THE DISCOVERER OF STEWART'S ISLAND.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1143, 27 March 1872, Page 2

THE DISCOVERER OF STEWART'S ISLAND.

The Riverton correspondent of a Southland paper, writing on the early settlement of Stewart's Island, says :— The "special correspondent" who accompanied His Honor the Superintendent an-I the Minister of Public Works on their recent visit to Stewart's Island has, in his account of the trip (published in the Otago Witness of the lfth instant), given currency to a — well, story regarding the origin of the name borne by the island in question. He says— "The tradition is that there had been an irruption of the dark skins from the North Island, who took the Southern clans by surprise and massacred the greater part of them. Thp invaders were brought down by a whaler named Stewart, who gave his name to Stewart's Island. His memory should v be obliterated, and the more euphonious native name substituted." Now, as one who was personally acquainted with Captain Stewart, and knew him to be a good, kind man, respscted by all, I feel it n»y duty to contradict this cruel calumny, and at the same time give the true reason why the island came to be called Stewart's, viz. — because he was the first to discover that it was separated from the main land by the strait which now bears the name of Foveaux. It happened in this way — Captain Stewart's vessel was hove to off West Cape in a heavy gale, and during the night drifted in to near Saddle Point (Stewart's Island.) At daylight, the gale increasing, and seeing no land to leeward, he bore up expecting to find shelter, and in doing so passed through the Straits^ afterwards making Port Pegasus on the east side of the island, to which he gave his own name. So much did he consider the island his own that he iyitended to found settlements on it. He lived there for some time, and built a schooner of over 100 tons burden, which he afterwards sold to Mr Weller at Otago, by whom she was called the Joseph Weller. There are several parties and their children now living who claim land on the island by virtue of grants made to them by Captain Stewart (at "The Neck,"Paterson's Inlet), who, I believe, died ouly a few years ago near Hawke's Bay, Napier. His name was always spoken of with respect, and he was much liked by those in his employ— quite a different character in fact to that indicated by the, "special" of the Witness, who will, I trust, take the earliest opportunity of doing justice to one of the real pioneers of civilisation in these seas.