New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand.
Hanhart
Incidents
Of
The Maori War.
New Zealand.
In
By
Colonel Sir
James E. Alexander
Knt. K.C.L.S., F.R.G.S., and R.A.S.
Author of "a Campaign in Cafferland," "Explorations in Africa,
America," &c.
America
London:
Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street.
Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.
London:
Printed by A. Schulze, 13, Poland Street.
Reprint Published By
Capper Press
Christchurch, New Zealand
Printed offset by the Caxton Press, Christchurch
Respectfully Inscribed
To
Major-General W. F. Forster, K.H.
Military Secretary
To
H.R.H. The Field-Marshal Commanding-In-Chief.
Preface.
New Zealand, the home of many of Britain's enterprising sons, and acquiring great importance from its commanding position in the Southern Pacific Ocean, has lately had much attention directed towards it from the unlooked-for disturbance of friendly relations between the Colonists and the Maories, resulting in a war, which from small beginnings attained formidable dimensions, and continued for many months. The principal incidents and events of that conflict are narrated in the following pages, and it is hoped they will found interesting to civilian as well as military readers, as strict impartiality is shewn towards the contending parties.
On the establishment of a lasting peace, the great advantages which New Zealand
It will be observed by those who are pleased to peruse this volume, that the Author is an Aborigines-protectionist, and that he feels keenly on this subject, at the same time he professes to entertain the most friendly sentiments towards colonists and settlers, as long as they do not interfere with native rights, and believe, and act on the belief, that Divine Providence has given an inheritance to those of dark as well as fair complexions.
Operationson the Waitara R.
Taranaki.
Incidents of The Maori War in
ChapterI.
The Curragh Camp—Second Battalion of the 14th Regiment ordered to New Zealand—How this was taken—March to Cork—The 'Robert Lowe' Troop-ship—Hurry at embarking—Improvement in Troop-ships—Gymnastics—A Fire Parade—The 'Nautilus,' a weekly paper—Births and Deaths—Proper division of time on board—Sunsets—Story of an old Salt—Sea Birds—A Gale of Wind—Dante's allusion to the Southern Cross—Antarctic cold—Gough's Island—Dangerous position of the ' Indian Queen'—Bulling a cask—Colds and Cramps—Icebergs—Escape of five sailors—American Sealers—St. Paul's Island—The Big Wave Night—Ice on the Water—Pass Tasmania—Approach New Zealand—Sketch of the West coast—Arrive at Auckland—Excursions.
At the Curragh Camp, Ireland, in the summer of 1860, when 10,000 strong men, the flower of Britain's soldiers, were assembled
On our march back to the huts, the band playing a fine German air which we have since called " The New Zealand March," I halted the young battalion, the second of the 14th Regiment, and communicated the intelligence of our destination, namely to " the ends of the earth," over the wide ocean 16,000 miles from home; but I said I was sure they would like the adventure, they were young and no doubt anxious to see the world and to gain experience of the sea; in the transports their comfort would be attended to. New Zealand was one of the finest of British Colonies, as respects climate better than home, and not much fear of sickness there. Service abroad was now being shortened, and before many
The men seemed greatly pleased with the idea of going abroad " on station" as they called it, and none deserted, and some hundreds from other corps wanted to go with us. We had not been much more than two years raised, and I did not expect to have been sent so far (having pretty well trodden the earth before in many climes). I imagined that a Channel island might have been our destination after the Curragh; but it was otherwise ordered, and like an old oriental I took it as my fate, considering that the soldier's motto should be "ubi bene, ibi patria."
I had always longed to see New Zealand, remembering the grand appearance presented
We had not much time given to prepare for the long voyage to the Antipodes, and we did not want much; light marching order, and no furniture was the word. A short visit to our native Scotland, was followed by a march to Cork. Leaving the huts for the station with four bands complimenting us, we had music " galore."
I took as the head-quarters of the regiment, the left wing with Major Douglas, also the band. Major Dwyer taking charge of his own wing, the right, in the " Boanerges" sailing ship, followed by another ship the " Savilla," in which Captain Vivian commanded 100 men.
Our vessel was the " Robert Lowe," of 1500 tons, and with an auxiliary screw of 360 horse power, Captain Congalton
The officials who embarked us, were probably desirous that our baggage should be well stowed between decks, which was quite right for the sake of the due ventilation of the ship; but instead of our proceeding to sea deliberately as we ought to have done, sea kits and hammocks regularly issued and marked, we were hurried off in twenty-four hours before these necessary operations could be accomplished; thirty-six or forty-eight hours after embarkation, before sailing, would have well settled every body and every thing, "festina lente," methodically hasten being the motto, and not " fire off your gun before you take aim." However an old soldier should preserve his presence of mind under all circumstances, do his duty, and as the Irish have it " keep on never minding."
There is an improved system now for fitting out and provisioning troop-ships. The " Henry Ferine," lately arrived in New Zealand, is a specimen troop-ship as to room, ventilation, and provisions. We had no fresh meat for the men; but we had good salt meat and biscuit, peas, flour, tea, cocoa, and good water. The men slept in hammocks, with fixed tables and benches athwart ship for their meals, which were not taken on the deck as in some foreign troop-ships. The poor women and children were stowed away amidships below, dark and close; but there was no help for it, and Doctor Carte ventilated the berth as well as it would admit of; delicate and suitable food should not be forgotten for the children on long voyages, or they will soon suffer on mens' rations.
The women were sent on deck as often as the weather would admit of it, and their berths constantly kept as clean as possible.
There was the usual misery of sea sickness for the first three days, then with the band on deck and favouring breezes, the spirits and appetites revived, following which were
It is very important in troop-ships, as soon as the men have gained their sea legs, that there should be a fire parade, sending the greater number of the men below and distributing them to pass water buckets; on the upper deck, sentries to keep order, a party of soldiers to assist in working the pumps, the carpenter and his mates being in charge of the fire engine, and the men being told off to the boats, as many as they will accommodate, spars being supposed to make a raft for the remainder. There is little confusion or hurry on the occasion of a fire, as I proved once in
We sped on our course (a south-westerly one) with sails, not requiring the screw. Madeira was seen one afternoon on our port quarter, massive, lofty, and partly cloudcovered, and though as yet there was no
"Life on the ocean wave,"
in the shape of fish, still ships in the first part of the voyage were not wanting to us daily. An illustrated weekly paper was commenced, called " The Nautilus," this is a great help to dispel ennui, during a voyage to remote regions, it may comprise much information with amusement, and give full employment for the pen and pencil.
As we approached the line, the delicate Portuguese man-of-war with its purple keel spread its thin film to the breeze, flying fish and dolphins also added to the interest of the voyage. Great fish like young whales gambolled in the ocean and stood away before us,
A play was acted by the officers, and the men organized a corps of negro minstrels, and gave recitations; also in manly exercises, boxing gloves, foils and single sticks were freely used. At the Curragh, a considerable supply of second-hand books was" obtained from Dublin by contributions of the officers and the subscriptions of companies, the ever deeply to be lamented Lord Herbert of Lea, Secretary of State for War, on my applying to him, directed 100 volumes to be provided for each ship, of useful and interesting literature, neatly bound. Cards are prohibited in barracks, but I allowed a few packs on board ship on the shady side of the deck. In the cabin, rubbers at whist were the extent of the play. No commanding officer should allow round games, which are apt to become exceedingly dangerous.
We remembered also the Sabbath day, and endeavoured to "keep it holy;" prayers were read for both protestants and catholics, and a discourse delivered from " Plain words," which are well adapted for soldiers and sailors.
About this time the heat and languor became great, but the latter was modified by an early plunge bath for which there was great demand; a shower bath of salt water between the Tropics is very invigorating, I remember its great value on a return from service in the East.
We had births and deaths on board; our school mistress, Mrs Vaughan, an attentive and zealous young woman, fell a victim to consumption, also a fine young soldier, and no less than nine children died; some were sickly before they came on board, with others the want of proper food possibly caused the poor things to succumb. When we crossed the line, Neptune did not appear on deck, in troop-ships his presence is considered dangerous, as he does not agree with soldiers, and he might have become jealous of their attentions to his Amphitrite, and who like a turkey might have been attracted by the red rag. Some ships were seen homeward bound, and a fine Spanish brig passed not far off.
Besides dividing the time properly, and usefully employing each portion of it, to get
Sometime ago, during a steam-boat passage on the Lower Shannon, in the evening, the engineer of the craft was pointing out to the listening passengers, "for'ard the funnel," who had been round the Horn. "Talk of your boat," he said, " she could not live five minutes 'round the Horn,' there the wind is so strong that we can't carry common sails, but have leather ones, canvass would be blown into ribbons like silk handkerchiefs, and as to your captain, the old bullock, if he had been there we would have skinned him, and made sails of his hide! To give you a notion of the wind ' round the Horn,' one night we sprung our main-top gallant yard, the carpenter went aloft to fish it, and the wind blew the teeth out of his saw!" " Yes," said the engineer, " and I suppose it took two men to hold his hat on," at this 'chaff' the old salt turned away in much disgust.
We had a taste of 'Horn weather' also, though not in the same degree as the old sailor described, neither were the buttons of our coat blown off. After various indications and prognostications, first appeared great
What sailors elegantly call Davy Jones' locker was nearly visited by a drummer, who was caught up by the fore sheet and swung over the side and for'ard life boat, but holding on was swung back again on board. Heavy seas were shipped and there were many wet jackets. Lee lurches, most destructive to glass and crockery, spilt soup, occasioning many a soupir for spoilt garments, and worst
The Magellan clouds about the South Pole and the glorious Southern Cross were objects of great interest in the moonless nights; of this last the poet Dante strangely says (and in his time, the 13th century, the Cape of Storms had not been passed by Europeans, though the Phoenicians may have done so.)
"Io mi volsi a man destra eposi mente, All altro polo, e vide quatro stelle Non viste mai fuor ch alla prima gente Goder pareva 'l ciel si lor fiammelle." "To the right hand I turned and fix'd my mind To the other pole attentive, when I saw Four stars ne'er seen before save by the ken Of our first parents. Heaven of those days seemed joyous."
By the middle of October, the cold weather of the great southern ocean had commenced, and as the thermometer fell the appetites rose, and, barometrically, remained at " set fair."
Gough's Island was looked for and believed to have been seen on the evening of the 16th October; at daylight, the following morning, there was no doubt of its vicinity, as its summit of five distinct elevations and massive volcanic sides appeared in our port bow. Its highest point is 4,300 feet high, it is six miles long, four broad, and fifteen in circuit, is covered with grass and stunted trees; cascades descend from the cliffs into the sea, there is a landing place for boats on the north side where there is also fresh water, and
"Placed far amid the melancholy main"
Gough's Island is without an inhabitant and likely ever to be so, for its appearance is far
Whilst near Gough's Island the calm induced me to ask the captain to lower a couple of boats, and there was some excitement and wholesome exercise in pulling from the ship and round her; but the boats dropped astern, and the ship, sitting light on the water, crept away from us with the puffs of wind she got aloft; after a very tough pull and no indications of the ship's sails being backed, a signal of distress, a handkerchief on a boat hook, was obliged to be hoisted in the gig, which had the desired effect.
We had another gale of wind with great seas dashing over us and small sails set, and went rolling and pitching uncomfortably over the deep.
Some captains of ships who are ambitious of quick runs, commit mistakes by getting too far south to get into veins of strong wind in these inhospitable antarctic seas; thus the Indian Queen" was nearly lost in 1859 in 60° south and 149° west, from Melbourne to England. At 2 a.m., 1st April, it being the captain's watch on deck, and the ship going ten knots with stun sails set, the passengers were awoke by a fearful shock, the noise of falling spars and a loud grinding against a hard substance. Hurrying on some clothes they came on the poop, and found themselves alongside of a large iceberg, the bow-sprit stove in and shattered, the upper masts carried away and with the sails hanging over the side, and tons of ice tumbling on the forecastle. The captain had deserted the ship and had lowered the life-boat (and with the chief officer, thirteen sailors and two passengers out of forty-one on board) was seen in it when
The people in the boat having lost their oars cried for help, when no help could be rendered them from the disabled ship, except to cast a life buoy and rope to one man, who swam to the vessel, he got half way up its side, when he fell back exhausted, and sank out of sight, The second officer, carpenter and four of the crew remained on board. To Thomas Howard, the carpenter, the greatest credit was given, after calling out " all right with the pumps and no leak sprung!" he encouraged all hands, who clearing away the wreck and with jury masts rigged, the hull was brought to Valparaiso. The captain's son was amongst the saved, seventeen were lost for want of presence of mind in their chief.
"Bulling a rum cask" may be a novelty to landsmen, it is thus performed, water is put into an empty barrel and it is rolled about, this was practised on board once or twice for'ard, and the effects were soon discovered among the red and blue jackets, but this spirited proceeding was soon stopped.
On the whole, the men, for young soldiers, behaved very well on board, one thief (of comrades' necessaries) I was obliged to tie up; but averse as most commanding officers are to corporal punishment it cannot yet be altogether dispensed with, and one punishment a year of this kind, instead of a hundred when I first entered the service, seems to suffice. Soon, no doubt, it will be quite done away with.
"What sort of a morning is it John?" "In the first part of the night it snewed, sir, and in the morning it friz horrid." Conversation of an officer with his man John in Canada, and such might have been the reply to morning enquiries about the weather we had in the end of October, truly productive of chattering teeth, livid cheeks and blue noses. People are told to "look pleasant" when they are photographed, this was not the time for this operation, the thermometer at 30° with occasional snow showers, even hardy sailors took colds and cramps, and the captain was also laid up. He was a very skilful navigator, but one of those, I thought, who went too
Great excitement was occasioned one forenoon by Dr. Carte calling out " ice!" and sure enough a large mass of ice, blueish white, twenty feet high and seventy or eighty long, a young iceberg or the "calf" of one, was descried on our port bow. We passed it within a few hundred yards, with the sea breaking occasionally high over it. An iceberg shews above water only a fourth of its real size, or even less, so that a rock in the ocean is not more dangerous than a nearly immoveable mass of ice, or one making way at the rate of a knot a day. Five men were some time ago "landed" on a field of ice to make a ship fast to it with warps; a breeze sprung up, the ship was borne away before it, twenty miles out of sight, the rising sea broke off the piece of ice on which the men stood, they had not much more than standing room on it, were all night clinging to it and trying to prevent sleep overpowering them. The second night they must have perished, when providentially the ship, in cruising about for them, descried
We passed Prince Edward's Island, described by Cook in 1776 as high, fifteen leagues round, divided by a strait; then the Crozet group of islands, dreary and uninhabited like other islands of this great southern ocean. We are not aware of any natives like the Esquimaux of the North being found south of " the Horn," though sea fowl, and seals large and small as sea-elephants, lion and dog seals used to abound on the rocky shores of the antarctic land till the Americans began to destroy them wholesale.
American sealing ships are usually little old barks, or brigs with a mizen-mast set on the tafferil, though sometimes so small a craft as a forty ton sloop is seen on a sealing voyage, with eight-and-twenty hands on board from Boston, all shareholders, and bound for Kerguelen or the Island of Desolation of Cook. This we passed not far off, and towards it a tall masted Yankee seemed steering. No
Some lectures were delivered to the officers and men on field fortification, attack and defence of posts, the ship's track, &c., which were rendered as interesting as circumstances would admit of; we had also a large magic lantern supplied by the War Office for lectures on natural history, astronomy, &c.
Of all the Southern islands (some of which the examiners for commissions never heard of) the most interesting was one to the north of us, St. Paul's, adjacent to the large Island of Amsterdam. St. Paul's ten miles by five is the summit of an extinct volcano in the ocean, though gleams of sulphurous fire are said to be still occasionally seen at night on some
Inside, on the sides of the cliffs, are seen some terraces with rude huts and gardens, these were formed by French Creoles of the Mauritius, who resort to St. Paul's to catch and dry fish, as rock cod, bonita, a sort of mackerel, and large craw-fish are also in plenty here; and the fishermen are delighted to exchange fish, also mustard and cress, cabbages, and a few potatoes for the narcotic weed.
There are natural salt pans in the rocks, filled by the dash of the sea, and the water being evaporated by the sun, leaves a plentiful supply of fine salt. A boiling spring at the entrance to the crater, of 212° of heat, enables fresh caught fish to be boiled in a similar way to that practised by the Scotch Lord Lovat, who, as a sort of cruel joke, had a cauldron boiling on the edge of a salmon leap,
Our weekly "Nautilus" was still kept up with unabating zeal; poetry, prose, facetiæ, and numerous illustrations being freely supplied and relished every Saturday forenoon. We give one acrostic:
Roiling on through trackless ocean, Onward towards our port we steer, Bounding on with easy motion, Every day that port we near Rocked to sleep on Neptune's breast, Tars and soldiers soundly rest. Long may raging billows spare thee! O'er their bosom swift to sweep, Winds be fair and quickly bear thee, English transport through the deep.
The ship having been brought into what the captain called " a good vein of wind " in latitude 48° in the beginning of November, washed her sides well and dashed from them vast quantities of soap suds at the rate of ten, twelve, and fifteen knots an hour.
We had a big-wave night which astonished
Some time ago two Americans went to a house of entertainment and ordered in champagne and ice, whilst seated comfortably before their " fixings," a backwoodsman or "hoosier" came in, and sitting down opposite, helped himself without invitation to the wine. " That's cool!" said one gentleman to the other. " Yes," said the Hoosier, " there is ice in it!" When we were away south about Kerguelen island, it was cool, and there seemed to be plenty of ice in the water there, and those who jumped into the early bath
The excitement in the middle of November was lotteries, the hour that the anchor would be dropped at Auckland, the hour the first sail would be seen from the deck. Curious specimens of sea-weed passed us, but it was difficult to secure any of these floating algæ without stopping the ship. Microscopes were all ready to examine the marine curiosities usually attached to sea-weed in the distant paths of ocean.
On the 17th November we were south of tho flourishing island of Tasmania, which presents its bold and rugged promontories to the ocean, abounds in diversified scenery, mountain and plain, " wooded hill and smiling valley," is well watered, has a fine healthy climate and is nearly as large as Ireland. If regiments in future were not left during the whole term of their service at one of the southern colonies, it might be better; thus four
"Come gentle spring! ethereal mildness come! And from the bosom of yon dropping cloud, While music wakes around veiled in a shower Of shadowy roses on the plains descend."
Thus sang the poet of the Seasons, and thus we felt the kindly influence of the beauteous time of the year, the May of the South in the end of November, as we approached the southern Britain, New Zealand, resembling our island home too, having a cloud-land over it, long banks of neutral, tinted and fleecy clouds resting on the eastern sky, over which at night a charming moon shone bright.
Under all the circumstances of our case, it was not difficult to make up one's mind to a sojourn for a long or a short period in the youngest and, by many considered, the finest colony of our empire. We first approached the S.W. portion of the Middle Island, which presents to the Southern Ocean a giant barrier of stupendous mountains (Mount Cook the highest, 14,000 feet above the sea) and frowning cliffs; between and among these are numerous deep inlets, affording shelter from the wind but without anchorage generally, the swell thrown into these deep sounds with their beetling crags, after a westerly gale, must be awfully grand as it breaks high and roars against the adamantine coast.
Vast and unexplored forests are to the east of the southern Alps, and where_still roam the remains of scattered tribes in all their native wildness, clothed in mats, and carrying the clubs and spears of their ancestors. Also it is believed by a recent explorer of the southern part of the province of Otago, there is to be found alive there the great elephant bird, the Dinornis, or Moa, of which only fossil bones
"Light breezes and fine " obliged us to put the kettle on, and make steam; but we had not much occasion for our auxiliary during the voyage, though it is an excellent " stand by " in light winds.
Our accomplished band-master, Herr Louis Werner, had composed a fantasia dedicated to the officers of the 14th regiment: called "The Voyage to New Zealand;" it was descriptive of the route from the Curragh Camp to Cork, the embarkation, incidents during the voyage, including the storm and squalling infants, the arrival in port, and the finale. This fantasia was played as we sighted the North Cape, passed the Three Kings, and sailed down the east coast with its strange cliffs at Bream Head, the sail rock, like a schooner beating, Barrier island, &c., and on St. Andrew's day, after eighty-one days at sea, we safely anchored
There on its hilly site, divided by ravines and mostly composed of wooden houses, a church spire here and there, a showy Government house, barracks, and wooded domain in rear, and the whole backed by the massive extinct volcano—Mount Eden, the appearance of Auckland was imposing.
His Excellency Colonel Gore Brown, C.B., was Governor of New Zealand at this time. As senior officer I relieved Colonel Kenny, and became commandant of the troops in the province of Auckland; regulars, militia, volunteers, &c. The Maori war in the province of Taranaki being at its height, I had to receive and despatch men and matériel, and became also president of a tedious general-court-martial on a late brigade-major. I was thus prevented from going to the seat of war at once as I was anxious to do, though eventually I was able to accomplish my wishes.
From Auckland there are agreeable excursions to be made by boats, or on horseback. I visited with Lady Alexander every place of
ChapterII.
The Maories—Their improvement—What ought to be our Policy with regard to them—Their previous condition—Effects of Missions among them—The Bishop of New Zealand—An opinion of Governor Grey's—Muscular appearance of the Maories—Maori Women—Temperature of the North Island—Costume of Maories—Their Mats—Displays of energy—War Dances—Their arms—Religion—Tapu—A proud White Man—The King movement—Originated with Hongi Heka—The Rev. Mr. Taylor—Taranaki Land League—The Rev. Mr. Buddle—Tarapipipi—Teawaitoa—Te Whero Whero becomes King Potatau—Reasons for not opening Roads—Anecdote of a Traveller—Advice to Officers—How we should deal with the Natives—Loss of Children—Abuse of Tobacco—How the Rising Generation can be improved.
The fine race of Maories of New Zealand were lately believed to be a people who had been subdued, civilized, and christianized without war. It is true that they have
The frightful state of things in New Zealand from 1831 to 1837 is recorded in the pages of Polock and other authors; tribe then warred against tribe; the land ran with blood; horrors inconceivable were perpetrated; not only were the slain in battle eaten, but slaves for slight offences were knocked on the head, cooked and devoured! I have seen the old chief Teraia, who partook of his last human feast in 1843, he is said also to have eaten seven wives; they could not have agreed with him, for his head is shaky, and though it was tried, he could not be photographed.
If men of energy, daring, and intelligence, like Bishop Selwyn, and many of his coadjutors, of various denominations of christians, had not devoted themselves to the task of conversion, and traversed the length and breadth of the land, principally on foot, endured the extremes of heat and cold, perils by land and water, scanty fare, drenching rain, stifling accommodation, crowded wharrés or huts, the plague of insects and other
Among the perils to which the christian teachers of the Maories were subject, was being knocked on the head from sudden passion. Thus the Bishop of New Zealand on one occasion was remonstrating with a wild young man about his conduct, and he said, " you will not listen, your ears are full of tobacco," on which the other went off for his tomahawk, and was running at the Bishop with deadly intent, when he was held by the other natives till his passion cooled. The Maories consider it a great insult to allude to their head in any way.
The successive governors of New Zealand, Captains Hobson and Fitzroy, R.N., Sir George Grey, Colonel Wynyard, (acting) and Colonel Gore Browne, were selected for their character and ability for this high office, and
The fresh sea breezes which blow across the high mountains, the extensive plains, and the noble forests of New Zealand, seem to drive away almost all unhealthy influences from these favoured islands of the Southern Ocean. The brown race, therefore, which inhabits them, is generally of large proportions, lusty, and muscular. They are usually good-natured, and are easily excited to mirth, at the same time like the volcanic fires which exist in the
Originally from the Malay stock they are active and brave, at the same time exercising great cunning and cleverness in taking advantage of and contriving cover for themselves in their pahs, or stockades, and strongholds, and not throwing away their lives too recklessly. Young women are sometimes seen of considerable personal attractions with fine black eyes, luxuriant hair and good teeth. A lower lip stained blue, and some tatooing on the chin detract from their natural beauty in the eyes of strangers, but this seems to have been got over in some cases, after a residence in the island, when a Maori wife is selected by a Pakeha or white man.
The custom of tatooing the face and parts of the body is still maintained in New Zealand, though not to that extent it was formerly. The older New Zealanders we see, that is those over fifty years of age, are generally complely tattooed in circles and segments of
The wavy black hair of both sexes is so full and thick, that it seems a complete protection to the head from any harm the New Zealand sun can do them. The extreme of heat I experienced in the province of Auckland was 86°, and I have been awoke repeatedly from cold, when in a tent during a whole winter, and found the thermometer at 30°, and the water frozen in the tumbler on the table. But after much experience of Canadian winters, also Russian, and when we used to look about zero, and under it, for the degrees of cold, the above seemed very trifling.
The Maories seemed unhappy in rain, cowering in their huts in the months of June, July and August, when rain fell in torrents and the country was deep in mud.
A Maori is a much more picturesque object in his ample flax mat with a richly coloured border and ornamented with dog skin, or in a blanket white or red, than in European clothes. Our worthy missionaries do not seem to regard it as of much consequence how
The peculiar squares and vandyke patterns of the borders of the handsomest mats might be copied advantageously in cloth of European texture, and exhibiting equally the bright white, red and black colours to which the Maories are partial.
The restless energy of the New Zealanders was evinced in their readiness for warlike enterprizes, in the strong desire of many of them to see foreign countries, and in their frequently engaging in whaling voyages on
The rapidity with which they construct pahs of heavy timber for a permanent defence, and of lighter pickets for a temporary purpose, and to prevent their rifle pits in the rear of the stockade from being rushed, also their power in paddling, and their skill in managing their canoes, either for warlike or peaceable purposes demand admiration.
But when working themselves up to a state of frenzy, previous to engaging their enemies, and with frantic gestures and yells demoniacal dancing the haka or war dance, the evil passions which lurk in man's heart were evinced in their most terrible form. The ground shook under their heavy tread, as with distorted faces and tongues thrust out, eyes glaring, and limbs distorted, and brandishing a club, paddle, or fire-arm, they hurled defiance at their enemies. With the native mere or club, and hani or spear they soon came to close quarters and engaged in deadly attempts to brain or stab each other. With fire-arms the contest was sometimes prolonged at a distance
In the Taranaki war they uncovered when fighting, or wore merely a shirt and trousers with one or two or three cartouche boxes strapped across their breast, or worn diagonally across the body. Sword, or bayonet are not at present used by the Maories, the flat club or mere supplied their place, or a small patiti or hatchet, or tomahawk.
Slaves were made of many of the prisoners of war, or they were knocked on the head and eaten previous to 1843, since that time there has been no human feast. Still wounded men were killed, as was deplorably shewn in 1860 in the Puketakauere affair.
The religion of the Maories was very indefinite. They believed in an atua or spitit, and in a water-god, and imagined that ghosts walked at night. Sir George Grey in his "Polynesian Mythology" enters fully into this matter.
The tapu is still in force in many parts of the northern island, but is also wearing out with the spread of intelligence. It was a simple means of defining property, also of shewing respect to the dead, making sacred their wahitapu or burial plaCe.
Travellers must remark in all parts of the world that people are alike in this respect, if you are kind to them they will be kind to you, "act as you wish to be acted upon" is the best rule to follow with the Maori, as with other people. Some men in look or manner betray themselves.
Thus a Maori was asked, "why don't you like such a white man?" "Oh, he is a king, when we go to him he puts out a finger, and
"Whatever others do, do thou the right, Steadfast in virtue's straight and open way, Tho' others do the deeds that need the night, Do thou the deeds that shine in lightest day,"
should be our rule in our dealings with aborigines, remembering what an American Indian said, "We wish to live and hold the land which God has given us, and our fathers have won. We are poor, but we have hearts; strangers might bring death to us, but we do not wish to die or pass away, or to part with our country."
Some unjustly attribute the King movement to recent European promptings; we must look a little further, and we shall find that the renowned warrior, Hongi Hika of the Ngapuhis, was the first Maori chief who, after his visit to England in 1820, when he received gifts from George IV, first entertained the idea of being the supreme chief, or King of New Zealand, and out of mere personal ambition. For seven years he waged wars and made
The Rev. Mr. Taylor of Whanganui in his excellent work on New Zealand. "Te eka a Maui" describes how Matene Te Whiwhi of Otaki was the next who desired to be a king, but he was not successful in uniting the tribes under one head. And then arose the Taranaki Land League, some patriotic natives desiring that the land they received from their ancestors might be handed down to their children, and fearing, they said, the demoralization of the Pakeha towns if they sold their lands for the purpose of European settlement, then was instituted " Te Tikanga o te Iwi," the law of the tribe, that no individual of a hapu (family) should alienate land without the consent of the whole tribe.
The present King movement (very clearly
Te Parapipipi, Te Heu Heu and others persisting in their intention to have a king, the old and popular warrior chief Te Whero Whero was elected, and under the name of Potatau was removed from Mangere on the Manukau to Ngaruawahia at the central and very fertile delta of the junction of the Waikato and Waipa rivers, where his Runanga or council legislated in his name, he being merely their head. There, with a sentry to guard his flag, seated on the ground in his wharré or house and wrapped in his blanket, his counsellors did the work of governing for him and issuing edicts in his name.
A grand objection to opening roads through Maori land is from the idea: " Your white doctors," say the Maories, "open a man's body when he dies to see the weakness which killed him. We do not want our weakness to appear by opening roads into our country." Again Tarapipipi was told one day by a com municative white friend, " In history we find that the Romans could not conquer the
An amusing instance may be given of how the Maories administered justice, when the Pakeha or white man travelled among them; and before this war began one could travel the North Island with as much safety as any part of Europe, and in many pahs experience great friendliness and hospitality.
It was the custom for some clergymen who came to New Zealand for the first time, to travel through the country with a pupil or two to see the land and its people among whom they intended to labour. One reverend gentleman, newly arrived and ignorant of the language, was engaged on a pedestrian tour of this sort accompanied by two pupils. They had three Maori attendants with them, two to carry food and the other a large clothes bag. As they proceeded, the burthen of the two first got lighter, but the clothes carrier had the same weight as at starting, and he did not like it. After one of the meals he refused to shoulder his load, and the leader of the party got angry and taking out his watch said," I
After a little delay the Maori took up his load and trudged on with the rest. They came up to a "Pakeha Maori man," an Englishman who had lived among the natives and knew their language. After a little parley he said to the minister, " I find you have got into a great scrape, you have struck a Maori and will have to appear before a native Komiti (committee) when we halt at night." They arrived at a Kainga or village, and by the fire-light a long discussion seemed to be going on. At last one of the elders of the village delivered himself in this fashion to the minister, " You have committed a great offence, you have struck a Maori without sufficient cause, but as you are a clergyman and a stranger, and know no better, we only fine you five shillings, but don't do this
It is the object of all human and right-thinking men to preserve the fine race of Maories, and to secure them in ample possessions for their present numbers, say 56,000, and for the possibility of future increase, which may take place in consequence of the absence of intestine feuds, and from improved modes of living. At the same time
Natives being governed through themselves will be the great source of contentment among them. Better pay than £10 a year to native assessors is requiredo to make them believe that the Government really cares for their welfare;, this should always be studied, also the advancement of educated natives to places of trust and authority in proof of this.
It should ever be remembered by the natives, that since the introduction of Christianity and government in the land, the people have been enabled to live at peace among themselves. The death of so many children among the native's is a subject of serious inquiry. It has been attributed by themselves to witchcraft, an evil spirit, the arrival of the Pakeha, and other absurd causes, but the mistakes of the parents cause it chiefly. The Rev. Mr. Whiteby gave the Maories excellent advice about the management of their children. It appears that the mothers, previous to
we may well exclaim if its abuse tends to enervate and render listless those who are " slaves to the pipe." I found it useful in keeping in order wild fellows with whom I had to do, in the wilderness of Africa, and in the American forests, but if a man is gifted with self-control, he does not require to put the restraint of the pipe on himself.
In former times, infanticide (of female children) sometimes prevailed, and it was said that if a child was let live for one day, the mother got so fond of it she could not destroy it; but I have not understood that children now perish in the above dreadful manner, for now the parents seem so fond of their children, that they, in the excess of their grief when they lose them, will spend five or six pounds for a coffin, and then stint and starve
Inculcating the social obligations arising from the marriage of a man to one wife, and not to a plurality of wives, or living with mistresses—in short, a change from a careless to a correct and moral manner of living, will afford the best chance for Maori or any other children to be brought up respectably and in New Zealand, belonging to the "Rangatiratanga," or order of gentleman, whilst "happy is the people whose God is the Lord."
ChapterIII.
