THE CRUISE OF THE WOLVERENE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 98, 16 August 1879, Page 2

THE CRUISE OF THE WOLVERENE.

From an account of the cruise of 11.8.M.5. Wolverene, published in the Town and Country Journal of the sth of duly, we clip the following:— Everything is very backward at llavanuah liiirboiir, business being extremely ilull in conseipieuce of the severe hurricanes which have visited the district Sugar plantations ami mills have I n blown down, and com menial affairs generally are in a must deplorable state. I'n the 17th the Wolverene .-,•; sail for an other island of the group, kuowu as Leppors Island, which was reached the next day ; ami here ii was thai diphmiucv modoiv \Vils,n to settle some very serious matters without resorting to' extreme measures. li will be remembered tha: here in November, last year, a boat's crow of the Mysterv, were crueliv murdered, and their bodies distril.nti-1 amongst various tribes for eaiutihalistic fetes.' The boat

was occupied by i!i,' (fiivfiiiiui-iit agent, •iuiin Kenton-' tlio man wiii, ' was rescued liy tii«- captain uf the Bob-tail of 17 year.-, ivitii tlio blacks, ui, tin.' north-east iiia.il of IJiieciisland—the chief nllii-.T ni tin; Mvsturv. Mr. iluir, and live natives i-',,,m i 1,,. ~•.•;,!,■!.,•,■ gleaned li.v tliu Woivcru hi her recent visit, it appears tliu iiinnlnr wits a in,eit coid-bloinlud, premuil.tate.l dued. Ilesh tor it feast in celebration ~;" Vim opening or a yam Held. It appears tliat, when tii,' limit was iii.-n pulled ashore to receive him. ami, as soon as i: toiidit.il tit" laud a huge utiuiin-i- of natives suddenly emerged from 'the dense thicket, siiituiiiiiU.hl tliu unfortunate occupants ~l' tliu bout, anil murdered tin:,; in colli blood, tliu bodies of t li.ii- victims bring hardly n.id distributed tliu joints to all those who were iilumt to lake part in tin- yamHeld festival, and tn.il night "white and biacklcilov, ' was the piuce du r..sistalicu of these savages supper. ('o,„-niodoi-u Wilson, intunl upon bringing the inm-.lurui-s of tin- .Mystery crow tojustice, euursuVilh a '• big " oliief Lni, an I endeavoured to get him to arrust tlio murderers am! hand tlntin over to him. Lai was ti iiy man in tin- inland i|, a t refiisul to eat tin- Ilusii ol tlio .Uysterv crew, A ••joint "was sunt him but he I'elur iit to t.i,- mm-duiei-s, litii who isaspcuim :n of a lino old ishftul ehiuf was got on board the Wolverene, lie

is ih-oii.juih.iil it very wealthy man, possessing over 10U wives mid as inunv bom's heads mill tur>k.s ■ ■ Wealth in those'islands ranging according to ti:,- nuautity possessed of U.lii. When on board l.'o was told tlial if liu gave iiji tliu murderers that was all that was rci.uircd "I him, uml in reply In. statu,! (hat hu was willing tu do nil ho iroulil, but it' i„. did give ti]. tiiuniau ii would lend toomllcss lighting, Finding that Lui could not do anytliiug iu the matter, Commodore Wilson decided on giving amnio time for til.- man tu bu given up, and lifter a week had.-lap I,ami no response i.a 1 been mad,-, Uu resolved on notion. Early on tin; sixth morning a "small army " of blue jackets uud marines, undur Commander Bridges and Lieut. Hatching, in all about 100 men, landed and marched into the douso bush towards the village, whore the uiurdoruni were supposed to be concealed, and it was only uudor the throat of burning down the village, that thonutivesshowed themselves, mid brought as a conciliation the principal murdi tor, Arutugu, aud Hi pigs as a " uouus." The ullloers at once .took possession of their man, and conveyed liiiu towards the shore, tu.- natives oougrugathlg in iuimouse numlwM, armed with bows and poisoned arrows besides clubs and spoors, fhoy took up u menacing p ositiou, and followed in clow ordortho pnsonei'audescort, I'll" position am must, trying, as it was expected every luouiuut that an attack would be made; but by stratagem oil got .hi board the Wolverene iiutoly, Tim war scJiooucr Conflict, which was in the neighbourhood, then took ohoirgu of Aintugii, ami by that vessel he was takou t>. Fiji, there tu be deal) with by

