FOOTPRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5371, 14 June 1878, Page 2

FOOTPRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME.

No 5. The Gazette of the Ist January, 1842, is a very interesting number, and a lai'ge portion of it is taken up with a defence of the port against charges made as to its danger, &c., by Captain Hobson and Mr. Willoughby Shortlaud. The former seems to have based bis opinion upon information furnished to him, which was far from being reliable. The latter saw for himself, and appears to have departed in a considerable degree from the facts. The leader of that issue is peculiar, abounding ia indignant ejaculations and signs of exclamation, with a plentiful sprinkling of ita’ics. The following aro the passages bearing most directly on the harbor question : LEADER. The contents of the last Blue-book _in New Zealand are in a high degree instructive and amusing, but of so varied a character that any attempt to classify them 'would be idle. Lord John Russell and his colleagues in the Imperial Government appear to great advantage. It is impossible to read his Lordship’s despatches to Captain Hobson, and correspondence with the New Zealand Company, without admiration of the generous spirit displayed towards the inhabitants of the colony ; the absence of the slightest remnant of illwill towards the company and the settlers in their territory, and the sound and statesmanlike admonitions from time to time forwarded to the Queen’s representative at Auckland." Captain Hobson stands out in melancholy contrast to Lord John Russell. In his share of the correspondence we cannot detect a symptom of comprehending the higher objects of his mission. His mind seems to have been solely occupied with the petty project of founding a capital at Auckland. His despatches are chiefly remarkable for depreciatory misrepresentations of Port Nicholson and ebullitions of spite against the New Zealand Company. He founds his preference of the Waitemata to Port Nicholson mainly on the evidence of Mr. Willoughby Shortland —a very competent authority truly, as will appear from the following extract from his report, dated Russell, 10th October, 1840; It’s (Lambtou Harbor’s) principal defects are the violent winds which always blow in and out of the harbor, and with such force as to prevent merchant ships from either entering or going out, but a lighthouse and good pilots would in a great measure obviate these difficulties.” It is superfluous to expose the transoendant nonsense of this official statement. What use would pilots and a lighthouse bo to a port which, on account of the wind, ships could never leave or enter. What follows is equally rich : “The formation of the country (around Port Nicholson) is day sand and day slate, over which there is hut a thin deposit of vegetable mould, which although rich will not hear continued cultivation, as maybe seen by observing the hills, on which there is no timber. (! ! !) They are totally devoid of soil, and only covered with low fern and coarse grass.” This is a statement of one who actually resided for some time at Port Nicholson, and must have daily seen the hills on either side of the Hutt and the Tinakori range. Veracious reporter ! Admirable geologist ! He will rival in fame hia astute and experienced brother the private secretary, who discovered that the substrata of Wellington are chalk and lime. “In the winter the hills are covered with snow.” That is to say, the hills “around Port Nicholson !” “ Port Nicholson is important only as a port of deposit. To what extent, must depend upon the value of the country between Peraroa, Waikanai, and Kaipara, and the capabilities of the port of Manakau. Should that port prove sufficiently good to command the trad© of the coast ia connection with the capital, the importance of Port Nicholson will bo considerably diminished.” Sagacious prophet ! What did he mean by a port of deposit I Is Port Nicholson unfit or unlikely to become a port of import and export ? He seems to have had some vague idea of the bonding system, hut his term “deposit" implies that ships will come here to unload their cargoes merely to taka them in again. And it was upon the statement of this muddleheaded functionary that Captain Hobson condemned Port Nicholson without seeing it. But the game is not played out yet, and the seat of' Government may not be definitely placed at Waitemata. Captain Hobson indeed wi'ote to Lord John Russell on the 10th November, 1840, saying he was “ proceeding with the necessary works for establishing the town of Auckland,” which he “ contemplated being the future seat of Government.” But on the 17th April, 1841, nearly six months afterwards, Lord John Russell wrote to the Captain “ There appear to he good reasons for selecting the position which you point out on the south shore of the Waitemata, in the district of the Thames, for the seat of Government. That is, however, a question of great importance to the future interests of the colony, and one on which your final opinion should be settled with great deliberation.”