First Settlement of the Province of Taranaki—Its Deficiencies —settlers' and Natives' Land mixed—Native troubles and quarrels—The Chiefs Ihaia and Wiremu Kingi—The Treaty of Waitangi.—The Maori King movement—Condensed statement of the Bishop of New Zealand's views—Mr. F. A. Carrington's account of the Taranaki Question—The New Zealand Company—Governor Fitzroy—The Tact of Governor Grey—Governor Gore Browne's purchase of the Land at the Mouth of the Waitara—Objected to by Wiremu Kingi—His Excellency goes to Taranaki—investigation of the causes of the war—New Plymouth—Its defenceless state.
Taranaki mountain, or Mount Egmont, was first climbed by a man named Ruatara, and was called after him Ruataranaki. After a time, the 'Rua' was dropped, and it remained as Taranaki. Waitara, 'wai,' water; 'tara,' animation. Lively stream. 'Huatoki,' fruit fetching river. 'Whangai,' fed, ' nui,' large. 'Wai,' water, ' kato,' flowing.The province of Taranaki,
During the first" two years of its existence as
I saw fortified pahs dotted here and there, for the natives to maintain themselves against each other in their quarrels about land, women, &c. Some white men would not scruple to supply powder to contending parties, this roused naturally great jealousy and ill-will. I should have preferred to have seen the settlers and Maories entirely apart, with well defined limits, and the Maories gradually improving under good teachers, and seeing examples of British energy and enterprise
In the beginning of 1860 the. Ngatiawas were reckoned to amount to 1229 souls, In the province of Taranaki only; there is a larger tribe of Ngatiawa on the east coast also.
Rawiri's people were dissuaded from taking vengeance on Katatore, by the persuasion of a Wesleyan missionary, who told them to expect
Three months after the murder of Rawiri, some of the relatives of the chief Ihaia slew a Ngatiruanui who had corrupted Ihaia's wife, The Ngatiruanuis then invaded Ihaia's land with 300 warriors. Ihaia's pah was stormed and taken, and himself with numerous followers saved by a diversion of the adherents of Rawiri in his favour. The brother of Rawiri, Arana Karaka, now appeared on the scene from the south, and assembled at the Nima pah all the natives who were favourable to the sale of land; whilst Katatore was joined by Wirimu Kingi of the Ngatiawas, and the Ngatiruanuis who desired to retain their land.
Matters were in this dangerous state when the settlers asked for and obtained a garrison
In June the Waitara district was abandoned by Ihaia, Wiremu Kingi being left in possession
Ihaia has always maintained friendly relations with the Europeans, and assisted in their locations in the Taranaki, not so Wiremu
Of the Treaty of Waitangi made by Governor Hobson with some of the Maories in 1840, its purport was that those New Zealand chiefs who signed it, in placing themselves, under the protection of the Queen, agreed to yield the right of pre-emption of their lands the. Government, that is, those who chose to part with their land must first sell it to the Government, which would again part with it to settlers; the chiefs were secured in the possession of their lands, forests and fisheries,
The Maori King movement was first begun professedly to establish peace and order among the tribes so frequently tearing each other to pieces in war, the pride of in dependant sovereignty also influenced the Maori King movement. In connection with this, runangas or councils were held in 1860 in various parts of the island, these have not been reported on, but it was understood they related to the land league, or throwing difficulties in the way of the settlers getting land. This was a startling fact for them, that their lands were bought for six pence an acre, and sold again to settlers for ten shillings; they did not take into account that the land had to be surveyed and duly portioned off.
Te Whero Whero or Potatau, the principal chief or king, with the assistance of his chiefs drew up a code of laws for the guidance of the Maories generally. Heavy penalties were enacted for the punishment of adultery, theft, and other misdemeanours. Natives were forbidden to obtain goods on credit from
When we consider that the Maories now desired not to part with land to us except through the medium of a recognized agent of their own, is just carrying out our own principle of the Government having the pre-emption of the land, the first choice of purchase, and not private individuals.
Their first idea of a king was doubtless with a view to good government among themselves if possible, without antagonistic feelings towards the Pakehas; and it is possible that with management this functionary might have been converted into a kawakawhama, or chief magistrate under Queen Victoria, salaried, and he and his counsellors treated with the respect and consideration due to the original lords of the soil, and the representatives of a brave, greatly improved, and intelligent people.
The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of New Zealand, admirably adapted for his mission by mental and bodily powers of the first order,
- He is quite ready to continue to advise his native friends to sell their surplus lands on the most reasonable terms, or even to give them to the Government for nothing; but this advice will be of no avail until the question is entirely devoid of party feeling, and (as far as regards Taranaki) disconnected altogether from such irritating subjects as the murder of Rawiri.
- He desires to see each native land owner secured by a crown grant in his own individual property, and registered as a voter on the same qualifications as an Englishman.
- When the native land owners are thus registered, and represented with full recognition of equal rights and privileges, he will not be backward in explaining to them that they are liable to all taxes, penalties, or other public burdens, in common with all other classes of Her Majesty's subjects.
- But, on the other hand, he will resist by all lawful means every attempt to carry out any other interpretation of the treaty of Waitangi than that in which it was explained
to the natives by Governor Hobson, and understood and accepted by them. - He holds it to be an act unworthy of any Englishmen to avail themselves of any native custom, either of conquest or of slavery to disfranchise any class of native proprietors, especially where experience has proved that where party questions are raised, the native title can be extinguished, and all classes of claimants satisfied
for a few half-pence an acre. - Believing that he is better able than most other persons to judge of the unprotected position of the out-lying settlers in the scattered and especially in the pastoral districts of New Zealand, he will feel it to be his duty to remind the inhabitants of the towns, even at the loss of his own influence and popularity with them, that the principles which he advocates and the line of conduct which he pursues, are not influenced by any ill-will towards them or even by an indifference to their interests; but by a wide and he must say, a general knowledge of New Zealand, and of all classes of its inhabitants, and by the
con- viction conviction
Mr. Frederick A. Carrington, formerly of the War Office, and who came out to New Zealand when the settlement of the Taranaki was first contemplated, I became acquainted with—his account of the Taranaki question is as follows:
He was chief surveyor to the Plymouth Company of New Zealand and of the New Zealand Company for the settlement of New Plymouth. In December 1840, and January and February 1841, he examined different places on both sides of Cook's Straits and other districts for the purpose of choosing a site for the said settlement, and in February 1841 he finally determined on placing it in its now well known locality.
To judge of the Waitara and Taranaki question fairly, it is required to be informed that when the site for the Plymouth settlement
When these Ngatiawas understood the object Mr. Carrington had in view in visiting the country, they asked him to bring white people to dwell among them, as a protection against the dreaded Waikatos, who in 1832 under the chief Te Where, or King Potatau, had conquered, slaughtered and dispersed or carried away captive nearly the
The refined tortures and cannibal scenes of these days could not fail to induce this remnant at the Sugar Loaf Islands to desire European protection.
About October 1834, Colonel William Wakefield, the chief agent of the New Zealand Company, purchased from certain chiefs and natives (who, driven from the Taranaki, were living in Queen Charlotte's Sound) all their possessions, rights, and claims in the Waitara and Taranaki land generally.
In November 1839, agents of the New Zealand Company landed at the Sugar Loaves to treat with the people about land, and had conveyed to them by purchase a continuous block of land along the coast, and which block contained the whole of the Waitara and Taranaki land. The brig "Guide" brought the payment, and it was shared by all the resident natives.
I may mention here that the Waitara block, the disputed square mile the origin of the late war, is believed by some of the tapued and not parted with on any consideration.
Mr. Carrington first thought of placing the town of New Plymouth at the Waitara, but on further examination of the offing, the anchorage and mouth of the river, he determined on placing the town where it now stands.
Unfortunately, the presents promised the "remnant" at the Taranaki for the land were lost in the "Jewess" in Cook's Straits.
A few months after the arrival of the pioneer expedition at the Taranaki, Te Whero Whero sent a leading chief and 200 followers to the Taranaki; they danced their war dance and said they were the owners of the country by conquest, and the people who must be paid, if the white people remained. The other natives saw and heard the statement, and cowed and subdued sat silent at the conference. Soon after this, and the Governor being informed of what had occurred, a deed was executed by the Waikatas conveying to the Queen the
Mr. Commissioner Spain now arrived at the Taranaki to investigate claims, and awarded to the New Zealand Company the, Waitara land and where New Plymouth now is. But, afterwards, Governor Fitzroy, through some advice he had got, repudiated Mr. Spain's award and directed the land be given back to the Taranaki natives that he might repurchase it from them, and which was considered a fatal mistake. If Mr. Spam's award had not been set aside, the claim of the Waikato chief or King Te Where Whero would never been heard. After the Sugar Loaf Maories were aware that the Waikatos were paid for the land, they talked about their "manna" or authority over the land, and joined the land league to prevent a further sale of land by the Ngatiawas.
In 1857 the settlement was depressed, and the natives degraded by internal feuds. It was at the Taranaki that Governor Grey was insulted by Kotatore, who flourished his tomahawk over him, the Governor with great tact
Governor Gore Browne in a despatch to the Colonial Secretary in March 1859, states that the settlers are dissatisfied with the Government and ill-pleased with the Maories, who though they possess large tracts of land which they cannot occupy, refuse to sell any portion of it. Teira of the Ngatiawas offers his land for sale at the mouth of the Waitara, south-side, and laid a Parawai or bordered mat at the Governor's feet, emblematical of the land, for his Excellency to take up. The chief Wirimu Kingi of the same tribe, objects to this, says he never will allow it to be sold, exclaiming "ekore, ekore, ekore," (I will not, I will not, I will not), and leaves a conference with a shew of disrespect to the Governor. Again his Excellency writes that the title of Teira and the other proprietors at the mouth of the Waitara having since then been proved and extinguished, and a large instalment of the purchase money having been paid (£1 per acre was to be paid for the 600 acre
William King continuing his opposition, and the surveyors being obstructed, Martial Law was proclaimed on the 22nd February, and his Excellency determined to go himself to Taranaki.
Mr. Swainson, formerly Attorney-General for New Zealand and Author of "New Zealand and its Colonization" &c, a gentleman of excellent ability and great intelligence, in a recent publication on the cause of the war, holds these opinions, that the natives of New Zealand, like ourselves, appreciate the advantages of law and order, and prefer self-government to that of strangers; in forming a land league they did not intend disloyalty to the Crown, but it was for self-protection,
We ought to recollect that our people have acquired from the natives in twenty years, more land than they can at present use, this refers to 1862. In the Middle island, all of it by purchase is the property of the Crown, the seven millions in the North Island were chiefly acquired at the very moderate rate which was previously stated. In 1856 or 57 Governor Gore Browne wrote home, alluding to grasping settlers, not honest and upright ones, of whom there is a large proportion; "they (some of the settlers) are determined to enter in and possess the native land and neither law nor equity will prevent them."
The native owners have already peaceably alienated half their territory, on the most reasonable terms, and it has been attributed to them by some individuals as a public offence that they do not alienate the other half.
We should always be ready to attribute good motives for our neighbour's actions, even
It has been recommended that in dealing with the Maories in future, after their boundaries are clearly defined, to let bona fide settlers purchase land direct from those natives who are willing to sell their superfluous acres and get a crown grant of it, and not to acquire the land through the Government as is the present system, but purchasing through the Government is less likely to be attended with disputes eventually.
Before the Taranaki troubles, thirty millions of acres, more than half the area of the two islands, had been acquired from the natives, and the Colony was steadily advancing in prosperity; and if renting the mouth of the Waitara for £100 or £200 a year had been proposed and agreed to, the expensive war of 1860-61 need not have taken place. I am not aware that renting any part of the Waitara was proposed. It is not to be wondered at that the settlers located in Taranaki, and having no secure harbour at New Plymouth, or easy access by roads to it, desired much to possess the Waitara mouth which admits small steamers and schooners.
"Every member of a tribe" said a native, "is free to sell his own bushel of potatoes, wheat or Indian corn, raised on the portion of the tribal land he cultivated; but he cannot sell the land itself, the inheritance of his ancestors."
No more can a villager in England sell part of the common on which the cows of the comm unity graze.
In the history of the Taranaki, Reré the
It is not surprising then that they did not approve of a portion of the land, assumed to belong to Te Teira, should be parted with and from which the above profits were reaped.
The natives cast up to us that when they were senselessly warring against each other, we did not interfere to prevent bloodshed, but when the Waitara was desired, we took up arms to acquire it. The administration, believing that tribal rights could be, set aside, and the desire of an individual to dispose of land, without reference to the tribe, should be recognized and acted on.
The Council of Taranaki had petitioned the Government to let individuals of tribes sell land, without waiting for the consent of all the tribe. The Maories maintained the right of the minority among them to oppose the sale of land held in common. In 1859, the Taranaki settlers had not cultivated more than 13,000 acres out of 43,000 acres in their possession there. In 1860 the administration professed the intention to set aside the chief, and to deal with individuals irrespective of tribal rights. Thus the District Land Commissioner was authorised to give a bonus of £250 to Te Teira, to induce him to part with 600 acres at the Waitara mouth, besides paying him £1 per acre. The usual price of Taranaki land was three shillings per acre.
As I said before, Te Teira laid a Parawai or bordered mat at the feet of the Governor, being the form of ceding the land. Yet other natives maintained that "our land belongs to all, and to the widows and orphans, and how can they live without it?" For lucre, Te Teira (or Taylor), whose native name is Manuka, or "tea scrub," parted with the land of his
A party of women of the Ngatiawas, supported by men in reserve in the distance, resisted the surveyors of the 600 acre-block, and took up the chains, and one embraced the chief surveyor whilst another removed the theodolite, peaceably but firmly. Before 1858, arms and ammunition were not allowed to be sold to the Maories, in that year the Governor allowed their sale, and subsequently the Maories profited by this, and bought largely, and the possession of arms naturally inspired confidence, and a desire to maintain what they considered their rights.
Three hundred native allies were found. They burnt "Wiremu Kingi's pah, and a church he had in it, and drove his people off the land. Those who advised the Governor to resort to force, occasioned to the settlers of the Taranaki great disasters. It was unfortunate also, that hostilities began before a sufficient force was assembled. Three
The Taranaki War has cost nearly a million sterling; we hope and believe that no more fighting will. will take place in Maori land; if it does, and British armsare successful, it would be a triumph unworthy of a great nation. " Land is the ewe lamb of the New Zealanders, why then should the white man too greedily desire it?" "Live and let live" should be our motto, the maxim of a philanthropic and christian people.
New Plymouth, the basis of operations, consisted of a few streets at right angles to each other, commanded by a stockaded work on Marsland Hill; whilst ravines were about the town, and the forest approached to it on
New Plymouth might become of considerable importance if the abundant materials for forming a jetty, namely great store of boulders of volcanic rocks near the mouth of the Huatoki River (which runs through the town), were used; and if good roads to communicate with Auckland and Wanganui were opened, it would prosper. Until all that is done, and attention paid to sanitary arrangements, and the streets cleared and ornamented with trees, it will not present the appearance that the chief town of a British settlement should present; and situated, too, in a land highly picturesque, and favoured by an excellent climate, and a soil of rare productiveness.
ChapterIV.
Troops sent from Auckland to the Taranaki—The Governor proceeds there also—Martial Law proclaimed—Wiremu Kingi refuses to meet his Excellency—Blockhouses constructed —Expedition to the Waitara—The first blood—A peremptory Message—Meeting of Eriendly Natives—Native King movement—Should the Maories be obliged to sell their waste lands?—Te Kohia Pah constructed—Is attacked and evacuated—Described—Civilian criticisms —Southern Natives advance against New Plymouth—Settlers murdered—Dangerous position of families at Omata.
Now Major-General.On the 28th February, 1860, the division of troops destined to reinforce the detachment stationed at New Plymouth, Taranaki, was paraded in light marching order in the Albert Barrack Square, Auckland, from whence at ten A.M. they marched, played out by the band of the 65th Regiment, by the Kyber Pass road, (so called from a deep cut in a portion of it) to Onehunga, Manukau harbour, where the
At three p.m., the tide favouring, the " Airedale" weighed anchor, blew off her steam, and moved towards the bluffs. At this time, His Excellency the Governor, Colonel Gore Browne, C.B., arrived from Auckland, with his private secretary, Captain Steward, and Mr. W. H. St. Hill, A.D.C., and embarking in the "Maid of the Mill" cutter, they followed and were received on board the "Airedale." With a fresh breeze she stood towards the Heads, and with a prospect of crossing the bar under favourable circumstances.
Auckland being stripped of troops, the fine body of Volunteer Rifles were paraded once a week, and were ready to assemble in the Albert Barracks in the event of fire, and offered to mount guard till the troops still left were reinforced, and to protect the stores, ammunition, &c, in Fort Britomart.
At New Plymouth, the suspense as to the designs of the Government, after the representations previously forwarded to Auckland, with regard to the proceedings of Wiremu Kingi and the Ngatianas was put an end to,
At this time, it is probable that the natives were disposed to hold koreros or conferences, and might have imagined that the Pakehas, or white men, would have delayed some time longer settling this land question; but when martial law was proclaimed, they unfortunately considered it a declaration of war throughout the Taranaki Province, and acted accordingly.
The movement for a Maori King, was, as I said, among other reasons, for the purpose of entering into a compact to retain their lands against the Pakehas, who arriving in ship loads from time to time, at the rate of four
The Land Purchase Commissioners for the Taranaki, Mr. Parris, and Mr. Rogan, were dispatched to Wiremu Kingi, to invite him to a conference with the Governor; but doubtful about his personal safety, after his declaration of resistance to the surrender of his tribal claims over Teira's block of land, he declined to meet His Excellency in town, and named a distant pah, that of Tima, for a meeting. The chief at this time was near the Kairau pah, Kairau, a species of crab.
For the protection of the settlers, strong stockaded works were constructed four miles north of New Plymouth, at the Bell block of land, so named after Mr. Dillon Bell, a gentleman of great intelligence and influence in the colony; also at Omata, Omata, of a swamp.
Wiremu Kingi's answer to His Excellency's message not being considered satisfactory, troops were now frequently paraded and inspected, and the skirts of the mens' great coats were cut off to enable them to wear them in skirmishing in the bush and scrub. This plan I did not think well of, and afterwards, when preparing some of the 14th Regiment for fighting, I gave them blue smocks, over which the great coat was worn, neatly rolled horse collar fashion, and ready for the evening's bivouac; a man cannot sleep well if his legs are not covered with the skirts of his coat
The heavy portions of the camp equipment were put on board H.M. ship "Niger," which played an important part in the war. A small corps of volunteer cavalry was formed, armed with swords and revolvers, and the command conferred on Captain C. Desvœux, The force which turned out at New Plymouth on Monday, the 5th March, numbered, including Engineers and Royal Artillery, about four
The mounted escort led the column, then followed a couple of guns, then baggage and provision carts, and lastly, the infantry, Colonel Gold commanding the whole. His Excellency the Governor, steamed to the Waitara, ten miles, in the "Niagara." The troops halted sometime at the junction of the Manganaka and Waiongona rivers, and when all were up, the column, with skirmishers thrown out in front to feel their way and guard against an ambuscade, came in sight of the mouth of the Waitara, where the Union Jack was flying on a fishing pah of Wiremu Kingi; the "Niger" had landed and had taken possession of the pah, from which the natives had precipitately fled.
In town, an officer of the 65th and a few men only were left, but Major Herbert, with his usual energy, made preparations to guard against surprise, and protect the barracks and
Provision carts on the following day started for the Waitara with a mounted escort. In the meantime, Teira's people had burnt Wiremu Kingi's pah at the month of the Waitara.
In Maori quarrels it is considered very important to get the opposite party to draw the first blood; the contending parties will war with words for a long time, and try to put each other in the wrong by the first blood shed; and now an instance occurred of a
The mounted volunteers, with the provision carts, had got as far as the Waiongona River, by the Devon line of road, when they were met by a native named Wi Tana, who advised them to retrace their steps and take the beach road, as the Ngatiawas had built a pah on the direct road to the Waitara camp, and would not allow the carts to pass. But as it was considered too late to retrace their steps, the escort and carts moved on to near the junction of the upper and lower Waitara roads; here a native named Ohaia, stood in the track, and ordered the convoy to return. The sergeant, Brown, in command, a bold and determined man, afterwards put in command of a corps of friendly natives, declined to do what Ohaia desired; who added that Wiremu Kingi's people would take the carts and what they contained as utu or compensation for the pah and wharré's just burnt by the soldiers. The sergeant said it was Teira's
Ohaia still continuing to obstruct the road, and also seizing the bullocks in the carts, the sergeant, not striking him or drawing blood, hustled him aside with his horse, whereupon Ohaia put down his head and told him to cut it off, (that the first blood might be drawn by the Pakehas). The sergeant now asked him to get up and ride in the carts, or go along the road in front of the carts an to Mahoetahi 'Mahoe,' a tree, Melictus ramiflorus, 'tahi,' one.
When the escort arrived at the Waitara, what had just occurred was reported to His Excellency the Governor, and to Colonel Gold, and it was resolved to give the natives twenty minutes to clear out of the pah, and this letter was conveyed by Mr. Parris.
To the Chief who obstructs the Queen's Road."You have presumed to block up the Queen's road, to build on the Queen's land, and to stop the free passage of persons going and coming. This is waging war against the Queen. Destroy the places you have built; ask my forgiveness and you shall receive it. If you refuse, the blood of your people be on your head. I shall fire on you in twenty minutes from this time if you have not obeyed my orders.
"(Signed) T. .Gore Browne"Camp, Waitara, 6th March, 1860."
In ten minutes the pah was abandoned, a strong party of sailors and marines had previously been brought up close to the pah. At half past three in the afternoon three companies
The troops improved their position by means of a good parapet and ditch, and cleared away the fern from the neighbourhood of the camp, which was placed on dry elevated ground, a broad swamp nearly enclosed it and it was a quarter of a mile south of the Waitara.
A considerable number of friendly natives now met the Governor to welcome him to the Taranaki; he assured them that he was, as his predecessors, Governors Hobson, Eitzroy, Grey and Wynyard had been, careful of the interests of the Maories; under the first Governor the treaty of Waitangi 'Wai,' water, 'tangi,' crying, sounding.
Public notice was now given that the Governor had instructed Colonel Gold to take possession of the land sold by Te Teira, at the same time the attention of all branches of the service was called to the necessity of treating all friendly and neutral natives with the utmost civility; to prevent mistakes frendly natives coming into town were provided with passes.
About this time, in the beginning of March, the native King movement was evinced in the following manner. A fleet of canoes from the settlements about the Manukau Manuka, or kahikatoa, a tree, 'Wai,' water, 'uku,' white clay. 'Pura pura,' seeds of plants or trees.Leptospermum scoparium.
The procession consisted of first about one hundred natives four deep, then came a bodyguard carrying fowling pieces, next the standard-bearer with a green banner, and on it a red cross with the words "Te Pono" (the truth.) The old chief came next, seated on a pony with a tartan shawl thrown over it. The pony was led, and two women of the royal household walked alongside; then came a general body of natives, women with kai (food) and baggage, bringing up the rear. On reaching the royal hut, the standard was struck into the earth, and the chief seating himself on the ground received a general greeting, preparations were then made for a feast to the five hundred of both sexes assembled. There was not the least appearance of hostility, nor did the demonstration, the first of its kind, excite any anxiety among the settlers.
A day was devoted to a great Korero, or talk, in reference to the King movement, and preserving among the Maories, who upheld it, the "manna" or authority of the native king in those parts of the island they wished to reserve to themselves. The tenor of the speeches evinced no hostility to the British Government, but what seemed to be desired by the speakers was the division and demarcation of the races—the Pakehas not interfering with the Maories and their Government, and they likewise not interfering with the Pakehas. With regard to the Taranaki question, they professed not to interfere beyond enquiring into the merits of the case. The meeting was concluded in a very orderly manner, and previous to its breaking up a message was sent to the Europeans who dwelt near to enquire if any damage had been done to their property by the Maori visitors; after which Potatau returned to his place at Ngaruawahia Nga-rua-wahie, the store-houses of firewood.
Before missionary influence exercised its
At the Taranaki, Wiremu Kingi and his Ngatiawas shewed no wavering in their determination to oppose the occupation of Teira's block of land by the British, but proceeded to construct a strong pah upon it, determined to abide the consequences.
When the report reached the town that a
Two 241b. howitzers recently landed at New Plymouth from the 'Niger' were dispatched in boats to the Waitara, whilst the mounted escort proceeded to the Waitara camp by land, the guns and the escort arrived about the same time at the Waitara.
The natives had on the previous day come down from the pah and danced their war dance within view of the camp and then retired, and it was resolved in consequence of this act of defiance (which also has a wonderful effect on the native mind in bringing up their courage to the sticking point) to attack the pah forthwith. At midday on St. Patrick's day, three companies of the 65th Regiment under the command of Colonel Gold with Colonel Sillery and Captains Paul and Burton with the two 241b. howitzers and one 12-pounder howitzer also a rocket tube, left the Waitara camp; the artillery commanded by Lieutenant
When the halt was ordered and the guns were placed in position at 800 yards from the N.W. angle of the pah, the infantry in support, the natives blew a horn in defiance; cow's horns curiously carved are employed by the natives for signals. Mr. Parris, who was with the troops, now rode forward with a letter which he wished to present at the pah, but it was not received and he was warned off. Every effort to avoid a crisis having now failed, a fire of artillery and rockets was opened on the pah and good practice was made by the shells bursting on the stockade, and the rockets, after a few trials, entering it with their loud and angry hiss. On the flag-staff of the pah a red war-flag was run up, after which the guns were moved to within 200 yards of the south side of the pah, and then the distance diminished to 150 yards and the fire continued. This was met by a discharge of fire
Natives were now seen to leave the work and were fired upon by the escort, and whilst the guns were being moved some of the young men, with more valour than discretion, rode up to the pah and tired their revolvers at it; they were received with a volley of rifles and muskets which took effect on Mr. Sartin, who fell from his horse mortally wounded and was carried off, most gallantly under fire, by some of the Light Infantry and Naval Brigade, the flag being also torn off the palisading and carried away in triumph, a case for the Victoria Cross.
The troops were now highly excited, and could with difficulty be restrained by their officers from rushing the pah without scaling ladders or an adequate breach, whilst the Maories lay ready inside in their rifle pits along the bottom of the palisading, which was a good deal damaged. The guns having
In the morning the guns again opened fire on the pah, a breach was made through which a portion of the 65th and Lieutenant Macnaughten and his gunners rushed, and it was found evacuated; the defenders had escaped by a deep gully leading to the river.
The pah Tekohia, Kohia, a kind of creeper.
The effects of shells and rockets were apparent inside the L pah, and there was a great store of Indian corn, potatoes, peaches, fish &c., sufficient it was supposed for two months' consumption. The pah was torn down and destroyed and the excavations filled, the troops then returned to camp bearing with them the Maori flag and the bodies of some slain comrades.
Teira and his friendly Maories now constructed a pah, provided with rifle pits inside, close to the river's mouth and near the site of Wiremu Kingi's fishing pah which had been destroyed. The first is the pah so well known to those who camped and fought for months along the Waitara.
Civilian critics, writing at a distance, asked what were the troops about that they did not surround the L pah at night and capture or slay all its defenders; with a considerable force this would have been possible, but not so with the means at Colonel Gold's disposal, he had not the men with him to do it. The natives had been so long quiet that one regiment was. considered sufficient for New Zealand, the 65th having succeeded the 58th so well known and esteemed in New Zealand; but it was now evident that two strong regiments would not have been too many with such a warlike race, as the Maories, to look after.
The whole force in the Taranaki at this time was about 600 of the 65th, a small party of Artillery and Engineers, the Blue jackets, Marines and Marine Artillery of H.M.S. 'Niger,' 300 Taranaki Militia, 180 Volunteer Rifies, and the Mounted Escort. Nelson placed the steamer ' Tasmanian Maid' at the Governor's disposal, and reinforcements of the 12th and 40th Regiments were written for to Sydney and Melbourne; a hundred men, 65th, were withdrawn from Wellington to strengthen the
The L pah was said to have been constructed in one night; it may have been done in this way, frames of eight logs connected and, with longer at the extremities, two cross pieces to connect and bound with green wattles, may have been prepared in the bush, the holes for the long pickets dug, the frames carried down on bullock carts and placed in the ground, then the rifle pits cut out inside to enable the defenders to fire through the lines of picketing.
After the great guns had played on the pah for some time as was said, the shot made matches of the palisading.
On the 24th March news came to New Plymouth that the Taranaki and the Ngatiruanui tribes, several hundred strong, were advancing to create a diversion for the Ngatiawas
On the following Sunday, at one p.m., two hundred of the 65th paraded, and one hundred and thirty Taranaki Militia and Rifles, all under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Murray, 65th, marched towards Ratapihipihi, the natives having commenced cattle and sheep stealing there. Major Herbert led the way with the Volunteer Rifles in skirmishing order, and with him, Captain Stapp. Having found the enemy, the skirmishers fell back on the main body, and the force halted, as was arranged, and returned to town.
Two days after, news came to town that some settlers had been murdered by the natives; and it appeared that Mr. S. Ford, Mr. H. Passmore, and Mr. S. Shaw were the victims. They were on their way, and no doubt foolhardy, to different parts of the block of land south of New Plymouth, when after
I may here mention that these furze hedges are much cultivated about the British settlements in New Zealand; the original seed was imported. They formed good cover for the Maories, and rendered incautious movements along the roads dangerous. Besides affording good shelter for beasts, they can sustain them with the expenditure of very little trouble. Cut in June, and full of sap and yellow blossom, they form excellent food for horses or cattle. They are chopped fine with a spade in a wooden cylinder before use, and one farmer told me that he thought that chopped furze was equal to hay and corn for keeping a horse in condition. The reason why hay and corn, and not furze, were used extensively, is
It is believed now that one of the men shot deserved his death. He had basely trafficked in powder with the natives; and when the news was conveyed to his wife, she wondered if he had been killed by any of his own powder! He had been duly warned two or three times against venturing where he did, but he said that the natives knew him, and would not hurt him. All these men were shot after martial law was proclaimed, and which, as I said, was understood by the Maories as a declaration of war. Still, they were unarmed and unresisting, and respectable Maories are quite ashamed of what occurred.
Two boys, Pate and Parker, were afterwards found in the bush, (it was said they were looking after stray cattle) savagely tomahawked on the hands and head; and the sight of their mangled bodies, when brought into the Military Hospital, awakened in the
The Ngatiruanuis, a broken tribe without proper chiefs, have always been considered the most averse to Europeans for many years, and the cause, I heard, was this: A ship, the "Harriet," was wrecked south of New Plymouth, and she was plundered by the Ngatiruanuis, and some of the crew devoured, and a Mrs. Garden was taken possession of by a chief. News was brought of the occurrence to the north, and the "Alligator" frigate was sent to the scene of the wreck. Mrs. Garden was recovered, but as the pah where she had been detained was shelled, and probably loss of life sustained by the natives, they have ever since not allowed either missionaries or traders to live among them. One missionary attempted it, and food was refused him, and he was obliged to come away.
The insurgents in the end of March appeared close to the Omata Blockhouse, fired shots at it, and danced the war dance. They
ChapterV.
A force ordered to relieve the Rev. Mr. Brown and Settlers at Omata—Plan of operations—Lieut.-Colonel Murray's column—Lieut. Blake, R.N. and Lieut. Urquhart, 65th regiment, detached from it—Skirmish with the enemy—Captain Cracroft, R.N. comes up to co-operate—Storms the Pah—Captain Brown's column engages the enemy on the Waireka stream—Details of the combat—Defeat of the Maories—The return of the columns to New Plymouth—Captain Cracroft shells the Werea Pah—Presentation of Maorie flag to his Excellency Governor Gore Browne, C.B.
On the 28th March, the force under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Murray, 65th Regiment, destined to relieve the Omata stockade, and to bring in the Reverend Mr. Brown, and the settlers congregated at his house, beyond the Omata village, five miles from town, was paraded at New Plymouth, and addressed in encouraging terms by His Excellency the Governor, who also explained the nature of their duties to the men, and
The force consisted of three officers, and twenty-five men, Royal Navy; four officers, and eighty-four rank and file 65th Regiment; Militia and Volunteers, one hundred and sixty. This was all that could be spared from the small garrison of New Plymouth.
The plan of operations was, that Captain C. Brown, in command of the Militia and Volunteers, should proceed by the beach, keeping the sea-coast, and pass in rear of the natives in their pah at the Waireka hill, Waireka, sweet water.
