FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1061, 15 April 1882, Page 2

FROM GISBORNE TO MELBOURNE.

[Written for the Poverty Bay Standard. —No. lII.] After sojourning a few days in Auckland we took our departure from the Manakau, on board the Union Company’s boat “ Hawea.” Captain Kennedy is still in command of this fine vessel, and I was very glad to see his weather-beaten old face once more. I say once more for it is now 27 years since I first knew him, having had the felicity of being at his wedding some time in 1855, at Wellington. Since then 1 have journeyed many a time and oft under his skilful seamanship, when I have ever found him a right jolly good fellow. But the times, he, I, or something have changed during these later years, for the Captain Kennedy of 1882, is not the same genial old soul that ho was one or two decades since. To my observation he appears to have grown morose, extremely reserved, and somewhat cynical. Nothing disrespectful, nor captiously unpolite j but rather a studied measure of formal civility characterized what little conversation he did hold with his passengers, either on the quarterdeck, or at the dinner table. I use the term “ conversation,” but that is incorrect bo far as Captain Kennedy is concerned. His passengers ineffectually tried to hold converse with him, and he, apparently studiously endeavored to avoid complying with their request for a little social chut. Now, I reflected otl this tameness of demeanor, and it became a matter of remark amongst the passengers. One day, 1 distinctly remember, what several at the head of the table thought was, at least, disrespectful of Captain Kennedy. A lady near to him, addressed some casual remark, after some minutes’ silence, to which he gave one of his monosyllabic replies, said no more, and went on with his gastronomic occupation, which he obviously regarded as a duty, the paramount importance of which was second only to the safe navigation of his ship. Ido not believe it was the Captain’s intention to be uncivil, but such is the effect of some persons actions upon the minds of others, that they should endeavor to fathom what that effect is likely to be. For instance, one evening on the passage, the Captain, whilst smoking a cigarette, seated himself to windward of a lady on the quarter-deck (smoking, by the way, is strictly, but theoretically, prohibited there on the Union boats), and, after puffing the smoke (which I noticed from the position I occupied, was unpleasant) into the lady’s face, said he hoped his smoke was not objectionable. A slight demur to the expression of his hope by the lady caused him to move further away. But now that I am on the question of smoking, I should like to say that this rule of the Company as to the prohibition of a practice that must be offensive to ladies and sick persons, is honored more in the breach than the observance. It was the same on board the Ringarooma from Gisborne to Auckland, where I , saw Captain Chatfield repeatedly, together with several others, send forth volumes of tobacco smoke, immediately under the notice “No smoking allowed abaft this house.” I have seen and known the rule to be disregarded on other boats by the passengers, but the two above mentioned are the only instances I have observed of the commanders themselves breaking it. It is a very proper regulation, and one which should be enforced with rigorous impartiality; for to anyone with a sensitive stomach, arising from sea-sickness, nothing is more annoying than to bo compelled to endure that which may be disagreeable under any circumstances, but which is assuredly so, under the circumstances I have narrated. If smokers as a rule, would become considerate on board ship, and keep their selfishness to themselves, it would be a boon to, I may say, a majority of the sea-going public. In most of the boats, special accommodation is prepared for those who find a luxury in their pipe or cigar, and it is not asking too much that the Company’s regulation in this respect should be held free from violation, of which the example of its own officei’s should be a guarantee. I have a few words to say about some other items concerning the internal economy of the Union boat s, and other of their officers ; but I shall reserve them to a future occasion. TARANAKI.

We arrived at what has been termed the “ Garden of New Zealand ” after a pleasant trip, about 8 o’clock in the morning, which was hazy, and of course, obscured Mount Egmont from our view. This is the second time I have been disappointed in beholding this great and grand topographical monster. There was no chance of seeing it, however, on that day, for the wind was easterly, and Captain Kennedy told us that the “oldest inhabitant ” had never seen Egmoul’d summit, with

the wind in that direction. We were rewarded though in the course of the afternoon of that day, while on the journey to Nelson in passing the Cape Egmont, for a few moments only, possibly with a westerly current of atmosphere, the clouds rolled away, and we caught a glimpse of the cloud-capped apex, but only sufficient for the imagination to fill up the rest, and wonder what a noble sight an uninterrupted view of the Mount would be. I cannot say that we saw anything particularly wonderful about Taranaki, so as to make it rank premier to all other places in the Colony. Mind, 1 am not writing of the provincial district ; therefore, my remarks will only apply to the town and suburbs, as we could see them in the course of three or four hours. The town proper of Taranaki is situated, as most of your readers known, in a bight, of open bay, with an open roadstead, protected to the northward only by the “ sugar loaves, ’* —a kind of broken promontory, or headland—* but. which, as a protection against the enormous surf rollers from the ocean, is found to be very imperfect. It is at the “loaves” that the munificence of a lenient legislature, and the log-rolling of political influence have decided to spend some hundreds of thousands of pounds in building a breakwater. Happy, fortunate Taranakians I What, I thought, would not the Gisborne people give to have a Colonial Treasurer amongst them. What, I asked myself, has Taranaki done more than (nay, so much as) Poverty Buy in sustaining the credit of the Colony, with blood and trea-sure-losses borne witli almost 8 par tan heroism and fortitude—that she should have bread, while you have but a stone ? It is not that I like Taranaki less, but because I love Poverty Bay more, that I reason thus. As I have already intimated I was not deeply impressed with the town of New Plymouth, but we found the much talked of dangers and terrors of landing reduced to a minimum, thanks to a glorious calm sea. The appliances for the conveyance of passengers to and fro vessels are rough and primitive in the extreme. The boats —necessarily large to combat with the surf —are about three times the size of your life boat, and serve the double purpose of deporting both passengers and cargo ; they are well-manned with experts, and on approaching the beach, arc run up on to a kind of tram, on which they travel to the landing place above high water, by means of a wire rope drawn by steam. Embarkation is similarly effected. On a quiet morning, the boats are run down the “ way ” well into the water, and the passengers put on board by carts and other vehicles. Everything in readiness. a couple of horses are attached to the bows and complete their task so soon as the lx>at is afloat. They often have to go almost to swimming depth ; but they know tlieir work and do it admirably, although from what we experienced, I do not think I should care to “ rough ” it much more than I did—the rest a tolerably lively imagination can fill up. (To be Continued.)