THE FRENCH AT ARAROA

Shannon News, 21 October 1924, Page 4

THE FRENCH AT ARAROA

A Romantic Episode ofc Our History. HOW FRENCH SOVEREIGNTY WAS . FRUSTRATED. Mil CHARLES DE MALMANCHE'S ■ RECOLLECTIONS. (Specially Written -lor the ''Chronicle.'') There lives in Levin at the present time in the person ol Charles Josepn Maria cle Maimancstie, now arrived at uie fourteenth yeai' past the allOLieu span, of man a link with one 01 the most romantic episodes m the colonisation oi New Zealand—the atiempi. to establish Frencn sovereignty in the I bouin Island, oi. w-nat is to.-day snown | on French maps oi the woriu as "It; Ika a Maui," or "The. Ash oi Maui,' 'a name rightly applied to tne Noi* island only. When a "Chronicle representative called upon Mr de Mahnanche reciently at his »ona nouse m Salisbury street, he iuund nun, despite his great age, still hale and hearty. A small quick man, possessing aU' the native vivacity ol hjes race, with still on his. tongue—to which tne language of (his youth and people viet cornea gratefully—a< lingering touch of the French accent—he is a veritable mine of information regarding this expedition, whilst lus personal reminiscences of the early days of the colony are beyond measure interesting as illustrating ihu uuvance New Zealand has made within tlie lile-time of one man. FRENCH PLAN TO ANNEX SOUTH ISLAND.

How close New Zealand came to being partitioned between two nations, with, the consequence ol divided nationality, is mow* aunosi toigOßien. in the study of New Zealand (history—if anyone ever studies a' subject whose .beginnings an outstretched hand may touch—the matt ter almost escapes .notice. The-veri-est pebble,it appears flung into the strong current of the flooding British colonisation. The ripples, that u raised ha_ve practically subsided—the Jew French colonists who came south to i'Qund a new France beneath the southern Cross,, have dropped 01... one hy one, leaving Charies Joseph Maria de. Malmanche—a piece o* transplanted France, one of the lew remaining' links—as certainly the most - interesting—with the> receding past. (

The story now the French expedition sent out to annex the South Island was detained' at the Bay of islands by Governor Hobson, is wellknown and also well-authenticateu. A brief resume of the ■ facts leading up to the expedition may, however, not be' so well-known and may, therefore, not Jbe ! out of place, it would appear that in < the - year 1838, L'Angiois, the master of .a French whaler claimed.' to have purchased from the.,- Maoris thirty thousand acres on' Banks Peninsula,; and'two mercantile houses, in Nantes and two in Bordeaux, with three > gentlemen of Paris, associated themselves with U' Aiigiois '• under the < name of tne Nanto—Bordelaise Company, > to/ form a colony in. New Zealand. ; The validity of L'Angiois' claim to' the-land has been questioned: gOPds to the value of £6 were*.paid down, with a promise of further goods to make, up a value Of £240. AU that can be said of the transaction was that it wa s as legal,as any of the other, transactions for land which ; took place at a time when there < was no sovereignty exercised over the islands by any other authority than that of the original owners of the soil, and tne only question which ; can be raised is one ol equity. THE FIRST SHIP. The Company, in which Louis Philippe took an interest, had a capital of one mUliqn irajiCs., and the attraction held out to' emigrants was a free passage, eighteen months' provisions, and a grant of five acres of [land,' to 'become their own in five years' time, conditionally upon' its being' cultivated in the meantime. Sixty-three settlers came out by the first French emigrant dhip in 1840, the Comte de' .Paris, <and amongst this number were Mr De Malmanche's parents, both ol'' whQni' came Horn Rochf.ort t where his father had oeen a gardener/ an occupation in which his son followed him. FIRST FRENCH CHILD BORN AT ; •AKAROA.

