Stewart Island

Southland Times, Issue 21896, 23 December 1932, Page 13

Stewart Island

!l Pages from History j I | 0 B I Bounty and Snares j I Islands I I (By “The Native.”) I, man Following Cook’s discovery in 1770 there is no record of Stewart Island having been sighted for a very long time. Its mountainous lands lying awav to the south and east must, however, have been repeatedly seen by the vessels which visited Dusky Sound from the time the Britannia called there in 1792 until the Mercury relieved the crew of the Endeavour in 1797. Cook’s chart showed a bay where now we know there’s a strait, and that kept all captains away from the lee-shore they so much dreaded. (Robert McNab, in Botanical Survey of Stewart Island.) During this period, however, important discoveries were made in the outlying islands, and as the history of these islands is somewhat inter-connected with that of Stewart Island, it will be as well to record these doings in their correct order.

Bounty Islands.

Passing from the wish of the French nation to extend their knowledge of the geography of the world, we come to the desire of the British residents of the West Indies to have the bread-fruit tree introduced among them. This desire was voiced in application to the King, who, in order to comply with the request of his subjects in Jamaica, sent Lieutenant Bligh, in 1787, to the South Sea Islands in a vessel called the Bounty, to procure as many plants as possible and take them to the West Indies. Failing through bad weather, to round Cape Horn, Bligh took the route via the Cape of Good Hope, which he reached on May 24, and Van Diemen’s Land on August 20, 1788. Continuing his voyage past the south of New Zealand, he says:—“On September 19, 1788 at daylight, we discovered a cluster of small, rocky islands, bearing east by north four leagues from us. We had seen no birds nor anything to indicate the nearness of land, except patches of rock-weed, for which the vicinity of New Zealand sufficiently accounted. The wind being N.E. prevented our near approach to these isles, so that we were not less than three leagues distant in passing to the southward of them. The weather was too thick to see distinctly, their extent was only 3J miles from east to west, and about half a league from north to south, their number including the smaller ones, was thirteen. I could not observe any verdure on any of them. There were white spots like patches of snow; but as Captain Cook, in describing the land of New Zealand, near Cape South says, in many places there are patches like white marble, it is probable that what we saw might be of the same kind as what he had observed. The westernmost of these islands is the largest. They are of sufficient height to be seen at a distance of seven leagues from a ship’s deck. When the easternmost bore north, I tried for soundings, being then 10 miles’ distant from the nearest of them, and found bottom at 75 fathoms, a fine white sand; and again at noon, having run six leagues more to the E.S.E., we had soundings at 104 fathoms, a fine brimstone-coloured sand. The latitude of these islands is 47deg. 44min. S.: their longitude 179 deg. 7min. E. which is about 145 leagues to the east of the Traps, near the south end of New Zealand. Variation of the compass here 17deg. E. While in sight of the islands, we saw some penguins, and a white gull with a forked tail. Captain Cook’s track in 1773, was near this spot, but he did not see the islands. He saw seals and penguins hereabouts, but considered New Zealand to be the nearest land. I have named them after the ships, the Bounty Isles.” Famous Mutiny. On April 28, 1789, the celebrated mutiny of the Bounty took place. Bligh’s later history would be out of place here, but the mutiny on board the Bounty, Bligh’s subsequent governorship of New South Wales, his deposition and the stormy events of that distant period are intimately associated with the history of the little groups of islets in the far south. Meanwhile things of moment were taking place in adjacent lands. The coast of Australia had come under the notice of the British authorities, and a colonizing and penal settlement, under Governor Phillips, had been established at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, New South Wales, on January 26, 1788. One of the transports accompanying the expedition was the Sirius under the command. of Captain John Hunter, and later in the year it was decided to send her to the Cape of Good Hope for supplies for the infant colony. Thither she sailed on October 2. The Governor declined to lay down Hunter’s course, so the captain elected to sail by the eastern route and steered for the South Cape of New Zealand, which he crossed on October 12, in rather thick weather, without sighting land at a distance of about a degree and a half. Already therefore, Cook’s idea of the trade of the world finding this locality an important one was beginning to develop, and Dusky was proving to be almost in the eastern highway, from Sydney to the Cape of Good Hope, and from England to the Pacific Islands. Apart from the discovery of the Bounties, and Hunter’s mention of the South Cape in 1788, there is nothing for us to record for a very long time after Cook’s visit. (Robt. McNab, Murihiku 1907 and 1909.) The Snartes. Cook’s system for preserving the lives of his sailors which he had perfected with such care during his stay in Dusky Sound, had proved so successful that the long ocean voyage was now robbed of half its terrors, and a great impetus given to exploration, and the commerce of the world. Sailors of all nations now embarked on long voyages and the utmost ends of the earth were visited. These visits naturally rendered a proper survey and scientific exploration of the new lands absolutely necessary in the interests of shipping. There was also the question of a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific still waiting to be solved. To make provision for these, George the Third, in the autumn of 1789, planned an expedition to explore the coast of North West America. The command of this expedition was given to Captain Henry Roberts, one of Cook’s men during his second and third voyages; George Vancouver, who in 1773, in the capacity of a midshipman, was with Cook in the Resolution at Dusky Sound, and who had been four times to New Zealand, was appointed vessel of 340 tons was purchased named second in command. A Thames built the Discovery, and sent to Deptsord to be fitted out. It was also intended that, in addition to her, the Gorgon should go to Sydney and thence with the nucleus of a settlement to North America.

