E.—No. 3 .

support of Captain Lloyd, should pi-eeed up the several small spurs on our left to take in reverse the rifle pits which are constructed half way up the steep incline towards the two pahs, Which crown the crest of the hill. To enable the bush parties to accomplish their long and fatiguing marches, and to arrive simultaneously at a time, I had arranged that the guns should continue firing until 10 o'clock. The three Armstrongs under Captain Martin, E.A., were placed on the right bank of the Oakura river to breach the upper pahs, and the 24-lb. howitzer and rocket tube, which, owing to Mr. Larcom's. recent wound, and a severe accident which disabled Serjeant-Major Arthur, I entrusted to a junior non-commissioned officer, were placed within about 800 yards of the front of the lower stockade, which they were to endeavour to knock down. The beautiful practice of the Armstrong guns under Captain Martin set fire to a whare within the stockade ot the lower ot the two upper pahs, at the very hour I had named (10 o'clock a.m.) for the simultaneous advance of all the parties ; and of this fortunate accident immediate advantage was taken by Captain Corbett's party, who rushed at once upon the pah, and under cover of tho smoke climbed over the stockades and got into it by a zigzag entrance between the two lines of pallisade, followed very closely by the assaulting parties under Captain Lloyd, who climbed the spurs and rushed the rifle pits, from which a heavy fire had been kept up on the centre and right parties, who, with a tremendous cheer for the Queen, pushed rapidly forward. The party under Captain Sehomberg, 57th, led by Major Butler, mounted the high ground to the right, also taking the rifle pits on that side in reverse, aud Captain Russell's party, under my immediate direction, forced their way through the very formidable double line of pallisades which extends across the valley, backed by rifle pits, from which the Maoris had been driven by the fire of the parties above, and were escaping as rapidly as possible. Captains Atkinson and Good's Rifle Volunteers had found the bush track so overgrown that they were unfortunately a few minutes late, but they did good service by appearing at the very top of the clearing, by which line they prevented the Maoris escaping, and killed one, Kati Knaturiwhati, the chief owner of the land in the Oakura and Tapuae district. With the exception of Captains Atkinson and Corbett's men —who had a very fatiguing nightmarch, and to the latter it is with much pleasure I give the credit of taking possession of the pah on the top of the hill, which is, as I always imagined, the key to the whole position —the troops generally only iook up their positions at 10 o'clock, and in 20 minutes they were in possession of the whole line of works, extending for at least half a mile from the high ground on the right, which Major Butler gained by his successful flank march up a very steep incline to the pahs taken by Captain Corbett on the left. The Maoris made one attempt to recover tlieir prestige by creeping through the bush and firing a volley upon Captains Sehomberg and Page's companies, in which one man was severely wounded, and one horse shot. Another Maori was captured in the fern after deliberately attempting to shoot one of the Mounted Corps, who, upon this, as on every occasion, rendered me most valuable assistance. It is surprising, even after the place was taken, that more casualties did not occur, so many Maoris concealed themselves in the fern and standing crops of Indian corn, which, with potatoes, &c, covered tho cleared ground around the pahs to an extent of thirty or forty acres, and from which and the adjoining bush the Maoris kept up, for some time, an ineffectual fire until driven away by a few rockets and shells from the Cohorn mortar. Although tho wounds are severe, we did not lose a single man. I need hardly dwell upou the importance of this success, and the Lieut.-General is well aware how impregnable the position appeared. lain sure the Lieut.-General will give the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the small force under my command the credit they so truly deserve for their gallantry and willingness to undergo the fatigue of the four days' operations they have brought to so successful a close. I have taken the liberty of transmitting a nominal and numerical return, by which the Lieut.-General will see what officers were engaged on this occasion. I at once made arrangements to occupy one of tho pahs, within which I directed Lieutenant Ferguson, li.E., to construct a redoubt, leaving the stockade to prevent the icbels from attempting to scale the parapets, as the nature of the ground obliges its construction very close to the edge of the bush, and I also directed the whole of the stockading across the valley to be levelled, and the rifle pits filled in. To Major Butler, 57th Eegiment, I am most especially indebted for the cordial co-operation and assistance he renders me on every occasion, and on this, for the gallant manner in which, on seeing the place taken, he not only conceived the idea, but led the men under Captains Sehomberg and Page to the top of the range on the right from which he partially intercepted the retreat of the Maoris. The firing of the Armstrong guns, and especially that in charge of Sergeant Spink, E.A., was most excellent ; but it is very evident that such guns are of little use in breaching native pas. My own staff officers, Lieutenant C. M. Clarke, Deputy A. Quartermaster-General, aud Lieutenant E. Brutton, Garrison Adjutant, were unremitting in the execution of my orders. Captaiu F. Mace, T.M., volunteered his services, and, as on every occasion, rendered mo very good service. Stafl'-Surgeon Young was on tlie ground, and attended promptly to the wounded men, and I would wish specially to bring to the Lieut.-General's notice the very considerate maimer in which StaffAssistant Surgeon M. Jones volunteered to proceed, at 5 o'clock in the morning, with Captain Atkinson's party, and at a moment's notice undertook the five hours' long and fatiguing march through the bush rather than allow them to proceed without a medical officer. All the officers and men speak loudly in his praise, although his professional services were not actually required. The native prisoner, who is a returned slave from Waikato, and of no tribal importance, awaits the orders of the Government in the civil prison. He states that Kaitake was defended by 200 Maoris under Parengi Kingi, who was the first to run away on hearing the cheers which preceded our advance; a sudden panic seized the whole of the rebels, who, after the departure of their chief, lost no time in effecting tlieir escape. Two tiahas (spears) were taken at Au Au, and two native flags from Kaitake. The latter I forward by this mail ; one to his Excellency the Governor, and one to the Lieut.-General Commanding.

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