REMINISCENCES OF EARLY DAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8162, 25 January 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

REMINISCENCES OF EARLY DAYS.

[by AN OLD HAND.] VOYAGING IN 1847. SoMEof the ships which traded to Australia in 1847 had not much passenger accommodation, as those who camo out at that date will recollect. An outfit for a voyage was a serious matter ; now a small bag, a few paper collars, and plenty of dollars suffice. We used to carry the poultry in coops on the cabin poop deck, and the poor things were usually neglected in stormy weather by "Jimmy Ducks," so that some morning a number would be found dead or dying; and as the canny captain was providoro for the cabin, and had an eye for the main chance, he would call out, " Here, cook, kill some of those fowls for the currio tomorrow ;" upon which a "queer"passenger remarked, "That's what I call cutting their throats to save their lives !" The same person was very curious as to how the gravy that appeared at table was made. The meat was so poor that the carcase of an occasional sheep was used as a lantern enclosure for a candle at night! To satisfy his curiosity he visited the cook in his galley and asked the question. "Oh," he replied, "after the saucepans are emptied we wash them out with salt water (?) and then add plenty of pepper, and there's your gravy !" The master of the vessel was supposed to find wine for the cabin, and used to have a bottle of London particular (one-and-six sherry), in a glass decanter on the table, a bottle of tho same wine in an ordinary black bottle, which he called port. After it had gone round once, he used to call out, " Steward, take the wine off the table !" One night, talking with the queer passenger on deck, the moon being in its first quarter, he remarked, "How extraordinary it was that the moon became so reduced every month, and increased in size the next." I explained to him as far as I was able the theory (!) of the moon being hid by the earth, bub, as I was very young, and he considerably older, he took the liberty to very much doubt my explanation. One day, our doctor, who alway took a tumbler of rum (when he could get it), gob the horrors, and that night, which turned out a very dark and stormy one, he started out with a large knife, and the pleasant intention of killing the devil. Now, it happened that my cabin was next the steward's, where the cups and saucers hung on hook, and made a dreadful clatter at all times. He made a bee line for my cabin, bo X began to feel rather queer.

I called to my nearest neighbour, the " queer" one, bub he said, " Oh, don't be alarmed, I'll knock at the captain's cabin." Bub I heard him carefully barricade his own door with his heavy travelling trunk. After sometime, during which this amiable lunatic was trying to open my door, the captain and crew were aroused, and the medico "secured. It was by no means a pleasant quarter-of-an-hour for myself. WHALING SHIP VISITS.

