A PAGE FROM THE EARLY HISTORY OF HAWEE'S BAY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 8, Issue 712, 26 December 1865, Page 2

A PAGE FROM THE EARLY HISTORY OF HAWEE'S BAY.

* •■ - . - At the late tea meeting in connection with the Presbyterian Church, the Rev. David Bruce referred to a visit which, ia, company with several other gentlemen, he paid this province in 1857 — a visit in which were originated the province, the press, and the pulpit. As the occasion referred to was one which exercised an important influence upon the future of HawkeVßay, we reprint, from the New Zealand Spectator of June 1857, the chief por tiou of the narrative furnished that*journal by its talented Napier. correspondent :-— On Sunday, the 24th ult., we had the unusual but welcome news, that a steamer was in sight in Hawke's Bay,. bound for this port; the vessel proved to be the .Wonga Wonga from Auckland. Her arrival _iad been expected" fot some days, a gentleman having preceded her overland from Auckland, for the purpose of providing a cargo of wethers as a return freight. Some weeks ago Mr. Rich of Auckland visited this port, and purchased a number of fat wethers, the settlers agreeing to accept in payment some ram lambs of a breed for which Mr. Rich is well kown in the North ; Mr. Rich also purchased several bales of wool on behalf of Messrs.' Bain, Graham, & Co. of Auckland. The wool and the wethers went up to Auckland in the St. Kilda, and the Erin. The former vessel had brought a portion of the rams, and the remainder have now come by the Wonga Wonga. Mr. Rich returned here overland for the purpose of purchasing some more wethers and these I understand were procured at fifteen shillings each, cash, the sheep to be delivered in Napier. Of course the rumour of the arrival of the steamer created some little excitement in this community. The natives, I am informed, when first they saw her in the Bay, declared that she must have a great many people on board to require such a large fire for cooking, but on the stokers replenishing their fires, such a volume of smoke was emitted, that they decided it must be something more than cookery, and that she must be on fire, and they were surprised to find the Pakehas treated this announcement as a good joke. The interest caused by the arrival of tlie first steamer in our port was very materially increased when it became known that the Colonial Secretary of the Colony was a passenger, and that a gentleman representing one of the leading firms in Auckland (who were the charterers) had also come in her, as well as the Editors of the leading journals in that city. Now we have recently had a perfect glut of Provincial authorities, the article was becoming a drug in the market, and even it a fresh Superintendent, or two or three Secretaries from the neighoouring Provinces had suddenly dropped in arhong us it would hardly have, created a sensation, but a visit from a real live Colonial Secretary, that was another affair altogether, and therefore as good citizens and loyal subjects we prepared to give him as hearty a welcome as the shortness of the notice would permit. Unfortunately the steamer was only intended to remain here forty-eight hours, and therefore the visitors had very little opportunity of seeing anything of the district. The Township of Napier, which was scarcely in existence eighteen months ago, gives a very poor idea of Ahuriri. To see the District a visitor must travel thirty or forty miles round, and at least a week would be required for the purpose. Mr. Stafford on his arrival went across the harbour to the residence of Mr. Alexander, and from. thence to that of Captain Carter, on the following day he returned to Napier and afterwards rode as far as Pakowai on the plains, about ten miles from here. This however would give but a slight notion of the Ahuriri district, as a, glance at the map of the District will shew. On the arrival of the steamer information had been sent round to some of the nearest settlers who came down to the port, and on Tuesday a meeting was held to prepare