Friday, March 23rd.—The signal to "Take the bar-no danger" was displayed this morning from Paratutai, and at 9h. a.m., I started, so as to arrive on it at the top of high water. We were burning the Drury coal, which appeared to give plenty of steam, and for some time progressed satisfactorily against the heavy breaking sea, but the boilers primed to such an extent that the engines had to be eased, and the ebb tide, which makes earlier outside, running to the northward right across the channel, set the ship nearly upon the Orwell Bank: her position indeed was one of extreme peril, and as it was impossible to get the leading marks on again, I managed with great difficulty to get her head round and steamed back to our former anchorage. 66 Tis an

ill wind that blows nobody good," and I took advantage of this detention to get some small spars. The woods in our vicinity afforded a supply for nothing, and the carpenter soon cut as many as we wanted. We got some excellent plank also out of the drift wood (Kauri) of which there was any quantity on the beach.

March 24th. We made another attempt to-day to get out, and happily succeeded, although it took nearly two hours to drag through the heavy swell which broke at times right across the bar. As soon

as we were clear, I put the ship under treble topsails and reefed courses, and stood away to the westward.

Sunday, March 25th.-About 8h. a.m., spoke the Airedale, (s.s.,) from Taranaki, the weather had moderated a little so the fires were brought forward, and I proceeded under steam and sail, and the following morning anchored off the town.

During this fortnight's absence great changes have taken place. Hostilities have commenced in earnest and blood spilt on both sides, the first shot being fired by the troops. The collision occurred on this wise. A few days after I left the Waitara, a small party of natives built a pah within the limits of the debateable land, and although no competent authority had decided that the said pah was not built on ground belonging to the persons who built it, the officer in command of the troops (Colonel Gold,) immediately took up a position before it, and sent a summons to its occupants to surrender, which however they would neither read nor receive. Fire was therefore opened upon it with shot and shell, and rockets, that was answered by the natives with small arms. After expending about 150 rounds from the howitzers, the firing ceased on both sides, and it was supposed that the pah was deserted. Under this impression, and anxious to ascertain the fact, two or three of the mounted volunteers in the most gallant manner gallopped to the palisading, but were received with a volley, which mortally wounded one of them named "Sarten," who fell from his horse, and would probably have been dispatched then and there, but for the noble conduct of Lieut. Wells, of this ship, who rushed out, and brought him back at the risk of his own life.

This officer, who was serving with a detachment of the men I landed, then volunteered to lead a storming party, but his offer was not entertained. Nothing more was done that night, and the following morning, after a breach had been effected, and preparations made for an assault

the place was found deserted, and so ended our first contest with the natives, who boast of being the victors, from being enabled thus easily to effect their retreat from a very superior force.

This miscarriage seems to have had a most damaging effect upon our reputation, and indignation is pretty freely expressed in the settlement. From its shape this work has been called the L pah. Its length was a hundred and ten feet, and width thirty-three; the ditches were five feet wide, and four deep, covered with a frame work of split timber, with about two feet of fern and earth on the top; these communicated with underground galleries and chambers. A large quantity of provisions was found in the interior of the pah, which it has been ascertained was defended by only seventy natives, of whom several were wounded. Our casualties amounted to three wounded, two of them mortally.

Since this affair of the 17th, Colonel Gold has come in from the camp, with the greater part of his regiment, and assumed the command of the garrison. His first acts were to ignore almost every thing the Governor had done during his absence; the limits contained within his Excellency's projected blockhouses are to be further circumscribed. Fort Cracroft is abolished, and Fort Niger would have shared the same fate, but that the Governor insisted on its retention. I am at a loss to understand the motive for wishing to do away with two posts situated in such commanding positions.

Wednesday, March 28th. We were favoured by the weather on Monday, and succeeded in landing every thing before dark, the surfboats doing their work right well. It wont do to throw away fine weather here, for yesterday morning there was a complete change, and so heavy a sea set in, and there was withal such a threatening appear ance to the northward, that I got the steam up, and stood out to sea at half-past nine. Having secured a good offing the ship was put under fore and aft sails, the screw set vertical, and fires banked up; there was a heavy swell from South-West, but she lay as easy and easier than if she had been at anchor.

