Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1927 WHEN THE CHURCH HILL WAS FORTIFIED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 3 December 1927, Page 6

Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1927 WHEN THE CHURCH HILL WAS FORTIFIED

WHEN the Wairau Massacre raised in the infant settlement of Nelson fears that liauparaha and his warriors might follow up their success in the Wadrau by attacking Nelson, preparations were made for putting the Church Hill into a state of defence. The lines of a fort were traced, and with almost feverish energy the settlers began to create rampart and ditch, to mount cannon, and to practise musketry. But when it was known that Rauparaha and his ferocious tribesmen had crossed the Strait, and were hiding in their fastnesses near Waikanao and Porirua, the Nelson. peoplo calmed their fears and desisted i in their preparations for defence; the more especially because the Government had passed ordinances making military assemblies of settlers illegal, although it took no steps to provide the settlers with adequate' protection. So for a time the fortifying of the Church Hill was in abeyance, and the, drilling ceased. Gradually it came to bo recognised that the Government's proclamations did not cover the construction of a place of refuge, and i work on the Church Hill was recommended, and, before very long, completed. And a very substantial work' it was—large enough tc hold all the women and children of.the place besides a strong garrison. It was, we are told, a ballproof stockade, with rampart and ditch, and covered an acre of ground. The outer wall consisted of wooden planks two inches in thickness; then there was ah inside wall of the same construction, with a space of six inches between it and the outer wall; the space between the two walls being filled' with rammed clay—the whole loop-holed for musketry. Six cannon were mounted inside the walls in such a way as to command all approaches,, and ' at the north end there was a strong gate and a drawbridge over the ditch which completely surrounded the fortification. It was a place of considerable strength, and as the settlers possessed plenty of muskets and a large supply of ammunition there is not much doubt that it would have been able to resist attack till succour came from elsewhere. No doubt the people of Nelson were glad to possess such a stronghold, when the alarming situation created by the chief Paramatta, of Whakapuaka, threatened to bring about a rupture between Maori and Pakeha.

Paramatta's quarrel, like, so many of the Maori's'' quarrels with, the white man, was about land. He contended that he had never been paid for the area which we know as Happy Valley. He was a man of no great importance, as he had been taken captive and enslaved by Tuhawaiki (Bloody Jack), of Otago, when that chief made one of his successful incursions into the territory of ftauparaha. When peace was made between Rauparaha and the remnant of the Ngaitahu tribe, it would seem that Paramatta was liberated, and, returning to his own people, was assigned by his overlord the district of Whakapuaka, of which Happy Valley forms part. He fixed his pa at what is known to this day as Paramatta Flat, which is situated a little north of the Bishop's Peninsula. When Rauparaha sold the land on both sides of Cook's Strait to Colonel Wakefield, he did not consult Paramatta, and, when he received pay for the same, it does not appear that he gave Paramatta any very large share of the payment. That, however, was a matter which was merely of concern to Rauparaha and Paramatta. It did net concern the New Zealand Company or the settlers of Nelson. But Paramatta, thought otherwise. When the Commissioner of Land Claims (Mr Commissioner Spain) had his Court in Nelson, Paramatta, with, other local chiefs, attended, and lodged his complaint, which was fully considered, with the result that "he eventually received a share of the gratuity, which, with the concurrence of ,the Commissioner, was distributed among the different tribes from whom the land had been originally purchased by the Company's agent." But Paramatta was not satisfied, and, following the usual practice of truculent chiefs of the time, he determined to try to btilly the Pakeha into giving him more. Some time towards the end of the year 1844, Paramatta went on a journey to the North Island, ostensibly to see his relations and friends, but really to recruit his forces. How far lie went is not quite clear, but his mission was not very successful, for, instead of returning with some hundreds of followers, he arrived back, in the following January, with a few members of the Waikato tribe and some of his own tribe in addition. (At the .time, however, the limited sizo of his ta.ua was not known in Nelson; besides which there was always the possibility of reinforcements arriving from (.ho Ngati-Toa and allied tribes who lived at TCapiti, Waikanae, Otaki, and the immediate parts about.) As.it was, Paramatta landed with his small body of warriors at a point, it would seem, somewhere near the northern end of the Rouldor Rank, and immediately piocced«d to Happy,Valley, whore he visited tlie houses of all the settlers located there, and ordered all the Pakohas to quit the land without delay, as it had never been paid for, and belonged to him, and that, if they refused to obey he would burn their houses and make kai nf (that is, ho would cat) all those who lived in them. These threats wcro accompanied with ferocious gestures and much flourishing of tomahawks, horrible fries, and all those, savage gesticulations which the Ma.ori used to instil fear, i Paramatta and his followers did not kill anybody, they did not injure anybody, though they flourished their tomahawks

