DUNEDIN IN 1848.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21148, 4 October 1930, Page 10

DUNEDIN IN 1848.

INTERESTING LETTERS. FROM AN OLD LONDON JOURNAL, FOUNDING THE pTAGO NEWS. Through the courtesy of Mr E. J. D. Hercus, of Christchurch, we are able to publish the following article, which he recently unearthed in a bound volume of a magazine published in London. The article, the special interest of which centres in two letters from the publisher of the first number of the Otago News, a picture of early Port Chalmers and Dunedin, is apparently not to be found in the Hocken Library:— Extract from the People’s Journal, Vol, VII,- pp. 289-291. NEW ZEALAND, From the discovery of these islands by Captain Cook, in the middle of the last century, to the present time, they have excited no small degree of interest in the public mind; and now that the question.of emigration is occupying the attention of. society, a short description of the principal township, of part of which we give an engraving, will not be uninterestmg, Wellington, the first settlement of the New Zealand Company, stands on the shores of a large and sheltered inlet, and' already contains 3000 inhabitants. The buildings are stated to have cost an aggregate sum of £IB,OOO, and the amount of merchandise and moveable property is estimated at £200,000. : It has, a newspaper one or two banks a church and a school; and its inhabitants appear from all accounts, to_ be thoroughly imbued with the true colonial spirit of action, which is at once a source of happiness and success. The country in the immediate neighbourhood of Wellington is of a hilly and broken, character, with the exception °f a plain, watered by the Hutt River, which contains about 15,000 acres of coarse, or alluvial,-land, adequate'to the maintenance ofa population of 5000 or 6000 individuals, It also appears that the hilly country, where it is sufficiently level for the plough, is capable of producing good crops. The wheat grown in the valley of the Hutt is found to be of a very superior dMcription; and, probably, the celebrated wheat of Van Dieman’s Land would grow without deterioration in New Zealand. Port Nicholson may be approached by sea from the east or from, the west by Cooks Strait; the latter being the course generally taken by vessels from Great Britain or Australia, The breadth of the entrance, between Barrett Reef and Pencarrow Head, is about three-quarters of a mile For about three miles to the north you continue to sail between steep shores of moderate height—the width of the passage varying from a mile to a mile,and a-half; and the depth of water ranging froin 14 to six fathoms at low water of spring tides. The harbour now expands to "the westward; you should give Ward Island a wide berth; and, as you plasa close to Points Gordon and Halswell, leaving Ward and Somes Islands to the north, you discover Evans Bay stretching to the south, and Lamb ton Harbour with the town of Wellington in the south-west corner of the port. Independently of these bays, and of the long, narrow entrance. Port Nicholson forms a basin, land-locked in nearly every part, about five miles in diameter, with soundingß; varying from 14 to three fathoms. _ With regard to the climate of New Zealand, it may be said generally to assimilate with that of Great Britain; but for more complete information we must refer our readers to the hand book published by Parker, Strand. NEW SETTLEMENT, OCTAKOU (Sic.) Nothing, perhaps, has a greater influence on the emigrating tendencies of the a ß© than genuine accounts from actual residents; the following passages, there* tore, from the letters of a young man who has lately gone to New Zealand, with the intention of settling there as • printer, may not'be uninteresting:— "On biard ship Blundell, « ... . . October 1, 1848. After a wearisome long passage, the particulars of which you will probably -have heard, we are safely anchored in Otafcou Harbour. The weather throughout was very favourable, but little wind, and frequent calins. Very few events or any importance occurred—i.e., out of the usual routine of sea voyages. The harbour is very difficult of entrance to all vessels of heavy tonnage, owing to the prevailing winds (the N.W; and blowing either up or down continually, for several days at a time. We were nearly a week beating within 20 miles from • the mouth of the harbour before- we got inside—when we ran aground, got bfi next tide, and bad to wait two days more before we reached the anchorage off Port Chalmers. This same port 'contains four bouses, and is seven miles from the entrance. It forms a very pretty bay, but is far too high up for commercial purposes. A far better place for the port is about two miles i£ om -vr • hiouth, occupied principally by the Natives and reserved for tbeir special use. A Custom house is estabL ls X? d ?***• where you have to pay a duty of 10 per cent, upon all British goods, the press included. Several bays and inlets - run along the sides up to the port, but the ground is too hilly for agricultural purposes, and covered with iWood to the summit, giving it an appearance resembling a n English lake. Beyond the port, the hills. continue running from the water in various forms to the head of the bay, which is separated from the .faeinc by a low range of sandhills. The hills behind the town are very barren, and away beyond them lies the rural land in large cattle plains. The town itself is open to every wind from 'ho sea, and catches the north-western up the harbour. It is almost impossible to say what the town will be; but in my opinion it never can be anything but a market town, and is too far from the entrance of tire harbour to become a commercial* place of any importance. The weather is very like the broken spring time of England: rain and sleet one day and the next fine and warm. It may not have the excess of cold observable m England on a frosty morning, but the winds are very keen. The land, too, is generally hilly, and covered with trees, rendering it a difficult task for the pioneer; the tops of the hills have good !*■ A* ■ from wood; but this says very little for the future agricultural part of the colony, which must become a pastoral one, from the immensity of its plains. The plan of the town is rather too extended, but it may answer for water frontages, such as wharves, etc. At present everybody builds at hi s own .will and pleasure—some of mud, rushes, grass, and wood—looking this way and that way, and admitting all the winds that blow. Wood fires are in great dev mand, no coal of good quality having been tound yet, and, from the scarcity 01 wood ; near the town, and the high price of water carriage, it becomes ap expensive affair in household economies. “The price of labour varies from 2s 8d to 4a per day—mechanics receiving ss, and sawyers about 12a. Wood houses are very dear; the most general in use are made of mud, plastered between logs and cross pieces, but the heavy rains sometimes bring them down. I have received a quarter of an acre of town land, rent free, for six years; but 1 have no idea what sort of a building I shall place upon I t. If I can but run up a temporary place for the press I shall so to work and soon raise the funds. I am sure to succeed; everybody wants a paper. If Otakou (that is the word) does not -prove too cold, I think we shall succeed in time. Of course, it is very new at present and •everything disagreeable; but this is the worst part of the picture. We have been kindly treated, and instead of going into grass barracks, have the chance of staying a tew weeks in a mud house of one room You can have no idea of the confusion prevailing on board ’ a vessel discharging her cargo, after so long a passage. 1 did not like to miss the present opportunity °t_ 'writing, a vessel being on the point of sailing to Sydney.—Yours very truly, “ » After the tedious affair of landing, wc have a second letter of a later date:— “ Dunedin, Otakou, November 12 ‘This is a regular fine New Zealand morning—rather windy; but that is not unusual. The sky is almost cloudless; her e and there a little curly light cloud floats calmly along—in contrast to the bright blue above. Seen in the sunshine, the town presents a picturesque appearancewood houses with brick chimneys, grasscovered roofs, brown clay houses, one here and there, facing this way and that; in little hollows and on the top of small hills, looking almost down their neigh-

