OLD IDENTITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9907, 24 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

OLD IDENTITIES.

AIR. HORATIO NELSON WARNER. To-day we give a biographical sketch of a very old colonist, Mr. Horatio Nelson Warner, whose residence in New Zealand is contemporaneous with its proclamation as a British colony, and who has lived to see its rise, progress, and varying vicissitudes. Mr. Warner is a Londoner, and was born in 1819. He was educated at Lauderdale House, Highgate, which was built by the Duke of Lauderdale in the reign of Charles 11., and once occupied by the famous Noll G wynne. In 1833 he entered into training for mercantile life, and afterwards acquired a knowledge of surveying. He left London in 1836 for New South Wales, intending only to remain for three " years, and then return home again. Events turned out otherwise. Early in 1840, when aboub to return home, he left Sydney in the schooner Kate, Captain T. Pringle (who was afterwards in the Customhouse, Auckland), in charge of Mr. Jas. Campbell's survey staff, consisting of Mr. Thos. Crummer, surveyor (afcerwards of Williamson and Crummer), and two cadets, Messrs. I'Anson and Suther- ! land, and arrived in the Bay of Islands on I the sth March, IS4O. The mission of Mr. Campbell was to survey large tracts of country in what is now Canterbury and Otago, owned by "Johnny Jones," then a Sydney merchant. Instead of going South, they left the Bay of Islands for Hokiatiga, - where they laid out the township of N«mv Bristol, opposite Herd's Point, for Mr. Thos. Poynton, who died a year or two ago at Lake Takapuna. The township' was sold by auction in Sydney, and two-thirds of it disposed of, but ib was never occupied or claimed, and was afterwards laid out in 40-acre lots for immigrants. Mr. Warner states that in those days the Bay of Islands was a busy place for native trade, and as the resort of American whalers. In October, 1840, he came to Auckland, the British flag having already been hoisted and saluted the month previously, in token of possession by Her Majesty, at what was afterwards Fort Britomart, in honour of a ship of war of that name. At that time there wore only a few tents and whares in Official Bay, and some in Commercial (or Town) Bay, and a Government store was just built on the site of the General Post Office, Shortland-street. The sito of the future city of Auckland was clothed in fern and scrub. He was fortunate enough to get permission to sleep in the store for a short time from the acting storekeeper, Mr. George Smith. When Mr. Warner left the Bay of Islands lis 1840, Captain Clayton (of the Bay) asked him to examine the plan of Auckland prepared by Mr. Felton Matthew, Surveyor General, and select for him a good business site. He chose No. 1, section 4, from the present site of L. D. Nathan and Co.'s warehouses, Shortland-street, round South British corner to St. Mungo's Cafe, Queen-street. The price was £416, which Captain Clayton thought too high, and he bought instead the site of the old Exchange hotel (on which is built Bycrott's mill), notwithstanding thab Mr. Warner informed him the former block would in time become very valuable. Mr. Warner celebrated his first Christmas in Auckland (1840) in a hut, belonging to Mr. Charles Terry, in what is now the middle of Queenstreet, his dinner companions being Mr. Terry, Captain Symonds (afterwards drowned in the Manukau), and Mr. George Smith.

We give below a portrait of Mr. Warner, from a photograph by Mr. J. K. Hanna, belonging to the serins of the Old Colonists' Jubilee, held some time ago.

I On 29th January, 1841, a regatta was held in honour of tho first anniversary of the colony. There were several vessels in harbour, including the Isabella Watson and the Westminster, which brought the Government mechanics from Sydney, and who were living in what was called Mechanics' Bay. Mr. Warner took part in that regatta, in the gig race, being coxswain of the gig of the Westminster. From 1341 to 1844 Mr. Warner was busily engaged in survey work aboub the town or suburb*. In the latter year he entered the Royal Engineers' Department, under Major Marlow, in consequence of works required by that department to be erected owing to the disturbed state of th« natives. He assisted Major Marlow in laying out the plan of the Albert Barracks wall, which was built by native labour, and parb of which wall is yet standing near the Choral Hall. The natives quarried the stone at Mount Eden, brought ib to town by bullock drays, and dressed the stone and built tho wall under Europoan foremen. The native workmen, Mr, Warner states, did their work well. They were quieb and well-be-haved, and could bo taught bo do anything. Mr. George de Thierry acbed as interpreter. A night school was established for the benefit of the Maori artisans, and altogether the experiment of using Maori labour was a success. The work was carried out under the supervision of Mr.', George Graham, clerk of works, Royal Engineers' Department. In 1850, Mr. Warner married the eldest daughter of Mr. Andrew Benb, of Hobarb (who was "the father of the Tasmanian press,") by whom he has four daughters and two sons.

