A PIONEER AT REST.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2070, 3 May 1907, Page 4

A PIONEER AT REST.

Tlio Eltluim Argus publishes the following particulars of the life of the Into Captain Jackson Barry:— Amongst our telegraphic news yesterday came the not altogether unexpected information that Captain Jackson Barry had gone to his long rest. Ho was one of Australia’s very oarliest pioneers, a man oi great character, determination and enterprise, and well known to many thousands of Now Zealanders. Although the old man was always ready lor speculation and enterprise he was not what could bo termed a successiul man. Liko that of many other old colonists his life was a series of “ups and downs.” In the early days ol tho Australian colonies money was easily made and quickly spent. Men mado fortunes readily and spent them with an open handed generosity that eventually left them penniless when old ago came upon them. Captain Barry appears to havo been one of this class. Few colonists havo spent a more adventurous life than he, and an hour or two in the old man's company was always of interest to those who could appreciate stories of early colonial days as related by an old man of very limited education, but with an excollcnt memory and a 'keen, roughly humorous way of describing what ho had soon and hoard. He did not pass through his long life with his eyes shut; on tho contrary, ho had beon a very close observer and could accurately rohito many of his experiences. He was born in England, in the villago of Molbourn, Cambridgeshire, in 1819, so hi soarthly pilgrimage hat been a long one, far past the usual “allotted span.” At a very early ago lie evidenced a love of adventure, and in his tender years had an opportunity for gratifying his taste. Sir John Alcock, taking a fancy to young Barry, offered to take him as a sort Of valet in a trip round the world that he was about to undertake. Barry senior consented, and at tho ago of nine years our hero started off on his adventures, leaving England in June, 1828, by the Bed Hover, bound for Syduoy, New South Wales. There were 250 passongers on board, and they were the first free immigrants to leave London for New South Wales, all previous immigrants having “left their country for their country’s good.” Barry’s troubles commenced early. The lied llovor’s water supply ran out, sickness broke out amongst the passengers; the vessel sprang a leak and had to put in to tho Cape ol Good Hopo for repairs. These having been executed a l'resh start was made on tho voyage, and there was a fresh

outbreak of disease—-this time it was the dreaded typhus fever. Our readers can imagine what life was like on an immigrant ship 80 years ago with typhus fever raging amongst the patients. There wore 24 deaths, the first mate of the sliiji being amongst those who succumbed. The ship duly arrived' in Sydney harbor and the passengers had to submit to all the inconveniences of those days, and they were not slight. Barry’s employer, or protector, not liking the Sydney of those days, booked passages for Buenos Ayres for himself and his protege. Young Barry, however, had had enough of the sea in the meantime. While carrying a portion of his master’s baggage to the ship he made up his mind to stay on shore. He threw down the luggage and, to use his own language, ‘‘cut' and run.” He hid in an iron tank. In the morning, half dead with cold and hunger, he was arrested by a policeman and taken before a magistrate, and was toil tr ’■go homo at once,” the worthy magistrate not being aware that the boy had no home.

Sydney in Captain Barry’s boyh .oJ was a different place to the Sy taoy of to-day. In 1829 land that is in the heart of the great town was purchased from freed convicts for a few dollars or a gallon of rum. His early experiences in Sydney Barry has graphically described. In those days only convict labor could be obtai iM, by order from the controller, their only payment being their Rod. “I have seen,” says Barry, “prisoners working in heavy iron fetters, seme chained together, drawing triuks like horses, and grubbing up trees in tho strets of Sydney with a guard of soldiers in attendance. Tt was quite a

common occurrence to .see men sent from tlieir work for somi mis-lemi-a--nour, flogged, and returned to their work with their backs streaming with blood.” This passage is salfici-ut to remind us of the changes that Laic been brought about, and those who have read Marcus Clarke’s n Esterpieco will recognise that the condivi-ui of affairs is not an exagg iration. “One day,” he says, “I saw lour convicts shot by their soldier gu v: U nose to my school.” The men hud freed themselves from their fetters and we: e endeavoring to escape to the bush. The horrors of prison life in New South Wales in the Ticket ol Leave days have been frequently portrayed, so there is no occasion to dwell up< n them.

