EARLY WAIKOUAITI: A CORRECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11993, 16 March 1901, Page 8

EARLY WAIKOUAITI: A CORRECTION.

to the Emron. Sin,—ln your interesting account of early YVaikouaiti, published in Thursday's issue, you fall into two errors. In mentioning tho mission house which was erected for Mr Watkins you say it stood till about eight years ago. This is not eo; the house which was removed about this time was the second one, and was built almost on the site of the original one. I remember tlio late Mr Apes, who arrived in Waikouaiti before Mr .Jones, pointing out to me tho site and remains of tho first- house. A number of years ago I showed a photograph of the mission house you pay was only lafe'.y removed to the B-ev. Air Watkinsi, a son of tho missionary, who had spent a part of his boyhood in tho house built for his father, and he failed in recognising it in any way. He certainly would have recognised it had it been tho house in which his father had resided. The other error is in the statement that in a small bay to the west of the isthmus may still be seen the shears and try-pots used by the early whalers. These whaling utensils are modern, and were not used in connection with " scorned gigantic fragments of the bones of whalos." A few years ago a fow whales wero seen on the coast, and it was vainly, hoped that the old whaling (lays wero coming back. Bradshaw and Co. got ready the implements you mention in expectation of doing a trade, but I don't know that they ever got a whale. The whales' bones were not carried off as curious, but for the more prosaiij purpose of making farm manure. In connection with this an amusing story is told. A man came down to the beach for a load of bones. Ho had completed his .loading, when a Maori appeared. Looking into (lie cart, the Maori discovered that tliero wero more bone 3 than belonged to whales. The sea having • encroachcd had laid bare some human remains, and these, eithor the yatherer could not recognipe as human, or, what is likelier, thought they would make as good manure as the bones of a whale. The Maori quickly caught sight of tho human bones, and, so that 110 such disrespect as turning them into manure should be shown to the lost mortal remains of his and hi.? people's ancestor*, vociferated loudly and ordered the cart to be unloaded at once. After some objection, this was done, and when the Maori had taken out of the heap all that seemed human, to be afterwards reinterred, he mado signs to the' driver that ho might reload and go his way.—l am, etc., W.