36 Transactions. 



H.M.S. " Harrier " and " Esk," arrived at Tauranga on the 26th April. 

 On the morning of the 27th the Maori had fired heavily on Fort Colville, 

 but they were shelled out of their position by H.M.S. " Falcon " and the 

 colonial gunboat " Sandfly." Captain Jenkins (" Miranda ") took charge 

 of the " Sandfly," which with the " Falcon " pursued the Maori who were 

 retreating along the beach. Two 12-pounder Armstrong guns had been 

 placed aboard the " Sandfly " ; one, from the " Falcon," was manned 

 by " Miranda " men, and the other, from the " Esk," was manned by men 

 from that ship. Both ships shelled the whares at Otamarakau. At 3 p.m. 

 firing ceased, as the enemy had finally disappeared. Captain Hannibal 

 Marks, of the " Sandfly," and Senior Lieutenant Hope, in command of 

 the " Falcon," were mentioned in despatches for " zeal and exertion." 

 The gunners from the "Miranda" and "Esk" were mentioned for the 

 " extraordinary precision of their fire from the 12-pounder Armstrongs." 



On the 29th April General Cameron made the attack on Gate Pa, with 

 a force of 1,700 of all ranks, including a Naval Brigade of four field officers, 

 six captains, seven subalterns, thirty-six sergeants, five drummers, 371 

 rank and file. One hundred and fifty seamen and marines under Com- 

 mander Hay (" Harrier"), and an equal number of the 43rd Kegiment 

 under Lieut.-Colonel Booth, formed the assaulting party. Commander 

 Hay and Lieut.-Colonel Booth fell mortally wounded. Captain Hamilton 

 (" Esk ") was killed. The casualties of the Naval Brigade were : Killed or 

 mortally wounded : " Curacoa " —Lieutenant Hill and one man ; " Miranda " 

 — one man ; " Esk " — Captain Hamilton and three men ; " Harrier " — 

 Commander Hay and three men ; " Eclipse " — one man. Wounded : 

 " Curacoa " — five men ; " Miranda " — Lieutenant Hammick and eight men ; 

 "' Esk " — Lieutenant Duff and ten men ; " Harrier " —four men. Total 

 dead, 12 ; wounded, 29. Most of the wounded cases were classed as 

 '" severe " or " very severe." 



For bravery in carrying Commander Hay, when wounded, off the field, 

 Samuel Mitchell, captain of foretop, and captain's coxswain, was awarded 

 the Victoria Cross, which was presented to him by Sir J. Young, Governor 

 of New South Wales, in Sydney in October. 



On the 21st June Colonel Greer, commanding the Tauranga district, 

 attacked the enemy at Te Ranga, and while this attack was being made 

 a naval force from the " Esk " and the " Harrier " was landed for the 

 protection of the camp. Lieutenant Hotham was mentioned in despatches. 



Lieut.-General Sir D. A. Cameron left Auckland in January. 1865, 

 for Wanganui on H.M.S. " Falcon," calling at New Plymouth en route. 

 He arrived at Wanganui on the 20th January, and on the 5th February 

 moved camp to Waitotara, one and a half miles from the mouth of the 

 river. The paddle-steamer " Gundagai " entered the river during the 

 evening, bringing provisions for several days. On the 16th February 

 General Cameron marched to the Patea River, which had been entered 

 by the " Gundagai " and " Sandfly " the day before. The General stated 

 in his report, " They crossed under the most favourable circumstances ; 

 but as the latter [" Sandfly "] had not more than a foot to spare at high 

 water, it will not be prudent to bring her into the river again." 



This covers, as far as I can discover, the operations of our first naval 

 adventures. The vessels seem to have done good work, and all that was 

 expected of them. It is to be hoped that the " Calliope's " gunboat, the 

 schooner " Caroline," the paddle-steamers " Avon " and " Sandfly," and 

 the river-steamers " Pioneer," " Koheroa," and " Rangiriri," and the men 

 of the British Navy who manned them, will not be forgotten in our histories. 



