MORE ODDS AND ENDS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 10

MORE ODDS AND ENDS

WELLINGTON'S SYMPATHY WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (Written by S. Snunders.) ..-. A correspondent has been good enough to send me a facsimile ot the letter of condolence addressed by "The Mayor, Aldermen, Town Councillors, and inhabitants of Wellington," to "tlic inhabitants of the settlement of Nelson in JS'ew Minister" on the oc casion of the deplorable catastrophe commonly described as the "Wairau Massacre." It is an admirable reproduction of the very interesting document hanging in the Wellington Museum, , expressing not merely the sympathy of one little community with another little community in the hour or' its sorrow and uncertainty, but also proffering all the assistance it could give its stricken neighbour in ccpairing its fortunes and regaining its confidence. .. We, the Mayor, Aldermen, Town Councillors, ami •undersigned inhabitants of this Borough of Wellington, it runs, offer to you, our fellow colonists of Nelson, the assurance of our deep and heartfelt sympathy m the severe calamity which lias befallen the colony, by the horrible massacre at Wairoa. At the same rime that wo proffer to you our sincere condolence for the irreparable loss you luivo sustained by the untimely fate of those who fell in the attempt to uphold the equal authority of the .British Laws among British subjects, Wo pledge ourselves to aid by our best exertions Your endeavours to procure Justice for the past and protection for the future. Wei' lington, 11th July, 1843. Then follows a list of 138 signatures, including those of George Iluntei and George- Hunter, junior (the grandfather and father of Sir George Hunter) William Fox, W. Vavasour, Harry W. Petrc, Charles Clifford (father ol Sir George Clifford), J. X Feathcrston, W. B. Ebodes, James Watt,- C. Sharp, W. !J. Swainson, Kenneth Bethune, bnmuel Kovar.s, N. Niven, Daniel Riddiford, C. M. Penny, J. Bouleott, W. Everett, J. Chapman, G. T. Monteith, E. J. Duncan,. W. D. Mantel), Edwin Bannister, J. if. Greenwood, and many others who were destined to leave their footprints on the sands of time that marked the progress of the young cojony. The Wairau tragedy took place on 17tl> June, 1543, and considering the dilli cultios of communication in those days Wellington .was prompt as wel) as sympathetic in presenting its message of condolence. That it should have mistaken, in a measure, the nature of the tragedy was not strange in the absence of definite information, and that it should have written Wairau as Wairou was natural enough at a tune when Maori names were less familiar to Europeans than they are to-day. ALFEED DOMETT'S PROSE. To another correspondent, whose-let-ter has been lying at my elbow for some weeks past, I owe an apology for not having explained earlier that when applauding the rhythm of Mr. Alfred Domett's prose, some time ago, 1 had no intention of belittling the quality of the poet-politician's verse. As the matter is mainly one between ourselves I will content myself by quoting Mr. Domett's tribute to Captain Arthur Wakefiold, the New Zealand Company's agent at Nelson, after this gallant officer had puid with his life for tho tragedy just mentioned: — "At early morning chatting with Natives gathered round his door, the result generally being a gift of a. blanket, or payment of a promised bag of flour or sugar on some old visit; in his daily progress from the port to the town, stopped at every other step; listening with benevolent aspect, patiently to all sorts of unreasonable complaints, unreasonable requests, digging his stick in the ground, <or taking a pinch of snuff, the only symptpn of emotion shown; now making some little job of. work for this man on his own account; putting down another's name for the company's employ; here, advising tho new-comer as to tho best employment of his capital; there, anxious to learn from a country settler the state of his crops, all the details of his progress; now disentangling with the newspaper editor some • puzzling problem of colonisation, made a science with its intricate, ever-varying, yet mutually dependent elements, then interesting himself in soino old woman's litter of pigs, or cabbage, the prideof hoi1 heart; discussing with this man tho run of a boat; with that the practical probability.of a plan for working the flax-plant; assisting every rational enterprise, dispelling any faint-heart ed misgiving) with money, where possible, with countenance and kindness where not; ever less anxious to lead than to suggest and assist; now at a public meeting speaking calmly, earnestly, rationally; now helping to organise a literary or agricultural society, or visiting and superintending a children's school, quietly over-looking the gradual organisation of a now community,', helping it forward when impeded, clearing the way for its selfdevelopment rather than attempting to construct it on pre-coneeived designs or systematised formulas; looked up to by all, individually as well as collectively; his whole heart in- the colony, and everything advantageous to it, with high intellectual enlightenment and soul for tho most generous theories; so cautious, prudent, practical, tho tyranny of self thrown off, therefore mild, just, and uncompromising opponent of all other tyrannies ot law or custom; shrewd in discveriug character, yet charitable in construing it; so wise, temperate and firm, unassuming, with self-confidence; commanding respect when scorning.to show it; never for a^ moment the slave of passion, always the active' servant of duty; lie was by nature cut out for the founder of a colony, for a leader of men." It remains to say that this -was not the customary style of Mr. Domett's prose composition; but as an example of the resources of the English language it may be thought worthy or! a place in this column. "800 MARRAY." One who but narrowly missed the distinction of being a blood relation, in a broad sense, of Sir Maui Pomare, a doctor of medicine, a Cabinet Minister, and a fast friend, may not bo deemed over presumptuous in alluding briefly to an uncle's passing acquaintance during the 'twenties of last century with the rangatira of a branch of Sir Maui's numerous and far-flung family. At that time Captain Bayly, afterwards a master of Trinity House, was a stripling on board the good brig St. Patrick, lying somewhere around tho lower reaches of the Hauraki Gulf loading kauri spars for transport to parts unknown. ■ Young Bayly had acquired the habit of keeping a diary while on shipboard, and sixty years later he converted his diary into a book of which a. copy may be found in the Turnbull Library in Wellington. In this book ho tolls of his adventures in New Zealand, which, by the way, never extended further south than the site of tho present town of Thames. His story cannot be followed in any detail hero, but his meeting with 800 Marray is historic. "Tho loading went on slowly, but without interruption," ho writes, "and tJio Natives never attempted to molest us, till one afternoon when some chiefs from the Bay; of

