Letter Reveals Bishop’s Troubles

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 980, 24 May 1930, Page 27

Letter Reveals Bishop’s Troubles

Early Days of Auck land and Sale of a Boat POMPALLIER’S VOYAGES The troubles of a bishop, arising from the sale of a ship on timepayment, in th rly days of the colony, are airet. the finding of a letter written to the then Public Assignee and Trustee, and Supreme Court Registrar, Mr. Thomas Outhwaite. Fate curiously linked the sale with one of the dramatic incidents of pioneer life in Auckland —the first hanging (a public spectacle at the foot of Victoria Street) in the infant city. The letter was written “27th S’ber, 1842,” from the Bay of Islands, by Bishop Pompallier, and asked if the Public Trustee was able to advise whether the estate of the late Mr. Roberton, of the Bay of Islands, could pay a sum of £l5O owing on the sale of a ship. A copy of the agreement for the sale is affixed and reads: "This is to certify that on 23/7/1839 1 soled to Mr. John Roberton, master mariner, of English, the schooner called “La Reine de Paix” (but now called the New Zealander), of fifty tones burden with all sailes, anchores, cables and other Gear belonging to the said vessel for the sum of six hundred pounds sterling.” Other clauses set out the receipt of £3OO on account of the purchase price and the security for the unpaid money. The covering letter points out “One year or fourteen months after he again sold the said schooner at the same price as I sold her to him. But I could not receive from him more than £l5O, and he promised to pay the remainder at a future time. Since that time there are about two years and the remainder is not paid still . . . there is also a boat of £2O which I lented him for the a/c of his trade.” The French bishop had to learn both English and Maori after he landed here, and his quaint spelling is understandable. TRAGIC FATE The Roberton family suffered a tragic fate. The father was drowned in Paroa Bay and the widow and her three children were later murdered by a young Maori named Maketu, aged 17 years, whose death-warrant may be viewed in the Old Colonists’ Museum. The widow lived on an island near Russell, and had employed Maketu as a labourer. Another servant complained about the Maori being lazy, and the latter decided on

"utu,” or revenge. He resolved to kill his work-mate. As he emerged from the hut after the deed had been completed he was met by the widow', whom he slew, using an axe. He then came to a decision to complete the dire act by murdering the three children. While he was killing two the third ran away. He pursued this child and threw her over a cliff. Maketu then set fire to the house and went to his own people. The dastardly crime shocked the natives, who were surprised at its wantonness, and they helped to find the culprit, who was related to the most influential men in the district. His father handed him over, but the excitement was intense. Had the Europeans killed Maketu on the spot Maori law would have been satisfied, but the arrest and the long drawn-out trial in Auckland were so contrary to native ideas that the authorities greatly feared an outbreak of violence. Many prominent citizens pleaded with the Governor to release the man, even if he were guilty, to allay native excitement. The Governor stood his ground and, after a trial in which the only barrister in Auckland was engaged by the Crown to defend the accused, Maketu was hanged. The Supreme Court became the administrator of the property of the Roberton family, and this brought the bishop into contact with the court officers.

LONG VOYAGES Pompallier had quite a little experience as a ship-owner before he left his New Zealand mission. When the cleric and his fellow missionaries left France, to introduce their creed into the Pacific, they had to go to Valparaiso, whence they got to Tahiti after calling at the Sand -,’ich (Hawaiian) Islands. There the American Consul loaned a schooner, the Raiatea, in which the journey was continued to Sydney and to Hokianga. From there the craft was returned to Tahiti.

On the way to Sydney a call was made at Vavau, known to all early seafarers as the harbour of refuge. Near the island the vessel was struck by a gale, and only expert seamanship got her out of a bay into which she had been blown. The crew tried sea anchors and other makeshifts to delay the movements of the ship. The missionaries, unable to understand the English of the seamen but vividly perceiving the danger threatening them, could only pray fervently. In the lightning-pierced darkness the rocky headland was visible for seconds now and again, but each time closer. When it seemed that the next wave must toss them on the cruel rocks a breeze sprang up, and blew the ship off the coast. The ■ missionaries, on their knees, were joined by the captain, who in his heartfelt thankfulness, could only exclaim, “Good God! Good God!”

NEARLY CAPSIZED The bishop's next venture in shipowning was the Reine de Paix, a 40ton vessel that “was badly built—too long and too narrow,” as the bishop wrote in his annals. She was bought in Valparaiso by a party of missionaries sent out to help Pompallier; the purchase was financed by a bishop in South America, who thus became halfowner with his New Zealand confrere She almost capsized twice on the run from South America, and by the same antics thoroughly scared the crew taking her from Russell to Hokianga This is the boat which was sold to Captain Roberton. The bishop had another venture into ship-owning, purchasing the American-built topsail schooner Atlas, at the Bay of Islands in 1840 (July) She had to be “coppered”; her capital cost was 35,000 francs and the annual upkeep 15,000 to 18,000 francs. Governor Hobson, who was very amiable to the bishop himself, was, nevertheless, constrained to admonish the bishop on the way he sailed the

sclrooner. “An American craft, with j a French commander, and a crew from an English, colony and flying a fancy flag. If I had met her at sea," he added, “I should certainly have seized her and taken her to port.” She was duly registered as an Eng-

lish ship, from Russell. After rechristening her the Santa Maria, the bishop made several voyages around the coasts as far south as Otago, but, ultimately, the growth of the colony brought trading vessels, so that it was not essential to have a privatelyowned boat for the mission and she was sent to South America to be sold.