the ilijh I'muaiaioaer'a court. ThU : plikcdilru seems a perfect fauv, High Uanunukioßcri Sir Arthur G baa every power lo ileal with a whiti j for IS injury to the black-. 1% concerned ! bat the same oit'uial baa no power wb.v euur to dsa) with a black lanrderin" u white. This, although otaingv, is tn,. aud goes to show that the oaptaiu ol r . ' man-of-war is the proper persou :•- avei . the death of the white man in tli.it.- can nibal rcgious of the South Seat, Othei matins were settled at Lcppen Island, , ouo ui which woe the murder of ii... ; mate of the Heather Bell, which took ! plooe under the following eircumstuuee I'ue cannibal husband ui a native woman desired a feed ot human tl.-sh. aud hj« *« • bis wifo to entice the mate ushore. Tinlatter fell into the trap, and received his ipuetus froui tho husband who suddenly sprung fi.uu his concealment in the hush - thu body was at ouco eut up, cooked, and eaten. Uu this island ihcre is a missionary named Bioe, u real good man 110 belongs to the Molaiiesiun from Norfolk Island, and hu accompanied thu Commodore and his private secretary to the chief, for the purpose of getting lain to give up the mu - Ucrers ot tbo mate of thu Heather Bell. Mr. Dice, who speaks the language liueutly, having resided there for niuu years, and upon whom the natives look with superstitious awe, acted as interpreter, ami all the tliree, with an escort, went up to the village to the chief. The' native ruler, in reply, said that 1..- knew the mmdurers of the white man, but that Hies did not belong to his village, but to his district, and he would theiul'oro a- a recompense pay to thu commodore a line iu cams. \. c .. This was agreed to and tin. eeremony ol presentation was most impressive. A large open space was prepared, and under a huge banyan tree sat the chief suirounded by an immense number of follower all aimed. Tile chid made u suitable speech, in wbicli he slated that lie considered a peace sacrifice should be made In tin- eumiuodore for thn nmrder ui the white man. which he hoped would prevent bloodshed. The presents nild the eeremony concluded. On Mav ii-"-the Wolverene left Uppers Island ' for Marau Sound, which was reaehed on :W:h : hei-e it, was found that a trader ll!l v ( has" - ■•■ t; .- •■; > of < tain I'Vrgusuii] residing al the station on bYrguson [siand, iiail.bi en murder.-.;

from tin: mainland. Tin: Commotio!,-, however, liniling tliat tin- crews of tinKmti ami Star iuul r ,w :; ,-l Uhurlev's death liv lmrniiij; down tin.' villa' ami [.lmitations of tin: natives wi,., had deserted the island, nothing ,v was .lon.-. Here ii was reported that a am ill trailing cutter of seven tons liri.m-ii.fr to ii;,- master ol' tl,, .\ri,-l, had been seized, ami tin- f ,w, Jr.im-i Morrow an<l a Sav , wane had been killed ami eaten, l-orlu uately a native was foun.i that vulunetiltor was lying, ami on the morning oi tlii" 3lsi the steam pinnace, towii.e two cutters- ami throe whalers, all manned ami sinned k-ft at daylight for the place, ami after pi-ncoeding VI miles, replied a small creek, shallow, narrow! and thickly fringed with mangrove. Tl.u pinnace was left ill the mouth, anil the boats were ]inll<.tl ami dragged up for aliout ii mile. As they iiiiproaeiio.l the the bunts, if them falling within ii few inch f Mr. Wilson, the cumin idoru'.s secretary, burving itself iii tin: inn,]. The arrows were of 1,am1.00, iron-lii-a,li:d. Afier lauding the men skirmishers were thrown out, and the village was s-.irroiiuded by tin; tain, who, rinding ii impossible to draw out the chief, fired tlit. whole place and destroyed lions.-.-; ami iiliiniatious wherever seen. Tin, natives were evidently in great foi -.-, ami their voices could fie heard bill no men were to he seen, and the liluo jacket: in order to frighten then, away, tired ;i volley to keep them away ; after - riiriiig a large niiautity of curios for ; : ■