On reaching the Whaler's Gate, Colonel Murray found the road clear, and no trace of natives anywhere near. Colonel Murray accordingly moved on leisurely with a view to sooner meeting Captain Brown's party returning with the settlers; but on reaching a hill a quarter of a mile from the Omata stockade, the sound of rapid firing about two miles off, and towards the sea, made it evident that the Militia, &c., were hotly engaged. Colonel Murray accordingly pushed on to the stockade, where he despatched Lieutenant Blake, Royal Navy, with his sailors, supported by a sub-division, (twenty-five men), of the Light Company, 65th Regiment, under Lieutenant Urquhart, with orders to proceed in a direct line across the country, to the assistance of Captain Brown's party; whilst Colonel Murray, with whom were Lieutenant Whitbread and Dr. White, continued along the main road with the remainder of the force, to a lane about a quarter of a mile beyond the stockade, and which leads from the road towards the sea. About half way down this lane, Colonel Murray turned his people into the fields, and
Working with a very small force, threatened with being cut off, and having been directed by Colonel Gold to return before dark to the nearly defenceless town, Colonel Murray recalled Lieutenant Urquhart's party and Lieutenant Blake's, and continued to occupy his position until it became absolutely necessary to return; keeping up a frequent fire of rockets on the pah, and on any group of
Captain Cracroft, R.N., by desire of His Excellency the Governor, had disembarked sixty officers and men of the "Niger" for the defence of the town; but an express coming in from Colonel Murray that his force was attacked, and ammunition required, Captain Cracroft started with his men, a 24-1b. rocket tube, and a full supply of ammunition, and in an hour was at the scene of action.
Captain Cracroft's arrival was very opportune, the fight had continued some time, and loss had been sustained. Lieutenant Blake lay wounded in the chest. Besides the Maories fighting in the ravines, a body of them occupied the pah newly begun on the Waireka Hill, and a flag flew over it. Captain Cracroft after informing Colonel Murray of his presence, addressed his men, and told them he was determined to have the Maori flag before dark, and he offered ten pounds as a reward for the man who hauled it down.
The gallant sailors now advanced on the pah, and at eight hundred yards tried on it the effect of the rockets, and five or six were fired from the tube with precision; but as the night was now closing in on them, the sailors became impatient of the long range practice, a few men were left with the rocket tube, and the rest advancing under their gallant leader, hors de combat, and returned without a shot being fired after him.
Captain C. Brown, in command of the Militia and Volunteers, had marched from New Plymouth at half-past one P.M. He had with him, Captains Stapp and Atkinson, Lieutenants Mackechney, Mackellar, Hurst, and Hamerton; Second Lieutenants "Webster and Jonas, and Ensign Messinger, and one hundred and fifty rank and file. After a quick march of two hours by the beach, and past the Sugar-Loaf Islands, the stream Waireka was reached near its mouth. The insurgents by this time had discovered the column, and were seen running rapidly from the pah on the hill to
Lieutenant Blake's party of sailors coming up on the left, Lieutenant Hurst was next directed to turn his attention to the enemy on Captain Atkinson's left Having done some execution there, he passed over the gully to join Captain Stapp. The enemy had pieces of long range; the cover was made use of by direction of Captain Brown, who was joined there by Lieutenant Urquhart, and
Meanwhile the chattering of the musketry went on incessantly, diversified with the angry "whish" and burst of rockets, and the cries and yells of the combatants—it was a blood stirring affair. All co-operating, the natives were driven back into the cover of the gullies; but as it seemed to be their intention to cut off the Militia from the Omata stockade, by occupying the flax, Captain Brown requested Lieutenant Urquhart to give him a few men to assist him, which was done. A corporal and eight men of the 65th Regiment were given for this duty, when a signal of recall being twice made to Lieutenant Urquhart by Colonel Murray, he left and joined the colonel at the lane above mentioned.
When the natives saw Lieutenant Urquhart and the greater number of his men leave, they came out of their covers, ran along the open to the cover on the north side of the Waireka,
Captain Brown now caused his killed and wounded to be carried to Captain Stapp's position, the best for cover, which was improved there by using sheaves of oats and fencing for breastworks. Captain Brown now became aware of the success of Captain Cracroft at the hill above, and which enabled him, now that the ammunition was nearly expended, to retire on the Omata stockade after dark. The men were accordingly told off in fours, and retired in order, first from one position and then from the next, falling back on the third; the small party, 65th, the sailors, and the party from the Omata stockade, who all did excellent service, retiring also. After a short rest at the stockade, where a reinforcement of twenty men was left, Captain Brown brought his column to town (where great anxiety was felt for them) after midnight, after a hard day's work, and their first fight, a successful one, as the enemy fied and abandoned their
Captain Brown praised the conduct of Captains Stapp and Atkinson, and acknowledged the good service rendered him by Lieutenant Urquhart, 65th Regiment, and his men. Private Inch, of the Volunteers, shot two of the enemy after he had received a wound in the chest, and all behaved in a very creditable manner under very dangerous and trying circumstances. The casualties on the side of the British at the Waireka action, were a sergeant of the Militia and a marine killed, Lieutenant Blake, R.N., Lieutenant Hamerton of the Volunteer Rifles, and fourteen men wounded of the soldiers, sailors, militia, and volunteers. The native loss was considerable, and the bodies were seen to be collected and placed on small low carts used in the Taranaki by white and brown men.
Dividing a small force to act, as in this case,
In compliance with the Governor's wish, on the 30th March Captain Cracroft proceeded to sea, and steered south for the Warea pah. Warea, delayed.
On the 3rd April, the Maori flag captured at the Waireka hill by Captain Cracroft and his gallant "Nigers," was presented with due ceremony at Government House, Auckland, to His Excellency the Governor. Three companies of the Auckland Rifles were drawn up in line; the band of the 65th Regiment had played them into the domain, then played in the blue jackets, preceded by the flag. The devices on the flag were a representation of Mount Egmont of Taranaki, and the Sugar Loaf Islands, a bloody heart on the upper section, and the letters M. N., ("mate noa,"
ChapterVI.
Militia enrolled—Cavalry and Rifle Volunteers—Absurd pride of race—Uneasy feelings among the Settlers—Assistance asked from Sydney and Melbourne—Southern expedition from New Plymouth—Skirmishing with the Natives—Meetings of Natives at Hawkes' Bay and Wellington—Blockhouses at Auckland—The Colonial war-steamer 'Victoria'—Emigration declines and ceases—Great conference at Ngaruawahia—Missionary influence—The Lord Bishop Selwyn—Mr. Parris' escape—Waikatos joins Wiremu Kingi—Captain Richard Brown shot—Generous conduct of Wiremu Kingi—Native sympathy with Shipwrecked Marines—A detachment, 40th regiment, sent to Waitara Camp—Heroic Conduct of Captain Miller of the 12th regiment—The Fiji Islands—Fever at New Plymouth.
'Ota,' saw dust, 'huhu,' a grub.The Militia in the northern island of New Zealand were now enrolled according to their localities; a fine body of men, the Auckland Cavalry Guards, were organised, Captain Beckham, resident magistrate, their commander, Lieutenant Mayne and Cornet Holt were the other officers of the troop. The first or Royal Company of Auckland Rifles were
In every community there are men of low minds, usually also cowardly, who seem to take a pleasure in insulting those whom they may think inferior to themselves, particularly if the skin is of a darker hue than their own, forgetting or ignorant of the fact that if our first parents lived in a climate similar to that of Mesopotamia of the present day, they too must have been bronzed and wore the "livery of the burnished sun." The term "niggers" for every brown skin is in these mens' mouths constantly, and which even to negroes themselves is a term of reproach, of inferiority, and much more when applied to Musselmen or Hindoos of caste in India, or to the Maories proud of their pedigrees.
We were not at war at this time with the whole Maori nation, but with some tribes of the Taranaki. The natives about Auckland
Notice.Friendly natives visiting the town complain that during the last five days they have been treated with marked rudeness by the Europeans, and are frequently told that they will be turned out and no longer permitted to carry on their trade as. heretofore. His Excellency is satisfied that it is only necessary to call public attention to the subject to ensure friendly treatment to individuals of the native race.
By his Excellency's command, Signed, H. J. Tancred.
All this while the great Waikato tribe continued quiet but watchful, appeared friendly towards Europeans, and at the King's place, Ngaruawahia, Potatau and his people still proclaimed as their motto: "Religion, love and law," but a Ngatiruanui mission was in the neighbourhood and a great conference expected.
His Excellency the Governor having applied for assistance to Sydney and Melbourne, in the middle of April there arrived at the seat of war, Taranaki, H.M. steam sloop ' Cordelia' eleven guns, Captain Vernon, and the 'City of Sidney' steamer with five officers and hundred fifty-seven of the 12th Regiment, one captain and forty men Royal Artillery; afterwards came H.M.S. 'Pelorus' Captain B. Seymour, accompanying the ' Wonga Wonga' with two hundred and fifty men of the 40th Regiment; more followed afterwards and inspired hope and confidence.
It being deemed advisable to send an expedition to the south of New Plymouth to act on the Taranaki and Ngatiruanuis, a force was organized consisting of two hundred and eighty men of the 65th regiment, one hundred and fifty blue jackets and marines, eighty Militia and
It was considered that invading the territory of the insurgents might stop marauding and murdering in the Taranaki. Starting at an early hour on the 20th April, the force crossed the Waireka valley at 11 ' Tatara,' a mat, ' i maka,' was thrown away—a garment thrown away.A.M. the force encamped at Tataraimaka
The expedition took up a number of potatoes at Wairau 'Wai,' river, 'rau,' leaf. 'Wai,' water, 'atea,' clear.
The pah was then pulled down, and some of the houses and provisions of the natives were burnt.
From Komena's pah Mokotura was reached, some horses and seven working bullocks of the insurgents were secured. The skirmishers forced their way through flax higher than their heads until the flag-staff of the Waieapa was sighted, when the halt was sounded and the commanding officer and staff went to the front to reconnoitre. Natives were seen in the pah
A number of mares and foals were captured, and the mill searched for, but it could not be found. The homeward march was commenced, the houses at Mokotura were levelled and the march resumed without obstruction. To carry out the usual practise of war (though capture but not destroy, should I think be adopted in future) five stacks of wheat were burned inland. Mr. Parris, the native commissioner, lost some wheat in this expedition, which a native had set apart as payment of a debt.
At the sand hills near Komena's pah the skirmishers descried some natives, fired at eight hundred yards and one man was seen to fall. The guides in trying to cross a swamp, whilst searching for horses and cattle, were fired upon from the scrub. After this the force rested to refresh among the rich pastures of the Tataraimaka, three companies of the 65th
The example having been set of firing pahs and houses, and destroying property, the Taranakis and Ngatiruanuis exacted a fearful utu or payment, on the settlers afterwards, as will appear in the course of the narrative.
Though more was expected of the above expedition in punishing the insurgents of the south, yet considering the extremely difficult nature of the country, the tracks for roads, the steep gullies, the entangled bush, thick scrub and deep swamps, perhaps as much was done as could reasonably be accomplished by a force with wheeled carriages; mounted rifies with pack horses might have done a good deal more, but at the time they could not be got together.
Interesting meetings took place at Hawkes' Bay and Wellington under the superintendants and at which the native chiefs, invited to attend, professed no desire to quarrel with their
The great chief (or king) Potatau still professed friendship to the Europeans, yet he was believed to be more pf an instrument in the hands of ambitious chiefs, than possessing any real power. Thus, though it was said he did not sanction the stoppage of the overland mail to Napier (Hawkes' Bay), yet on the 23rd April it was stopped by natives of Taupo Lake and Wakotere paruas. This occasioned uneasiness in the scattered settlements, south of Auckland, about Drury, Papakura, Papakura, an insect. Wairoa, long water. 'Wai' water, 'uku,' white clay.
Block-houses for the defence of the capital were now constructed under the direction of a valuable officer, ever attentive to his public duties, Colonel Mould, C.B., commanding Royal Engineer; these were placed on the heights of the Government domain overlooking the town, and at Freeman's Bay where there is a favourite landing place for Maori canoes. On the green hill at Onehunga 'One,' sand,' hunga,' people. Whau, a plant, Enhelia arborescens.
The Militia were also organised and officered; Lieutenant-Colonels Haultain, Kenny, and Nixon, appointed to command the three Regiments of Auckland Militia, Lieutenant-Colonel Balneavis, Deputy-Adjutant-General of Militia, and Colonel Mould, Commandant of the whole of the Auckland Militia.
The flourishing colony of Victoria now came forward in the handsomest manner to aid her sister colony of New Zealand in her season of difficulty. The colonial war steamer, "Victoria," ably commanded by Captain Norman and well officered, was placed under the orders of Commodore Loring, commanding in Australian waters. Her first duty was to embark at Hobart Town, Tasmania, in conjunction with the steam transport "City of Hobart," portions of the 40th Regiment, Colonel Leslie commanding. The colony of Victoria placed their ship at the disposal of the crown, the Imperial Government paying all expenses, and furnishing the crew with rifled breech-loading carbines, of which, as I afterwards saw, when I sailed in her, the crew were not a little proud and of which they proved the use on shore.
Emigrants continued to arrive in May and were no doubt surprised to find that the ploughshare was converted into the sword, and instead of at once settling on farms or assisting on sheep runs, they were expected to turn out for morning drill and to be prepared to do battle, if required, against the stout natives of
"Oh! who would fight and march and countermarch, Be shot for sixpence on a battle-field, And shovelled up into a bloody trench Where no one knows!"
Emigration continued to decline from month to month, and after a year there seemed to be no arrival at all, as during Caffre wars, from want of confidence as to peace prospects and protection of life and property in the colony.
It was not generally known at this time, in the highest quarters in England, the strength of the French force in the Southern ocean, and we may here state that in May, 1860, it consisted of the 'Monge,' screw; 'Aviso,' 1800 tons; the 'Thisbe,' sailing corvette of twenty-two guns; the 'Bellone,' screw of fifty guns; 'Sybille,' sailing frigate of fifty-two guns; 'Isis,' sailing frigate of forty-two guns; a fifty-six gun screw frigate for the Admiral's flag, and the 'Caledonienne,' steamer all bound for the new possession New Caledonia. For Australian waters generally, we had the 'Iris,' twenty-six guns, sailing frigate; the 'Pelorus,' screw corvette of twenty-one guns; the 'Niger,' screw
A great meeting was held in May at Ngaruawahia, the Maori King's place at the junction of the Waikato and Waipa 'Wai,' water, 'pah,' habitation—well-peopled river.
The rumours of hostile intentions of the Europeans towards the Waikatos, &c., were to be traced to the mischievous boastings of "Pakeha Maories" or Europeans of low caste who have lived among the natives and bragged and swaggered in a vaunting and offensive manner whenever they had an opportunity. It is next to impossible to prevent this custom
At "the great talk" at Ngaruawahia, European traders were not absent, one of whom sold his goods at these rates: Cavendish tobacco at 2s. a cake; negro-head at Is. a fig, two hundred per cent over Auckland prices, common print shirts 5s. each, composition candles Is. each. It was said that certain white men (there are many runaways up the Waikato) first suggested the Maori King idea, and we know that two bad characters who asked for and obtained leave to trade in the upper markets, immediately opened a grog shop, to corrupt, if they could, for their own vile gains, the Maories, who are, as a people, disposed to temperance; individuals of them, however, would sacrifice the honour of their families for drink. Would that the laws of the Hudson Bay Company, against drink supplied to natives, could be put in force here, and a
A certain portion of the plain was staked off for the tarngata whenua, men of the soil (of the district), another portion for natives from a distance, and a third for European visitors, among these was the Lord Bishop Selwyn.
An intelligent looking chief. Rahi, having planted three sticks in the ground, one much longer than the other two, placed on one of the short sticks a hat; at the foot of the other he laid a native mat, then united the three by a. cord of flax plant, and described what was intended to be represented—the longest stick God or Religion, the next one with the hat represented the Governor at the head of the white people in New Zealand, and the stick with the mat was for the Maori nation. " Who," he said, " could think of disjoining the bond of amity he had thus typified!" The chief Wytene then came forward with a fourth stick in his hand, and drew a circle round the others, and said, "The Maori nationality is now set. We don't want to fight the Governor, but we will hold the hand of those who want to sell more land to the
Rahi asked if he had made that clear; Wytene made no answer. Then Tamati Ngapura (a man of great influence and of good character, and brother of Potatau, in whose company and that of others of note I afterwards proceeded to the Taranaki), spoke at great length urging peace, and that sooner than war should be made, that they should toss their arms and ammunition into the ocean. It is believed that Tamati Ngapura is deeply imbued with religious principles, and is greatly esteemed by all who know him. Another chief seconded Tamati Ngapua's propositions, and added, " Love to our friends, the Pakeha, love to our friends, the Maories, love to the whole world. My principal word is, let us erect a temple to the worship of
Tarapipipi (W. Thompson) then delivered a very florid oration, interspersed with scriptural quotations, (he is a man of great talent, and well versed in sacred lore), and displacing the hat from the stick said, " Let the Governor work on his own land, and allow the Maori to work on his. Don't let the Maori jump on the land of the Pakeha, or the European tread on that of the Maori. I have still no desire for the Waikato to act against the Governor. Tamati Ngapura has said well about putting away weapons; but let the Pakeha set the Maories the example. The question now is, shall we go with the Governor, or support Raogitaki (W. Kingi.)" Several spoke for and against supporting the Governor. The peace party seemed to be prevailing, when the word came that the Chief Katipa and his contingent were not far off. They came with flashing paddles in two large war canoes, the large one ninety feet long, and seating one hundred and twenty men and women, had cost from the Ngapuhis £300. The smaller seated sixty
Katipa, though esteemed a friend of the Pakeha, was received as usual with the waving of shawls and the firing of guns, which his party duly returned from some excellent arms. Katipa's people then made themselves comfortable for the rest of the day by pitching tents by means of paddles, poles and sails, and preparing their afternoon meal.
On Sunday, religious services were held in different parts of the encampment, and the Bishop Selwyn and the Reverend Messieurs T. Buddie, J. Morgan, J. Watts, A. Read, Garaval, and some native ministers officiated. The audiences were numerous and attentive.
Where Missionary influence is wisely exercised, the effects of it, under Provience, are sometimes truly wonderful. When a people are taught to work as well as pray, to improve their circumstances, and place them above the fear of want and starvation. Also, when peace is promoted where evil passions and oppression
To preserve and elevate the native races by the influence of true Christianity, has been one of the primary aims of Missionary societies. His Excellency Sir George Grey, both in New Zealand and at the Cape of Good Hope, recognised this design, and earnestly endeavoured to bring the influence of the Government to sanction and assist it. When aide-de-camp and private secretary to Sir B. d'Urban, at the Cape, I made the acquaintance of Sir George Grey, when as a Captain of the 83rd Regiment, he was on his way to explore at Shark's Bay, Australia. When assisting in his outfit, I remarked then his earnest character and his attention to the work in hand; and the expectations formed of him in his youth, have been most amply fulfilled in his mature years.
For centuries, bloodshed and violence prevailed in New Zealand, and before the war began, the Maories were reckoned a
Next day, the Bishop assembled the natives connected with his church, and after morning prayers, he asked them if they intended to assist at the erection of a new flag staff? A number of them answered they did; he rebuked them for their folly, said he would not stay to witness it, as it would lead to strife; he then struck his tent, and took his departure.
The Bishop and the party who think as he does, have been strongly in favour of leaving abundance of land with the Maories; as much as they can possibly want, as forest land, corn fields, sheep-runs, &c. Yet he always advised them to haul down the King's flag, and not " for a piece of bunting" to risk a contest with the powerful Pakehas.
Katipa at the korero, or talk, which was resumed, professed his adhesion to the
Tare, of the northern Ngapuhis, a relative of Tamati Wakanene, said An old Maori expression for a victory and its results.they had eaten food in the Waikato country before, and might do so again; he reminded some of the King's party that they promised allegiance to the British Queen, and that they had obtained many advantages from the intercourse with Europeans; he recommended the removal of the new flag-staff, and to avoid engaging in the Taranaki quarrel.
The King party, though desiring to assert the native mana, or authority over the land, or great portion of it, yet declared that Auckland, the town and province, would be tapued,
At this time, Mr. Parris, the native commissioner, was saved, by means of the Waikatos, from a determined plot to take his life by the Taranaki and Ngatiruanui deputation on their return from the conference with King Potatau. Mr. Parris had been asked to procure for them a safe escort to their homes, as they had not been concerned in the murders at the Omata, and he resolved to do so, it being rumoured that possibly our ally, Ihaia, of the Waitara, might endeavour to cut them off.
There was an escort of one hundred and fifty Waikatos, the deputation numbered about fifty. On the way to Taranaki, the Waikato chief, Epiha, discovered and communicated to Mr. Parris, that it was the intention of the deputation to form an ambush and destroy him, out of hatred to the white man. Mr. Parris threw himself on the protection of the Waikatos; accordingly, Epiha, and Honé, another Waikato chief, forming double files on each side of him, and an advance and rearguard at the place where the deputation were in waiting to cut him off at night, brought him safe through. When Mr, Parris took to your murder."
On the 19th May at the Waitara, it was understood that the Waikatos in considerable numbers, had joined Wirermu Kingi, and had hutted themselves between Huirangi and the Waitara river, and it was supposed that Kingi with his reinforcements of the Waikatos, Ngatiruanuies, and Taranakis, would put up a pah on the disputed land, and then make an attempt on New Plymouth.
One had often to lament the extreme imprudence of old settlers in the country, thus exposing themselves needlessly, being either shot at or shot by the natives during the contest; and then the latter stigmatised, as blood thirsty savages, and when the white man would have done the same thing by the native if lie had caught him unawares. High minded men spare the enemy when at their mercy. " I can't shoot that old fellow,' cried the noble soldier and good sportsman, Major Gregory, 98th, in the first Caffre War, as he tossed up his gun after covering a stout old
Captain Richard Brown, the commandant of the native auxiliary force, went out of the block-house at the mouth of the Waitara, it was said to look for firewood along the shore. Three of the Ngatiawas, who were lurking among the flax bushes and fern, watched their opportunity, crept on him, and fired at him as he heedlessly and singly rode along the shore. The first shot struck his cartouche box and glanced off; the second took effect on his thigh, and the third passed through his left side and lodged in his body.
Captain Brown's horse swerved, and putting spurs to it, he galloped back towards the camp, and being observed to droop in the saddle, he was carried in a fainting state and lodged in a wharre in the fishing pah. Captain Brown was an energetic settler, and a brave man; too daring, in fact, like a strong swimmer who ventures too much and too long.
Previous to this affair, Wiremu Kingi had returned a horse, complete with saddle and
At this time also a schooner, the " Louisa,' was wrecked on the east coast, and the crew and passengers were in a helpless condition; when on making known their distress at a native settlement, the chief, Paratene, received them most hospitably; turned out his people; brought, with his horses, the white men and their goods to his wharres; and not working on Sunday, on Monday saved spars, sails, and running gear from the wreck, and thirty sacks of wheat; and sent in canoes the crew and passengers to Auckland, charging only forty shillings for his peoples' services.
Whilst unpleasant feelings were existing between the two races at the time, it is pleasant and proper to record this instance of native svmpathv for shipwrecked mariners.
Tall flag-staffs and yards for signals were now erected at the Bell Block, Omata Stockade, and Marsland Hill, and a code of signals was arranged under the direction of
On the Queen's birthday there was a respectable turn out of Regulars, Militia, and Volunteers, and the usual salute with great guns and small arms fired. Major Nelson being sent to the Waitara camp with a part of his fine regiment, the 40th, but new to the country and the native mode of warfare, was a mistake.
On the 4th of June, Captain Miller, of the 12th Regiment, distinguished himself by his heroic endeavours to rescue from drowning a son of Mr. Wakefield, of Taranaki. The youth who was on horseback, was trying to ford the Huatoki stream near its mouth, he lost his seat, and was washed out to sea. Captain Miller happening to be present, immediately plunged into the sea to try and save him; he swam strongly towards the boy, but got among the breakers, and was carried back into the mouth of the swollen river, where the heavy surf broke over him repeatedly, and he was at last washed up apparently in a dying state on the beach, from
Mr. Hoby junior, boldly, on horseback, swam into the sea, but also failed to save young Wakefield from death.
When I arrived in New Zealand, and heard the Fiji Islands, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, and other islands of the great Southern Pacific ocean, familiarly talked of as near neighbours, and of easy access, I truly felt I was " far, far from home," and indeed removed to an ultima thule the ancients had never dreamt of. Now in June, 1860, Colonel Smythe arrived in Auckland on his way to the Fijis on a political and commercial mission; it having been understood that the Fijeans, that wild and warlike people of books of voyages, were desirous to place themselves-under the sovereignty of Queen Victoria, and it was expected that thus another field for cotton growing would be open to British enterprise, along with other advantages.
In the Taranaki at this time, the middle of June, the hostile natives were collected in
In New Plymouth, from over crowding, neglect of sanitary measures, inattention to removing nuisances, and in some houses, (built a yard off the ground on piles; blocking up the foundations with turf, &c, and preventing the air blowing freely under the floors, occasioned fever. The people became alarmed, thinking that an epidemic had arisen among them to add to the misery of being driven from their country homes, but malaria from local causes, and these removable, was the origin of the fever.
ChapterVII.
Winter—Pahs at Puketakauere—Major Ne]son in command at Waitara camp—Determines to attack, with Captain Seymour, R.N., the pahs—Skirmish—Reinforcements—'Blood is thicker than water'—The order of attack—Onukakeitara—The main body of the troops encounters large bodies of the enemy—Are outflanked and retire—Captain Bowdler—Captain Messenger—The difficulties his division encountered—Death of Lieut. Brooks and other casualties —Colonel Gold marches to the Waiongona river to cooperate and returns to New Plymouth—Death of the Maori King.
It was now the middle of the Antarctic winter, when cold and wet prevail, and expeditions at any distance from camp were disagreeable from the state of the country, the swamps full of water, roads and tracks deep with mud.
The height where stood a double pah at Puketakauere, 'Puke' a hill, 'ta,' to strike, 'kauere or puriri,' a tree, the hill where the puriri was struck.
Our forces at this time were inadequate for the work which was assigned them, that is numerically; we were carrying on a little war. Major Nelson, of the 40th Regiment, commanding at the Waitara, nothing daunted, though he had few men under him in his advanced post, looked out anxiously for an opportunity to give a lesson to what was termed " the wily foe." The Major had served in the field in the East with great credit, and on the Staff in England, but he found in the Maories a very different enemy from the less active and enterprising Hindoos.
A party of natives was seen from the camp, on the 25th June, coming down to the trees on the Government land, about five hundred yards in rear of the camp, and collecting timber for Puketakauere. Lieutenant Mould, R.E., was directed to reconnoitre them, and had for his escort fifty men of the 40th, and eight natives. The party was fired at from an ambush; the troops fired and retired, hoping to entice the enemy to show themselves
All this determined Major Nelson and Captain Seymour, commanding the Naval Brigade, to attempt to carry Puketakauere; though from the state of the country, so wet, and with so few men at their disposal, they had not the advantage of reconnoitring all round, and of observing what obstruction there was towards the river, viz., an extensive swamp. But they bravely used their best efforts not only to deal with the enemy in front, but to cut off his retreat in the rear. It was understood that the Maories at Puketakauere, were chiefly Waikato volunteers come to assist Wiremu Kingi at the Waitara.
Previous to this, Major Nelson had despatched Captain Richards, 40th, an active and resolute officer, to New Plymouth, to communicate with Colonel Gold, commanding Her Majesty's forces, regarding the state of affairs at Puketakauere, and to ask for more
Colonel Gold knew that Major Nelson was desirous of making an attempt on Puketakauere, but he left in bis own hands the time for attack, intimating that if he knew it he would co-operate as much as in his power; but the best laid plans are sometimes upset and deranged from unexpected causes. Major Nelson, in his tent, was describing on the ground to another officer his plan of attack, when on looking up, he saw a friendly Maori who had glided in, and was silently watching what was going on. On seeing he was observed he retired, and doubtless to convey intelligence of what was intended. " Blood is thicker than water," said that fine fellow, the American Commodore Tatnell, when he helped our blue jackets in their difficulty at the Peiho.
Again, an artillery sergeant, to whom was
When Major Nelson made his attack on Puketakauere on the 27th June, there were two pahs there; one, the true Puketakauere, to the north-east of the other, consisted of a mound with a difficult double ditch round it; the other was the large pah. It consisted of a mound also, on which was the flag-staff, with a white ensign and black cross. A stockade was round the mound, and rifle pits were supposed to be inside and out. The defenders were in bullrush wharres or huts. This last pah was named Onukukaitara; the two pahs are usually known as the Puketakauere pahs.
Both pahs stood on a ridge, on each side of which were gullies meeting below the northernmost stockade, and ending in a swamp towards the Waitara river; the gullies formed as it were the letter Y, the stem of it to the river, and the stockades in the fork.
A body of three hundred and forty-seven men, with two 241b. howitzers, were destined for the enterprise, composed of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, Naval Brigade, Royal Marine Artillery, and of the 40th Regiment. The main body, or No. 3 Division, two hundred and sixty-three in number, was led by Major Nelson and Captain Seymour, and moving from the camp at five a.m., crossed the Devon road, taking the most direct way to the pahs, and opened fire with the guns on the large pah at seven a.m., at the distance of four nundred yards; but a breach was not made in the large pah of a sufficient size to justify Major Nelson in ordering the men to assault it.
No 1. Division, Captain Bowdler, with sixty men, 40th Regiment, was ordered to proceed from the camp by the right, pass along the river and occupy a small mound south-east of the camp, and on the sound of the advance to rush up the Devon road and join the main body. The object of this movement being to prevent the enemy escaping along the left flank of the main body and attacking the camp, and if the enemy did not attempt this, then
No 2. Division, Captain Messenger, with one hundred and twenty-five men, chiefly the fine grenadiers of the 40th Regiment, was directed to advance beyond the second division and get possession of Puketakauere mound, to cut off the retreat of the enemy from the Onukakaitara pah and prevent reinforcements, which might be forwarded from other pahs, coming up in his rear.
On the approach of the force, the natives were immediately on the alert, some left the stockades, occupied the rifle pits outside and commenced firing on Captain Messenger's party, whilst he opened fire on some natives who seemed to be making their way to the river.
A scout was seen to leave the pah, and he disappeared in the high fern in rear. The party of the 40th, with the third division under Captain Richards, and the blue jackets under Lieutenant Battiscombe, R.N., were extended to the right of the main body and in front of it, and moved towards the south-west face of the pah, Large numbers of the enemy came to
Major Nelson having held his ground for some time, and seeing that there was no successful diversion from the rear, and it being evident that his numbers were not sufficient to cope with those opposed to him reluctantly gave orders to sound the retire, intending to repeat his attack when in command of greater numbers.
Some attempt was made to follow the main body, but this was speedily checked by the artillery; the retreat was conducted in an orderly manner and the troops returned to camp at 1 p.m., Captain Seymour being carried back with a ball through his leg, and many brave men killed and wounded besides. Captain Bowdler also withdrew his men to camp.
Captain Messenger who bore the brunt of Matarikoriko, blinking eyes.
Another body of the enemy approached so near at one time, as to cause bayonets to be fixed, when the Maories retired.
Captain Messenger now got about thirty men together, but it was impossible with this handful to get possession of the north-east mound with its double ditches. Mr. Jackson with some of the men endeavoured to make their way out by the right, whilst Lieut. Brooks and others got into the swamp where, defending
Captain Messenger continued his advance till he got to the ground where the third division had been engaged, and he passed over some of the dead bodies there, and was in time to march into camp with the main body, but immediately afterwards was sent out again to bring in Lieutenant Jackson and as many as could be found with him, which he did. The casualties were numerous, for it was supposed that with the Waikatos in the pahs, the Maori combatants, with Wiremu Kingi's reinforcement, amounted to eight hundred warriors.
Besides Lieutenant Brooks (an officer of much promise) who fell, there were twenty non-commissioned officers and privates killed. Besides Captain Seymour, R.N., there were thirty-three non-commissioned officers and
The officers who particularly distinguished themselves, besides the energetic commander, were, Captains Messenger, Richards and Bowdler, 40th, Capt. Seymour, R.N., Lieutenant Mould, R.E., Lieutenant Macnaughten, R.A., Lieutenant Battiscombe, R.N., Lieutenant Morris, R.M. The medical officers, Dr. Murray and Assistant-surgeons Stiles and Edwards were most attentive to the wounded, and Ensign Whelan, 40th Regirnent, did good service as the staff officer. When I saw Puketakauere, the pahs had disappeared and in their place a strong and solidly constructed.timber.blockhouse occupied the height, with a good ditch, flanking defences and signal staff and yard.
