EARLY DAYS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 657, 9 August 1921, Page 5

EARLY DAYS.

(Written Specially for the Times.) 111. THE COMING OF THE FRENCH. New Zealand has always been credited with being the most English of all English colonies, with the exception, perhaps, of gallant little Natal. But there was a moment in her career when she only escaped becoming a French possession by the narrowest of chances. During the eighteenth century France was England’s only rival on the high seas. Spain and Holland had outlived their power to seriously count in the struggle for maritime supremacy, but the French were gallant and adventurous seamen. The discoveries in the almost unknown South Seas were not without their effect on the imagination of the nation and they determitned to take their share in the glory and profit to be gained from the exploration of unknown lands.

This accounted for De Surville’s expedition to New Zealand, which coincided almost with that of Cook’s. - It was no premeditated attempt to anticipate the English, for De Surville. starting from India, knew nothing of Cook’s voyage. You have seen how the latter first sighted this country in the neighbourhood of Poverty Bay on October 9, 1769, and sailed in a leisurely manner up the coast till he turned 'the North Cape. On December 12 the Endeavour was close to the eastern shore of the parrow peninsula that forms the northern extremity of the island, and at that very moment De Sui'ville was picking up the land on the West Coaslt, exactly opposite to him. But they were fated not to meet, or even to know of one another’s presence in those far-off waters. The rough westerly gales which so long baffled the Endeavour’s attempts 'to round the Cape and drove her off to sea, only facilitated De Surville’s run round to the ea§t. Arrived at Doubtless Bay, the French found no trouble in establishing friendly relations and trading with the natives. For some clays they stayed at anchor, getting in wood and water with the pheerful assistance of the Maoris, who they appear to have loaded, with presents. They nearly lost their ship in an easterly gale, for the cables parted and it was only by most skilful seamanship that they managed to beat out to safety in the open sea. Unfortunately the good relations with the natives came to an end shortly after the end of the storm allowed the French to return to their anchorage. It appeared to be a custom with De Surville to kidnap a native or two from each island he touched, with the intention of taking them to France with him. His choice of a prisoner was particularly regrettable, for he forcibly arrested a chief who had been especially friendly and had been unremitting in his attentions to the sick sailors sent ashore to recuperate. Neither the commander nor the prisoner lived to reach France, for the latter died at sea, and De Surville was drowned owing to the capsize of a small boat.

De Surville’s expedition was fostered by commercial incentive merely. It was shortly to be followed by another got up by a wealthy man purely in \the interests of science, Marion, with two ships, the Mascarin and the Marquis de Castries, sighted Mt. Egmont on March 25, 1772. Sailing in a leisurely manner up the west coast they cast anchor in Spirits Bay, but a heavy blow forced them (to cut their cables and put to sea and stay out for more than a week. Returning' at last they managed to recover two out of the five auehois they had lost-, and sailed down the east coast to Cape Brdtt. Finding the natives here friendly they sent ashore their sick, of whom they had a large' number, and prepared to repair the ships. The natives showed them where ‘to cut the timber inquired and for a time all went well. But before the masts were got out of the forest the deameanour of the natives began to change. They stole whatever they could lay hands on, one of their thefts being an anchor weighing 3cwt,. The officers in charge of the sick camp and the timber camp repeatedly warned Marion that the behaviour of the Maoris was becoming more and more threatening, and'that they evidently meditated an attack. But nothing would make the French commander believe that they had any evil indentions, and to show liis confidence he went with 15 unarmed men to the village of the chief Takuri. On arrival there ’they were almost immediately attacked, and all murdered but one man, who, though badly wounded by a spear thrust, escaped to the bush and later swam to the ship. Twelve men from the other ship, who bad nulled ashore for firewood. were also attacked and killed, making 27 in aU. The successful massacre merely whetted (the taste of the Maoris for more blood, A force of about 1200 fighting men assembled, and made

preparations to dttaclc both tire cim

bar camp and the hospital camp. Crozet, who succeeded to the command upon Marion’s death, thought it advisable to evacuate the former and strongly i-einforce the latter. The demonstrations, of tne enemy continuing Crozet determined to attack Takuri’s pa. This was done by Lieutenant Roux with only 25 men, but the muskett gave them long odds over the spears and meres, and after go attack of only 40 minutes the pa was taken and about 250 of the natives killed, the French .having only three or four men wounded. The lesson was taken to heart, and although the French ships remained at anchor for nearly a month to complete their refitting there were no further attempts at molestation. The expedition finally left these shores on July 13, ,1772. There is no doubt the terrible catastrophe which overtook Marion was due to the excessive mildness of his methods of dealing with the natives. He would not allow thieves to be punished, and refused to be put on his guard by' warnings from o<.he-> who read the Maori mind more cieailv than he did. In many ways he was a very fine man, but his gentle, mag* nanimous and unsuspicious natui e unfitted him for dealing with an inferior, but fierce and cunning race.

There’s no situation without some humour, and the present unemployment difficulty supplied a touch the ether day, when two men applied for relief at one of the Government Labour Bureaux. One of them waited outside while the other made the necessary inquiries. “ How did you get on, Bill?’* said bis mate when he returned. ‘‘No ————- good, they offered me a job,.’' was the retort.