Mr De Mahnanche was born in Akaroa on the 19th of October, 1840, in a tent erected on the heach at a spot about five yards from where the present Bank of New Zealand now stands. The birth q! the first child on New Zealand sQAI naturally was an event of some. importance, and Capt. Lavaud of the French corvette "L'Aube," had a tent specially erected. On the exact spot where he was born, the father planted an. appletree which ha.s hqt, however, survived tlie years. Nothing quite <so important as his arrival haying happened since New Zealand w.as reached, Capt. Lavaud appealed to Mr De Malmanche's father to be allowed to stand as his godfather, only to find that M. de Beligny de St. Croix, the Agent of the Nantiq-Bordelaise Company, wlio was in charge of the expedition, ha.d forestalled him, sq a compromise was effected* It was decided that the young New Zealander should be given the name of Charles (after Lavaud), and Joseph (after de Beligny). His third name, Maria, commemorates the fact that he was baptised by Bishop 1 Pompallier, who arrived shortly afterwards in • the missionary schooner "Maria." FRENCH BREAD FOR THE GOVERNOR'S LADY. Frdm the narrative of Baron de Thierry, a rather pathetic personage who arrived in this country in the 30's for the purpose of establishing himself as King of New Zealand,, it would appear that the French corvette L'Aube arrived at the Bay of , Inlands in July, 1840; on her way to . Akaroa tq establish French spyer- ! eignty in the South Island. Whilst her commander,' Capt. Lavaud,' was

.jrusingK and (receiving, -dinners, and Ts the Baion puts.it "furnishing tne | uoveruor's liuiy with t reneh uread • lor' mer uaiiy "nreatkiast," Governor Hobson despatched H.M.S Britoinart, under Captain Owen, scanley, tQ Mtfestali the Frencn expedition. The L'Aube started labor and actually passed the Britomart, which had carried away some of her rigging in her . haste, but the trench ship wa* m I her turn becalmed under a headland I"and the Britomart arrived in Akaroa I iusf in time to hoist the British Flag las the French transport, the Comie de Paris sailed up the harbour. It would look, however, as it Governor Hobson "had an idea that right—plus might—was the only effective guarantee of British sovreignty, as it appears that'the British flag had previously been hoisted and Dhe country claimed lor the Queen in two parts of the island in the preceding May. and June. HIS FATHER'S VOW.

Questioned by our representative Ui to the date ol the hoisting oi me juntish flag, Mr de Mahnanche was positive that tne generally, accepted idea of tne Britomart arriving before cue transport was incorrect. His i»L.ier bad always assured him, ne said, that the Comte de Paris, wiuoh came irom France had arrived several days before .the Britomart, and the indignation and disappointment of the settlers knew no bounds when they found that they were to come under British rule. "I think, i however," Mr de Malm a nche saiu, '•that it is probably better lor New Zealand that the country should on settled ny the English tfun by the French. The English come out to make their'homes in the country. The French, on the o.ther hand, only wish tQ make money so that they can get back to France.- They have Lot got the colonising spirit. When tne Comte de Paris sailed 'up Akaroa Harbour, and those aboard her saw nothing but hush, bush, and tn<> steep hills which would be their future home, my father made a vow that he would hQt cut his beard until he saw France once more, and although it was sixteen years before he made a trip to France for. the purpose of taking my two. sisters (home, to Rochfoi't to be. educated, and his "beard had grown, below his waist, ne kept the vow." A DEBATED POINT.

Whether the transport or the Britomart' arrived first, is not essential. Capt. Lavaud ; acknowledged that the settlers were French settlers hi an Liiglish and. the emigrants themselves had to make the beat oi it. It is possible that Capt. Lavaud knew, 'of the establishment of Britisn sovereignty and concurred in tlie previous*'.arrival".of'.the Britomart. According tQ Mr de Mahnanche, however, he Was, on his return to France, tried for treason, and committed suicide. Cejtain it is that the whole matter was the subject, of an investigation in the French Chamber oi .Deputies in 1844. COLONY UNDER FRENCH LAW. The settlers, despite their pointment, had to make the best of the- case* A start was made with clearing land for a settlement. Capt. Lavaua remained with his ship in the harbour "disclaiming any national (intrusion on the par,t of his Government, hut supporting the claims of his Cohipany as private individuals." and administered French Jaw to the population. An'Eiiglish. magistrate, a Mr Robinson, was attach: ed to the'settlement, but had nothing to do beyond maintaining the semblance of the Queen's authority. .'•' The first house buUt in Akaroa, which was named alter a resident Maori chief, was that of Capt. (Lavaud, an endeavour to save which as ail historical relic, w.as made some years, ago. Mr de Malmanche's lather's house wa|s built in Lavaud Street, and fronted tlie present batns. Carpenters 1 and tradesmen had been brought out amongst the emigrants, and these were set, to work on a community basis ,to erect the houses.:

