NEW PLYMOUTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 177, 7 June 1864, Page 8

NEW PLYMOUTH.

' [FKOM OVK OWN CO RREM'ON ] IKNT. ] [ 21st May, lSfi-1. . Tho wreck of theLrigaiitino ' Murehionow,' a vessel of 170 tons burden, is the leading event of the past Ihtc. ; As tho history of her loss varies initsattendaiitcireum- | stances from the general rim of co'ist .shipwrecks, 1 , will describe it as briotly and tun i ictly as possible. On Monday morning last a strong northerly wind set in which by 7 o'clock had increased to that degree that it became a matter of positive necessitv that the vessels lying in the roadsteads should get out or run their chance, wliich amounted almost to a certainly,of being driven on shore. Accordingly the ' Marchioness' with one or two others prepared to slip their ' cables; wind and wave however proved too quick for | the crew of the vessel of which I write, and those emeuts anticipated any physical exertion and snapped tlic cable tor themselves. liefore the people on ; board could get the vessel, thus suddenly freed, under control she was all but on the rocks here. Bv won--1 derful good fortune, however, she escaped aiid got out, but it was, ns an old suit here described it to me, touch and go with her. Slut ran out with her head to tho North, having on board one of the Government boatmen of this port named Cock, and who ranks as a coxwain. Passing over the intervening hours, 1 now take up the vessel again. The hour is 12 midnight on day of her departure from here—the wind was - suddenly changed from X. W. to S. W., and it is, to use the words of one on board, dark and dirty ; 1 —thus they run on till 2 o'clock a.m., when the •_ darkness is acompanied by a wind increased to nearly half a gale and a driving rain with a rising sea. Shortly after this, those who were on their feet were ' flung off'by the crash of the vessel oil rocks. She immediately began to make water rapidly, but was i so driven on to the rocks that any danger as to her going down was not feared. Although they had a compass and other nautical instruments oil board, it does not appear that either the pilot from this port or any one of the ships company had am' idea where they were. Daylight at length solved the problem for them, and it was discovered that they were off Mokotunu and about j of a mile from the shore. Mokotunu is 2o miles from this port, and of course quite in the enemy's country. The poor men therefore could only look forward to landing a.s an exchange of one death for another. Drowning however was a dead certainty if tliev remained on the vessel and there was a faint chance of escape if they succeeded in landing. So accordingly after duo consultation they decided to land, and about 8 o'clock succeeded in getting the dingy with a warp on shore. By the latter means, the remainder of the crew lauded without loss of life. There was no ammunition on board and the only musket, Cook, the Pilot was prudent enough to render useless with a hammer and then throw into the sea into deep water. Cold, hungry and drenched, these eight poor fellows then turned their anxious faces towards our nearest outpost, and all that day and part of the following night, trudged wearily on, not daring to make any delay. They had to cross several creeks and rivers on their march, the bed of one of which (the Stonev .River) was composed of irregular water-worn and slippery boulders, rendering its crossing both difficult and dangerous. At length they were made aware of their vicinity lo " Oakura," by a shot from tho gun of one of our sentries, who little expected white men on that side of our lines. A few words of explanation, however, soon set all right, and the shipwrecked men were received into the cam]), and treated with every kindness and hospitality that, circumstances woidd permit. They arrived in Town on Wednesday forenoon. The most remarkable feature ill this disaster is the escape of the crew from the hands of the Maoris, into whose clutches had they fallen, they would usstiredly have been slaughtered. Mr. Carrington, a gentleman well acquainted with the country through which they travelled, says, that the chances arc 100 to one against a similar journey being performed a second time in safety, and only accounts for their escape on this occasion b}' the supposition that the natives were congregated at the other side of the cape on some special meeting. The fact of our sentries having fired, speaks well for the vigilancc which is exercised at our outposts. When the Marchioness was compelled to run from here she had not completed discharging her cargo; when wrecked, she had 011 board 1 3A tons Hour, 131 sacks wheat, (i bags of barley, and tons of pressed hay. She was owned principally by Mr. Warwick Weston, of this place, and was insured for £2,000 in the Mew Zealand Insurance Company's Ollice. In fording the "Stony .River," Air. Smith lost the ship's papers and log. The ' Susannah Cutlibert' on her return trip from Nelson was caught this morning about 0 o'olock in a sudden squall in whieh she had her fore and mainmasts carried clean away, she got into this port tiiis morning about half-pant twelve! looking of course terribly dilapidated. No further damage was done beyond what I have stated, that I can leani. She is rigging a J urymast and intends I believe to proceed '■ on to your Port on Monday. : New Plymouth,-May 28. Ox Wednesday, the 2olh, 140 men of tho 57th, with i four officers, embarked on hoard the 'Prineo Alfred,' ; steamer, for Wanganui ; the vopsitl sailed the b nuc evening. Mutual cheera of good will were g-ivon on i tliyir departure. 1 think 1 am only tweaking thu ;

