New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, April 3, 1850.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 487, 3 April 1850, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, April 3, 1850.

Since the appearance of our first article on the subject of the late affrays between the sandal wood and b&che-de-mer traders, and the natives of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, we have received some further information from the master of one of the vessels actually employed by Mr. Fitzgerald on his late expedition from the Feejees, which we publish to-day. We have neither room nor inclination for any lengthened comments, nor are they necessary. It is quite evident thai our suspicions as to the nature and conduct of Mr. Fitzgerald's ex pedition, and our surmises that the blame of the murder of the Mary's crew did not altogether rest with the New Caledonians, are not only confirmed, but that a much stronger case is made out against the white men and those employed by them than we even imagined to be possible. This case, therefore, which excited so much indigna- ; tion against the savages in some papers, both of New South Wales and this colony, must be set down as one tending rather to turn that indignation in an opposite direction, and as showing the absurdity and inutility of the violent remedies there recommended. We never had any wish to engage in a controversy on this subject. Our only desire was to enlighten (in what small degree we could) the general ignorance which prevails as to the nature of the traffic alluded to, and which arises (as we before stated) from the disinclination of interested persons to see the trade opened to general competition, ox even in any way interfered with. Without, therefore, defending the practice of pronouncing opinions on a subject with which a writer has no previous acquaintance, even if we were disposed to consider the strong feeling exhibited on the part of the writer in the Independent on an ex parte statement as somewhat excusable, we cannot think so leniently of his fabricating statements, as he has done, in order to influence public opinion in a matter which (in our former words) affects the character of the British name in the Pacific. Although we doubted the truth of his history of Captain Paddon's establishing himself at Aneiteum, we forbore to notice it until we could produce some document to prove its falsity. By Captain Paddon's deposition before Captain Maconochie, Superintendent of Norfolk Island (which we now print) made shortl y after the affray in which the Brigand most unfortunately lost seventeen men, it will be seen that the assertion of this event having occurred at Aneiteum is an invention. The

affair took place at Mare, one of the Loyalty Islands, 250 miles at least distant from Aneiteum, whither Captain Paddon did not proceed with force to punish and drive back the natives, but where he afterwards established himself peaceably, acquiring and retaining his influence over the inhabitants by means which would generally succeed with the people of all these islands, the simple exercise of common honesty and humanity. Equally untrue is the assertion that Captain Paddon failed in his efforts, or indeed took any steps, to procure redress from the Government of New South Wales, the deposition in question having been made in compliance with the desire of Captain Maconochie, who could not allow such an event to pass unnoticed. Captain Paddon' s own notion of the proper way to establish the traffic may be gathered from his expressed intention of taking no violent steps, but of returning to Mare, and attempting by means of a lad, whose life was saved, to open a peaceable communication with the chiefs. That the treatment which the Bishop of New Zealand met with in his late visit to these islands was owing to the previous appearance of the Havannah is certainly not true, as respects Aneiteum and Erromango, as we have ascertained from the officers of that ship that his Lordship was at both those places some fourteen days before the Havannah' s arrival, although the two vessels were afterwards in company at the Isle of Pines. We certainly agree with the Independent that the presence of a ship of war would be the best, if not the only, remedy for the evils complained of, although in the expression of this opinion we should find little sympathy generally among the masters and crews at present engaged in the sandalwood trade. Were a naval officer employed on such a service to perform properly the first of his duties, (the enforcement, namely, on the part of our own people of the laws which regulate commerce between civilized countries), the second or ultima ratio, that of demanding and exacting reparation for acts of violence towards them, would not occupy much of his time, but we should soon have the satisfaction of seeing a branch of commerce which, from the cowai-dly way in which it is now conducted, is at once uncertain and destructive of human life, both advantageous to the colonies, profitable to the merchant, and — however the Independent may sneer at so high a motive — conducive to the advance, among a savage people, of religion and civilization. We may, in conclusion, notice the fact that, although Mr. Fitzger&ld arrived in the Minerva two days before the Havannah's return from New Caledonia to Sydney, where she remained during a period of three months, he continued all this time silent, and it was not until a few days after th*e Havannah had sailed for New Zealand that the account of the murder of the Mary's crew appeared in the Sydney Herald.

