The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-16 00:00:00

THE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

The excitement throughout the Australian colonies with
regard to the progress of hostilities in New Zealand has not
in the slightest degree abated. And, much as we regret
the painful necessity for doing so, we must acknowledge
that the latest advices indicate that the colonists of Tara-
naki have by no means reached the most serious stage of
the war in which they are so prominently engaged. Not-
withstanding that strong hopes are entertained that the
reinforcements from this colony, and those from Tasmania,
New South Wales, and South Australia, will enable the
representative of her Majesty to assert her authority and
inflict decisive chastisement on the insurgent natives, the
latter do not appear to be intimidated by the recent arrival
at the seat of war of a numerous force, under Major-General
Pratt. In fact they have become emboldened, and, in the
words of a correspondent writing from Taranaki on the Bth
inst., the " war is on a new basis. The enemy have hitherto
respected farm property and cattle of the settlers. They
have now commenced destroying
d r ilvueuouffr al lal tthseucma
mt t laer
ya nwde sheep. "everything they can, and
gave an account of the battle of
Waitara, and of the unhappy result of the attack on the
Puketaukere pah, in which our troops suffered so severely ;
and that upon the receipt here of the news, the Executive
took steps to despatch aid with all promptitude. We stated
also that the Major-General Commanding the Forces in
Australia, had departed for New Zealand with the whole
available strength of the 40th garrisoned at Melbourne. As
stated above, they all arrived at Taranaki (on the 3d inst.)
within ten days of their departure hence. The gallant
veteran at once assumed the command, but wo have no
new of anything further connected with his proceedings,
In resuming the " journal of events" where we last closed
it, we must first make reference to the battle of Waiters
which took place on the 27th June. Four or five days sub-
sequently information was received of the loss of the Maoriee
in the engagement. There were various statements as to
the number killed, but the probable truth is that the total
in killed and wounded was upwards of two hundred ; and
amongst these several chiefs of distiiction have been named
upon good authority, one of them being no less a personage
than Marin Waero, Kingi's brother. The Maories allege
that they found and buried all the slain on our side,
to the number of seventy-eight. Since that time several
parties from the Waikatos have joined Kingi. Within a
week the rebels at Waitara had enclosed their two pahs with
a strong palisading, and were busily engaged in otherwise
fortifying their position ; and the Taranaki and Ngatiruanui
tribe., considering that they had driven the troops from
Tataraimka, a small settlement near where the battle was
fought, took possession of the land, and proclaimed that
they would not make peace an any terms. Further, the
same tribes give out that they were determined to have a
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in
progress for the election of his successor. This, however,
has been opposed by the Government authorities, on the
ground that in the king movement are embodied all the
elements of a protracted war—in fact, a war of extermina-
tion ; for there is much reason to apprehend that many of
the tribes, now neutral, would in the event of any further
reverses to our troops, bo likely to join with the rebels in a
desire for a native king. The king's flag-staff was cut
down at Wares, and the rebel tribes above-mentioned have
threatened to cut down the Queen's at Mount Elliott. This
threat, however, was vain, for in a few days a large force of
seamen and marines from H.M.S. Cordelia, Iris, Niger,
and Elk formed an encampment there. On the 2d July it
reprtecl that there were 940 rebels at Waitara, eh-