NEW ZEALAND'S JUBILEE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8639, 27 November 1889, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND'S JUBILEE.

— - — — — — ♦ — _ — NARRATIVE OF EVENTS FIFTY YEA Jib AGO. [Compiled by W. 11. J. Seffern.] COLONEL WAKEFIELD VISITS TARANAKI. Wednesdat, November 27, 1839.— After a tedious voyage of nine days from Kapiti, the Tory arrived off Moturoa, and was anchored in nine fathoms of water at about two miles from the land, towards the north of the Sugar Loaves; and soon after a waterspout rose not far from the ship, but was carried away by the gale, which was still blowing stiffly. There was a heavy surf rolling on to the beach, so that the party sent on shore in the boat had some difficulty in landing, and it was only when two natives swam to them and brought the boat through the surf, that the party succeeded in getting safely to land. In the boat was Mr Richard Barrett, with two natives, who had been brought from Port Nicholson. Colonel Wakefield, in his dispatch, writes :—": — " No talking on the part of the natives took place in the boat. Surprised at seeing their old friends, the national custom prevented any demonstration of feeling; but after coming on board [the Tory] an affecting scene took place, in which one of the new comers described the wretched existence that he and his companions had led since the mass of the tribe had migrated to Cook's Strait six years ago [1833]. Continual wars had been carried on against them by the Waikato natives; and nothing but the refuge afforded by the Sugarloaf peaks had preserved the small remnant, not amounting to more than fifty, who still held their ground, with occasional assistance from their southern neighbours. They expressed great anxiety respecting their future fate ; hoped their enemies, now being missionaries, would no longer persecute them, but declared their intentions not to remove, but to die on the land of their grandsires." It appears that Mr Henry Williams, the missionary from the North, had been amongst the natives about a fortnight previous to Colonel Wake field's arriving, and, having warned the Maori against disposing of any land to the pakeha," the colonel found great difficulty in getting the natives together to negotiate. Colonel Wakefield says in his despatch that, owing to communication with the Bhore being difficult and dangerous, a very bad opinion of the place was sure to be formed, which he could say nothing to palliate, but, nevertheless, the country to the south of Mount Egmont appeared extremely valuable ; an immense table land, extending as far as the eye could reach, no part of which was free from vegetation. Thursday, November 28. —It being found impossible to collect the chiefs, whose consent was necessary to conclude the purchase of land from Manawatu to Mokau, under a week, Colonel Wakefield decided to proceed on to Hokianga, leaving some of his party behind. The party who remained consisted of Mr Richard Barrett, his wife and children, Dr Dieffenbach, who had expressed a desire to ascend Mount Egmont and examine the country in the neighborhood, and Mr John Dorset, the New Zealand Company's agent. Reforring to Dr Dieffenbach's stopping here alone, Colonel Wakefield writes : "As it could seldom happen that a man of science should have an opportunity of being put down here with a family who could protect him in what has hitherto been considered with reason the wildest part of New Zealand, with time to examine the most important district as regards mineralogy in these islands, and to be taken on: again when he (had achieved his object, I strongly recommended him to stay here in preference to proceeding to Kaipara, which had been visited by many naturalists and presents nothing so worthy of their examination of the learned." It was also arranged that Mr Barrett should assemble the chiefs on the coast line of 150 miles in a months time, when Colonel Wakefield intended to return to make payment for the land acquired in the different districtn, and to receive the written assent of the chiefs to the sale. Dr. Ernest Dieffenbach and Mr Dorset landed to the north of Paritutu on Thursday morning, November 28th, 1839, where they turned the whaleboat over and made preparations for passing the night under it. As soon as the party were seen from the ship to have landed safely, the Tory weighed anchor and, with a favourable breeze, stood to the northward, and was soon out of sight. The land near the beach is described by Dr. Dieffonbach to be in some parts covered witli shrubs, and at other places here and there with sand. In several places behind the sandhills were lagoons of fresh water, which abounded with wild ducks, and contained large eels, but no other kind of fish. Round these lagoons the vegetation was very rich. Dr. Diffenbach also noticed the petroleum deposits, for he writes : " Towards Sugarloaf Point. ... A strong smell of sulphuretted hydrogren gas may also be observed about a mile from high water mark. The natives have a whimsical story of an Atua (spirit) who they miy was drowned here, and is still undergoing decomposition Aqueous formations were visible on both sides of Sugarloaf Point ; they consisted of dill's of yellow clay, and in some places contained formations not of coal or lignite but of wood embedded in discoloured blackish earth. Towards Mokau these formations are especially visible, and form everywhere one of the most remarkable features* in the goology of New Zealand." Commenting on formation of coal beds Dr. Dieffenbach in his work, " Travels in New Zealand," Bays, " Guided by tho principle that the former epoch of the earth's history can be deciphered by studying her present aspect and alterations which arc going on before our eyes, I have arrived at the opinion that our coal formations were formerly peat, and that the timber which is deposited in estuaries or inland lakes will ultimately become lignite or brown coal, which has lost scarcely any of the qualifies of wood. A river which brings vaht mafiHen of wood to the sea must of necessity deposit them in ft vory unequal manner, mixed, with llluvium of v&riou? descriptions, find owt

imbed in this formation such testacious animals as are living near the spot. Such is the case at present with New Zealand rivers ; such are the lignitic formations which we observe at present above the level of tho sea in this country; and of the same nature are the mines of lignite which are worked in many parts of Germany."