NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15560, 8 April 1916, Page 7

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

"OLD WHANGANUI.'

The work of gathering together material for the early history of New Zealand is so important that every fresli effort in this direction is to be welcomed. An interesting and valuable contribution to such material is made in the shape of an illustrated volume entitled "Old Whanganui," by Mr T. \V. Downes. Ihe story is divided into two parts, the first a collection of Maori legends and traditions, in which the Whanganui district is so rich, and Part 2, dealing with the coming of the pakcha, from 1831, when Joe Howe, a trader 111 dried human heads, lei t iiapiti in a whaling boat for the Whanganui river on a trading expedition. Howe iiad with him a man named Andrew Powers, and three other sailors, one of whom was a negro. 'ihe party became involved in a quarrel with the Maoris, and all of them were killed except Powers, who was simply stunned. Tne Natives cut off the lieacis of two of their victims, and one of these was afterwards dried in the usual way for sale. The other, being much cut about by the hatchet, was discarded. On Powers afterwards asking what had become of the third man who was killed, as he saw only two of their heads, the Maoris blandly explained that when the man was being killed he cried out, and as their "atuas" told them that they should not cat the flesh of men who were afraid 6fideath lest it should make them cowards, they buried him in the sand. Powers fortunately came under the protection of the great Te Heuheu, and lived for many years afterwards in "Whanganui. He was a fine, hale old man, and must have been nearly seventy years old when he gave this account in 1850. The most interesting illustrations in this volume are reproduced from sketches made by Mr J. A. Gilfillan, an artist who settled in Whanganui about 1840. He had a section of land at Matarawa, and here a shocking tragedy took place in 1847. A young midshipman of the gunboat Calliope had a dispute with the chief of the NgatiRuaka tribe, and in the struggle the middy's pistol went off, and the Maori was wounded in the cheek. It was in accordance with the Maori custom of "utu" that the Mjjpris made a descent on the homestead of Mr Gilfillan, and besieged the house. From the conversation of the Natives, the occupants of the house came to the conclusion that it was Mr Gilfillan they wanted, and that if he werei away they would content themselves, with plunder, and do no injury to the wife and children. So he, having been wounded in, the struggle, and also almost useless to help in resisting the Natives, and entreated by his wife to escape while he had the opportunity, tlid so, and left by an end window. He reached Whanganui in an exhausted condition, and on a rescue party going out they met two little children, wet and cold, trying to find the way to the Mission House. These were Sarah Gilfillan, aged six years, and John Gilfillan, aged seven and a half years. By the account received from "the little ones the party were prepared for evil tidings. Slit nothing so horrifying as the spectacle which actually met their eyes. The house was a heap of smoking ruins. On entering the enclosure the party came , suddenly on a group of mangled corpses, the last that of the poor mother, her head being almost cut to pieces by repeated blows with a heavy European axe. A couple of yards in advaoco lay the body of her daughter, fourteen years of age, her skull split nearly in close to her the body of a young child, Adam, aged 3i years. All. of them, from their attitudes, had evidently been struck down in flight, and the tottering steps of the child appeared to have been retarding the flight of the mother and sister. The cries of a young child were heard from a' cowshed, and on the way to it the party passed the body of a boy about eleven years of age, and near him a b lby wlii°h they supposed to be dead, but afterwards found was sleeping and unhurt. In the cowshed was a young girl of fifteen, with a deep tomahawk wound in her forehead. Many were the hardships and privations of New Zealand settlers in the early days, and not a few of them lost their lives in conflict with the . Maoris, but New-Zealand history contains few more poignant tragedies than this. Mr Doivnes modestly disclaims any literary ability, and Lhe.efore it wouid he hardly fair to criticise the style of the book. He has, however, collected some :nost. interesting information, end the get-up of the volume reflects credit on the printers and publishers. (Hawera. New Zealand: \V. A. Parkinson and Co. "VVanganui: H. J. Jones.)

''AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT.'' Under this title, the well-known English writer, Mr A. St. John Adcock, has written a popular account of the campaigning work done by Australians and New Zealanders. The book contains a number of interesting illustrations, and the author is ungrudging in his admiration of the part taken by Australia and New Zealand in the war. He is, however, at great disadvantage from having no first-hand information regarding the events described. The book is a compilation from official despatches, newspaper articles, etc., eked out by conversations with wounded Anzacs in London. The consequence is that the winter has fallen into a good many err.jrs and misprints are frequent. One picture, entitled "With our Troops in Egypt," bears the mystic sub-title, "The Sixth Hamakai New Zealand Regiment Entrenching; at Ismailin, on the Banks of the Suez Canal." A purely imaginative touch occurs in the chapter devoted to the triumph of the Sydney over the Enulen, when the writer says that the captain of the Emden, Glossoph, and the Kaiser's kinsman, Prince Franz Joseph Hohenaollern, with the rest of the captured German officers and men were <sent as prisoners of war to Australia, and "the most remembered, aua one of the most momeutous episodes in the war. came to a fitting conclusion when the vast crowd which gathered at Sydney Harbour to welcome with storms of cheering the triumphant Captain Glossop and his men broke into a generous ovation for the hero of the Emden,- as his conquerors "brought him in."

As our readers are aware, no such incident ever took place. The Sydney did not return to the port after which she is named, nor were the Emden's prisoners sent to Australia. Apart from these unfortunate slips, the book is well written, and attractively got up. and no doubt will please the British public, who have shown such generous appreciation of the work done by the Australian and New Zealand troops. "London: Simokin. Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, and Co.. Ltd., 4 Stationers' Hall Court, E.C.). AN AUSTRALIAN GIRL IN GERMANY. When the great war broke out, Miss Hilda M. Freeman, an Australian lady,

was living as governess and companion in the family of a German nobleman, Baron von Klingraeff, whose estate is situated near Neubrandenburg, in the heart of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. a north German province. The chief part of the book consists of an interesting account of life in a German country house. Miss Freeman was most kindly treated, and the Count, who held a high position in the Court of Mecklen-burg-Strelitz appears to have_ had a {renuine appreciation of the English and English institutions. Miss Freeman was taken seriously ill at about the time when the war broke out, and, in spite of the kindness of the Count and Countess and some other members of the familv. her position soon became embarrassing and unoleasant. A considerable time elapsed before, through the good offices of the American Ambassador. she was enabled to leave the country, and it is interesting to read her vivid description of the atmosphere around her. and the manner in which tlm earlv events of t'>e war were received as the news filtered into this Oerma-" household. The familv evidently believed that Australia would at onc> rpvnit from the Mother Coimtrv. and trifl verv hard to set Miss Freemnn to dissociate herself from the English. A curious instance of the Germans' invp , -Wl wav of looking at the incidents of the war is to hf> found in the manner in Lord Kit-cheuer's message to the soldiers was received. Miss Freeman, of course, thought it was splendid, but the Baroness thought it "rather dreadful that an army should have fallen so low as to need such a warning." Miss Freeman, bewildered, asked "Which warning'-'" and the Jjarouoss rented: "W r hy. the warning that they must- not plunder -or murder." "Surely," she said, "a civilised Army does not need such a warning. What- a poor opinion Lord Kitchener must have of the men when lie considered it necessary." The book is the more interesting because the authoress gives the real names of most of the people with whom she came in contact, and her description strikes one as being true to life. She has an irritating habit of sprinkling the story with German words, most or them quite simple, which could just as well be expressed in English in the text instead of the translation being gravely relegated to a footnote. This, however, is a small fault. (Melbourne: The Specialty Press Proprietary, Lt<l., 191 Little Collins street; 2s 6d.)