STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 543, 27 September 1881, Page 2

STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

No 2. Reminiscences of the first five YEAHS. In the first paper it was related that a Mr Green resided when the French unionists arrived at the point, near Mr Tosswill's, where the British flag was seen flying by the new arrivals. Mr Green was in charge of some six or eight head of cattle belonging to Mr W. B. Rhodes. Mr Rhodes was well acquainted with New Zealand, and had had numerous transactions, both with the earliest settlers and the natives. Some six months before the French arrived he had been in Wellington, and from thence he went to Sydney, then the most settled part of Australasia, and had purchased a number of the beat cattle he could procure, which he brought over in a vessel belonging-to him, and pi iced in various localities unJer the charge of persons in his employment. Mr Rhodes was one of those, who at a very early period recognised the vast capabilities of these islands, and foresaw that in the time to come they would support a large population, and his foresight (as nio-*t of the readers of these papers know) was deservedly rewarded later on, by the amassing of a .very laige fortune. These cattle were not allowed to be sold at any price, and were simply allowed to increase as fast a 8 possible. The cows were not milked, the calves running with them, and one can imagine with what great longing for milk, beef and butter, they were viewed by the colonists, who at that time had not a single head of their own. Mr Green did something else besides looking after the cattle, he used to purchase any grog h3 could from the whaling vessels that visited the port, and as thore was no hotel it was a standing joke with the colonists to say that they were going to have a drink of milk at Mr Green's, when they went there in search of something which they considered far more exhilarating. In a couple of years Mr Green left Mr Rhodes to start an hotel, and was succeeded by Mr Reid, and a short time after Mr Joseph Rhodes came to supe-in-tend the place, and also, another in Flea Bay, where some more cattle had been placed. He sold the fir.4 cows which realised the enormous sum (for an ordinary milker) of £43. Such was the first start of dairy fanning in Akaroa. Cows were however, soon to become rno? - e plentiful. In 1841 M, St Crois de Belianie went to Wellington, about matters connected with the new settlement, and to get a supply of money. Towards the end of the following year he went to Sydney and brought back a bull and ten or twelve cows, and also ono little entire horse, the first that ever set foot in Akaroa. This last excited the extreme admiration of the Maoris, and they coveted him exceedingly. This was rather a good thing for tho French association, for the third and last payment for the land was then due to the natives, and the horse was made a part of it. It may here be mentioned tint the payment for the land was nearly all in kind, very little money passing. The "Comte de Paris" brought out a largo number of gaudy old faded rniforms, gold lace, cocked hats, and other trumpery rubbish, which was eagerly accepted as " uiu " for the land by the unsophisticated aboriginals. One must not forget to mention, however, that in this last payment was include'! a small schooner, built by Mr Sinclair, for which the association gave that, gentleman two hundred acres in Pijreou Bay in that inlet now known as Holme's where the property of Mr Holmes is at present siliMteil. M. <Je Bellamy liko Mr Rhodes, let his cattle go on increasing at first, but. on ie.-iving the colony in 1845, ke sold them at the lowest price he could possibly afford, which was from £20 to £25 per Ihnkl, and very glad were the settlers indeed to get them. The coloimt-s, however, had had both milk butter and beef before this, though ihey had had to pay a good price for them. The first steer calved in Akaroa by M. de Bdlanio's cows, was killed in 1844, some eighteen months after the cattle arrived from Sydney. Mr Waeckerle was the butcher, and every pound of the beef brought 2s Gd per Ib, and more would have been gladly given, for fresh beef is never so well appreciated as by those who have been years without it. Tho first milk and butter came from Pigeon Bay. Messrs Hay and Sinclair came over to that place in ~ 1841 from Wellington, and brought some cattle with them, and they found a market for all the butter they could make at from 2s 6d to 3-t per 11). The price was afterwards lowered" to 2s, and Mr Hay used to walk over about once a week with 20 or 301l)s, which he always disposed of at that prico. Mr Green was the first hotel keeper; after he left Mr Rhodes he built a commodious hotel at Green's point, and procured a license. The building was a very substantial ono 40ft by 30ft, and the timber for it was cut by Mr Waeckerle. It was only one storey high, but most conveniently arranged, and was very well patronised, more especially wben a whaler came in, when there were " high jinks " indeed. The building was afterwards bought by Mr George Tribe, and taken by him to Lyttelton and placed at the end of what was afterwards known aa