What has become of all the whalers? What a lob used fco visit Auckland, the Bay of Islands, and Mangonui. Lots of money they spent, too ! Some of the crews were a wild, reckless lot, and the captains had all their work to keep them in order, not unfrequently using " knucklo dusters." When a number of the captains gob together, they would keep the hotels rather too lively. I remember them waking me up, very early one morning, demanding a vessel in which to empty champagne, and would take no denial. I saw once a man follow the captain from the boat, and said, "Captain, I am going to leave you here." " Are you," he replied. Turning quickly, he run the man sharply down a short wharf, and threw him bodily into the boat, lying some distance below ; and before the poor devil could recover himself, rushed down down the steps at the side, and slipped a pair of handcuffs upon him. I guess that poor fellow gob it warm on his return to the ship. The crews did a lob in the smuggling way. A man would come in, apparently very sboub, and ask bo see you privately, and in a hoarse whisper ask you if you would buy a lob of baccy. I invariably declined, bub usually noticed thab bhe men who went up bo town so stout, came down very slim in person. I presume they gob melted down somewhere. WAIWERA IN 1850. Waiwera in 1850 was in a primitive state, and was only beginning to be known. I was ordered there by my doctor, and went in a large lime cutter which traded to bho Great Barrier Island, and which was to call for mo on return in about a week. As meat was unattainable there I had to bake a couple of brace of fowls, etc. Lucky for me that I did so, for I gob nothing else but salt pork, damper, and rum. In a day or bwo I arrived ab my desbinabion, and was lefb on the rocks ab bhe entrance of Waiwera Bay, with my half dead fowls. The cutter went on her way, bub, alas, I saw her no more, and after waiting for three weeks was glad to get a passage to Auckland in a wood cutter. The accommodation at Waiwera was primitive, very. The hostess hid not dress for dinner, or, indeed, very much at all, her usual abbire being a Maori roundabout, and no shoes or stockings. However, \,thc mosquitoes and fleas kept one KvelyfPrabher boo much so ab (night. On tho beach, " rural felicity" was obbainable ab a building bermed a " sweating-house," where after purchasing one or two gallons of rum you could go and "sweat it out," and bins was a customary bushman's breab on holidays. At this date the springs used tobubbleupout of the sands, and if you wanted a bath yon hud to excavate the sand, cover the hole with a wooden box while you undressed, then get in, leaving your head out. Both ladies and gentlemen used to go down wrapped in a blanket (not together) and take their dip. Generally the gentlemen endeavoured to keep the coast clear when ladies were down bathing. One day returning to the house the sands appeared clear, bub alas, as 1 noared the house I saw, enveloped in a dark blanket, something that turned out to be a lady. She called out, " Don'b be frightened, Mr. — ; I am only an old woman." I replied, " Dear madam, I assure you I am nob alarmed, if you are nob. It takes a good de.-d in that direction to frighten me." We often had a hearty laugh over the rencounter, the lady vowing that I appeared in a great fright. Well, I did not reply, but I might. SYDNEY IN 1852. I took a trip to Sydnoy about this time, just as the gold-digging fever had burst out. What a busy scene it was ! what life and animation ! and how soon you wero taught to know the exbra cost of everything, and the small value of shillings ! A New Zealander going there with some hundreds of pounds to make purchases with, was but a very poor fellow. The first awakening was getting a lift in the Customs boat, from the Heads. "What have I to pay you?" "Oil, only a sow, sir." The second— for about a quarter of a mile, at night. "How much?" "Oh, a pound." "Come now, that's rather too much ; here's 10?, and that's double your fare." At this the driver replied " Make it a presont to you, sir;" jumps up, and drove away, and I pocketed bho insult (and my money). How busy the streets looked, and the shops full of customers. Tho jewellers' and gold-purchasers' windows were filled with a loose coating of sovereigns, giving them the appearance of being Full. One day I went with a friend to a jeweller's shop, to purchase a watch. While there a gold-digger came in, and offered for sale some gold - dust. The shop-keeper agreed to purchase, but before he could weigh it, the digger took out a handful, saying, "Hold hard ! here, mako a ring of this. Nothing loth, the shopkeeper took the measure of his finger, and told him he should have it the next day. After tho digger had left we remarked, " Why, that quantity of gold should make half-a-dozen rings; do you manufacture them '!" Ho smiled pleasantly in reply, and said, " Oh, no ; we have thoin in stock, all sizes. Yes, I think there will be enough and to spare for the value of the ring" and we thought so, too— rather ! Some rascally buyers used to well grease their hair, and after fumbling over the samples for sale, scratch bheir heads a good deal on the question of its worth, until one day a digger who had carefully weighed his gold, found on taking it to another buyer, having failed to agree with the "oily" man, thab his gold was quarters of an ounce short. A trap was laid for bhe " greasy one," he was caughb, and gob a fow years' selecb residence in quietness — free of cost. MONEY LENDING. Some early colonial experiences may bo found amusing, of how bhe money lenders did their " biz" in those days. A friend was hard up, and went to an accommodating gentleman to whom he already owed some money, and sought to borrow a good sum to help him, knowing little of the ways of such sharks. " Well, he said, "I will lend you £500, but you must give me security, jusb by way of form." The " innocenb" consenbed, and signed a lot of deeds which burned out to be a bill of sale, and a warrant of attorney, bill for £1000, and obtained at intervals an advance of £200. When making a further application, he received a note in reply, that bhe lender was free bo confess he was short of cash and was nob prepared bo lend any more. So bhab bhe borrower found he had given security over all his and his creditors' effects to bhe extent of £1000 for advances and indebtedness to tho extent of some £400. Fortunately, he got a friend to help him, and paid off this "innocent londer." Here is another case. R. wanted to borrow some few hundreds to remit home, so went to mi advertising solicitor, who was all complaisance, and asked what security he had. He suggested various prop~rbies in town and country, and was asked to send his deeds for selection. This he did, but being pushed for the money, he obtained it at once on a three months' note at 15 per cent, (he said, by way of form). Some few weeks after a clerk in the solicitor's oflice, who was a personal friend of the borrower's, asked him what he was borrowing, as a great number of mortgage deeds wero being prepared in the office. Taking fright ab this information, he visited the solicitor, and asked which property he had selected to take as security, He replied, " Oh, all of them." To this, he very strongly objected, and immediately requested the return of his deeds, tendering a cheque for the amount of the loan. He was laughed at, and next morning he received a lawyer's letter, with a bill of costs for £22 for deeds, and with an intimation that if nob paid, he would be at once sued, the solicitor relying that he would not like his private affairs exposed. Bub R. again bendered bhe money, and afber some delay, and some sbrong personal remarks, ended in his having bo pay £8, and gebting hie bill and deeds returned, having had the money about one week ! STOREKEEPER DAYS. One gob curious experience in shopkeoping in the early days. I used to keep a post-office box and sell sbamps, bub found ib a very unprofitable business. Upon one occasion a languid lady enbered. The shop was full of nabives, and all hands very busy. She asked for a penny sbamp, gave a sovereign, requesting change, and concluded by asking for the stamp to be moist-

ened and put on. And this was nob an unusual occurrence. Another time a big blaekfellow came in in a great hurry, ana wanted a penny stamp and change of £1 note. Being told he could nob be supplied with the change, he was most uncivil, so was told to go to the devil, upon .which he drew a large bowie knife, and threatened to let daylight into me if he was not given what he wanted. As I was alone, this was by no meens a pleasant episode, so the honour of keeping a post-office box was declined. One day a well-known lady asked for some scent, which she wanted opened to try. Her request being declined, she asked to look at some scissors, selected a pair and coolly opening the bottle, said " it was not strong enough," and laid it on one side, remarking at the same time, " Why, do you keep tobacco Mr. ? none of the ladies will patronise you if you do." To which I replied, mine being a native store, I was not particularly anxious for their visits. After resting some time, and buying a pound of fruit, she left with a request to charge the amount to her, which, it is needless to say was never asked for or paid. So much for ladies' custom.