CAPTAIN COOK.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 7

CAPTAIN COOK.

a MOxniKyr unveiled Gll ft AT GATHERING IX POVERTY BAY. TRIBUTES TO THE GREAT NAVIGATOR. (From Our Special Reporter.) GISBORNE, October 8. Tho ■weather whs ail that was neeosi s;iry in collaboration with very complete | and excellent arrangements to make | the Cook ceremony hero to-day most ; successful. Fortunately, tho time was j early in tlio day, and the weather was I tho best. Directly after breakfast the j town was transformed by a busy throng | into a combination of a military camp and a bazaar. Hundreds of school cadets, Maoris, and mounted and foot volunteers swarmed in, their strength being presently increased by a very lino detachment of men from K.M.S. Challenger. which I;iv in the bay. At II o’clock tho Parliamentary party went off to the Tutnnekai, where they transhipped into tho surf-boat to take part in dm official landing, which was intended to represent in some measure tho original landing of Captain Cook one hundred and thirty-seven years ago. Captain Bridsou, of the Challenger, camo ashore first in his gig, and was received by Maoris with a haka of welcome. Ho was followed hy a large sailing cutter, containing other officers of tho warship, but this took the ground too soon, and while it was getting off tho surf-boat of the Tutanekai, loaded with tho Parliamentary party, Urn Minister of Marine at the stcor-onr, landed and received a salute from tho Maoris and from a strong guard of honour composed of the East Coast Mounted Rifles and members of African contingents. When all had got ashore a square was formed about the monument by cadets, volunteers, and navals, the Maoris taking up their position in front of the obelisk—that is, tho side facing Young Nick’s Head. It Is on this side that tho inscription conveying tho original purpose of tho monument is carved in the granite iu the following words: —

This memorial is erected to commemorate the first binding in Now Zealand at PovertyBay of Captain Cook on Sun-

day, Bth October, 1769. By a wretched failure of judgment, the other sides of the monument are defaced by the names of some dozens of members of New Zealand contingents who went to South Africa, This is utterly irrelevant, and so foreign to the original object of the monument as to transform a graceful tribute to the memory of the great navigator anrl humanitarian into a paltry statue of parochialism. There is a decided weight of public feeling here in favour of erasing the names of the contingenters, and allowing the menu-' mont to stand as it reasonably should —as a memorial to a man whose character and achievements deserve perpetuation. The speakers at the ceremony all refrained from any reference to the South African, war. It was a Cook celebration pure and simple. THE SPEECHES. After preliminary local devotions, tho Mayor (Mr J. Townley) said the exact atoms of sand where Cook landed were probably washed away long ago, but ho believed they were standing on tho locality where his boat touched. The monument was unsurpassed in Now Zealand, and was raised to the memory of tho great navigator—one of tho first sailors of his day, a man of humane mind, who took every care of the'mon in his charge, and did much to prevent the well-known scourges of long voyages in those days. The natives who wore now dancing hakas of welcome were descendants of the men who had defied Cook’s landing, and who had preferred their country to the “spirit moving on the water,” but who since then had appreciated the mixed life with Europeans. Natives and Europeans were now mingled together, and enjoyed each other’s company, and as far as one knew the Maoris were one of tho finest races that tho British had discovered. He read apologies from the Premier, Mr HallJones, and others, and also telegrams which he was sending to the Governor and tho Premier, informing them of the success of the function.

Captain Tucker (chairman of the Cook County Council) spoke in the same strain. THE NATIVE MINISTER.

Tho Hon. James Carroll said that all those who were there that day representing both races were taking part in the performance of a remarkable act. He would read them a telegram ho had just received from Sir Joseph Ward. “Join with you in felicitating Gisborne on the unveiling of tho statue to tho memory of Captain Cook. It is needless for me to say how much I would have enjoyed being with you and friends on an historical occasion of so much interest

to Gisborne and the colony as a whole. I hope you are having good weather, and that all tho ceremonies will pass off most successfully. —, J. G. Ward.” Mr Carroll, continuing, said he thought tho auspices under which they were meeting at the present hour could not he more favourable. All those present he was sure must feel moved, and have their feelings raised and exalted to a higher level when they considered tho nature and solemnity of the ceremony in which they were participating. Scarcely a century and a half ago Captain Cook landed on tho spot* where they were nmv standing. From that fact, and that memorable voyage radiated light which carried illumination into tho darkest recesses of the globe. They of to-day were reaping the fruits of his labours. Therefore their hearts should throb with unusual 'fervour, and their pulsations should beat higher in view of these facts. They were opening up a closed book of history, hallowed by time. It was idlo to tell over to them again the story of the notable acts and the great deeds of Captain Cook. These were already inscribed in the hearts of the nation. They wore honouring one who, though he obtained such magnificent r<="=ults, did not owe anything to birth or worldly circumstances, but by undaunted courage and the highest zeal was raised from the humblest rank to the highest ■ honours in the great ost navy in the world. That day they were consecrating the spot for all time in perpetuation of the achievements and records of that great man Captain Cook. The Mayor had reminded them that Captain Cook's reception had not bean of tho most friendly nature, but it was a poem and a picture when they witnessed to-day

