SALOMON THE MAORI.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 6, 20 November 1863, Page 2 (Supplement)

SALOMON THE MAORI.

><s!Jcom "the. Canterbury Press.) For the following notice pf.Solomon the Maori we are indebted to a gentleman who was intimately acquainted with him, and therefore most capable of 'forming a correct estimation of ; his character : — Few of the native's -of 'this province were better knotfn to the early settlers than Solomon, w'ho&as recently met his death in the a'fFedting toiariner reltited in our issue of yesterday. Horomona Taupaki j (such was his native nanies was a native of Kaiapoi, but lived fcft-- some years on the ■ North Island, where he had tht;. advantage of *being for some lioie a -pupil in one of the Native Mission •'■■'schools; we believe at • thatof Hawke's Bay, whence 3ie returned to. Canterbury about the . lime •of the arrival of the first four ssisp?.,. Being a remarkably - shrewd .' --aVitl /intelligent young man, and r , speaking English better than most of his countrymen, he was •able to give much uSjcTSI 'imformation to the oaheko. He possessed , also considerable refinement pf ii>auner, ; and a faculty unusual amon^his coUntl^iiien-of 'adapting himself to the manners, and comprehending the feelings, of Europeans •"; he vias consequently not unfrequently admitted to the tables of the -eariy setters. At the time we speak of, hie l feed 5 : to 'conduct ihe relighsas Kaiapoi. r-Aftetwaids, we^ regret, .that truth compels, us to state that he botii lost ground anipng hiscoantfy«JeD>a,n<J became less favorably .'inown to the settlers, by having acijuirfid an 'Unfortunate •h'abit of running in io debt, a? many of the.oyigiual storekeep'enf of Christcliurch and Ly ttelton could tes!ifj^7 ' Wlieifter 'this also arose; from his aptitude for -•adopting habits} 'wewill hot,;say [but- what partly gaverise^to it wasjvhis fondness for acquitiiig property iri7 ; horees,;7% ; /t^ prevails .very strongly among his countrymen generally . He\seeme^ unVimited confidence. 7 in .eertain; potato grouhds:at%the 7Ea|k'piSSjjiT to ?w Jwch7he looked asthe trea§«Ji^^ff^^]whwh^al{^ debts'wefe tb:be paid7lt is due, bo wever, Jtb^the memory, of i pbor Solomon to say :|n^.,he^had! iiva j^ieat/i{nieasure i\ covered hi?s character 'and; standing^oi| late years About a year ago 'he started | JMI an expediivott to the West Coast to ;greeristop^. and Yij^gTt;^^^^; not very ,suecess)fal,ste that qu fliis7reXnrn, onj the occasion ot7.the first ristoneibeihg laid -;for:-. : 'the-i^%Qri'~;.Mission school .at_;St.. < St^he.n ,^':^i^p,oiv he da. : positpd ' airibng 'th e '^ftlie plateta "pietee'bf greenr^tqnej;a| :i he " value' pfabo jit a ppun<3;Sl^riing^;7jJ^iiie Whol^. ibou^K pooj 1 , Solomohiwas riqt;;Wi^outhis rn^ri^ lie^vvas 1 d fayprabje:soeSni|n ofsth;^ race j'hcTwais'ah J inj*lli«ent7 kindly^ and earngstypu ng^manj^ "well--iiifb r med y acti v e antf ehterpi-isi ug, -ra loss to t|e coiniinunity^ TThe^ writer^ofthiis .notice, who knew -him. Well, iCahnot but tregatd it'aS lan ! affectin^'circunistance that the^iiethis death^i^^y sidfe" with ene of ■$ie^earltest'Ca^e!^^ and tli^it pfdbpih is that sthey werqpr4ying./in;the cAs&aoS bbthithose whbfkrieW;^emyiiotSnaa^lbeiiassured that tlii&^lSst pfiiyer ;was' not7the despairing . .utterance .of but the 7^lll^o? a jcmg^fornie*! #hvictioh. . \.A,