While the above named officers were preparing for their new comrqission, trouble arrived. The Spaniards and the British had come into conflict with one another at Nootka Sound, on the coast of North West America, and British vessels and factories had been seized by the ships of Spain. Negotiations between London and

Madrid failed to settle matters and preparations were made to employ force. The pacific employment of the Discovery was postponed, and the officers repaired to their several war stations. The dispute was, however, amicably settled, Spain withdrawing from the position, and a vessel was ordered to Nootka Sound to formally receive everything back. At the same time the accurate survey of the coastline was to be proceeded with. George Vancouver was appointed to the command of this expedition; the Discovery, which was lying ready was put into commission, and the Chatham, of 135-tons was ordered to accompany her. On board the Discovery were 100 officers and men, on the Chatham, 45 The Third Vessel. Subsequent communications dated August 1791, were sent by a third vessel and Vancouver was informed that this despatch boat was, after leaving him, to proceed from the Sandwich Islands to the New South Wales Settlement, and on her way down, was.to touch at New Zealand and secure two natives to teach the Port Jackson settlers how to prepare the flax fibre, but no instructions Were given Vancouver himself to call at New Zealand. His visit to Dusky Sound, therefore, shows the importance to the navigators of that day of this well surveyed harbour, and is another tribute to Captain Cook’s farsightedness. On Sunday, November 20, the Discovery sailed out of Anchor Island Harbour and took up a position along:ide the Chatham in Facile Harbour.... Captain Cook, when he discovered Dusky, had sailed north, and when in 1773 he. surveyed it, he went over the same course. Vancouver’s expedition was the first which visited Dusky Sound, and after leaving it made for the South. Here was an oportunity of ending the uncertainty which Captain Cook had left in the coastline where now is Foveaux Strait. A storm which rivalled the celebrated one experienced in Dusky Sound, now came up from the south-west and the means taken for safety, precluded all possibility of examing the coastline. The two vessels were so completely separated that they did not sight each other again until they met at Tahiti on December 30. Both vessels on parting adopted the same tactics, and kept well away to the south to get round the land and clear the Traps. In doing so they both tumbled, quite unexpectedly, upon the same group of islands. Vancouver in the Discovery, sighted them at eleven o’clock on the 23rd and called them the Snares, “a cluster of seven craggy islands.” Broughton in the Chatham, sighted them at two o’clock the same afternoon, “a cluster of small islets and rocks,” and called them Knight’s Island after Captain Knight of the navy. The Chatham actually sailed in between them and closely observed their position and outline. “In this passage we had a confused, irregular swell with the appearance of broken water. Large bunches of seaweed were observed, and the whole surface was covered with birds of a blackish colour.” When the two commanders afterwards met and compared notes, Vancouver having discovered the islands first, the name Snares was retained, but Broughton, having sailed in between them, their relative situation as laid down by him, was accepted as against Vancouver’s.