PIONEER RECOLLECTIONS.

Mataura Ensign, 13 August 1909, Page 4

PIONEER RECOLLECTIONS.

HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT. A PAGE FUOJITHE PAST. (Collected by 11. Beattie.) XVI.—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Tho Moving Finger writes: and, bavinwrit, " Moves on: nor all thy i'ietv nor Wit Shall lire it back to cancel half a line, -Nor all thy Tciirs wash out a Word of it

The Wordly Hope men sei t heir Hcarto upon Turns Ashes—or ii. prospers, and anon, Like Such- upon the Desert's dustv Fltcc Lighting a little Hour or two—i," •.-one. —Omar Khayyam (1100 A.D.)

In the preceding nrticlos nv ban* Been thu progress n| (lie pastoral occupation of tho Mataura Vallev since the lower portion wa.s pioneered in JK.jt and tho upper plains in l«oo. The administration of the land affairs of this, the fringe ol' civilisation, was in distant Duncdin, and it wa.s merelv another example of the trend ol history in all ages when the dot ached band of colonials began to bo dissatisfied with tho governing power. One would naturally think that the hardy band of pioneers who olungcd into the almost unknown wilderness would have been accorded a specially sympathetic- hearing from the ruling body, but such appears not to have been'the. ease judging from the protests that came, from "the frontier.' Jv is not the intention of the writer to go into tile pros ami cons of the question that, finally ended in the separation lor some year.-; of Southland ami Otago, but he would like to narrate several facts connected therewith that touch upon the histories if well-known piottc'-r.s in the Mataura area. In the ninth article in this series it was .stated that the manner in which -Messrs Cubbin and Outin 'met been treated by tin- Land Board was one of the grievances of the Murihiku runholdens. Thanks to Mr W. H. S. Roberts tins writ-; can now supplv fuller details of this e.-f-c than he <oul'd when the previous i.len-nre to ji «■;,; penned. Mr Roberts writes: "On September !S, 1807, :l -public mccling was held at luvercargill to draw up a" p-li-lion to Oovcruor T. '.ore-firowno .statin,!; certain grievance, under wbieh the settlers in .Murihiku seller.,l. especially from the action of the Olago Waste Lands Hoard. Appendix A refer-,-,I to the ease of Messrs Cubbin and diimi and the text of it i, as lollows: 'Appendix A: M-ssn. Cubbin and C.unii made an iipplication for a. cattle run (No. Fill) on the right bank ol the Maialtra, and their application was approved of in the Land Ollice and advertised February S. lK(i. They drovo cattl- from the province of Ciuitcrbiirv and when passing Duncdin in .Inlv. IS-50, they gave notice in the Laud Office that they were on their wav to tin- rim with their stock and were 'then told that all was right. They wen! In the run directly, reaching it in August and riu reflection they wiit a writ tee. intimation to the Land Office when near the run. Believing that they were in .secure possession of tlie run tliev proceeded lo make Ibe iniprovcnioiil's essential to flic working of it, such as building stockyards and bridges, sawing timber, cultivating html, etc. For some months they wen- thoroughly occupied in this way. and did not think of taking out their license. On November '27, IMG, they applc-d lor their license, and in answer received a iirciilar letter from the Land Ullice dated January M. 1807. stating ilint a:, their run was likely to be include.! i u the line of country to b- si.-t apart lor sale in two-tliousand-acre blocks uiiiier the tonus of tin- Land Sales ami Lease- Ordinance (which ordinance did not receive the assent of the. Governor until February 21. 15571. the Superintendent had ordered that, no licenses should be given for runs m that pan of the country, couse.'iuently no licence would be given to them, and they were recommended to look for countrv elsewhere. In June tln-v received ii letter from the Land Office dated May -J", iuforniing Ihcin that their run was included in the count rv lor sale in hm-Ihoiisaiid-aere blocks, consequently they colli.l not get it. In July they bad a further communication Irotu the Wa-io Land Board, in which they were throat,-•.-iied with the penalities incurred by uuautlioris.il occupation of waste lands of the Crown. N.l!.—The documents will be produced at the proper time :.« well ;ks details of and reference to the uises of other settlers who have equally suffered from Hie oppression ol Ibe Waste Land Hoard. The ab.e- example is sufficient for the 'present.' " Indignant Settlers.