The following is the statement of Captain Birkenshaw, master of the Minerva previously referred to: — "As the statement copied from the Sydney Herald seems to be somewhat erroneous, the following de.tails and extracts from the log book of the Minerva will throw a little light on the subject. On the 9th July, 1849, the schooner Minerva, now in port, sailed from Wy-Libb, a harbour in the island of Cantavu, one of the Feejees, in company with the Sir John Franklin and the cutter Mary ; the Minerva having on board as passengers Mr. Fitzgerald of Auckland, charterer of the Minerva, and reputed owner of the Sir John Franklin, and charterer of the cutter Mary (which belonged to Mr. Williams, American Consul in the Feejees), and a poor man named Walker, who proceeded to New Caledonia to conduct Mr. Fitzgerald's projected beche de mer establishment. On the 1 1th July we parted from the cutter Mtiry, Mr. Fitzgerald desiring Capt. Raby to make the best of his way to Balade. At 4 p.m. on the 17th July, the Minerva and Sir John Franklin anchored in Balade, New Caledonia. July 30th the cutter Mary arrived ; the natives there always appear friendly, but like all other savages are not to be depended upon. They do not commit depredations without some particular temptation, or to avenge some particular wrong, hence the first aggression during my stay. The man Abraham Silver got nearly killed because he beat the men who were every day bringing fish from the reefs for Mr. Fitzgerald's establishment ; he heat the men off the place and kept their women. The women, afraid to remain with Mr. Fitzgerald's people lest they should be destroyed when their countrymen came for revenge, made off to their own people. Two days after, at nine o'clock at night, a New Caledonian came to the establishment and told Silver that one of the women wanted to return, but was afraid to come lest he should beat her, and persuaded Silver to go with him alone to meet the

woman a few paces from ihe house. The night was dark, and Silver, instead of meeting the woman, found a mob of Caledonians with clubs, with which they beat him until they left him for dead. He^was brought on board the Minerva shortly afterwards nearly dead, but subsequently recovered. Immediately afterwards the fishing establishment was removed further to leeward, and formed close to a native town : the natives abandoned the town and exhibited hostile feelings from the beginning, knowing of course that ths beche-de-mer party had not acted justly to windward with the natives, as they had tried to take their women and did not trade faiily with them for the fish ; they never were seen without arms when in the neighbourhood. Mr. Fitzgerald's party tore down the cocoa nuts in tbeirtown, and also destroyed the trees by tearing the branches from them, although the trees at the time were tabooed against the Caledonians by their own chiefs. Mr. Fitzgerald invited a chief on board the Minerva} and one on board the cutter Mary, to stop as security for-bi* people on shore ; the chief on board the Minerva was allowed to go on shore the next day at his own request, but did not return again ; the other chief was confined a prisoner on board the Mary, and was very harshly treated until set free by his own people when they look the vessel. "On the sth September the cutter Mary was despatched 25 miles to windward to watch for the Sir John Franklin, expected from Sydney, where she had been sent for ammunition, &c, lest the natives there should surprise and cut her off before she found where we lay, but the Mary, though well armed, for want of prudence on the part of the crew, was easily taken, and the crew slaughtered and eaten by the savages in revenge for the iH'Usage oi their chief then on board of her. On the 9th September a body of natives passed where we were, going to windward, they said they were going to mourn over a chief that had died to windward ; i. c., to feast on Captain Raby and his crew ; on Monday the 10th guns were heard firing in the direction of Balade, and on the 11th the natives returned from to windward fully armed, when John Blake who is so stigmatised by Miller, ran from the establishment with some of the Feejeeans and met the Caledonians, and made peace with them ere they came near the establishment. It was my belief when there that Blake w,as the only prudent man and the only safeguard they had to the establishment ; I also knew he was ill-used by Miller. On the 14th the cutter not having arrived, Mr. Fitzgerald sent off a whaleboat, well manned and armed, with Walker, who owned. half the cutter, in search of her. They returned with Walker extremely ill, but without finding any trace of the cutter, which Walker said the natives had taken. The 18th being the day fixed for my departure for Sydney, my time having expired, as the cutter bad disappeared and the Sir John Franklin had not come to her time, Mr. Fitzgerald landed the provisions to serve his party, and arranged togo in the Minerva to Sydney. He discharged Walker from his service, and as he was still sick I gave him a passage to Sydney, and Mr. Fitzgerald gave the party in charge of Miller, an American man of colour, leaving them about 300 musket balls, 13 muskets, 2 big guns, 2 swivels, and a keg and a half of damaged powder to fight offMhe hordes of savages around them. It jSfpot surprising therefore that savages in theiflvn country should molest intruders whJ^^Kr, because they have a few muskets, (^^Ban destroy all before

