E.—No. 3 .

Enclosure in No. 37. COLONEL WAEHE C.8., TO GE_>£EAI. CAIIEKON. New Plymouth, New Zealand, Sir,— March 26th, 18G4. It is with much satisfaction I have the honour to report for the information of the LieutenantGeneral commanding, that by tho result of a few days' operations, the troops under my command have succeeded, with trifling loss, in driving the whole of the rebel Maoris from the several positions they have occupied since March 1863, on tlie Patua Ranges ; and by the successful attack on Kaitake yesterday, have left the rebels no place of refuge on this side of the Katikara River. Finding by the tenor of the Lieutenant-General's letter of the 12th hist., that the extent of his operations in AVaikato would prevent his sending me any further reinforcements beyond the 12-pounder Armstrong guns, and 30 non-commissioned officers and gunners, under the command of Captain Martin, R.A., and that the Lieutenant-General appeared to think that this settlement could not be safe from the incursions of hostile natives so long as the rebels remained at Kaitake, I thought it my duty to endeavour to carry out his views either by turning the rebels out of their formidable position at Kaitake, or by establishing military posts on the Timaru Elver, to cut off their communication with the south. AVith this object, therefore, on Monday the 21st inst., I sent the Armstrong guns to Oakura, and placed them in position in the afternoon to try their effect, and show the natives that we were able to reach their apparently impregnable position at Kaitake at long range. The practice was excellent, and evidently made so great an impression upon the rebels that I felt we could keep down their fire while the troops rushed their rifle-pits. Considering it right, however, to destroy all their outposts, or places of refuge, before I attacked their main position, I left two of the _A rmstrong guns at Oakura to keep up an occasional fire at Kaitake, and marched on Tuesday the 22nd with the force noted in Table A to attack the Tutu Pa, situated on the Katikara river, four miles above the rebel position so successfully attacked by the Lt.General on the 4th June, 1863. Starting at 3 o'clock a.m., I hoped to gain tho bush in which the pah is situated by daybreak, and to take it in reverse by a bush track which I had explored last year ; but on arrival in sight of the pah, at the extreme boundary of the Tataraimaka Block, the position appeared deserted ; so I detached Captain Atkinson's Rifle Volunteers, supported by 50 of the 57th Regiment, under Captain Lloyd, to feel their way by the track, while the guns remained within easy range (about 1200 yards) outside the bush. The pa was unoccupied, or occupied only by a few women and children, who ran away as soon as the troops appeared. The Stockade was pulled down and burnt, as also were several whares, not only near the pah, but at some distance from it. Some cattle were taken, and driven in, and many acres of cultivation destroyed. As we observed in our advance that the Chapel on the Tataraimaka Block had been pulled down ami packed ready for carrying away —many of the side-boards being found lying on the road leading to Tuta Pah —I thought it would distract the attention of the natives from my further operations if I sent to bring away tho remaining portions of the Chapel, which, making eight cart loads, were successfully brought to Oakura by Captain Russell, 57th Regiment, with 100 of the 57th and Militia on "Wednesday, 23rd instant. On Thursday the 21-th inst., I again organised a force, as shown in Table B, to attack the rebel position at Ahu-Ahu, and explore the road on the north side of the Timaru River to ascertain where the native track crossed by which the natives on the ranges obtain their supplies and keep up communication with the south, which track we failed to find on Tuesday. The guns at Kaitake and the constant movement of troops had apparently lulled the natives at .Ahu-Ahu into security, as they allowed the troops to approach within about half a mile of the foot of the ranges (where the track coming from the soutii crosses the river), before any apparent notice was taken of our advance, when by the hurried discharge of muskets at different points it became evident that only a few natives occupied this very formidable position, which crowns the top of a spur about twice the height of that upon which Kaitake is situated. Dividing tho 57th into two parties, I sent one under Captain Russell up a very steep incline (covered with rifle-pits) to the left, and the other under Captain Sehomberg to the right, by the road which leads round the spur on which the stockade is situated, supported by the Militia under Captains Carthew and McKellar, T.M. The guvs, under a covering party, being left on a small knoll, from which they could havo shelled the pa and kept down the fire of the rifle pits had it been necessary. The twenty or thirty Maoris, by whom this place was very gallantly held, gave way on the advance of tho men of the 57th, who, without any cover, pushed up the very steep hill, the Maoris retiring in front of them until the two parties joined. Tho Maoris, for a short time, made a determined stand, firing very sharply from a small bush-covered hillock on the right from the pah ; but although only a few feet from their opponents, only two men were wounded, and Captain Mace's horse shot, while the troops were tearing down the stockade and forcing a passage into the interior. The Maoris made a rapid retreat up the steep hills, densely covered with bush, on the rear, through which the men could not follow them. The pa was ours, with great quantities of vegetable produce of every description —all of which, including several acres of growing crops of Indian corn, tobacco, taro, &c, was destroyed, after filling two empty carts which I had brought with the column for the purpose. Having burnt and destroyed everything we could, we returned by the same route to Oakura. Thinking it very probable that many of the rebels from Kaitake would go to Ahu-Ahu to ascertain their loss, and as Mr. Parris had informed me that Tamati One, the Kaitake Chief, had gone south to seek reinforcements from the Ngatiruanuis, who were hourly expected, I decided to attack the former position the next clay. Having arranged that Captain Atkinson, with 150 Taranaki Rifle Volunteers, should proceed by the bush track which leads to the rear of Kaitake, and that Captain Corbett, T.M., with sixty of his men, should advance up an intermediate spur of the ranges from the left, I so divided the remainder of my force that Captain Sehomberg, 57th Regt., and Captain Pago, T.M. with fifty men each, should threaten the right; Captain Russell, 57th, with eighty men, should threaten tho

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THE NATIVE INSURRECTION.