over the heads of those whom they desired to terrorize. Neither did thoy destroy any property, though towards evening they quitted the valley and came, about a milo towards Nelson, to the farm of Mr Jollio, whero they lighted fires in close proximity to thatched buildings and ripe corn, as though they intended to burn everything inflammable on the farm. Then, threatening Mr Jollio in the same way as they had threatened the. settlers of the Valley, they raised pandemonium till four in the morning, when they left him with a pro- ] mise that they would return and kill him, unless he quitted. It is not difficult to imagine the consternation which was caused in Nelson when certain of the Happy Valley settlers fled into the township, and reported the doings of Paramatta. It was then that it must have been felt that the fort on the Church Hill was one of the wisest works of the citizens, for it would afford ample protection, if the barbarous Paramatta should attempt to attack the jtown. The immediate cause of anxiety was the protection of Happy Valley. Early on 15th January the Police Magistrate, Mr Sinclair, accompanied by Mr John Tinline, as interpreter, went out to Happy Valley, and ■;herico sent to Paramatta, demanding his attendance. The chief came, with a bodyguard of eighteen warriors, armed with tomahawks! The Police Magistrate's injunction that Paramatta should retire to his pa with all his followers, and leave the settlers of Happy Valley in peace and quietness, merely had the effect of provoking the unruly chief to fresh outbursts of fury, for he declared that the valley was his, and that ho intended to drive the Pakeha settlers out of it, and that he would treat Mr Sinclair and his interpreter as Rauparaha had treated Mr Thompson and Brooks at the Wateiu, by knocking them both on the head. However, Mr Tinline's eloquence was used to restrain Paramatta sufficiently to extract from him a promise to refrain from carrying out his threats against the Happy Valley settlers for a fortnight, during which time the Police Magistrate would obtain proofs of Mr Commissioner Spain's award and present them to Paramatta. But no sooner had i the Magistrate and ids interpreter turned their hacks, than Paramatta renewed his aggressive actions with greater violence than before. He assaulted certain of the settlers, threatening them with death, and broke into the house of a man named Ciordon, whom he robbed of a quantity of flour. Then he left the valley, say. ing he would return in five days and destroy everything. On his way to his pa he burned a stockyard belonging to a cattle-dealer, and also a quantity of shingles which had been piled ready for use.

That was on Wednesday, 15th January. On the following Saturday ( the Police Magistrate called a public meet,ug and, in conformity with the Government's policy of conciliation towards the Maoris, counselled restraint and pacification. The,meeting, however, resolved that the Magistrate, accompanied by an armed force of volunteers, should proceed, on the following Monday, to Happy Valley, for the purpose of showing Paramatta Mr Spain's signed plan, and of warning him that any further breaches of the peace would result in 'his arrest and punishment. Sunday was a day of alarming rumours of savage aggression by the'chief and his warriors. These led to another public meeting, at which the Police Magistrate announced that after consultation with his brethren of the bench he had decided to do nothing to check Paramatta's aggression, except to wait on him, asking him to come to Nelson to see the plan, and also to write to Wellington for police protection. The settlers took quite another view of the situation, and did not intend that the Happy Valley settlers, should lose their property and perhaps their lives, because of the supine policy of the Government. Then, contrary to the express injunction of the Government, they assembled in arms—one hundred strong—with the N.Z. Company's agent, Mr Fox, at their head, and marched to Happy Valley !

The names of the leaders of this redoubtable band are fortunately on record. Besides Mr Fox, they were Dr. Monro, J.P., Messrs Tytler, E. W. Stafford (afterwards Premier of N.Z.), Alfred Domett (the moving spirit in this movement, and afterwards Prime Minister of N.Z.), A. McDonald, R. Newcome, J. Poynter, 0., B, Brewer, A. Cautley, R. Phelps, C. Heaphy, C. Empson, F. Jollio, H. Martin, junior, Rarnicoat, Renoit, Kelling, Duffy, Budge, Christie, Bishop, Hart, etc. These volunteers were armed with musket and bayonet, and were furnished with plenty of ammunition. They marched in good order, conducted their march in accordance .with proper military procedure, and arrived at Happy Valley in good order, and determined to deal with Paramatta as he deserved, if, be persisted in disturbing the peace of the valley. But Paramatta was not there. On the previous evening the Rev. Messrs Reay and Butt and Mrs Reay had left Nelson by sea, and had gone to the pa, with a view to preventing & clash, and to persuade Paramatta (o view the boundary-line which the volunteers proposed to cut, in accordance with Mr Spain's plan. Marching through the valley the volunteers arrived at the northern boundary which divided Pakeha from Maori land, and began immediately to mark that boundary by digging a trench along its whole extent. While certain, members worked with' pick and shovel, the remainder formed an armed guard, find covered the operation with their muskets, ready in case Paramatta and his warriors should attack. For some reason Paramatta's fighting spirit had evaporated. He lay sulking in his whare in the pa, five miles away. He refused to silly forth to see the boundary, or to attempt to drive away those who we>e cutting it. The Rev. Mr Reay, however, found his way from the pa, through the thick intervening bush, to the place whero the armed party was at work. The volunteers asked him to guide them to Paramatta, but the reverend gentleman refused tr> act as a guide to an armed party, and as the way was in-,

tricatc and difficult, and no othor guide was available, tho idea of bearding the lion in his den liad to be abandoned. However, Mr Reay consented to convey to the pa certain printed notices, written in Maori, warning Paramatta that the line (aukati) had been cut, and that if ho created any further disturbance or breach of the peace, tho white men would come to his pa. and take him to Nelson where ho would be tried by the Queen's law. Three young Maoris who accompanied Mr Reay returned with him to ths pa, whero they reported what they they had seen in the valley. Paramatta refused to look at the printed plan and notices.

Ho said Commissioner Spain's land settlement was a fraud, because after such settlement had been made elsewhere further payments had been made to the Natives concerned by the Governor, in spite of Mr Spain's decisions. He therefore believed it was all a cheat on the Natives.

Paramatta never troubled the Happy Valley settlers again.! That was what really mattered. And the reason was to be found in the action of the volunteers. Paramatta knew they meant business. When they reached home at 5 p.m., after marching 26 miles, before they dismissed they engaged to meet and drill at stated times, ' and to hold themselves prepared at all times to afford armed protection to the settlement, whenever it needed it—and that, in spite of the fact that the Government had proclairiied such armed bodies to be illegal! Thus, as a miniature, we have a picture of the Government's turpitude and the .colonists' public spirit. ~'