MURDER OF COMMODORE GOODENOUGH.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 305, 8 September 1875, Page 2

MURDER OF COMMODORE GOODENOUGH.

ATTACK BY NATIVES OF SA’NTA CRUZ. TWO SEAMAN of 11.M.5. PEARL FATALLY WOUNDED. (From the Sydney Morning Herald.} It is with much sorrow that we announce the death of this distinguished Naval officer, who was mortally wounded on the 12th instant, at the Island of Santa Cruz, one of a group of Islands north of the New Hebrides, by a few of the treacherous natives of that place, which was also the scene of the murder of Bishop Patteson and two with him four years ago. The Pearl was commissioned to the Australian station in May, 1873. During the time that has elapsed since then, the gallant but now lamented officer, whose fate we have to deplore, endeared him to the people by the geniality and charitableness of his disposition, and his unostentatious and benevolent character. Although he had received no brilliant triumphs in war, bis labours in connection with the cession of the Fiji Islands, w'hich was consummated in so peaceful a manner, are not less important than if the event had been brought about by the sacrifice of huttoan life. His triumphs have been in fact the triumphs of a noble life. At the time the fatal wound was given he was engaged in endeavours to conciliate asavag&antktreacherous people; and their motives for committing the deed are hard to divine. The nobleness of the late Commodore’s character, perhaps, never so forcibly displayed itself as after the attack upon himself and those who were on shore with him. When it became necessary to take measures to impress upon the islanders a sense of their wrong-doing, he gave orders that no life was to be sacrificed: that the villages alone were to be destroyed ; and to this end, blank cartridges were in the first instance fired to scare the natives away, before the destruction of the huts commenced. His life was Christianlike to the end. As he lay in his cabin, and the last sad hours were passing, no murmur was heard to pass his lips. The only regret he expressed, when he knew that his end was approaching, was that he had not strength enough to praise God sufficiently for all His mercies. And he apologised to his officers for giving them so much trouble in watching beside his dying bed. He remained conscious to the last, giving to his officers his last fond messages to his bereaved widow and children, in a calm clear voice! At his own request be was carried on to the quarter-deck,

where he uttered a few affectionate words of farewell to his officers and men, and soon afterwards life had ebbed away. The following is an official report of the circumstances connected with the melancholy event :— On the 12th August the- Pearl was off Carlisle Bay, Santa Crutz Island. Leaving the ship in the offing, the Commodore landed, accompanied by some officers and men, in hopes of conciliating the natives and opening a friendly intercourse with them. The latter, assembled in goodly numbers on the beach, accepted presents in an apparently friendly spirit, and were willing to barter. The Commodore and others entered the village, and for some time mixed freely with the natives, who showed no signs of hostility until preparations w ere made to embark.. While the Commodore and one or two others remained near the village, a native standing near him fired an arrow, which struck the Commodore in the side. Before any arms, all of which were in the boats, could be reached, several flights of arrows were discharged On the party, wounding five men, and the Commodore again slightly — this second time in the head. A few revolvers and rifles were fired to stop the attack, which was en tirely unprovoked, and one nati vefell It is impossible to assign any certain Cause for this sudden attack, though it may perhaps be 'accounted for by supposing a constant hostility to the visits of strangers to exist ip the minds of these particular islanders, who have shown almost the same spirit to vessels visiting them from ths time of Mendana to this day—a hostility probably prdvoked by some previous outrage committed by white men; and this opinion being held bv the Commodore induced him to punish them in the slight manner in which he did.

The Pearl at once proceeded southward, as a cooler climate would be more, favourable to the wounded, of whom there were five, in addition to the Commodorc'. Having touched at Mota, in Banks Group, to leave directions for 11.M.5. Nymph, should she call there, the pearl proceeded towards Sydney. For the first few days the wounded were all doing well, a>nd 'great hopes were entertained that they woirld recover, but, after five days, symptoms of tetanus appeared in three of the eases, and gradually increased. On Thursday night one of the seamen, named Edward Rayner, who had received all arrow wound in the shoulder, died ; on the next evening Friday, August 20, at 5.30 p.m., Commodor Goodenough died;; and early tho following morning the third, a seaman named Frederick Smale, followed —he had received a severe wound in the head. The other three wounded arc doing well-