OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 18D0. ,0 i .1 i [By W. II. S, Robukts.]

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8123, 7 November 1894, Page 1

OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 18D0. ,0 i .1 i [By W. 11. S, Robukts.]

(Continued,) 7fch. — Wot day, I got up vory often during tho night to replenish the lire as tho weather vrwi showery and bitterly cold. At daylight I saddled the horse, mid leaving tho tout standing, rode oil' for M'Olymont's. 1 had a groat deal of trouble in getting the horao through the swamps. I met Davidson and J. Oughton on foot, intending to walk to Dunedin. Ho gavo me a piece of scone, of which I was vory glad as I had eaten uo'hing for 20 hours. I had a good breakfast, however, when I reached M 'Clymont's about 11 o'clock, and yet was quite ready for dinnor whon the potatoes and kaka soup woro placed on the table. They called tho kaka tomahawk, not parrot, but they could not tell mo why. Tho hoavy rain had kept all the men in tho houso, live, besides Mrs Robinson and her four children — namely, Gilbert M'Olymont, Thomas Robinson, Alexander M' Muster, James Drummond, and Thomas Rowan. Robinson had purchased 200 acres on tho west of M'Clymont's 200 acres, and was, engaged building a houso on it, M'Master had 50 acres next Robinson, and adjoining him on the west was the reserve for a town, which was afterwards surveyed and called Invorcargill in honor of tho first superintendent of Otago, but in the meanlimo it was called Kellys Point, or tho Puni Creek Point, or landing place. The proper name of tho crook was Otarewa. Puni was tho name of the bush in which ib took its rise. On tho east of M'Clymont, Rowm had 200 aero*, then J. Oughtfn 200, then Drummond 200 at tho north-cast point of the bush close to the Waihopai river. M 'Master had 200 acres, including a little bush called the Puni that stood by itself south-east of Oughtou's land. To vvilo away tho time tho mon did odd jobs in the houso, such as making bullock yokes, axe handles, grinding wheat, etc. ; and at night four of us played long whist by the h»ht of a "slush lamp." The said lamp was made thus — a pannikin was half filled with clay, in this was stuck a narrow strip of old moleskin, cut off a worn-out pair of trousers ; tho pannikin was then tilled with molted fat, and a light set to tho moleskin wick ; when it burnt low the fat was replenished, and tho wick trimmed or renewed In these days vesta matches wero nob easily obtained, and woro vory expensive, consequently nearly every one carried a box of tinder with Hint and stool, to enable him to stiiko a light if ho ran out of matches. We also carried " touchpaper "—that is brown paper soaked in a solution of saltpetre and dried, as well as a fungus that grew on the black birch trees, called punk. Tho Maori name for tho punk fungus is Putawa, tho botanic.il Bolotus. Ib is seldom found on any other tree than tho birch (Fagus) These articles wero carried in a tin box to make sure of their nob getting wet. They wore well enough foy a smoker to light his pipe, but gavo a great deal of trouble compared with matches in lighting a lire Tho wax matches woro named vestas after tho ancient L'ltin Goddess of Fire, The fire in Vesta's sanctuary was continually kept lighted by a certain number of virgins, for if tho lire was ever extinguished it was supposed to threaten tho Roman Republic with some .sudden calamity. Tho thick wooden matches used to be called apuuka or lucifers ; Lucifer being tho ancient name of the planet Venus when she was a bright morning star. Friction matches were lir.st invented in 18 ( J!J. Tho word is derived from tho French mecho (a wick or mutch). Tho first lucifer match was a email strip of pasteboard, and the iufhmrmblo mixture was a c impound of chlorate of potash and sulphuret of antimony, with enough of powdorod gum to lender ib adhesive when mixed with water, and applied over the end of tho strip of pasteboard which had previously been dipped in melted brimstone. These matches were lighted by chawing them through a piece of bent bind paper. Tho vesta was not invented till some year* after, it is a short, thin wax taper, ono end dipped in a composition consisting ol phosphorus and nitro, or phosphorus, bulphur, aud chlorate of potash, mixed with molted gum or glue and some coloring material. Bth.— l rode down to tho " Point," two and a quarter miKs. It was considered 158 miles from Dunodin overland, and HO by sea. Tho two bushes woro not far apart, with the Otarewa creek running between, but nearer to tho western bush. Several swamps extended from both bushes to the crock ; they wero norrow near the bush, but soft, tho horse sinking nearly to the knee. At the point 1 found CliUord and W. A |md camped in tents. They had 200 acres each opposite M'Olymont's, in tho Seaward bush. John Kelly, an old Irish whale* was living with his wife and children in a laigo wharo. He had a handsome halfcaste daughter named Kitty. He had beoii in tho colonies 2^ yeais, but was of a restless disposition, and always moving about. Mm Christina Kelly was tho iirat Europe m woman to .set toot on Muriheka soil. She came to Otago in tho " Philip lriing " with her first husband D. Niven and ono son aud daughter, lauding on tho loth April, 1848. Shortly after their arrival ISivon nut with an accident while working in the bush, which caused his death— tho first doath among the now immigrants. In 1850 tho widow married John Kelly, and with him left for tho island of Ruapuke, oftou called Roebuck, in F^voaux Strait, then thickly populated by Maoris. Tho only other Europeans on tho island at that time wero tho Roy. Mr Wohlers and his wife, aud Mr Abraham Jlonoro, missionaries. In 1853 Mr and Mis Kelly removed to tho Bluff, and subsequently they travelled overhud through tho swampy flats between that port and the Otarewa creek, j in order to obtain bettor grass for their cattle. They decided to settle at the Point, where, in 185G, they had 50 head , of cattle, not particularly well bred, but i good onough to givo them milk, butter, aud cheese, and occasionally a steer was killed and salted down in tho •• harness cask." Mrs Kelly died on tho 20ih October, 1891, and the Southland Times in giving her obituary notice said " that Mr Kelly, after the township of Invorcargill was surveyed, took up ati allotment in tho Seaward bush, now tho sito of the township of Enw ood. On tho IGth May, 1857, Mr Kelly died, aged 07 years. With her children Mrs Kelly soon after removed to Ythan Btreet, where she ended a pilgrimage of 81 years on Monday, tho 26th mat. She is survived by a eon and daughter by her first marriage, and one son by her second, namely Mr D. Niven, Mrs W. J. Weat, and Mr J. Kelly ; also by 31 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren?' Uv Dougal fliyon

