LOOKING BACK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1937, Page 19

LOOKING BACK.

NOTABLE EVENTS.

TREATY OF UTRECHT.

NEXT WEEK'S ANNIVERSARIES

By MAX WHATMAN.

The long war of the Spanish succession, remarkable from the English point of view on account of the great victories of Marlborough—Blenheim, Ramillies, Chidenarde and Malplaquet, was brought to an end by the Treaty of Utrecht, signed on April 11, 1713. Actually the treaty consisted of nine separate treaties. By the treaty between France and Great Britain, France ceded St. Kitts, Hudson Bay, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, although the liberty of fishing for cod on the Newfoundland Banks was reserved. France also recognised formally the Hanoverian succession, engaged that the crowns of' France and Spain should never be united, and that no part of the Spanish Netherlands should ever be ceded or transferred to France. Spain renounced her Italian possession in favour of Austria, and gave up Gibraltar and Minorca to Great Britain. All this was not decided upon without protracted negotiation. The conferences between the several powers concerned were begun in 1711, and it was almost a year afterwards when the plenipotentiaries met at Utrecht. Even then the discussion of terms lasted more than a year while the war continued.

An American Statesman. Although lie was three times unsuccessful in his attempts to gain the Presidency of the United States, no man did more to shape the policy of that country in the early days of the eighteenth century than Henry Clay, who was born on April 12, 1777. Like so many of America's leading statesmen, Clay was a lawyer. Clay was the son of a Baptist preacher who died when his son was only Avq years old. The boy's early schooling was scanty, but he applied himself diligently to the study of the law and gained fame as an orator and advocate. He was sent in 1806 and again in 1809 for short terms to the Senate. He entered the lower house in 1811 and was ehosen as its speaker, a position he filled for many years with great ability. Clay was active in bringing about the war with Great Britain (1812-1815), and was one of the commissioners who arranged the Treaty of Ghent which ended the war.

After a long and wholly honourable career devoted to his country's interests, Clay died in July, 1852. Although he was the most attractive speaker in the country during what is regarded as being the golden age in American oratory, his ability as a reasoner was excelled by that of Webster, while his other principal rival, Calhoun, surpassed, him in intensity and fiery earnestness.

American Independence. The author of the American Declaration of Independence was a Welshman, although American-born. His name was Thomas Jefferson, and he was born on April 13, 1743. Jefferson played an important part in the days of the breach between America and Britain, being elected a meiiiber of the second Conr gress, in which he- took his seat a few days after the battle of Bunker Hill (1775). ' - .

Jefferson was chairman of a committee of five appointed by Congress to prepare a declaration - of independence, and by the request of his colleagues he wrote the draft, which was submitted to the House on June 28, 1776, and adopted on July 4.

After a fairly lengthy retirement from political life Jefferson was elected President of the United States in 1801. During his eight years of office the chief events wert the war with Tripoli, the admission of Ohio, the purchase of Louisiana, the firing on the Chesapeake by the Leopard, the trial of Aaron Burr for treason, and the prohibition of the slave trade. In 1809, after nearly 40 years of public service, he bade adieu to political life and strife. Henceforth his time was devoted to the cultivation of his estate, to boundless hospitality, and to the interests of education. He died on July 4, 1826.

Tight-rope Marvel. Charles Blond in, the greatest performer on the tight-rope that the world has ever known, was a Frenchman, born in 1824 at St. Omer. He made an early name for hinißelf in his unusual profession, but it was not until he carried through the spectacular and daring feat of walking on a rope across the Niagara Falls that he became really worldfamous. A crowd of 25,000 people saw Blondin cross above the falls on a June day in 1859. Later he crossed blindfolded and trundling a wheelbarrow. Again he crossed with a man on his back, and, on - fourth occasion, in the presence of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII.), he made the same perilous journey on stilts. Blondin appeared in New Zealand on April 14, 1870. _ He had large and enthusiastic audiences, who watched with breathless interest as the genial Frenchman performed a number of thrilling tricks on a rope stretched 50ft above their heads. He walked along the rope, ran across it, carried a man across it, and even rode a bicycle across it, com-' ln " to a complete stop in the middle and then pedalling on again. The most spectacular and amusing item in his repertoire, however, was to cook an excellent omelette on the rope. A big stove was hauled up to him. He balanced the stove on the rope, lit the nre, produced a frying pan, broke eggs into it, and while the omelette was cooking dispatched a bottle of wine. Later he gent the omelette down to the crowd, and those privileged to taste it ®aid that it had an excellent flavour, not ®t all impaired by the strange circumstances of its birth.

Wreck of Zulieka.

Twelve o the twenty-one men comprising the officers and crew of the ship Zulieka were drowned or battered to death when the vessel went ashore in Palliser Bay. This splendid iron ship, of 1144 tons register, rapidly broke up in the heavy surf, and was a total loss. It was shortly after 11 p.m. on April 16, 1897, when the Zulieka, bound from Dunedin, whs rearing Wellington. A strong gale was blowing and Captain J. R. llretnner jrave orders to wear ship. A few seconds later she struck. A tremendous sea was running and everything movable on deck was soon swept over-, boiml. The boats were so damaged as to be useless, and the crew took refuge, first in the mizzen rigging, then, as the mizzen mast went down, with their captain on the jib-boom.

Soon after the ship gave a heavy lurch and the men were thrown into the water. Some struck out for the shore. Others,

unable to swim, dun* to pieces of wreehage As the waves tore them from their handholds, they were battered by spars and other debris, many of them t w g T ed up 80 badly knocked about tinn ™ 7 er f . almoßt beyond recognition. The dead included the mate (H. C. graham), seven seamen, the eook, steward and two apprentices. j

A Maori KebeL After a turbulent life during' which lie massacred Europeans and defied the Government and all its powers for many months, the famous Maori rebel, Te Jvooti, spent his last few years in peace dying on April 17, 1893. It is sign&auit that the last action of Te Kootfs lifetime was to advise some disgruntled natives not to use force in an attempt to obtain redress for their grievances, but to have recourse to the law.

History has shown that Te Kooti had considerable provocation when he and his followers fell on the settlers of Poverty Bay on a summer's day in 1868. The Hauhau chief had been promised, u er * iis ca P ture »nd imprisonment at the Chathams Islands, that he would be released when the war was over. That promise was not kept. The prisoners were brutally treated by their guards, and it was hardly surprising that these savages swore vengeance on the perfidious pakeha.

The chance for escape came at last, and Te Kooti was not slow to take advantage of it. He and his followers seized the schooner Rifleman and made their way to New Zealand. There, they terrorised the east coast community. The Government made every attempt to secure the rebel chief. Whitmore and .McDonnell, with the Maori Majors Ropata and Kepa all took part in the hunt, but Te Kooti, although defeated, was never captured. He fled into the wilds of the Urewera country. A price of £5000 was placed on his head, but he was finally pardoned to avoid trouble with the Maoris, among a large section of whom his mana was still high.

Te Kooti's sins were great, but ao were his provocations, and the latter were more_ wanton that his crimes. His courage, his ability and his patriotism were remarkable, and though he cruelly punished the innocent for the sins of the guilty, he probably did only what moA other native warriors would have done in similar circumstances.