U.S.A. AND N.Z.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 188, 11 August 1925, Page 8

U.S.A. AND N.Z.

REMINISCENCES OF BYGONE DAYS.

VISITS OF WHALERS AND WARSHIPS.

TIMELY HELP IN HERE'S WAR.

(By HERBERT BAILIE, Chief Librarian, Wellington.) It is of interest at this time'to recall various incidents in tjie history of New Zealand that have brought us into relationship with the United States. The first one can hardly be counted as referine to New Zealand, but it is apropos to recal! that soon after the declaration of war by the United States againet Great Britain in 1812, the U.S frigate Essex, 40 guns, commanded by Captain David' Porter, was commissioned to proceed to the Pacific' to harass British shipping. The vessel hovered around the Galapagos Islands and as far west ac the Washington or Marquesas Islands. Those waters, at that period, were trequented by many British and American whaling vessels, which also visited either Australia or New Zealand to provision or refit. Among them was a ship named the New Zealander. of 258 tons, with 8 guns and 23 men, and commanded by Ca'ntain Elder, which was engaged in the whaling trade, and had visited the Bay of Islands as early as 1810. The New Zealander unfortunately fell in the way of the Essex off Albemarle Islands, oiie of the Galapagos proup, on Inly 14, 1813, nnd was captured. The Essex by this time had captured about ten vessels, among them being the Atlantic, a British letter-of -marque ship, commanded by Captain Obadiah Wyer, of Nantueket," but who, as he said, was "an Englishman at heart," Porter renamed the Atlantic the Essex Junior, increased its armament to 20 guns, and placed Lietuenant Downes in charge. A Frigate and Her Prizes. After the master and crew of the New Zealander, with the crews of other captured vessels, had been placed on one of the prizes, the Charlton, which was ordered to - Rio Janeiro, whjere the prisoners were to be landed on parole, the New Zealander became part of Captain Porter's squadron, with Mr. Shaw, purser of the Essex, in command. The squadron, consisting of the Essex and the Essex Junior, and the prizes New Zealander, Seringapatam, Sir Andrew Hammond, and the Greenwich, proceeded in October to the Marquesas Islands, where the whale oil from the three last-mentioned vessels wag transhipped to the New Zealander, which was to pro-' ceed to the United States. The Essex and Essex Junior, having been thoroughly overhauled and provisioned, left the group on December 9. The three prize vessels remained at Nukahiva in charge of Lieutenant Gamble, of the Marines, and Midshipman Feltus, with a party of 21 men. Captain Porter's reason for leaving these ships here being that he might have means of repairing his ships in case of any action on the coast. As it happened, he met a superior force off Valparaiso on March 28, ISI4. and surrendered after a severe fight to Captain Hillyard, H.M.s. Phoebe, which had' the assistance of the sloop-of-war Cherub. Captain Porter and the survivors of his officers and crew were embarked in the Essex Junior, ■ to which Captain Hillyard granted a passport to secure it from recapture. The vessel arrived at Nejv York, where it was condemned and sold. Apparently the purchaser from Warren, Rhode Island, renamed it with its old name, Atlantic, and it again entered the whaling trade, and strangely enough was wrecked off Akaroa on June 12. 1839. No further note can be found of thp New Zealander until it appeared again on the coast of New Zealand. *pr. McNab records it as having left the Bay of Islands in August, 1819. Another vessel of the same name, a brigantine of 140 tons, is recorded by Dr. McNab as having traded on the southern coast of New Zealand, 1832-35. This vessel was built at Hokianga by Thomas Raine in 1828. The next time the.United States and New Zealand came into contact was in the nature of a tragedy. An American hrig, the Agnes, was wrecked in Poverty Bay during 181(i. and her crew fell victims to the savagery of the Maoris. The Whaling Fleet, During these years to about 1841 it can snfely be said that the American whalers on the coasts of New Zealand out-numbered the British. They came from Salem, New Bedford, Nantucket, Sag Harbour, and other ports' of the North Eastern States. In the libraries and museums of these may be found interesting and valuable mementoes of those early days. Dr. McNab. one of our historians, colJected much original information from some of them, particularly at Salem and ftew Bedford, Mass. In addition to the Atlantic, already mentioned, the brig Brilliant was wrecked in the far north in 1839, and during the same year the ship Richmond. 201 tons, of New Bedford, was condemned as unseawortliv and sold by the United States Consul, James R. Clendon. In 1840, the ship Elbe wafi wrecked in Palliser Bay. The value of cargoes on American vessels visiting the Bay of Islands during 1839 was estimated by Mr. Clendon to exceed 1,500.000 dollars. Historians clnim thnt some of these visitors were responsible for some of our troubles with the Maoris in 1845-0. The probable cause of discontent among American settler? may be gleaned from an extract from the report of William Mayhcw, an American citizen, who had been appointed Vice-Consul by Mr. Clendon. who was an Englishman, and who retired in 1841. This report from Mayhew is dated February 21, 1542, and is addressed to the Secretary of State. Washington. "The, British Government have now assumed the entire' sovereignty of these islands, and have enacted la'w-s and levied imposts peculiarly harassing to our citizens and most destructive to their commercial pursuits, whilst they offer the most marked protection to their own commerce." The first national scientific expedition undertaken by the United States', consisting of six vessels under the command of Commodore Charles Wilkes, left Norfolk, Virginia, on August 17, 1838, and

