THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
383 
As soon as the natives at Paterangi heard of the night march and engage¬ 
ment at Bangiawhia, they abandoned all their entrenchments and retired to 
Maungatautari, on the.Waikato river, where they again commenced building 
strong entrenchments on a range of hills well adapted for the purpose. 
Their mode of fortification was something similar to that adopted at 
Eangiriri, but obstacles were now placed in front of the ditches and pits 
from which they fired, and these pits communicated with the interior of the 
pah by means of covered ways leading under the parapets. The obstacles 
were strong post and rail fences, and behind these, on the edge of the 
counterscarp, were palisadings of brushwood, poles, &c. all tied together and 
presenting an object difficult to breach with artillery, and well calculated to 
stop a sudden rush. The loopholes from which the natives fired were at 
the foot of the palisades; the works were enclosed but communicated with 
one another by covered ways. The works at Maungatautari were reported 
to be more formidable than any yet constructed, and a strong battery of 
guns was sent for to Auckland. 
By the end of March 1864, the following pieces were collected at 
Pukerimu (which is about four miles from Maungatautari), and manned by 
detachments from the three batteries in New Zealand ; many of the men having 
never had anything to do with smooth-bored ordnance, required continual 
instructions and drill, to enable them to perform the different duties 
properly. 
Two 10-in. mortars. 
Two 8-in. „ on travelling beds. 
Two 5|-in. „ 
Two 4f-in. „ 
Two 32-pr. howitzers, 
Two 24-pr. howitzers, 
And three N.P. 12-pr. Armstrong’s. 
Each gun was supplied with about 200 rounds of ammunition. 
Captain William Smith arrived in New Zealand about this time, and 
relieved Bt.-Major Strover, who had previously been promoted, in charge of 
No. 3 Battery, 12th Brigade, B.A. 
The other three new pattern 12-pr. Armstrong’s of “ I” Battery had been 
sent, about the beginning of March 1864, to Taranaki, under Captain Martin, 
B.A. Before his arrival, Lieut. Larcom, B.A. had commanded the artillery 
in the Taranaki district; he had under his command, a detachment of No. 3 
Battery, 12th Brigade, and was in charge of several smooth-bored pieces of 
ordnance, guns, mortars, and howitzers. 
While employed on a reconnoitring expedition under Colonel Warre, C.B., 
commanding troops at Taranaki, Lieut. Larcom had been severely wounded. 
He was, at the time, in command of a 24-pr. howitzer and two small mortars 
which were in action near a pah which was being reconnoitred. The 
howitzer was short of men, and Lieut. Larcom was himself assisting as a 
number at the gun when he was wounded. 
After Captain Martin’s arrival at Taranaki, the 12-pr. Armstrong’s were 
used with good effect on several occasions while accompanying expeditions 
into the country; but the rough and rugged nature of the country made the 
labour very great, and the tracks often led through places admirably 
adapted for ambuscades, and the natives on one occasion, attacked the 