West Taieri, and was buried thoro. Tha Roy. John Frederick Henry Wohleravras a Moravian, and was aont out by tho German Missionary Society. Ho arrived in Nelson about March, 1844, in tho ship 44 St. Pauli." Aftor searching for a Gtting acono for his future missionary labors among tho Maoris ho aolected tho island of Ruapuko, to which placo he was con* vcyeel by the schooner Van Zebra. la 1850 ho was tho only minister of tha Uo&pol bouth of Puerua, whoro tho Roy. William Bannerman was stationed. Ha labored among tho natives for about 38 years, until relieved by death on 7t!i May, 1885. In IHSO tho settled population on Huapuko (two hills) had dwindled down to 24 souls, but thero wore a good many Maoris on Stewart Island. Me Abiaham Ilonoro was a descend-mt of an. ancient Huguenot family, who came to Now Zealand as a lay missionary in 1848. His fkbt station was at Ruapuke, but in 1871 ho removed to Rangitikei. In 1863 tho Presbyterian Church of Otago granted him ordination. Ho died at Foxton. ab tho end of July, 1894, aged 73 years. Tho New River Estuary waa a bar harbor ; " tho breadth of the bar being a good cablo's length. Outsido of it iror« sis fathoms and inside four fathoms o£ water. There were ton feet of water on, tho bar at low water spring tides." Tho southern entrance point was well marked by Steep Head, or Capo Baruardin, and Oinawi, or Point Islet, just outside of it ; bub tho northern, Owi Point, was lovr and saudy. A mile and a half inside tho bar was a rock called Bombay rock. Tho Now River Estuary was about 15 milea long, and of varying breadths. At its north-ea&tom corner it received the Waihopai stream, and seven miles nearer tho sua the Puni or Otarowa. Tho Oreto (the snare) which was a largo river, navigablo foe boats some 30 miles up, llowed into tho estuary about five miles from tho sea, forming a peninsula which was covered with timber and known as Ofcatara, or Bushy Puint. The Orote had its sources in tho western spurs of tho Eyre mountains, at a distance of about 80 miles in a straight direction. Excepting near its sources, which were in a vory rough and mountainous country, it travelled a district nearly levol, the Fivo River Plain alone being 10 milea iti length. It received a great many tributaries, tho largest being tho Makarowa (hly float), which had two bourcca in tho llokinui Hills. In its course it received a number of streams, and joined tho Oreto some ID miles from the Estuary. At low water spring tides a great portion of tho Estuary was a mud Hat, but aa tha tide rose fully eight foot^it was well covered at high water. Tho first applica* tiou for rural land in Murihoku was mado in January, 1850, but the land was nob thrown open for sale till J4th April fol« lowing. We had arranged with Macandrow in Dunedin to sond some stores and utensils to the New River by sea. Kelly had brought the&e up to tho Point in Ms boat, and had stowed them on tho bank of tho crock under a tarpaulin. With Kellys assistance I put a sack o£ potatoes on my horso, and thus convoyed it to M'Clymont'.s. There was another bettlor at tho norrh-west point of the Sea* ward bush, by name Poter DUrymplo, who had only arrived a few days beforo. M'Olymont had wheat and a steel mill in. which wo daily ground the wheat and made whole-meal scones. Our cooking; utens'ls were a camp oven, fry pan, tin billy, and oval pot ; the dishes and pla'os wore tin, and tin pannikins took tho place of cups, crockery ware being seldom seen. (To bo continued.)