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'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎189] (208/622)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (575 pages). It was created in 1877. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: Printed Collections.

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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
189
some attempts to retake the work itself, but were repulsed, and,
after three hours' sharp firing, they finally retreated. "We had
thus gained," says Colonel Despard,in little more than twenty-
four hours, the strongest fortress which the New Zealanders
had ever erected, and one, which the natives throughout the
whole colony hoped and expected would have resisted our
utmost efforts. Their whole attention was turned to what
the result of this attack would be, and had it been different
from what it was, there is no doubt but our enemies would
have multiplied four-fold.
This pah of Ruapekapeka—of which a plan was made by
Captain Marlow, R.E., and Lieutenant Leeds of the ; Elphin-
stone,' which appears in Vol. III. of the New Series of the
Professional Papers of the Royal Engineers—was about 120
yards by 70 in extent, and much broken into flanks ; it had two
rows of palisades three feet apart, composed of timber twelve
to twenty inches in diameter, and fifteen feet out of the ground.
Inside these two rows, says Captain Marlow, in his despatch,
was a ditch four feet deep, with earthen traverses left in it, and
the earth was thrown up behind to form an inner parapet; each
hut inside was also surrounded by a strong low palisade, and
the ground excavated inside the hut, and the earth thrown up
as a parapet. # The British loss, which was chiefly confined to
the seamen who followed the enemy into the forest in the most
daring manner, was twelve killed and thirty wounded, including
only one officer, Mr. Midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. Murray, of the 6 North Star.'
Two iron guns, one split by an eighteen-pound shot from the
batteries, were found in the pah. On the following da}^, the
12th of January, the works were burned to the ground, and, on
the 14th, the camp was broken up and the return march com
menced, the soldiers and seamen carrying the ammunition and
dragging the light guns and the carriages of the heavy ord
nance, which were transported in drays to the river. During
the afternoon of the I5th and two succeeding days, the guns
and stores were embarked in the boats and sent down to the
* " On closely examining this fortress," says Colonel Despard, " we were all
surprised at the singular mode adopted for strengthening it. The outward stock-
ale was almost entirely composed of whole trees, deeply sunk in the ground, and
supported on the inside by a thick embankment of solid earth. It was also loop-
holed in many parts close to the ground, so that a man could lie in the ditch and
fire through, without being himself exposed. In the interior, nearly every hut
was stockaded with a deep excavation underground, into which the inhabitant
could retire, and shelter himself almost entirely from both shot and shell. The
earth, taken out from these excavations, formed a low rampart to support its
stockade, thus rendering each hut a little fortress. There was great ingenuity
displayed in this sytem of defence, more, probably, than had ever been before
exhibited by any race of savages we had yefc been acquainted with. The chief's,
(Kawiti) hut attracted particular attention. It was remarkably neat, with a low
verandah in front, and an extensive excavation underneath, as well as being
strongly stockaded on the side exposed to attack, by upright timber, with others
laid horizontally behind, and supported by an embankment."

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Content

History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).

Author: Charles Rathbone Low.

Publication Details: London: Richard Bentley and Son, New Burlington Street.

Physical Description: initial Roman numeral pagination (i-vi); octavo.

Extent and format
1 volume (575 pages)
Arrangement

This volume contains a table of contents giving chapter headings and page references. Each chapter heading is followed by a detailed breakdown of the contents of that chapter.

Physical characteristics

Dimensions: 229mm x 140mm

Written in
English in Latin script
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'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎189] (208/622), British Library: Printed Collections, IOL.1947.a.1844 vol. 2, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023958180.0x000009> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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