In New Plymouth, on the morning of the 27th June, it was reported to Colonel Gold that heavy firing was heard in the direction of the Waitara, he was at this time in bed with severe influenza. Contrary to the advice of his
About this time died the Maori King Te Whero Whero, or Potatau, from old age and influenza, and his son became his successor; his name is Matutaera.
ChapterVIII.
Commodore Loring, C.B.—Naval arrangements—The Militia assisted—A war dance—New Plymouth entrenched—Conference of Chiefs at Kohimarima—Ihaia of Taranaki—His Letter of advice—His Excellency the Governor proceeds to the conference—His address—Its effect on some of the Chiefs—The korero, or talk—Skirmishing in the Taranaki —Major Hutchins, 12th regiment, arrives, also Lieut.- Colonel Leslie, 40th regiment—Redoubt at Waireka Hill —Archdeacon Hadfield—General Pratt proceeds to the seat of War—Sir Henry Barkley, Governor of Victoria, efficiently helps New Zealand—An alarm—Liberal offer from Canterbury settlement—Hugh Harris, a young settler, shot—A farmer and an artillery man slain at Omata.
Commodore Loring, C.B., was now actively engaged in arranging naval matters, and dispatching Captain Vernon from Manukau harbour to the Waitara in H.M.S. Cordelia he brought a, reinforcement to the Naval Brigade of one hundred and fifty blue jackets and marines from the 'Iris, ' Elk' and 'Victoria,' to the seat of war. The repulse at Puketakauere served to stimulate the operations of both services. The colony of Victoria with her
At the settlement of Tatarairnaka, south of New Plymouth, the insurgents sacked and burned the settlers' houses, all were committed to the flames except the chapel. Twenty-five of the wounded men were brought up from the Waitara and sent to the hospital. The Militia and Volunteers were served with a blanket, blue smock or jumper, a Guernsey and pair of boots each, other articles were to follow; hitherto these men had provided their own clothing, but now, half naked and ruined by the war, the Government assisted them.
At Puketakauere the natives came out of the pah and danced the war dance in view of the Waitara camp, one native was conspicuous in a soldier's tunic, on seeing which Major Nelson sent three shots into the pah from the camp, still further to excite their martial ardour.
It was now determined to entrench the centre part of New Plymouth, which Colonel Gold directed Captain Mairis, R.E., to
Great expectations were formed of the advantages to be gained by the native conference at Kohimarima near Auckland, and Mr. Donald MacLean, the native secretary, had been indefatigable in getting chiefs together to discuss the present state of affairs and relations between the Europeans and Maories. The steamers 'Victoria' and ' White Swan' brought chiefs from the Bay of Islands, from Wellington, the east coast, the Bay of Plenty, from Canterbury, Nelson, &c. Two large buildings, one hundred feet by sixteen were erected for the conference, a kitchen of corrugated iron was prepared, mattresses provided, &c.
In the middle of July, at Taranaki, the native corps of which the wounded Captain
The secluded Bay of Kohirnarima, a few miles from Auckland, is a beautiful site for the Melinesian mission here; and there is a college for the education of youth from the South Sea islands, Mr. Patteson has become the new bishop for this interesting diocese, and through his indefatigable exertions and acquirements, the spread of civilization and of Christianity will be extended by means of native missionaries among many islands and people of the Polynesian group. I had much pleasure in visiting the establishment at Kohimarima, the sail to it past steep and wooded cliffs, (where are the peaceful retreats and gardens of Sir William Martin and the Honorable Mr. Swainson, late attorney-general) or the ride to it through woods and scrub, and the waving yellow flags of the toi toi were very interesting; the beautifully China pheasant is beginning to abound in the cover near Kohimarima.
On July the 10th took place the meeting of friendly chiefs to confer with the Governor on
The Governor having taken his seat, Mr. MacLean interpreted the address to the assembled chiefs, which began with assurances of good will on the part of Her Majesty the Queen to the whole Maori people. On assuming the sovereignty of New Zealand, she pledged herself to extend to them her royal protection, to defend them from foreign foes, impart to
In return for this, the chiefs who signed the treaty of Waitangi, ceded the right of sovereignty to Her Majesty. The chiefs were now invited to make known any grievances they might have, or to suggest how property could be better protected, offenders punished, and disputes settled.
His Excellency next alluded to the dangerous combination in the Waikato country to set up a Maori king in opposition to Queen Victoria. Some parties from Waikato and Kawhia Kawhia, the name of a fish.
Tile Maori nation had been treated with every consideration by the British
His Excellency reminded the chiefs of the kindness exercised towards the Maories by the establishment of an hospital for their sick, schools for the children; assistance given to possess vessels, to build mills, to cultivate wheat. The Governor hoped that wise councils would prevail among them, and that their deliberations would result in great benefit to the Maori race generally. Lastly, he congratulated them on the great progress the Maories had made of late years under the Queen's protection. Cannibalism exchanged for Christianity, slavery abolished, war become rare, prisoners taken in war not always slain. He prayed for the blessing of God on their deliberations, and left them to the free discussion of the subjects indicated in his address.
At the conclusion of the address, Mele Kingi and Kaiwawa Paipai came forward, and in the name of the Wanganui natives, presented the Governor with two beautifully embroidered kaitakas, or fine flax mantles, and a taiaha, or staff, as a pledge of loyalty and peace.
About one hundred and twenty chiefs were present, and at the subsequent levee in the dining-room, an east coast chief presented to the Governor what is highly prized, an old mere, or sharp-edged club, made of the bone of a whale. The stalwart figures, well developed heads, and intelligent countenances of the Maories, struck those who were not in the habit of seeing many Maories of distinction, and caused a feeling of regret that there should be enmity between any portion of this fine race of aborigines and the AngloSaxon colonists.
The Governor having returned to Auckland, the chiefs re-assembled in the hall of conference for their korero, or talk, Mr. MacLean presiding. The first day there were expressions of loyalty towards the Queen, acknowledgments of the benefits conferred on the Maories, and utu or compensation for one death. One chief said, "Our former canoe was bare and unfinished; when the Pakeha came, it was supplied with seats and a platform. Our former god was Onehuku: now it is the true God. I say let wars cease between the Pakeha and Maori." Another said, "The missionaries taught us Christianity; they taught us to forsake old customs; they pulled up by the roots Maori customs, and they became quite dry. The war in the north was ended; the war in the south was brought to a satisfactory termination; let this one be so also. Let us have but two canoes. Send another ship and a boat (a Queen and a Governor), but not a Waka Maori, (Maori canoe) only, and let us have one thought, not two, for both Queen and Maori."
It happened, unfortunately, about the time of the conference at Kohimarima, the news that our arms had met with a reverse at the Taranaki arrived, viz., the Puketakauere
In the Taranaki in July, a skirmish took place between some of the insurgents and a party of the 12th Regiment, under Lieutenants Richardson and Lowry, near the Bell Block. The natives had been plundering houses, and surrounded a Mr. Everett, who was imprudently trimming furze hedges on his farm. They demanded his bill-hook and part of his clothing; he surrendered what was required, and offered to shake hands with them; this all declined except one man, and this saved his life.
H.M. ship "Fawn," Captain Cator, now arrived at New Plymouth from Sydney with another detachment of the 12th Regiment on board, commanded by Major Hutchins, an excellent officer and much esteemed.
The "City of Hobart" also arrived, with Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie, and the
South of New Plymouth, the Ngatiruanuis were busy erecting pahs at Tataraimaka, and threatening the town from that direction.
Major Hutchins with a strong detachment of the 12th and 40th Regiments, and some artillery, was now directed to march to the Waireka hill, construct a redoubt there, (near the site of the pah so gallantly carried by Captain Cracroft) and watch and check the onward movements of the insurgents, a large party of whom, men, women, and children, were seen on the beach. A considerable number of women go into the field with the men in Maorie warfare, to assist in various ways; building wharres or huts, collection and preparation of food, care of the wounded, besides encouraging the sterner sex to rival the deeds of their ancestors. Female voices would be heard at night, sometimes with songs and cries, stimulating the warriors.
Archdeacon Hadfield made himself conspicuous at this time by addressing a pamphlet to the Duke of Newcastle, the Colonial Minister, regarding the injustice of the war. He made a mistake in stating that Teira's father was opposed to the sale of the Waitara block; he had agreed to this when Teira offered the land to the Governor.
It was now deemed advisable that General Pratt, C.B, commanding the forces in the Australian colonies, should himself proceed from Melbourne with a portion of his staff, to the seat of war, as a temporary measure, to make all military arrangements for the general defence of New Zealand, in conjunction with the Governor and the local authorities.
Every praise is due to the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkley, and to the community generally of that flourishing colony, for the zeal and liberality displayed on this occasion. Men and money were freely offered; the 40th Regiment fully equipped for the campaign; the women of the regiment comfortably lodged and cared for, and one thousand young men offered their services to do battle as volunteers in the New Zealand
Colonel Pitt, D I.M., had done his utmost to practise the Colonial Volunteers in the use of the rifle, and they had done justice to their training.
Her Majesty's Colonial steam sloop "Victoria" landed at New Plymouth Major- General Pratt and Staff; he was received by Colonel Gold, commanding the troops in New Zealand. The officers who accompanied the general, were Lieutenant-Colonel Carey, Deputy-Adjutant General; Lieutenant Forster, R.A., Aide-de-Camp; Dr. Mouat, C.B., V.C., Deputy-Inspector-General; Captain Pasley, R.E., and fifty men of the 40th Regiment. Immediately after this, an alarm was raised that the natives were moving on the town to attack it; the women and children were hastily sent to Marsland Hill, the citadel, and
The settlement of Canterbury liberally offered assistance in money in aid of the distressed Taranaki settlers; and as there was no accommodation for them there, it was determined that Nelson was the best place to send them to. These poor people suffered great misery and hardships besides loss of property and of their houses in the Taranaki.
In the end of July a melancholy occurrence took place at the Waitara. Hugh Harris, attached to the camp, a young man, the only son of his parents, whilst attempting to cart drift wood from the beach, and without an escort, was shot dead, with a ball in the head, by a party of natives who came down upon him; an unarmed soldier of the 40th was near. The waggon and bullocks were not touched, and the body was recovered and sent to New Plymouth for burial.
The royal mail steamer, "Airedale," arrived from the Manukau at New Plymouth with the following officers, Colonel Sillery, Deputy- Quartermaster-General; Assistant-Military
More skirmishing took place about the Bell Block, and the report was raised that the dead bodies of the men killed at Puketakauere were left to be eaten by the wild pigs and the karoro, (sea gulls). Some sharp skirmishing about the mouth of the Waitara between the marines escorting firewood and the Maories.
Two more lives were lost at the Omata. John Hurford, a farmer, left the stockade for Jury's hill, to get three artillerymen to accompany him to his farm in the bush. The natives came upon them in force, and the party separated, and two of the artillerymen made their way back to Major Hutchins' camp. Captain Barton, 65th, searched for the others with a party, and the artilleryman was found dead and mutilated in a gully. The farmer's body was not recovered, but there was no doubt about his death. He left a wife and nine helpless children at Nelson. A very distressing case.
Such are some of the incidents of this calamitous war, and its effects on rural settlers in a new and partially acquired country.
ChapterIX.
Alarms at New Plymouth—Continuance of the Conference at Kohemarima—Pig hunting—Skirmishes at Waireka hill—Wreck of the 'George Henderson'—Settlers attacked —Defection of an old Ally—Death of Captain Richard Brown—H. Craine shot—Maorie ammunition—Puketakauere evacuated and destroyed by Major Nelson—The enemy's works at Waireka hill abandoned—Description of Rifle Pits—Expedition to Ratapihipihi—Two pahs destroyed by Major Nelson—General Pratt's expedition to Huirangi—Skirmish at the Peach Grove—The ladies of Littleton—Major Hutchins' expedition—Colonel Leslie's —One regiment inadequate for New Zealand—Dangerous affair at Patamahoe.
In the beginning of August the insurgents were particularly active about the Bell Block in plundering houses, driving off horses, cattle, and sheep; they were pursued and skirmished with by the farmers, assisted by the military. There were also continual alarms of assaults on the town of New Plymouth, beating to arms, and placing the women in places of safety.
The Kohemarima conference went on, and the speeches of the chiefs were generally of a yet, as the natives knew sixpence was paid them for the land which was afterwards sold to settlers for ten shillings an acre, must have before long caused much discontent.
The chiefs acknowledged the great advantages their nation had derived from the Gospel of Christ, turning them from many of their old evil ways; disposing them to peace, to agriculture, and to obedience to the laws.
In New Plymouth, parties of the 40th and 65th were encamped in different parts of the town in anticipation of an attack. The ditch and palisading were improved, and more families warned to be in readiness to proceed to Nelson.
The insurgents had evidently no want of food in the Taranaki, for besides the sheep and cattle of the settlers, they could amuse themselves with pig hunting. Wild pigs abound there, and some of our officers, among these Ensign Curtis, 14th, were very successful
Skirmishing continued with the marauding insurgents in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth, in which the militia and volunteers took an active part. The 65th and 40th had to escort prisoners to Omata and the Waireka hill, where at four hundred yards from Major Hutchins' redoubt the Maories had sunk rifle pits, and invested the post on Grayling's and Harrison's farms. With the natives, continual skirmishing went on, Major Hutchins pitched into them shot and shell, and using small arms when he had the opportunity. Captain Miller, also Lieutenant Mair and Ensign Hurst were usefully engaged here; and at the Omata, Captain Burton rendered valuable service.
On the 16th of August there was considerable excitement in New Plymouth, watching
We here take the opportunity to record our obligations to the owner of this vessel and to his family for much civility and attention. The Honourable Mr. Henderson is an example of what an honest, upright, and persevering Scotchman can effect in realizing an independence as a wood merchant, &c.; also taking a part in public life, first as a member of the general assembly, and afterwards in council.
Mr. Walter Perry riding after stock at the Waitara was wounded in the leg; his horse
To the settler volunteers at the Omata Stockade, it was a trying thing to see their houses burnt near them, and their stock driven off by the insurgents, and thus reducing them to poverty after years of honourable industry. Major Herbert and his militia, always active and ready for a fight, were employed between the town and the Omata and Waireka hill.
At the Kohemarima conference, a chief, Paora Tuhaepa, spoke very sensibly of the advantage of the Maories sharing in the councils of the Pakeha; and if a Maori killed a Maori, he thought his crime should be tried and adjudicated on by the understanding of both Pakeha and Maori. Murders generally; quarrels about women, makutu (witchcraft), all should come before the same tribunal, and there should be but one law for Pakehas and Maories.
At the Taranaki, the defection of Te Waka, an old ally of the Pakeha, occasioned for a time much speculation. He had lived eighteen years at New Plymouth, and was much esteemed; had rendered valuable assistance in settling disputes between the two races, and arranging the delicate matter of the sale of native land. Most unfortunately, when salaried native assessors were appointed, and he among them, his pride was hurt by others, with very inferior claims to him, having a higher rate of salary allotted them. He accordingly first became a spy for Wiremu Kingi, and then went over to him bodily, at a time when we had not many friends to spare among the Maories.
Captain Richard Brown, who had lingered for thirteen weeks from the effects of his wound at the Waitara, at length died, greatly regretted, and was buried with military and masonic honours. We saw at the pah at the mouth of the Waitara, the long low wharré where Dr. Styles of the 40th most carefully attended him, and did his utmost to save him, but in vain.
A young man, H. Craine, most imprudently
The natives continued to burn houses near the town, and were pursued by Lieutenant Bent, R.M., and a party of marines. One day an exciting skirmish took place in full view of Marsland hill, a force turning out under Lieutenant- Colonel Murray, 65th, and with him Captain Barton, Lieutenants Bailie, Urquhart and Whitehead, and Ensign Talbot. The natives, about two hundred in number, retired and fired from the gullies; the fire was returned with effect, several (about twenty) were seen to drop, among others Hoam, a young chief, whose pouch contained cartridges made up with pistol bullets for close quarters. Five nails were sometimes tied together, heads and points, also plugs of hard puriri wood coated with tea-chest lead. I also heard of bullets cast in the bowls of tobacco pipes, a row of these being laid in the ground and the lead run into them.
The means for making rough powder are
Major Nelson, from the Waitara camp, having constantly harrassed the enemy in the Puketakauere pahs, with his sixty-eight pounder, and another expedition being prepared to assail them in sufficient numbers to ensure their fall, they were suddenly found to be evacuated. On being occupied by a party of the 40th, Onukakaitara was found to consist of palisading enclosing a mound on which was a flag-staff, part of the palisading toward the camp was double, inside were well contrived rifle trenches; there were also flanking defences to complete the work. The Puketakauere mound to the north-east was now partly stockaded, besides having a double ditch. The troops carted away great portions of the palisading to the camp for firewood, and filled in the entrenchments and rifle pits. When the Maories make rifle pits
The planting season being at hand was another inducement to abandon the Puketakauere pahs; the trenches at the Waireka hill were also suddenly left and the blockade on Major Hutchins raised, but not before the chief Aperahama was struck fatally on the head by a bullet at long range from the deadly Enfield rifle.
August being a cold wet month, the natives were suffering from influenza in various parts of the country.
The works abandoned by the enemy at the Waireka hill, six in number, were of the most ingenious construction, both as regards shelter from the weather and safety in retreat; near some of the pits were wharrés or huts, where those not required in the pits could take their ease. It was the custom elsewhere for a few to occupy the works at night and make a noise by calling out, or with cow horns endeavour to deceive our people, but doubtless all were ready for a rush to the pits on an alarm.
Some of the larger pits were proof against shells, by a roof of trees, turf and earth, were
In the beginning of September, a powerful force, military, naval and militia, started from New Plymouth under the direction of Major-General Pratt, and in three divisions entered the bush to the south of the town, and endeavoured to surprise the enemy at Rata-pihipihi, the stockade of the chief Manahi; the enemy retired and the expedition returned to town. There was heavy marching from bad tracks and much fatigue endured, but it proved that the troops could and would follow the foe into his fastnesses.
Major Nelson, always on the alert and so
Major Nelson in order to clear the country between the Waitara and the Bell Block, next, with part of the 40th and Naval Brigade, destroyed the Nuna Tima and other pahs; in the Tima a large quantity of provisions was found.
On the 10th of September a large expedition was organised at New Plymouth, under Major-General Pratt, to advance as far as possible into the country towards Pukerangeora 'Puke,' a hill, 'rangeora,' a tree, so called.
The first halt was at Mahoetahi, next day No. 3 Division proceeded by a branch road towards Ngataiparirua. Ngataiparirua, the tides that flow twice. He is now a Captain of the 23rd R.W.F.
The order to retire was now given, and the force halted at the Waitara Camp. A large number of horses and cattle were driven into camp by the mounted escort; next day Divisions Nos. 2 and 3 returned to New Plymouth.
As the enemy avoided coming to a decisive engagement, and they were wise in so doing, all that could be done was to destroy their pahs from whence they had issued to slay and pillage; yet it was considered that if it had been deemed prudent to entrench the force at
The Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis having destroyed the settlement at Tataraimaka, south of New Plymouth, and having erected pahs there, Major Hutchins was directed to chastise them; those were the tribes it will be remembered which had massacred the three men and two boys at the Omata in March, and had been fighting and plundering round New Plymouth.
The ladies of Littleton, Canterbury, Middle Island now sent to the Volunteers of Taranaki a quantity of garments made up by them, and accompanied by a letter expressing sympathy for them, the obligations the settlers were under to the Volunteers, and wishing them health, safety and success. To this the gallant Volunteers made a suitable reply.
The force of Major Hutchins to proceed south, consisted of one hundred and fifty-seven
Major Hutchins' expedition first encamped on the north bank of the Oakura river, and in the Tataraimaka destroyed eight pahs, some of considerable strength, after which it was intended that more preparations were to be made for attacking the natives posted at Kaihihi, the expedition therefore returned to town.
A party of the 40th and Naval Brigade amounting to five hundred men under Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie were employed at Huirangi filling in rifle pits and levelling trenches, after which the troops retired and were followed by the natives, who fired and wounded three of the 40th and two Marines, the troops being ordered to reserve their fire. But provoked by
Colonel Gold on being promoted to Major-General and giving up the command of the 65th Regiment to Colonel Wyatt, was entertained by the officers at the head-quarters; he had served thirty four years in "the old Tigers."
I may here remark, that the 65th, though an excellent regiment, was quite inadequate, single handed and scattered in detachments, to keep in check the warlike Maories of the Northern island of New Zealand. I formed this opinion from what I observed at the Cape of Good Hope in 1835.
When one regiment of the line was on the Cape frontier, and two hundred Cape mounted Rifles in detached posts, the active Caffers suddenly worked immense mischief in the eastern province; and so in New Zealand. We believe that with two regiments, besides artillery, engineers, and three or four ships of war, with mounted and rifle volunteers, all efficient and in hand, no king's flag would have
My noble old chief at the Cape and in Canada, Sir Benjamin d'Urban, required power to exercise his humane and just policy towards the natives. A respectable force in front of turbulent neighbours is the cheapest plan in the end. The Honourable Mr. Swainson, formerly Attorney-General, and enjoying a literary leasure at "a Sabine farm" near Auckland, has some excellent ideas on this subject in his admirable works on New Zealand.
A native, Hoena Pirere, or Big Joe, well known in Taranaki,. who had been fighting with the Ngatiruanuis, and quarrelled with them, now came in with some other
Being the brother of Manahi, who is supposed to have been concerned in the murder of the settlers in March, Big Joe, as he was marched through New Plymouth to a place of security, was hooted and hissed at a good deal, but he never flinched, and walked stoutly between his guards.
An occurrence which was likely to be attended with serious consequences, involving an attack on the province of Auckland, and on the town itself, took place in the middle of October. Eruetta, a Maori, was found dead near Patamahoe, 'Pata,' drips, 'mahoe,' a tree, Melicytus ramiflorus.
On the 15th October the natives assembled there, armed and in considerable numbers, to investigate the cause of the death of Eruetta in the bush. It appeared he had been last seen alive with a party of his own people who were hunting wild cattle. He separated from them, and was then found lying dead, and his trousers gone. The natives were much excited, and it was discovered that at a given signal, the dropping of a spear point, they had determined to murder all the Europeans present at the meeting except the Archdeacon. Mr. MacLean was informed of this privately, but with his usual nerve and judgment, he took no notice of it. A friendly chief, Ihaku, prevented the murderous design being carried into execution; and after the Archdeacon had concluded his arguments, Mr. MacLean succeeded for the time in allaying the excitement.
Several days were spent over this matter, and on the 26th October, the settlers in the district near the Waikato river were advised by friendly natives to quit their farms, and some did so. Major Speedy's life was threatened.
Ihaku came into town, communicated with the Governor, then returned to the influential natives, and helped to quiet them, and to allay the apprehension of the out-settlers. Two Europeans assaulted Ihaku at the village of Otahuhu, and if he had been hurt, it is impossible to say to what length his excited followers would have gone in revenging themselves on men who disgraced their country, and jeopardized the lives of many peaceful settlers. On the 31st of October an express was received in Auckland to the effect that four hundred armed Maories were proceeding to the scene of the supposed murder, and with them, Tamihana Tarapihipihi, (W. Thompson), the king-maker.
The alarm spread far and wide; the Honourable Colonel Kenny, commanding the troops in the province of Auckland, was directed to call out the militia, and march with what force he could muster of regulars, sailors, militia, volunteers, and field-pieces, in the direction of the frontier of the province.
Mr. Rogan of the native department, attended the last meeting of the natives at Pukaki, and reported the able speeches of
By the influence of the Chiefs Ipaha, Tamoti Ngapora, Mohi, and Arawa Waraha, the excitement was allayed; there was a feast, and the lately excited natives returned to their villages.
ChapterX.
The New Zealand spring—Expedition to the Kaihihi river—Preparation for assaulting three pahs—Sap up to the principal one—The enemy retreats—Captain Pasley, R.E., wounded —Waikatos arrive to assist Wiremu Kingi—A challenge to fight—Troops advance to Mahoetahi, under General Pratt, C.B. and Colonel Mould, C.R.E.—Successful action —The casualties—Maori peculiarities on making prisoners —Excellent behaviour of the troops—Officers noticed for their gallantry.
In the month of October the New Zealand landscape is in all the beauty and freshness of the spring; the sides of the hills of volcanic origin, lately red or bare of vegetation, now assume a green vesture. In the ravines where trees abound, and where the rich notes of the tooi, or parson-bird, are heard, the clematis showers its clusters of white stars from the topmost boughs of the shrub it patronises; the clianthus hangs its crimson "parrot-bill flowers," kowai ngutu kaka, under its fringed leaves, or as the yellow kowai enlivens the clumps of foliage by the margin of some
A group of bushy black-haired and tattoed Maories in their shaggy mats from neck to knee, or folded in their red or white blankets, may be resting in the shade, or cooking a frugal meal of tuna and kumara, eels and sweet potatoes.
In riding over the fern-covered plains, the horse's hoof crushes plants which give out refreshing odours, and the ti bush is cheerful with its sprinkling of snowy blossoms; flies with bright blue bodies appear, and black and white butterfles flit around; the air is of a delicious temperature; there is no plague of insects; light clouds pass overhead, or partially veil the distant mountain ranges. Water, the landscape's eye, to enliven these prospects, and reflect their charms, is seldom wanting, and all seemed formed for enjoyment by a benificent Providence, man's evil passions alone marring occasionally these scenes of a terrestial paradise. Though the reign of peace
It was in the beginning of October then, the finest time for military operations, clear and cool, and the ground drying up, that the expedition to the Kaihihi was undertaken by General Pratt. Its object was to attack three strong pahs named Puketakiriki, Orongomahangai and Mataiaio, held by the insurgent Maories of the Taranaki tribe, who had been so active in the work of devastation. Two of these pahs were on the right, and one on the left bank of the Kaihihi river, and eighteen miles from New Plymouth.
The strength of the expedition was 1,043 rank and file. Captain Strover commanded the Royal Artillery, Colonel Mould the Royal Engineers, Major Hutchins the detachment, 12th Regiment; Captain Hare, the detachment, 40th Regiment; Captain Strange, the detachment, 65th Regiment; Captain Beauchamp Seymour; the Naval
The march to the south, through a very difficult country for wheels, was facilitated materially by the Royal Engineers, who preceded the column, levelled and filled up inequalities in the road, repaired bridges and worked most effectually. The first camp on the 9th October was at the Timaru river, Tataramaika; next day the tents were struck at half-past four, a.m., and the friendly natives were moved to the front as a reconnoitring party. The country consisted of table-land intersected with wooded gullies, and on the sea-shore lofty cliffs.
By eight o'clock on the morning of the 10th October, the force had arrived within
General Pratt had arranged with Colonel Mould, Royal Engineers, second in command, to approach these pahs with a sap, to avoid the loss of life which resulted from a different course adopted in former wars. Accordingly at six A.M. on the 11th, a working party of two hundred and fifty-eight officers and men, carrying tools and gabions, and covered by a guard of one hundred and sixty-one officers and men, advanced in extended order, and with the necessary supports, to cover the working party, which commenced to throw up a parallel within two hundred and fifty yards of the Orongomahangai pah. This was done without interruption from the natives, who seemed at a loss what to make of the operations. At nine o'clock the guns were sent from the
A fire from the enemy in the bush on the left front of the parallel occasioned some casualties. At night-fall the firing ceased on both sides, the parallel was perfected and traverses made for the protection of the guns. At six P.M. the day working party was relieved by seventy-five men, with a detachment of Royal Engineers, the whole in charge of Captain Mould, R.E., who commenced a sap towards the pah and which was continued during the night. At six o'clock next morning the flying sap was rapidly pushed a head and widened, and defiladed under cover of a mantlette or screen, (a bullet proof blind between two wheels.) A strong skirmishing party was now also moved up, and a howitzer advanced to play on an angle of the pah, and a bag of powder was prepared to blow up part of the stockade, when after a shell and a charge of cannister had been thrown into a small breach which had been made in the palisading, the assaulting party moved up, and the enemy not relishing
The pah was found to be very strong with rifle pits and covered passages, there was plenty of potatoes inside which the troops made use of. The General, with Colonel Carey, Dep.-Adj.-Gen. now crossed the river and directed Mataiaio to be attacked, which was rushed with fifty men of the 65th and some friendly natives, and was abandoned by the enemy.
An advance with infantry and guns was now made on Puketakariki which was placed on an eminence about three hundred yards from the first pah, a few shells were thrown into it, and the pah was entered and found evacuated; the pah was strong and also full of potatoes.
Between the first and second pah the enemy had formed a line of rifle pits, thinking that the troops would advance in that way; if they had and the sap had not been made, a heavy loss of life must have been the consequence. The pah was covered with green flax, impenetrable to musketry and even offering resistance to round shot.
At Mataiaio was an under-ground hospital for the wounded from the first pah, and many bloody evidences were observed of the enemy's loss. Between the first and second pah the rifle pits were most skilfully contrived, and long ropes of flax from them enabled the defenders to swing over the precipice to the bed of the Kaihihi, and thus escape.
These pahs had the usual two rows of palisading; Orongomahangai had also behind its interior, rifle pits, a mound of earth seemingly of some former pah, as there were trees on it. The projectiles produced small effect on the stockade, bar shot might produce a better effect than spherical balls, and if fired in the prolongation of a face; but howitzers are useful to search rifle pits, if used with small charges and good elevation.
It was Colonel Mould's opinion that similar strong positions, which cannot be completely invested, and from which there are means of escape, inaccessible to troops, may hold out for a limited time and be evacuated before matters come to an extremity, but that pahs in an open country will be invariably left on the approach of a hostile British force.
The natives must have seen, from the nature of the operations at the Kaihihi river, that it was impossible to hold out against a systemized attack, and thus the attack on these positions had a wholesome effect.
The conduct of the troops of all arms was excellent, the Royal Navy, Regulars, and Militia vying with each other in the field and the trenches. The field-officers in the trenches, Lieutenant-Colonel Sillery, Deputy-quarter-master-general, and Major Hutchins, 12th regiment, took a most active and untiring part in the operations, both in respect of judiciously posting the guards of the trenches, and urging on the working parties.
Among the casualties were Captain Pasley, R, E. severely wounded, also an excellent soldier, Sergeant Howell, R.E. From some dispatches received by General Pratt from the Governor, relating to a threatened attack on Auckland, he marched back to New Plymouth, the force having had four days of very hard work.
The want of intelligence of the strength and the designs of the enemy was a serious evil, during the war no reliable information could be obtained from the friendly natives. A force
On the evening of the 5th November information reached General Pratt at New Plymouth from Mr. Drummond Hay, that the Waikatos had crossed the Waitara river in force to join Wiremu Kingi, and that possibly next morning they would be in the neighbourhood of Mahoetahi. It was accordingly arranged that a force from New Plymouth and another
The Waikato chief Wateni had previously sent this insulting letter to Mr. Parris of the Native Department.
To Mr. Parris. Friend.—I have heard your word, come to fight me, that is very good; come inland, and let us meet each other; fish fight at sea, come inland, and stand on our feet; make haste, make haste, don't prolong it, that is all I have to say to you, make haste!
From Wateni Taiporutu.
FromTorokuru.
From all the chiefs ofNgatihauandWaikato.
Before four o'clock A.M. on the 6th November, the carts were filled at New Plymouth with warlike stores, and two 24lb. howitzers were prepared to start at five A.M. with the force which then commenced its march. Besides the officers of the General's Staff, there
The day was fine, the dew had laid the dust on the road, it was a beautiful morning of the southern summer.
The Bell Block was reached at six o'clock; at the descent to the Mangoraka river 'Mango,' a shark, 'raka,' entangled.
The General now dismounted and ordered the guns into position; whilst the enemy fired briskly from a gully on their right, Major Herbert was directed to skirmish to the left, which was done by his men through high fern and a deep swamp. Great guns and small arms were now freely employed against the pah, and after this had been continued for some time, and the ammunition and camp equipage being now mostly over the river, the Militia was ordered to seize a hill in advance on the left and occupy it; this was effected. A portion of the 65th was then directed to fix bayonets and storm the pah in front, the
Captain Atkinson, of the Militia, kept up a smart fire from the hill on the left; inside the pah the natives still continued to occupy the wharres from behind which they wounded Col. Sillery, Dep.-quarter-master-general, with a ball through his side, and Capt. Turner, a ball passing through the mouth of the latter and flattening against the jaw. Eight and left of the pah the fight continued for two hours, the 12th and 40th regiments having succeeded in bringing up the ammunition, camp equipage, &c., extended the right of the line, throwing it forward. Lieutenant Urquhart, present at almost every affair during the war, with the Light Company, 65th, was skirmishing, also some friendly natives on the extreme right, when Colonel Mould's column came into action from the Waitara camp.