Three bIQCK-nquses. were also biuit for' fear qf the Maoris, and Mr tie Miahntainche, : that one 01 his ieaijhes't recollections was of being taken up to one which was.situated in tlie centre of the township where Dodcl's chemist shop stands, on the occasion of an alarm of a Maori attack. A second blockhouse stood en the beach in. front of Bruce's Hotel, whilst the third was at Pigeon Buy. These blockhouses, which were, oJ course standing in Mr de Malnwnche's youth, were two-storied buildings ot four-inch sawn planks, loopholed fqr musketry, and surrounded by a seven-foot wide ditch filled with water. They were stocked with We flint-lock muskets of the time, hoi'sepistols, and swords. The original intention of landing six long '.impounders as additional armament was frustrated by" the captain °t Britbmart. ALARMS OF MAORI ATTACKS. ' The (block-houses were never actually used, although alarms of attack'were frequent. Oh the occasion Qf the settlers landing on the beach for the,first time, Mr de Maim'anche's father (had taken a fancy to a young Maori and his wife, vvho, as was not unusual in. those days, attached themselves tQ his household when he had his house erected, and remained with him for 15 years. A few months after tlhe arrival of the emigrants this Maori, whom Mr de Malmanche, senr.; called Eta, informed him of a, plot to kill the pakehas and seize their' property. He assured Mr de Mjalmanche, that le, personally, would h|ave nqthing to fear, and that neither his. "wahine" nor "tamaiti" (wife and son) would be injured, since, they were under diis protection. As may be Imagined the warning resulted in timely precautions being taken, A MAORI PROPHET.

A large Maori pa was situated close to: the township ahd during Mr de Malmanche's boyhood, big meetings of Maoris from the -:, surrounding districts frequently toolc jolace. It was here that Tumakiki, one of the local chiefs, in the course of a hurst'of eloquent denunciation of the pakeha, and * the! Maoris' desire to part with their lands, stooped l and picking up a handful of dust, flung it to. the

wind crying: is how our land { will go until the Maori is left on the j btue ridge, which the pakeha cannot I cultivate*" LINKS WITH FRiANCE. Tile liie Of- those early'settlers, in |-Akarou must' have been- from' Mr de Mainiancne's description, a very primitive arid a very- self-centred one. Garden seeds had-been brought out irom trance, also iruit trees, vines, and fowls, and- a lew cows were procured from Sydney. The ' Gonue ae i J aris, wiiich- (had had an uuventurous voyage Qi six months, during which she had been swuok by a thunderbolt and partially disi masted, had called at St. Helena en route and had brought < out several willow cuttings from the tree above Napoleon's grave. These, were planted reverentially by at people who never forgot their national sent 1 - mont i)e iieligny* nad also brought out three walnut trees which, were only a tew inches high when they were planted oqi Ms property at German Bay. they being the. special care of Mr" de ivlaimanchels lather. They may stUi be seen, gnoiwn tft , huge dimensions during' the mter- ! veiling 80 years. A number of chest- ' nut trees grown" irom chestnuts , brought out irom France on the occasion qi Mr de Maimanohe, senr.'s, trip 16 years alter his arrival, i-re 1 also still to. be seen at Akaroa. 5 , THE WHALING DAYS.