Sydney Musir.im, orders »nv givi-n I" i-mluirk, mitl under |ni>tiH.*littu "I a «jn:itil Walking the bunks nl' the stream tin' «iii tor wins dragged down to tliu niiiiilli >.f the creek. The little, craft ha.l men completely :_-u:t.-.l ~l' everything, and after nil were »n boiml tin- Wnlvi reue started with the cutter in tow, to Savu, which was rcaohed next morning. Stayed there nil iky, hut finding no nerwii on the island "steamed away to Isabels [slaud. There was noticed a imtivo lion •■ usuJ for defence jmi'poses, ii being uui'.i at the ton of u tree .inmi which stones are hurled at enemies. At Cockef"' anchorage n white trader, named Lowrie, was in.-:, nnd utter a short sojourn, left for Tost Island on June :!, when' she arrived on tho Oth. Thu niitives libit* came off in luiudruds to barter weapons and foal In tho shape of tarn and yams, and after taking aboard a well-known trader, named Watson, and aonri'uapothleittofaQueenßlaudncwspnpei named Stanley, steamed towards Brook' i Island, the scene of the murders "I M'i'oit and Ingham, which was rendu I on the loth. The Commodore deciil«Hl on anchoring 12 mill's to the Bouthwurd of the island, mid at midnight it was determined to wnd live boats ashore fully manned and armed, in order to surround tho Island—svury precaution being taken by the Uomiuodorei us it was known th n on the bland were well armed Tho. passage froiu the •hip to the shorn was mo->t tempestuous, there being '<■ heavy mm on unci blowing Ii ird, At .l.iv light, howovor the shore was reached, whon it was soon thai oi f the large ■ailing tanooi was attempting an escapi'i

and even etfurU was made by the boats lo cut uif the escape b\* giving chasi half an hour she was captured, but not ! efore several shots hud been Bred at he: hilling Oslo and wounding another. At '• the Wulu-iviio came up and ;.hd all the eailoc.s oil tho shim- wore seised, unJ buret, tim number being nine. Tho annuel j'arty of blue jackets aud inaiiucs then lauded, in all about JO'J But] scouicd the i.-lalid. but the bush bains so dense it was impossible to find any one. Three of the natives from tint captured canoe were sent adrift and to!d by a Test, Island interpreter that the «uuHttadoro did pot wo; 11.> hurt any of ttieUl it liny would only give up Billy uml Smoker, two of the desperadoes of Kcdlick's men, and thinking Unit thuso murderers might be given up, tho \\". >:- vervuu men waited nntil 7, but uo signs of them wore apparent. Next morning the party again lauded, and, after considerable endeavour.-, to attrtuit attention the plantations, villages, and every cocoanut tree in sight wua cut down as a punishment. Uno huge couoauut tree came down with a tearful crash, and the groom ot the natives could be distinctly heard in the dense thickets at ■seeing the destruction of their food trees. All tlie houses in the two villages on each Mile ol the island were searched, but nothing could bo found of Mr. Ingham's, except u sextant ease, engraved W 1! I, and some books with his name in, all of which are in the possession of Commodore Wilson. <Ju the beach was to' be s i ihe remains of the Vjoura ,'s.;. item, .-tern, and Keel, and' in the village* were many pieces of her planking, hatchways, i'ce., nut no rifles >•■■ amiuuiiitiun were to ho -found, audit Is believed by the natives not tiling a shot, that all the ammunition was done. However, the destruction of the plantations and villages will, it is expected, cause them to leave the island, and thus render their capture easy. Probably if the Wolverene had .stayed a tew days longer, t.he commodore Might have been able to have got some oi iiie men, but considering the steamer was anchored between two reefs, blowiii" a gale ot wind on to a lee shore with live or six knot currents and two nnch an down it v..i, not doom.! I sale to stay, so on liie I 2th .lime In ailed away for Sydney. A shon lime before the Wolverene visited tiroukcr, the uutivesliudthreiiloiuil to take another schooner, hut in vonse•jue.i.M ol .it hurried departure, the captain Wit- frustrate- 1, ant other mir.deis avcrtoi. ».i tim w.iv for Jirookor lsJ.md, wo WoKcroilo uucotinlercd strong S.li trades, and she had a considerable a.u i i.li. of heating to do. < hi' Sandy i 'apo a cyclone was met with, which blev. with fearful violence, the nohle ves.-el stauding the fun of tile gale in a splendid maimer. After this strung in imiguJ to rereii witn ijui iibout tine.i tons, ol eu.il aboard, just sutiicient losteam to the uiieuuiugu in farm l love.