NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 106, 5 August 1846, Page 3

NELSON.

By the Fanny Morris we have received Nelson papers to the 25th ult., but they do not contain any local intelligence ; holders of wheat at Nelson were asking for good samples from 6s. to 7s. a bushel. We have made the following Extract from the Nelson' Hxaminer: —

The West Coast. — Another letter from Mr. Heaphy, who is exploring the west coast with Mr. Brunner, has been received in Nelson by Mr. Bishop, which that gentleman has kindly placed in our hands for publication. The date is obliterated by the seal, but the letter must have been written early in May, perhaps a week or ten days later than the one previously received. We are glad to be ablg. to state that the Company's Agent has sent off provisions to meet them on their return.

" Totara, 10 miles aoutli of CapeFoulweather. "Dear Bishop— Having an opportunity of communicating with Nelson, in consequence of meeting with the hearer of this on his way thither, I avail myself of it to let you know our whereahout. We arrived at Kawa-tiri, the mouth of the Buller river, on the Ist instant, thus accomplishing the object of our trip, and are now on our way to Araura, a native settlement about fifty miles farther to the southward, m order to ascertain the nature of the land there, which is reported as excellent, and also to obtain supplies of potatoes, which we are in much need of. At the entrance of the Buller is a fine district of level land, all wooded, however, but of first-rate quality, and of sufficient extent tor a settlement, with a very large river (the entrance of which is seven miles north of the ' Three Steeples'), with a sheltered anchorage under the rocks of Cape Foulwind, in smooth " At Karamea, due west of Nelson, behind the Motueka snowy mountain, is also a fine district of wood land, with a large river, which we rafted across, and a fine valley northward ot that, the Wakapoi, communicating with the Hauriri of Massacre Bay. We. have had 25 days of hard rain, and have subsisted chiefly on birds, caught by our dog, and rock shell-fish. The absence of vegetable food for a few days, reduced us to rather a weakly state, but we are now again in ' working' condition. The road is the worst it is possible to conceive ; steep, rocky coast, flooded rivers, and kia-kia jungles. At Rocky Point the ropes were rotten, and the descents very difficult. We shall be at Arauia in perhaps a week, stay ten days there, and probably be in Nelson in the end of July. It was our intention to cross over to Port Cooper, which is only a week's journey from Araura, but we learn that the rivers will be impassable in the winter. " I remain, very truly yours, "Charles Heaphy.'

We hare been favoured with the following extract from a letter by A. Hort Jan., Esq., giving a description of a fearful hurricane at Rarotonga one of the Society Islands, and we have no doubt that it will be perused with considerable interest by our readers, to the majority of whom Mr. Hort is well known having been one of the earliest settlers in this district. Those who are inclined to grumble at the high winds which are occasionally felt on the coast of New Zealand, will find from the following graphic account tkat it is possible to go further and fare worse :—: — Extract of a letter from Mr. A. Hort, jun. giving a description of a hurricane which he experienced whilst on the island of Rarotonga. Papeiti, 4th May, 1846. " I sailed from Upolu in a fine little schooner called the Union, and made a very good passage of about 34 days to Rarotonga one of the islands of Cook's group, situated in longitude 160 west and latitude 21*20, arriving there on the 19th Jany. The day following that on which we came to anchor, the island was visited by a severe hurricane which lasted about 48 hours, and notwithstanding every precaution we had taken against accident by having 4 anchors down with strong chains and 2 hempen cables also out, we parted all these and were driven on the reef. Prompt measures became necessary then to save life and property, for in these parts where all the harbours are formed by the coral reefs which surround the islands, the currents are so strong through the passages as to carry everything out before them, even against the heaviest gale of wind, everything was accordingly done in due course and with the exception of that sustained by the vessel there was little or no damage. 1 have no inclination to boast but really I was surprised to find every one about me under these circumstances in such a state of excitement and tremor as to be unfit for anything, and I feel convinced that had I not been there nothing would have been saved. I was fortunately cool and collected during the whole time, and thus obtained an entire control over all on board, who having lost their own judgment, were contented to obey any orders implicitly. The vessel was run ashore and in less than two hours, with the assistance of the natives I collected, after the schooner was ashore, succeeded in getting all my property housed in a large stone school house by permission of the missionary. Here I then was I doomed again to waste a few months, for although there was another schooner in the harbour which sustained less injury than ours she bore so bad a reputation that I would not venture in her, as I considered I had experienced enough both in bad vessels and indifferent navigation, indeed so much did I feel this that upon seizing the Union upon a power received from the Captain ot the Coquette, I took cbarge of her myself and navigated her. I made Rarotonga at the moment I expected, whereas my mate was about 180 miles out. Our purpose in calling there was to procure water and other supplies we were short of, intending to sail the following day. Under my superintendence the repairs of the vessel were commenced, I had only native carpenters there being no Europeans on the island, but we got on cheerily, and I fully calculated upon having the schooner ready for sea again by the first of this month if not before. At the full of the moon in February, we were visited with .another of these storms, and in this a part of my house came down