bours chimneys. A symptom of progress iB in all things around; half-finished houses, wood skeletons, and mud walls trees cut down; roots and stumps encumbering the ground; patches of ground enclosed in and cultivated, whilst at Hie back of all a succession of small hills covered with trees, cloathed (sic.) in their never-dying garments of green and brown. In front the waters of the bay roll along the frontage of the town—separated from the (jreat Pacific by a small range of low sandhills. This is the picture of Dunedin in fine weather; alas! how different in wet,—mud, slippery, marshy, dull, and horribly uncomfortable. However, we have not had much of the latter sort of weather. The spring season has commenced and the days are generally warm -the evenings cold, and render necessary a good fare at the close of day. Your artistic eye would admire the scenery and for awhile, perhaps, the change from household comfort:to discomfort. "Fancy living eating, and sleeping in a room 10 feet by 9, full of boxes, beds and crockery. Add to this your wife, child, sister, and a man and his wife, to whom the house belonged. And here we were for three weeks-and our position actually coveted by our fellow-passengers, who could only obtain a covering in liar racks erected for the purpose. We have however, made a removal to another part oi the town, and are now in possession of a pretty comfortable house, built of clay with a wood frontage. It possesses also another desideratum, viz., a wood floor, and that is uncommon enough—the principal part being composed of clay A partition separates the room from my sisters apartment. The room we occupv is scarcely so large as the former house, and we have been obliged to economise as much as possible. In one cornei stands the bed, with a piece of red drugget screening it from vulgar eyes; below this stand boxes, kettles, pans, etc. At the foot a composing frame, eases and boxes. In the centre of the room, two boxes, forming a table, and a sideboard opposite, formed of two flour barrels, and a box of stationery; across a corner a cupboard made by turning a bos on end and placing shelves across: this is flanked by an old oak chest, and boxes in double file. Above all. across the rafters, some loose boards form shelves for the stationery department; this is the shop. Such is our home; and yet we manage pretty comfortably. We ha\'e very few visitors, and enjoy a short stroll, in the wood,' after tea. In the morning I occupy myself with gardening at the quarter section given me by Captain Cayill. (sic); dine at 1 o'clock, then arrange my cases of letter, which have got sadly in pie, till tea time, between 5 and 6; afterwards either walk or read. Business in the stationery line has been very fair; I am only afraid that I. shall be out before 1 can obtain another supply. Just come

