Life of John Prince, THE OLD MAORI CHIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1671, 26 June 1875, Page 6 (Supplement)

Life of John Prince, THE OLD MAORI CHIEF.

[Written for the Star Supplement] It may be interesting to your readers, and tho public generally to know that Tahui Eoukoura, or John Prince, as he is usually called, is now residing at his native place, Parawai, the last place he lived at before coming to the Parawai settlement being Hikutaia. He is now between 60 and 70 years old, and appears a very active person for his ajje; he thinks nothing of walking from Lis house at the settlement to Grahamstown and back, besides going about Grahamstown and Shortland on whatever business he may have to transact. He is a very remarkable individual amonust the Maori natives, being the first that was presented to any European Court. Durine the year 1833 His Majesty's (King William IV) line of battle ship 'Africa' then commanded by Captain Perkins, R.N., visited New Zealand, and at the departure of his ship Captain Perkins succeeded in persuading young Tahui Eoukoura, who was then about nineteen or twenty years old, to come with him on board his vessel. The ship in due course reached home, and Captain Perkins had the honour of being the first Englishman who had introduced a Maori native at the English Court. The King received tho young native very kindly, and tapping him on tho he-ad with the palm of his hand, said, ' Ho is a very fine youth, but has he been christened?' 'No.'replied the captnin. ' Then.' said King William, take him t:> St. Paul's Cathedral, and have him christened ' John Prince. The captain did as he was commanded, and Prince's name is to be seen in the baptismal register of St. Paul's Cathedral He is now the head chief of the Ngatimaru Tribe, the natives who reside at the Parawai settlement, and also in Shortland.

During the time the Africa was refitting. Captain Perkins took young Prince to see all the great sights of London, and he well remembers visiting the Tower of London, Thames Tunnel, and many other wonderful places, but what appears to surprise him above all the others was the immense amo*unt of ships to be seen in the London Docks. To give some idea of the <*fFe«t tke various sights of London had on his imagination,l may mention two of them which he related to the natives on his return home. He told them that the ships' masts in tho London Docks were as thick as the trees in thoir forests and that in the #reat city of London there were so many people that they had not eaough beds for them to sleep in all at the same time, ao that only half of the inhabitants went to sleep during the night whilst the others were working, and again in the day those who had been working all night went to bsd whilst the others followed their various occupations.

The Africa stayed a long time in England and, after a thorough overhauling, startod on another cruise. Of course John Prince was with the whip, and the first place they visited, for two or three days, was the island of St, Helena ; they then called at Gibraltar, and afterwards sailed for New York.twhere the shipstayed about a week; they then went to Quebec, where they took on board some timber to make the Africa s new set ef yards. After staying there about a week or ten days, they called at St. John's, Newfoundland, but sailed away again the following day to the West Indies, where they stayed two or three weeks. They then sailed for India, stopping a day at Calcutta, and nearly a month at Madras, and then left for Portsmouth.

The Africa stayed at Portsmouth for a momth or sir weeks, refitting, and then sailed round tho Horn, risiting "Valparaiso and Callao, where they remained soma time, and afterwards risited San Franciaco; after staying there a akort time, sailed to Honolulu where they remained one month. Learing Honolulu they, sailed to the island of Owhyhee,one of tke South Sea Islanda, the place where Captain Cook was killed; they remained here about three months, and then tailed for Japan; they again visited Owhyhee and returned again to Japan, being on a cruise to intercept the alare ships. They then set sail for Hayti, where young Prince took tke fever, and not baring recovered when the Africa was again ready to sail, Captain Perkins left him there in charge of the English. Consul, Mr. Molyneur. John Prince resided with Mr. Mo1 ~<*ux for three years, and sated as interpi^ter between the natives of Hayti and the Europeans who risited the island. John Prince married a natire of Hayti, by whom he had two children, a boy and a girl; before, howerer, he left the island his wife and son died and his daughter would not come to New Zealand, as there was no fruit, and the natives of Hayti live emtirely on fruit and fish.

At the end of the three years one of Her Majesty's line-of-battle ships put in at Hayti, and she aoon afterwards sailed for New Zealand, calling first at the Bay of Islands, at the time the war was going on against the great chief Hone Heke. The Africa afterwards Bailed for Auckland, where John Prince landed; and he says at that time there were only about five or aix poor houses to be seen. He subsequently left Auckland for Kopu, thence to Hikutaia, and came to his own iettlement on the Thames at Parawai in a canoe. Thus this wonderful New Zealander appears to have seen and risited tke greatest part of the known world, being absent from his home about thirteen years, karing left New Zealand in the year 1883 and not returned until 1846.

John Prince, strange to say, is an •Id widower, . v and is spending the

remainder of his lifn with his nephew. Parson Brovrn, as he is generally callpd ; the latter is very greatly respected by the natives, and although not an ordained minister, he conducts daily (Sunday excepted) two services at his own house, one atbalipast six'in the morning, the other at halfpast four in the afternoon. I often hear the bell tolling in the early morning for service. He has set apart two very large rooms which ie lias thrown into one and in which the services are daily held. He has hitherto been considered but a very poor chief, but as the gold reefs at Tairua, recently discovered, are on bis land, no doubt he will soon be as rich a chief as there is in ISTew Zealand.

Te Monanui, chief of the Ngatitamatira tribe, and of Ohinemuri renown, has come to live at the Parawai settlement, having left his previous home at Ohinemuri at the opening of the gold-field, as he prefers living among?t his own people rather than mix with the Pakeha. He is now having built for him a very large house on the west side of the Kauaeranga stream on his own land at the Parawai settlement.