Colonel Mould had received his orders at half-past twelve, midnight, and marched at seven, a.m., and took his way by the road of the Prophets (Tamati Teitos) pah.
Some native scouts were observed on the sand hills near the mouth of the Waiongona; a halt took place to observe them, but as there seemed to be no native force in that direction the march was resumed.
After the column had proceeded half a mile from the Waiongona mouth, heavy firing was heard at Mahoetahi, on which Colonel Mould pushed on with all due precaution until he came in sight of the pah, the west end of which was observed to be in possession of the troops, whilst the east end together with the swamp was held by the Waikatos.
The advanced guard, under Lieutenant Talbot, was now directed to occupy a furze hedge on the Devon road north of the pah, on which the enemy were seen to leave the hill and cluster in the swamp; Lieutenant Macnaughten with the howitzer was then ordered to the front, and two rounds of spherical case were thrown into the Maories; immediately after the second of these fatal missiles had exploded,
A stout Maori in the swamp was attacked by Lieutenant Urquhart's servant, who was grasped by the Waikato, pushed under water and would have been drowned, if another man, a volunteer, had not come to the rescue with his rifle and killed the Maori.
The friendly natives now proceeded with carts to collect the bodies of the slain of the enemy, among whom the shell and cannister of Captain Strover's guns had done great execution. Thirty-one bodies were brought out and laid on the ground, among which appeared
When the bodies of the slain Maories were collected from the road and the fern, and many had ran a long distance before they dropped dead, they presented the appearance of a particularly powerful set of men—even gigantic like life-guards' men, and what was remarkable, shewing also high breeding, their skins were of a bright orange colour. One could not help regretting that such fine men were thus become clods of the valley; they were laid among, and covered with some wild mint till they were decently interred.
The Maories were armed with well finished English rifles and double barrelled fowling pieces, and were able to keep up a continuous fire, whilst their powers of concealment were wonderful. On a chief was found a valuable green stone iki, or God, and a dead Maori grasped a rifle of the 40th regiment, and had fourteen rifle cartridges in his pouch.
One of the Maories found in the fern feigned dead, and required some good shakes to make him shew signs of life.
Taking a pah is viewed as a small matter by the natives, unless dead bodies fall into the hands of the victors, and about this there could be no question at the action of Mahoetahi.
It may be mentioned here that when a Maori wants to surrender and begs for his life, he hands his meré or club with the handle towards his captor, or presenting the butt of his musket, this was done at Mahoetahi; and it was said that Lieutenant Brooks at Puketakauere might have been spared, if he had presented his sword hilt instead of the point, when he was surrounded by Maories in the swamp, where he lost his life.
The British loss at Mahoetahi was four killed, two officers and thirteen men wounded.
General Pratt pursued the flying enemy with a portion of the 12th, 40th and 65th regiments, and with two guns; crossing the Waiongona river, he swept round by Ngatiparima and Puketakauere, and rejoined the force at Mahoetahi, where leaving Colonel Mould
The troops behaved with great energy throughout, Artillery, Engineers, Line, Royal Marine, Artillery of the Naval Brigade, Militia and Volunteers. The charge of the 65th and the Militia up the steep to the pah was very gallant and conspicuous.
Among the officers of the staff particularly noticed were Lieutenant-Colonel Sillery, Deputy-Quarter-Master-General, (wounded); Dr. James Mouatt C.B., V.C., Deputy-Inspector- General of Hospitals; Lieut.-Colonel Carey, Deputy-Adjutant-General; H. Bartlett Esq., Assistant-Commissary-General; Lieutenant Forster, A.D.C. and Lieutenant King, Militia A.D.C. and the following officers commanding corps, viz. Captain Strover, R. A., Captain Mould, R.E., Major Hutchins, 12th regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie, 40th Regiment, Captain Turner, 65th regiment, (severely wounded); Major Herbert who led the Militia into the pah, and Lieutenant Urquhart distinguished by his usual courage and daring.
Colonel Mould, who conducted the Waitara column, contributed most materially to the success of the day, he led his troops to the point of action with equal judgment and ability. The officers under him particularly noticed, were Major Nelson and Captain Bowdler, 40th; Lieutenant Talbot, 65th; Lieutenant Macnaughten, R.A.; Lieutenant Morris, R.M. Artillery; and Ensign Whelan, 40th, Staff officer.
The services of the gentlemen of the Native Department, Mr. Drummond Hay and Mr. Parris were of the greatest importance.
ChapterXI.
Doubtful policy with regard to employing Natives to fight against Natives—The Governor expects that Auckland will be attacked—It is reinforced—Escape of young Bishop—More devastations—Head quarters, 2nd battalion, 14th regiment arrives—The death of young Sartin—Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi, the King-maker—Maori laws—A Militia difficulty—Matarikoriko pah—An expedition to attack it—The Rev. Mr. Wilson's services—A redoubt commenced—The action at Kairau—The Maories object to fight on Sunday—Evacuate Matarikoriko—The Prophet dreams a dream—An amusing incident.
Though we had native allies at Mahoetahi, and distinguished by badges from the others, yet their employment in action against their brethren admits of a question. They are supposed to have no quarrel with them, nor any very great liking for us, they might be active in securing the arms of the slain, to use them against us themselves, or to dispose of to the enemy, and with all our precaution they might be fired on by our people in mistake. It is true they were very useful in detecting
In the beginning of November, his Excellency the Governor, from the accounts he received of a threatened attack on Auckland, sent to the Taranaki for some men of the 40th and 65th regiments, which occasioned the General to act on the defensive merely, till reinforcements, the head-quarters of the 14th regiment, arrived.
At Waiwakaho bridge near New Plymouth, a young man, named Bishop, was walking about his father's farm, accompanied by a Maori boy, when he was fired upon by a party of Waikatos in ambush, he was shot in the wrist and groin, dropped his gun and with his attendant escaped.
The natives began to erect pahs near the Waitara, as traps to entice the soldiers within the range of numerous flanking rifle pits. Incendiary fires of settlers' houses, and the general destruction of property went on as before about the Bell Block, &c.
As the five hundred men of the head-quarters 2nd Battalion, 14th regiment, landed from the steam-ship "Robert Lowe," by means of the man-of-war boats, after a quick passage of eighty-two days, it was remarked in the newspapers, that they were "a most creditable body of British soldiers, fine young fellows in the full flush of youth and health, and with all the ground-work of a first rate service corps." The band was strong and good, and the new description of drums were noticed, a third of the depth of the old ones, also the new, small and handsome description of colours, seen here for the first time. Much anxiety was removed in Auckland when the first portion of the 14th arrived, and thanks were offered in some of the churches on the occasion.
The four hundred men, 40th and 65th, sent to garrison Auckland from the Taranaki, now returned to the seat of war.
On the 4th December another victim of imprudent daring fell. Two young men, named Sartin and Northcote, were searching for a lost bullock on horseback; at the Henui river, Taranaki, a volley was fired at them from the
It was understood that seven parties of the natives were out, round New Plymouth, to carry on a guerilla warfare.
About this time, his Excellency the Governor received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies an approval of the measures he had adopted, with regard to hostilities with the natives.
The proceedings of Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi, William Thompson, why should he not have retained his native name though baptised? viz., Tarapipipi. The other two are corruptions of his new name.
It is said that expressing to a white man one day his admiration of the manner of administrating justice among the Pakeha, the other replied "E tomo koe i raro i aku huha" "your path is through (underneath) my thighs" pointing to oppression and slavery. The proud spirit of Tarapipipi took fire at this, as it was told in Maori circles, and he lost all confidence in the Government.
A singular document from the new King Matatuera and Wiremu Tamihana was promulgated about the beginning of December, it professed a desire to promote peace about the Waikato river, to put an end to plunder and to let the Europeans, already settled there, remain without molestation. "If a Maori were killed by a European," it said, "he was to be searched out and killed for the Maori, and no other man sacrificed. The same if a European was killed by a Maori, one man to die for this
This I clearly understood from the zealous missionary in the Waikato, Archdeacon Maunsell, when I went on a mission towards the Waikato country to inspect the stockades at Drury and Papakura. "Auckland is tapued as long as you don't send soldiers this way."
Another wing of the 14th arrived by the "Boanerges," in command of Major Dwyer, K.M., K.L.H. and three hundred men were sent to Wellington under him, and two hundred to Napier under Captain Barnes; one hundred more were afterwards sent there, Captain Vivian's company, which arrived by the "Savilla."
Another expedition from New Plymouth was now being arranged to proceed towards the Waitara; to accompany it, eighty Militia
Some columns in the meantime went out against the natives, driving off and shooting cattle about the Bell Block. Major Hutchins, 12th regiment, commanded on these occasions, Captain Buck, late 65th and now of the 14th, was also actively engaged.
The strong and elevated ground at Matarikoriko near the Waitara river and east of Puketakauere, had been well stockaded by the enemy's two pahs being thrown into one like a wide spread letter V. By some, it was believed to be a trap to lead the troops up to the stockade, whilst they would be shot by a flanking as well as a direct fire from rifle trenches. On approaching Matarikoriko from the west, the tops of trees suddenly appearing at one's feet shewed a deep intervening ravine.
Trees seen in this way in New Zealand with
An expedition started to reduce Matarikoriko on the 28th December at an early hour, under the command of General Pratt. It consisted of twenty rank and file Royal Artillery, and two 24-pounder howitzers under Captain Strover; Colonel Mould, commanding Royal Engineer, had with him, Captain Mould, Lieutenant Warburton, two sergeants and twenty-seven Royal Engineers; of the 12th regiment, there were besides officers, Captain Miller's company of eighty-six men; Colonel Wyatt had ten officers and three hundred and twenty-two of the 65th; of the Naval Brigade, Lieutenant Wood had under him Midshipman Horne and twenty-four men. Lieutenant Talbot, 65th, and thirty men joined from the Bell
The expedition reached the Waitara camp, and the Reverend Mr. Wilson, a bold and energetic clergyman, rode towards Matarikoriko to confer with the natives, and to get them to agree not to massacre prisoners. He used to ride fearlessly between the town and the Waitara, displaying merely his white handkerchief on his staff.
On the evening of Friday the 28th December, one thousand men were ordered to be in readiness to start from the Waitara camp at 3 a.m., on Saturday. Accordingly the troops under General Pratt, with a long line of carts, with ammunition and provisions, with two 24-lb. howitzers and two 12-pounder guns marched and reached the site of Kairau pah, previously destroyed in September.
Passing the block-house constructed at
General Pratt having determined whilst attempting to reduce the strong Matarikoriko pah on its commanding position, to entrench the troops, the Royal Engineers traced out redoubt No. 1 at the site of the old Kairau pah. The interior perimeter of the redoubt was two hundred and sixty yards, the area 2560 square yards, and it was capable of containing four hundred and fifty men with four guns. Its distance from Matarikoriko was 1100 yards.
No. 1 Redoubt was planned by Colonel Mould, and executed by Captain Mould with Royal Engineers and working parties, raising the parapets with earth and cut fern in layers,
The Naval Brigade under Commodore Seymour, and the 12th detachment under Captain Miller, a brave and meritorious officer, had charge of the right flank, to keep that clear, whilst the 40th and 65th were thrown out on the left towards the strong position of Matarikoriko, with its long stockade and rifle trenches, overlooking the Waitara and the surrounding plain.
The enemy advancing through the fern fired incessantly to interrupt the working parties at the redoubt, and were answered by the troops.
Rifle bullets, plug shot, and musket balls "pinged" and whistled through the air, whilst the artillery under Captain Strover, and Lieutenant Macnaughten, sent round shot and shell in the direction of the Matarikoriko pah, by which the palisading was observed to be damaged. At one time the enemy came so close, that picks and spades were thrown down, and the working parties used their
The redoubt being raised sufficiently high to afford protection, was occupied first by the 40th regiment; the Naval Brigade, 12th and 65th were retired to the rear of the redoubt, and the General and staff, also the ambulances with the killed and wounded, went to the Waitara camp. Platforms were laid on the left face of the redoubt, and two 8-inch guns mounted there to breach Matarikoriko, and the parapets were heightened in parts, so that the interior of the redoubt might be more thoroughly defiladed from the enemy's fire.
Till four o'clock on Sunday morning the
The General now asked the Rev. Mr. Wilson to communicate with the Maories, and ascertain their intentions. Mr. Wilson, always ready to be of use, learned from the Maories that it was their wish not to desecrate the Sabbath by blood. The skirmishers were accordingly not thrown out, but the troops were massed in rear of the redoubt, which was being completed.
The Maories, in full confidence of our good faith, came out of their pah in considerable numbers, also showed themselves on a breast-work to the right, and in advance of it, whilst our people unmolested gathered potatoes below. For some years past, among the Maories, the Ra tapu, or sacred day, has been observed by them as one on which they can lay in supplies, but not fight.
In the afternoon of Sunday, a soldier in search of a forage cap he had lost in the affair of the previous day, "the action of Kairau," came on an abandoned rifle pit, then one more,
On Monday morning, Colonel Wyatt and Commodore Seymour, with parties of blue jackets, proceeded cautiously towards Matarikoriko, expecting momentarily volleys from the flanking rifle trenches; none were fired. The Colonel got to the flag-staff first, and had the honour of hoisting a British ensign with which he had provided himself. The Commodore not expecting this, had taken the matter more leisurely.
Matarikoriko was found to be exceedingly strong, full of rifle pits connected by passages, and affording escape into the dense bush in the rear. A dream was said to have been the occasion of its unexpected abandonment. A chief wishing to continue the defence, was told by the Maori prophet that he had dreamt he had seen the chief in the hands of the Pakeha, and on board ship, and that this was a bad omen.
Some of the rifle trenches outside of Matarikoriko were thirty-two, seventy-four, one hundred and four, seventy-three, and one
During the fight of the 29th, the General moved about, directing wherever required; his Adjutant-General, Carey, received a shot across his breast, tearing open his coat. Dr. Neill, 65th, received balls through his cap and trousers. An amusing incident occurred during the Kairau action. The gunner, R.N., left in charge of the Puketakauere block-house, imagining that the skirmishers were running short of ammunition, put a quantity in a wheel barrow with a couple of spades, and set out from the block-house with four shipmates, with their rifles, having previously locked in the rest of his party in the block-house, in order that they might defend their post to the last extremity. He was met in the fern by an officer, who asked him what he was doing? He said, "Taking ammunition to the skirmishers;" if attacked on the way he meant to throw up cover with the spades, and he and his messmates to defend themselves with their rifles behind it, till they could move on with their wheel-barrow.
ChapterXII.
Sir William Martin's pamphlet on the Maori Land Question —Answered by the Honourable Mr. Richmond—Why the King's flag was kept flying—A detachment, 14th regiment, dispatched to the seat of War under Major Douglas, K.M.—The White Cliffs—A traitor—Storms in January—Escape of Lieutenant King, M.A.D C.—Colonel Wyatt, 65th regiment—Colonel Sillery's arrangements for New Plymouth —The Rev. Mr. Wilson's valuable services—A runaway wife—A picture from Cook's Voyages—No. 2 Redoubt constructed under fire—The use of Thistles to a Scotchman—Haperona, the fighting chief of the Ngatiawas—The young soldiers, 14th, under fire—First division, 57th regiment, arrives—Daring enterprise of Captain Cracroft—Another skirmish near Waireka—Escape of a party of Maories in ambush.
Sir William Martin, late Chief Justice of New Zealand, and now living in retirement near Auckland, came out in the month of January, 1861, as the champion of native rights, in a pamphlet which created a considerable sensation both in England and in the colony. He had had considerable
Sir W. Martin endeavoured to establish:
- That the disputed land in the Taranaki belonged to the whole tribe as proprietors, individual occupants cultivating, or having a right to cultivate portions.
- That the "tribal right" had been hitherto acknowledged by the Government.
- That Kingi, as principal chief of the Ngatiawas, had asserted that right, and that the Governor, initiating a new policy, had denied it. That this was the grand issue which was tried in the Taranaki by war, the
ultima ratio regum. - That there were many claimants who have as good a claim as Teira, who sold the six hundred acres to Government, and that
Kingi and his family are among those claimants as co-equal with Teira. - That these claims had not been sufficiently investigated, and that Teira's title was either bad or at best doubtful.
- That the Governor was not justified in taking forcible possession without the judgment of a court of law, and that the Governor, by his proclamation of martial law, illegal in itself, declared war against the natives of Taranaki before they commenced hostilities.
To this the Honourable Mr. Richmond answered:
- That the "tribal right" has never been recognised, and that the precedents of former purchases had been strictly followed in the Waitara case.
- That Kingi did not pretend to found his resistance on his tribal or other right, but took a broad ground of resisting the further extension of the Taranaki settlement.
- That the investigation was complete, that Teira's right to a portion of the block was certain and his right to the whole probable, no adverse claim had been proved and none authentically preferred.
- The Governor being sole judge of questions respecting native territorial rights, was enforcing his jurisdiction in the only practicable mode, namely, by military occupation. The taking possession of the block was lawful, on the further ground, that the rights of the apparent owners, after due enquiry, had been ceded to the crown.
The friends of the Maories among the British, supported them in their ideas about "tribal rights" to land, but advised them against continuing to display the King's flag, to which the Maories replied. "It is a case of whakama (of shame) to haul it down now," to which was answered, "why continue disputes about a bit of bunting, give it up, and let the two races live in peace under one flag." Some of the Ngapuhis of the north still kept up the irritation in the Waikato, or King's country, by saying, "we ate food in various parts of your country before, and we mean to do so again!" A block-house was now substituted for the native pah at Matarikoriko, and the Kairau redoubt strengthened, and guns mounted on it, which sent occasional shells among the enemy, who were seen working at their rifle pits in
Commanding in the province of Auckland, and being asked for a reinforcement from the 2nd battalion, 14th regiment, I dispatched two hundred and ten men in complete order, and wearing forage caps, and blue frocks for the bush, under Major Douglas, K.M., who had fought at the siege of Sevastopol, and with him were Captains Saunders and Strange, Lieutenants Hill and Erizell, and Ensigns Laurence and Curtis. Captain MacIver and Lieutenant Phelps afterwards joined this detachment, when some of the others were required in Auckland on court-martial duty.
The white cliffs (Paranihinihi) on the sea to the north of the Waitara, were watched by a ship of war, for there the reinforcements from the
In a rifle pit, a letter was found from Tahana, a native assessor in the pay of the government, apprising his brown brethern of the designs against Matorikoriko, &c. This occasioned his being thrown into jail for his treachery.
In looking from the Kairau redoubt, a beautiful plain appeared right, left and in front for some distance, till the view was bounded by dense forests. About Matorikoriko tongues of land bounded by deep gullies filled with trees, afforded ample cover for the enemy.
The General made a movement to the front from the Waitara camp, with a force composed of the 14th, 40th and Naval Brigade with guns, ammunition, gabions, &c., but the weather became so bad, that the troops were obliged to return to camp where tents were blown down by the violence of the wind. Storms raged in January accompanied with cold and wet.
The enemy were observed in various directions on the skirts of the bush, and occupied
Colonel Wyatt, 65th, always prompt and on the alert, sent shells at the enemy from the howitzers in the redoubt, whenever he thought he could molest them, and keep their rifle pits at a distance. A fire broke out among the raupo, or reed huts, in the Waitara camp, from smoking probably, and four were rapidly consumed. Reed huts, singly, may answer, but a number together is dangerous. Yet to the last, as we
At New Plymouth, Colonel Sillery, the commandant, carefully watched his charge, and strengthened his defences. For the women and children, who yet remained in the town and had not gone with the majority to Nelson, instead of repairing to Marsland Hill, on an attack. It was now directed that they should remain with the men of their families in their houses, whilst the men without incumbrances manned the works.
When Colonel Gold was in command, a settler said, "if we are attacked I think the best thing we can do is to stand at the corners and fire up and down the streets," in which case more friends than foes would be likely to fall.
Too much praise cannot be awarded to the church of English missionary, the Rev. Mr.
A family quarrel occasioned a Maori woman, named Menpoku, to come into the Kairau camp, she was afterwards sent to Ihaia's pah in the rear. She said the Waikatos were living on settlers cattle and fern roots, and professed to give the numbers the enemy lost in the late engagements, and added, a wounded British soldier found in the fern would have been spared, but he swore at his captors, and they knocked him on the head. An absurd way of "dying game," and no comrades to witness his "pluck."
At an interview with the Ngatiruanuis, at Kaihihi, the Rev. Mr. Wilson found them obdurate as ever, and breathing fire and sword against the Pakeha, they also intimated they did not want to see him again.
Captain Congleton, of our ship, the "Robert Lowe," being at New Plymouth, saw through his glass a body of Ngatiruanuis come out of the bush near the town, naked as in the days of Cook, look about, sit and lie unconcernedly; they had guns and spears and some rolls of red blankets; it was quite a picture of savage warriors, their foot on their native fern, like Rob Roy's "on his native heath."
At three A.M. on the 14th January, a force six hundred strong, composed of men of the 12th, 14th, and 40th regiments and Naval brigade, under the command of General Pratt, left the Waitara camp, and being joined by Colonel Wyatt and a party of the 65th regiment from Kairau, advanced in the direction of Huirangi, where and across the road the enemy had their rifle pits, extending a mile and a half in length. On the approach of the troops, partly in skirmishing order, the Maories were observed hurrying from their wharrés in the rear to line their entrenchments, and immediately commenced a heavy fusillade on the troops, which was replied to by great guns from the redoubt and the rifles of the skirmishers. Colonel Mould, in the meantime,
On the 16th January, an incident of a painful nature occurred near the Kairau redoubt, Privates Mackindry of the 65th and MacAuley of the Royal Engineers, were out about seven hundred yards to the south of the redoubt collecting firewood and potatoes, when suddenly about eighty Maories rose from the fern and fired a volley at them, Mackindry fell, and the natives rushed forward and carried him off, MacAuley escaped with a ball through the bones of his forearm; being a Scotchman and seeing some friendly thistles near, he ran for them and rushed through them, the naked legs of the Maories prevented them following his example, and he was saved. A party turned out from the redoubt, under Captain Strange, 65th, and went in pursuit with a gun under Lieutenant Macnaughten, but in vain,
Next day the Rev. Mr. Wilson came from town passing an ambuscade, and muskets were cocked at him as he rode up a hill, but the Maories spared him when they saw his dress and recognized his person. He was proceeding to the front to ascertain the fate of Mackindry. At the first rifle pit, the fighting captain of the Ngatiawas, Haperone, a tall, rough, but honest looking warrior, came out to meet Mr. Wilson with a party of his people; they were not in a good temper, said that Mackindry had died as they carried him off, that they had buried him near their flag-staff, and that the funeral service was read over his grave. Haperone added, "We are determined to fight to the last."
On the 18th January, General Pratt took with him a force of 1,000 men of the 12th, 14th, 40th, 65th regiments and Naval Brigade, and again advancing to the front, under cover of the skirmishers, another redoubt,
During the fight, the Rev. Mr. Wilson, anxious to see how the young soldiers of the 14th behaved under fire, remained for some time near them, and was so pleased with their steadiness and courage, that he went up and shook hands with several of them.
The 'Star Queen' now arrived in Auckland harbour with the first division of the 57th regiment on board from India, the old 'Die Hards,' and I fitted them out with requirements for the field. After consulting with His Excellency, I despatched the ship with the troops on board round the North Cape to New Plymouth, there being no man of war
The Waireka hill having been left unoccupied after the withdrawal of Major Hutchins' force, was re-occupied by the Southern tribes, who began to fortify it again.
In consequence of this, Captain Cracroft formed the daring resolution of landing from the 'Niger' with one hundred and twenty blue jackets in boats, in rear of the enemy's position and surprising it. He wrote for a small force to co-operate from New Plymouth, and though the great risk to be incurred was well known. A party under Lieutenant-Colonel Young was dispatched on the 22nd January, at three a.m., from town; it consisted of forty men of the 12th regiment under Captain Williams, ten of the 40th under Ensign Murphy, and one hundred and
At daylight firing having been heard in the direction of Waireka, Major Herbert brought out one hundred and eight Militia and Volunteers, and marched to co-operate with the others. Skirmishing took place with the natives among the high furze hedges along the road, and till the troops reached the Omata stockade.
A valuable man, hospital-serjeant Burnet, 65th, out where his love of excitement (without his being required) carried him, fell mortally wounded, and he died at the stockade.
The natives were now seen to cover the Waireka hill in great numbers, and the signal of Captain Cracroft's attack in their rear was anxiously looked for, when a telegram was received from town that the gallant Captain had been obliged to abandon his enterprise. There was a delay in reaching shore from the heavy surf, the natives discovered the boats, and being fully aware of what was intended, the blue jackets were
After the military had returned to town, it was discovered that they had passed a farmhouse (Mr. Gray's) full of natives, who remained quiet till the coast was clear, and afterwards were seen from a neighbouring hill to steal out to the number of fifty or sixty and disappear in the bush; this party was probably on the look out to attack the Omata escort, which had been of insufficient strength.
ChapterXIII.
Fever at New Plymouth—Missionaries confer with the enemy —Rifle pits at Huirangi—Escape of Commodore Seymour —Effects of the long range at Omata—Should crops be destroyed—Banks of the Waitara—Moderate allowances—Colonel Warre, C.B. and Major Logan, 57th, arrive—Lieut.-Col. Young and Major Herbert skirmish at Omata —The enemy tries to hinder the sap—Conference of the Goveruor with Northern natives—The settlement of Taranaki before and during the war—The sap continued—Casualties in the 14th regiment—Dummies exhibited by the enemy—Sortie of the enemy, who destroy part of the sap—English writers on the war—Domestic evils—Attack on a party of Rifle volunteers—E. Messenger killed—The mortars and Armstrong guns arrive.
From the crowded state of some of the houses in New Plymouth, and the want of attention to the state of the back yards, fever of a low type still prevailed, and as had existed for several months past.
A respectable missionary, the Rev. Mr. Whately, received notes from some of the Maories at Waireka, asking him to visit them on a Sunday, he did so, and met thirty of
The enemy's rifle pits, which extended a mile in length about Huirangi, and which had been reached by means of the sap, though narrow to avoid casualties from shot and shell, was admirably contrived for defence, and for enabling the Maories to escape from them. Some of the pits or trenches were straight, others curved. All were well traversed, with covered retreats to live in, and comfortably lined with fern.
Colonel Wyatt moved with his men from No. 1 to No. 6 redoubt, which was very strong, with bastions at the angles, a good
One afternoon the garrison of No. 6 stood to their arms in consequence of shots fired from some wharrés, or huts, in the bush on the right. It was afterwards found that Commodore Seymour had been walking a little way ahead of the sap, and thinking no Maories were near, when a volley was fired at him from an ambuscade twenty yards off, he made a very narrow escape, and returned unscathed to the redoubt.
A remarkable instance of the powers of the Enfield rifle occurred at the Omata blockhouse about this time. Lieutenant Chevalier, 65th, saw on the Waireka hill, upwards of 2,000 yards distant, a party of natives, the sight was elevated for the apparent distance, and, unknown to the marksman at the time, two shots took effect. The wounded Maories fell by unseen and noiseless means, no report being heard.
On the 12th of February, Captain Richards, of the 40th, was wounded in front of Te Arei pah during a skirmish, also several of the men. About a dozen acres of maize and potatoes were destroyed on the banks of the Waitara. Opinions may differ on this head; destruction of food is provoking, to use it is quite legitimate in war time. Harass your enemy in every possible way say some, but to exasperate him, doubtless prolongs the war.
The banks of the Waitara are here very beautiful, it winds gracefully round steep banks clothed with noble trees, among which numerous tree ferns wave their coronets of fringed leaves. Deep and silent in some places, and in others shallow, the river flowed and rushed over a pebbly bed. The flat ground on the left bank, where was the cultivation, was surrounded by a remarkable bend of the stream; and higher up were the white cliffs, apparently about three hundred feet high, down which the Ngatiawas were forced to take the fatal plunge in 1832. I was quite fascinated when afterwards sketching this portion of the Waitara, and hope to
A native cemetery, the graves enclosed with palings, was seen on the edge of a cliff, and at the head of one was this inscription on a board,
1858, Onga
Ko te tohu tenei o Renere. No te ra o Akuhata i mate ai.
"Sacred to the Memory of Renere, who died on the 16th August, 1858."
The Maories had a semi-circle of rifle pits from the river in front of Te Arei, or Haperona's pah, and away to the right on the hills, the sap was advancing towards the pah which was disturbed at night by an occasional shot from No. 7 Redoubt.
Matters became now so critical at New Plymouth, the inhabitants nightly expecting a rush from the natives, that His Excellency the Governor was memorialized to come from Auckland to see the state of affairs, and adopt precautions for the security of the people; he was soon afterwards in the Taranaki. Previous to this, when he was absent at the Bay of Islands, as senior officer I became Deputy-Governor, and my chief adviser was
It will not be considered that I received too much of the public money for the four offices I held at once, viz:
Deputy-Governor, commanding the troops in the province of Auckland, nearly three thousand Regulars, Militia, Volunteers (horse and foot) and Coast Guards, commanding the Head-quarters 2.14th regiment, and acting Deputy-Quartermaster-General (boarding all ships with soldiers or stores on board, and dispatching them to the seat of war) besides being President of a general court-martial, when I state that five shillings a day of colonial allowance, the same my junior ensign received, was all my extra pay; but I was not expected to entertain!
Major Logan, with the remaining companies of the 57th arrived, and was dispatched to the Taranaki. Colonel Warre, C.B.,
The Ngatiruanies went on burning and destroying as much property as they could. The horizon was frequently lighted up at night by the blaze of settlers' houses, and among other losses sustained, was that of Mr. Bayley's flour mill, erected at the cost of £1000. With the buildings, £2000 worth in all were destroyed within two miles of town. Parties were sent out to look for the enemy, but it was very difficult to get a shot at them.
The bragging and low language of a bad class of Europeans was a source of great annoyance to General Pratt, they told the friendly natives that the war was to be on the whole Maori race, and that all would lose their land, thus causing great uneasiness and disaffection.
On the 23rd of February, a convoy with provisions left New Plymouth for Omata, under the command of Major Herbert, and
A part of the force was thrown out towards the Waireka gully, and skirmished with the natives who were in great force in the broken ground and flax bushes. The firing being heard in town, Lieutenant-Colonel Young, 65th, was dispatched with a reinforcement and ammunition, he halted at the hill, and then determined to go along the road and carry the pahs on the Waireka hill; he took the howitzer, and had skirmishing parties on two sides of his advance; the enemy fired volleys which were promptly replied to. Some casualties
Heavy rain interrupted and delayed the sap, somewhat, towards Te Arei pah, and occasioned much discomfort to officers and men, though all worked well and zealously. The enemy commenced firing early in the morning, the sap being a source of great annoyance to them, and they looked after the work with attention, and the coverers, who lost men. Marksmen of the 40th were selected to keep watch, and fire over the parapets. Every time a shell was thrown, the Maories set up a shout of defiance, and called out, "Hawhe Pakeha! Hawhe ngahoia!" "Come on Pakeha! Come on soldiers!" &c. They had some imitation bugles of cows' horns, with which they mimicked our calls, and kept our people on the alert night and day. They had also dummies, or a dark head of hair on the top of a stick, appearing ever and anon from a rifle pit, and fired at at first. The General and staff constantly came to the front, to mark and watch the progress of the sap.
At one of the conferences the Governor had with the chief in the north of the island, in February, they were anxious he should relax the law which prohibited the sale of spirits to natives, and it was replied that the restriction of which they complained was imposed to prevent the Maories becoming victims to the too free use of intoxicating liquors. Other aboriginal races in many parts of the world had suffered greater loss from the excessive use of spirits, than from the casualties of war and other calamities; that the object of the Government was to preserve the natives of New Zealand from such a fate. It was true the law was different as regards Europeans, but they were more accustomed to the use of spirits, and which to natives were much more fatal. His Excellency disabused their minds with regard to the foolish reports which had been spread both by Europeans and natives, that, at the end of the war in Taranaki other tribes would be attacked, and their lands taken from them, nothing of the kind was ever thought of or intended, it was desired that Pakehas and Maories should live in peace as a united people under the protection of the
Before the war, and before I visited the Taranaki, comfort and plenty prevailed throughout that settlement, the bulk of the people were in good circumstances and steadily thriving, there was food in plenty for man and beast, farm-houses studded the face of the country, horses, cattle and sheep were observed in numbers on the pastures, carts with produce passed along the roads, a healthy population were fully employed, and most of them settled on and cultivating their own land.