It will be remembered that in the ninth article ii was recorded that :ii. :i moethig held in lnvereargiil on Aueust V. ISO*. Mr Cubbin was advised to' niter action against the (iovonmtcm end a subscription wan commenced Ut deI'rav l-'.:;il vxpellsos. The following hater leemtly received from Mr Uobcrts (Iciil-.i wiili thio phase ot tin- tptcstiou a« follows: "1 cannot say <U-Uiiili.'l.v whether Cithbin's run ray. l cut cauir before 111" Court, lint 1 do nut think it tiiil. Tlir petition of which Appendix A binned a paid was presented lo Ihe Otaeo I'rovineini Council ~n October ;IU, isr>7, l.v Or Williams. On November '_' lie moved the consideration of lie. petition and a committee of ,-,ix councillor* 'ivas appointed to inquire into the working of the Wale Land Hoard and report to the House.' I think the report was before the Council on November It;, 11*37. and it. would most likely have been printed in the 'Olii;;;,, Witness' of November '.'l. but as I. ha\e not a copy ot that date ] cannot, tell. The collection I mentioned -to defray expenses' was commenced at the public meelinji at Jiivorcartdl! mi March '2s. 1807. when Li'.'O was i,uh.-,crihcd in Ihe room, (bi that occasion the lir.si pelition to Uovcrnor Thomas Coie-I!rnwn' n- drawn up and signed. It asked tor separation, ihe arguments used lieiie; based piimi [i;>ll v on ihe aelioiis .if the Waste Land Hoard at Dumdii. under the terms of 'The Land, and L-s,->v,

Ordinance. I So!!.' On May J. i?,', 7. ihe new Sheep Ordinance came into hirer, and a.s its clauses were unnecessarily arbitrarv it cave universal displeasure. At a meetiiij; h-1.1 ;il lincrcar-iil ~i Juno 13 Ihe follow-in- resolution was carried: 'That Hie Pastoral A-oeialim, of Miirihiku. viewinj/, »illi alarm Ihe proceedings of the inspector of sheep actiii" under the provisions el Hie mw Sheep Ordinance, resolve, in respect to the case of Dr M.-nxic- (in the event of the judgment of the Diun-din lb ii bi'iiiK of an adverse nature'!, to ,sup|>.,rl l)r Menzies ill a sitil at law with the inspector.' The inspector. Mr I'inkertnn. summoned Menzics to Court on .lulv l! 7. and the iiiuholder was tiled ■2<h and eo,-l- lor rclusiii", lo allow the inspector to inspect • his thick. The sheep tax to pay the inspectors was a'-o a great grievance and was deali with in the petition to the Provincial Council (date September S. IKoi."

Separation. As: tin- writer ifiiiarko'J at the beginning of this article, it is not his intention to say much about the events that led up to the separation of Otago and Southland (luring the voars I*ol-70. Jn tin' toil!' ycaiV agitation preceding tlm separation beii-ral of tin: iMataura pa - t iralisl.s played a prominent part. altAlex. .Mc\a'b, oi Knap-dale, mis chairman of several of the mceuiios o! tlm Separation Coiuniiuec. and another raiiliohlcr on the bank;, ol tlu> .Ma I aura. I .'v. .YU-i'./.iei, was the litst superintendent ol the ii"iv province, it can be loadily understood ihjtl in the days bciere each roads were made the ii ll miles between fchmedin and Invcrcarejl! seveie.l tin- two towns far more completely I han has e; er been the ease since. The lirsl eoaeh in t>i;i LO ran between Dunedm and the e<>ldtield> ,n. detober 11, ISil. bill it was April (i. lMil, before eoaeh coiiimiinieaiioii was established between Dmiedin and hivcroarpll. The lele-raph was lit. i opened between J)iii'ediu and hn eivareiu „,, May I/., Is.',',, and i V ii vears later Do railwav ran from linn.dm t" Halclutha at on- ea.) and from liiverearrill „, to.rc at ihe other, tin- Sirs, ibiom-.h train from IMii'edin to !n',ereat"ill nie.iiim: 011 .l.iiiuary I'J, ]y ,':.•. These tactare inserted hm- ;o show that prior to tlm J,,e ~j ... pa,,, ~,.,„ (Apr,] 1, ISoli the mean: et ecminuiiicatioi! betu'ep the tn-ii foinrc-a was restricted to vovajtM round tlm coast and to trips hv the rotpilt overland route. Occupving an isolated position and feeling tlm" the governing body in Duuedin Mas not in sympathy with thorn, it is uo tvonder that tlje Soutklaud settlers wished to

