CURRENT LITERATURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14299, 19 February 1910, Page 5 (Supplement)

CURRENT LITERATURE.

RITY YEARS INN. Z. STORIES OF PEACE AND. WAR BY AN OLD COLONIST. Mr. A. Hope Blake, in "Sixty Years In New aland*. (Gordon and Gotch, Auckland; Elodder and Stoughton, London), has written a book of supreme interest to New __&landers, being the reminiscences of in eventful life, generally taking the form || of tales and incidents, but full of shrewd '" " observations and comments. Mr. Blake, " who wears the New Zealand War medal, j. V n gives the. following account of _~ THE DEATH OF VOS TEMPSKT; ; %,-iv-.:...'V ■■-.■■. - ■"■* •'•'■•■ . * "The Maoris, always noted for their aptitude and ingenuity in the construction of their defence works, had now, to a great ■ extent, abandoned the mode of warfare that " relied mainlv on the strength of the pas, and thcv began the practice of luring-our forces into ambuscades, and of occasionally, guerrilla-like, making raids where least •j expected. " • "One unfortunate instance of this oc- ■ curred at 'Te ngutu o te mann' (The beak of the bird), where the hero of a hundred fights—the. gallant Von Tempsky—fell. ' luis pa was so called from its being built ' on an eminence resembling the head of a bird. The approach to it was by a nar- . "row ridge— beak-covered with karaka, rata, rimu, and other giants of the forest, , ' with the usual dense undergrowth peculiar 1 /to New Zealand, "Such was the fatal spot to which Von Tcmpskv led his brave followers, with the intention ot entrapping, if possible, that ' ' diminutive but wily'> and fearless savage Tito Kowaru. Thev had arrived shortly aiser daybreak at the edge of the forest immediately surrounding, the pa. , Swiftly '■* but cautiously advancing, and fully aware •'- of • their opponents' general tactics of ambush .and surprise, from tree to tree they . /glided: • like phantoms ;in /.the gloom, but ;. with'every -sense at the-utmost tension. So far there had" been nothing- to oppose j their progress. All was' quiet. They reached a partial clearing within a short distanceof the stronghold, and in the exul- . tation of the moment, arising from the ■" ' prospect of a successful coup, they made a ' dash across-the opening, when; suddenly, a , "volley was poured into: them from the rear. Astounded at this unexpected attack they < i turned to face the foe, when another fusilN lade ; came from their former front, disclosing the awful fact that they were between ■'■■'■'~.- two.fircsi z..£heir numbers rapidly deereaa- ■ >ed witireach discharge, and yet the surface of the earth presented not the . slightest : i **- '--sign vof ~ air enemv until. the descending ./smoke betrayed "their presence in the lofty rimus' ponderous branches overhead, the thick foliage being a most effectual cover for f /■'- the cunning savage. '"?_;*'-;' U* K ', • J . "Von Tempskv, mortally wounded, with ''V, not one thought pf j his men, -■■,: in his last moments fully, recognised the extreme peril of the situation. To remain there trying to fight an invisible foe would . be. to torn the spot, into veritable slaugh* terpen, so he:<»lied'asTou<Hyas his,rematn- , ing strength would permit, *-Retire! Xook Ito yourselves!, boys* 1I am done for!" To -retire 'without, him and their other unfortunate comrades was not a part of their creed, -t and every soul was brought- from the* terrible ■j spot to place out of the -range of-the v Han-Han- otifles. .-->--- • •'' - "This disastrous expedition was made »;* known to none -of-the men of whom it was ' composed until the! morning assembly for pip marching brderfe, so* Becretly had prehnnnaries been conducted. - And yet the enemy '• -' must hate been well, posted; in tie move- " meat* of -the force to hare arranged with .// •oca diabolical ingenuity, this difficult plan - '/,,af ambuscade. " Asrdnrmg the «ar>y>i»tive- ■/// ''*« I tSa' friendfies were credited with giv- ; in«j ; information regarding plansof the rnkeha; £«'tsow it wai» that;some of them' wsere not quite what tborr name implied." '■' ■-.:'/..-■'••'■ — . -•'■ ■ ~"• !;; c f-. ::•;' ncsrrrijsrs ax» cbedlt. "In the 'fifties," says Mr. Blake, "I had recently started in business, and was advised . some who had a more, intimate knowledge of native peculiarities than myself never to give itama. (credit) for eatables -of inr- description, as tie notions entertained S ,• Wtbe Maoris:with regard to such were in (jJever give nama (credit) strange. Where any description, as the notions entertained ffcrliw' Maoris with regard to such were itt raort cafes, to say the least, strange- Where s blanket, a bridle and saddle, or such-like, had been sold to them on credit, little diffi%H- cult to experienced in eventually getting ■"^k' settlement ;but, when edible commodities 4eTC -ui f qu»Ssti6h, they seemed to have an indefinite idea thai; as there was nothing to . '" ■ show for themoney requested of them, they LJ V'- : - ;Vr sionld .not be expected to part with their '" substantial silver in hea thereof. 1., PEACE ASP iVeSSKTKfS., . ■ '§kg!*Z ** the most : - notable regiments enyl * gaged in New Zealand during her early tronfeles were the 58tif arid 65thior,-as the '.' ' aboriginals?* respectrrery;" dubbed- 4han, " 'Whiffet ate' 7 andi*Hi(iety"rwhiff-*" ? A flotkeamV trait- ia the character of these two regiments was, that while there appear:. ifvr'red to be any.likelihood of work to be done, flpfin the shape of fighting* few cases of desertion from , the ranks were recorded ; but; as "process of colonisation advanced and '?'" roarseiieM of population caused labour to be " "'*"" it a premium, inanv attempts :were' made --: or these /vcteraak^ to break their oath. of ?, ? ' aUegiari*:* to Queen and country byas they '■■■t termSFit^-likin<?•'*' trip ** the:counUy for ? ""tb» good of thiir heaitfi, or.by making ■ '-^i£nisfti'-tat'th'6 /emote, -part : of the '. tabnd stations," iious - TAXxms .was.] co xe. ''-"• Of" Bewi Maniopoio we are told that: ' ' "TOni far-seeing Rewi-wa»'-for; peace.' When IPliilir hapas, infoider io gain his countenance, Ws*'&a&piti*i of 'the -old : argumeiitrrwhich in ' - " many cases had" truth for its fonndation--r: '■ -I • * We have been tricked and deceived in the gone like, the-smoke ' *■*• 't/t th*' J rt*es*"-fee, leaving ns merely the ' < ashes \ we must * recover them or their • ■£*->Value J wis are strong and determined -we jv can fight, we can conquer; or die iir the " strife.' ißewi^gave a characteristic reply-. ■ 'Fight if-.vouMmistl.-Kill all if you '■. djbosel..And..wHaJt .then* -W*V~. * fll^ '. replaced. More -pakehas will come. Kill them, if you' are strong enough. England swarms from. across " waters,- yon-will die the end.'. • V.."But which way you -wiQ. If it is peace, good! lam with. you, Is it .-war? , I *>ti' have Jfehown you my mind. You have heard bit word?, but.l am no traitor! Where ~ mV people are, there am 'In peace I can ' , - guide, or in war I will lead you, for I also can fight or die for our country and our j '...'. ," S *'. ..'/:.. '. . > ' . .: «i i