But when I saw the Taranaki, this picture was quite reversed. The grand and imposing features of the landscape remained, the snow capped mountains, the great forests and the extensive plains; but the enemy was lurking in the bush not far off, the land was desolate, the scourge of war had passed over it, "the hedges were broken clown, and the wild boar had entered on the fruitful vineyard." I saw
It is true a few benefited by the war, by the commissariat expenditure; contractors for transport and for supplies, the keepers of public-houses and some store keepers, but the prosperity of the latter would be short lived without a country population, and a weekly market well attended.
The duties of militia men were no doubt irksome, and they had to clothe and board themselves, the remuneration was one shilling and three pence a day, with an allowance of bread, meat, fuel and light. Some young men liked a roving life of excitement for a time, though it might unsteady them for sober pursuits ever after, but the bulk of the settlers in coming to New Zealand, and some of them
After the completion of No. 7 Redoubt on the 16th of January, a single sap well defiladed from the enemy's position, and with traverses at intervals to secure it from an oblique plunging fire, was commenced and was carried on with occasional interruptions from the weather, and a heavy fire from the enemy. On the 24th of January, it was necessary to change its direction, and to resort to the double sap. Four hundred and thirty-two yards were completed in the above period, after sixty-five yards more it was deemed advisable to execute a short demi-parallel to the left, to afford cover to men protecting the further advance of the sap.
The Maories did their best to interrupt the progress of the sap, by firing from the rifle pits, some of which on the left, and over-looking
The fire was at short range, and the Maories were on elevated ground, if they had exposed themselves more from their pits, the casualties on both sides would have been greater, and the enemy might have taken better aim. In order to get lead, it is supposed, they occasionally exhibited, in different places, the dummy, the shaggy figure on a stick, and which for some time drew a shower of bullets.
At night the troops retired into the redoubts, and the head of the sap was not guarded, as
The three following days were occupied in repairing damages; the enemy briskly firing all the while, and exhibiting in triumph the sap rollers in front of their stockade. A redoubt, No. 8, sixteen yards square, was then
By the papers received at this time from England, the usual comments were made as to the length of time occupied in this war, and the money it would cost; the difficulties presented by the country did not seem to be taken into account, they could not be known to writers at a distance, but when I saw that the Waitara district became more and more broken, as the troops pushed their operations from the coast, and remembering what I had experienced of former contests in Burma, in Africa, &c., wars usually lasting two years, I made up my mind to the conflict continuing several months more in the Taranaki, or in Maori territory somewhere.
In March, the spirits of the militia were elevated by the announcement that the pay of privates would be raised to two shillings and sixpence a day, and of corporals and sergeants to three shillings, and three shillings and sixpence; also that clothing, of which
Some of the enemy now came over under the influence of whakamomori, or vexation, quarrels among themselves; and a woman came over also under whakamomori, possibly her husband had taken a younger wife, then
"What blows and what scratches, 'Tis no longer a match, but a bundle of matches."
Another fatal instance of rashness occurred, fourteen young rifle volunteers started on Sunday morning the 3rd of March, for Mr. W. Walker's farm, to gather peaches. Not finding any there, they were occupied in getting some at Brooklands, the late beautifully kept place of Captain King, R.A., a mile from New Plymouth, when they were aroused by a shot fired from the farther end of the orchard, where two of their number were; wondering at the cause of this, it was quickly followed by a volley from thirty natives, hidden in a ditch with a hedge, behind the trees, by this Mr. W. Smart was severely
Though the above party of young men had disobeyed orders, and gone beyond the limits, and were attacked by double their own
The ship 'Norwood' now arrived at Auckland with Captain Mercer's battery of seven Armstrong guns, and two hundred and twenty artillery men, seven of whom (mutineers) had during the voyage refused to obey a simple order, (for all hands to show their kits), and threatened to throw the captain overboard; there was a leaven of mutiny in this battery from East India Company's Europeans, which infected for a time the service, but which was rapidly got rid of. The 'Norwood' mutineers were secured in Fort Britomart, and they were afterwards tried and severely punished. The rest of the battery did good service under a most excellent and hard working commander.
ChapterXIV.
Matarikoriko post—Peculiarities of No. 3 Redoubt—Commencement of the Sap—Garrison of No. 3 Redoubt—An alarm—The Redoubt is attacked—Death of Lieutenant Jackson—Reinforcements sent from No. 1 Redoubt—Enemy Repulsed—Humanity of British Officers—Single Combats—Casualties—Effects of attack on No. 3—Redoubts, Nos. 4 and 5—Notification of the Governor to loyal subjects—Sap pushed on to the enemy's rifle pits—No. 6 Redoubt—Desperate efforts of the enemy to prevent the construction of No. 7 Redoubt —Gallantry of the young soldiers, 14th Regiment—Death of Captain Strange, 65th—Captain W. C. King also falls greatly regretted.
Matarikoriko having been: evacuated by the enemy, it was, as was stated, immediately turned to account, one hundred men with a 24lb. howitzer, and a detail of Royal Engineers were encamped inside the pah, and a stockade, to contain six hundred men, was commenced and soon completed.
It was known that the enemy had strongly entrenched lines in difficult positions about
The important Redoubt, No. 3, being considered too small, additions were made to it, two other squares were added en échelon, so as to form wings and flanking defences to the work, now with 1900 yards of area. An eight inch gun was mounted on the right wing.
On the 22nd January, a double sap was commenced at No. 3 Redoubt, and directed towards the centre of the enemy's position at Huirangi. The sap was carried on perseveringly, and on the 2nd February it reached the extensive line of rifle pits. The general width of the sap was a trench of fifteen feet, clear of the gabions, it was also traversed with gabions at intervals of thirty or forty feet. The distance first excavated was seven hundred and sixty eight yards, sixty four yards being generally executed daily. The enemy kept constantly firing at the working parties, yet good sap rollers protected them well at the head of the excavation.
The Maories were very active in advancing their rifle pits against No. 3 Redoubt, and on the right shewing lights, and shouting during the night of the 21st January, to divert attention from the proceedings on the other flank. One of the 241b. howitzers was placed on the left square of the Redoubt along with an eight inch gun, and loaded with grape and cannister.
At first, the garrison of No. 3 Redoubt was, as I said, small, Captain Messenger was next posted there, from the Waitara, with the remains of his Grenadier Company, the bones of the others reposing below the fern and scrub of Puketakauere. But on the 22nd January, the head-quarters of the 40th, under Colonel Leslie, augmented the defenders of the Redoubt, who were in tents, to four hundred and fifty men.
Captain Messenger watched his opportunity, and fired grape and cannister among the most busy of the enemy in the rifle pits on the left. At night voices were heard on the right, that of a woman particularly, who seemed to be inciting the Maories to action by reciting the deeds of their ancestors.
About four o'clock in the morning of the 23rd
The Maories now made desperate efforts to
Colonel Wyatt, 65th, in No. 1 Redoubt, hearing what was going on in his front, and observing the sparkling of the rifles through the smoke, had turned out his men, who "stood to the arms," when Colonel Leslie in
Some of the enemy shewed fight with their tomahawks. A wounded Maori lying on the ground, a soldier was about to put him out of his pain with his bayonet, when Lieutenant Pennefather, 65th, struck the weapon aside with his sword. All honor to the gallant young Irishman for his humanity.
Private Archer, one of the leading men in the charge of the 12th fell, shot dead. Private Cahill passing over an apparently dead Maori, the latter rose and inflicted a servere wound with a tomahawk, he was soon disposed of; another large and lusty Maori was shot in the shoulder, when a soldier put his bayonet through his back, but the soldier receiving a cut on the arm from a tomahawk dropped his rifle, the Maori then seized it, and unable to withdraw the bayonet from his back, ran off with both weapons which he still retains as trophies; he recovered from his wound.
In the Waitara camp, aroused by the firing
The want of cavalry was felt on this occasion, for there was a clear field for them for some distance to operate on the retiring natives, before they could escape down the gullies into the bush.
The British casualties were five killed and eleven wounded, the Maories left in the ditch and the fern forty-nine, five of whom were alive; the wounds were terrible from shells, rifle balls, and butt ends of rifles and bayonet thrusts. One Maori, tenacious of life, sprang from the ground repeatedly like a dying fish, then sat up and glared round him, his hair a mass of dust and gore, his wounds on the head, body and legs were so frightful, that the surgeons could do nothing to help him, and the poor man took hours to die.
A large quantity of good clothes was found in the fern on the left, the Maories, who
The Rev. Mr. Wilson had observed the Maories watching the sap commencing, and he thought they would attack and try to prevent its getting to their rifle pits, for they knew what it meant, and he warned our people to be on their guard.
From a native, who bore amputation of his leg (shattered by a shell) with great courage and even good humour, it appeared that the Maori skirmishing party consisted of one hundred and forty picked men, young chiefs of the Ngatihua, Ngatimaniapoto and Ngatiawa tribes, headed by the chiefs Rewi, Epiha, Haperona and others, and supported by several hundred men in the fern, to fire at the parapets as soon as our men shewed themselves above them. I saw afterwards Haperona's son, a stout fellow who said he had climbed to the crest of the parapet, and fired into the role to play in war as well as the men. There was not even a vivandière in the British camp.
The troops of all arms at No. 3 Redoubt showed the greatest steadiness throughout the engagement, and although the attack of the enemy commenced under the cover of darkness, they never showed the slightest symptom of confusion, the officers and men were equally gallant and steady.
The moral effect of this close conflict was doubtless considerable on the native mind, they had experienced the courage and vigour of the hearts and hands of the British soldier, who when let loose is an adversary terrible to meet; yet high praise must be accorded to the Maories, theirs was a most gallant enterprise, and well planned, but our people were prepared. One hundred men at least lining the parapets, and ready before the Maories fired a shot; and their being afterwards taken in reverse completed their discomfiture.
The natives contrived to take their utu, payment or revenge, more houses were burnt,
The head-quarters of the 57th having arrived at Auckland from Bombay, and the Commodore coming from the Waitara to get more troops, they were dispatched to the Taranaki, and went in ships of war.
In the meantime, the sap was pushed in advance from No. 3 Redoubt towards the rifle pits, it was the safest and surest way of wearing out the enemy. With large sap rollers for cover, the working parties excavated, filled the gabions and moved to the front steadily with few casualties. The Maories saw and appreciated the use of the sap. " The soldiers get to the front and are not killed, it is tohunga" (master work.)
Three hundred yards in advance of No. 3 Redoubt, No. 4 was constructed, thirteen yards square interiorly, and to hold fifty men.
The troops were very hard worked, liable to be constantly disturbed whilst engaged with the sap and Redoubt building, or they were skirmishing with the enemy. No. 5 Redoubt was established on the 29th January, it was twenty-four yards square, could hold one
The Governor now, by a notification, warned all loyal subjects against agitation by writing or discussing the acts of the Government, criticising them or censuring them, so far as related to the present contest, and which might tend to prolong a sanguinary resistance to Her Majesty's authority, was fraught with danger to the lives and property of the colonists and imperilled the existence of the native race.
From the date of the formation of No. 5 Redoubt, the enemy did not fire on the working parties, but abandoning their whole line of works, which was about 1500 yards long from, extreme right to left, they retired down the gullies into the broken and bushy ground in the rear. This position gained, was an important success for General Pratt.
No. 6 Redoubt was begun on the 2nd February on the line of the enemy's position, and was completed on the 3rd, and occupied with four hundred and fifty men with two 241b. howitzers, and an eight inch gun, mounted on the 4th February.
The sap being pushed on the edge of a gully or dip in the ground, it was imagined by the uninitiated that there was now an end to the advance. The peach groves of Huirangi being reached, but these were destroyed by the axe and by fire, and the sap recommenced beyond on higher ground, and was directed towards Te Arei pah ' Te arei,' to keep off or to ward off.
A force consisting of 1200 men of 12th, 14th, 40th, and 65th regiments with Artillery and Engineers advanced at daybreak by two roads on the 10th February, and was immediately met by heavy firing from the enemy's rifle pits. No. 7 Redoubt was begun, and the men were sometimes obliged to lie down, whilst the working parties were covered as much as possible by the fire of the artillery. The Maories were full of determination, and cried to our men to come on, who answered by challenging the Maories to stand out. Women's voices were heard encouraging the warriors to continue the fight. The young soldiers of the 14th regiment stood their ground for hours against great odds, as
No 7 was constructed on a small fern-tree covered hill, and was within shell range of Te Arei pah, the perimeter of No. 7 was two hundred and twenty-five yards, and an area of one thousand seven hundred and fifty superficial yards, and it was occupied by four hundred men. As the enemy's position commanded the Redoubt, portions of the parapets were raised and surmounted with gabions, with sand bag loop holes at intervals between, and the Redoubt was afterwards enlarged to give more accommodation.
The 40th, and Captain Strange's and Captain Turner's companies, 65th, had been extended in front across the road leading to Te Arei from the peach groves, the 40th on the left, the 65th on the right, the 12th and Light Company, 65th, kept the ground in rear of No. 7. The enemy occupied every eminence and rifle pits at the edge of the bush on the front and right. Captain Strange got spades to enable his men to make rifle pits, or shelter
Captain Strange, 65th, was universally esteemed, he was an excellent officer and a good man, he had been married not many months to a daughter of Colonel Sillery, Deputy-Quartermaster-General, and his untimely death was greatly regretted by soldiers and civilians.
Of the native loss, at this time, seventeen dead were picked up in the fern. There were seven or eight casualties besides Captain Strange's among the troops.
When a man fences and plants a vineyard, he becomes attached to it, watching its progress
Huam of Tataraimaka accused the Ngatiruanuis of killing, his Pakeha without provocation, they laughed and said they would do as they pleased, and did not care for the displeasure of the Taranakis.
ChapterXV.
The sap continued, and a demi-parallel formed—Damaged rifles—Metallic sand of Taranaki—Obstinate defence of the enemy—The chief, Tarapipipi, arrives from the Waikato—The Armstrong guns—A trap laid—Its success—Heavy expense of artillery horses—Cape warfare and New Zealand compared—Some of the causes of the war investigated —Crushing artillery fire—Night firing—Death of Lieutenant Macnaughten, R.A.—Proposal to rush the pah—Eccentricity in a shell—Some indication of peace—"Waikatos leave Te Arei pah—Soldiers are gentlemen—Should fields be laid waste?—An opinion on sapping—Dangerous position of H.M. colonial war steamer, " Victoria" —General Cameron arrives—Terms of peace offered to the Ngatiawas—British and native losses—A new flag proposed—Camp at Otahuhu—His Excellency Sir George Grey resumes the government, and His Excellency, Colonel Gore Brown becomes Governor of Tasmania—Policy of Sir George Grey.
The sap was continued in front of No. 8 Redoubt until a depression in the ground occasioned its exposure to a heavy plunging fire from Te Arei pah, and it became necessary
A number of our rifles now became damaged by bursting at the muzzle, half way down the barrel, or at the breech; these pieces had been taken into use during the Crimean war, and seemed not to be calculated for long service; " leading " might have had something to do with the matter. Still the weapon may be too delicate, and if shortened and thickened, (without being made heavier) and the bayonet or sword bayonet lengthened, the proper " tool " may be devised for general service.
Whilst on the subject of rifles, I may remark, that I saw an unexpected mine of steel
The Messrs. Moseley, the eminent cutlers and tool makers of New Street, Covent Garden, have taken the Taranaki sand in hand, and pronounced in its favour, and manufactured from it razors, scissors, pen-knives, surgical instruments, &c, &c.; it is also said to be very valuable for gun barrels and boring cutters for Ordnance purposes.
In the beginning of March, some chiefs of the Waikato had a korero, or conference, with the Governor about peace, but as they had no
Among the incidents " at the front," where the sappers deserved the greatest credit for the persevering manner they worked at the sap with cheerfulness and zeal under continued fire, (stimulated by the admirable example of Captain Mould, and who was ably supported by Lieutenant Warburton, R.E.) some casualties occurred to the 40th and 57th, who on the left occupied by day some Maori rifle pits. The enemy soon observed this, and a party of them concealed themselves in the pits in the early morning, so that when our people advanced as before to supposed empty pits, they were received with a volley; after delivering which the Maories fled down the ravine in rear, and on the pits being immediately charged, no one was in them.
On the 5th of March, the enemy advanced to such close quarters, to interrupt the progress of the sap, and fired so briskly, that our people fixed bayonets, expecting a momentary rush at the trenches. The defence of the enemy was most obstinate, and the difficult country abundantly favoured them, The 12th, See passages in the Life of a Soldier.
The traverses were placed a few yards apart in the sap, and alternated right and left, and were not in the centre with passages round as is sometimes employed, and which facilitates the passing of reliefs.
Heavy rain interrupted now and then the progress of the advance, and it was not pleasant in No. 8 Redoubt, to keep an exposed watch after the labours of the day.
It was now understood that Tarapipipi (William Thompson) had arrived at the Taranaki to assist in conducting the war, or to watch for an opportunity of making peace.
Among the last events at the Taranaki, were the arrival of the Armstrong guns, and of mortars, &c., these from Auckland; and a party cricketing outside the Omata stockade, receiving a volley from the bush, which, however, caused no casualties. A flag of truce was run up in the middle of March to enable Mr. Hay and Mr. Parris, the native commissioners, to communicate with Tarapipipi.
The beautiful and well-kept residence of Captain H. King, near New Plymouth, was given to the flames by the Ngatiruanuis, and the mansion-house, stables, and outhouses became a blackened mass of ruins; other fires also followed.
Negotiations not being concluded satisfactorily with Tarapipipi, &c., hostilities
To prevent a second removal of the sap rollers, one was prepared with a shell behind it. Sunk in its box in the earth, a lanyard with a friction fuse, connected the shell with the sap roller. All was quiet for some time, when a loud explosion was heard at the head of the sap, the trap had succeeded as was afterwards ascertained. Three Maories had come down from the pah, and attempted to displace the sap roller as before; it was moved, and the shell bursting, drove one of the Maories in pieces over the cliff on the left, and wounded two others, who escaped with difficulty to the pah.
On the verge of the cliff over-looking the Waitara, were three or four neatly contrived pits lined with fern, and which I afterwards entered, they were intended to interrupt the progress of the sap on the left, shots from these wounded men, but the demi-parallel, or branch sap, before mentioned, helped to keep down the fire from these pits.
A heavy item in the expensive game of war appeared in the shape of one hundred and eighty horses, purchased in Sydney for the artillery in New Zealand, these cost about £35 each, and the whole expense attending them, when in charge of Captain Watson, R.A., their passage in the " Light of the Age," a thirteen hundred ton ship, and with attendants, &c., amounted to about £10,000.
The New Zealand people thought that one hundred good horses used to draft, might have been picked up in the North Island, and which would have answered better than the unruly buck jumping animals of New South Wales, some of which struck with fore and hind feet alternately, plunged, snorted, and were perfectly frantic, and requiring much " Rareying."
In former wars at the Cape (in one of which I was engaged), it was not the custom to encumber the troops with much baggage, they were also made to understand that where the Caffres could move, there the white soldier could penetrate, that paths would be found in the bush, that attacks at early dawn were best, and that much was to be done by the
The pertinacity of the sap in advancing towards the enemy's stronghold, the display of new and terrible resources, in the form of great mortars and rifled cannon, the arrival of fresh troops, the excellent Commissariat arrangements under Mr Jones, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Clerk and others to feed these, seemed at last to wear out the enemy. Some writers, at a distance, found fault with the sap. This good it answered, namely, to draw the insurgents towards it as a piece of meat does flies; no sap, and there might have been desultory and unsatisfactory warfare going on in several places at once, and more devastated settlements.
In reviewing this conflict in the Taranaki, one should discriminate between the combatants ranged against us, the upper Waikatos, the Ngatiawas, the Ngatiruanuis, and the Taranakis, the two last were least deserving of consideration, for throughout they exhibited no generosity, but utter blood thirstiness and wanton destruction of property without having received previous injuries or loss of land; for years past, as was explained, they have hated the Pakeha.
Wiremu Kingi and his Ngatiawas fought for the tribal right over the land, whilst the upper Waikatos seemed to have entered on the contest, generally, for independence, or for Rangatiratanga, the chieftainship of New Zealand; where the King's flag flew they fought. It is true, lands in the Upper Waikato had not been acquired by the Government, but as they knew our settlements were gradually extending, and they were not in creasing in population, but the contrary, the apprehension not unnaturally seized them of being driven into corners, and of being forced from the fertile plains to the forests and the hills. It is absurd to call them rebels, for
The casualties in the 14th regiment occurred in the middle of March, and for young soldiers, never under fire before they came to the Taranaki, they acquitted themselves exceedingly well, fighting as stoutly and working as hard and as cheerfully as the men of the older corps. The 2.14th was the first of the new battalions which had smelt powder. When I rode up one afternoon to No. 6 Redoubt, occupied by No. 7 company, and the men turned out to cheer, I was much gratified to see them in such good case, and looking so well in their blue smocks after their hard work. No. 10 was in the Waitara camp, and, as a light company, could stand a comparison, as to smart men, with any in the field.
The active operations, being resumed, were prosecuted with vigour; after sunset the air
That the Maories held out well under the fire from these big guns proves their courage and endurance, as they had no artillery to reply to ours. Their well sustained rifle and musketry fire proved their determination to defend their position to the last extremity.
The demi-parallel and the sap were lined by the coverers of those working at the sap, and pushing it on under heavy fire. The Maories ever and anon exposed themselves from their rifle pits to take aim, and our men showed themselves over the crest of the parapet to have a better chance of a shot. The rattling of the musketry was accompanied by the booming of the great guns and the bursting of shells, which probably were the most destructive of all, by scattering an iron shower into the pits, or bursting in the ground like a small volcano. Hand grenades were also brought up and thrown by the Royal Artillery,
At night it was curious to watch the flight of the shell of the Armstrong guns, the fuse causing it to appear like a flash of lightning darting with irresistable force to its destination among the rifle pits near the pah, whilst the shells from the mortars, rising like meteors to a great height in the air, fell with a crash into the middle of the devoted stockade. " We did not like the shells," said a Maori warrior, " before this we used to leave off fighting at six o'clock, cook our meals and rest for the night; but now in the dark, one of these great things comes down upon us, buries itself in the ground, then there is a sort of earthquake, it blows up, and we are scattered with pieces of iron, and get no peace."
The bag of powder to make a breach in a pah, had not yet been tried in this war. We remember long ago the inefficiency of round shot fired directly against Burman stockades, and it is understood the best way to shake and destroy a Maori pah, is to fire diagonally
A scaling ladder could rest on a Burman stockade, its' top allowed this, but the irregular picketing of a Maori pah rendered escalading difficult.
On March the 17th, St. Patrick's day, the anniversary of the war that commenced the desolation of the beautiful province of the Taranaki. One of the most zealous and hard working officers, a young man of rare courage and modesty combined, Lieutenant Macnaughten, R.A., fell. He was in the branch parallel; with plumb line in hand, he was adjusting the elevation of a mortar when a musket ball striking his right wrist entered his breast. An officer near him said, " Macnaughten, you are hit!" he smiled and said, "Oh, it's only in the hand;" but turning pale he staggered, fell back and died. There was great grief expressed by the officers and men of both arms, with whom he had served for the last twelve months, as the gallant young soldier was carried to the rear.
The Maories had cut a narrow ledge leading from the pah to the left of the branch parallel, this was two hundred and fifty feet above the bed of the river, and it was notched with rifle pits, as I before noticed. It was proposed to have charged up this ledge, but it seemed to me that this would have been madness, as the storming party could only have advanced along it in Indian file, and if met by a score of the enemy, they must have been hurled over the precipice in detail,—truly a forlorn hope.
On the 18th of March a fierce conflict raged for some time on the right of No. 7 Redoubt, where the engineers were constructing a battery to play on the hills and pits on the right. The 14th, 57th, and 65th formed the covering and working parties for the trenches. Major Nelson was field officer of the day, and he moved about with his usual energy; the natives, collected in great numbers on the right, were met by the 40th, and rapid file firing took place between them, whilst the Maories from the pits outside the pah opened a brisk fire on the coverers in the sap. The roar of the great guns was intermingled in the fray, the result of which was three privates
A shell from a cohorn mortar fired by Captain Mercer, Royal Artillery, fell on hard ground, and not bursting, rebounded and returned, like a bomerang, to nearly the spot from whence it was discharged, a curious incident in projectiles.
On the 19th of March, a white flag was again hoisted on Te Arei pah, the guns were silent and the sappers at a stand still, waiting the result of this peaceful indication. Messrs. MacLean, Parris and Hay, arrived at No. 6 Redoubt; another white flag was hoisted at the edge of the forest, to the right of No. 3, and the commissioners repaired thither to meet the insurgent chiefs, who now evidently desired an end of the contest. Shouts were heard in the trenches when the commissioners met the chiefs in the forest, it was conjectured that the natives knew that Te Arei (or Pukerangeora) must immediately fall, their ammunition was running low, winter was approaching when their sufferings would have
On the morning of the 20th of March, parties of Waikatos were seen to leave Pukerangeora and move off to the north, they went away in sixes and sevens, carrying pickaus or packs, and firing off their muskets, apparently as a parting salute. Though an hospital for wounded had been established at W. Kingi's place, Mataitawa, Mataitawa; matai,' a view or prospect from a hilltop, 'tawa,' a tree, Saurus tawa.
At one of the conferences the natives said, " Another rush had been intended at one or other of the Redoubts, like that on No. 3, but the plan was not matured."
On the 21st of March, Mr. MacLean brought a number of his fighting friends, as
" The British soldiers," said a Maori, " are a tribe of gentlemen, they bear no malice after a fight, but holding up their tins, call out, ' Tea capai!' here is good tea for you to drink!"
Some more of the fighting men afterwards came in, gaunt and hungry looking; at first they craved tobacco, one said he was dying for it, not having smoked for three months, but afterwards clothes were in demand.
Some of the Maories invited the soldiers to go for fruit, some went to the karaka Corynocarpus lævigata.
I have seen the destruction of crops, and the burning of houses or huts in seats of war, and the terrible misery to helpless women and children; among other places in Turkey after the passage of the Balcan by the Russians under Marshal Diebitch, and I never wish to witness this again. Columns have been directed to penetrate an enemy's country for the purpose of burning dwellings, and destroying grain ripe from the sickle. Splendid crops of maize and millet in the fertile valleys of another beautiful mountain land, with an undergrowth of pumpkins, melons, &c., have been cut down, dug out and destroyed, to bring the owners of this food to sue for peace. Occupation and patrolling might have effected the same object, and in a way more worthy of a civilized
It was the opinion of Colonel Mould, commanding Royal Engineer, and who has had considerable experience of the Maories and of their mode of fighting, that an attack conducted as that against Te Arei pah was the only one which, under the circumstances, was likely to be effectual in reducing the enemy to submission. Looking at the difficult nature of the country, the admirable positions taken up by the enemy, their peculiar mode of warfare, their character and disposition, attacks by " vive force" on their position would not have had any moral effect upon them, whilst, on the other hand, they would probably be elated, and their courage raised by the mischief they had done. The enemy themselves, unseen in their rifle pits would have an attacking force in full view during their advance, would by a dropping fire have harassed the columns in their approach, and when the troops were sufficiently close would have poured in a deadly volley, and slunk with little loss into the bush, the scrub and impracticable swamps and gullies in their rear, leaving nothing but
Position after position might be attacked and taken in this way until the enemy retired into their fastnesses, where it would be destruction to follow them, and from whence they would emerge on the retirement-of their assailants. The Maories having their scouts constantly on the watch for every movement of their enemy, would in anticipation of an attack, according to their customs, inflame their passions and excite their courage to make a determined resistance on the advance of the columns, but when driven out of their positions, and having retired to their next line, or to their bush and fastnesses, the excitement for the time subsides, until they again arouse it to meet further assaults. But this excitement they cannot sustain, and when a patient, though determined advance is made day by day, and they are incessantly harassed, they lose heart in proportion as they lose ground and men, their casualties becoming infinitely
A sketch, without a correct survey, could not give a precise idea of the difficult nature of the ground and the strength of the positions, especially the last, so admirably selected and occupied by the natives. Nor can a verbal description give a knowledge of the nature of the defences constructed by them. Their sites are but barely indicated by a narrow line of newly moved earth carefully spread, not exceeding six inches above the general surface of the ground, whilst for the most part they, as well as the defenders, are invisible, a head only occasionally being raised
His Excellency Governor Gore Brown, accompanied by the Honourable Mr. Waitaker, the Attorney General, the Honourable Mr. Weld, the native Minister, the Chief Commissioner MacLean, Captain Steward, Private Secretary, and the following Maories of note: Tamati Waaka Nene, Tamati Ngapura, Mangonui, Rikari, Ihaka (Isaac), Te Tihi, Horomona (Solomon) Aihepene, Anuru, Te Huia Te Keene, Te Hemara, Wyniata (Wynyard) Papahia, Hohepa (Joseph) Tamaihangia, Hapimana, Mokoera, Te Horohau, Te Mokena, Pita (Peter), John Nobbs and Perikanau, a native who was for some time at the Cape with Sir George Grey, arrived at the Taranaki by H.M.S. "Victoria." I was on board this war steamer when she was nearly swallowed up by giant waves in crossing the bar at the Manukau Heads. The pilot on shore there gave no signal of danger, but when the steamer got out to sea, one great wave succeeded another, rolling up from the
The insurgents still held out, and occupied their places of strength and rifle pits, disdaining to yield easily; towards the south the enemy retired from their pahs into the forests.
Settlers venturing out from New Plymouth to examine the state of the country, found it nearly completely ravaged; four houses out of five were destroyed, some had been spared to serve as lodging places for the enemy, others had been attempted to be set on fire, but it had not taken, five-sixths of the cattle were gone, and the bodies of cows, oxen and sheep, shot in wantonness, apparently by the Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis, polluted the air. No horses appeared.
In the morning of the 30th of March, whilst I was staying with Colonel Sillery at New Plymouth, the " Airedale " steamer, with the mail, dropped anchor, and from her unexpectedly landed Lieutenant-General, D. A. Cameron, C.B., who had come to supersede General Pratt in the command of the troops at the seat of war, the Australian and New Zealand commands becoming distinct. General Cameron was accompanied by Major Whitmore, as Military Secretary, and Captain MacNeil, A.D.C., also the General's niece, Miss Cherry, was on board. I had been a brother officer of the General in the 42nd Royal Highlanders, some years ago. His well known ability,
On the 30th of March, twenty years ago, the first ship load of emigrants arrived off the Taranaki, dropped anchor off Maturoa, and found shelter near the Sugar-loaf Islands in tents, and in a shed built by Barrett, the whaler. " To these people, many of whom still call this place their home" as the intelligent editor of the Taranaki Herald said, " as they gazed on the symetrical cone of Egmont, the luxuriant fern where now are rich pastures, and the lovely copses of low 'Waiwhakaiho', descending waters.
After conferences and negotiations with the insurgents, and the Waikatos and southern natives having retired from the contest, the terms now offered by the Governor to the Ngatiawas of the Waitara, whose valley we now held, were these: " Haperona and Ngatiawa. For twelve months you have been carrying arms against Her Majesty the Queen, and the authority of the law, you have now laid down your arms and expressed your desire for peace, believing you to be sincere, I have come from Auckland for the purpose of stating the terms upon which it will be granted, and upon which Her Majesty's gracious pardon and protection will be extended to you. They are as follows:
- The investigation of the title, and the survey of the land at the Waitara to be continued and completed without interruption.
- Every man to be permitted to state his claims without interference, and my decision, or the decision of such persons as I shall appoint, to be conclusive.
- All the land in possession of Her Majesty's forces, belonging to those who have borne arms against Her Majesty, to be disposed of by me as I may think fit.
- All guns belonging to the Government to be returned.
- All plunder taken from the settlers to be forthwith restored.
- The Ngatiawas, who have borne arms against the Government, must submit to the Queen and to the authority of the law, and not resort to force for the redress of wrongs, real or imaginary.
- As I did not use force for the acquisition of land, but for the vindication of the law, and for the protection of Her Majesty's native subjects in the exercise of their just rights, I shall divide the land, which I have stated my intention to dispose off, amongst its former owners; but I shall reserve the sites of the Block-houses and Redoubts, and a small piece of land round each, for the public
use, and shall exercise the right of making roads through the Waitara district. " On your submission to these terms you will come under the protection of the law and enjoy your property, with lands and goods without molestation."
