A RELIC OF THE PAST.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 477, 4 June 1890, Page 3

A RELIC OF THE PAST.

CURIOUS DISCOVERY AT RUSSELL. OLD CANNON FOUND IN THE SAND. Auckland, May 31. News comes from the Bay of Islands that an interesting discovery of a memento of old New Zealand times has just been made near Russell, in the shape of an old-fashioned ship’s gun of the date of eighty years ago. Captain Farquhar, of the steamer Clansman, which arrived here from Russell this morning, eays:— “ A curious relic was found near Russell the other day in the shape of an old ship’s cannon, which was discovered by two little boys who were gathering oysters in a bay named YY r aiheke, between Russell and Taheke Point. They saw a round piece of iron sticking out of the sand about three yards below high-water mark. They scraped away the sand as well as they could with their hands and found it was something large, like a gun. They went off at once to Russell and acquainted Mr Williams, the signal-man, of their discovery. He and his brother got a spado and went to tbe spot indicated by the boys. Here they dug out a large gun in a fine state of preservation. “The piece of ordnance is marked with the English Crown and the date, 1810, very plainly. It appears to have been worked on a swivel, and has also a place for a rope breechen. It looks very much like what they called in old times a bow-chaser, and might have been used by some pirate or sea rover as such. A most curious thing in connection with the gun is the fact that though it must have lain where found for a great number of years one can still eee the varnish on the part that was in the mud. In cleaning out the inside of the gun they found what looks like powder. Mr Williams is having this dried, so as he can find out whether it is powder or not. A great many of the old people who have spent most of their life in Russell, have examined the gun. but they say they never heard of or saw a gun near where it was found. Probably some of the old identities living in Auckland may be able to throw some light on the history of this curious relic of the past. The gun is in a splendid state of preservation.”

It would be very interesting to discover the history of this old gun if possible. Captain Farquhar and Captain Gascoyne, of Russell, endeavoured to recover the weapon, with a view to conveying it down to Auckland for the Museum, but failed at the time. No doubt a further attempt will be made to get the cannon removed to town.