an address to the Colonial Secretary. The Chairman, Captain Carter, was then requested to wait on the Colonial Secretary, and signify the wish of the Settlers to present an Address, and learn the views of the General Government on the subject contained therein. Mr. Stafford having immediately assented returned with the Chairman to the meeting, when Captain Carter read an address which had been prepared. [The address is then given, as well as Mr. Stafford's reply, which we may reproduce at another time.] A public dinner was given at Munn's Royal Hotel, Napier, on Tuesday the 26th instant, in honor of the Colonial Secretary, and also in commemoration of the first' visit of a steamer to this port. All the gentlemen from Auckland were invited as guests. There were present the hon. E. W. Stafford, Colonial Secretary, the Rev. D. Bruce, of the Scottish Free Church, Mr. Bain, of the firm of Bain, Graham, and Co., Mr. Smith, Mr. Smallfield, editor of the New Zealander, Mr. Wood of the Southern Cross, Captain Bowden, and the chief engineer of the -- Wonga Wonga." About twenty-four settlers were present. Mr. Alexander occupied the Chair, and Mr. Rhodes the Vice-chair. After the usual toasts had been disposed of, the Chairman proposed the health of Mr. Stafford, and his Excellency's responsible advisers, in a brief speech, which toast was received and drank with much applause. Mr. Stafford, in reply, expressed himself deeply sensible of the move than usually cordial manner in which his health had been drank in connexion with hia Excellency's advisers, indeed the Chairman had been too flattering, he must emphatically repudiate the idea that his' coming amongst them was any compliment, he considered it to be the duty of those holding his position in the Government, to take every opportunity of visiting the settlements individually, more especially those which were not represented. He felt that he might have justly expected censure in much stronger language than that contained in

ilp^dre^^ o* :Jae ||p|s§o§3^.<^^ P^|lej^ !^Psp^ postal other The 7^iGJJ_&^ Sfaso_^r^ iß^y^si(^and|he was happy to. say thati T^iis^^ a wish to fi proposed I» the agents of 7 th^>*?_singm^ to^ngbitn he^but they had ;7decliijefeo7^ vessel cdliatpiis port, t ibeca^e^t® r policy of jhsurahce^ould not iprm^^em to do so. He hoped, fioweyer, o^^-^^qvevmk ihight yet fye able to come; Earid lievwoiald^BotM to conyey-tp his Excel* v tencyitfee bf tbe^airnian. - TAt tbo same ss^me7he ;*would expre^his opinion tbat her - JjMiijest^id^ndt a more worthy or •Conscientious .^resentktive - than ; GoveiM* jßcimnei • ! It bad yei^mucblighte^ the cai^ ; o( tbo position fc^(Mr; Stafford) hoVheld, the cbri yxity compilation of his.Expelleficy, and he felt th^whliber agreeing or disagreeing - 'iwith his; present advisers^'pr those "itrho tnight succeed themy:^ ceive | the careful consideration of^^his^ Excellency, wjhjich was what didj.npt always fall to the lo|' of those who were in the position of advisers to the Crown. 7 He had.^lreadyexpressei: $)£ itho^p^hmen|; with Ms_feclioiilie Subject!^fbjch Jad been brought 7 undefeihis notice, but^here ere one or two 7 points he Mould still desfe to refer to, and one ■:.; especially^^inasmuch as; |here^was a seeming ifleglect on o^^pait.^^^^jloy^mrat;^ alluded tothe absence of a regular postal communicatiqn. He was»fappy7to,say that the exertions of himself ani his colleagues had met with the hearty co-operation. pf the gentlemen : ; here;, be had already alluded |o. Captain Carter v durling; he now alluded to the 7^ gratuitously undertaken Cthe%ty of removing some of the obstructions .which 'deferred travellers from passing along ihe. road between this and Auckland. The bad already arranged for a regular _|bstal^communication with Taupo, leaving x the Continuance of the mails to be managed from thiazide; Mr. Alextihder had undertaken to V;^ange|th.is, and: he (Mr. Stafford) had every 4cpnMence rthat before many weeks a fortnightly 7_na_l ;^<mid lie established; He would again ;7^fer;fe; ihe pleasure he had derived from the i^ngement