- , \ A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY^ ?•• :^. T 'V-r-Ih'" A Colonial Autocracy," by Marion ' Phillips COLONIAL ' and. Son, Orchard #& '■'"A Colonial Autocracy" by Marion billips,. (P.: S- King and Son, Orchard BlWoaw, • Westminster, London), we have ie tresis en which the author obtained ; '*"■ the' degree of D.Sc. in the Faculty of | " Economics of ; the University of london; , it is considered deserving of place in the "Studies :in ■ Economics and. Political ' Sciences;" being edited by Mr. W.P. Reeves, and will be found to merit that; i. distinction.- The book deals with the - I ',' political state of. New South Wales, under • governor: Macquarie, between 1810 and '•' : 1821. This "is a period which has been 0 little dealt v with, although^plentifully [} '\ h , covered by ; : official documents. .'< Yet it is '*■ » tune- of considerable interest' and im- ,' ' portance. ".From a small settlement de- ■ pendent ' even" for its food supply upon '•'-:': other "countries' New ' South•; Wales 'grew ■ Uniting this period into ■* an agricultural ?•''•':' •colony,'*providing its own food, beginning 'to-".establish" manufactures 1 ' and ex-1--porting wool. A'lew years after 'Mac- ' " I'rtaai'tc 'a "return'it' "even able to- sup- '".'.' '■- port, i civil establishment -without help ;■ '"*•'from -Imperial 'Treasury. -<-j. In these -yerir* also is seen finder peculiarly simple ;* "•; ind' isolated 'conditions the working, of; • '* military •' government—-; curious ;; and -Miomaloiiii J system of autocracy working '•through* the forms of -civil law. It is in fcne study of this system', that the true • Mgnifiyi&ee of what :at , first sight, seems jaerelyj' ft.' series /ofpersonal quarrels he- , • Iween \- Mfc Governor Mind the > judges •merfi!«|» as * fiOnflicA pi Brin<sii>i*t.at the