tr°m churct; text, “ Remembering the time! A complete memento mori sermon. It is the vein of Mr Burns to preach generally on death, or at least to bring death in a most terrible shape contmuaJly before his hearers. I suppose that he is afraid of some of the folks tancying they are going to live for ever. He need not, for though healthy for dwellers out of doors, I do not give it much credit for those of a sedentary nature. The sudden changes of wind arevery apt to give rheumatism, influenza, etc. Mrs J. has had the face ache ever since her, arrival, more or less. We have but one sermon per day, commencing at 12 o clock, finish about 2—this is quite enough all in free kirk style, condemning intants and talking of death and eternity, mending our lives, living holily, dying happily, etc. Death -bust be a fearful thing, according to their doctrines, instead of the portal to another and better existence. Here’s the baby —so must stop—l suppose you will have heard from my uncle the unfortunate circumstance of losing part of ray press? It has not arrived as yet. but I am anxiously expecting to hear from Wellington every day. The vessel which was to have sailed from the Clyde on the first of July ia also due, and it may have been forwarded by that, supposing it to ~ have been mislaid on the jetty or wharf, London Docks. It has been a source ot great disappointment to -me, and I believe to everyone in the colony. Should it nor be found, I must, at whatever expense, get some substitute made. The worst of the wood here is the want of proper seasoning; all too new. The morality here, notwithstanding its free kirk principles, is about on a par with the other colonies—precious little atten-, tion paid, even to outward observance. A sea voyage is the worst thing possible i for keeping religious principles up to the requisite point; at least, so it appeared ‘ on board the Blundell. Last Sunday, ( Jcanm, the baby, and self went to visit a Blundell acquaintance, located about three miles from Dunedin, on his sub- ' urban settlement in a place called the Halfway Bush. It was the first peep of the interior I had seen; but it presented no - new feature; nothing but hills and valleys. except some of the hills were , covered with a species of coarse grass and herbage, fit for cattle and sheep , The Halfway Bush is a belt of wood. , following the winding of a stream, and , contains some beautiful little woodland I scenes. They had not got their houses 1 erected, and were living in a tent )ust 1 within the bush; very gipsy-like, and ‘ pleasant in fine weather. We enjoyed it exceedingly, and thought, as we climbed 1 the hills, and gazed upon the prospect of wood, hill, and water, how you would have shared in all our sensations of plea- ' sure and delight. “Wages are very low—labourers for the company 2 S 8d and 3s per day, for ,

others 4s, carpenters, etc., Cs; beef, 7d; mutton, 7d to 7 Id; pork, 6d; tea, 2s per lb; flour, 2s 8d per stone; potatoes, 4s per cwt; sugar, 4d to 7d; milk, 4d per quart; butter. Is 9d per lb. I have at present in ray quarter section sown some gotatoes and a few of the seeds bought in ornhill. A couple of navies (sic.) were hard at work turning over the soil last week and preparing for seed. These charge 2s 6d per day, and work pretty well, so long as you look over them. They are a very poor lot here, and not to be compared to the navies in the northern islands; very few fine-looking men amongst them, and all live by working for the colonists, building mud houses, fencing, bringing firewood, etc. “ 14th November. Joyful news! Just received the parcel containing the remainder of press from Wellington, found somewhere at the bottom of the vessel. Have made arrangements for building a small wooden house near to my present dwelling, for an office, at a rent of 4s a week. I am now paying 6s for the house, so that will make 10s a week for two small rooms. Pretty stiff price, is it not? I expect to be able to have the first number out by the first of December. “ 25th November. Had a Busy week preparing the press, and getting the office furnished—almost completed. I printed my prospectus for the paper yesterday, the first number to be issued on the 13th December. I have about 50 subscribers at present, but this is early.” « _ V NOTES. " Captain Cayill ” ia an obvious error for “Captain Cargill.” probably due to 1 careless _ writing. “Navies” may be “navvies/ - but “ Natives ” seems more probable in the context. Hocken’s “Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand,” p. 104. says: “ Messrs Cargill and Burns had failed to secure a pressman for the first party, but this great want was supplied on the arrival of the Blundell in September, when Mr Henry B. Graham, a printer from Carlisle, was accredited to them. On December 13, 1848, appeared the first number of his paper, The Otago News, which was published every alternate Wednesday at the price of 6d. It was of i foolscap size, and Mr Graham was sole 1 editor and compositor. Its career was 1 chequered and unsatisfactory. . . . 1 It ceased existence with its ninety-first > number Mr Graham, who had been in ' failing health for some time, died on ' February 25. 1851, leaving a wife and 1 children.” i i .