FRENCH COMMUNISTS AND CONVICTS LANDED AT AUCKLAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 47, 24 February 1880, Page 2

FRENCH COMMUNISTS AND CONVICTS LANDED AT AUCKLAND

\N.Z. Herald, Feb. 18.]

r The schooner Griffin, Captain Bewicke, arrived in the Manukau yesterday forenoon, having put in there through stress of weather and shortness of supplies, while oa her passage from New Caledonia to" Auckland. She had been chartered by the French authorities at New Caledonia to convey hither some 25 amnestied Communists, who desired to be landed on these shores, and whose passage they had defrayed. Shortly after her arrival, a reporter from this office proceeded to Onehunga, and interviewed the Communists, one of whom, apparently the leader of the party, M. Auguste Hocquard — a shrewd, intelligent, and well-informed man— furnished the following particulars, which will be of interest to our readera : —

The French authorities at Noumea having made arrangements with the owner of the schooner Griffin to take them to Auckland, the vessel was fitted up as required by the captain of the port, and a guarantee having been made to the owner of the Griffin that everything was right, they were marched on board by a party of gendarmes. In consequence of the recent escapes of prisoners, the utmost vigilance was observed ; the Communists were called aft to answer to their names and numbers ; the crew were ordered forward and the vessel thoroughly searched. No communication was permitted with the schooner after that ceremony, and the gendarmes remained on board until the vessel put to sea and discharged

her pilot. The Griffin sailed on the 17th January for Auckland, with some

25 Communists on board, including female relatives of this party. Of the detachment, 11 are political deportes, and the balance have been offenders against the Criminal Code. All are called Communists, and the offences committed by some of the party, other than taking service with the Commune, were committed during the time that Paris was held, by that extraordinary organisation. In the first division are Messieurs Auguste Hocquard, Albin

Vilval, Oaillaux, Hugeain, Henri, Plessis, Lauridenfc, Whespel (Belgian), Bayer, Picard, and another man whose name we could not ascertain. Accompanying these were Madame Vilval and child, and Mademoiselle Cadlaux. In tbe latter division were Pourvailly, Melin, Leca, Guegnier, Parisse, Bedue, Dupremoot, Perrofc, and Bajome.

The voyage had been a most eventful onp, head winds mo3t of the passage, with heavy sea, A.bout a fortnight ago the schooner encountered a hurricane, wbtoh lasted three days, and had to run with bare poles and battenel hatches. Originally provisioned for ten days only, tbe lengthened passage caused the Griffin to run abort of water, potatoes, flour, peas, &(!., but they had still in store salt beef and biscuit. On the 7th inst. i,Jie schooner fortunately tell in with fclie barque Looagjanu, bound from this port to Hobart Town, and the captain ©f the barque kindly furnished a cask oi water, a bag of potatoes, a bag of biscuit, some firewood, and a few pounds of flour. These supplies were exhausted the day before their arrival ta the Manukiu ; there was a little kigcutt left, but no water to make tea,

co wood to cook the meat, and they were obligoi to bura the filtinoa of their bunks for that purpose. One of the young girls was very unwell, and they had nothing to give her but salt beef and biscuit. Fortunately coma of the party, on embarking, brought gome flie^ical and personal oomforts with ' f.b.em, pthermse matters would have ft«en g«etl/ aggravated. The rain which fell on Monday gave welcome and muah needed relief tp the thirsty crew and passengers, oo J the supply of twaier thus obtained waa carefully Aecured, A nuca^f of the Communists came «o town Ust eyeaiqg by the last Oaefottdga train, othera oa- fopt, while a deiaehmaot renaaioed a,t the Oaehijnga hotels till mortttug to got out t^eir baggage. Among the party are a number of tradesmen — a lithographic *K-,intar, compoiitor, tinsmith, manufaehiu"'^ of fancy pipes an I ornaments work'jt' fo hardware, cabinetmaker, shipwright, hatter, bakar, writer and «r«oer ; nine laboirerß, *od a muaio

master (Caillaux.) The men are anxious to get to work as soon as possible, probably not being overburdened with cash after their enforced absence from civil life. The political deportes appear to be an intelligent, respectable, aod quiet looking lot of men, «nd it ia a matter of regret that France, who will need the services of all her children in the coming struggle with her traditional enemy, shoull have sketched no better fate for these men than fretting away the beat part of their lives on the Isle of Pines. As to tboae who have made themselves amenable to the criminal laws of their country, they can scarcely Bxpect to receive a warm welcome from the colonists. Their future ia largely in their own hands, and ifc remains to be seen whether, like some of their confreres who have sought the shores of Australia, they are unworthy of shelter. To every enquiry pressed home as to the antecedents of these men, our informant gives the one invariable answer :— v You must excuse my answering. We are Frenchmen; that's all." The party separate ia Auckland, each member going on his own account, but the narrative would be incomplete without a further reference to M. Auguste Hocquard, who, by education, ability, and physique, has fallen naturally into the position of the leader of his fellows.