sentiments of a very considerable portion of the community when stating that disappointment ns well as regret was felt at their departure. The military authorities may, and no douht have good reasons for taking forces from hero, but the uninitiated public can, of course, onlv see through their e minion sense glass. and thus observing are perfectly at a loss to I see the wisdom or discretion of shilling troops from a country they are acquainted with, and from a people with whom they have learnt to act in concert, to a new position and a stnmge community. Had success attended the progress of the anus of our regulars, wherever tliey were stationed, it. might perhaps: appear out ol place for us to quest ion their moveironfs; Mich, however, is not the case ; so far as the i"-?rU of their work witli the enemy is concerned, it is a dead failure, to say anything else would be ! simply not spcnkiiii! the truth. In making these remarks, I do not wish to have it supposed that any idea exists here that the 57th have not done everything that lay in their power, ill the fulfilment of their duty, but it is now a recognized fact, Unit regular troops are utterly unfit from sheer perfection of military training and discipline, to tight in that irregular and skirmishing order, which will alone command success in this country. 'J his ditlieulty is remodied to a very considerable extent by our troops being located in the district for a length of time, they becomc familiarized with the country m which j they encounter tin- enemy ; they form serviceable ! acquaintance with the militia and volunteers of the | place, and in these, and other respects are decidedly in a better position for doing the work than if they , were strangers to the country and the people. In the face of these glaring truths, the military authorities shift troops with true led tape blindness, and (bus this costly performance may, and probably will go on, until the very name of New Zealand will become a perfect bugbear at home. In this particular instance the hardship in Taramiki is especially great, as we are very inefliciently furnished with troops, and the consequent duty of Volunteers and Militia is unusually heavy. On Tuesday evening last, a testimonial was presented to Mr. John Watson, late Harbour Master, by the boats' crews of this port. The presentation took place at the Masonic Hotel. Beside the crews of the various boats, there were u number of our lending townspeople present; the testimonial consisted of n mcrchnum pipe, mounted in pure coloniid gold, and a silver tobacco box, both enclosed in mi elegant Kussia-lcather ease, lined with dark silk • velvet, edged and relieved with white satin. The pipe, which was very richly adorned, had on the stem a aiivl" bout in the net of being launched with eight men inside, all worked in gold, and on the front of the bowl a golden shield with the following inscription beautifully engraved : —" Presented to John Watson, Esq., late Harbour Master, New Plymouth, by tho crews of the surf boats us a token of their respect and esteem, Ist .January 18G-1." The tobacco-box was surrounded outside with successive coils of rope, worked in silver, and in the centra of the lid the disign was that of a sailor in the net of throwing a line which he holds coiled in ; his hands, the same inscription as that, on the pipe was also oil the lid. Accompanying the gift there was tin address, engrossed on vellum, l'roiii lliu nun, ' expressing their regret at Mr. Watson's having j resigned the oilice, which he had held for upwards of 2(1 years, and asking his acceptance of that memento of their esteem and respcct for his able direction ot 1 the service during so long a period, anil concluding with a liope expressed in these words : '• That should you ever be induced to accept otlice again, vour services may be more appreciated and better requited than they have hitherto been." ill'. AVatson, evidently much affected, returned thanks ii: suitable terms. '1 be general opinion here is that the }n'<vineo has l"st a valuable public servant in Mr. Watson, and whose place they will have some considerable difiieully in tilling. Mr. Evereste has teen entertaining the good people of New Plymouth with his Diorama of f'oirke and Wills' exploring expedition—and last evening gave a p benefit to the Soldiers' Widows and Orphans Fund* whrreat several griitleiuen resident in tin* town fang gratituously. it was announced in the bills that the [ band ot the oTtli regt. would also perform, but fiom some unexplained cause that pleasure was not enjoyed, probably the removal of a portion of ihe rogt. . from 'l'aranaki may have been the rriison. The fund also lacked the benefit of the patriuiago of the , Colonel and oflieers of the regiment, none of whom I' Were present. The singing was varied, and excellent for ametuers. On Tuesday last a new and rather dangerous experimellt Was ventured on hen-. Tlie t-clioi'iirr ' l )al'll IL'.' (a suitable name for the occasion), w:us ran on to tho beach to discharge her cargo, which consisted of , timber ; she is about 1(1 tons p gistcr. The attempt was quite successtul, the cargo being landed in h-.ifctv . and the vessel shifted into deep water u-TMin in the same ti.l,*. The M..s.v iv». \\ i-hsirr J 'rothers were the ayents. The following day the * "Wild Wave,' a I vessel of 100 tons, went through tho h;1111u process. This sy.stem is all very well in tine weather, and certainly saves both money ami time, but at brr-t it i.-i a primitive and dangerous method, and will sound badly tor the interests ot the harbour {it a distance, beside a sudden change of weather to which wo aro at any time liable may result in serious damage to, if nut entire lush of the vessel—how Insurance Companies will regard it; is another question which no doubt will materially affect it. s continuance. In addition to the gloomy inlluenceti produced by the war, the public health has been iur from good here lately, tcarlet tever has been raging fatallv throughout the community, more cspeciallv amongst the junior portion, and many families are mourning the loss of dear members renntly struck bv the hand of death; from what 1 mil h-ant however the epidemic is now gradually abating. In native aliairs everything remains quiet ; the severe lesson they learnt at Sentry ilill has 1 think cooled their ardour considerably. His nut at all improbable that as soon jus they find we have transported our troops to Wmigunui, they will rally in this direction again.