Akaroa was in those days a whaling centre and Mr de Malinanche re-1 members as many as nineteen wimiers at anchor at one time in tue harbour. Whalers irom r'ranoe aud l he United States used to make Me harbour their headquarters, the whale-boats going out every fine day to catch the wjhales coming dowu from 'the north in the spring. The whales caught were towed into, trie 'harbour- and tried-out alongside the vessels,' the harbour and loreshoie reeking with the sineil of rotting cu and whale flesli. The last wiiale caught in Akaroa Harbour was secured some 5Q odd years ago by the American whaler, MUo, under Capt. Porter. The MUo was actually under sail for/ home, with a cargo oi oil when this whale was sighted corning into the harbour,, but with his';, whaler's instincts aroused, Capt. Porter 'gQt out the boats and secured it. Whales, and Whalers had become rare in ! those days, and this whale was towed alongside the wharf for., the people of the township to. see, before being cut up. TRADE BY BARTER.

As in other parts of New Zealand, these whalers served a very definite purpose in the life of the Akaroa settlement. They formed the only communication with the outside world: from them lihe setters obtained, in exchange 'for potatoes, pork, vegetables, wine and such produce oi tne soil, other necessaries such as flour, sugar, clothes from the slop-chesty ruin from the Yankees, (brandy from the Frenchmen, and tobacco. The infant settlement of' Christchurch, founded some few years after Akaroa, was. 50. miles' away, x with the only communication by" wjhaleboat. Fortunately the whalers were fairly regular, but there were times when they were delayed, when tobacco, normally 2s per lb, rose to. 15s, and the fortunate possessor was a man to be envied. There were times when flour ran out and times when the youth of the settlement thought the black molasses, obtained in barrels from a newly-arrived whaler, was nectar of the gods after long ab : stinence.

But t-v life inad compensations. In the bush which stretched in mi unbroken .garment from the water's, edge and clQtlied the whole Peninsula in sombre green, save where the infant settlement rising only emphasised its expanse, the pigeons were literally in thousands, so thick and so quiet that they could be knocked over with a stick as they drowsed iuJM'ed ih the afternoon's heat. In tile rich virgin soil, fruit and vegetables grew to perfection with never a .blight to mar them. Groves of peaches, cherries, and apples sprung up magically and grape vines wreathed tlva I.ttl - old-world cottages of she colonists. A land flowing with milk ■ aad honey, and despite its isolation, those eur'.y days of the colony were h ; PFy Cll ea. t r< ' which, the old colonists iouiv back with very kindly tyes across ihr, years.. , ■ \, THE COLONY DRIFTS APART.

A s a settlement, however, it cannot be said that Akaroa was a success. The live-acre holdings were too small to allow of progress, and many of the settlers returned to. France. M. de Befigny went home some shtfrt time after the arrival of the colonists, and was supposed to he away 12 months, but he did not return. instead, lie married /and was. made Consul at Manila. "A fine .man," Mr de Malmanche states,' "everything would have been all right if he had come back." He Had 300 aares m. the settlement, 100 acres in oi Akaroa, Piegon, and German Bays,, and left Mr de Malmanche's lather in charge on his departure, at a salary of £25 per yea,r. The land was eventually disposed of by the Resident Magistrate and the proceeds probably transmitted td France. COMPANY'S RIGHTS ACQUIRiED BY N.Z. LAND COMPANY. The question of the title to the lands claimed by the Nanto-Borde-faise. Company-hecamet'lie subject of protracted negotiations between the French and English Governments. Finally in 1845, the Company was awarded 30,000 acres, which it disposed oX to the New Zealand Land Company, • and the remainder of Banks' Peninsula being in the hands of tha.t Company, many of the settlers extended their holdings. Mr de Majjunanche, however, followed >the occupation qf a gardener, and gardening 1 is now his hobby, as it was once his means of livelihood. His great interest is his garden and he is a firm believer that the old-fash-ioned seeds and vegetables, which used to obtain in his youth, were infinitely superior to those in vogue to-day. Marrying young, he h&d H children, of whom nine survive arid he is justly proud 'of 45 jfrand-cßuia-ren. He has still one amotion left and ■ that is to beat '■ the record' for