The Launch of the Herald.

Manawatu Herald, 19 September 1895, Page 3

The Launch of the Herald.

.»■ [By Mr A. Wicksteed.] In 1884, Mr Gilbert Mair, a gen tleman afterwards well-known in the annals, of New; Zealand, makes his first historical appearance, as assisting the Bey. H. Williams in the building of the Herald, at the Bay of Islands. The Herald was 60 tons laden, it is said, though 50 tons, it will be seen, is allowed to her in the following account of the launch :— " The launch oi the Herald, as the mission boat was called, took place oo the- 24th of January, 1826, and is thus described by Mr Galton in his happidsfr manner : — ' Due notice had been given ; a fleet of boats and canoes had assembled ; numbers had come from inland, partly from curiosity, partly 40 hope of pajment; upon a rough estimate from three to four thousand persons were present. Mr Williams had been out the night before inspecting the ways, and taking every precaution against any risk of failure. The natives, who had supposed that the vessel was to be moved off in . Maori style, by main force, had passed their time in calculating the amount of payment they were to receive, and devising means for extortion. As was the difference in size between a canoe and a fifty ton vessel, so was to be the payment for the service. They declared that they would not move a hand till their terms should have been complied

with, enforcing their demands by divers weighty and ingenious rtasoni, in reply to each of which they got nothing bat a quiet nod of the head. They were already engaged, byanticipation, in apportioning the payment amongst themselves when Mr Williams announced that all was ready. But instead of going among the ffldb to clinch the bargain, he walked up to the vessel and named her. Tu\2 was the signal for a start, The dogshores were knocked away, the ship glided gently down the ways into the water, to the amazement of the natives, who arose as one man with a roar of Anana 1 Aua — na — a— a — a!' The construction of the above vessel, which was to be the forerunner of many other smart schoon* ers built in' North New Zealand, did not pass off without opposition from the natives. On one occasion, while Mr Mair and the Bey. H. Williams (afterwards the well-known Archdeacon of Waimate) were working at the vessel, they were surrounded by a large party of Maories, who, for some fancied grievance, were in a furious rage, and with wild gestures and threats, declared their intention of burning the vessel and annihilating the builders. Nothing daunted, Mr Williams seized a stout stake, and Mr Mair a broken oar, whiob they used so vigorously as soon to put the dusky warriors to flight, but not before Mr Mair's left arm was broken in two places." Perhaps the parson esoaped through a Better knowledge of quartet-staff play, but this does not appear. Mr Mair commanded the craft on her first trip to Sydney. In the above extracts from '• Brett's Early History of New Zealand," page 817 and 818, we get a glimpse of the Church of England parson's live 3. Preaching, praying, teaching, in school and abroad, workas a ship's carpenter, and, at times, fighting— all works necessary to the evangelist amongst a savage and warlike race of cannibals.