EARLY HISTORY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XL, Issue 5776, 1 March 1912, Page 5

EARLY HISTORY.

Two discoveries of deep interest to studenti of the romantic early history of New' Zealand were made public for the first time at the Philosophical Socicy's meeting at Palmcrston by Mr Robert McNab. One was the finding of a slate slab, unearthed in a cave at Chalky Inlet, Fouveaux Straits, b\- Dr. Sale/of Invercargill Mr McNab pointed out that Fouveaux Straits were a great re sort for whalers in the very early days of the colony and on the slate were found the names of Richard Jone« and John Dawson, and the inscription: "Beware of natives; plenty at Preservation." Richard Jones was the owner of a brig and Dawson was one of hi* captains, and his death by the native 3 was made the excuse for Rauparaha's famous raid on Akaroa. Mr McNab places the date- of the slab at about 1823, and considers it one of the most interesting historical r-lics yet difcovered. The other '•find 71 was even more interesting. It was a very old coin discovered in 1879, near the Bluff, by a Mr William?, of Invercargill. The wind had uncovered an old Maori oven, beside which there were pome bones and other remains including the earth-en-crusted coin. Mr .Williams was not able to f-ay whether the bones were human, but he had the coin cleaned and deciphered. 1 A photograph of it was shown by Mr McNab. and he stated that the curious Eastern inscription showed that it dated back to the year 1759, and referred to the reign of an Eastern potentate, of that period. It had a hole punched through it, and had ; evidently been hanging round the neck of some visitor to New Zealand in the , very early days of the Colony. Its j presence alongside the oven compels the sinister inference as to the ultim- j ate fate of the wearer. Mr McNab ; reminded his hearers of a story told in his book "Murihiku," of a" number of Lacsars belonging to a sealing vessel being lost off the coast of New Zealand, who were killed and eaten by the Maoris, and said that the discovery of the Maori oven, the bones, and the coin were a striking corroboration of that story.