visited various ports of South America, the Antarctic, and different groups of islands of the Pacific. During a visit to Sydney, previous to the vessels' departure for Antarctic waters, the scientific men of the party came ashore with orders to proceed to New Zealand, where they would again join the expedition. Here the New Zealand interest again appears, for they travelled to the Bay of Islands in the British brig Victoria, of 200 tons, which on arrival was purchased by Captain Hobson for use by the Government as a transport. For a number of years, before the advent of steamers, the Victoria was about the only means of passenger traffic in the colony. The Wilkea Exploration. Three ships of the expedition, which had now been reduced to four vessels the flagship Vincemes, 780 tons, the gun brie Porpoise, 230 tons, Leiutenant Ringoold, and the tender Flying Fish, 90 tons, in charge of Passed Midshipman Knox, arrived at the Bay of Islands during March 1840, and remained there until Cth April. Commodore Wilkes writes that one of the crew of the \ mcemes was a Maori, who had joined in America, a-nd was discharged at Honolulu. A number of men. probably whalers, joined the ships at the Bay, and at the same place others were discharged or deserted. Commodore Wilkes was not favourably impressed with New Zealand, which may be accounted for by the general feeling of discontent among American settlers and traders at the turn things had taken in the Government of New Zealand by the assumption of sovereignty by the British, concerning which lie made some pungent remarks, and which is referred to in Mr. Mayhew's report mentioned previously. The Vincemes returned to New York on 10th June, 1842. The next contact was the arrival on 3rd March, 1845, of the U.S. Corvette St. Louis (Captain McKever) at the Bay of Islands from Sydney, bringing dispatches from the Governor of New South Wales to Captain Fitzßoy, K.N., Governor of New Zealand. At this time the trouble with Hone Heke and Kavriti which was in progress, culminated in the destruction and abandonment of Kororareka, on 11th March, Timely Aid. As it turned put, the visit was most opportune. Captain Robertson, of H.M.S. Hazard, our only warship and our only defence, excepting about 50 men of the 96th Regiment, bad been severely wounded, and the command had devolved on Lieutenant George Philljjotts, who in his report to the Governor stated that "the town is burned nearly level to the ground, and the townspeople, in number about 500, are either on board tlie United States ship St. Louis, or the other vessels available. Captain McKeever, of the St. Louis, rendered the greatest assistance in carrying off to the ship the sick and wounded. We are also much indebted to the medical department of that ship for the great attention they showed to the sick." Bishop Selwyn, who played a splendid part during the hostilities wrote: "A distressing scene presented itself to mc on my return to the Hazard —the captain's cabin full of wounded men. and Captain Robertson himself lying desperately wounded; the gunroom crowded with the families who had fled from the shore; and one side of the lower deck completely filled with the wounded. Thu surgeon of the American corvette St. Louis and Dr. Ford, of the Bay Islands, assisted the surgeon of the Hazard in dressing their wounds." Captain Sir J. Everard Home, of H.M.s. North Star, which had arrive;! after the action, in reporting on March 2o to Rear-Admiral Sir T, Cochrane. C.8., commanding the station, also referred to Captain McKeever: "The steady conduct and sound judgment dsnlavel by Captain McKeever, of the United States frigate St. Louis, has given confidence to all the well-disposed parties of both nations, and has been of the greatest service." Echoes of the Civil War. During the second Maori war, in the early 'sixties, a ship named the Sea King was employed as a transport. In 1804 she • became the Shenandoah, sailing under the Confederate flag in conjunction with the Alabama and Florida. In 1805 she was reported to have been off the New Zealand coast, but called at none of the ports. On Wednesday, September S, ISG9, the first warship of the United States to visit Wellington, the Kearsage, arrived. A notable vessel it was in those days, for had it not five years previously sunk the cruiser Alabama? The "Independent" of that day reports; "The Kearsage, the first American war steamer which has ever entered this port, dropped anchor at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 8. She had a good run from Sydney, leaving that port on the September 1. She brings mail for H.M.s. Rosario, which, unfortunately, she was unable to delivery* as the two vessels pa««ed each other beyond speaking distance outside the Heads. The vessel is under orders for Callao, and Captain Thornton proposes to anchor to-morrow, at 1 p.m. The Kearsage is a fine vessel of IUOO tons measurement over all. Her engines are estimated at 150 horse-power, though on an emergency they can be driven at a much higher pressure. She carries a crew of 200 men, and a fine, smart-lookinc lot of men they are. Considerable interest attaches to that portion of her armament—the two heavy swivel deck-tmns— which were the principal means of the destruction of the eelebrateel Confederate steamer Alabama. We can easily imagine that an ordinary vessel would have little chance of surviving after receiving two or three of the enormous shot and shell which lay ready for insertion into the eleven-inch throat of these two Ihi°-p pieces of ordnance, which can be worked in the heaviest gale. The Kearsage «till bears some honourable srars reeefved in the memorable engagement to which wo have referred to." The newspaper furher states that the vessel was visited by many visitors during her stay in port