the descendants of those who opposed him and the pakalia race, which had unfolded the great discoveries of the world, meeting there on one common platform to da honour to that great discoverer. When they looked hack on that time—when science and literature had not pentrated into the rooessca of the world—they might think that that inscrutable force Divinity “'that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we will/ 1 pad pointed the finger of destiny to Captain Cook an the man who was to open up this new world. As long as the Empire held together, aa long as science and civilisation existed, Captain Cook’s name would remain for ever imperishable They were raising in that lonely spot a slight monument

to his name, but his true monument was; the last J : on whose bosom lie was cradled ~ .on whose unknown waste ho had ventured forth, carrying light and science in his wake. In the words ot the Lai n motto he might say, “Si monumentum requiris circuiuspice.” He congratulated all tijooo who hud been privileged to take part in that great function and mo pay a small tribute to the imperishable.memory of Capta.n Cook. .Ur Carroll then removed from the monument the flag with which the inscriptions had been covered. BISHOP WILLIAMS.

Bishop Williams, of Waiapu, said it gave him very much pleasure to he pmsent to take part in tlris ceremony on this memorable occasion. He had lived in this district for a very long tiino and had taken a very large interest in this subject. When the movement for the erection of this structure ivas taken up he had been thinking it jvae time something had been -clone to locate the places mentioned by Captain Cook in his journals. There had been some misconception regarding thedo throng]! the writings of Dr° Hawkos worth, who was the editor o, the other histories of the voyages written by other members of the expedition. According to X>r. s landing as stated on this monu-; mont took place on Sunday, October ath, 1769. If anyone would read Cooks journal ho would see Hawkesworth mado a mistake; it was Monday, the 9th. What led_Hawkesworth astray was that Cook ut»ocl nautical time to begin hie day at i o T clock (noon), and he

began it, as ho puts it in his journal, p.m. Bishop Williams then went on to relate the details of the lauding oi Captain Cook as narrated in his records. Landing in the spot just below them, long known in the earlier days as “Boat , ' harbour, he saw some natives on the land between the Tarn hern river and the VVaikanao, and be went over, but, hearing shots, be returned. The shots had been fired by the coxswain wjjo nud been left in charge of the pinnace. Some had oome out of the bush, and the first shot was fired to check them. As this failed, the coxswain shot one man. Cook immediately returned. The natives had a tradition which corresponds very closely with Cook’s own narrative. They explain that the natives who wore encountered came from To Aral with the intention of taking possession of the ship they saw in the bay, but they found out their mistake. He was glad this monument had been erected to mark the spot of the landing, which was not the one where the party landed that morning, but the on© nearer the breakwater, which had in the early days been known as “Boat harbour. The Bishop then related the story of the landing to the Maoris, in the native tongue. OTHER SPEAKERS.

The Hon. J. A. Millar said it afforded him very great pleasure as a member of the Ministry to take part in this ceremony, holding as he did the portfolio of Marine, and having himself been a humble follower in that service of which Captain Cook had been so illustrious a member. He quite agreed that if Captain Cook had got a little further inland this place would never have been called Poverty Bay. Few parts of the colony presented groat nr possibilities. In Captain Cook they had the greatest navigator the world had ever seen. When Captain Cook discovered New Zealand, the population of England was not very much greater than that of New Zealand at the present day. It was through Cook that the Empire and New Zealand had become what they wire. , .

Mr C. H. Mills spoke in regard to the landing of Captain Cook at Ship Cove. Marlborough, where he first hoisted the British ensign. (Cries of dissent.) As a member of tho Marlborough Land Board, he had about fifteen years ago secured th© dedication of tho whole’ of that bay to the memory of Captain Cook. Cheers were given for Mrs Carroll, who presented an area of two acres of land surrounding the monument, and also for tlio Challenger’s company. In responding. Captain Bridson said when h© received through the Governor tho request that there should bo a warship at the ceremony, he felt that it was ids du he senior officer of the New' , Zealand station to be present himself at the ceremony, and not to send up tho other vessels. He would like to remind them that their*® was not tho only Empire in the world to day. ‘ The present tendency of the world was towards the formation of great Empires. There was everywhere a tendency to consolidation. The other Empires were compact, but the British. Empire was scattered in all directions, and thero was a danger that its members might become strangers to one another unless_they were careful to watch this. It was no use disguising tho fact that wars existed, and he had not the slightest doubt that one day the Empire and all of them there would bo face to face with war again. He hoped that this monument would stand as on© link in tho chain that bound them all together, and that whenever trouble came they would find tho Empire standing firmly shoulder to shoulder.

Captain Bridson then called upon the men-of-warsmou for three cheers, and the Maoris again made a demonstration in honour of th© captain. In the afternoon most o,f the party paid a visit to T© Karaka, the present railway terminus, and inspected the tunnel beyond. All were delighted and surprised at the evidence of richness and fertility in the district. The railroad passes through twenty miles of flat sward, stocked to the utmost capacity, and presenting a real picture of prosperity.