MUTINY AT BAKER'S ISLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 504, 22 August 1871, Page 2

MUTINY AT BAKER'S ISLAND.

The barque Robert, loaded with »«»„_. "*'. Baker's Island for Cork, which put ■ ? roi» port for repairs on Sunday, brings us ?tW^* of a mutiny amoDgst tho Kanaka U S' employed in loading vessels. This occ et" took place on the Ist July when tho tti" 08 was lying off the Island. On that d * Kanakas came off with a lighter load of ** and after shoving a few bags on the staff 6" 1*"?' "■hat as it was 6 o'clock, they would w V *^ longer, and immediately jumped overt!.!!? and swam ashore—a distance of 500 vaJ appears that Baker's Island is in chared' } l Capt. Snow, who has with him four EuroW The number of Kanaka labourers is nS 1' and some eight Chinamen act as cooks _ tho morning after tho strike described a V the manager's assistant came on board & stated that.the Island was in a state of mn V aud requested that in a case of need aBBi B tl" v' might be sent ashore. Captain Lanfare T_\ ashore at once and saw the condition of aifr and the same day a German barque an/!! on board of which were some firearms. % ' consisting of 7 muskets,' 9 pistols, 2 revolt as well as 7 sabres, were purchased by n 6'-1 Snow and taken ashore. _No work was d that day by the Kanakas, and. they beganT make preparations for resistance. At Bundh the crews of the vessels passed the Kanat"1 houses to go on board, when a drum v* beaten aud shots fired at them, but no forth" 8 attempt was made to molest them and i_!ier regained their boats. Going oa board a csN was made for volunteers to protect tT Europeans, and the^jntire crews came.foroard Two officers and three men from each*! i went ashore and remained all night. On- th 3rd day the party went armed to the ____«__ barracks, and Capt. Snow jordered t<™ of the ringleaders to go up "to his hoiT They refused to obey, whereupon two were. seized and secured. The gang, the wharf then knocked off work and started for the houses, and in the meantime th» mutineers hoisted a flag calling in thefieM hands. A threat of being fired at.howerer droTo them back. Ten of the ringleader! were then put in irons, and finally 53 0 f t i a most turbulent were secured in" irons and made fast to a chain, and kept in the same position until the next day. Search *« made for arms, and 2 muskets, 12 pißtoh l»n >f which were revolvers, 8 sabres, 3 boi'tiu,, jikes, 2 whale lances, 2 harpoons, a pabj ,'rains, 15 J rounds "Of ball cartridge, 101bi.nl ,iowder, and a quantity of slugs, sheath icnives, &c, were collected and taken to the Superintendent's house. There was aleo discovered a document written in Kanab containing a sketch of their plan, which was to kill the Europeans, take the boats and cave the Island. On the 4th day the hands igreed to turn to again, and were let out under a promise that they wbuld/gfire. no more trouble. ■ A prison waeJcinstßictwl. into which 12 of them were put with a Tie? to their being forwarded to Honolulufoptrill hy a schooner expected on the 20th 'July. These Kanakas are engaged in Honolulu fo a term o£ two years, at 10 dollars a moi'th. •

After all was over, some of these'^eUom told the crew of the Eobert that if nomine vo3aels came in, they intended to Cany out their murderous designs, and it was feared that they might do so, as they probably had a further supply of arms buried' in the ground. As usual in such cases it wai discovered that those upon whom Capt. Smro placed most reliance were amongst the worst of the traitorsl . .":.'.V