Peacock's wharf, whero it is still standing, and can. bo seen by the curious. After selling this buiidinsr Mr Green bought a piece of land from M. Bellanie, agent for the French association, and put up another and larger hotel in the more central position, now occupied by Armstrong's buildings, just opposite tho present Government wharf. As soon, however, as circumstances warranted it, there was a French hotel, M. de Belianie's servant being tho proprietor. The build ing he put up for that purpose is the house where Miss Hooman at present lives, and like Mr Green hia enterprise was a most successful one There was of course no grain of any kind grown the first year or two, nnd the colonists were dependant on their suppliee from outside sources. They were supplied in this manner. Once a year the French man-of-war on station visited either Valparaiso or Sydney, and came back with what was required. On the iirst of these trips in 1841 the vessel was delayed by contrary winds, and the colonists were in consequence reduced to sore straits, for Hour, rice and other farinaceous food. Tea too was at a premium, but the latter wae certainly a luxury, and many supplied its placo with the outawhai or manakau. Their potatoes too were not yet fit for digging, so that they really were inconvenienced though of course there was no danger of starvation, with the> bush teeming with birds and the harbor with I lishin addition to their own stores. However news came that a whaler was in at Port Cooper, ani it was im ucdiately

determined to send routi'l an oxp"<li ion to procure the much longed for Hour. M. Fleury took the command and manned a whale boat with five or six men and started for Port Coopor. The winds were, however, peculiarly adverse, and he never got any further than the Long Lookout point, for the sea was too heavy and threatening, and he was afraid the boat would be swamped. After making the most persevering attempts for two or three days, the party had to tike their boat into the nearest bay, and walk home to Akaroa. Very weary indeed were the adventurers when they started, and the walk through the then almost unexplored country was a very rough one, so that on their arrival bsck they were nearly dead with fatigue. No one ever saw or heard anything after that of the whaler in Port Cooper, but a few days afterwards the man-of-war arrived, bringing abundance of the much-coveted stores to the colony. From that time the supply of flour never ran ehort, for in 1843 and 1844 every one began to grow their own wheat. Little patches were sown in the clearings, and gave the most enormous returns, 80 bushels per acre being considered only an ordinary crop. One piece of five acres, on the spur between Akaioa and German Bay, gave a most enormous yield, and from what was then considered its vast size and extraordinary prolificness, it was the admiration of the colonists. Potatoes, too, did exceedingly well, and soon became very plentiful* The same frigate did not always stop on the station. Two years after the landing, another frigate, commanded by Captain Dv Boissy. arrived to relieve the Lβ Leant. It was optional with Commodore Lavaud whether he should go Home in his own or take charge of the new arrival, but he liked Akaroa and choso the latter course. Two years later, in 1844, Commodore Berard arrived in another vessel, tie was the senior officer to Commodore Lavaud, and so could do as h ■ pleased, and although Lavaud wished to remain he sent him Home. Commodore Lavaud does not appear to have been at all well liked. Ho was too much of a martinet, and his decisions were in many cases extremely arbitrary. His successor was a very different man, and by his great kindness and general ability soon won the good will of the settlers. Mr Robinson, the English Magistrate, too, left in 1842 or 1843, and was succeeded by Mr John Watson. Mr Robinson's house was where Wagstaff's Hotel now stands. He bought five acres from the French Association there, and put up a dwelling-house with a room which was used as an RM, Court. Mr Robinson was not at all liked by the colonists, but his successor, Mr Watson, was universally esteemed both by English end French for his great impartiality in the administration of justice and his great general kindliness. Whan the settlers arrived there were not many Maoris in the neighborhood of Akaroa. It is true there were pahs at Onuku, Wainui, and Tekau Bay, but these had only some 50 or 60 inhabitant* altogether, and they were a most weak, harmless lot, whose leading vice appeared to be the habit of begging incessantly for everything they saw. In 1843, however, there were a good number in Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, Little Riror, and K'liapoj, and it was then firstreportel that these wee going to unite and make an atiack upon the infant colony during the absence of the frigate at Valparaiso r'or stores. Of course with Uie man-of-war in haibor the colonists knew they wore quite safe, but they did not by any means like the idea of being attacked whilst slio was absent. However, one thing w:is certain, the vessel must go for stores, and ho the best possible arrangements \v*re made for defence in case of an attack being made. A garden had been established nt French Farm by Commodoio Lavau 1 for the growth of vegetables for his crew, and hero fifteen or sixteen of the sailors wera left, under tho command of a qnarie--mastsr. Some five or six more men, all that could possibly be sparnd from the ship, were stationed at Akaroa. Their precautions, however, were not confined to this, for it was determined to erect three block-housea as places of retreat in case the Maoris came. The sites for thene block-houses were selected as follows :— Where Bruce's Hotel now stands; near the beach just at the back of the present Town Hall, and in German Bay. They were very strongly built, the upright timbers being Bft by Bft, whilst the planking was of black pine, four inches thick, Tlioy were two storeys high, the upper storey overlapping the lower, as we see in the old English houses in Chester and elsewhere, in order that those above could fire down on any Maoris who attempted to fire the building below. A ditch 4ft wide at the bottom and Bft at top was also dug round the walls, the earth out of which was made into a sloping bank against the sides of the house, and th , ) ditch was filled with water. The only admittance to these houses was by a drawbridge across the moat, and thence by a ladder to a door in tho upper storey, there being no entrance at all from below. When tl.o drawbridge was up and the ladder raised those within were nearly perfectly safe from any attack the Maoris could have made, for the 4in boards would stop any bullet from an

