A SURVIVING NEW ZEALAND CHIEF'S REMINISCENCES OF CAPTAIN COOK'S VISIT.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 696, 15 December 1852, Page 3

A SURVIVING NEW ZEALAND CHIEF'S REMINISCENCES OF CAPTAIN COOK'S VISIT.

We have been favoured by Ihe SurveyorGeneral wilh permission to insert in our columns the following graphic communication intended to be forwarded to a London periodical, as an accompaniment to a sketch of the celebrated Maori Chief Tanewa. We have seen the portrait, which is an admirable likeness,of "'Old Hook-nose," and we have no doubt that both it and the narnative will be regarded with much interest at home. Auckland, New Zealand, Bth December, 1852. Sir, —As some of your readers may feel' interested in knowing that one of the natives of this country is still living who remembers the visit of our illustrious countryman, Captain Cook, I send you a sketch of the only surviving individual I have met or heard of. He is known among the natives by the names of Horata and Tanewa, and more familiarly by the Europeans as " Old Hooknose." He is a chief of some importance, and has always evinced much friendship to the settlers. I saw him lately, when on a visit to the newly discovered Gold Field at Coromandel Harbour. As soon as he heard that gold had been found on his land he was the first chief who came forward to meet His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Wynyard, and to make arrangements for the Europeans to dig for it. Upon my showing him some specimens of gold which I found on the river Waiau, claimed by him, he said that he should now bs content to die, —that he had lived many days, but that this day was the brightest of them all. He did not seem to value the consideration of the gain it would be to him, so much as the thought that Ms land, the place of his ancestors, should be the first to produce gold. He glanced at the time-honoured peak of Motu^Tere (Castle Hill) and turning then to the setting sun appeared to commune with the generation he had outlived. I could not help thinking that he felt he had well performed his duty in guarding and protecting the boundaries of his inheritance during a long life, a task of no easy accomplishment among the warlike tribes of New Zealand in former days. The following is the account he gives of Capfc. Cook's visit to Mercury Bay (Witianga). From what he says respecting his own age at fie time, it would appear that he must have been about twelve years old. ' We thought that Captain Cook's vessel was a large kind of: whale, and the men on board were gods. When we saw them pulling with their backs to the bows of the boats we thought they must have had eyes in the back of their heads. When the natives saw the salt pork which was used on board the vessel they thought it was the flesh of whales, it was so very fafc. For some time I was afraid to venture on board, but I did so after some of the men had returned in safety. Some other boys went with me. Captain Cook spoke very little,—less than any of the others. He seemed to take most notice ,of children. He placed his hands on our heads and patted us. By making signs he got our men to draw a large chart on the deck, with charcoal, of as much of the coast as they were acquainted with, which he copied on paper. He appeared most anxious to learn everything respecting the shape of the land. As regards the North Cape (Cape Maria Van Diemen), the men took much trouble, by signs, to explain that at this place their spirits, after death, took a plunge to the realms below. Captain Cook seemed much puzzled by the mode of explanation used on this occasion. He gave us the first potatoes we had seen —a double handful. These we planted, and in three years called a great feast to commemorate their introduction, at which, for the first time they were allowed to be used for food. "The Nga Pui's (the tribe living at the Bay of Islands and Hokianga) have asserted that they were the source of the potato, but this I am happy to say is not the case, we were the true root in this matter. The speeches of our chiefs are still handed down to us —the speeches made upon the occasion of that great feast. " After Captain Cook went away we saw another party of Eui'opeans, who got spars of Kahikatea (Podocarpus excelctcs.) from the river Thames, and after that a larger vessel than either of the other two came to the Thames. On taking her departure she fell in with a fishing canoe which had been driven out to sea. The wind was so strong that, after taking the two young chiefs on board which it contained, she could not again make the land. " The two young men were taken to France, and in about two years were brought back in another vessel, which at the same time introduced pigs." The following story^ of an act of theft on the part of a native chief named Maru-tu-ahu, at Mercury Bay (Witianga) at the" time of Cook's visit, and the subsequent adjudication on it by the natives, tends to illustrate the strong sense of justice so conspicuous among them, which they still possess up to the present time. It also shows how much mischief one bad man may produce under such circumstances. " Among the natives who went to trade with Captain Cook's ship was Maru-tu-ahu, a man who was always stealing. He was so bad a man that if any young man was found stealing, he was, as a proverb, said to be the son of Maru-tu -ahu. The words were quite known in the neighbourhood. He went in a canoe, with eight other men. He sat in the middle, four were in the atern, and four in the bows. He sat on a dogskin mat. When he got alongside the ship, the gentleman whose business it was to collect the Sowers of trees, shells, and things of that kind (the naturalist, it is supposed) made signs to barter for the skin, and producing a large roll of calico let the end of it fall into the canoe, and unrolled a considerable quantity —quite a heap. He then took a knife out of his pockot and cut it off, making a sign for the mat to be handed up. "Instead of being obeyed >by, Maru-ttt-aliu, as he should have been, this thief made a sly use of the proverb, Te uri a Maru-tu-ahu (The son of Maru-tu-ahu), in order to let his companions know his bad intentions. " They were but too willing to take the hint, and striking their paddles into the water made for the shore. The disappointed naturalist disappeared from the deck for a moment, and returned with a double-barrelled gun, with which he took a steady aim over the bulwarks, and fired at the retiring canoe. " In the excitement of the paddling the extent of the injury done by the discharge was not noticed, for Maru-tu-ahu had scarcely altered his position, but upon reaching the shore he was found sitting nearly dead upon the hsap of calico, which was dyed with his blood, and before he could be lifted

out he expired. The ball had entered his back. A great meeting of natives took place to investigate the matter. They came to an agreement that he had deserved the punishment, and that his death should not be revenged upon the strangers. They said also that as he had paid for the calico by his death it should not be restored, but that he should keep it, and they accordingly wrapped it round him as a winding-sheet. That he had stolen, and was killed for so-doing, one for the other. That he should not be deprived of that for which he had given his life. He should keep that for which he had paid. Captain Cook and others landed soon afterwards and traded as if nothing particular had happened." Your obedient and humble servant, Charles W. Lioah.

The Parliamentary Gkant for New Zealand. — The following is the brief but significant report of what took place in the House of Commons on the 27th of June, on the passing of a reduced vote for this colony. It bears out all we had previously heard of the intention to withdraw this aid after another year, living us to enjoy with the other privileges of our new Constitution, the privileges of being so independent as to defray our own expenses for the time to come. " The house went into committee of supply. The first vote was one of 10,000/., to defray the charges of New Zealand. " Mr. W. Williams objected to the items of 600/. for the bishop, and 590/., for chaplain and schools. " Sir J. Pakington cited the note at the foot of the estimate : — ' This estimate is less by 10,000/. than last year ; the governor represents that this reduced amount of aid is required for the present year; but it is proposed that it should be diminished to 5,000/. next year, after which it is hoped that no further aid will be wanted.' " The vote was agreed to."

The Band of H.M. 58th Regiment, by permission, will perform in the grounds of the old Government House, to-morrow, Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m. :—: — PROGRAMME. Overture, Op. " Norma". Kuper. Melange, Op "The Crusaders" Benedict. Irish Melody "The Coolun" Clio, c Cay." Op " Beatrice di Tends" Bellini. English Mel. " My Helen is the fairest Flower" Kirby. Quadrille " The Caledonian" Jullien. Cavntina, Op "Linda di Chamounix".. Donizetti. Grand March ( Prince Albert's" Kuhner.