AN OLD COLONIST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 8

AN OLD COLONIST.

NINETY-TWO AND STILL A TRAVELLER. REMINISCENCES- OF EARLY; DA VS.. Mr. J,. J, Taine, one of the original citizens of Wellington, now 92-ycars of age, arrived, iii Wellington gay , and active yes : terday, after passing ■'-through-• the.'--recent heat-wave in -Melbourne,... and. experiencing one of . the , worst . trips . across.'.- thb .Tasma'n Sea Captain M'Donald,', of the'/Wa'rrimoo, has experienced. for '. many : years. '•' After such a performance Mr. . Taine -will bo accused of having • the - gift' of ' 'eternal youth;. Not . only has.'lie Weathered the extremes of recent meteorological' happenings, -. but ho . finds health" in travelling pretty constantly— So ■he 'travels'. He. was iii Wellington some two years ago for a few? months, after which he stayed 'at Nelson; also Auckland and other places in. the North Island, , and .'during ,recent months ho' has been .refreshing his. excellent "memories .of-. Australia.- ' . : ' ■: '■

Wellington in IS3O. . Mr. Taine had reached man's estate sorno little time when ho arrived ,in " Wellington iii "March, 1840—a fellow passenger of Col/onel Wakefield, Dr. Evans, and'-his family, Mr. Robert Park, Mr. Richard Hanson, and others oh tlio good ship Adelaide (aiter which Adelaide, lioad 'was named). : .\Vheri the Adelaide had left England \the British Government had not yet decided to tak'6 over tho .country, and the idea of the Now Zealand Company , was to establish an-inde-pendent colony, and to .wait - for 'developments to argue for the boon of British control and protection. With that end: in view Colonel ; -Wakefield. was - appointed' ; superinderit,. Mr. Hanson Attorney-General,''''arid Di\ Evans Chief Magistrate, arid that was : the constitution, under which Wellington' was ; born into> tho'- -world. ■ The- sam'q' year;' how-' ever," the, news, .'arrived - that -.New , Zealand, had been made a JBritisli "colony,,:and'' that Captain - Hobson had been appointed, head of tho inaugural administration. . - .

Early History. • . ... On her arrival the Adelaide anchored off Potoiio, where it was decided to plant tho first settlement, to be. called Britannia. There_was' ; a good deal of dis'satisfaction'at the site when the -Adelaide- arrived,' arid this, was 'accentuated- soon ' afterwards by a big flood- in. the: Hiitt. River. : After'i 'a good deal of, discussion!'it ,was" decided,', agaiiist the opinion of Colonel Wakefield, to change the. site,-to the present'-location' of "Wellington' City. . InUhose.days'.there, was',-no 'suspicion of a road between; Petone andrWellington. . Tho hills, clad in virgin bush, sloped down to the waters, of t tho . harbour, and in places overhung the. sea, so that it .was only' at'low water that foot-.'pafestii-gers could make their way along the shore. In those days. the Kaiwarra and .'Ngahau--raiiga were much larger than ' they aro to-day, aiid I the -gorges,', rich with -forest growth, wore a deal more picturesque. The 'real, ownership of " the. site of Wellington was' really a matter for speculation, as not long before the,arrival-of the; first .of the'. New., Zealand: Company's /shipsthe real- t Native . owners had been, chased'-.-off.''their'

property by .a turn .in .tribal warfare,' then a fairly continuous business. .The chief,'pa was at Petone,. where the • powerful Te Puni held, sway,'• but. there- were also ; p'as'at /Ngahaurariga; Kaiwarra,. Pipiten,, (Thorndon),arid Te Aro '.-.(which "pa I 'was situated' at the foot of Taranaki Street. between 1 .» Mariners Street aiid .Victoria Street); "■ /'. '- V

A Great Change,

Mr. and Mrs.; Tairie.,were the first of - the ship's 'company, to. enter, the -To Are', pi; which was ■ a-, stoutly-pallisiided./affair,'' eutered through a long passage formed'- by a\ high fence, and - closely-driven stake's,, pointed: .at tho. top. The Natives there were/ a disreputable lot—thoj: seemed to be'tile refuse,of half-a-dozqn tribes left in their swampy,' raupo-grown lands,',' by \thoif more powerful enemies. \ . What, a change, to-day I i/'/'.Tli'e swamp, overgrown with rank ■ raupo anil tbitoi; is now packed with closely-built houses, and every foot of ground ,is 'of-the utmost value.

The .town acres for 'shareholders; in l the Company were drawn by ballot, but Mr: Taine ivas. not very fortunate, His 'acre bdirig sombwhero on .tlio lower slopes/ of Mount, Victoria', anc{ ■as that .was, a wilderness-, of/ scrub,- Jje. .rented.- .jvhare-.ijrdniv oiio. of thb luckier ones,' wlib *hajl .■ sbciircd a beach >iicris; on- Lambton'; Quay,.- andVthcro-'lib ere'ctod .hife house, built . of'.timber's brought out by, the; Adelaide. . . It,is'notable that the lata Mr:. John.,- Plimmor, who : resided for so 1 many ; year*.on' the. site'-/'of.-': tlio' -.present Dominion-Office, assisted-Mr. Tairib to erect Ins house. Mr.. •Taine/.marHod. -thb oadoptci]-daughter of Colonel' Wakefield,-,and' 'members' of 'liis family are-scatteref all 07er' .