control their own affairs. In other part-, l of the colony the same situation had | arisen and new provinces had been | formed by offshoots from the original I parent bodies. Such wa, the secession] of Hawke's Bay from Wellington, Marlborough from Nelson, and later on of Westland from Canterbury. South-1 land's meieoric career as a separate provincial entity has sometimes been made the subject of ridicule, hut before condemniug the unrealised aspirations of the founders of the new province one should carefully consider all the circumstances attendant upon the inauguration of tho now regime, some of which facts lone been briefly touched upon in the foregoing remarks. The Drowning Fatality. j

Mr Roberts sends the following additional information relative to the opening portions of the fourteenth article of this series. ••] notice that, my old friend Mrs Hunt, now Mrs MeChrystal, gave you an excellent account of her recollections. The regrettable accident mentioned, iu which tho wedding party was drowned, cast a very sad gloom over Southland for many weeks. all the victims being so well ' known. The -Otago Witness'" of December IS, 18oS, thus records it: 'The most melancholy accident 1 hat. has yet occurred in this province happened ai New River on Tuesday, 7th hist., by which at least six persons have found a waterv graveJt appears that a Miss Oriev...'and Mr Adam Wilson, both of New River, were proceeding to .Ruapuko. for tho purpo»e of getting married, accompanied by four other individuals. Although warned of the dangerous suite oi'ihe bar they determined to proceed, and in crossing the bar the boat struck on the sand-bank and idled. The bride, Miss (irieve, was the lirst who was swept away by the billows, while the others clung to the boat (of some S or 10 tons burthen) for nearly throe hours, but were gradually swept away by the advancing tide. Several persons on shore witnessed the. heart-rending scene but were unable lo render ihem any assistance. Tho names of those known to have been on board are as follows— Adam Wilson and Miss Oriovo, the bridegroom and bride; Mr Ceo. Hunt, the owner of the boat, who leaves a widow and a large young family; Boh Smith, a seaman, well known in' Dunedin; John Jakeways, generally known as "All'." and his wife Ann, a daughter of tlie hue James Kelly, an old settler, formerly of the Blulf and lately of tiivercareill. Such a sad affair "will surely urge Hie (.(overmen I to make immediate provision for enabling persons in the southern part of the province to get married without temptine, present compelled to do. We are informed ihat under the circumstances no

i'oaf could have been of any possible avail iu rescuing the unforlunalc patty.' U might be as well to state

iiere that there was no registrar in .Southland at thai time." A lon- letter from Mr Arthur llogue appeared in the -Otago Witness' 'of i-'cbriiary o, IMfi, and dealt with the tacts as follows—•• I iefi Jacob's liiver to return to the Wathopai on the morning of December 7, 18oS, in company .vul. Captain Boyd. We reached Miidictl's Ferry (near Waikiwi) carlv ill the afternoon and there engaged llenrv (the Maori), who happened lo" bo at the oaikiwi, to take us ,„ his boat to the aiokomoko Terry and thence on to the lownship (Invctvargill). About 1 p.m. ■■re started from tin- New [fiver berry ■villi a strong ebh-tid..; the dav was ■mo, with u fresh breeze to the' v.-osl-vard As we opened the l\v\v River 'leads both Captain Bovd and nivself noticed the heavy rollers breaking fight icross the bar from the Jacob's' River oeach to Steep Island. On reaching the lerry-house at Mokomoko between 7 and s p.m. Mr.., West i,,ld us of the accident m inch had thai day occurred Did which she bad witnessed from a i"ll close at hand. I concluded from

;»•>■ accouiil oi il iSiji t ihe final ccenl ■lad closed—the loss ol all. When Henry heard of Iho accident he exclaimed, -Ihey were verv foolish lo attempt Hi cross th,. bar with Mich a surf 'VI. as no Maori would do it.' Mttrphv (a Maori) and West (the ferryman) bail both urged the patty in the boat not lo attempt, the venture. Four of the six Klillcrcrs went up lo the ferrv-bouse a, Mrs West told me, and remained there mi- sonic time, hater the four calked down and joined the others who had remained by the hoai, v etc, etc. (It is Junecessarv to insert the' rest of Ibe letter, as it would In. but a recapitulation of what ha., already been described.)

