A.—No. la,

16

DESPATCHES EROM THE GOVERNOR OE NEW

of their Memorandum), but which, if not wholly unsupported by the semblance of fact, are exaggerations so extravagant that they serve only to mislead. I refer to the allegations, firing into redoubts, the stoppage of communications, &c. With regard to the firing into redoubts, I feel satisfied that no such thing ever occurred; at least I never heard of it, and presume I should if so extraordinary a thing had happened. His Excellency spoke to me, at AVellington, about the post at Warea, in the Taranaki District, having been fired on. This neighbourhood was the hotbed of disaffection, and had been the scene of many skirmishes and ambuscades while the enemy were in any force. Since that, the troops there were constantly out, endeavouring to fall in with the enemy, but unsuccessfull}', as for several months they have kept clear, and vanished when the troops appeared. On some few occasions, I ascertained from the Officer commanding at Taranaki, a small number of Natives appeared and fired harmless shots at woodparties ; and on two occasions they came nearer, and fired once at the outlying sentry and once in the direction of the redoubt, and they were immediately followed, when they disappeared in the bush. With regard to the stoppage of communications, I really do not understand to what allusion is made, except it be to the occasional ambuscades laid by Natives on part of the West Coast, who have attacked stragglers or very small parties. This it is impossible to prevent so long as a few Natives remain hostile. Thus, on part of the West Coast communication cannot be said to be safe without the escort of armed parties. Communication is not generally safe in the vicinity of an enemy, and especially in such a locality as the open country between Taranaki aud Wanganui, which is flanked by continuous bush; and though the hostile Natives are very few in number, and are in themselves contemptible, and being heartily tired of fighting may come in any day, yet communication in their neighbourhood is not safe until they are either captured or yield. It is not true, however, that communication has been stopped. I have thought it better, in order to prevent possible misapprehension, thus to refer to these assertions of the Colonial Ministers, though, from their evident improbability in reference to Her Majesty's Troops, I might well have left them unnoticed. The Secretary of State may not improbably remark on my having in any way, as in my letter of the 6th August, countenanced the existence of a military force in a district occupied by Her Majesty's Troops, while that force was acting under direct orders from a Colonial Minister, and independently of mv authority or control. My reply is, that I was really desirous, for many reasons, too numerous to detail here at length, to avoid in every possible way tho appearance of not wishing to give the fullest support to His Excellency, in his desire to harass the Natives, however I may have felt, as I certainly did feel, that the course he adopted was unusual and eveu unprecedented. It is with the deepest concern, therefore, I now find that from an extreme anxiety to meet His Excellency's wishes, I have exposed the troops under my command to a most unwarrantable aspersion at the hands of the Colonial Ministers. I trust, however, the Secretary of State will be satisfied with my assurance that the opinions which these gentlemen have allowed themselves to express are simply not in accordance with facts, and that had I become acquainted with them in any other way, I should not have considered it necessary to notice them. Coming however as they do stamped with the high, though silent authority of the Governor of this Colony, I feel I should be wanting in a sense of respect for my own position, and for the honor of Her Majesty's service, if I did not both refute such assertions, and represent to the Secretary of State how they were communicated to me. I have, &c., Tho Under Secretary of State, T. Chute, War Office, London. Major-General.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 1 in No. 11. Major Gray, A.D.C., to the Assistant Military Secretary. Sir, — Private Secretary's Office, Wellington, 15th October, 1866. I have the honor by direction of His Excellency the Governor to forward, for the information of the Major-General Commanding, the enclosed copy of a Despatch from Major McDonnell to the Minister for Colonial Defence, together with a copy of a Memorandum which has been addressed to His Excellency by his Eesponsible Advisers. I have, &c, The Assistant Military Secretary, Head Quarters. W. B. Gray, Major A.D.C.

Enclosure 1 in Sub-Enclosure. Eeport by Major McDonnell. Sir,— Patea, 4th October, 1866, In my Despatch No. 94, of the 26th ultimo, I had the honor to state, for the information of the Honourable the Defence Minister, that the rebels in the vicinity of our position at Te Whenuku were becoming so bold and annoying us so much, that unless a blow was inflicted upon them without delay it would be impossible to move outside the redoubt, and also, that notwithstanding the paucity of my numbers and the inclemency of the weather I had determined at all risks to attack them at once. By dismounting all the cavalry and leaving in the three redoubts occupied by our forces barely sufficient men to hold them, viz.: —at Kakaramea, 25 of all ranks ; at Hawera, 30 ditto; at Whenuku, 55 ditto; I was enabled to parade the following force* at Te Whenuku, and marched out of camp at 6'30 p.m. From information I had collected, 1 was induced to believe that the bulk of the Ngaruahine * Staff—field officer, 1; surgeon, 1. P. and W. Rangers—captain, 1; subaltern, 1; sergeant, 1 ; rank and file, 40. W. Y. Cavalry—Bubaltern, 1; sergeants, 2 ; rank and file, 12. W. D. Force—captain, 1; sergeant, 1; rank and file, 10. N. C.—Captain, 1 ; subalterns, 3 ; sergeants, 2; rank and file, 44. Volunters—sergeants, 5. Totals—field officer, 1; surgeon, 1; captains, 3; subalterns, 5 ; sergeants, 11; rank and file, 106. Total, all ranks, 127.