E.—No. 5

No. 22. B. O. STEWAET TO THE HONORABLE THE COLONIAL SECBETAEY. Resident Magistrate's Office, (Taupari, near Kohanga), Lower Waikato, 7th Sept., 1863. 12 o'clock noon. Sir,— I have the honor to forward to you the following melancholy intelligence, which has been related to Archdeacon Maunsell and myself by Maoris of the Ngatiwhauroa tribe, just arrived from the Government store at laroa (Camerontown). These Maoris and two Europeans, William Strand, carpenter, and ■ Heughan, blacksmith, were on guard and in charge of the stores, which I have been informed consisted wholly of horse forage to the amount of forty tons, part of the cargo of the " City of Melbourne," now lying within the Waikato Heads. Mr. Armitage, the Resident Magistrate on this station, had just arrived there this morning early, in a canoe from Te la, on his way hither. The Maoris in charge were engaged in loading canoes with the above mentioned stores, in order to convey them up the river, when suddenly an attack was made upon them by about one hundred hostile Maoris, chiefly of the Ngatimaniapoto tribe, they say. The result of this attack was that Mr. Armitage, Strand, Heughan, a half-caste named Wade, and a Ngatiwhauroa have been killed. They were shot in the canoes. The Ngatiwhauroa, who numbered only about twenty, soon retreated, and arrived here by canoe on the left bank of the Waikato. Besides the above five killed, one of the friendly Maoris is missing. Four large canoes and the dead bodies have, in addition to the stores, been left in the hands of the rebels. I send this letter express to Waiuku, Waata Kukutai having supplied that service. I shall concert with Archdeacon Maunsell and Waata Kukutai as to the recovery of the bodies, if an effort can prudently be made. I have, &c, R. O. Stewart, Clerk to the Resident Magistracy. The Honorable the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 2.3. LIEUTENANT-GENEEAL CAMEEON, C.8., TO GOVEBNOB SIB GEOEGE GEEY, K.CB. Held Quarters, Queen's Redoubt, 4th September, 1863. Sir, — I have the honor to forward, for your Excellency's information, the copy of a Report from Ensign Dawson, 2nd Battalion Royal Irish, of an attack made upon the Patrol under his command near the village of Pokeno, on the morning of the 2nd instant; with oue from Captain the Honble. F. Lc Poer Trench, 40th Regiment, whom, on hearing the firing, I ordered to proceed in support with the Inlying Picquet from the Queen's Redoubt The gallantry of Ensign Dawson and his Patrol in charging the enemy without hesitation, when fired upon suddenly from the bush, their steadiness when they found themselves nearly surrounded by superior numbers, and the manner in which Captain Trench brought up his support and assisted in putting the enemy to flight, reflect great credit upon those two officers and the detachment under their command, which consisted of parties of the 2nd Battalion 18th, 40th, and 65th Regiments. I have, &,c, ID. A. Cameron, / Lieut.-General. His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.B.

Enclosures to No. 23. ENSIGN DAWSON TO THE ASSISTANT MILITARY SECBETAEY. Queen's Redoubt, September 4th, 1863 Sir, — I have the honor to report, for the information of the Lieutenant-General Commanding, that on the morning of the 2nd September, I was subaltern in charge of the Pokeno picquet, consisting of two sergeants and sixty rank and file, leaving Queen's Redoubt at about 7 o'clock a.m.

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