A SPIRITED ADVENTURE

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1015, 19 January 1869, Page 3

A SPIRITED ADVENTURE

Under tho abovo heading, tho Otago Baily Times of Dec. 16 gives an account of the immigrants who lately landed in that province from Halifax, Nova Scotia :-—

That the spirit of daring which compelled Raleigh, the Frobishers, and the men of Devon, to seek adventure when the cry of " Westward Ho ! " was raised in Merrie England, is nofc dead in the breasts of their descendants, is proved by tho introduction to Otago of the immigrants who arrived here on Monday by the Emulous, from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Viewed by our lights, there is a romance in the story of the adventure, from which Charles Kingsley could find material for the history of another Amyas Leigh. Let us premise that to Nova Scofcians New Zealand, at the present day, is a terra incognita. That such a place exists, Young New Brunswick is no doubt taught when it goes to school ; but it is warned of its dangers, and comes to regard it as a kind of" bogie," to which naughty little boys are sent for punishni#h't. Let us premise, further, that Nova; Scotia is in itself no inconsiderable ; $old-producing country, and that there, labour, while it is plentiful, is well paid. The necessaries of life, besides, are cheap, and the cost of living does nofc exceed, for a single man, two dollars a week. Wages were quoted as follows :-~Carpenters, 6s to 8s per day ; masons, 8s per day ; labouring men, 4s 6d to 5s per day ; and praotical miners, competent to take charge of a mine, keep the books; &c, 12s or 10s per day. Prosperous as this appears on paper, it would seem thafc there was a stagnation in the colony, caused partly through over-specu-lation in the mines by adventurers in America, and partly through the dispute with England and the United States anent the fisheries. The consequence of a dull market aud a plethora of population is necessarily — as we have frequently experienced here— emigration. In the fall of 1867, a Baptist minister, the Eev. A. E. Porter, a gentleman who has friends at Wanganui, first called the attention of the people of Halifax to the advantages of New Zealand as a place of settlement. He proposed then to form a company.

The idea was at first seized on eagerly, and applications for shares were poured in upon the promoters with such rapidity that the Government and the Press w T ere fain to take cognisance of the proposed adventure. The former exerted all its private influence to damn it ; tho latter wrote strongly, virulently, and ignorantly against New Zealand and all connected with it. Those who proposed to emigrate were told that the land painted to them as one of promise was " a small island, without a market for its produce, and rampant with cannibal savages." Gloomy pictures were drawn of defenceless women and children butchered in cold blood, and of sturdy settlers eaten with gusto by our natives. In short, those who left Nova Scotia were promised nothing but a short shrift and a long rope. These denunciations had their effect, and the applicants who had been so eager for shares afc first, cooled in their ardour. Numerous deposits had been paid, these were forfeited, the depositors finding excuses for their backsliding very similar to those of the guests bidden to the wedding. In March, the promoter of the company, who had stuck to his colours through evil and good repute, ably combating the claims of New Zealand as a place of settlement, had almost given up tho contest in despair, and resolved on coming on to New Zealand himself by the Panama route. His persistence, however, had worked its fruits. There was shortly after a fresh application for shares, ancl this time by persons who were nofc to be deterred by the stupid cry which had boen raised by interested parties against the colony. These were men of determination and resolve, who, cosmopolite in their capacity, are the best of colonists. Their experiences in Nova Scotia, itself a colony, had inured them to what they might expect in a newer colony than tho one they had helped to people, and they came to Mr. Porter resolved to sharo his enterprise with him, afc all risks and hazards to themselves. For the most part they were men of some substance — men who, in executing a resolve, had to give up some interest ; to relinquish many ties. They were of the sort from whom great nations sometimes spring, and who cannot fail to do good wherever they set their foot. Unlike thepauper classes pouring into the colony of Victoria afc the partial expense of the State, they were independent of the aid of Government, and prepared to fight the battle of life out on vantage ground of their own choosing. Progress was now made rapidly, and by the end of July sixteen shares had been taken up, and several passengers had taken berths on board the Emulous, a brigantine 160 tons register, bought for the voyage by the company ; and the 'tween decks of which had before this been fitted up specially for passenger accommodation. Half the difficulties of the directors were not yet conquered, however. The Nova Scotian Government acknowledge and encourage immigration to any extent ; but they do not recognise emigration at all. As soon as it was known that the Emulous was full, the endeavours to prevent her departure were redoubled, and there was some tall talk about laying an embargo on her, ancl thus preventing her departure. When the day of sailing drew near, strenuous efforts were made to find an officer connected with the Government who would give a clearing certificate. In vain. Nobody knew anything about the mattor, and nobody cared to know anything. Eventually, it was resolved to ignore the authorities, and, on Aug. 19, a farewell was taken of the land, and the vessel proceeded on her voyage. There were then on board 53 souls, of whom 15 formed the crew, and 12 were children. The balance was made of mechanics, farmers, and their wives, who were resolved on making New Zealand their home. The * directors, when they started, had decided on no port of destination. The tickets they issued to those of their passengers who were nofc shareholders, guaranteed only to land them in New Zealand ; and it seems that, to the last moment, a doubt was felt as to whether the Northern Island should not be the resting-place. Mr. Porter, as we have stated, had friends in Wanganui, and ho wished, at first, to make Wellington the port. Favourable winds waited the Emulous to her destination quickly. The lino was crossed ou the 25th of September, and from thence a very rapid run was made, Cape Farewell being sighted on the 106 th day. When. the vessel got to Wellington, it was blowing a gale, and, the pilot giving an unfavourable account of the state of the country, it was resolved at once to proceed to Dunedin. Here, tho party seem to have quickly found a home. A number of them came ashore yesterday, and some of them found employment which suited them without difficulty. They all seem resolved to grapple with circumstances as they meet them, and thero does not seem the slightest doubt bufc that they will make most useful colonists.