STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 563, 6 December 1881, Page 2

STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

No. 10.—Early Days,

In Pigeon Bay there resided a family named Sinclair, who owned the property now* held by the Holmes in Pigeon Bay. In the eaily days this family and the ll»ys came from Wellington about the same time. Mr Sinclair on hi.s first arrival built a vessel, and went en a voyage with hi.s son-in-law. We have not been enabled to ascertain their proposed destination, but they never were heard of again, Mrs Sinclnir was therefore left with two sons an i three daughters, and with these she worked on and made a good living. She was an exceedingly hospitable, kind old lady, and gave mai.y a night's lodging to a traveller in those early days, who would otherwise have had to sp.'nd the night amongst the bush. One daughter married a Captain Gay, who was commander and owner of a vessel. After a certain time had elapsed, the family sold out to Mr George Holmes, and started n regular family ship, and wont to British Columbia. Not liking that place when they arrived there, they wont to Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands, where they bought an island for ihemselves. They prospered there exceedingly, and are now owners of one island and a half. Some of. the family have bought land in the North Island, Frank Sinclair occasionally pays New Zealand a visit, to take away the best bulls, rams, and entire horses he can get, to improve the stock in his island home. The family are now rich, and are shearing from 80.000 to 100,000 sheep. A description of this lady's household in the Sandwich Islands was written by Miss Bird, and a few extracts may prove entertaining. She says :— ■

v I must now say a little about my hosts and try to give you sonic idea of them. I heard their history from Mr Damon, and thought it too strange to be altogether true until it was confirmed by themselves. The venerable lady at the head of the house emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand many years ago, where her husband was unfortunately drowned, and she being - left to bring up a large family, and manage a large properly, was equally successful with both. Her great amiiition was to keep her family together, something on. the old patriarchal system ; and when her children grew up, and it seemed as if even their very extensive New Zealand property was not iarge enough for them, she sold it, and embarking her family and moveable possessions on board a clipper-ship, owned and commanded by one of her sons-in-law, they sailed through the Pacific in search of a home where they could remain together.

" They were strongly tempted by Tahiti, but some reasons having decided them against it, they sailed northwards and put into Honolulu. Mr Damon, who was seaman's chaplain, on going , down to the wharf one day, was surprised to find their trim barque, with this immense family party on board, with a beautiful and brilliant old lady at its head, books, pictures, work, and all that could add ruliiiement to a floating home, about them, and cattle and sheep of valuable breeds in pens on deck. They then sailed for British Columbia, but were much disappointed with it, and in throe months they re-appeared at Honolulu, much at a loss regarding their future prospects.

" The island of Niihau was then for sale, and in a very shoit time they purchased it of Kcuuehaineha V. for a ridiculously low pricr, and taking their wooden house's

vvith them, established themselves for ' seven years. It is truly isolated, both by a heavy surf and a disagreeable sea passage, and they afterwards bought this beautiful and extensive property, made a road, and built the house. Only the second son and his wife live now on Niihau, where they are the only white residents among 350 natives. It has an area 70,000 acres, and could sustain a far larger number of sheep than the 20,000 now upon it. It is said that the transfer of the island involves some hardships, owing to a number of the natives having neglected to legalise their claims to their kuleanas, but the present possessors have made themselves thoroughly acquainted with the language, und take the warmest interest in the island population. Niihau is famous for its verj' fine mats, and for its necklaces of shells six yards long, as well as for the extreme beauty and variety of the shells which are found there.

" The household here consists first and foremost of its head, Mrs Sinclair, a lady of the old Scotch type, very talented, bright, humorous, charming, with a definite character which impresses its force upon everybody ; beautiful in her old age, disdaining that servile conformity to prevailing fashion which makes many o'd people at once ugly and contemptible speaking English with a slight, oldfashioned, refined Scotch accent, which gives naivete to everything she says, up to the latest novelty in theology and politics: devoted to her children and grandchildren, the life of the family, and though upwards of seventy, the first to rise, and the last to retire in the house. She was away when I came, but some days afterwards rode up on horseback, in a large drawn silk bonnet, which she rarely lays aside, as light in her figure -and step as a young girl, looking as if she had walked out of an old picture, or one of Dean Ramsay's books.