outcome of the real intellectual difficulty of i reconciling the '■■ due administration of the law with a judiciary dependent upon an autocratic Governor. The fact that it was a one-man government .also renders very imoortant the study of this one man's character and training, his prejudices and opinions. * Macquane, himself a man of very ordinary ability, is an intensely interesting figure in ■ Australian history," because for 12 years the development "of the country was almost wholly dependent upon his guidance. The period illustrates too the almost inevitable failure of such an autocracy, and it comes to an end: with the commission of J. T. Bigge, who was sent from England in 1819 to investigate on the spot the complaints against the Governor, and to inquire generally into the colony's affairs. Acting upon the reports of the Commissioner, the Home Government in 1823 granted to New South Wales some measure of Constitutional Government, and thus accomplished the first step in that progress which led to the great autonomous measures of 1855. The years from 1810 to 1821 form a distinct period in this .transition, and behind the simple constitutional history of the time are all the complex elements which went to make up the social and economic organisation of the people." ACROSS PAPUA. The refusal of the Imperial Government to accept responsibility for Now Guinea when ; that island was formally annexed by Sir Thomas Hcllwraith, Pre- ' mier of Queensland, has been in some small measure excused by the fact that after 30 years there is still very little settlement. But on the other hand the Empire only holds a third of the island instead of the whole, and the prospects are ; increasingly • bright for prosperous tropical ! agricultural development In "Across Papua," bv Colonel Kenneth Mackay (Witherby and Co., 326. High Holbora, London), we have an account of ■'* a voyage -round, and a march across, the-territory of Papua, with the Royal ' Commission."' This Commission was appointed some years ago to investigate the best means for the improvement of British New Guinea ; as its chairman, Colonel Mackay had exceptional opportunities -for seeing the country, and gives his experiences in this most interesting volume, with forty illustrations and a folding map. He tells how, law and order, crafts and trade, are gradually being introduced among the natives who were among the most ferocious of aboriginals and . avowed head-hunters. As.; ;ji instance of their native simplicity we quote ~ ..■

I "Near here some years ago two diggers were caught, cooked, and, eaten. Whether they had sinned, or suffered for the sins of others, or if it was just a murderous desire to slay on the part of the.natives, I*cannot say. - Be that as it may, their death was an" awful one. For a mate, who was absent when the captnre took place, followed and from cover saw their broken and heard their screams <*£.. agony as they slowly died over the : cooking fires. ?■ I'"was '". told that after his escape his brain went and that' he died a madman, and : I can easily believe this part of the story if the rest be true. ." One evening George asked an old warrior which of the - flesh, tickled his palate most Literally translated he answered, >s* fowl—fair, ' pig—good, man—incomparably best.* That settled, he was' questioned as to which type of man he preferred—white •or black/ j and' to: our surprise replied, 'Native, white too salt and taste too much of tobacco.'"