and I was driven to seek shelter in a native hut, the trees and plantations suffered also very much and many of the houses which were almost all either stone or plastered were entirely blown down. As such visitations and occurrences are- not uncommon in tropical countries, it was thought very little of and the -sufferers began to rebuild as soon as it was over. On the 16th March however, came the third hurricane, of which 1 must now give you such an account as I am able, premising that no pen can possibly describe it properly. The day commenced with a heavy gale of wind which increased as the sun rose and continued increasing until about 7 o'clock, when night assumed her reign. During the whole day the rain had been falling in torrents, many houses were already blown down as also trees in every direction. Imagining that the wind would abate towards 8 o'clock, we began at this time to feel a little more secure in our dwellings and I ventured to join the missionary at tea, as I was in the habit of doing every evening. Finding ourselves disappointed with regard to the wind lulling, we took the precaution to lash the roof well on the house and fasten the whole by driving heavy stakes attached to the ropes into the ground. The wind was still acquiring greater fury and we therefore nailed up every door and window with spike nails to prevent any draught from passing through the house, leaving only one door open on the lee side to escape by in case of need. The missionary being an old man all the arrangements were made by me, and I volunteered to remain in the house with them until the weather should improve, Towards 9 or 10 o'clock a native came to inform me that the sea had entered the school house in which my goods were stored, and had risen to a considerable height so much so that the native constables who had charge of them were afraid to remain any longer in the building. I despatched the messenger immediately to get natives to remove all the goods inland, but before he had time to regain the building there was from 7 to 8 feet of water in it, and all possibility of approach destroyed as well as the communication with the missionary's house being cut off, so that no natives could come to their assistance. At about 12 o'clock the roof of the house began to spring very much and some of the fastenings of the doors gave way, so that I had to block them up again by wedging the furniture against them from the opposite walls, and I then refused to allow Mrs. Pitman and her sister to remain longer in the house, but sent them into another smaller building on their own premises a little further inland. Mr. Pitman the missionary being too infirm to bear much exertion could not be prevailed upon to leave at this time, and I therefore remained with him in the building anticipating every moment the pleasure of getting both our heads broken by its falling upon us. At about half past 12 the gable came down with a crash, 1 immediately dragged the missionary to the door I had left unfastened, but the weather gable being down I could not with all my exertions succeed in opening the door, with such violence did the wind blow against it. No time was to be lost so that I had to retrace my steps towards the fallen and still falling building, dragging after me the poor old man. I was here blinded by the dust from the plastered walls, and stumbling over some of the ruins lost my hold of Mr. Pitman, and before I was again up he was not to be iound. Fearing lest he should also | have fallen I screamed lustily to him, Lut received no reply, nor could I be surprised, for the wind roared so that he could not have heard had he been standing close to me. I searched in every direction for him, the walls and roof falling on all aides of me, but without any good result, nor did I give up the search until I saw the last wall coming down upon me, when with a violent kick I broke it away and just passed" through to the balcony in time. Here I found it impossible to stand without holding on, and by the lightning which I never saw so vivid before discovered that I was surrounded by the sea, which broke against the parapet which was 5 feet high, there was nothing to be done but to join the ladies, and I therefore jumped from the parapet over the wall which divided the two parts of the premises, and found myself at once very nearly up to my neck in water. I made the best of my way to the house whither I had sent the ladies, and had there the. satisfaction to find Mr. Pitman who had been rescued by one of his native servants, and to confute in person the report that I was unfortunately buried in the ruins. Very shortly afterwards the sea made a breach into the building, bursting open the doors and rising at once over the table on which we were sitting. We had immediately to vacate and not knowing whither to repair for safety [ made one of the natives place Mrs. Pitman on a high stone wall at the back of the yard and support her there, whilst in the same way I held Mr. P. and sister-in-law and the other native went on a voyage of discovery. In this state we remained about an hour exposed to the pouring rains, the beating spray, and the devastating

