Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 25 January 1864, page 3


THE BRITISH FORCES IN NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Melbourne Argus, January 18)

General Cameron has now in arms a body of regulars

equal to half the British force in the Crimea. His troops are flushed with victory ; they are well supported, and abundantly supplied with the munitions of war ; so that the final suppression of the rebellion can only be regarded as a question of time. The annexed statement show what the British army in New Zealand is composed of: -

Imperial Forces.

GENERAL STAFF.

Lieutenant-General D. A. Cameron, C.B., commanding

forces.

Major T. C M'Neill, A.D.C.

Lieutenant W. H. St. Hill. A.D.C.

Major J. D. Pitt, assistant military secretary.

Lieutenant-Colonel R. Carey, deputy adjutant-general.

Lieutenant-Colonel D. J. Gamble, deputy quartermaster

general.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir H, M. Havelock, Bart., V.C. deputy assistant quartermaster general.

Lieutenant T. D. Johnstone, district adjutant.

RETURN OF THE FORCES.

Non- commissioned Officers. Officers and Men. General Staff ............ 8 -Royal Artillery . 9 259 Royal Engineers. 6 75 1st Battalion 12th Foot.. 37 606 2nd Battalion 14th Foot .. 47 1138 2nd Battalion 18th Foot ..42 798 40th Foot..... 39 815 43rd Foot. 27 643 50th Foot. 57 794 57th Foot.. 43 884 65th Foot. 34 890 70th Foot. 42 771

391 7672

At Taranaki there are stationed twenty-five men of the Royal Engineers, 700 men of the 57th, and 68 men of the 70th. At Napier 270 men of the 14th, at Wellington 280 men of the 14th, and at Wanganui 340 men of the 57th.

The remainder of the troops are in the province of Auck-

land.

SQUADRON SERVING IN NEW ZEALAND "WATERS UNDER

SIR W. S. WISEMAN, COMMODORE OF THE BLUE.

Curacoa, s.s. frigate, twenty-three guns, Commodore of

second class, Sir W. S. Wiseman, Bart. ; Commander

H. B. Philmore.

Miranda, s.s. corvette, fifteen gun«, 1039 tons, 250 horse-power, Captain R. Jenkins.

Esk, s.s. corvette, twenty-one guns, 1169 tons, 220 horse-power, Captain J. C. Hamilton

Harrier, s.s. sloop, seventeen guns, 748 tons, 100 horse-power, Commander F. W. Sullivan.

Eclipse, s.s. gunboat, four guns, 700 tons, 200 horse-power, Commander R. C. Mayne.

Colonial Forces.

Tbe colony provides a force in the northern island alone of 9629 men, all of whom are well armed and under train-ing, and could be called out at a moment's notice, if required. In the first place there are the three regiments

of Waikato militia-the corps raised in the Australian colonies, to serve for a term of three years, and to settle upon the confiscated native land, under a system of military tenure ; and in each province there are also local militia and volunteer bodies. The force is thus distributed:

GENERAL, STAFF.

Major-General T. J. Galloway, commanding forces; Major P. F. de Quincey, A.D C. and military secretary ; Lieutenant-Colonel H C. Balneavis, deputy-adjutant general; Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Kenney, quarter

master-general.

Auckland, 6302; Wellington, 1768; Taranaki, 817; Hawbe's Bay, 760. Total, 9637 men.

The colony has also provided, in aid of H.H. naval forces, three steam-vessels-the Pioneer, the Avon, and the Sandfly. The two former are engaged upon the waters of the Waikato, and are manned and officered from the fleet. The Pioneer is an iron-plated vessel, built specially for the navigation of the Waikato. She is armed with two twelvepounder Armstrongs, and she can carry 600 men in addition to her crew. The Avon is a smaller vessel ; at one time she was engaged in the intercolonial trade, but the Govern-ment purchased and plated her. The Sandfly was formerly a small coaster, known in Port Philip as the Tasmanian Maid. She is fitted up as a gunboat, and is used princi-pally for enforcing the blockade of the Thames. The total available force will therefore be-Imperial troops, 8063 ; colonial troops, 9637 ; seamen and marines (say), 1200.

Total, 18 900