AGAINST THE REBEL NATIVES.

47

A.—No. Bji

No. 71. The Hon. the Defence Minister to Lieutenant Porter. General Government Offices, Sir,— Auckland, 16th May, 1870. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 28th April, enclosing a journal and plan of the expedition through tho Urewera Country, and beg to convey to you the thanks of the Government for tho valuable information therein contained. I have, &c, Lieut. Porter, &c, Turanganui. Donald McLean.

No. 72. Captain Preecis to the Hon. the Defence Minister. Sir— Te Teko, 30th April, 1870. I have tho honor to report for your information that I left this post on the 15th instant with seventy men and six pack-horses. I arrived at Fort Galatea on the 16th ; the next day I took ten mounted men to scout the Ahikereru road. Having done so, without seeing any sign of the enemy, I proceeded to Tauaroa, where I found and captured three horses and one saddle ; the enemy, four in number, had only just made off into the bush, as some kits of honey were left, which had only been taken from a tree a short time before. I returned to camp without seeing further signs. These men must have seen mo crossing the plain, and made off. On the 19th I started for Horomanga with ten mounted men, where I found tho tracks of twenty men and women leading up the gorge. I then started for Eaoraopatete, from whence the tracks came; but my horses being tired, I was compelled to return to camp without getting there. On my return to camp, I found that Captain Mair had arrived with fifty-two men. After consultation with that officer, I decided on leaving for Eaoraopatete with eighty men, and leave forty in charge of the redoubt. We accordingly started for that place at daylight the next morning, and arrived there the same day ; there were no signs of the place having been occupied except by the party whose tracks we saw at Horomanga, who are evidently of the Patuheuheu tribe. We returned to Fort Galatea the next day without seeing further traces. On the 22nd I wrote, in conjunction with Captain Mair, to the Ahikereru Natives, telling them to come in and make clear the way to follow up Te Kooti. I sent a man belonging to my force, named Te Meihana (who gave himself up at Fort Galatea last year), with the letter. We started on the 23rd to meet Major Boberts at Heruiwi, but were detained by the rain at Taumatawahine on the 21th. Te Meihana arrived in the evening with news that Paraone Te Tuhi, Ihaia Turingonge, Toma, Te Wharehuia, Piniha, Hemi Ngohi, and two women, and six children, had come with him, and were at Fort Galatea. The next morning we went to Fort Galatea, and sent orderly to Major Boberts, saying we should be unable to meet him. These men bring news that the Urewera have deserted To Kooti, and that only sixteen of them went with him to Opotiki • that Te Kooti is still in the bush near Waioeka, gathering the Morehu of his force ; he has lost his best men in the late fight; that he intends, so soon as he can raise 200 men, attacking either Wairoa or the Ngatiporou settlements ; he has said that Ngatiporou will ultimately become his tribe. Unless the Urewera rejoin him, there is little hope of his getting 200 men. lam of opinion that if a dash were made into the Urewera country numbers of them would give in, and that if tho Urewera were once on our side the chance of catching Te Kooti would be much greater. I may state, however, that the season is almost too far advanced, unless it was done quickly, and also that the Natives would require to have boots, as their feet are sore with travelling over pumice. To Waru and his brother Beiliana are at Waikare-Moana with about 70 men; tho latter sent the cap belonging to a man (friendly Native) killed at Te Marumaru to Te Kooti. Te Kooti is much discomfited by late fight; he blames his men for not obeying his orders, viz., to scatter in the bush. On the 26th we sent a letter by Mere Peka (Kohi's wife) to Kohi (Hapurona) and Hamiora, telling them to come in with all their people. She was to have returned on the 28th with an answer, but she failed to do so. There, however, is still a chance of their coming out. I may mention that this tribe (Ngatiwhare), although engaged in war against us, more or less, for the. last ten years, have never been guilty of any great crimes. Kohi committed himself by leading the Urewera at the attack on Mohaka. lam of opinion that good might result if Kohi were to come in, as, besides being chief of Ngatiwhare, he is one of tho leading men of the Urewera proper, who might be inclined to come to terms if ho wcro to surrender. On tho 29th both parties left —Captain Mair for Kaiteriria, and myself for this post, where I arrived at 4 p.m., having run quite out of food. Captain Mair left one of his men at Fort Galatea to wait all day for Hapurona and party, should they come out. I sent him with a letter to the mouth of the gorge leading to Ahikereru, where he was to leave it in a conspicuous place ; the purport of the letter was telling them to come to this post, where their friends are. I have, &c, George Preece, Capt., The Hon. the Defence Minister, Auckland. Commanding Te Teko.

No. 73. Captain Preece to Mr. Clarke, Civil Commissioner. Sic,— Te Teko, 30th April, 1870. I have the honor to report for your information, that whilst at Fort Galatea, I, in conjunction