lu another column were given extracts from statements by the Governor and Willoughby Shortland, and also certificates by masters of vessels. They are as follow ; “ The port is certainly most spacious, and_ is free from danger within its Heads; but its very great extent, and the tremendous violence of the prevailing winds, generate so heavy a sea within itself as to suspend for many days together all operations conuoc ted with tho shipping. The reports of Hr. Shortland and of other authorities rank Port Nicholson as a commercial port second both to the Bay of Islands and the Waitemata ; although the latter will require extensive wharfs to render it in all respects convenient. —William Hobson.” “ Its principal defects are the violent winds which always blow in and out of the harbor, and with such force as to prevent merchant ships from either entering or going out. — Willoughby Shortland.” The above are the official statements against this port, forwarded from Auckland to England. Now read the evidence for the port:— “ I do not hesitate to say that during the time I have been at sea, that is to say forty years, I have visited nearly every part of the globe, and I consider Port Nicholson, without exception, the best harbor that ever I was at anchor in.—Wm. Campbell, late commander of the ship Adelaide, burthen 700 tons,” “I think it one of the safest for shipping that I have ever visited, and inferior to none in all the requisites of a first-rate port.—Wm. Wilson, commander of the Oriental, a vessel of 600 tons.” ' “ I shall not now hesitate to enter tho harbor at any time and with any wind. ... A harbor of first-rate capabilities,—Wm. HoldeeNESS, commander of the barque Eleanor.” “ The finest and safest port that a ship can run for. —Chas. Kobeetson, commander of the barque Tyne.” “ 1 should like to beat into Port Nicholson with the Caledonia against a strong northwester. Captain Dunlop, late of H.M. ship Favorite.”

“ Number of vessels which have entered and left Port Nicholson without injury since the settlement was founded—two hundred and eighty-four.” Of more force than all the certificates was the following statement which was made on the 19th March. A feat is recorded which has often been referred to, and indeed it was a remarkable one :

“The Vanguard, from Nelson, beat into this port on Thursday night against a strong wind from the N.W., amidst a deluge of rain, and in pitchy darkness. The Captain knew this port and felt secure. There are few harbors which would be entered in such weather without the aid of lights or pilot.” • ! . In August there was a casualty in the harbour, the Clydesdale coming to grief. She bad been to Nelson, and visited Wanganui on her way hero. The Gazettf says : “ It is repotted that the Clydesdale, from Nelson, entered and left that port without the least difficuly. On attempting to leave Wanganui she got upon a spit, and damaged her rudder. She went into the river again, was repaired, and following the right channel, passed the bar at half-tide without touching.” And goes on—“ Since the above was written, we regret to state that the ship Clydes-

dale has been driven among the rooks within the heads. She made the heads of Port Nicholson on Saturday afternoon, the wind fresh from the N.W. She had made one or two tacks heating in, but unfortunately, when close under the laud on the eastern shore, missed stays.”

The editor demanded that an inquiry should he held, to see where the blame ought to be attributed. An investigation was held, and the report acquitted the master of all blame. It was recommended that vessels should not be taken too close to the land when beating in, because the wind often changed from three to four points.

Tlie following paragraphs, clipped from the number of the Ist May, are suggestive : “Advices from New Zealand of the 17th January are quoted by the Havre Journal. They relate to the French settlers who went out in the Comte de Paris, which are now established on Banks Peninsula. Their condition is represented as most flourishing; they had a good deal of laud cleared and sown; and wheat, maize, tobacco, vines, &c., grow with great luxuriance on it. There is every reason to suppose that grapes will succeed perfectly, and the sugarcaue is shortly to be planted. For a couple of months these settlers had been able to supply provisions to ships touching at Akaroa Bay. Some coalfields have been discovered in the Island of Tavai-Poenammiae one situated in Cook Strait, near Cloudy Bay; the other is Morakai, near Otaga,”

“ A public meeting has been held at Windsor to consider the propriety of presenting the Rev. W. Selwyn, one of the assistant curates of New Windsor, who is appointed Bishop of New Zealand, with some lasting testimonial of the respect felt towards him by his late parishioners.” “ The company were to despatch the first Nelson emigrant ship in September.” (1841.)

“ The ballot for orders for land choices at Nelson was postponed from the 16th to the 30th August.” (1841.) “ A gentleman lately connected, we believe, with the East India service contemplated purchasing a steam vessel immediately, to avail himself of the bounty offered by the N.Z. Co." (To be continued.)