The Juror's list for the province of Taranaki did not show more than two hundred and twelve country settlers who had houses in the country, of these one hundred and seventy six were totally destroyed by the insurgents, whilst those houses which were left standing, were chopped and broken in pieces, doors, windows, lining boards destroyed, and in some cases the upright boarding taken away, that the houses were almost as much injured as if burned. We may, therefore, say in round numbers that two hundred settlers' houses were destroyed in the Taranaki.
Of the natives, it was understood that three hundred had been slain besides a great number wounded, and latterly in the pahs, rifle pits and woods round the sap, fifteen hundred warriors were the numbers collected there, with all the advantages of ground in their favour, they found the war a losing game, and
His Excellency and the ministers came from the Waitara to New Plymouth on the 8th of April. A considerable number of people were assembled to see them enter the town, but owing to the doubt and anxiety in their minds respecting the terms of peace, His Excellency was received without any demonstration.
General Cameron reviewed the force at the Waitara and at New Plymouth, and the prisoners of war remaining were liberated. They had been treated with every consideration.
The Nagatiruanuis and the Taranakis having retired south, as I have stated, without any terms of peace being made, it was conjectured that the repayment of the settlers' losses, to
A military settlement was also talked of on British land, on the Waikato to preserve order. The Waikatos professing that the original idea they had in hoisting a King's flag, was to establish order and prevent crime by the strong hand among themselves. If their King
The Taranaki settlers held a meeting, and a deputation from it waited on His Excellency to hear further regarding the terms of peace, and to ascertain, if possible, what would be their position. The Governor stated that he desired to do the strictest justice to the settlers of Taranaki in whose sufferings he warmly sympathised, he believed the land league to prevent the sale of land to the Pakeha was broken up, as far as related to the Taranaki, and that land could again be bought in it from the natives. If the Taranakis and Ngatiruanuis did not make peace soon, the affair would be placed in the hands of General Cameron. As the war might not yet be half over, he did not encourage the idea of bringing back at present, the families from Nelson, &c. The militia would be recognized and classified. British law would be enforced strictly in the Taranaki generally, and arms would be supplied to every settler, to enable him to assist in preserving order and preventing insult.
Shortly after this, the Governor and his ministers returned to Auckland, detachments of the 14th garrisoned some of the pahs in the Taranaki, the 12th, 40th, and 65th being withdrawn to the province of Auckland.
The 57th remained alone in the Taranaki with a united detachment, 57th and 65th, at Wanganui, and the detachment 14th joined the camp at Otahuhu, where, when first established, as senior officer, I commanded. The 70th came from India, the field-officers of which were Colonels Galloway and Chute, Majors Ryan and Mulock, and there were for the winter months under canvas, the detachment 12th regiment, the head-quarters of the 14th, 40th and 70th regiments, and the 65th and Royal Engineers, and Royal Artillery in Auckland; at the camp and in Auckland about three thousand men altogether.
I will not enlarge on the discomfort attending living in a subaltern's bell tent (we had no marquees for field-officers) during the three months of winter rains, and frost occasionally so severe at night, that the blankets failed to enable one to sleep through it; but we weathered it, had good appetites, and found
When the weather and the roads permitted, I made excursions to the Howick Ranges with their extensive views of sea, and forest, and distant hills, to the Mangaree native settlements, and to the noble valley of the deep and clear Waikato beyond the ten mile forest, glorious with tree-fern and nicau palms, and entangled with bush ropes, creepers, and parasites.
On the 26th of September, His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B., arrived in H.M.S. ' Cossack ' from his Government at the Cape of Good Hope to resume the Government of New Zealand, where for eight years he had previously most successfully conducted affairs. His Excellency, Colonel Gore Brown, C.B., was now relieved from the Government which he had held for six years, was directed by the Colonial Minister to proceed to Sydney, which he did, and there received the intelligence of his appointment to the Government of Tasmania.
Instead of a war policy, Sir George Grey
He proposed to divide the colony into districts, over each of which was to be placed an European Commissioner, resident magistrate, or other officers, who were to be assisted by a district council of leading chiefs, and a subordinate council or runanga. To each runanga was to be attached a chief policeman and a certain number of native constables; the members of the district councils to receive pay as well as other office bearers, differing in amount. Judicial powers to be conferred on the members of council with certain limits, also power of local taxation and the construction of public works. Europeans to be allowed to settle within native districts on certain terms, and with the consent of the native authorities. This system has had a trial at the Cape of seven years, is somewhat costly at first, but pays its own expenses in the end, and has been eminently successful. In New Zealand, " so mote it be!"
ChapterXVI.
Illustrations of Maori character during the War—They have a chivalry of their own—Recapitulation of the principal events of the War—Remarkable experiences of the Rev. Mr. Wilson during the contest—Receives from the leader Epiha an account of the reverses at Puketakauere—Weteni promises to endeavour to spare the wounded and prisoners in future—Mr. Wilson visits the native camp—His conferences in the cause of humanity—Maories anxious about the graves of their slain—Native orators—Extraordinary appearance of the fighting chief Haperona—Interesting dialogue with a wounded prisoner—How a New Zealander can endure suffering—Patience and resignation of the wounded soldiers—Two characteristic anecdotes of the natives engaged in the Taranaki war—Mokau's noble act of friendship, and Natawa's heroic endurance.
Those who have fought with the Maories are the last to despise them as foes; on the contrary, the British troops who contended against these lusty, active, intelligent, tattoed warriors in the deep gullies, on the wooded banks of the clear streams, and on the ferny plains of the Taranaki respect them.
As native engineers, who have not passed
The Maories too have a chivalry of their own, in not taking undue advantage or striking before they have given warning to their enemies; but once the contest is begun, they, as is usual with other contending parties, take every means in their power to discomfit their opponents. Yet, anxious as they are to be thought civilized and superior to their ancestors in manners and customs, they will not yet understand that prisoners and wounded men should be spared.
On account of the dispute about a block of six hundred acres of land at the mouth of the Waitara river, Taranaki, this last war began, as we have stated, in the middle of
The principal events during the contests in the Taranaki, were, as we may recapitulate, the taking the pah Te Kohia, or the L pah, by Colonel Gold, the fight at the Waireka hill, the Southern expedition from New Plymouth against the Taranakis and Ngatiruanuis, the reverse sustained by the troops at Puketakauere, the expedition to Huirangi by General Pratt, the Kaihihi pahs taken, the action at Mahoetahi, the affairs at Matarikoriko, the assault of No. 3 Redoubt by and defeat of the Maories, the operations of the sap against Te Arei pah, and the arrival of General D. A. Cameron to command the troops.
Among those who made themselves prominently useful in the Taranaki was, as we have said, the Rev. J. A. Wilson. He had
To mitigate as much as lay in his power the horrors of war, was Mr. Wilson's chief aim during the conflict, and how he succeeded will be found in what follows.
Mr. Wilson was originally led to visit Taranaki from various interviews which he had with some of the Waikato tribes after their return from the action of Pukatekauere. On that occasion part of the 40th Regiment under Major Nelson, and a small naval force under Commodore Seymour, were obliged to retire, leaving the dead and wounded on the field. When in the Waikato, Mr. Wilson
During a prolonged visit at the Rev. Mr. Morgan's station in Upper Waikato, and which is situated in the very centre of the disaffected tribes, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Wilson spent many days among the natives who had recently returned from the seat of war; and as they were shortly to return there, every argument was used to influence them for the future, to spare and to treat kindly the
Early the next morning the natives were under arms, and the last were leaving when Mr. Wilson arrived. He found Weteni alone and displeased. His words were few; he observed, " We held the Runanga as I
Thus they parted, he to fall in a few days at Mahoetahi, Mr. Wilson to carry out his humane intentions among his colleagues in the war. As Mr. Wilson had now no object to remain longer in Waikato, he returned to Auckland and stated the above facts to the Governor, Colonel Gore Brown, who advocated the
The General, to whom Mr. Wilson was a perfect stranger, but of whom he subsequently saw much, though most anxious to, save life, did not quite like this request; he at first received the proposition coldly; but after much consideration, he at last said, " You can go, but it will place you in an awkward position as we march at daylight to-morrow; there is not time, you should have come sooner." Mr. Wilson, however, accepted his assent; and the next morning while the troops were forming in the town, he left with a native guide for Matarikoriko. Weteni and most of the men he had led from Waikato had already
Though at first disposed to be insolent, the influence of the few Ngatihaua present kept things quiet, and when the chief men had assembled from the pah, Mr. Wilson explained
- That all the wounded shall be treated with humanity.
- That prisoners shall be uninjured, and exchanged.
- That the dead shall be unmolested, and buried by their respective people.
- That persons approaching under a flag of truce shall be respected.
Mr. Wilson reminded them of the scripture doctrine of mercy; of the uncertainty of success in war, and their personal interest in these conditions; but being flushed with the events at Puketakauere, they were deaf to remonstrance. A Ngatihaua chief named Henere, and Haporona of Taranaki, replied on the part of the natives, and refused to make any terms. Haporona turned angrily and said, " The soldiers are now on their way here; this is not a time to speak about mercy; we have given our reply, you must leave at once, and take this message to the General," (which is not worth repeating). Mr. Wilson smiled. " Do you deride my words
The day following the natives were attacked at Matarikoriko. Mr. Wilson came up with them on the second day of the encounter. It was Sunday; the General consented to a truce, and Mr. Wilson went over to the native rifle-pits. Little more than 130 yards from the troops, Mr. Wilson came upon two sentries; the first a dwarf who was also humpbacked, (and was afterwards killed at No. 3 Redoubt.) The dwarf, who was slight and nearly naked, presented so striking a contrast to the fine men of the 40th and 65th Regiments, who were now carelessly lounging in their great-coats along the parapets they had thrown up in the midst of the native fire, that it was impossible to repress a smile as Mr. Wilson approached him; but he and his companion, both of whom were unknown to Mr. Wilson, were in another mood, and remained, stern and silent, refusing to answer. While in this rather awkward position, a third native rose up from the fern, and recognised Mr. Wilson; he belonged to the Ngatihaua and had lived with Mr. Wilson about twenty years since when a boy. This man who seemed delighted to see Mr. Wilson, immediately held
After an address to their whole camp, in which their temporal and eternal welfare was the object, and to which they listened without the slightest interruption; they prepared some breakfast for Mr. Wilson, consisting of slices of beef and potatoes, which they roasted in the bottom of an iron pot. As Mr. Wilson sat refreshing himself, some few whose faces he was acquainted with gathered round, among whom was Rewi, the principal chief of the Ngatimaniapoto. After conversing upon other subjects, Mr. Wilson returned to that which was ever upon his mind and referred to the case of the wounded, &c. Rewi replied, " It is well that you have come among us, return to-morrow to the woods at Huirangi, and we will hear what you have to say." As none objected to this invitation, Mr. Wilson now felt with gratitude that the first step towards his object had been gained. A chief then said, " Last night we buried some of our dead in the parepares, (rifle pits). Ask the chief of the soldiers to respect them. Let them remain undisturbed." Mr. Wilson said, " The
The farewell honours of these bold spirits, were literally paid by the guns of the artillery, and the unbroken volleys of the 40th and 65th Regiments. Sir John Moore's burial (the theme of song) is tame contrasted with this! The natives have a great dislike to remove the dead when once the burial service has been read over them.
The arguments advanced on this, and on like occasions were drawn from Scripture, Micah, chap. 6, verse 8; II. Kings, chap. 6, verses 21. 24; Proverbs, chap. 25, verses 21, 22.
On this day, however, they behaved with mildness and even courtesy; a few only replied, and they spoke quietly and well. A pause now ensued, and Mr. Wilson thought that all was gained; when a person named Te
Though Mr. Wilson strove in vain to soften this man, yet on the whole he was satisfied, knowing that if they entered into an arrangement of the nature he wished, they would induce
Commodore to Mr. Wilson.—" What relation has he lost?"
Mr. Wilson.—His father."
Commodore.—"Does he lie here?"
Mr. Wilson.—"Yes."
Commodore.—" Poor fellow! Has he lost his father? Tell him I am sorry for him! Tell him we bear no malice. It is war!"
Native.—"I am not dark (unhappy) on his account. He fell in open field, in battle. It was fairly done! he was not murdered!" this he said gravely and coldly.
Commodore.—" Say that the graves shall not be injured; tell him my carpenter shall fence them!" In repeating this generous and manly assurance, so characteristic of a seaman, Mr. Wilson said to the Maori, "This person who speaks to you is the chief of the English sailors." He looked satisfied, but made no reply. It was some disinterested act of this kind Mr. Wilson had so much wanted, and felt assured that its influence would not be lost upon the natives in arms. They then visited some other graves situated in a deep valley beneath the rifle-pits, where the native was kindly treated by two military officers.
A few days after this occurrence, the Governor was pleased to release from the gaol at New Plymouth a chief named Te Wiona, who was wounded and taken prisoner at Mohoetahi,
When they arrived at Waitara, as Te Wiona could with difficulty sit on horseback, the commissariat officers (from whom Mr. Wilson had received many acts of kindness) immediately furnished a bullock cart for his conveyance. In this the wounded chief with his baggage were placed; for though taken all but naked on the field, he returned to his people well clothed, and in the possession of several presents. At No. 1 Redoubt near Matarikoriko the soldiers crowded round the cart to see Te Wiona, and it was both amusing and pleasing to hear their attempts, and also the Maori's, to convey to each other the sympathy of brave men. Some saluted him in a language coined for the occasion, some shook him by the hand, while others laughed kindly. The native, who was a man sensible of kindness, was much delighted by this demonstration, and when the cart drove on he sat as erect as his wound would allow, and This man never fought again, but nearly lost his life by Rewi, in an attempt to induce his own people to return to Waikato.
The chiefs now requested Mr. Wilson to remain till he had heard the speeches, and seen some of their tribes reviewed. The gathering was on elevated ground, where the native flag was flying, and which on this occasion was white. About a thousand men suddenly rushed down from the spot, throwing down several of their comrades as they advanced, and then with uncommon energy brandishing their arms and performing the war dance; around stood the spectators, consisting of men, women, and children, Mr. Wilson sitting near the front, where he was joined by the chief Te Tapehana, the person who a few days before had so fiercely opposed him. It turned out that the young man who accompanied Mr. Wilson to Matarikoriko was his nephew, and what passed on that occasion had sensibly impressed him. On Mr. Wilson's arrival among them in the morning, he came and shook hands with him, and Mr. Wilson had afterwards the pleasure of his company during the whole day. He explained the persons and speeches of the chiefs, and when anything particularly interested himself, he was anxious that Mr. Wilson also should observe it; and
Hapurona and others, while speaking, sometimes broke out into traditional songs; these the men under arms would take up in chorus with admirable effect, their voices marking that nicety of time as though it had been the voice of one man, and the exact motion of their limbs and bodies giving additional excitement to the concourse.
To such a pitch of frenzy did these harangues influence the tribes, that Mr. Wilson thought they would immediately make an attempt At Mohoetahi, before the struggle was over, a soldier came up to a native who had been mortally wounded; and observing his tongue out of his mouth (as he supposed from thirst), he placed his rifle on the ground, and ran with his can to the next swamp, and brought him water. This humane spirit characterized both officers and men. General Pratt, on the same occasion, shook hands with a native lying in the field, in order to restore his confidence.
Te Wiona now sent for Mr. Wilson to visit his wife and friends, who treated him with much kindness; but he reminded them that it was more to his countrymen than to himself that these friendly feelings were due. They were all very cheerful and happy, and he left them rejoicing over their restored companion. At the rifle-pits Mr. Wilson found his horse waiting in charge of Himiona, Te Tapehana's nephew, who attended him to Matarikoriko. Unasked he had taken it in the morning and watched it till Mr. Wilson returned, a mark of attention not to have been expected through a day of no ordinary incidents.
Though the object which led Mr. Wilson to Taranaki was now accomplished, and for which he felt sincerely grateful, he yet thought it right to remain some time longer on the spot, in order to see how far the natives would keep their promises. The contest was carried on nearly daily, and he was generally present on the field; with the object of being of use to the wounded, or in the event of their
On the 23rd January, No 3 Redoubt was attacked by the Waikatos, and as it will illustrate the nature and character of the men with whom the military had to contend, we will allow one of the wounded prisoners to speak for himself. When Mr. Wilson first saw this man he was lying between two of his fallen countrymen, who had shortly before expired. Mr. Wilson sat down by him, and asked him who the dead were.
Native.—" This man is from Waikato, and that from Maungatautari."
Mr. Wilson.—" Where are you wounded?"
He pointed to his right leg shattered to pieces by a shell, and to a wound in his left arm.
Mr. Wilson.—" What part of the country are you from?"
Native.—" From Kawia. I belong to Ngatemahuta; I am a relative of the King."
Mr. Wilson.—" How many of you were in the attack on the Redoubt?"
Native.—" One hundred and forty. Ngatehana led. Perhaps they have all fallen?"
Mr. Wilson.—" Did many fall?"
Native.—" Yes! all of them Rangitera (gentlemen) many have fallen."
Mr. Wilson.—" How is it you have remained so long at Huirangi? you must have found it difficult to procure food."
Native.—"No! There is still plenty of food at Mataitawa, and when we want more we make a descent on the Pakeha cattle," and then with a smile added, " this perhaps is wrong."
Mr. Wilson.—" Well, you are a brave people; the chiefs of the soldiers say it is a pity you should thus destroy yourselves."
Native.—" Once we were brave, that was formerly, where is our valour now? have we succeeded?"
Mr. Wilson.—" Brave formerly, and still the same, though beaten."
Native.—" It rests now with the soldiers;" by which he implied that victory or success was the best evidence of " toa " (courage).
Native.—" Friend, there is no (také) root, or cause for all this fighting. If there was a cause it would be right, but there is no cause."
Mr. Wilson.—" Are you a believer?"
Native.—" Yes, I have long believed; my name is Maraikai."
Mr. Wilson.—"You know that God is now near you; that He knows where you are, and what has happened to you, and that He will hear your prayer if you ask Him."
Native.—" I know it all."
Mr. Wilson.—" You are now in the power of the Pakeha, but you have nothing to fear. They will not injure you now, you will, be treated with kindness."
Native.—" Why, one of them would have killed me after I was twice wounded. I was saved at the instant, by a young chief. It was agreed in the woods that the wounded should receive mercy; had it not been for the chief's seizing my hand and putting aside the soldier's gun I should have been shot." This officer was Lieutenant Pennefather, 65th regiment, whom I have elsewhere mentioned with the honour which is his due; also Lieutenant Mair, 12th regiment, for a similar act.
Mr. Wilson.—" That was in the heat of conflict. He knew not, perhaps, that you were wounded."
Native.—" There was much confusion; perhaps he did not; it might have been an oversight. The young man saved me. But it is the same with the Maori. Gentlemen (Nga Rangitera) only have the hearts of gentlemen!"
Mr. Wilson.—" My friend listen to me. Make God your friend, and He will not forsake you; He can restore you to strength, and return you at last in safety to your own people."
Native.—" Yes, it is true."
Mr. Wilson then passed on to some others who had fallen, but he found that Maraikai and a young man named Kiritoha were the only surviving prisoners. As he turned from the dead, he again met Commodore Seymour, and said to him, " Come and see how a New Zealander can endure suffering, and let us not think that manhood is confined to ourselves." The morning was exceedingly hot and calm, and the dead and wounded collected in the ditch of the Redoubt were covered with swarms of flies. Maraikai though suffering intensely, received them in quiet gravity. In answer to the remarks of the Commodore, he
Mr. Wilson visited him again in the afternoon, and sat some time conversing with him. He appeared rather more depressed in spirit (owing no doubt to increased weakness) but still cheerful. In the evening before his leg was amputated, a person inquired " how he would manage without it?" to which he goodnaturedly replied, " The doctor must give me a new one." After the operation, the blood was washed from his person, and comfortable blankets given him. This man was between forty and fifty years of age, rather slight but wiry and well made. His features were small and ordinary, but intelligent. As Mr. Wilson sat and admired his manly fortitude, the stories he had heard, when a boy, of English seamen after a battle, holding out and assisting the surgeon in the amputation of their own limbs, appeared verified in the conduct of this man, whose nerve and heart seemed equal to the same trial if necessary. The head of the Medical Staff, Dr. Mouat, C.B., V.C., has since observed that he never had a better or more confiding patient. " He would let us," he said, " do what we liked with him."
Mr. Wilson was very anxious that this chief
The wounded soldiers whom Mr. Wilson visited (and some were dreadfully injured) bore their sufferings without a murmur or a groan, and endured agony, with nearly lamblike patience. As he modestly added, " A
He stated also that the conduct of both officers and men towards himself was that of confidence and kindness. And the future recollection of the time spent amid the turmoil of Taranaki will afford him the highest satisfaction, as among the most useful and best days of his life.
Before closing this chapter I annex two original anecdotes of the Taranaki war, characteristic of the natives engaged, a fine race, enterprising and intelligent, in whom I took a particular interest. Worthy of an ancient Roman was the conduct of the Chief Mokau, at the close of the action of Mahoetahi in November, 1860. When the Maories were driven from the old pah on the hill, by the spirited charge of the 65th, the Taranaki Militia and Volunteers, they became " whakawara," or dispersed, and took to the swamp below; Mokau, retreating, saw at the edge of it a friend lying mortally wounded; he stopped, and though the avengers were close behind, he seized the hand of the dying man and stooped to say farewell, and to press noses in
Of endurance and determination in a Maori there was a remarkable instance at Huirangi in the summer of 1861. Natawa, a wild character, tired of firing away all day in his rifle-pit, got up into a tree, ten feet above the ground, to fire with better effect at the 12th, 14th, 40th, and other skirmishers, but he was dropped by a ball in the forehead. Having perhaps a thick skull, the Minié ball stuck fast over one eye without passing into the brain, and Natawa recovering himself, went on fighting for two days afterwards. The second evening, some of his friends tried to get the ball out, by moving it with their fingers, but perhaps a portion of bone was dislodged and touched the brain, and Natawa, after five days' raging madness, died.
Mr. Wilson has now revisited his native land, and those of the United Service who may read what he endeavoured to do for the combatants in the Taranaki, and who may meet him, will doubtless pay him every honour.
ChapterXVII.
The Military Road, New Zealand—Its use and value—March to occupy outposts at Pokeno Camp—Distribution of the Forces—The Maories jealous of the presence of the troops—Precautions against attack—Friendly relations established—Formation of the road—Nature of the duties —Amusements—Fishing—How to deal with boulders- Accidents—How to deal with natives—Their opinion of a road—The women protected—Pig killing—The knicker-bocker movement—Our flag staff—An obelisk proposed.
" Convict's work.You may call this sodgerin', but I calls it convicting',"admire the country at this time," as a facetious officer remarked.
Yet this Military Road, about a dozen miles long, is a great achievement for the troops
His Excellency Sir George Gray, in futherance of his wise policy to bring about law and order in the valuable Northern island of New Zealand, without exterminating the fine race of natives, (and the fertile province of Taranaki being still desolate and a waste from the war of 1860-61), determined to employ the troops in the province of Auckland—like the Romans—in road making. Lieutenant—General Cameron ably and energetically seconded His Excellency's views. Accordingly in December, 1861, the head-quarters of the 2nd Battalion 14th Regiment, a detachment of the 12th Regiment, and some Royal Engineers, marched under my command from the Camp Otahuhu, passed Drury, and though drenched with heavy rain for three days, and mudded to the waist in the Maori track partly cleared of trees, passed through the forests of the Razor Back ridge, and established ourselves in a camp
The Royal Artillery, (Captain Watson commanding), were at Baird's Farm, and the Commissariat Transport Corps, (Mr. Bailie the Director), at Drury Farm. Brigadier Galloway was at Baird's Farm, a central position, where was also Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie, C.B., with the 40th; Colonel Chute commanded the 70th at Kerr's, Colonel Wyatt, C.B., the 65th at Drury; with me, as second in command at Pokeno Camp, was Lieutenant- Colonel Hutchins, of the 12th Regiment. Colonel Mould, C.B., C.R.E., was the Director of the road, and Colonel Gamble the Deputy Quarter-Master-General. Major Paul, Brigade
When the white rows of tents first appeared, surrounded by a semicircle of deep and entangled forest at Pokeno, they seemed to take the Maories by surprise, and large meetings were held up the Waikato at Paetai, to discuss whether or not the troops should be attacked and driven back, if possible. Some white men living among the natives, thinking there was a dangerous state of things up the river, fled, carrying their children and goods with them. Of course precautions were taken at Pokeno Camp to guard against surprise; there was a strong picquet of 100 men nightly paraded, and the arms and ammunition of the 800 men in camp were ready at hand and. stacked round the tent poles, and sentries at the angles of the camp, in sentry boxes of raupo or flags, shouted " All's well!" in fine and stormy nights and pelting rain " indifferently." The troops were told off in three bodies, one to extend round the tents with three supports, and the rest to run to the tents to be ready to strike them as soon as the natives opened fire from the bush; but
If the Maori King's people had been mischievously inclined, they might have dashed down the river in two or three score war canoes, and occupied the bush, and poured some rattling vollies into our camp before they could be rushed at and fought, as was intended, in the forest itself.
Friendly relations were established with the neighbouring settlements, and a daily market instituted for the sale of pigs, peaches, and potatoes. Here the sturdy Maories—the older men with well tatoed faces, and bushy heads of black hair, wearing flax mats like their ancestors, blankets, or fringed kilts of checked shawl; the younger men in trowsers; the women with unadorned hair, and in short stuff petticoats, and tatoed lower lips—sat and bargained for their wares, All was conducted in good humour, and an officer, Lieutenant Bates, 65th, as native interpreter, inquired into disputed points.
At the Drury end of the line of road, the country was open, and no trees to fell; the road had there only to be formed, levelled,
Seven miles of the line were through the forest of gigantic trees, interlaced with supple jack and thick undergrowth, over which waved the graceful tree-fern and nicau-palm: and the difficulties increased as the Razor-Back and Pokeno hills were approached. Here the axe, and saw, and hand-spikes to roll logs, pick-axes to root out the stumps, spades and shovels to level, gave occupation for the hot summer months, January, February, and March: April and May were stone-breaking months; in the latter, (the English November),
With all this there was but little grumbling among the men, though it was navvies' work; only an occasional ejaculation, such as appears at the head of this chapter, or rough jokes and taunts among themselves about shirking work. At first, one third of the men were kept in camp at Pokeno, the most exposed position, to guard against surprise; afterwards the whole were turned out to work, except the guard and defaulters under punishment. As to pay, the men got nine pence in addition to their shilling; piece work was sometimes given, and advantageously, and extra pay for extra work. Non-commissioned officers got one shilling extra, subalterns four shillings when on the works, and captains seven shillings. Medicos got nothing extra, and field-officers, though required to supervise constantly the labours on the line, received no extra allowance; perhaps they may be favourably considered hereafter, especially as they had no luxuries, and dwelt in bell tents the same as the private sentinels, and were told ever and anon by some unhappy mortals,
During the day, in summer, a bell tent, with its single cloth, was uninhabitable for heat, and in the rains one lay sometimes shaking with cold, or was suddenly awoke with a wine-glass of water into one's eye from a flaw in the canvas. Thermometer at 33° in May and June of a morning, one could not then well sing, " Who so merry as we in camp?" Still there was health and appetite, and the sense of useful employment for the country to keep one " up to the mark."
The men worked seven hours daily, were turned out at an early hour to breakfast, told off into parties by the Engineers for cutting down trees, or road forming, stone breaking, &c., and marched off under their officers, by command of the captain of the day. From eight to twelve the work went on, cooks prepared the mid-day meal in the bush if the work was at a distance from the camps, at noon a "tot" of rum was administered, and the same in the evening. In the hot weather, two hours were devoted to eating and rest,
Bathing in ponds dammed up near the camps, was a great refreshment in the hot months. Skittles and quoits were not wanting for amusement, also foot races and jumping. The officers paid occasional visits to Auckland, though a long distance off, and sportsmen, off duty, got canoes and paddled up or down the broad and fast flowing Waikato River, which commencing far in the interior at the Taupo Lake, near the active volcano of Tongariro, and the far famed " boiling springs," passes through forest land, fertile plains, and by mountain ridges, till it utu, on payment of five shillings a day, and showed how eels could be caught by diving after them, or by grubbins for them with their hands in the sedgy banks, then killed with a bite behind the head, spitted, roasted without cleaning, and devoured. Sometimes half-a-dozen Maories would sit in a semicircle facing the bank, and up to their middles in water, while another would tramp the eels out of their holes; they were then dexterously caught as they passed between the legs and bodies of the watchful group.
It is supposed that in these volcanic regions, the clays of the rivers contain mineral substances which may be distasteful or injurious to other fish beside the slimy eel. But Sir
Latterly, on the Military Road, bullock drays and artillery carts would be seen busily conveying metal to various parts of the line, and men taking off the mud before the stones were spread, or forming culverts and side drains to carry off the surface water: others would be engaged blasting rocks where there was a quarry, and where the stones were scarce, (which was the case where the young soldiers of the 14th worked), the men would be observed painfully searching for boulders to break up, and standing up to their knees in a stream, groping in it with sleeves tucked up, the mud and water running past them! A clever way to break up boulders with a few blows of the sledge was adopted; first burning a pile of sticks and roots over them, then, dashing on water, made the hardest, rocks brittle.
Sick men, whose cases were bad, were sent in the ambulance carts to Otahuhu hospital, others were treated in camp. Cold and wet
The benefit to the soldiers thus employed in road making, and practised in the use of the spade and pick, saw and axe, will be great, strengthening their bodies in the mean time, and preparing them to be useful settlers and farmers when they take their discharge in this colony, one of the most promising and healthy under the British Crown.
I take no credit for being able to deal agree-ably with Maories, for it had been my fortune to be placed on terms of intimacy with brown and black races from early life in the east and west and in Africa, and the same rules
When I first took charge at Pokeno I had a great talk with some of the chiefs, I said " We are directed to make a road through British land to the Waikato, and which road may be of great advantage both to the Maories and to the farmers, to enable produce, now carried on pack horses, to be brought to market with drays, and goods taken back on wheels. One man said "A small path is sufficient to let the Maori drive his pigs to market!"
I said to a chief, " I wish to protect your women from insults;" he said, " How is that to be done." I replied, " Don't let them wander about alone near our camp, let them have a male friend or relation always with them," and by pursuing this plan we had very little
We had one or two cases of pig killing which caused talks. A soldier had caught and secured what he chose to consider was a wild sow, and when it was claimed by a Maori, the soldier cut its throat. We held a court of inquiry about this, and the Maori proved his property in the sow, and that it had been one yielding him a revenue from its frequent litters. He claimed £10 for his "pet-pig." I got this reduced to £6 on condition of immediate payment. It was a considerable amount to stop from a man's pay and working money, but it had a good effect in stopping future liberties with Maori property.
I tried to introduce that valuable article of raiment, the knickerbockers, among the Maories, and gave away two pairs in which they could squat comfortably, whilst the trowser is tight and inconvenient to people not sitting on stools or chairs. One of the recipients of the garment, a wag probably, said, " I am very well below now, but see I am bare above," he wanted a jacket and vest also.
Some of the officers said " We must cut I carved on it this inscription: " Kia Whakakotahitia te Maori me te Pakeha." Let the Pakeha and the Maori be united.
Besides the troops already enumerated, the head-quarters 57th Regiment were at New Plymouth, Taranaki, under Colonel Warre, C.B.; about the Waitara was a detachment of the 65th under Colonel Young; at Wanganui a detachment of the 57th under Major Longan, and detachments 14th at Wellington and Napier, under Majors Dwyer and Douglas; say 5,500 Regulars in all in the North Island.
The 40th, in July '62, garrisoned Auckland, also Royal Artillery. The camps were broken up, and 2,000 men marched back over the finished road to the huts at Otahuhu, leaving
An obelisk, combined with a drinking fountain, and with suitable inscriptions in English, Maori, &c., had been proposed to commemorate the formation of the Military Road, which though costing say £2,000 a mile, has advanced the country at least twelve years, materially assisted in preparing it for settlement, and rendering the capital safe from hostile assaults from the Waikato.
ChapterXVIII.
New Zealand should be appreciated—Sketch of its progress—General summary—Acclimatisation Society—The Messrs. Ridgway—Free Grants—Climate and productions—Hints for emigrants—
New Zealand, a land of promise for emigrants, and if rightly used, affording an almost certainty of realising an independence, if not a fortune, is but little known to a large portion of the inhabitants of Britain, but when its natural resources come to be developed, it will draw great attention to itself.