tempeit, each particle of water was driven against us with such violence as to feel like a shower of sharp sand. We were as you may imagine saturated with the sea water, and I had myself nothing on but a pair of trowsers and a shirt, whilst the gentleman and ladies had only jnst the dresses on which they had worn during the day in the house, without any coveiing for their heads. At last the welcome news came that we could if we lost not a moment's time still escape to the mountains, we divided immediately, I of course choosing the the young lady as my charge, and with her, between swimming, scrambling over the fallen timber, avoiding that which was still falling on all sides, and dragging my charge when she was unable herself to make any exertion, I arrived in about an hour and a quarter at the foot of the meuntains, where I seated my charge in about 6 inches of water and went in search of the rest of the party. I soon found Mrs. Pitman and conducted her to where I . had left her sister where we all sat down, ! sending the native to look for the missionary and his guide, he very soon however returned and reported that Mr. Pitman was dying and could be led no farther, I started off with him immediately and made them carry the old man to where the rest of the family were, and succeeded by rubbing him to restore animation. The storm was still raging, and the trees falling all around us did not render our position a little perilous. To describe the violence of the wind, the vividness of the lightning, or the torrents of rain, would as I before said be impossible nor can I well tell you how cold it was withal, I will say I never in my life was so cold, so that you may judge how the females and the poor old missionary must i have suffered exposed during the night without any roof to shelter them from the pitiless ! storm, and how anxiously we must have looked forward for the coming morn which seemed to us as if it never intended to dawn again ; it however came at last and with it some few natives in search of their wives and families. They gave us most melancholy intelligence, viz., that the rise of the sea was so sudden that at least one half of the people had been carried away. As the day however advanced their fears proved to be unfounded for the very suddenness with which the sea rose, gave it such violence as to carry them all inland at once towards the mountains, where the then standing trees enabled -them to secured footing and make good their escape. Many were Y>lo-vm into the churchyard and deposited '.on v "inT i ' tombstones, and in all these combined evils only two perished. On the following day we returned to where the settlement once stood, there was not a house left standing in it, it I was' a mass of ruins, our little craft was dashed to pieces on the spot where the church once stood, and another schooner belonging to the place of 100 tons, was deposited (with her main keel and fore post knocked off and sundry other damages) in the high road, I had intended to forward you herewith the extracts from her log which the Captain gave me before I left Rarotonga, having however mislaid it for the moment I must reserve it for the next opportunity. The scene presented to the eye after the gale is as difficult to picture as the causes which led to it, so complete was the destruction and so confused the heaps of ruins. The sea too and mountain torrents had entirely altered the character of the country, besides which there was scarcely a tree left standing upon an island which but a day before presented a lovely picture of most luxuriant vegetation. A shed or reed hut was soon prepared for the missionary and family, but so small that three could but ill manage to be in it at the same time. I passed nearly a week exposed to the weather day and night, but at the end of that time a better place having been prepared for the missionary he divided off a little corner for me, and at his invitation I passed the remainder of my sojourn on the island under his roof. At this time I had no shoes 01 change of clothes, I however succeeded in picking up a few articles of apparel which were washed upon the beach, and begging a pair of shoes from the captain of a whaler was enabled once more to make a figure in the world. All my goods were carried away to sea or otherwise destroyed, and I arrived here without encumbrance, of any kind much however to my regret and disappointment."