EARLY NEW ZEALAND RECORDS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12960, 13 November 1907, Page 8

EARLY NEW ZEALAND RECORDS.

_ * ! A GRUESOME PROPOSAL. THE MAORI WHO WANTED TO SEE KING GKORGE. Through the courtesy of tho Hon. R. M'Nab. Minister for Lands, an 'Evening Post" representative ha* been allowed to gliiiioc tlurough the work mlmiil to bo issued by the Government containing the chief historical records of New Zealand. Judging by the summary the material collected is extremely interesting and valuable. As might have been expected, the book commences* with information relative to Cnptain Cook and his first expedition. After that we have in AUcoiseion the various schemes mi(>mitted lor the colonisation of New South Wales set forth ht«i\ because in all of them a place uaa put for N<>.w Zealand. Then we come to tho instructions to Governor l'hilnp, and it it> interesting to notice that Governor Phillip asked, when advising the Imperial uuthoritu-.s. to have power in place of v death sentence to hand over oonvicts to tiro New Zealand iiiitivrs to be eaten. Tho proposal was n.ot "dotted by t.ho Urituli authorities. Governor Phillip's m-oinrnendiitioli hh.s made-in the«w» word* :— "For either of these crimes I would wish to coiiiiue the erinnnal till an opportunity olfonnl, and dtlivor him as a prisoner to the natives of New Zealand. and let them eat him. The. dread of this will operate much stronger than the fear of death."' Amongst the most interring of tho letters are thoeo which deserif** how Tippahe Cupa, a chief in Cook Straits, went on board the Uxauia and compel•led tho English captain to tako him to England by ordering his canoes away, and, without throw-ing him overboard, they could not get rid of him, so ho •was taken to England to we. Kinig George. The letters between the captain and tho Imperial authorities or«> given. The chief was taken care of in England by t'ho authorities, and w«w subsequently returned to the ' coloroy. '■ The following letter describee the incident, It i» a communication from Captain Reynolds, of the vessel ' Urania, to Earl Bathuret. Tho spell--1 ing in tho original is adhered to:— ' -Liverpool, A E ril 18th, 1325. '' ''•Tho° , puTport of thie is to inform Soil inoro particularly about Tippahe "Cupa, a cluof of New Zealand, who ■'o»nie to England in the Urania, under 'my command from that cojmtry. Aβ 'Tippahe Cupa, * chief >ntook atra £' on tho 20th February, 1824, I *ac becalmed, about 5 or 0 miles from tho land, when I perceived three cenoea, full of eavegee, coming towards trie chip. I then prepared the ship ready for action. The grand war canoe then came within hale, and by motions I mado them understand to keep ort. Thie chief (Tippahe Cupe) ehowed every eign of peace, « ,ld i perceived ehortly after that they wore all peaceably inclined. '•Thie chief in his great war-canoe. «mmo close alongside, which I could not prevent unices 1 had fired into them; and if I had a great deal of mischief might have been done. lho man jumped on board naked a matt over hie body, leaving the reinain- ; der of his dreee in the canoe), end made signe for arms, and; I ganro him to understand the* 1 had none to give him. Mid then ho gave mc to understand that he would etay on board, and go to Europe, end eeo King Goorgo, which words ho pronounced ulain enough to be understood. I then ordered him to go Into hie canoe egoin, but he had ordered her off, and would not allow her to come near the ■hip £ attempted to neav© him overboard, co as the canoee might pick him up. But he, perceiving my deeign, put it out ot my power. A breeee at that time springing up. he ordered all Tho oa-noee to leave the chip and return to the shore, and told them he wee going to Europe, and that he would coon return again (as he hath told mc since). The next day I attempted to put him on shore near the eastern mouth of Cooks Streights, ontt in so doing I only just escaped loosing tho ehipj therefore I wae obliged, much against my inclination, but ■to hie satisfaction, to make sad and leave the island for my port of destination, Lima. I might perhaps have kept the canoee off if i had fired into them, but I did not wish to commence hostilities, for the good of England at ■ large, having a deeiro that England might stand high in their ideas, and likewise tlwt English chips hereafter might find protection in caee of distress in some of the fine harbours that lyo open to i-cceive ships of any eiao sailing -in these eeas. And I am certain that if this man gote out again safe (as h« is the first chief from the south end of the Island of New Zealand that ever came to England), and got supplied With all the neceasary articles that h« wants, it will be the caving of many men's lives should they ever visit theee parts, or enught in v gale of wind and bo obliged to run for a harbour in that part of tho island. This man,, when ho onme on board, was a complete savago; bijt I have taken n groat deal of pains with him to civilise him, for when I was in Limn, he lived with mo on shoro; wherever I went ho went with mc, he lived on shore with mo «t Monto Vedio and Buenos Ayrwt, and oil tho time he was on board ho lived at my tablo, and I cloathed him, and hath kept him clothed in European fashion ever since ho came under my care. Ho has been a very heavy expense to mc these last 13 months, and I could not help myself in no way, but by firing into their canoes, which I .would not do for tho good of others who might wwfejin those seas. The man is now and is become quite tractable, nnd his partiality for mo ia great. I told him the other day ■ that Mr Huskinson lm'd wrote to 0. U. Brown, Esq., residing here, to tako caro of him, and he &aid that if he Was eeperatod from iro before he got a passage out agnin he would put an •nd , to hie existam-e, which I verily j be-Hove he would. His affection for mc is very great. Since 1 arrived in England His New Zealand Majesty has been very ill. I have had doctors attending him, and I have had him vacoined for tho cow-pox, for fear oi" hie catching that dreadful complaint the •mall poo. Hβ is now perfectly recovered, and in a good state of health, •nd living with mc. . . . He can therefore live witJi mc until an opportunity offers of Retting him a passage from hence, or ot an opportunity offers sooner from London I can come .up with him and see him take his departure from thence. He has made no progress in tho English language, although when ho first came on board ho distinctly mentioned King George and _ Europe. The district where he jjreeides ac chief is on the south end of the North Island of New Zealand, near Entry Wand, Cooks Streights.— I am, etc., "R. K. REYNOLDS, "Commander Ship Urania, "Care of O. R. Brown, Esq.. "Merchant, Water street, Liverpool." (The Maori chief was returned to New Zoaland in H.M.B. The Thames at the end of 1825.]