It appears to be the will of Divine Providence that regions of the earth remote from
In the Province of Nelson £50,000 a year have been realized from the gold-field there; the local papers have been writing up the
The chief auriferous district in Otago is the basin drained by the great central lakes, and the Clutha river and their tributaries, and an area, equal to that of Scotland, is believed to be auriferous. From Dr. Lindsay's able report, it appears that the first gold-field was discovered on the 4th of June, 1841, by Mr. Gabriel Read, and it received the name of Tuapeka or Gabriel's Gully. Since then, the Dundan and Nokomai gold-fields have been worked. At the close of 1862, 550,000 ounces were secured from the Otago gold-fields, or two millions sterling. This province, then, is expected to become one of the most popular fields for British emigrants. Two ship loads of single women for servants were lately most acceptable additions to the population. Up to the 31st of March, 1862, the Nelson gold-field had yielded 46,591
In the great Middle Island, one can sleep in as great security (if not greater) as in the old country, and in the North Island, with justice to the Maori, no settler need be afraid.
As a general summary, shewing the healthy condition of New Zealand in the commercial world, in the quarter ending before I left (in August) the Islands exported to the value of £662,172. Gold was the largest item, its total value in the quarter was, £321,092; of wool, £297,203. Of imports into the colony, there were goods to the amount of £976,518. The Customs revenue for the first six months of 1862 amounted to £196,350.
A great improvement will take place in New Zealand generally, if the Acclimatization Society is as successful as it deserves to be, in its efforts to introduce useful varieties of birds and beasts into the rising colony. His Excellency Sir George Grey has spent both time and money in importing useful quadrupeds and birds; he bought an island, " Kawau," to the north of Auckland, as an acclimatizing depôt, and he mentioned to me he was
Rooks and sparrows were much wanted to destroy worms and insects, and a shipment of magpies was desired. When animals are shipped at home, it is recommended to employ one of the passengers to look after them, and to pay him a small sum for his trouble. To trust to the crew, who have other matters to attend to, is a mistake. As to hares and pheasants, they each require separate compartments else they will injure and destroy each other. Numbers, not single pairs, should be exported if ultimate success is looked for. From China, besides pheasants, the date plum might be introduced with advantage. It has produced a profusion of fruit in New South Wales, and is, besides, a handsome tree.
Messrs. Alex. F. Ridgway and Sons, Army
Of New Zealand generally, it may be here stated that the two islands extend upwards of eight hundred miles from north to south, and from fifteen to one hundred and fifty miles in breadth, comprise an area greater than that of the United Kingdom, and are indented with spacious bays and land-locked harbours. The surface is mountainous in some places, this and the forests of noble trees, collect abundant supplies of rain from the sea, and fresh water rivers and streams flow everywhere; its grassy plains and ferny hill sides abound in good land for herds and flocks, and the plough. No venomous reptiles are found in New Zealand, and unlike Australia, the foot may be planted with confidence in traversing the land, and there is nothing more noxious than a mosquito in hot weather, provision can be made against which by a veil or small curtain when bivouacking in the field or forest. The climate is famed for its mildness and salubrity. Warm in the northern parts of the North Island and similar to the south of France, the temperature falls as one proceeds south, till a climate like that of the north of Scotland is obtained, with snow and ice in winter.
As to the prospects of emigrants, New Zealand cannot be recommended to the notice of young men who have not been used to labour and are disinclined to it; for the careless and idle it is no place, but for the steady farmer, the skilled mechanic, the man of industry and energy with sons and daughters to provide for and assist him—for the gentleman with capital to purchase a sheep run, and for all, who abandoning prejudice and seeking to acquire the information which may best serve them in a new country, and steadily following out a good course which may be suggested by those who best know New Zealand and its peculiarities, it is well adapted.
Domestic servants give, sometimes, a great deal of annoyance from the value they attach to their services, their restlessness and desire for change, and in females, their extravagance in dress; many of them expect ten shillings a week, and those perfectly ignorant of their duties, are not content with less than seven shillings, and it is too often the case that with from eighteen to thirty pounds a year wages, most of this goes in dress, and there is a change of place for the most trifling cause.
A sober man is certain to thrive in service, but for a drunkard there is a brief career. A friend told me he had employed a fine strong man as a ploughman on his farm, but he missed him for a week; going to his house to see what was the matter, he found him lying in bed drunk, and his ill-cared for children were helping him to spirits out of the tea-kettle. His wife, adopting the same course, had been sent to the lunatic asylum. As another picture, I have known industrious steady men-servants acquiring sufficient to buy a few cows, and marrying a young woman who had saved her wages, become in a few years owners of land, and rich in flocks and herds. Wages in 1862 were as follows: farm-servants and (sheep) station hands, single men, with rations, £50 to £60 per annum; good ploughmen, £55 to £65, shepherds the same; married couples £70 to £80; female servants, £25 to £30; dairy maids, £30 to £40, and for day labourers without wages, seven to nine shillings.
The settlement of a thousand Nonconformists recently arrived, and located in Albert Land, north of Auckland, on the Onua
When in camp on the Waikato, I was enabled to accomplish what I had much desired, a visit to Nelson and Wellington in Cook's Straits. At Wellington there were 300 men of the 2-14th Regiment, under Major Dwyer. Besides being required to inspect the detachment, I was President of a General Court-Martial at Wellington. Severe examples were required about this time; a sergeant of the 65th, stationed at Wanganui, had shot his adjutant, and had recently been executed at Wellington. Strong drink for years had soured the sergeant's temper. The same was the occasion of other acts of insubordination, but which were checked by " the strong hand."
I embarked on board the 'Airedale' steamer, Captain Kennedy, with other officers also proceeding on court-martial duty, but owing to the dangerous state of the bar, we were detained two days behind the shelter of the headland at Pooponga.
Mines of wealth have yet to be opened of various kinds in New Zealand, among others great quantities of mullet might be caught and salted at the Manukau for the Melbourne market, also at the Chatham Islands great supplies of cod might be procured.
The surf moderating, we crossed the bar, then ran along the west coast, and crossing to the Middle Island, found ourselves in the usually calm waters of Blind or Tasman Bay. Well land-locked with fine mountain ranges, Nelson is picturesquely placed at the south end of the bay, and from the sea, seems to have no level land about it; but on reaching the shore, sufficient space is observed to enable the town to be considerably expanded.
The climate is excellent at Nelson, neither too hot nor too cold. Fruit there is in abundance. The Nelson apples are celebrated, and we saw large market-gardens well provided. I walked a considerable distance up the Maitai valley, then rode towards Wymea, passing a handsome new college, which with other advantages, will probably cause Nelson to be resorted to by parents for educational purposes. The Dun mountain is the
In a museum at Nelson, I saw excellent specimens of the minerals of the district, and also gigantic remains, in the shape of leg bones and feet, of the great bird the Moa, rare Maori stone gods of great antiquity, &c.
On leaving Nelson, we tried to get through the French passage where the water runs past the rocks like a millrace, but we failed to be in time for a favourable turn of tide, and we kept outside by D'Urville's Island, and the rocky and dangerous shores of Cook's Straits, a funnel for the winds disporting therein.
Wellington is on a grand and partly land-locked harbour, Port Nicholson, and has disputed with Auckland the right to be
Besides an agreeable time spent with my brother officers of the 14th, I received attention from the superintendant of the Province, Mr. Featherston, Judge Johnstone, and the agreeable family of the resident magistrate, Mr. St. Hill.
I said Port Nicholson was partly land-locked, it is not entirely so from the south-west wind which blew for sometime furiously into the harbour, across a sandy peninsula, over which Cook's boats once rowed before an upheaving from earthquakes took place; I saw a large American ship, 'Mary Meril,' driven from her moorings and wrecked on the rocks north of the town, and a brig was also driven on shore at the upper end of the port.
I encountered one day the old chief Epuni, or "the greedy" at Wellington, and now decorated with a white beard. I had a picture of him in ray sketch-book, copied from one clone when he was in the prime of man-hood, and grand in flax-mat and feathers. I shewed him his own likeness, but he looked at it vacantly, and did not seem to recognize it. Though he is called Epuni, I am not aware that his appetite was keener than that of others of his countrymen, but their appetites generally have a fine edge; thus Captain F. E. Campbell, clerk of the House of Assembly, having received hospitality from a native in the country, endeavoured to reciprocate civilities when the chief came to town, and provided him with a dinner consisting of a leg of mutton, a loaf of bread, two dishes of potatoes, a plum pudding, a bottle of sherry, and a bottle of porter, all of which he disposed of at a sitting, except a slice of the pudding, which he tied up in his hand-kerchief for his little boy at home. It is necessary to state that the chief was a large man, and as it appeared with an appetite to correspond with his bulk.
Through the kind attentions of Major Dwyer in providing horses, I was able to visit the beautiful Ngaranga valley with its over-hanging rocks and woods and winding stream, to see the gorges or narrow passes of the
After four weeks at Wellington, and having concluded my duties there, I returned by the ' Airedale,' touching again at the Taranaki, which was still under military surveillance, Colonel Warre, C.B., commanding, and the farmers unable to resume cultivation for want of confidence in their late foes.
When the time came for parting with the young battalion, which I had joined immediately after its birth at Naas, and had not quitted for about four years and a half, I found it a very difficult matter; the battalion was a second family, as it were, in which mutual interests and sympathies had naturally sprung up, and were hard to sever. The officers present at head-quarters paid me the compliment of a handsome dinner, and the poor men waited for hours in the rain to cheer me off. It was altogether an ordeal I
Embarked in the "Lord Worseley," Captain Kennedy, a roomy vessel since wrecked, but under a different commander, near Mount Egmont, we had for the first time a good bar at the Manukau Heads, and steered to the Taranaki, but it was too wet and stormy to land there again. Arrived at Wellington, I spent a short time with Major Dwyer and the detachment 14th, then shipped in the small steamer " Queen," Captain Pole, an attentive and clever navigator, but commanding a vessel too small for the wild seas about the iron-bound shores of this southern land. The cabins were too narrow to wash and dress in except sideways. A stout gentleman who voyaged in the little " Queen," found himself so jammed up in his berth in the morning, that he was obliged to be sawn out of it; yet we had a deck load of horses and coals, cattle below, and we lost some of this stock as was to be expected
We rolled along with stiff breezes to Port Cooper, passing ranges of snow-clad mountains, the Kaikoras, also the rugged peninsula called Bank's, famous for high winds. A facetious fellow said the devil tried to make some land and made it, and having some clay left, he threw it down and said, " You be blowed!" and this became Bank's Peninsula.
Back from Port Cooper, in its deep and sheltered bay, is Littleton, the capital of the Canterbury settlement, where good society is to be found, and extensive sheep-runs enriching the owners. The enterprise of the people here is shewn in the great tunnel which is penetrating the heights at Port Cooper, and opening easy access to the Canterbury plains.
We had on board the " Queen" the captain of the late steam-ship "White Swan," which had been recently lost at Waionanga, east coast, during her passage from Auckland to Wellington. The disaster happened at six o'clock in the morning, when the fifty passengers were asleep below, including the Hon. Mr. Fox the prime minister, and several of his colleagues on their way to the meeting of the Parliament, also the Chief Justice Sir George Arney, Captain Harman, 14th Regiment, and many ladies.
The land had been too closely hugged. After striking, the captain steered for the shore, and the vessel began to settle down by the head, it was a period of intense anxiety till she grounded. About twenty minutes after striking, the water in one of the compartments was level with the deck; the passengers were landed in the boats, these had to be supplied with thole pins from umbrellas and walking-sticks. Both luggage and money were lost, and many boxes of valuable public papers were thrown overboard, in the hope that they would have floated ashore, but the swell carried them out to sea. The
On the east coast, at the Bay of Plenty, Sir George Grey's new system for the natives seemed to be appreciated, and to work well. Mr. Smith, the civil commissioner, was now busily engaged organising Runangas or councils, and presidents and members of the village Runangas were elected, and a native constabulary force was employed to maintain order among the numerous tribes of the people, and several councils had already been held.
An industrious tribe of Ngatipikiaus who had been employed in digging for Kauri gum for sometime past, and had lately purchased a
In due time we came in sight of Port Chalmers, Province of Otago, and on the left saw the wreck of another steamer the "Victory," which had been run ashore through the drunkenness and carelessness of the officer in charge of the deck at the time; his punishment was only four months imprisonment.
We took a pilot on board at the light-house, ran up to the anchorage, then shipped with our portmanteaus into a wonderfully small steamer called the "Expert" like a ship's long boat, and with steam and sail and a run of
I put up at a clean and good hotel the "Criterion;" but in a gold digging, prices ruled high, thus 5s. for a bed, 5s. for a dinner, 4s. for breakfast, &c.
A remarkable event took place when I was at Dunedin, two men came in from gold digging and washing at a secret place up the Clutha River, and bringing with them, tied up in pieces of mole skin and corduroy, 871bs. weight of fine gold and which was deposited in the Bank. This rich "find" was doubted to be genuine at first, it was thought to be a "plant" to get a reward, or to draw others to "prospect;" but after due investigation it was found to be correct, and the gold pioneers
Dunedin two years ago was little better than a quiet village, the flax and the toi-toi reed growing where are now some of the principal streets. There is a wonderful change now—great excitement, great bustle, great progress, wooden huts transformed into brick and stone buildings, handsome shops well provided with goods, asphalt pavements (which by the way are not safe near wooden edifices as they are liable to take and convey fire) crowded wharves, ships and steamers in plenty, all this arising from the sudden appearance of the gold fever in the district, and the extraordinary productiveness of this southern gold field.
After "the find" before noticed, the gold escort brought to town 17,000 ounces, the result of a fortnight's work, and the number of
An instance of perseverance at Dunedin may be given, a draper was not succeeding at home and he left his wife and two children for a season to try his fortune at Otago; not getting a situation at once, he bought a set of shoe brushes and cleaned boots opposite one of the large hotels, till the roads became so muddy that the people did not care to have their boots cleaned at all; he then got a basket and brought water cresses into town, and did well, till the frost came and killed them; lastly he swept chimneys, when his friends at home hearing of his struggles, sent money to him to enable him to rejoin his family and with improved prospects at home.
After partaking of the hospitalities of the mess of the detachment 70th Regiment, commanded by Major Ryan, I embarked on the
We had a strong and adverse gale in Bass' Straits, and took ten days to perform our voyage, through no fault or want of effort on the part of the Captain, to whom the passengers unanimously presented a testimonial. At last we saw Port Philip Heads; inside, the "rip" or tide running like a mill-race against us, was terrible, but we stemmed it, and admiring the pleasant appearance of the lighthouse, and the sea-bathing quarters on our left, we passed into Hobson's Bay, and brought up near the ship 'Constance,' which had just run down, and caused the total loss of the 'Tubal Cain' and all hands, except the carpenter, who sprang from a yard of the sinking ship into the 'Constance.' This last had her stem knocked in, and her foremast lay against the mainmast, a miserable affair altogether.
In the golden colony of Victoria, I found myself truly in a civilized land—in a land of immense progress, and of unexampled prosperity in a very few years. From the Sandridge Wharf, Mr. Harris and Mr. Wentworth, fellow-passengers and myself, went up by rail to Melbourne, and took up our quarters in a capital hotel, and one not unreasonable, "Scott's;" twelve shillings per day was the charge for a good bed-room, perfectly clean, and for three well-cooked meals. Mr. Scott paid his cook £200 a year, and the most fastidious gourmet could not complain of the fare.
An injury to the lower limbs caused me to require the valuable assistance of Dr. D. J. Thomas, and his skilful treatment enabled me to hold out without laying up. I "went softly" for a time, but still I was able to see all I wanted, and partake of the hospitalities of Governor Sir Henry Barclay, of General Sir Thomas Pratt, of Sir James Palmer the President of the Council, Mr. McMullen, manager of the Union Bank, &c, and was also a member of an excellent club, pro tem.
Collins Street, where I lived, would cut a
I experienced a dust storm, but its effects were soon subdued by the Yan Yian waterworks, from which a stream flowed through the streets, most refreshing to behold; and it took three men to hold the pipe and hose which dashed a powerful stream of water across the streets, and effectually to lay the dust.
I made the acquaintance of a hardy and enterprising countryman, Mr. Landsborough, the traveller, and his two native attendants, Jimmy and Fisherman. Mr. Landsborough is an Ayrshire man, and he had just returned from a successful journey from the Gulf of Carpentaria. He had gone originally in
I was much interested in driving with my young friend, Mr. G. A. Colquhoun, to the University and Museum. In the latter are well-preserved specimens of the birds, beasts and fishes of Australia, also of the minerals, besides well-executed models of the manner of gold washing in the creeks, and mining below the surface, at the depth of several hundred feet, with sections of the strata passed through.
At the public library, Mr. Tuke presented me with a catalogue beautifully illustrated with the flora of the land. Besides a choice and large collection of books, the casts and photographs at the library, demonstrated the great cost at which, and chiefly directed by Sir Redmond Barry, this most creditable institution had been established. I saw a considerable number of men of the mechanic
At the Royal Park, the Acclimatization Society were collecting useful animals to distribute in Australia; and I saw there the graceful kangaroo and wallibie, also native and foreign birds.
With Mr. William Palmer, sergeant-at-arms, I visited the very handsome Houses of Parliament, of massive architecture, and inside resplendent with gilding on white ground. We next, as a great treat, adjourned to the Botanical Gardens, excellently kept, extensive, with varied surface, possessing a large lagoon for aquatic birds and plants, and in extensive aviaries, birds from the old country gave their "sounds of home."
My next expedition was a hundred miles up the country to Ballarat the original "gold diggings;" there, guided by Mr. Williamson, manager of the Union Bank, I was enabled to see quartz crushing for gold at the Black Hill, puddling at the Prince of Wales' mine, and the operation of gold washing by means of the cradle worked by a Chinaman in a very primitive manner, but thus not the less interesting.
The prosperity of the colony of Victoria may be seen from the following tables of 1860.
- Number of holders of land, 13,175.
- Number of acres, 3,015,607.
- Land in cultivation, 358,727.
- Wool, £2,025,066, exported.
- Tallow, £18,269, exported.
- Hides and Skins, £144,236, exported.
- Sheep, 5,794,127.
- Cattle, 683,534.
- Horses, 69,288.
|
Male Emigrants. | Females. | Total. | |
19,566 | 9,471 | 29,037 |
|
Males in Victoria. | Females. | Total. | |
342,765 | 205,647 | 548,412 |
In 1859, of gold, 2,280,675 ounces, and its value was £9,120,971.
The foundation of the colony may be considered to have taken place in 1835.
I thought at one time of the Red Sea route home, but the fine large steamship 'Great Britain' being at Melbourne, and about to start, I took a cabin in her, and embarked on the 17th of September, and I had no reason to repent of the route I had adopted, though
On the morning of the 18th of September, the noble ship of 5000 tons burden, and 500 horse power, commanded by Captain Gray of the Royal Naval Reserve, loosed from her moorings in Hobson's Bay, and in smooth water steamed down towards the Port Philip Heads, carrying a valuable cargo of gold, wool, &c., from the golden colony of Victoria. Of passengers in the four saloons, and ship's company, we had five hundred and eighteen souls on board.
For an iron ship, the 'Great Britain' is one of the strongest afloat. She is now twenty years old, and strength and solidity are apparent in all parts of her hull and fittings, she has also the modern improvements of double topsails, patent windlasses, &c. Steaming and sailing the course was through Bass' Straits towards the east, to round the Horn, and thence, if favoured by Providence, towards the shores of "Merrie England." After a few days out, it blew furiously, as is usual in these so-called "Pacific" latitudes,
We passed and saw the volcanic group of the Auckland Isles, of picturesque outline and possessing much interest for the botanist, then Campbell Island, mountainous, and with good harbours, though like the Aucklands totally uninhabited. Speeding on our voyage and averaging two hundred and forty miles a day, the time was diversified with music, and dancing, and I had undertaken to edit a weekly paper called after the great ocean bird "the Albatross;" the passengers being stimulated to contribute to it, an agreeable excitement was kept up, and the voyage apparently shortened by the efforts of amateur members of "the fourth estate."
A suspicious haze prevailed over the deep for some days, indicating the vicinity of ice, and causing some anxiety when the horizon could not be seen or observations taken; whales we also looked out for, though it is lamentable to think of their wanton destruction in the Southern Ocean, even the females
Three icebergs were seen, and the cold air from them was sensibly felt. One was apparently six hundred feet long, and created a considerable sensation on board; whilst sea birds attended us in large numbers, and a couple of whales spouted as "the brave winds" blew us towards "Tierra del Fuego," or the land of fire.
The backbone of South America (the Andes, extending from Panama to near Cape Horn) acts as a wall to stop the western gales, which come in violent puffs round the south corner, as it were, of the great continent, rising here in huge mishapen and barren precipices, with violent tides and currents at their base; yet in various parts, forests and verdant shades, and
"All is not barren."
In passing the treeless but healthy Falkland Islands, we experienced rough weather, and a turbulent ocean, and the ship burying her head in the waves, pitched fearfully. It is to be desired that the Falklands will be selected as a convict settlement, as escape from them is difficult, the soil is capable of being rendered very productive with skilled labour, there is excellent grazing, the sea round them swarms with fish, and there are no aborigines to interfere with the right of possession.
In the end of October, we were well between the tropics, the heat was 80°, and we changed our opossum rugs for lighter coverings. There were three events in one week, a play in the saloon, dancing on deck instead of the saloon, and a close view of the picturesque island of Trinidada,
"Placed far amid the melancholy main."
The play was "The Loan of a Lover." The parts were well sustained, and it gave entire satisfaction.
The great pinnacle of rock rising out of the depths of ocean, the summit of a cordillera, Trinidada, in south latitude 20°, and which we passed within perfect view, was an object of extreme interest. It is six miles in circumference; sea-fowls sailed round the cliffs, and the surf beat high on its ironbound shores. The 'Monument' and 'Sugarloaf rocks stood out prominently, the first is upwards of eight hundred feet high.
Though desolation and solitude claim Trinidada for their own, yet the Portuguese had once a settlement here, and from the aspect of the island, it is possible that the vine might be successfully cultivated on it.
In latitude 3° 56' south, we passed a terrestrial paradise, Fernando Noronha, a Brazilian island, used for transportation. Its surface is varied, covered with luxuriant vegetation, and gorgeous with flowers. The earth and sea easily produce what satisfies the wants of the inhabitants, who spend a good deal of their time lolling in their net hammocks, or smoking, gaming, and playing the guitar.
As a suitable amusement for the warm latitudes we were passing through, a vocal and
We crossed the line on the 29th of October, after forty days from Melbourne, the quickest run Captain Gray had made from that port to the Line in the "Great Britain" in ten years, or any other vessel he had heard of.
The next event was passing close to the dangerous rocky islets called St. Pauls, or Penado de St. Pedro, in latitude 0° 55' north. Many wrecks have no doubt taken place on these jagged and terrible crags rising out of soundings one hundred feet above the water, and in the direct track of ships from southern lands. The dreary shores swarm with sea-birds, as the sea does with fish, and the gaftopsail fins of numerous sharks are seen above the surface of the tepid water; here especially the monsters require to be beaten off with oars when fish are being hauled into ships' boats.
Mr. Cooper, a government officer, exhibited dissolving views of a superior order, the expensive apparatus for which had cost one hundred guineas.
Our good ship now approached its destined haven, and at no great distance from Cape Clear, one morning before sunrise, we had a very providential escape from destruction. The look-out on the forecastle did not see the mighty object which approached us, but the officer of the watch beside the helmsman suddenly observed a tall ship of apparently 1200 tons burden, silently and without lights, bearing right down upon us. A turn of the wheel saved us, and the great black hull passed just clear of, and across our bows. Another half minute there might have been a fearful crash of spars and hulls, and one or both vessels sunk in a very brief space of time.
After sixty-two days from Melbourne, we safely and thankfully arrived at Liverpool, thus concluding a prosperous and happy voyage.
Appendix.
The Armstrong Gun At Taranaki.
Whilst collecting materials for the narrative of the twelve months operations in the Taranaki against the Maories in 1860-61, I sought for and obtained what information I required regarding the performances of the Armstrong guns, which had been despatched from England after the war commenced, under the impression that in the attack of heavily timbered stockades (the old and favourite defence of the Maories) the elongated shell from its beautifully rifled piece of ordnance would have a terrible effect, and would hasten the termination of hostilities. I accordingly subjoin what may prove interesting to those who are curious to know how the Armstrong guns were used in the Taranaki.
Before they arrived, I may repeat that the Royal Artillery, under Captain Strover, performed very valuable service in the attack on Te Kohia or the L. pah, at Kaihihi, at the action of Mahoetahi, &c., and during the progress of the sap from No. 3 Redoubt towards the strong position of Te Arei pah or Pukerangeora on the high cliffs of the Waitara River. Officers and men of the Royal Artillery worked with the greatest zeal in their important arm of the service, and cooperating with the Royal Engineers, under Colonel Mould, and covered by the arm of precision of the infantry, after a long and arduous struggle against a brave and determined foe, and in a country much more difficult than Cafferland, as we had seen, caused the Ngatiawa Maories to hoist the white flag.
The principal scene of operations in the latter part of the conflict in the Taranaki was, as was described, an extensive fern-covered and undulating plain stretching along the left bank en échelon, where the severe fight took place on the morning of the 23rd January, the Maories having made desperate efforts to storm it but were repulsed with heavy loss. Then commenced the sap against the position of Huirangi garnished with a series of rifle pits, and these being taken, the sap was continued towards Te Arei, and was supported by redoubts to the number of eight in all.
We had nothing in Cafferland like what I saw in the Taranaki. Kloofs and krantzes (ravines and cliffs) there were in South Africa in plenty, but no stockades or rifle pits, and though both Caffers and Maories are strong and active warriors, and cunning withal, yet I esteem the warfare in New Zealand much more dangerous than in South Africa for many reasons, including a considerable supply of double barrels in the hand of the Maories. The three Caffer wars obtained and well deserved a bit of ribbon. A New Zealand medal would be a great boon.
On the 4th of March, 1861, Captain Mercer, R.A. arrived at Auckland, New Zealand, in the 'Norwood,' after a prosperous voyage, with the Armstrong battery and ten-inch and eight-inch mortars. That day week he had cleared the ship of the battery, mortars, shell and other stores in all amounting to 700 tons; notwithstanding the extra labour of discharging by lighters, as the 'Norwood' lay out at some distance in the harbour being unable to go alongside the pier to discharge, officers and men worked with a will, all being desirous of taking part in the Maori war in the Taranaki. On the 12th March, half of the Armstrong battery A.M. the next morning, Friday, the 15th of March.
On arriving at No. 7 redoubt the white flag was. flying from the Te Arei pah, but about midday, when Captain Mercer was in the advanced trench with the late Lieutenant E. C. MacNaughten, R.A., examining the position, &c., of the Maori rifle trenches, it was hauled down, and in place of it a large red war flag was run up, a single defiant shot was then heard, which was immediately followed by vollies from the Maori pits; these rattling against the gabions of the sap shewed that the natives were recommencing hostilities in right good earnest. Captain Mercer immediately returned to No. 7 redoubt, and opened fire from the Armstrong guns
There was no heavily timbered stockade to breach to enable the troops to take Te Arei by assault; for a broad roadway led right over the crest of the hill into the centre of the position of the Maories through open picketing. The extraordinary occurrence of finding oneself in front of the enemy with apparently nothing for artillery to fire at, struck the newly arrived artillery officers, and remarking the same, they were told if the white flag was hauled down, the rifle trenches of Te Arei, as well as those of the neighbouring hills, would be alive with natives, as far as their fire was concerned, but they themselves would be all but invisible. Captain Mercer then attentively considering these lines of pits or rifle trenches along the crest of the hills all around coupled with the peculiar mode of Maori warfare, and also being informed that their trenches were generally constructed in the following ingenious manner—first a narrow deep
The natives were also in the habit of firing vollies when the working parties, or any number of men were going to or returning from the head of the sap; on these occasions the guns were laid on the lines of the pits, and the shells fixed with both time and concussion fuzes, and before the parties marched, the gunners were ready waiting for the word, which was given directly the natives opened fire, and the Armstrong
Capt. Mercer being very anxious to get at the real facts of the case with respect to the effect of the guns, and to ascertain what the natives themselves thought of the artillery fire, made inquiries in all directions, and was informed by the Rev, Mr. Wilson, the clergyman of the Church of England, who has been for the last twenty-nine years in New Zealand, as before noticed, and has great knowledge of both the natives and their country, and who has visited the Waikato district since the termination of hostilities at Taranaki, that the Maories had a great dread of artillery; they said they could not come out into the open, because they could not face the night firing of the mortars as well as the artillery fire in genera], created great alarm amongst them, and on two or three occasions when they thought themselves perfectly secure, the shot and shell came tumbling amongst them until they at last exclaimed that the very woods were not safe; that the fire of the artillery was exceedingly accurate, the shell ploughing up their trenches, and that they could not endure the harrassing uncertainty of shells dropping amongst them during all hours of the day and night, winding up by saying that they would excuse themselves for killing unarmed men, &c., for "ambushes" were their only "big guns" or "artillery," and that they would, if the war was renewed, take to the bush and rifle pits, spread themselves all over the country, and do all the damage they could.
It appears that they fully understand the secret of their strength, which lies in this very dispersion, combined with never fighting except when the nature of their magnificent country, consisting of mountains, ravines, gullies with high fern, bush and forest, favours their peculiar mode of war-fare.
After the sanguinary affair at Puketakauere in June 1860, Major Nelson, 40th Regiment, commanding at the Waitara camp, a brave and zealous officer, at length drove the Maories from their pah by shells at uncertain times; and at night, from a 68-pounder, they were harassed out of Puketakauere by a force indequate for investmeut and assault.
The mortar battery, consisting of two ten-inch and two eight-inch mortars was on the right, and outside No. 7 redoubt, and under the command of Captain Strover. These mortars were fired at intervals throughout the whole day, whenever there were any signs of the presence of the natives
On Saturday 16th March, an attack was made on our extreme right; a 9-pounder gun, accompanied by a detachment of the 40th Regiment, commenced firing some rounds of common case into the bush to drive out the natives; and subsequently on their retiring to the trenches on the edge of the wood, some shrapnel shell were sent amongst them; soon after the firing ceased, and the men returned to camp.
It had been the practice to place every night behind the sap roller, and sunk in the earth in its box, an eight-inch naval shell with a friction tube fixed through the fuze, and a cord attached to it and the sap roller, so as to explode should the natives attempt to capture the roller. This was suggested by the Royal Engineers, and carried out at their request by the Naval Brigade, in consequence of one sap roller having been carried off by the natives, conceiving that in the event of their trying to do so a second time, the main rifle trench in front of Te Arei, not far from the head of the sap, would be lined with natives watching the operation, as well as at hand to help to secure the roller and drag it up the hill to the pah. The Armstrong guns were loaded and laid on this trench the last thing before dark; each night also the mortars were laid on different parts of Te Arei. On Saturday night the trap of the shell succeeded; the Maories endeavouring to capture the sap roller, the shell exploded, and immediately afterwards the enemy got the benefit of both the Armstrong and mortar shells from No. 7 redoubt.
Sunday, March 17th, was a sad day for the artillery, for
Some hours after this, a red war flag being observed hoisted on a hill to our left front and to the right rear of Te Arei, some 1900 yards distant, and natives being observed working as if they intended to occupy a new position of rifle pits when they should be obliged to retreat from Te Arei, the guns were laid, and some Armstrong shell fixed with time and concussion fuzes were sent amongst them; one of the shells burst at the front of the flag-staff, when they instantly hauled down their flag, and they themselves giving over working, disappeared and were no more seen in that direction.
On Monday afternoon, March 18, a sharp attack was made on our extreme right from the wood adjacent to No. 7 redoubt; during this attack the Armstrong guns were used against the main rifle trench in front of Te Arei to keep down the fire of the natives on the head of the sap. A 9-pounder gun and a 24-pounder howitzer were taken down to the edge of the wood, and after some rounds of common case to drive the natives out of the bush, on their retiring to their trenches, which formed a continuation of cover from the wood to the flag-staff hill, some common and shrapnel
At four o'clock on the morning of the 19th March the Sergeant Major, R.A. accompanied Captain Mercer outside the redoubt, and fired the last two mortars at Te Arei, and within two hours afterwards white flags were flying from all the Maori positions.
By
Colonel SirJ. E. Alexander , K.C.L.S.