In 1854, Mr. Warner loft the Royal Engineers Department, and became draughtsman in charge of the Provincial Lands Department, under Superintendent Brown. He was Deputy Waste hands Commissioner and Crown Lands Commissioner up to 1807. During the Taranaki war of 18G0 and the Waikato war of 1803 he served as senior sergeant of No. 1 Company, A.R.V. In 1867 Mr. Warner rotired from the Provincial Government uorvice. Prom 1870 to 1875 he acted as Official Agent, winding-up gold mining companies, having boon appointed by the Governor-in-Council, and in the latter year finally retired from official life, after having served the Government for nearly thirty years, for which he received neither ponsion nor compensation. Mr. Warner, though 76 years of age, is still hale and hearty, and carrying out the active duties of bis profession as a surveyor. Mr. Warner has had some curious adventures, being indirectly concerned in one " affair of honour" at the Bay ot Islands, and later on in Auckland, was asked by Mr. Charles Terry to be his " second " in the threatened duel batwoen that gentleman and Mr. Willoughby Shortland, the Colonial Secretary. He delights in recounting his reminiscences of the Olden Time. We append two or three of them :

THE FIRST MAORI WAR SCARE IN AUCKLAND. About the first week in January, 1841, a pakeha Maori arrived in Auckland with tho bloodcurdling intelligence that Archdeacon Williams had been ruthlessly butchered at the Bay of Inlands, and that a strong party of natives were on their way down to Auckland bent on minder and pillage. This information he got from his native wife. Of coursw such & statement joon spread like wildfire, and little clusters of Auckland's citizens were seen balking the matter over as to what was best to be done. In the meantime, the Government officials were devising some method of action and defence. Captain W. C. Symonds, then Acting-Governor, in the absence of His Excellency Captain Hobson, R.N., pooh-

poohed the whole affair, bub the other officials deemed ib necessary to make all the requisite preparations for defending the hearths and homes of the settlers. The garrison, * which was located on Point Britomart (now cub down), consisted of a detachment of 100 men of the 80th Regiment, under command of Major Bunbury, and a few Artillery men, under Captain Travers. Of course, the major was commander-in-chief, and all orders were duly issued from the Brigade office. Commercial Bay (then so called) between Point Britomart and Smales's Point atthenorthernend of Albert-street was the business parb of the city, and there mustered 21 men able to carry arms. These were at once placed under the command of Mr. Chas. Terry, with instructions, in the event of an attack, to defend the Government store (site of present post office) in Shortland-street, until relieved from the main force at the Barracks' Point, Britomart. Official Bay (east of Point Britomart) district comprised the Government officials, etc., numbering about a score, and were commanded by Mr. Felton Matthew, Surveyor-General. Mechanics' Bay was the district for all the Government mechanics and dependants, who were under the command of Mr. Unas. Macintosh, of the Survey Department. This constituted the whole force. lb was amusing to wiiness the cleaning up of guns and riSes, the sharpening of rusty swords, etc. Old Brown Besses were served out from the Government store to those who had no fire arms, and then sentries were posted from Smales's Point along the coast line to St. Barnabas' Poinb, on the east of Mechanics' Bay. This went on for three nights. Nothing happened to disturb the peace that night, bub the day following Chief Paul, of Orakei, came in and laughed at the credulity of tho pakehas, and wondered whab all this military display meant. The second nighb the same routine of sentry-go and watching was carried oub with the like result. The third night, about midnight, there was an omimous sound coming from about the direction of the Watchman up the river. Nearer and nearer the sound came, till it reached Freeman's Bay. There was then no mistake aboub it, and tho story wenb round that canoes were coming down the river filled with Maoris, who were chanting their songs. It was low water at the time, and the pickets on the beach, stooping down at the water's edge, descried the Maori figures through the darkness, and a crafb moving along, which they supposed to be a canoe. As it passed Point Britomart, the pickets heard the sentry hail the crew with, " Who goes there two or three times. No reply being vouchsafed, a, few minutes later, a volley rang oub from Official Bay, the response to which was, " For God's sake, knock off firing." The "fleet of canoes " turned out to bo a whaleboat, manned by natives, towing a rafb of timber down from one of the creeks up the river, and thus ended the first Maori war scare in Auckland, Ib was a wonder that no one was shot with the volley that was delivered. One bullet lodged in the loom of the steer oar, which, possibly, made the European steersman sing out so lustily and emphatically.

