OLD NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 121, 13 May 1908, Page 4

OLD NEW ZEALAND.

REMLNISUENCES OF LATH JUIWK MONRO. The death of ex-Judge Monro, of Auckland, recalls some interesting reminiscences which he gave to the Pros?. The late .ludge arrived in llokianga in the year lH.'i.">—when William IV. was King—and lived there through the muting, roaring days till 1845, when he removed to the infant settlement of Auckland. His father was commandant of one of the stations in Tasmania under tiovernor Arthur. The station was shifted to Port Arthur, .where there' was no company, no school, no anylliing, and he began to consider the question of seeking a home for his family in New Zealand. Between this country and Tasmania there m s a good deal of traffic, bv the whalers, which brought .New Zealand to his mind. So lie went to liussell ill a cutter yacht of his own, and at once decided that Kiissell was tho last place in the world to take a laniily to. Besides, the Maoris were very fierce, the principal population was of runaway sailors and runaway convicts. "It'was a hell upon earth." While there he met a certain Count Dillon, who wanted to buy his yacht. Dillon was a French captain, who cleared up the -mystery attaching to Li I'crouso's expedition. The two ships under La Peeouse, bound on a voyage of discovery, called at Sydney for revictualling, "or some such purpose, and, netting sail again, were never seen any more. Dilion, happening to call at some island, whose name the late Judge could not with certainty recall, was told a story by the natives which threw light upon their fate. Two ships had found ered oft the coast; through the clear water the natives showed him their guns ami other heavy equipment lying on the ocean's liottom,'not very far from shore. The crews, who had got lo laud, had been treated kindly by the natives, and from the wrecks constructed a small vessel, in which they put to .-ea. That wa*. the last heard of them. Dillon, for finding out so much, was by the French (ioveinmcnt made a. Count—in Mr. Monro's phrase, "a cheap way of rewarding him.'' To go back to the main story. Mr. .Monro, senr.. was quite willing to sell his yacht to Dillon, but he thought that lirst of all he would have a look at llokianga; and with this place lie was *o well satisfied Uiat he resolved to bring his family there at once. The yacht was sold to Dillon, land was bought of the Maoris, who were peaceable, and Mr. Monro returned to llobarl for his family in a schooner called the Industry. Clinging to his schooner was a tragedy which is worth a second digression. When the Industry arrived at llokianga the mate informed the pilot that an accident liad happened on, the voyage across, by which the captain had lost hi, life. A iittle later, when theTrew were out of earshot, at their work, he whispered to the pilot that tho event was not an accident, but the men had mutinied and thrown the captain overboard. The pilot advised him to say nothing for the present, and took the vessel well up the river. Then he informed the settlers of what he had heard, and it was agreed thai the crew must somehow lie brought to book. An ex-army ollicer constituted himself a sort of Justice of the Peace, and instructions were given, that the men should be brought before him. so that they could give an account ol what had happened to the captain. This, said Judge Monro, they were quite ready to do, us they bad long since: agreed upon their story. One by one they were admitted through a door which led to the ex-ollicer's rude courtroom, lint the moment the first man. entered he was seized in the iron grasp of Judge Manning, the l'akeha-Maori. who wrote "Did New Zealand," a man ol very powerful build, who slapped a pistol to his head, and told him thai if he made a movement it would be his list. Other hands bound him, so that he could not escape. and the remainder

of Hie crew, as, one by one, they were allowed to enter, were treated in the same way. A large cage wad built of wood, in which they were imprisoned, a blacksmith among the settlers made some irons, and they were sent.back in' the Industry to liobart, where they, were all hanged but the cook. When the rest of the crew closed round the captaii he (the cook) was left clutching and eh iibering about on the outside oi the rii!,', ana, as he had not laid hands on him, and urged that. he. had onlyi tried to enter the melee so as to help the skipper, he was given the benelit of the doubt. It was stated that when idle, captain was thrown overboard, being n, strong man and a line swimmer, he owam for hours m a smooth sea behind the vessel, hoping that his ruffianly, crew would relent anil turn back to pick him up. instead, they watched hint callously from the deck until the distance, or the ocean, hid him.

in due course Air. Monro returned to llokiauga, with his family in the schooner Brazil Packet. The family, made their home with one of the settlers while the Maoris built a house for them, and a shed for their provisions, across the harbour. They were very skilful at. building houses, which they used to ornament with reeds. Their'labours were completed, and the most part of the .Monro's belongings had been transferred to the new structure, when the carelessness of some of the Maoris allowed, them to catch fire, and the treasured I'airopcau articles which had been brought from Hobart were destroyed with fliein. Air. .Monro, seur., the late Judge and liis brother, and a native hoy. who acted as their interpreter, slept fori some time after that in a rude shelter barely large enough for two. They had some Hour which had not been taken ashore, and the natives provided llieni with pork and potatoes. They cut cocoanut shell in two to serve as cups, and ato with their knives out of the frying pan, which, fortunately, had escaped destruction. Judge Monro had numerous adveiis tures with the Maoris, all of which he could not recall. On one occasion he was with ethers in a house surrounded by yelling natives, clamouring for a girl's blood who had taken refuge within its walls. Another time lynch-law was visited on a Maori who hail committed murder, and he was taken out and shot. In 184 a, when Hone llekc's war broke out, most of the white settlers left the district, and the Monros went with them and took up their home in Auckland. With the exception of several, trips to Australia, one lo England, and other shorter journeys, the late Judge remained there, till his death.

In the early days, he stated, the .Maoris wine inuch more numerous in the north of Auckland than they are now. A single chief would have, as many as ten slaves, who had been taken iu war. When British Sovereignty was proclaimed, numbers of these .slaves returned to the southern districts, from, which they had Ixvn led captive, and. this accounted for the decrease of population. " In those old days," the late Judge ' remarked, "we all' looked after ourselves, and if any wrong was done it wa s soon settled, there was no law except club law. And yet 1 think we got along verv well. Indeed, now and then i I feel like wishing those times back ; again, when there were no cities, no , rates, no labour laws." llis eye kindled at tlw thought of those stirring days.