A STORY OF OLD NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14235, 4 December 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

A STORY OF OLD NEW ZEALAND.

THE FATE OF TAUMARANUI.

BT MRS. E. M. DTTNL.OP. j

I HAVE beside me an old Blue Book which contains much valuable information about New Zealand, as it was at a very interesting period. It is a, report upon the condition of the Islands of New Zealand, printed in August, 1838, by order of the House of Commons at Home, and contains evidence given by numbers of important people, including Captain Filzroy, R.N., and among others Joseph Barrow Montefiore, Esq. The person who bore the name as above and who was thus given the title of esquire by order of the House of Commons, was a British subject of avery adventurous disposition, and is typical of those voyagers whose exploration led to the settlement of New Zealand. Of these there were, naturally, many types, and we must not confuse that represented by MonteSoro with any which might personify in our minds those of the missionary party in New Zealand in the thirties. Possibly, his ends and objects were quite different, as he frankly says that ho did not meet any missionaries at all during hie stay in our country. His object in going there was, as he tells us, strictly mercantile. He chartered a vessel in 1830, and visited every place in New Zealand he possibly could, with the intention of establishing mercantile depots ! for the distribution of goods among the New Zealanders, and the obtaining of such commodities as they were able to supply. He met with the most exciting experiences, anu* entirely satisfied any taste for adventure he might have had. He entered the harbour of Kawhia on the western coast in 1830. There he landed, and had transactions with the natives which he regarded as on the whole satisfactory. He waft given a piece of land on which to build a store and to establish his depot. Ho made friends with the natives and learned something of their language and customs. He was charmed with his prospects, and filled with admiration for the scene, the harbour, the climate, and the promised resources. The soil was good and the country bore a most beautiful appearance. It was the , most picturesque country he had ever visited, and he had been in most parts of the world. He went up several rivers as far as his boat would allow, and saw about eight or ten small villages. He saw hundreds of acres under cultivation, but he gives it as his opinion that the people were the most lazy, idle people ever lie saw. The roots of fern, which they dug from the ground, was their principal food, and was almost equal to flour, but for the trouble of obtaining 'it. They had an abundance of fish, of vegetables, and of pigs, which, introduced by Captain Cook, had multiplied exceedingly.

"They are idle, and do not labour," says Montefiore, " because Nature has provided for them so abundantly." .-.- . ,'

There were two or three white men there, but our gentleman adventurer regarded these with great mistrust. " I suspected," he says; "that they were runaway sailors from New South Wales. We have," he continues, "in a great measure lost our character with the New Zealanders in consequence of the very bad character of the runaway convicts, refractory seamen, and others residing among them. I think that, with the exception of myself and others, very few gentlpmon,}>^ye ever visits ed theV-ountry. V. There are a great'many bad characters oil the island, but the native people are very well able to distinguish between gentlemen and the individuals alluded to.' : ,

The chiefs appeared most hospitable. When Montefiore went ashore they would give him up their whole establishment, and make him most comfortable. Nevertheless he occasionally had cause for alarm, as when on one occasion he received warning from a. native girl that it was the intention of a certain chief to kill them all. ' The boats of the white men were drawn up upon the shore, and the natives showed indications of designs upon them, but the Europeans, seizing a favourable opportunity, put off to their ship and left the district. , * They then approached the Tarauaki shore, and would have loaded there but for the weather. " The appearance of Mount Egmont."' says our voyager, "was simply splendid." Continuing their voyage our adventurerers fell in with no less a, personage than the famous Captain Stewart and his brig Elizabeth.

Now we have the true, faithful, and unvarnished account of that terrible transaction in our New Zealand history, over which we writers have exercised our wits and our imagination until the theme has wearied us. We have it here completo, as given in evidence before tHe Royal Coinmission in 1838, a few years after it occurred.

Joseph Barrow Montefiore, owing to the disabled state of hie own vessel, was compelled to take refuge with Captain Stewart on board. the brig Elizabeth. What he saw and heard there altered the whole of hie plans, and compelled him to return to Sydney, giving up for the time hie determination to settle in New Zealand. In the hold of the Elizabeth he found a miserable passenger, no lees a person than that most unhappy chief from Akaroa, Taumar>ruui, whose wrongs have roused indignation ever since, and have brought the tears to many eyes. Yes! Yea! There he indeed was. We have it on oath, in evidence given before the Royal Commission !

Fettered, bound, starving, .wounded, dying, yet calm and proud in his pacing moment!', there in the filthy, bloodstained, and reeking hold of ': the Elizabeth, still lived the victim of a white man's treachery, —the once free, proud son of the mountain and the shore, he who once enjoyed all that splendour of Nature's bounty spread before the inhabitants of Akaroa. Oh! all ye who mt.& by, turn and shed a tear; lor was there ever any misery like unto his misery! Days, even weeks, had elapsed since he had been betrayed, since that dire moment when, coming gaily with his wife and girl to trade with Europeans, he had been confronted unarmed with his hereditary foes, and had instantly realised his fate.

