MEMOIRS OF A CENTENARIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 8

MEMOIRS OF A CENTENARIAN.

THE LATE MR HENRY BURLING AND HIS CAREER. About four years ago the kite Mr Henry Burling, whose death at the great. age of 112 yearn was recorded this week, told a repre&enta.tive .of the Wellington Post a few of the salient features of his long and eventful life. Of Napoleon he had many vivid recollections, first of his short stay in England before he was taken "off to the rock," and last of the scene in. England when the news came of his death. " There was not a house that was not lit up that night," he said. " There was a banker, a Quaker, who had no lights in bis windows; they were all smashed up. A crowd went around, and people lights had no windows in the morning." It was the centenarian's good fortune to witness an bistorio event in the evolution of the motor car. He saw the first steam coach that ran into London. "It had a charter from the King (George IV) to go to Piccadilly and the Bank. The first day it ran in all right, but coming home it met a lot of waggons bringing in goods from the country. The horses took fright, and smashed up, no end of the waggons; but there was no bother about that. Next day some lords went out in their carriages with ladies tb" see" the steam coach, and away went their horses in all directions,- whirling the carriages all round, when they saw the steam coach. Next day the lords went to the King to plead' for the revocation of the charter, and the King ordered the steam coach to leave the streets, but he gave the owners a lump of money as compensation."/ By profession Mr Burling' was a printer on silk and satin, fine pin-point work, but he . found no use for his talents when "he arrived in Wellington in 184-1. Instead, he became a man of . many trades—first a farmer, then a wharf builder, next a charaman on the survey, and afterwards a mail carrier. His duties in the last brought him into touch with the Maoris at a time when they were not " broke to Europeans." In his lonely journeys through the bush he carried no weapon more offensive than his pipe and tobacco, and relied on a few spare pipes, with the accompanying tobacco, to make a safe passage amongst the Natives. At one time he was entrusted with letters to Rauparaha and Rangihaeta. who were believed to be conspiring against the peace of Wellington. The authorities had at first decided to send a dozen armed men, but Mr Burling convinced them that such a party Would only be massacred. He set out alone, instead, armed, as usual, with his., trusty pipe. He was molested by the Maoris ne/u- Paremata, but happily Rangihaeta was handy, and the mailman was kindly treated by the chief. " Take the letters to Rauparaha at Otaki," said the warrior Then_ tihe chief produced a kit of peculiar design, and filled it with choice kumaras. " Keep this kit." he said. "Always show it. Go on with it; no one will harm you." Later the basket stood him. in good stead, for another party of Maoris came, across him. and began to divide up his belongings. An old wahine, however, noticed the basket. Immediately the scene was changed. The woman crouched over the basket and -cried. The men were awed. They got all the pieces of tobacco and stuck them together in the original shapes, and offered to assist Mr Burling in every way possible. The wahine was the mother of Rangihaeta. She nad made the kit in a style of her own, and recognised it as a passport from her son. Mr Burling reached Otaki without further mishap, and delivered the mail to the fearsome Rauparaha.