f And ! her© is another picture giving the present result and future prospects of the ; work " of the missionaries and. the native police"' ' L "' " Everything about Kokoda, police barracks, i married men's quarters, •. garden, and drill ; yard,, i was alike ■ as clean and ; well ordered as the strictest quartermaster could wish for, and yet it was all so native as to blend with, rather than-show as an excrescence amid, its surroundings. Situated at the foot of .'the; main range and 1000 ft above sea level, the climate is, from a: tropical standpoint, good, while the, plateau is rich T almost beyond belief. A* an illustration, in,the station garden ■ (30 acres : being under ',' cultivation) thero 'grew' tjiro, yams, i sweet-potatoes, bananas \{l saw fifteen dozen in on© bunch), Indirtn corn, cocoanuts, - betel-nuts, paw paws, granadillas, pineapples, chillies, oranges, lemons, English cabbages, carrots, parsnips, radishes, -- lettuces, French beans, ; melons, and swede turnips. ;; ; > ; - "Cocoa should do well, but coffee would : do better on sloping lands while all the ] surrounding tribes grow sugar, though; I was told it flourished - best- on the upland : slopes. //During ■ ■ the /twelve months - pre- ;■ ceding * ottr , arrival,', an average of about fifty police, prisoners, .and carriers. were» edjrom/,the t produce, of ; gn„average area oFlwenty acres under cultivation for that ■: period// The character of ; the ; soil 'is a rich, dark, sandy loam, and iI ; was told that 1200 acres on' the plateau would soon be declared V Crown lands, aud : that ; ISO square miles" additional had ;been; gazetted as .such/ starting from Kokoda and ex.tending asvfar as McLaughlin's Creek, twelve miles north of the Yodda field. " From Kokoda right back to Bunaßav, ihe country /is/ magnificently watered, | level, and v heavily '■ timbered,; and judging I from ; the quantities of.; cane, .vegetables, |'and; fruit brought in by the natives all ! along the'route, be rich. With the exception of •- the iKumnsi River, and even this can be crossed at a ford a short distance frpnv the wire bridge, "and the Divide/ whicfi'-could made practicable for pack traffic -at a comparatively small cost., the, present; track is : to-day/ possible for horses.and mules during the dry reason..- So , there are ■* no insurmountable natural obstacles in the path of development from the sea to Kokoda/ wlien {he/ right men choose to tread- it." ;•

IDEA OF A FREE CHURCH. \ "The Idea of .a Free Church," by Henry' Skirt,' "editor of Personal 'idealism, alitor pi " Idola Theatri " (Walter Scott Publishing^ Company, London and Felling'OrifTyne). is, an attempt by a writer whose work hitherto has been purely speculative r to apply philosophic principles to solve .'s£; urgent religious problems of our day. ? The principles are those of the school known as Pragmatists; in the light of these principles the author examines the moral teaching of ; Christianity, comes to the conclusion that it is obsolete and (inadequate, and proposes that - a new church should. be. established. He , then fete forth at length the general principles of conduct and ideal of life which he considers to be most suitable to modern civilisation, arguing that Man needs a religion, and a expounding X the principles of the.new" theology which he thinks should be substituted for, the Christian. Finally : Mr. Sturt ? offers suggestions . for the work and organisation of a Free Church. Obviously, the book is not modest, but it is well-written and well-bound.

AMERICAN MELODRAMA. . America has its glorified " Family Herald" stories of the. "Old Rose and vSilver" type. It has also "its • modernised melodramatic novels 'of the •<■." blood-and-thunder(": variety,:: of which' "Loaded Dice,*' by Ellery H. Clark (Bobbs-Merrill; ■ Company, ' Indianapolis,' U.S.A.), 'is a "good example. Richard Gordon, the New York stockbroker, who loads-the dice, determine* to allow no moral consideration whatever to stand between him and the gratification of his desires,: which are epitomised in V the need ■. for ) wealth. ■•X; He' plots, plans, cheats, and kills, in a most villainous ■;: fashion, maintaining ' ■ the outward appearance of honesty and good fellowship. r - He makes millions, becomes Governor of New York State, and ; might ;have; become President ; had ■!< he . not r been assassinated in the course of a'blackmailing ; plot \ formed against , < him by one of his tools. So that at last he , dies, after , loading ';.•:. the dice 4 for years, /shrieking, "I've lost, -, 'I've h lost," ." « * approved! Adelobin fashion.