Statement of Mr. James Paddon, Master of the brig Brigand of Sydney, relative to his loss of men at Maree Island, one^of the Loyalty Group,' belonging to the NevjrJHebrides, made at Norfolk Island, 15tn Norember, 1843. Tbm^agand left the Bay of Islands, New Zeal^^Hfb-the 25th October last, on a trading the New Hebrides, chiefly with a "View, to 1 procure sandal-wood, arrived at the island of Karjee ,on the 3rd of No^, * veraber where the natives came on board from a village on the coast* (and were very friendly. The chief and five men" slept on board*. Next morning cruized along the coast, to find a good- place of anchorage, and passed another village, the chief of which al>o came on board with two missionaries, natives of Navigator's Islands, and one Tongataboo islander. On the previous evening some presents had been made to the first chief, and the same precisely were now made to this one. Witness does not know whether one was dependent on the other or not : but the first one left soon afterwards, without shewing any signs of ill-will, and was not again seen. After this departure, partly moved by the immediate presence of the one and the absence of the other, and partly also by the presence of the missionaries, tome further presents were now made, the vessel being still under weigh, and look-

ing for an anchorage, which was eventually fount!, abreast of the first village. In the afternoon the witness being much fatigued went to_ sleep ; and eleven of his crew, who were otherwise meant to be landed as wood-cutters, went on shore unarmed with the natives, three with the men of the second village, and eight with those of the first. The second chief also went away, leaving one missionary and four of his priucipal people on board : the first chief had left none. The night passed away quietly, though canoes were paddling about backwards and forwards, and about 12 at night, the natives left on board, quitted the vessel, but not the missionary. In the morning witness became anxious, as node of his men returned, but they could be seen with the glass among the natives standing unconcerned. The natives meanwhile began again to collect on board in great numbers, with clubs and tomahawks. Witness did not like to send them away lest this should cause a quarrel, and endanger the men ashore ; but he took the precaution to put a cutlass and pistol in his belt, and persuaded them to put their clubs and tomahawks back in their boats, Tvhich they pretended to do, but secretly handed them in again forward. About 7 o'clock they induced the missionary to leave the vessel, and on going away he said in broken English " You look see ship," which may have been meant as a warning, but was not so taken. The natives then brought on board four women and a piece of wood which they called sandal-wood, on purpose as witness now thinks to draw off intention. The Chinese, twelve in number, on board the vessel were anxious to examine the sandalwood and prove its quality by burning. They thus grouped together, but the other men of the crew were dispersed about. None of them touched or molested the women ; shortly after three natives seized the witness behind, throwing their arms round him, and the party forward rose with their clubs and tomahawks to attack the rest. Their custom is so much to hug and clasp white men, as if to accustom them to be thus seized, that witness did not at first conceive alarm at being laid hold of, but when he saw the party forward get up, and his own cutlass was torn from his side, he had no doubt. His arms being' only pinioned above the elbow, be was "enabled to draw his pistol.and snap it at one of the men who held him. It flashed in the pan, but even this so far startled and intimidated him and his companions that they released him. He then made a blow at one of them with a pistol, and ran below into the cabin, where the arms were kept, and from which he began to fire musquetry on deck by loop-holes, arranged in the bulk-head on purpose. In about three minutes the natives were thus constrained to jump overboard, having.first however killed nine men of the crew and severely wounded seven. Several of themselves were also killed, and many appeal ed to be wounded, but the number could not be known. The moment they were out of the vessel, witness endeavoured to stop the firing for the sake of the people ashbre, and thus not more than six musket shots, and no long gun were fired after them. The cable was immediately sipped, and the vessel kept under weigh near the shore, with a white flag at the mast-head to indicate peaceful intentions ; and in about two hours a canoe came off with two of the 'men from the shore. They were two out of the three who had gone to the second village. No natives came with them, but they had given them the boat and accompanied them a little wajafe Cruized off the island in hopes of hflj^Bg of the other men ; and about 12 o'clocaPfthe second day, a canoe with two more men came off. They proved to be one of the ship's crew and one native. The first was the third man who had gone to the second chief's village, but was in that of the first chief at the time of the disfu'rEance, and saw three of his shipmates killed. His own life was saved bj^he second chief's son, who had gone with ami and now stood before Him brandishing Appear, and protecting him, and who ultimaroy brought him away. The age of this young man was about 25, the man whose life he saved is only ,18. A few presents were made to the native who brought this lad off, and he was directed to ask his chief also to come on board which he did the same day, and more presents were made to him also. He wanted the ship's lad to return with him, and offered to give three of his own men in exchange for him. The lad was also willing to go, but in all circumstances this was refused. Witness does not think that the trade will be permanently injured by this unhappy event ; on the contrary it may be improved. His own purpose is, after refitting to return, and if both desire it, to let this lad go to the second chief. ' Before coming away witness gave him letters stating that he had saved three lives, of which he seemed very proud, and if any of the men still missing are alive, which witness thinks is not improbable, this chief will be snre to ransom them.

