CAPTAIN COOK

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 161, 3 June 1909, Page 2

CAPTAIN COOK

By W. 8., Te Kuiti,

No. IV.

It seems a national proclivity that each should minimise or suppress the merits of others; for instance: When. one reads British naval history, it would appear that no other nation won sea fights from us. Similarly we have become so indurated, by repetition, of Capta'n Cook, and Ne<v Zealand, that we forget the great Netherlands ex- ; plorer, Abel Tasman, who searched the Pacific for a continent, as the old geographers thought, to balance the land masses of the Northern Hemisphere. And when he discovered New Zealand, and saw a vast reach of coast trend away southward, he concluded, this ; was that continent, and named it: Terra Australia incognita—the unknown southern land. It was reserved for our own great voyager to determine, by sailing completely around, and between them, that this coast was merely an outline of two large islands, and retained the name, New Zealand, Tasman gave to its extreme northern point. And it was upon the successful termination of his observation of the transit of Venus, at Tahiti, that he, on Friday, the 6th October, 1769, rediscoveredHt, and unlike Abel Tasman, dared innumerable adversions to make its more intimate acquaintance. It is well to pause here, and wonder why over 120 years should elapse between Tasman's discovery, and Captain Cook's revisit, before any subsequent explorer ventured to experience the unfriendly reception Tasman met here. And this seems a proper place to investigate that unfriendliness: The tradition among the Maoris, and still extant in my youth, was, that when they saw the strange apparition of this ship, intuitively they remembered their own migration and its lamentable cause; and that this was their ancient enemy, following them to inflict further aggressions; and that hence it be came them to interview the invaders, accompanied with the accessories usual on hostile demonstrations, and for a defiance entertained the visitors w r ith a premonitive war-haka; which Tasman, unlike the humane anl merciful Cook, replied to with a broadside of cannon, and sailed away in disgust. For in Tasman's day all coloured races were chattels, to be arrogantly and contumeliously designated: dam niggers : creatures, factoried by a beneficent Creator, to subserve the whiteman with profit and pleasure; and should this be properly resented, why, then, the whiteman's dominatory prestige, and Christ-like forbearance, hotly demanded —as now —subdue, and obliterate the impertinent rebels! Nonetheless, Tasman was an intrepid explorer his country does well to be proud of. But he was not soul sumptuated as our own beloved hero, who, when he met with adverse receptions, acknowledged their legal right to admit no strangers upon the hazardous provise that their mission was peace, and in accord with Nature's first law, endeavour to get in the first blow; and hence made it the adamantine rule of his expeditions to placate threats with tangible proofs, that the visitors intention was friendship. And when a dolorous peradventure urged self-de-fence, and Natives were killed.no man more deplored the calamity than he; to illustrate which I will instance a case:—He sent some boats, upon arrival here, to look for a landing place, and saw two fishing canoes come in from the sea :—

"I thought this a favourable opportunity to get some of the people into my possession without mischief . . . .

as they were probably without arms and I had three boats full of men.

therefore disposed the boats to intercept them. . the people, in onecancr, percieved us so soon, that, by making to the nearest land .... escaped us; the other sailed on till she was in the midst of us before discerning what we were; but the moment she discovered us . . . they took to their paddles . . .

so briskly, that she outran the boat. They were, however, within hearing, and"Tupia called to them . . . and promised that thpy should come to no hurt: but they chose, however, rather to trust to their paddles than our promises ... I then ordered a musket to be fired over their heads .... hooping it would make them surrender, or leap into the water (as he had done at the other islands when they refused to be interviewed). Upon the discharge of the piece they ceased paddling; .... They immediately formed a resolution not to fly, but to fight; and began the attack with their paddles, and stones .... so vigorously, that we were obliged to fire upon them in our own defence: four were unhappily killed, and the other three, who were boys, .. . instantly leaped into the water . . . and resisted thejattempts of our people . . . one was at last overpowered, the other two were taken up with less difficulty. I am. eomscious that the feeling of every reader of humanity will censure me for having fired upon these unhappy people, and it is impossible .... I should approve it myself. They certainly did not deserve death/ fe>r m>t choosing to confide in my : promises . . . but the nature of myser- j vice required mc to obtain a knowledge ; of their country, which I could not \ otherwise effect than by forcing my | wav into it in a hostile manner .... I i had tried the power of presents with- j out effect; Thus far my inten- j tions were certainly not criminal As soon as he got them on board the boats, "They squatted down expecting i no doubt instantly to be put to death. We made haste to convince them to the contrary by every method in our power; we furnished them with clothes

