect. On Friday, the day. be-
t). pit,ho
attack,a Muturoa, one of the principal chiefs of
!e
,alled on Major Richmond to warn. him of
danger, and to offer the assistance of his tribdee
but hi,
'Pise assistance was declined and his warnings .
d• Accordingly, at daybreak on Saturday morning,
.11t co Accordingly, rable of natives, amounting to
Tout 200 in numbbeord!yhad arriv.ed. in the valley of the
ilutt with the intention of surprising and cutting off the
etaf%
~- ment of the 58th Regiment, stationed at. Mr.
aßtotu.le-
b--1118 section about two miles above the stockade
4h,,
Hutt bridg ' The party of soldiers amounted to -
l'lLa, 14 "Whom were quartered in Mr. Boulcott's barn,
,":L"Lge others were dispersed in tents and the buildings in
;:immediate neighbourhood. Lieutenant Page, the
zletever in command,
and his servant, occupied Mr. Boul-
6, a house, and Mr. 80. ulcott and his two servants were
The rebels were under the
...
4 glean house adjoining.
Crtlaraand of Kaparetehau. Some, of the rebels entered
ie hoUse of a settler. named M _Hardie, and enjo.ining
(tc,l4, and his wife to silence, directed.. them immediately
„,_enve the spot. Mrs. M'llardie, on leaving her house,
I.,;','' shelter behind a fallen tree, and from her place of
„,l'Re witnessed the whole of the engagement.
ement.
gsentinel, who, on
h,e first alarm was given
.by
hi deenavvyo uvroeldl
e3t.os
rot -nig the noise, fired his piece
Wsp,the picquet. Immediately tathnrdeeel
nith loud yells
the - Kelred into the tentsheidn
oqnuick succession I,y
to
thenatives, and they.
of them,
ton, L work of destruction. Four of the soldiers were
vvh auawked on the spit in one tent. One
40,,°, acted as bugler :to the company,:
le na while in
the'l3% On the first alarm hie seized his hub behaved mate
ir...m a tonna-
h net of sounding the instr ent a blow y.
batik nearly severed his arm,
him
mseized
dAtkuck h
6i°ll,q• But while lying in this utilaitEd state
hearn his
eoe bugle R. his other hand and attempted tow to the
ten,4lr,acles of their danger, when a.tecond stroke of the
o-o.,awk nearly severed' his head from his body. The
Po
e'S evidently calculated on taking the party by stir-.
,":„Ise! and hoped that in the Confusion of an unexpected
nisedPr.'s they would fall an easy prey. But though sur-
and surrounded by superior numbers, the troop!
?_lii.ght with the most devoted courage and gallantry and
,errant
sustained the 'reputation of British soldiers. Lieu•
Letlant Page hadnae difficulty in cutting his way from
pia house, whielf was surrounded by the rebels. Th's
it length he effected, and putting himself at the head of
hisen, animated them by his presence and examp'e.
rile party stationed in the barn behaved with the ut-
atost coolness. They the
themselves into two par-
trtigt of seven each, firing by turn'', and then retreated
I.llder cover of the barn to load again. In the
vioht of the engagement a party of seven of
ue Ilutt militia, who had bcen disbanded on the pre-
bratla XlOnday; attracted .hy the sound of fir most
2‘redb ; rely repaired to the spot, and by their presence in-
iueathe troops With renewed courage, and materially
s.tributed to th) success of the day, for the rebels, be-
nng that furt ier reinforcements were close at hand,
t,vg:te to. give way, and were finally driven across the
h., r taking whit them' their dead and wounded. The
1,41111 N lasted about an hour and a half. The loss on the
G4t' ,f the troops is six killed (four of whom were
ontlawked at the commencement of the attack) and
a„,,wounded. We refer to the official dispatches for the
'u s of the killed and wounded.
Ille
reetiv Gloss on thiFart of the rebels has not been cor-
-4%1v- nertahed, as they carefully carried off every
1; Wilio fell in the engagement. Two were known to
wonlt i., 1_13e,11 killed, and several were wounded very badly.
Welrlbet.' that the total amount of their killed end
134
IS thirteen. There is na question that they
riv,r rrapletely repulsed, and were forced to recross the
D 3' tla heroic little band. The tents were com-
letei .la
1it:6,4„) riddled with bullets, the Maories firing low in the
07. that the soldiers were
.in bed. A party of the
tuldent
.i_ fir.ed several volleys into Mr. Boulcott's house,
its
ell° Impression that it w occupied by soldiers.