After leaving Mare a course was steered direct to Norfolk Island, for the sake of the wounded men, and also to procure water. (Signed) J. Paddon. Norfolk Island, 15 th November, 1843.

The Government brig Victoria sailed from Taranaki on the 17th instant with his Excellency Sir George Grey and Lady Grey for Auckland. We regret to state that Sir George Grey still continued in very indifferent health.

The list of arrivals in our present number affords a gratifying proof of the activity of the coasting trade connected with Wellington. In three days (from March 30 to April 1) thirteen coasting vessels of 289' tons arrived in this harbour with produce of various kinds, a considerable proportion of which is the produce of native labour. The following is an abstract of the cargoes of twelve cf these vessels : 2203 bushels wheat, 19 tons flour, 43 bushels bran, "2 tons, 5 bags, 37 kits onions, 10 tons flax, 2^- tons, 50 coils wool lashing, 4 coils rope, 31 bales wool, 14,555 feet sawn timber, 4 tons, 8 barrels pork, 1^ tons lard, 60 sheep skins, 4 tons potatoes. The total value of this produce may be roughly estimated at £1,900.

The prisoner Thompson, charged with being one of the murderers of Ellis, on board the General Palmer, was brought up for examination on Saturday before H. St. Hill, Esq., the Resident Magistrate, and further remanded until Friday next. Nothing was elicited on this occasion of material consequence beyond what had already transpired at the Coroner's inquest. Good and his associate 6 , who are implicated in this horrid murder, have been traced to the Wairarapa, in which direction they are trying to escape to Hawke's Bay on the East coast, which neighbourhood seems to be the Alsatia of the colony, whither* all the disorderly and desperate characters resort to be out of the reach of the law. A party have started on their track, and it is hoped by the end of the week Good and his two companions may be captured and brought back to Wellington.

Programme of the performance of the Band of the 65th. Regt., at Thorndon Flat, on Wednesday, April 3rd :—: — 1. Overture — Haydee Auber. 2. Cavatina — Coradino Rossini, 3. Caledonian Quadrille Jullien 4. Selection — Daughter St. Mark. . . . Balfe 5. Bridal Waltz Jullien 6. Pas Redouble" Mohr 7. Austrian Galop Strauss 8. Drum Polka. . • • Jullien.

The following paragraph (extracted from the South Australian Gazette) referring to Mr. Gilfillan, for many years a settler at Wanganui, will be perused with interest in this settlement : — '* A very clever portrait of the proprietor of the Exchange rooms, John Bentham Neales, Esq., has been placed at the upper end of the Exchange Hall. This testimony of respect for the public spirit of Mr. Neales, especially in affording so much accommodation to the commercial community, cannot fail to be gratifying to that gentleman, who has certainly been most liberal in his expenditure. The artist is Mr. Gilfillan, who has placed in the rooms an exceedingly beautiful painting of a scene in New Zealand, which, for truth of colouring and general harmony in composition, is not frequently surpassed. We believe Mr. Gilfillan has some purpose of disposing of this exceedingly pleasing work of- art at a price 'of £12 10s., to our mind far below its value, and he will no doubt speedily obtain a purchaser at that price."