RETURN OF THE JULIA PRYCE. A WRECKED AUCKLAND SCHOONER. Auckland, May 14.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 369, 18 May 1889, Page 3

RETURN OF THE JULIA PRYCE. A WRECKED AUCKLAND SCHOONER. Auckland, May 14.

In our last i?sue we reported the arrival yesterday atfernoon of the well-known topsail schooner Julia Pryce, of this port, from Aibutnki, intbeHerveyGioup, whereshehad been wrecked about a twelvemonth ago on the coral reef. She now comes up repaired by the Aitutaki natives, who own her, with a full cargo of 135,000 oranges, 1,500 gallons lirnejuice, and 1,400 old cocoa'nuts. It will be remembered that the Julia, which is a small vessel of 42 tons, went ashore at Mangawai, on' the Auckland coast, shortly before she went to the Islands, and was purchased by two Auckland shipwrights, who despatched her to the Hervey Group on a fruit-collecting cruise, under Captain Clarke. On her wieck al Aitutaki, a reelencircled inland of considerable extent in the northern portion ot the Cook or Hervey Group, she was sold to the natives ot the island in community. For some time they tried to get her off the reef where she Jay helpless, but without effect; and they could do nothing with her until December 26th of last year, when an unusually high tidal wave floated her off into the lagoon. The natives took her up to their lauding wharf, and finding that she had not been very periously damaged, managed to put in what fresh planking was required, re-fasten and caulk her, and repair her sufficiently to make the passage to Auckland with a cargo. She is now owned by the chiefs of Aitutaki, in trust for the people, the principal natives being Yaeruarangi, Te Urukura, Mana rangi and Tamatoa (of Arutanga, Aifcutaki). They have changed her name, perhaps in the hope ot having a change of luck with the little schooner, and in future she will not be known as the Julia Pryce, but as the " Araura," the ancient native name of the island of Aitutaki. On the 17th April, afrer loading up, the Araura left Aitutaki for Auckland, the M'hole native population assembling to see her oft". On the 20th inst.. she called in at Rarotonga in order to procure an extra pump, for fear of leakage, but it was nob needed on the trip up, as little water found ingress to the hold. On the 22nd she sailed from Rarotonga, and had S.S.E. to easterly w inds right along to the New Zealand coast. Sunday Island, in the Kermedec Group, wa3 sighted on the sth inst. On Thursday last, the 9th insb.,the schooner had dirty weather and S.E. to S.W. winds, and yesterday morning at 6 o'clock she had to take shelter under the Kawau. Resuming her passage at 9 a.m.. she worked into port, anchoring off the Queen-street Whart shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday. Before leaving Rarcbonga for Auckland the master of the schooner, Captain John Nicol, who had been placed in charge of her by the natives, had considerable difficulty with the resident British Consul, Mr Exham, as to the flag under which the Araura should sail. The Consul insists that the Hervey Group being under the protection of Great Britain by virtue of the pro clamation made at each island last year by the commander of H.M.s. Hyacinth, the schooner must register under the British flag and sail under it. This the native owners strongly object to, inasmuch as they possess a national Hervey Group flag of their own, and claim their right to sail their own vessels under it, a right which they consider is assured to them by the terms of the proclamation, promising the natives that none ot their established laws, customs, usages or property shall be interfered with by England. However, the matter still remains in abeyance, the master intending to consult the local Collector of Customs and the Is'ew Zealand Government on the matter. He came up from Raiotonga under the British flag and under a provisional certificate granted by the British Consul. | The Araura is manned by a native crew of six men, and brings one passenger from Aitutaki, Lota. On discharging her freight of fruit she is to undergo sundry repairs, including recaulking, &c, and returns to the Group for another load ot oranges. She promises to be a regular trader between j Aibutaki and Auckland, as the natives intend to run her in that trade, mailing about four trips in the year. She is a strongly-built little vessel, and will, no doubt, repay her owners in their new venture—an enterprise which bears token to the advance commercial ideas are making amongst- the once guileless AitutakianS and Rarotongans.