This morning I wore round and stood in under all sail, the wind had shifted to the southward, (the fine weather quarter,) the barometer went up, and I regained my anchorage about noon. At 1 p.m. two guns were fired from the barracks, this was the signal that an attack upon the town was about to be made by the natives, and I hastened ashore with every man fit for duty to assist in its defence, anticipating a requisition, which met me, from the Governor and Colonel Gold, to land immediately. I took with me Lieut. Villiers, Messrs. Smythe, acting mate, Gassiot and Carslake, Midshipmen, Patrick, Surgeon, and Hyde, assistant paymaster, who has been withdrawn from our brigade on shore to act as my aide-de-camp, and fifty-three seamen and marines, (sixty in all,) with a twenty-four pound rocket tube.

We piled arms on the hill behind the boat houses, and waited in anxious expectation to hear the result of an expedition which had been sent out about two hours before to bring in some of the outsettlers, whose lives are threatened by these pitiless savages, but no immediate

2

danger being now apprehended, I went up to the barracks on Marsland Hill, with the Governor, to wait the course of events. There was a good view from hence of the surrounding country, and we had not been there long before the sound of firing was heard in the direction of Omata, and shortly after Lieut. King, of the volunteer cavalry, came galloping in at full speed, with a report that Lieut.-Colonel Murray in command of the expedition was hotly engaged with the natives, and in want of more ammunition and reinforcements. There was no time lost in sending both, we were ready and anxious for something to do, so Colonel Gold's request that I would move forward to the support of his brother officer was responded to with the greatest alacrity. The men were in high glee. Here was an opportunity for them to do something of which they might be proud hereafter, and they marched along merrily, the rocket tube with its geer and rockets following in a bullock dray, keeping up as well as it could across country, our carpenter pioneers clearing the way for it.

We took the road as far as the Grey Institution, then across the fields into a green lane, which led to the Great South Road. From thence it was all plain sailing to the Amata Blockhouse, where I halted to give time for our dray which lagged astern a good deal to come up, and here to my sorrow I found poor Blake stretched on a bedstead, badly wounded with a ball in the right breast. He had not been brought in more than a quarter of an hour, and did not appear to be suffering any pain.

The rattle of musketry was going on all this time, and was most continuous between this fortified post and the sea. It was in that direction, that is to say on our right, that Lieut.-Colonel Murray was operating, and during the halt I was enabled to take a good survey of the state of affairs. In our front, about a mile distant, occupying a commanding position on the crest of a hill, a pah had been erected by the natives, three flags were flying from a lofty staff in it, in token of defiance, or perhaps because it was the head quarters of the Maories, and the frequent puffs of smoke that issued from the fern in its immediate vicinity, showed that at all events they were in scme strength here. This was the target also for a six pounder rocket tube

in charge of Lieut. McNaughten, R.A.

As soon as the dray arrived I called my men together, explained to them in a few words the critical position we were in, confronted by a race who neither gave nor expected any quarter, reminded them how much was expected of us, that the first lieutenant lay close by, dangerously wounded, as well as one of their shipmates, a marine, pointed out the pah to them, and stated that I had made up my mind to lead them to it and give them an opportunity of repaying the loss the ship had sustained with interest, if they would support me. The quiet determined tone with which the words "we'll go, sir," were uttered in reply to my address was most satisfactory: it showed that one and all were in earnest. The fresh supply of ammunition for Colonel Murray having by this time arrived, I despatched my aidde-camp to inform that officer of my intended diversion in his favour,

*

and three volunteers, Francis Mace, Edward and Charles Messenger, having offered their services as guides, we advanced along the Great South Road, taking every precaution against surprise.

It was half-past five before we left the blockhouse, and the shades of evening were rapidly descending. As we moved quickly along, the spot on the road where the bodies of three men and two boys (peaceable unarmed settlers) were found yesterday, was pointed out. They were waylaid, brutally massacred by the natives and mutilated; two splendid bullocks killed at the same time were passed lying dead in their yokes, in a yard close to the Omato tavern.