which would Enable Ahuriri to be : 7 heard, iit one of the Councils of the colony ; he -7^d* already- stated that Captain Curling had •^cepted a seat, and he (Mr, Stafierd) felt •J^nbijr^tified after hearing the reply of that : : to the toast,*--i. might be truly 7^ilfe,"he a reply at the point of the sword, t;^aM heTfelt that amongst the senators next ses--7 sion there would not be found a iinore straightforward orator^ The Chairman had alluded fact that he was an old colonist: for sixyears, he had shared in the fortunes of : NeW Zealand, and he had reason to feel satisfied with the career which fortune lmd allotted "to hub in the colony., He could.not omit to say.hoWj strong his sympathies were with .the that room; he %oToeenJ&iiveeAev of sheep, and itwas his most^"prosperous occupation— njiucb, more so y Stain pblC^cs— ; and, perhaps, but for .'politics it might have been more prosperous still; but gain was not the only impulse on which are based the' actions of men. Anyone who had mixed much with the settlers engaged in pastoral pursuits, must be. assured that it was the most pleasant occupation. Nothing — when he was at Nelson— gave him more pleasure than to visit; 'the'bush, to ride perhaps forty or fifty , 7 tnUes a day, to visit friends who received him j with a short pipe in their mouth, and whose I : very dogs, seemed to bark a welcome ; he often, sighed that the majority of his days should be | passed in a hot office, without exercise or air. j He was not, however, insensible to the respon- 1 •sibUities of the office he now held, and, whilst in the v position of a responsible adviser, he was 'aware thai he only held it whilst he gave advice : calculated -Co promote the prosperity of tbe;colohy, and that if it ceased to be such the position wbvdd soon cease to be his. He was .aware >that there were many persons in the pplphy who; dissented -from his opinions — one Of themost active newspapers was semi-weekly #4evbted to attacks pn himself j— -he did not wish that it should be otherwise ; and whilst he always hoped- to see a strong Government, he also hoped to see a^strong and, healthy opposition.; he thoughtrthat without a hearty oppo- ;•; 7sition acting as a spur tothe generous horse, Governments were apt to fall asleep and. become forgetful of their duties ; so long as an opposition was fair, he had nothing to complain As this was not a political dinner, he would "'say .rio more, with regard to the character Of the present opposition. , He would ; now only refer to the possibility of his paying another visit to Ahuriri. It >\*puld be niuch niore agreeable to him than to he shut up in an office night after night ; but it was impossible, with the present means at_the command of the Government, that, he could often be absent. The heads Of Government were, often obliged to; do'wprk usually done by the -clerks ; but, if possible, next^summer, he would visit Ahuriri .for a^ week, bringing his gun and retriever. He begged again to return them his heartfelt thanks for lie reception they have given bim, and to drink all their healths. >Mr. Rhodjss, the Vice-Chairman, proposed the next toast : — "Mr. Bain and the mercan- . tUe interest." . 7 ; Mr. Bain, in responding to the toast, expressed bis^gratitude for! the reception he had r'V^.'iaefewitli. 7He said that hitherto, Ahuriri had ■'•'-; '--.. been;^a terraincognita to Auckland; there were " -' po^jbae^s by which the great majority could 7 v'bome;and see the capabilities of the place. It ,7^ and get back again ,_;,biy;Baiiing vesjel, and eVen by steam there was ; V^.B" j^.fficultyi; : &s;'tße Colonial Secretary had re;^7cently remarked. In reference to the insurance, 7y : 7its j (Mr; 7 ISairi) would ? inform them, however, 77 ihi^t^^ns|urahce of the Wonga Wonga had 'y ;^f*'Ctfptaih Ourwnq returned thanks for the yAa the^rihiea entitled ihiß Army an^ Navy to the ;-''|ihankS"^.ibelrcbuntr^ the colonist. !'7l^wSr^:^ '}y:fto%W^^i^^'' i^ a 'P i^' » fthd he thought tbe £w£tf^V^ of ti™ Napiet vyififi^ them to stand honesft ami ICiP^fl^^^^^^mfth'her?ia\whatevervtheyunder.