The dastardly Stewart; related the wholo story of the preceding weeks to his visitors, who now were perforce compelled to cast in their lot with him.

Montetlore had many conversations with the chief Taumaranui, for after his long stay in Kawhia and hie transactions with the" natives there he was able to converse in Maori. He thus heard both sides of the story, that of the suffering chief and that of Stewart, who was even then keeping the unfortunate victim as a hostage for the fulfilment of the promise of Te Rauparaha and his people to bring to the seaboard a cargo of dressed flax. This they were busily preparing, and large parties of men, women, and girls had gone into the interior to collect and 'prepare the flax. Stewart was firm in his determination not to part with the captive chief, either by releasing him at the entreaties of Montefiore, or of the enemies of the Akairoa. chief, whose wife had been taken ashore by Rauparaha's. people. Taumaranui was in a shocking state from neglected wounds and from the friction of his fetters/which, eating into the flesh, had caused a state of mortification in his lower limbs, from which he could not possibly have recovered. He was resigned to his fate. He knew he would be killed, and scorned to show 1 fear, anguish, or dread. In conversation ; with Moritefiore he denied having taken part in barbarities practised upon the crew of the British ship, the Warspite, which had been. : wrecked off Akaroa. '«''■' • In, vain did Montefiore farid other white men beg for- mercy for .the unfortunate chief. Stewart was afraid of his just ! vengeance should he be released.. • At last 1 hie irons were struck off, but he was then

helpless from the extent of hie injuries. " Ho was as fine a man," says Montefiore, "as ever I saw in my life.'- • J ■■-'■ ■;." Taumaraoui actually lived on board in this miserable state for four or five weeks, no flax coming forward,' the natives not having fulfilled their treaty. "'■ Montefiore savs, " I was anxious to geton to Sydney. "I told Stewart that I was certain that he would not get hi* flax. We set ea.il at last, but first he gave up the chief Taumaranui into the hands of hie enemies. I saw, the whole proceed of preparation for his . intend-, ed sacrifice. I did not actually see him killed, but I know he was killed, during that night; the following morning I saw his widow, still alive. She had his entrails strung in mockery around her as a necklace. His heart was cut up into several pieces and sent to different tribes, the allies of Te Rauparahn." Montefiore gave before the Commission a full account of the affair at Akaroa as it came to his knowledge. The brig Elizabeth was regularly armed, carrying eight guns as well as two swivels on her taffrail, and she was well found in every description, of small arms. She conveyed to Banks Island about 300 Maoris, all of whom were more or less armed. When she anchored off the island it was made to appear that there were no passengers on board, for they were all concealed below. Captain Stewart had conveyed this large force of Maori warriors to Banks Peninsula at the request of Te Rauparaha, who had boarded the Elizabeth at Kapiti, and had promised Stewart a cargo of dressed flax if lie would be the means of delivering his enemy into his hands. The feud which existed was of very old standing, dated some 22 years before, when the Akaroa natives had.killed and eaten Te . Pahi and other Tarahaki natives who had fallen into their hands. Since that period the relatives of Te Pahi had been making preparations to revenge his fate, and agreed with Te Rauparaha for his assistance. The opportunity came ! when the captain of the Elizabeth wanted ; flax and lent himself to their designs of i vengeance. When the Elizabeth cast anchor off Banks Peninsula canoes were put off from the shore. Some of the inmates, seeing her guns, were rather suspicious, and even asked if Te Rauparaha were on board. Being reassured, they boarded the ship, and, being unarmed, were an easy prey. Tau--maranui immediately recognised his fate, and was seized and bound. The armed natives then went ashore in the canoes which they seized, killing the slaves and throwing them overboard. Stewart described the scene as being " most interesting !" It was one of terrific slaughter, though only one on the side of Te Rauparaha was killed; the shin reeked with the blood of the Akaroa natives. The wife and daughter of Taumaranui were among the captives, and the father and mother killed the girl with their own hands, rather than that she should remain in the power of the enemy. , j The cargo of flax not being forthcoming, Stewart would not permit his , grizzly friends to unbind the chief and take him ashore, but kept" him ; aboard in irons during five weeks while hanging about the coast waiting for the flax. ' - The Maoris were now incensed against Europeans, and it was unsafe to land. For this reason, and filled with horror at the sights he had witnessed, Monefior© determined to proceed to Sydney. When he arrived there he caused Stewart to be arrested and tried for his conduct, but was unsuccessful in bringing him to justice. Stewart soon;afterwards met with a somewhat mysterious death at sea, either being washed overboard or thrown off his ship oy his crew.. •'