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THE LOG OF THE ACH ERON .

RECOLLECTIONS OF ONE OF THE CREW. Ihe possibility of the citizens of Dunedih becoming the possessors of Dr Hocken's collection has been hailed with genuine satisfaction by- all classes o£ the community, and: the. fact that the collection contains the original journal which records the survey by the Acheron of the New Zealand coast has been hailed with the utmost pleasure- by one- of the- few remaining survivors of the Acheron's crew, that sturdy veteran Mr Archibald Fullerton, Daily Times representative on Wednesday in .order to express his personal pleasure that order to expresr his personal pleasure that the Hocken. collection, and especially the Acheron's log, had been offered to the citizens of Qtago. Mr Fullerton joined the- Acheron at Woolwich on October 2*. 1848, and served' in her until August 13, 1851. during which, po^od she waa engaged in. surveying- fcha coasts of New Zealand, and it is worthy at note thst •hipmaster3 of to-day testify to the accnracy of the survey mads a* that time by Captain Stakes and- his associates Thanks to an exuberant enthusiasm and 3 wonderfully retentive memory,. Mr Fullerton is able to relate many anecdotes in amplification of. some of the incidents related in. the journal, sir of which have a peculiar value , at the present juncture. At the outset o£ j his historic, -Royaf» Captain. Stokes, had j th» misfortune to lose- his wife; who died j after accompanying him- aa far aa the j Case of Gaotd Hope. According to Me Fauerten's testimony, Captain Stokes married a, daughter of Lieutenant King, who. served under Captain Cook, and subceauienily became an Admirah and Governor of New Sooth Wales. It- was Captain Stakes' s intention* to Leave his wife and < <heir little daughter, aged about fiv.e: or j six yeans, with- her patents at Sydney, but : the lady contracted feyeir and died at the Cape. Under the circumstances it was only natural that the little motherless girl became the idol of every man on board th« Acheron, and many an hour was spent by the crew in devising ways and means for her pleasure and amusement. Sometimes the little lady was the innocent cause of much merriment by her artless simplicity and faith in human nature. "On one occasion," said Mr Fullerton, " she came up to me wbilb the ship was rolling badly, and saidi ' Oh, Mr Fullerton. do put some marlin-spikes in the lee ecuppefs, please.' ' What do you want rae to put marlin-spikes in the lee scuppers for, my dear?' said I. 'Why, to stop the ship from rolling over, in course, was her naive reply, for which one of the ! •junior officers was responsible." On arrival at Sydney the little lady was 'handed over to the care of her grandmother, and Mr Fullerton is of opinion ithat the lady who sent the Acheron's log to Dr Hooken, about 15 years ago, is the one referred to above. If now alive the larlv would be about 55 years of age. '* fe)ne day, as we were lying at anchor -in Cuttle- Cove, word was passed round the ship that a vessel had dropped anchor in the cove. The news proved to bo-cor-rect, and we found out that she wasißishop Selwyn'a yacht the Undine. About 6 a.m. the Bishop- came on board the Acheron and had a chat with Captain Stokes, after which' he returned on-^|»aicl the 1 Undine. At II o'clock the Bishop returned to the Acheron dressed in full Vanonicafa— gaiters and everything in foil fig,, and all hands were pft>ed» for divine service on the "quarter-deck." "I've newer forgotten that service, because it impressed, me so much at the time," continued the narrator. " These we were in a wild, outlandish place, on the deck- of a ship, which church service was being contiuoted' for us by- a bishop in full canonicals. I know it all seemed strange to me air the time. But Pve never forgotten that day on the Acheron, nor tfhe tew that ■Bishop Selwyn- chose for ftis- sermon. Aye. but he. was a fine stamp of a man ! And' what a fine voice he had-. It was the sor,fe of voice that thrilled one through and? through. He took for. his text^ 'Cast your bread upon "the waters and it shall return- to your after many days/ »nd- he preached- a- grand sermon from) it. As we stood there on the. quarter-deck, which, had been fitted' up for the occasion, ha gave us a. fine dWciptkm of the g»le which had driven him to «hciter in tihe coy« where he found «s at anchor. He said* 'Our fi-a.il Kttle craft was tossed about likef a cbckleshelU as the mountainous- sea* sought to overwhelm us, but pur- faith was strong in Him Who haa 'dominion over the waters of the eavrrft.' Ah F be was a. fine fc?p*r of. man was. bhe bishop/ continued Mb Kullerton, his, eyes ■padding: with enthusiasm. " Besides beidjf * goad matt, lie Held » captain's tiokat,. wad ooul'4 kantit& his pretty lifctde fraclfc, thw. Undine; with the' best of them. At that time- kits- crew were neasly. all -jpouth Se*. fctandars-, and ttoey' would do anything; for. himi"' With- a promise to furnish- out readerswitlfc seme more reimmscences of the Ach*ron'a surveyings cruise the worthy Vetevon* wendbd : his way Honrewavds' to "HU&SL> Bodoay," a* he cjdls* his siraglittUr hwn* at- ftfctssel- Bay), where" he bos ' Jiveifc fbt over "RT years. Although He w«mton fknacri' tbV Bfadhey when* she took »- proiainßßt: part in tfae? storming at Sebaetopol, and herped to silence the guns of Fort Constantine, the cruise of theAcheron still' Holds pride of place in bis

memory, and after listening to his graphic reminiscences so closely associated with the earliest settlement of the South Island the listener cannot fail to appreciate the truth of the axiom that " Peace hath its victories no less renowned than war.''

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19060822.2.67

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 16

Word Count
986

THE LOG OF THE ACHERON. Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 16

THE LOG OF THE ACHERON. Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 16

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