Barry had many oxperi-j.iees in tiie interior, as ho had his turn at station life, encounters with tie Hacks forming not tho leat exciting episodes in his career. He reiois on-j instance of 17 men being tried and hanged for tlio cruel murd *r of a lot of blacks. Of course bo bad some experience with bushrangers, most i f the early colonists had, and rvr.ev of them were sufficiently cm. it: eg. Some of these episodes dramatically indicate what fiends in liu n.n shaj « many of the early convicts w.-re. When he was only 16 years nl ego our hero determined to try the sea once, more, and he entered upon the roughest of ail sea occupations, winding, but into tho whaling art :i the business he was kidnapped, a’ung .-'it li

ll.is first stay in this colony was a short one, about two months At the Bay of Islands lie ran away from his slap, boarded another and got back to Sydney. Ho went to Melbourne and “saw the little village, whose first mud hut I' lent a hand to build a wattle and daub building, as it was then called—grown into prosperity.” Eventually he sailed for the Malay Archipelago and traded to Melbourne with Timor ponies. In 1841 ho made his second trip to New Zealand, landing in "Wellington, “the town consisting of merely a few huts.” He traded jadkwards and forwards between Wei-

lington and .Launceston, and after °n° of t ho trips came to Taranaki, spending a couple of days in New Piyinontii. . In tliose two days he saw a little excitement, for he saw a Maori nourishing a tomahawk and threatening to kill Mr. Carrington.

wjio had to run for his life. Off to India with a shipment of horses was Barry’s next move. There he could purchase a suit of light clothes for two shillings, and be carried about all day in a palanquin by two strapping darkies for sixpence, and he enjoyed life immensely for six weeks. Back to Sydney by the same ship and once more met with excitement and adventure. Near Sydney Heads the vessel Barry was on ran into a small schooner and 12 unfortunate people on board of her were drowned.

More “ups and downs” of colonial life and again (1545) Barry reached New Zealand, this time bringing a mob of cattle from Sydney to -Auckland. Back to Sydney, gave a Dutch captain a hiding, breaking several of his ribs, and then, to escape the police, off. to New Zealand in a whaler. One day his boat was smashed by a I whale. Two of Barry’s mates were I drowned, but he and others were res- I cued by the ship. A gale sprang up I that night and their whale boats, i which had been unable to regain tho I ship, were lost and never heard of I

again. After tliis Barry nppoured Hi captain of a whaler—a “six-boat-ship.”

Honolulu was the next place visited by the captain, but we havo not spine (i) follow all his adventures. Western Australia he visited, and he went to California in 1849, wlioro lie bad ninny exciting experiences, uiicountc's with Indians being not tho least stirring, in one instance a pitched battle being fought in which Barry received a bullet. Butchering, auctioneering, cattle-dealing, hotel keeping, gold mining, all eaino handy to Barry and ho made a good lot of money. On ono occasion he was waylaid by highwaymen and £I3OO worth of gold taken from him, which, with tho aid of police and after an exciting eiiase, he recovered. In 1852 while in California, Barry married his (list wife. Shortly afterwards, through tho insolvency of a bank, Barry was nearly ruined, he and his partner losing £12,000. Back again to Sydney was Barry’s next move. 11l 1801 tho gold discoveries brought him >o Now Zealand, where ho had vaiied experiences, and ovontually became Mayor of a goldfields township,Cromwell.

Of his later days we iced tut say much, but will conclude by relating an incident which has nw.v be. omc famous. While he was Mayor of Cromwell ho paid a visit to Dune. in, and during his residence the Council passed a vote of censure upon him On his return the usual Council meeting was held and the hall was packed with ratepayers, for they expected the captain would afford them some fun over the vote of censure business—and ho did. He made a speech in which he commented freely upon tho censure motion. Then tho Cou i i" v:s started wrangling. Being uuibio to obtain order Barry ordered tho spec tutors to withdraw, told the clerk to lock the door and give him tho key And now we quote the Captain, who says, “Tho row among tho Cou i tillers still continued, so I told t..e clerk to clear away the furnitum ani we would ‘have it out.’ At this stago two of tho councillors fell to fisticuffs, one of them crying out that if thore was any fighting to be done he was about. Seeing this was the man who proposed the vote of ee-is- re I stepped up and knocked him down. Two of the other councillors leaped through the window. Finding matters had gone beyond his control, I opened the door and the rest appe ti - ed to retreat.” Next day Barry appeared before the court and was fined i'oi assault. The old man quaintly concludes his version of the mat Mr in these words, “Considering the tur Indent times and the unruly people one had to deal with, I still think 1 took the proper course, if a -forcible one, of putting my councillors straight.”