A LEAF FROM ANCIENT HISTORY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10960, 1 May 1907, Page 4

A LEAF FROM ANCIENT HISTORY.

THE WANGAIMOANA ESTATE,

The recent very' successful sale of the Wangaimoana Estate for the sum of £101,484 has led iin erstwhile resident of tlie Wairarapa m the early fifties to become reminiscent. Mr George Leslie, who is now a resident of Wellington, and who upon leaving. Wairarapa" was . well-known as coachman to the late Hon. W". B. Rhodes, m a letter to Mr A.' Murray, of Grey town, writes as follows :— "What changes I Time certainly works wonders, and fifty -four years see many developments. But little did I think when I was a working hand oh Tauranganui station m December, 1863, that I should live to. see tb© .Wangaimoana Estate fetch £101,484, and at - the hammer. This estate was on-, giually leased from the Natives for the sum of £20 per annum. How 1 know that this was the price is because, when T was on the station I liave named above, at the; shearing time of 1853, which station was then owned by the late Joseph Kelly, the sale of the "Wairarapa blocks -took place there. Tho. Natives gathered m full force, there, being over one thousand present, all armed with spears and flintilock guns, potent enougn, persuaders I can assure you m those days, especially as we were practically unarmed. Little^vonder tfiat we felt some slight qualms of fear lest, hostilities might break out. Luck, ily, however, no such untoward event took j place and all was settled amicably. Sir [ George Grey, Dr. Featherston and Mr Richard Deightpn (interpreter) were present, but Sam Mahupuku was not there. His sister Penelope was there, and as a matter of couree .every settler m the district was m itttendance. Feasting and. war dancing were the preludes to business, and when these were over Sir George Grey read out all the names of those who had leased lands from the Natives. Among the list I well remember J. Kelly's at £12 per year and P. Harvie al about the same price. McMaster paid proportionately for the Wliarakaka plains— the present site, of Martirib&roi'gh. Captain Smith then had some cattle on the lands now m occupation of the Martins. Tlie sale lasted two days, and the second of the two. was-pay-day. When the Maoris received payment of their rents they gave it tq the children to play with for a time. A sovereign, more or less, was nothing to the Natives. After the sale there* were more speeches and the question of the right to open up tlie spit at the Lake settlement was discussed, and I think there was some money paid for the lake rights. — Wairarapa Standard.