ordinary gun. As a matter of course there were loopholes here and there for the defenders to lire from if the place were be • sirged. These block-houses were never used but once, and that was during the absence of the ship, when the news was brought that some 250 natives were coming from the North to attack them. The rumor spread rapidly, and the more cautious removed their wives and children and more precious goods into the block-houses, and slept there at night. Sentinels were also posted to give uotico of the Maoris' approach, and the men were drilled and armed with a carbine, cutlasss, and two pistols each. At last the word came that from 60 to IOC strange Maoris were actually on their way from Pigeon Bay. All the people then living in German Bay went into the block-house, and when the Maoris found them so well prepared they of course announced that they came as friends only. They passed on and went into Akaroa, meeting the leaders of the colonists near the present site of (he Town Hall. They, announced that they came not as foes but' as friendly visitors, and were accordingly welcomed and had some food given them, after partaking of which they entertained their hosts by giving one of their war dances in grand style, and then they went on to the Kaik at Onuku. As a whole the colonists behaved very well during their trial, but one i gentleman caused much amusement. This : was a rather diminutive Frenchman, whose counsels were of blood and thunder before the Maoris arrived. He argued that it was no good going in for half measures,

tliftt they must put their foot down and show the natives what they could do. He scorned the idea of anything approaching a'compromise, as degrading to a band of resolute Europeans, and said if they were only Him the savages must yield. When the Maoris really did come, however, a ckanfce enme over the spirit of the heroic man and as he gazed on the fierce tatooed face*, siiiewoy limbs and great bulk of the native warriors, his face grew whiter and whiter, and at last he was unable to bear thoirterrible aspect any longer, and sneaked off into the block house much to the amusement of his comrades. He was the only man that, showed the white feather, but the week the Maoris stopped was a time of anxiety, and all the greatest possi ble caution was exercised for they feared that the least relaxation of watchfulness would be (lie signal for an attack. One night Mr Green fired a shot, and produced quite a .panic, every one fancying the struggle had come at last. However, after a week's peaceful sojourn at Onuku, Wninui, and Tekau Bay, the strange natives went away, most of them going back via Little River. There was one pleasant custom observed during these early days, which was, that every family gave a feast to the rest of the colonists annually. These meetings were pleasant ones indeed, whilst the older colonists related their experiences to each other, the ■ younger danced and made love in just the' same manner as they do now-a-days. At the end of the five yeare the colonists all got their five acres. Many of them had never fulfilled the conditions laid doun by the French association, but that was not allowed to stand in the way, and an English Crown grant was promised and given to all who applied.