The village of Omato, about half a mile beyond the blockhouse, is prettily situated, the ground is broken accidenté, as the French term it, well wooded, with high furze hedges round the gardens and orchards, and beautiful pastures, altogether quite Devonian; but the houses had been all cleared out, and deserted, a melancholy sight! Close to the before-mentioned tavern a road turned off to the left, and at its intersection, on a small open space commanding a good view of the pah, I planted the rocket tube, the distance being estimated at about 800 yards, and the first rocket went over it, very nearly striking the flag staff. There was however if anything a better position about a hundred yards further on, so I shifted the tube and commenced firing shell rockets, but it took so long to bore out and fit them, that before half a dozen had been fired, it was almost dark, and the men were getvery impatient. I therefore unrigged the triangle, called in the sentries posted all round, who by the way had been repeatedly fired at, and also exchanged shots with the invisible natives, formed the storming party, told off a detachment to look after the rockets and tube left by the road side, and, with an inward conviction that the blessing of God accompanied us I gave the order to advance.

(To be continued.)

SHIPS' EQUIPMENTS, FISHING VESSELS, AND LIFE BOATS. Jury Report. International Exhibition, 1862.

(Continued from page 476.)

Anchors.-Resulting from the various patterns of anchors exhibited in the International Exhibition of 1851, certain influential shipowners of London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, submitted to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty the desirability of determining their relative merits. The report of the Committee appointed, in consequence of this request, was made in February, 1853, and although brief in the details of the trials,-which were made under the auspices of the Admiralty at Sheernees, and with unlimited appliances,—is an instructive exposition of the general requirements of an anchor. The experiments were exhaustive of the special capabilities of each anchor tried, and establish a good precedent for future investigations. NO. 11.-VOL. XXXI.

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The properties considered by this Committce essential to a good anchor were as follows: Holding qualities at long and short scope; quick holding; exemption from fouling; facility of stowing; fishing in a heavy seaway; canting; quick tripping; facility of transport in boats, and facility of sweeping; the corresponding proportional value of these qualities were assumed to be 80, 15, 10, 10, 10, 5, 5, 5,5. From this report it may be concluded, that of the anchors of solid construction, Rodgers' small palmed anchor (which received a medal in 1851) proved itself the most efficient; and of anchors constructed in detached parts, Trotman's, or the improved Porter, was the best. Models of Trotman's anchors, as furnished to H.M. Yacht, Victoria and Albert, and H.M.S. Warrior, are exhibited by the inventor, [2,807], and Messrs. Hawks, Crawshay, and Sons [2,784]. A medal is awarded to Mr. Trotman for his improved anchor.

The model of an anchor on this principle, used in the Northern Lighthouse Commissioners' steam-vessel Pharos, by Heriot Currie, is deserving attention.

An ingenious anchor (as also models) on the "detached part" principle is exhibited by its inventor Mr. Martin, [2,793] and by the patentee and agent [2,789, 2,797]. The arrangement of the parts of this anchor provides for both flukes or arms being in the ground at the same time, so that great holding power is compatible with diminished weight. The report of trials made before the members of the Trinity House, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on the sands on the South side of the Tyne, is highly favourable, and the experiences of many shipmasters are adduced in its favour. A medal is awarded for its novel and ingenious form.

An admirable specimen of anchor forging, from the Royal yard at Horten [Norway, 85], weight 7,793lbs., is exhibited, for which a medal is awarded; as also good specimens on a smaller scale from the Soderforss iron works in Sweden [327], to which honourable mention is awarded.

Chain Cables. Some comparatively recent deplorable wrecks on the coasts of the United Kingdom have directed public attention to the desirability of invoking legislative aid in ensuring faithfulness in the quality and construction of chain cables. The jury record with satisfaction the admirable specimens of cables and chains exhibited by H. P. Parkes, of Staffordshire [2,795, a medal]; Messrs. Wood & Co., Liverpool [2,814, a medal]; David & Co., Havre, [1,375, a medal], as also of several worthy specimens from Russia, [Admiralty Kolpino iron works, 334], Belgium [345], Norway [85], and Sweden, [Furudal iron works, 326, honourable mention]; but it has not been within their power, from the limited time at their disposal, to apply comparative tests of strength.

Under this head a medal has been awarded to Madame Sinibaldi [1,710], exhibited in Class VII., for an ingenious and novel mode of making chain cables. The chain is made of hoop iron, taken of the breadth required, and wound on a reel by a simple machine, into an oval shape, to the same breadth as the original or outer surface. The