OLD-TIME ONEHUNGA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 90, 18 April 1927, Page 9

OLD-TIME ONEHUNGA.

BOLD GOES BEGGING IN 1840. THE FIRST "ONE-KU?:GER" JOKE. MEMORIES OF THE 'FORTIES. Odd as it may seem there were more golden severeigns in circulation in Onchunga in 1840 before there was a white Ban living there than there are in 1927. It happened in this way: Before Auckland was Auckland, two young men were livhjg down on Motukorea, now called Brown's Island. They wanted some pigs, and in fossicking about the isthmus they Were directed to Onehunga," where" the natives were said to have a good number of these animals — then the only edible quadruped in that part of the* island. Logan Campbell Mas one of the young men, and the other Mas Brown, his partner. They had taken with them some goods to "swap" for the pigs, but the natives, while they Mere anxious to have the pakeha goods, were loth to give nigs in return, and did all they could' to induce the two jiakehas to take some bright new English sovereigns. This gold was a great surprise to the pakehas, and it was an obvious embarrassment to the natives, who did not seem to know its value, or what to do with it. Those sovereigns were part of the payment the Maoris had just received for the site of the prospective city of Auckland. Logan Campbell tells the story in that interesting book of old memories, "Poeuamo." "Poenamo" contains the lirst references "in print" to Onehtinga. The next is found in an equally interesting, and probably less-known book on the early days, called " Our Antipodes," by Lieutenant-Colonel Mundy, Mho •was deputy adjutant-general in the Australian colonies, and came across to Auckland in 1847. He gives a very breezy account of life in the infant "'city " of Auckland, which must have been rather a hopeles spot as soon through the critical eye of the spick-and-span soldier. Under date December 13, "Mundy" writes:—"Eode to the native settlement of Onehunga, on the shore of Manukau. This spot is only six miles from Auckland, which is on the eastern coast of the great Northern Island; and Manukau harbour opens to the west., so narrowis this part of the land. Indeed. between the heads of these two great in'ats on opposite coasts the portage, as they would style the land-passage In America, is not a mile across.

Wheat at Epsom. "At Onehunga is the ancient, as well as the first settlement of the New Zenland veterans, or corps of pensioners, ■which will ultimately amount to 500 men. The ride from the capital to this spot may be made at a hand gallop, on an excellent road extending over swelling plains of what is called good volcanic soil, some portions of which are laid out in neat and apparently wellmanaged farms. Those sit Epsom show fine crops of wheat and maize, and better hay than I ever met with in Australia. The earth, which at first sight appears as if strewn with coke and cinders to a greater or lesser depth, looks most hopeless, yet is in truth very fruitful, and especially suitable for gardenings ''As far as one can see round the Pensioner Cantonment (that is to be) lies a nearly untiiubered tract of fern land, promising but little shelter and no fuel. Captain Kenny's company are here temporarily housed with their families in slab huts, while the men are employed in erecting their permanent cottages, and laying out their allotments. The Streets have already been marked out by the engineer, and, when complete., the village, containing a company'of a hundred men, will cover no small space; for each two families will have a cottage and two adjacent acres of land, whereof a small strip in the way cf ornamental garden will front the street. To these habitations there will be two distinct entrances under one roof. "'When I reflect upon human nature in general, and soldiers' wi'es in particular, I cannot feel sanguine as to the entire domestic peace of thesj Siamese households. A Cheap Job. ''The best artisans of the 'Vets.' were at work building. Two men counted upon finishing one of tlß'se duplicate houses in six weeks, earnin-r from the Government six shillings a day for the work. The less skilful iiieu were employed on the streets unit road.-. "'Considering that this whs a community of old soldier.-. ! was rather surprised to find more rkeoriiilnt'ss than grumbling among them. What with the utter ignorance of the people at Home upon colonial details, am! what with the senseless and over-weeninp expectations of the emigrant himself. one seldom sees a cheerfil face among any class of those newly arrived. I afterwards heard that much discontent had arisen among the old soldier settlers—a fact that need not be urther adverted to. Some veteran wag. disinclined to view through a rose-coloured medium the state of affairs, and taking liberties with the name of their new settlement—O-ne-unga—complained that they had come all the way from England to avoid starvation, and had found hunger' in New Zealand! Others proposed changing its name to Kilkenny, on account of the fatal effect they supposed it would produce upon their captain, by its certainly at present forbidding aspect!" _ Onehunga next week -ele'irates <he jubilee of its elevation to borough rank and 1 the Colonel could come back and see the pleasant residential suburb that was grown up on the site of "forbidoing aspect" he would most certainly ?Ub his critical eves