! Islands came down, with whom the captain was not inclined to be familiar, lie, therefore, gave orders that if they came alongside they were not to be allowed to come on board. They did come and when the sentry at the gangway said they could not be admitted tho haughty chiefs were very indignant. One of them, 800 Murray by name, sprang up the side ladder, and endeavoured to force his way on deck. The sentry held his cutlass across tho gangway; the chief seized hold of it, but dropped it pretty quickly, for being sharpened it cut across his fingers and blood was drawn. In his blind exasperation at being wounded, he called out to the other chiefs to paddle away ashore and arouse all the Natives to come off and avenge the insult. They did as they were ordered. Meanwhiio the s-entry threatened to run 800 Murray through if ho advanced a stop, and Captain Florence, coming on deck, ordered 'all hands to quarters,' and the order was instantly obeyed, which .seemed to astonish 800 Marray not a little. lie looked around as if meditating a retreat to his canoe, but the canoe was hurrying away in hot haste to arouse the people, and there stood the'poor chief on the upper round of the ladder, as savage as a bear and yet not daring to stir." The 'master of the brig, a sea-dog of the Nelson School, had foreseen the possibility of suelr a predicament, and ho had come prepared. THE REPULSE. That all the resources of the master and men "of the St. Patrick were to bo taxed to the utmost was soon obvious enough. "On hearing that 800 Marray had been wounded on board tho ship," Captain Bayly goes on to rola'tc, "the chiefs on shore summoned all 'their men from their work. They pounced upon their arms —muskets, spears, clubs, axes, and any other weapons that came to their hands—rushed down the beach, launched twelve of their canoes, and swiftly paddled oil" to the ship. There were two or threo chiefs in each canoe who stood up brandishing their weapons, and uttering the most horrible throats Each canoe had seventy or eighty men on board, in all about nine hundred men, stark naked, savage, mustering about sixty muskets among them. They formed two lines on our. port quarter, where, finding the crew of the; St. Patrick at quarters, prepared for a stand-up fight, well knowing how we were armed, and that they might expect a warm reception, they hesitated and held a council of war as to .vhother they should take tho ship at once or wait for a more convenient opportunity. Meanwhile our captain had pointed out to 800 Marray our moans of defence, especially the caiTona'dea loaded.with bullets and slugs enough to swoop any of them off the deck. . . . Whilst tho Natives were holding their council, the undaunted Peter -.Dillon drew a pistol from his belt, and pointing it at 800 . Marray assured him that if they' dared oven to attempt to coino on board he would shoot him immediately. Not relishing this prospect, 800 Marray stood upon the hencoop, and, looking over tho hammock rail, shouted to tho chiefs that he was not much hurt; that it was'all a mistake, and that he had made friends with Peter. ... On our side every man stood firm at his post. 'They had fought under Cockrane.' . . . We were held'in breathless suspense for about five minutes. . . The captain held, Bgo Marray covered with his pistol. . . . Had one trigger been pulled during those minutes there, in all human probability, would have been a bloody battle. . . . Tho Natives uttered diabolical threats, with frantic gestures and hideous contortions. Then they returned to the shore, leaving 800 Marray to his fate." As a matter of history ,tlio baffled leader was regaled, under guard, with roast pork and potatoes, convinced of the error of his ways and ultimately sent asoro in a boat under the charge of young Bayly, who was as proud of his mission as he might have been had be been entrusted with tho escort of Napoleon Bonaparte to Elba. And so all ended well. Had jit been otherwise one's pleasant rela- | tions with Sir Maui Poniare might have been cemented by still closer ties.