and every other testimony of kindness that could . . . engage their goodwill." I have quoted this lengthy extract because it is idiomatic of his large charity: also, his abounding- remorse that these poor people should have been destroyed, in pursuance of a duty hecould not otherwise compass. Am: his anger would have exuded upon the iie clear uporn that prevented tms magazine of virtue from being the premier colonist, and adjuster of differences between the white man and

brown;. And it is because the tawdry histories cMiatod by ■•.Titers having no more gift that •"ay than a Soudanese Mullah, totally on:it a depiction emblematic of the Man's irrefragible justice, that I interim- this sketch with excerpts of his journal. When he arrived atTakl: ot. seq. the first clause of the rules to to observer by all members of too e.upcbitior.. and posted up. reads :--"To ordearvtur by every fair means, to eutlivato: a friendship with the Natives: ant to treat them with ail imagir.ao.o .oum.auityu" And that the non-observance of these rules resulted in unwavering puni■ ions,co-note what follows: "On the 27th A::-;:. luoourai Taumaide, with a friend, woo ate with a voracity I never ss.v before, and the three women that usually attended him .... din-, e a: the for:: in the evening they zoo*: their leave ; but in less than a ouarber of an hour ! he returned in great emetic:: and ing Mr—afterwardsr —afterwards MrJcseth —Banks' arm, made signs that he should follow and they soon tan.e uo to "'bore thev found the ship's hutchor with a reaping knife in h ; s bant .... And in a tranbutcrer .cau attempt:-'- or threatened, to cot r.:s wire's tnroat with the reaping hoc.-:. Mr Banks :i:en signified to him. tiiat :t no ccu.b fu.iy enplain the offence, toe man should be punished. demand that the offender, having taken a fancy to a stone hatchet.which lay in his house, ha: offered to purchase it of his wife for a nail : that she having refused to par: with i: unon any terms, he had catered :'■. uo. and throwing down the nail, threatened to . cut her throat if she mad-, any resis- : tance: to prove this charge, the hatch}et and nail were produced.and the but- ! cher had so little to say in his defence. : that there was not the '.cast reason to i doubt of its truth. Mr Barnes raving | reported the matter to me. I took the | opportunity, who- tho chief a-.d his .~~ 1 women, with other Indians, were on ; board the ship, to call up the butcher, : and after a rocapirular'or of the charge ;' and the proof, I gave orders that he : should be pnuished,according to a then ; navy law, as well to prove-: ether ' offences of the same ki-.u, as to acquit j Mr Banks of his promise: the Indians ; saw him stripped aid tied to the rig- \ ging with a fixed attention, waiting in I silent suspense for the even:: but as ; soon as the first stroke was given. they j interfered with great agita::: -, earni estly entreating that the rest of the i punishment might be remitted : to this, j however, for many reasons. I could j not consent, and when, they fotrd that j they could not prevail by their i-ier- | cession, they gave vent to their pity i in tears." j How does this inimitable justice ' consone with that of the merriment j our civilisation elicited, when our sol- | diers ravished forty surrendered Maori j women, at Waikato Heads, and com- : municated to them an unnamable dis- | ease Or, to that of the Troop Sur- ; geon who flayed a beautifully tatooed j man's buttock, and made the skin into j a tobacco pouch, and refused the high j price, the officers proffered, to coy it! i Comparisons are said to he odious: 1 these certainly are. But. then. CapI tain Cook was a gentleman, whese soul ; revolted at like savageries.