THE MAORIS AS DETECTIVES. About the end of 1840, or the beginning of 1841, Mr. William Kendall, who had been in the mounted police of New South Wales, was acting chief constable in Auckland. Meeting Mr. Warner one day at the bottom of Shortland Crescent, Kendall accosted Mr. Warner. "Do you see that man standing there smoking his pipe?" said Mr. W. •* He isemployed by old Mr. Kellyor, of Hellyer's Creek." " Well," said Kendall, " do you know, J can almost swear to him as having been a bushranger on the other side, who shot my comrade dead in his saddle while we were running some of them down. I'll fix him one of these days." So Kendall and Warner parted company. About a fortnight after this interview Kendall was going his rounds at the few publichouses then in existence, warning them it was closing time, and at one of them, about half-way up the Crescent, called the Yew Tree Inn, kept by Mr. C. Hill, he stopped and asked for a glass of beer, which was brought to hiih in a side room. In that room was a man sitting with his arms on the table and his head resting on his hands, ovidently the worse of liquor. " Now, my man, time to clear out," said Kendall. Tho man raised his head to see who it was that spoke with such authority. To Kendall's surprise, he recognised him as his enemy of yore, who in drunken phraseology muttered, as he eyed Kendall, " I know you, but ye wasn't dressed as ye are now." Kendall acted as he did to ascertain and prove the man's identity. He told Mr. Hill to keep him there till he came back. Having got his handcuffs he secured his man with some difficulty, and the prisoner was then put in irons and kept in the Government store—the only place of security then. In less than a week the prisoner managed to make his escape, irons and all, and nothing could be heard of him ; bub in about ten days thereafter, some of the natives of Paul, of Orakoi, who were on a visit at Kaipara, came across him and identified him as the man who had escaped from the Whwthtrehere, notwithstanding that he had shaved off his beard and moustache. They secured him, feeling satisfied he was the escapee, and, while renting at night, he was pinioned, and half-a-dozen of them were tied to him with ropes to prevent his escape. When they brought him to town, the Government rewarded them with blankets. The prisoner was then handed over to the custody of a detective named Shaw, from Hobarfc Town, to be taken to Sydney. The vessel which took him from Auckland called at the Bay of Islands, and there he made his second escape ; but Shaw, who was responsible for his safe delivery, raised a huo and cry, and the natives caught him again. He then told Shaw that if he reached Sydney he would " swing" for it. He was kept in irons, and so secured all the voyage that he could not throw himself overboard. On reaching Sydney ho was handed over to the Crown authorities, identified as the runaway prisoner who had shot the mounted policeman, and hanged at tho new gaol in Sydney.

THE BRITISH SOLDIER ON THE RAMPAGE. Mr. Warner was a spectator of the military riob ab the old Commercial Hotel, High-street, during the Northern war of 1845. Some of the 96bh were in the hotel, and had become rather noisy, when one of the inmates, Mr. John Macfarlane, made some sarcastic remark as to tho conduct of some of the men in the Northern campaign, having, nob to pub too fine a point upon ib, " made a strategic movement to the rear." The blood of the British soldiers got up ab this remark, and they smashed everything ab hand. In the meantime Mr. Macfarlane had been got safely away, being "lowered from an upstairs window by means of blankets. The soldiers having finished up below, went upstairs and ransacked the bedrooms, driving their bayonets into the mattresses and bedclothes, in quest of their luckless and saroasbic critic. A strong picket had to be sent from the barracks before the riot was quelled.