been taken u^ iii a J few hours by the merchants of Auckland themselves.. The fact was, the .vessel belohgedtto Auckland, and the merchants of that place knew that it was to their interest to support her. He had recently visited Hobart Town, Melbourne, and Launceston, and he was surprised to find that the people of Auckland attempted, and successfully carried out enterprises which were not attempted in " these larger cities. He had found on visiting the Chambers of Commerce at those places, that the whole of the East Coast of New was shut out from insurance. The people of Auckland were ready to take any reasonable risk. The Zingari could not come here because her insurance did ifbt permit, the Wonga was ! easily insured ; they had confidence in the vessel, i and in the Captain ; this was an instance of the advantage of centralization, of concentrating their eflorts; The merchants of Auckland;; like the sheep. of Ahuriri, were always in want of fresh fields, but he thought if they were to open their eyes f . and look nearer home, they would find a better field than by going to a distance. Mr. Stafford had told them what an opposition ought to*be, and if Wellington could go.beyond them, it would only act as a spur to Auckland. He felt confident that the small end ofe the wedge was already in, and he thought, it only; necessary that there should be a furffier understanding between the two people ih order to drive the wedgeJhgme (applause);, a great deal was accomplished when you met a man face to face, you could then see exactly what his feelings were. He felt confident that by assisting in the establishment of steam, communication, it would be tn*eir best advertisement. It would be well worth while to pay for the- advantage ; Auckland had paid for it, and had reaped the benefit, and he would strongly urge them to get steam at all hazards, this was the only settlement in New Zealand now in the shade, but a great deal might be accomplished by a spirit of private enterprise. Then again with regard to postal commimication, Mr. Rich had lately made the journey overland from Auckland in eleven days, and he thought that the proposal for a regular overland communication was a feasible project. The Auckland people would be delighted to hear the spirit in which, they had been met ; he had heard it asked, what Wellington would think, but it was for them to encourage both, and to remember the old adage to buy in the cheapest market, and to sell ia the dearest ; he did not speak for himself only, but he wished all the merchants of Auckland would come down, he would conclude by thanking them for the attention with which they had listened to him. Mr. Munn, in a short but humorous speech, proposed " The Press," which toast was responded to by the representatives of the New Zealander and Southern Cross. Among the remaining toasts were — "The Prosperity of Napier," "The Chairman of the Settlers' Association," "The Ladies," "Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald," "Mr. Cooper (Native Land. Commissioner)," " Rev. Mr. Bruce," " Captain Bowden (of the Wonga Wonga) " all of which were duly replied to. After a most agreeable and friendly meeting the party broke up about twelt c o'clock. Want of time to devote to this purpose, and also a regard for other demands upon your columns, obliges me to omit any report of the speeches, with the exception of those of most importance and of more than local interest. The Settlers here are not much given to oratory, but what they do say they mean, and it is generally pretty much to the point, which is more than can be said of the orations of some of our rulers and Provincial Councillors. I I have also omitted the "hear, hears," "cheers," &c, but I may observe that both the Colonial Secretary and Mr. Bain were listened to with marked attention, aud that they elicited frequent and hearty applause. The same writer refers in the following terms to the first establishment of the press in Napier. He says : — I am happy to say that the settlers are becoming fully alive to the power of the press, and the necessity of being more perfectly represented in the fourth estate. A newspaper project, which has for some time past been floating in the minds of two or three active members of the Settlers' Association, has now assumed a more tangible form. Itbas arrived at the stage of a prospectus and a subscription list. A gentleman now connected with the Auckland press proposes to start the Ahuriri Guardian, if the settlers will guarantee a certain sum as a bonus'towards the coast of the outfit, and also a certain number of annual subscriptions as a . minimum. With regard .to the former, T may observe that half the amount was raised in one day amongst the residents at Napier, and the few settlers from the country who where at the Port (exclusive of about £10 liberally contributed by some of the visitors from Auckland). With regard to the annual subscriptions, no difficulty is anticipated, and I believe about one half of these are already secured, _ Many of the settlers are so fully aware of the great advantage of a local paper, both politically and commercially, that they are willing to take two or more. copies rather than there should be any difficulty on that point, and I hope there is not a man in the district so benighted as to refuse his cooperation where the interest of the settlement is concerned. The proprietor anticipates that he will be able to obtain a considerable amount of support in Auckland both in subscriptions and advertisements, and I suppose the mercantile community of Wellington will not quietly submit to be thrust out of this market, which has certainly proved a pretty good "diggings" heretofore. The Guardian, when it appears, will furnish you, (as well as your contemporaries throughout the Colony) with the sayings and doings at Ahuriri, much more regularly and perfectly than I have been able to do." Band op Hope. — The annual festival takes i place this day. We believe that Colonel i Hamilton has kindly granted the services of the ' Band of the 12th regiment, which will attend ! in the afternoon. i Robbery. — A robbery has taken place, we r understand, at the Shamrock Hotel. Five men are supposed tQ have been concerned, ..- and, of those, two; o^ t^reo are already in I custody.