BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2723, 18 March 1916, Page 9

BOOKS OF THE DAY

OLD WHANCANUI. An interesting and valuablo contribution to the ever-increasing'bulk of literature on the early history of New Zealand is made in Mr. T. W. Downes's "Old Whanganui" (H. I. Jones and Son, Wanganui). As the. years pass by the student of our early history must naturally be inclined to specialise, preferring to aim at a detailed account of the history- of one particular province or district rather than to attempt a . history of the. whole Dominion.' What that ambitious enterprise the Victoria County-Histories of England, of which some seventy volumes (out of a probable total of 250) -have already been issued, is doing for the Motherland may be done in this country on a more' modest-scale. Such a work has, indeed, already been initiated, for in addition, to Mr. Buick's "Old Marlborough" and "Old Manawatu,'' Sir J. G. Wilson's "Old Rangitikei," 1 and other somewhat similar works which might be mentioned, there are now process of compilation a "History of South Canterburyj" and a work on somewhat similar lines on "Early Christchurch." Meanwhile a hearty welcome is due to Mr Downes's book. The author has already .' writen on ... the early history of Rangitikei, and on the history of the Ngati-ftahu-ngunu Tribe, and is weir known as an industrious and able contributor to : the "Polynesian Journal." His present work is divided into two seclions. ' In. the first the author deals exclusively with Maori history, quoting many fascinating legends as to the origin or the most. famous pas on the Whanganui, and relating many curious and exciting stories of. the desperate fighting between the various as Stiey struggled for supremacy. No one ] who reaas. these records of the great i Ifeeds of derring-do of the ancient I •Maori can fail to be struck by supero, almost heroio gallantry wliich cKaraccerised • a race nominally Bavage, Trnt possessing,' nevertheless, otner • traits too hastily assumed by many to. be the peculiar appurtenance of civilised races. > In an interesting preface, Mr. S. Percy Smith rightly, emphasises the importance and value of. these chronicles of early Maori life in New Zealand. . "Maori history," says Mr. Smith, '.'from- the time of the Maori migration hither in the fourteenth .century, is mostly a record of. their warlike doings,- the strife of 'tribe against tribe. But mixed up with' the undoubted 'barbarism that characterises 'these tribal ' relations, . there is also much that is Tomantio— much that shows, the old Maori in .the softer and pleasanter character that lay at the bottom; his intelligence, affection, honour vigour, justice, may all be detected therein. It would be easy to select, from Mr. Downes's well-stock-ed' chapters, many notable instances of the display of each and every one of these, characteristics to which . Mr. Percy Smiths alludes, but space limits sternly'forbid/quotation. l ' Suffice it to say that in the Maori, section of his hook Mr. Downes presents the reader with a well-oonneoted' narrative, of the purely Maori .side. of the history of Whanganui, one much richer in detail than has hitherto been published.. ~ The second part of /the toot ' is' devoted to "The Coming'of the Pakeha," the author sketching the'history .of European' settlement- in the district from as far baok as 1831, when a sailor named Andrew Powers, a member of a small party led by one Joe Rowe (a .trader in "dried human.heads," whose headquarters were' gi'■ Kapiti,)"" was captured near the, Landguard, Bluff .by some Maoris who' belonged to Taupo. Powers waß taken first to : Taupo, and

later to Rotorua and Maketu, at which latter place ; he' was ransomed by a trader named .Tapsell for the not extravagant . guerdon •of - 2-olbs. of tobacco. He lived to a ripe old age, :returning to Wanganui, where in his later years, ho was... in, the employ of, the. late William Watt, long and honourably connected with the commercial "life of the town. Mr. Downes narrates in order all the principal events in .the settlement of Wanganui, describing the troubles of the settlers with the New Zealand Company,' the dark days when the town was threatened by the Natives, the visit of Sir George Grey, and. finally .the sale, of Whangaiiui to the Government, his record ceasing in 1848. The author devotes a. special chapter to' a description of the deplorable murder of the Gilfillan,. family, giving some jvery interesting : details, hitherto unpublished, of tho career of Mr. Gilfillan, an artist of considerable ability, who himself es-. coping the sad fate of his wife and other members of his family, afterwards went' to South Australia, eventually holding a position in the Victorian Customs Department, at Melbourne, where lie. at tho age of Sfivonty. The illustrations form an interesting feature of the book. Many of them are reproduced from original sketches by Mr. Gilfillan. . the author having been privileged by the artist's surviving daughter, Miss Gilfillan, to make copies from her father's priceless sketch book. Other illustrations include reproductions of photographs, taken by-Mr. F. J. : Denton,, of scenes of interest on the Wanganui E.iver. - A : photographic facsimile of the'Whanganui Deed' is also

included l ,'permission to include this hav-! ing been given by Mr. W. C. Kensington, 1.5.0., 'formerly, of the Lands Department. Considering the age and faded state of many of the originals, the illustrations, executed in half-tone, are laudably distinct in detail, and a happy idea was the use of small portraits of famous chiefs, and Maori scenes, as initial ornaments and tail pieces. iTlie typography of? the book, executed at the Hawera "Star" office, Is in every way excellent, but the coyer in which the volume'is bound leaves much to be desired, being,_ indeed, quite unpardonably ugly. An index to tho second part of the book would- also have been a desirable addition. (Price, los.)