A Letter from Mr Adam. IVnlirrg with tlif thirteenth article iu this scries .Mr W.Adam nriu*. "When I luk! }•<*> some <•(' my railv experiences I "as not aware tliat. ihev would bo published, or 1 would have been ;, Jill],. ""-■'"«* explicit, perhaps, lluw,-!,.;, lh,.v have been recorded in ;i 1 ;iii]v , lin v,i manner, except lliut tin- wisrdine,- illicit make one or two ( if tlir iuci<!,'in;, i; lit. tic misk-adin-;. l'',,r iiistaiK',.', if is stated thai Mrs Johnston made ;i laivcheese which 1 took to invercarj-ill Th.cheese made by A-rs Johnston were notcelebrated I'm- their ,i ; ,,, bi„ f,„- Uicir excellence in fi.ivur. Mr (.'iiUUvr. lln sloivkci'por (ioivn ii, lnvi-rc.-iryill, nswd ll " l , l: "'" 1 ' W '- Vl ' ;l - : ' "'liolr .Mij.i-.-ior 'in <lll;.li,y l„ ;,.,y 1 i,:,-„. ], a( | j„ ,(,, „•](.],. I ,ia\„ sim-c Unit Hi,, nativ.i ;;ra.-M- an,l I„.|-I,> ~| varimis kinds winch uric ~l,iindam ~„ ilit- (llapin rim ],„,] Miniclliiiiii l„ do wii-li the ,|ii;,litv <,f th,. cheese. Mrs J„],m,„„ |,;,,| „„ asMstaut in -Mr Win. ..lol:n;-.,,.i,\ s i Ml .,. w l,„ j, i">w livill- in !„ve!-ear K ,j), a widen, lint. J cannot rem.•wilier her name. She was in the expedition from Dimediii („ Otapu-i, l.iil len- name is overlooked in meiilioiiinj; the p-mv." In ens... some ol' ihe jvidei-s <,f (his eoliiiuii think it slran-e lis;,L Mr Ad.-,in told parts of his lil'e-iory no; kmevin- tliat his words would appear in prim th,. writer uonid like to iinnition lhai some of the remilliseeliees wei-e eollected twelve years Mr A,lain's i,ermi,smn lo piildisi, them was ohlaiimd ivcenlly, and in (lie letter mentioned -ihove he expresses siirliri.se at the nnmher of his recoiled ions lhai had keen cnlkeled. .Mr Adam also says that he « i-h.-s he could meet smile of (V> men he knew ,„ Iho earlv davs and live o\er ae.ain Ihe scenes of the pa.-l. Mi- Cliubbin's Views. The writer mnsl ;,,-kiinv. led-,, hi., indel,icdnc,s lo that iiid.-fa! mahle colicclorof old liiMnry. Mr W. JJ. S. »,.,!,. ens. I'or the foliuuiim: inieicl ~ ,-x----tr-ici : ••! HV„te to Mr .John Chulihin re-aiding liic da f his marriat'e and oili.n- particular.-... liis reply is: -| „ reidy In yours of .lime ->'j ,-,. ,h,. date of my iiiarria.m- I have to slate ;hat I was man-icd on lie;-, ml.cr (I ,n the year account of my a-ivcnriiivs in I !m'earlv days and ii i- i',,r ii,,- mo-.l |sin i,,rrcci. In Mich wriiiio.s ihe-,. arc cencrally sure In l„. a I'cv. hule error,, in ,lal-s etc, and lie- dm., of mv mariiace n« not correctly ;;i- mi ;h v ,, n say.' | ,k, on (he early davs di'lteieiit IronJ I hose lhai ai,|>eaied in the ■-Ensii/n." The 'vriter ol iliat a,-count made me a voar looyoimj: at Icavm;.- .Horn,., as I. „;i„ in my twentieth vear and not eighteen years old as the paper savs I have hec, H.indfi-iini if there is a cliain-e of Inniu- an old identities' meeting as I would ;■.„ to Invci-carj'.ill to attend if one could 1.,, arran-ed. preferable in the Mimnier. -John C'liuhlun.' " 'The wriiei' iliinU- thai Mr Chiihhiii'- siic;.nsfio,i ,s a e.,,,,1 ,„,., and that if Mich a niceum: could he iield it would atlord

