OUT OF THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 200, 21 February 1912, Page 6

OUT OF THE PAST.

RELICS OF BYGONE DAYS. TWO DISCOVERIES OP HISTORIC INTEREST. Palmerston N., February 16. Two discoveries of deep interest to students of the early history of NewZealand were made public for the first time at the Philosophical Society's meeting last evening by Mr. Robert McNab. One was the finding of a slate slab, unearthed in a cave at Chalkey Inlet, Foveaux Strait, by. Dr. Sale, of Invercargill.

Mr. McNab pointed out that Foveaux Strait was a great resort for whalers in the very early days of the Dominie*, and on the slate slab were found the names of Richard Jones and John Dawson, and the inscription, "Beware of natives; plenty at Preservation." He looked up his records and discovered that Richard Jones was the owner of a brig, and Dawson was one of his captains, and his death by the natives was made the excuse for Rauparaha's famous raid on Akaroa.

Mr. McNab places the date of the slab at about 1823, and considers it one of the most interesting historical relics yet discovered. * .

The other "find" was a very old coin discovered in L 879 near Bluff by Mr.' Williams, of Invercargill. The wind had uncovered an old Maori oven, beside which there were some bones and other remains, including the earth-encrusted coin.

Mr. Williams was not able to say whether the bones were human, but he had the coin cleaned and deciphered. A photograph of it was shown bv Mr. MoNab, and he informed those present last evening that the curious Eastern inscription showed that it dated back to the year 1879, and referred to the reign of an Eastern potentate of that period. It had a hole punched through it, and had evidently been hanging round the neck of some visitor to New Zealand in the very early days of the colony. Mr. McNab was able to supply the history of this remarkable relic. He reminded his heavers of a story told in bis book, "Murihiku," of a number of lascars belonging to a 'sealing vessel lost off the coast of New Zealand who were killed and eaten by the Maoris, and said that the discovery of the Maori oven the bones and the coin were a gtrikine corroboration of that story.