THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
387 
however, they did so with such precision and rapidity, and from such well 
concealed places, that the men in the assaulting party could not see the 
Maories whose fire was destroying their officers and leading files. The 
storming party was eventually repulsed. After dusk a breastwork was 
thrown up about 100 yards from the pah, and two small mortars taken into 
it, which, under direction of Captain William Smith, R.A., threw shells into 
the pah during the night. 
At daybreak on the morning of the 30th April it was found that the 
natives had evacuated the pah during the night, leaving several wounded 
behind them—they had gone away in small parties at a time, over swamps 
&c., but lost many men from the fire of the 68th Regiment who were 
surrounding the rear of the position, and who were spread over a large extent 
of ground. On examining the pah afterwards it was found that the breach 
was perfectly practicable, but the natives had fired from underground pits 
almost completely covered by roofs of flax and earth, &c., &c., and into these 
pits entrance was most difficult. They had also fired from traversed pits in 
front of the parapet, between the latter and the palisading. 
Boxer's fuzes answered admirably] not one was observed to fail in 
bursting the shell at the required place, when properly bored. The mortars 
of Captain Gother Mann's making, answered very well, the platforms, however, 
were rotten from being so long in store. 
The 10-in. mortars and 32-pr. howitzers arrived at Tauranga by sea from 
Auckland a few days after the engagement at the “ gate pah." There was 
great difficulty and trouble in landing them and their ammunition, and 
conveying them afterwards from the beach to the artillery park. 
Several expeditions were afterwards made to different native settlements in 
the Tauranga district, and they were generally accompanied by a 6-pr. 
Armstrong, drawn by one or two horses. 
These 6-prs. are too narrow between the wheels, which are too low for the 
very rough ground over which they had to travel. Their limbers do not 
carry sufficient ammunition. They were continually upset on the line of 
march, and once, on coming into the action in rough ground, the limber 
upset while being reversed. 
The natives having left this part of the country, the artillery were re¬ 
embarked about the end of May, and all the ordnance, ammunition, &c. was 
taken back to Auckland, except the Armstrong guns and small mortars, 
which remained under Lieut. Grubb, R. A., with detachments from “ C " and 
"I" Batteries of the 4th Brigade. 
The last occasion on which artillery were used in action during the 
campaign was at the engagement at Te Ranga, a few miles inland from 
Tauranga and the “gate pah." One 6-pr. Armstrong was used with great effect 
under Lieut. Grubb, R.A., manned by a detachment of “I" Battery, 4th 
Brigade. Several rounds were fired during the attack and at the retreating 
Maories afterwards, and the practice was highly spoken of by Colonel Greer, 
68th Regiment, who commanded the troops on this occasion. 
The Armstrong field guns were always most effective where a long range 
or great precision was required, and they are therefore in every way an 
admirable substitute for, and improvement on, the old 9-pr. brass smooth- 
bored gun. The great number of times that the Armstrong's were taken to 
pieces, and the continual rough usage which they met with in embarking and 
[vol. iv.] 51 