;, i.iv.,i <1,„1 <,f pk.a,:iiv io nil who t »-.-■- lll.it ilh'lV i> ,1 Sf.ll, li!;ui,l l>,„',„■,.,>' A> „„-i,!>:.,, Mi.h 1n,,,!.,,,;,,-!,..-, ;,, i,,,-,.,-! ,#r;;ill. h w .-., ,h- ~,-i,, „,- --, »U«- t -_ !i.,„-" ,!.„h. I.'amly will, ll„. M;,,;,,,,-;, V;,11,,.v iho rallvm-p,.,:,! lot pi„ il( .r.,-., ■mi;l ~\-pi,in,.oi-.-, ~!' tlii.s ,|MnVt Ok.iil.l !■>■ <;.,>.•. It' 1',.-., mi-:,, i,,./., i., i,,.- ;,!,,,,i M'rli :, Jiu-tin.u ill.- v. i-jit-r will I',-, l ;nii|,lv ,vp ; ,i,l. ,\|,. 7J..1..-,!-, ; ,,1.-k ,|,i. f'l-'f" .!• : ''l am -..TV /i;.r! f. iva-l rl,;,i - liNMiv .ii' „■...■ v,riv-l;,-.' „,.,,„,,„.- ;mi..v. ;,,-,- still 1iv,.,.,. : , M | UKh ,)„.„, 1..,1i£ !'!'■- ■,,..] ;.n..,] 1„..,1t1,." If ;l |l v ,.|,„ 1,;, v,. ,-.„,tril--:-,-l ~-. .1,-.-.. <■„1,,,.„,'; -.,.-- -iv ■'"'"■ " iti ■■< ■!' , n ,-n.li„.,- ..,„<, ■' t!'«--:;,|.- I'- -|V -. :;■ ~, 1,,, „„ ~,,.,. Ukc W.-l;afipii. !l-:iliii;:>nt!M';';',i. .. ,',„' ~';,'■!'-.','H?k '|'l,.. |i,-. v ...„. nur— ■ I n.ilin. '"/!•- 'PuM!-;:' ~t huy '.< ;, ur.„, Ul j s . tn|.;, : . a tvn.it iln- fimlinii of I.aho AV.ikam'mi. Thr.ro >; m> ,tni,M that I 1"-'" ■•liii dismvpiv-l thp Inl;e. Ft-than. Mr OniDornn's r ,,,•(•.- saw ,)■,- f.i„ t ,„' ii as rlaimo-.l hut i!, 3 t rlnr-s „,,r nit or tho fnrt that l!m and his rnnipniiion weiv

use in anyone saying otherwise. Whoever put H in tlie paper did not know the actual Litis, but 1 hope that alter tiiia iiu one will make such a mistake again." No one is likely to dispute, the tact ihta Messrs Bees and von Tunzel-1 nniuu were the liifct white men who! reached lliv lab. front the east and the ' tirsi who saw the long upper part of | the lake. All credit to tln-m lor their, intrepid explorations, iiu. let there bo j credit also for the men who reached} the Kingston end of the lake some; months before Messrs Roes and von j Tunzelmann got. to the (.Ulceus town [ side. The oilier letter is from -Mr A. i A. Macdonald, of Nokonini, and is as i follows—"Tlie'account given of WakaI tipu explorations, while not very full, 'is excellent as tar as it goes. Tliero is lone observation made in reference to j my friend, the late. Mi William C'amo- . von, that requires a word ol oxplana["lion. Mr Cameron was one of our I parly on Ihe occasion, and il i-. but CanIt lint he should share in the honor of I the exploit. In narrating events that happened fifty years ago ii is quite j natural that occasionally little slips and I discrepancies uill occur in the narrujiive, especially as in my case the cxi- | gencics of tho_ tram service cut .short [our coowrsatiou. Then- is no doubl j that the exploration of .Messrs Lees and I von Tiiuzi-lnnitiu vas bv far the most joxuiisiic au<| importiiul of all, for it i "as they who discovered I lie full length lof the lake I ...hall endeavor to give lyott fuller intonnation when next \\c I meet, as 1 am In heartv svnipathv with j the -Pioneer Recollrct lolls.' " '