"Then there are her eldest son, a bachelor, two widowed daughters with six children between them, three of whom are grown up yonng men, and a tutor, a young Prussian officer, who was on Maximilian's staflE up to the time of the Queretaro disaster, and is stiil. suffering from Mexican barbarities. The remaining daughter is married to a Norwegian gentleman, who owns and resides on the next property. So the family is together, and the property is large enough to give scope to the grandchildren as they require it.

" They are thoroughly Hawaiknisod. The young people all speak Hawaii m as easily as English, and the three young men, who are superb young fellows, about six feet high, not only emulate the natives in feats of horse manship, such as throwing the lasso, and picking up a coin while #oing at full gallop, but are surf-board riders, an art which it has been said to be impossible for foreigners to acquire.

" The natives on Niihan and in this part of Kauai, call Mrs Sinclair " Mama." Their rent seems to consist in giving one or more days' service in a month, so it is a revival of the old feudality. In order to patronise native labor, my iiosLs dispensed with a Chinese, and employ a native cook, and native women come in and profess to do some of the housework, but it is a very troublesome arrangement, and ends in Die ladies doing all the finer cooking, and superintending the coarser, sot Ling tin 1 table, trimming the lamps, culling out and '■'fixing" all the needlework, beside-i planning the indoor nnd outdoor work which the natives are supposed to do Having related their proficiency in domestic duties, I must add they are splendid borne women, one of them an excel'ent shot, find the other has enough practical knowledge of seamanship, as well as navigation, to enable her to take a ship round the world ! It a busy life, owing to the large number of natives daily employed, and the necessity of locking after the lunas, or overseers. Dr. Smith at Koloa, twenty-two miles oft: is the only doctor on the island, and the natives resort to (his house in great numbers for advice and medicine in their mary ailnionts. It is much such a life as people lend at Raasay, ApplecroFS, or some other remote Highland place, only that people who come to visit here,unless they ride twenty-two miles, must come to tho coast in the Jenny instead of. being conveyed by one of David Hutcbeson's luxurious steamers. If the Clansman were '• put on " probably the great honse wou'd not contain the strangers who would arrive !"

One fine morning in the year 1856 the first coasting steamer in the Colon}', named the Zingari, called into Akaroi, with Colonel Brown, who was then Governor of New Zealand, aboard. He came to Akaron to see about some disagreement regarding the Wainui land which existed between the Natives and the Governor. An interview took place on the clear space in front or! Bruce's Hotel. The Governor brought with him some Native interpreters, arid after a short conversation through them with the Natives interested, and finding that the Natives were not prepared with a reply to his demand, which was that they should leave Wainui, he allowed them till 4 p.m. that afternoon to slioa , cause why they should not be ejected, us they were supposed to be paid for the land,

The Governor, after an inspection of the town, went down to the appointed place He got no answer at the time appointed, and then went promptly aboard his boat, saying that as he could not bring them to reason otherwise, he should have to send troops from Wellington to put them oft' the land. Tho threat, however, was never fulfilled, and Mr Hamilton eventually settled tho claim in favor of the Natives, whose argument, we believe, was that other Natives had received more for'their lands. Before the Governor arrived, Messrs Boyes, J. Ayhner, and the late Mr Hempleman tried to lund where Tikno's house now stands, The Natives, however, objected to the party landing without they left their survey instruments behind them. The person who opposed these surveys so strenuously was a man whose life had been saved by Mr Hempleman many years before, that gentleman having headed him up in a cask when Bloody Jack wjis determined to destroy him.

We cannot wind up this paper bettor than with an anecdote of: Mr Bruce, the well-known proprietor of tho ho-tel at present occupied by Mr Grange, which was even at that time a favorite resort of pedestrian visitors from Christchurch. It seems that on one occasion, when he had several young gentlemen from Christchurch stopping in the house, that in making out their bills he put among other items logwood and drugs in place of claret, and the receipt he gave them was as follows:—•'Squared yards with the Christchurch swolls.—James Bruce."