LECTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2421, 5 November 1892, Page 3

LECTURE.

Captain William Jackson Barry lectured last Thursday evening in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, in aid of the funds for building additions to the Catholic school. The attendance was small, but extremely attentive and appreciative, and the lecturer was listened to with rapt attention from beginning to end. Captain Barry is a very pleasing speaker. He has an excellent voice, very good delivery, and he tells his story in a very homely, conversational style that is pleasant to listen to. Captain Barry vfu kteiag under a great disadvantage. He has only just recovered from a severe fit of rheumatic gout, which has not altogether left him. In fact, frequently during the lecture he was suddenly pulled up by very severe pain in hia left wriat, which is yet bandaged up, so no one but himself would have undertaken such a task aa a lecture under such difficulties. He is 74 years of age, but though much pulled down by illness he does not look over 64 years, either as regards voice or physique. The chair was occupied by Mr James Blyth, who spoke in very complimentary terms of him, and introduced him to the audience shortly after 8 p.m. Captain Barry said he had given twenty lectures in aid of Catholic schools, and built a Catholic church himself, for which Mr John Ounnard carted some of the stones, and he expected a larger audience that evening. However, he would go through the lecture as well as if the hall was full. The lecturer then proceeded with his reminiscences. His father was an Irishman, his mother was a Scotchwoman, ho was born in England, and brought up in the colonies since he was 10 years of age. That was not a bad mixture. Some people compared him to Dickens’ Micawber, who was always wailing for something to turn up. He was the reverse. Instead of waiting for something to turn up, he always turned something up himself. At the age of 10 years he accompanied Sir John Alcock to Australia. New South Wales was then a penal settlement, and men were sent there for seven years who would not get more than seven days now. Donoghue, the highwayman, was sent there for shooting a hare. Sir John Alcock was travelling round the world, but young Barry ran away from him in Sydney and hid in a tank. He was brought before a colonel and let off. He wandered about till he met a man who knew his father, and with him he remained five years. He gave graphic accounts of several massacres, of how he lived eight days on opposums and snakes in the bush, of how highwaymen made a millionaire wait on them, and several other extraordinary incidents, till at last, for supplying tobacco to a prisoner, he had to fly from justice, at the acre of 15 years, cooped in a barrel on board the ship Mary of London, commanded by Captain Brown, A storm arose, and the ship had to put into Port Philip (now Melbourne), where he and a lad named Winton left her, and they met Buckley, “the wild white man.” The first settlers landed there shortly after, and the two boys got 4 acres of land in “Marvellous Melbourne” and six shillings a week. Land was bought in Melbourne at 5s an acre then which now costs £6OOO per foot. When the two boys had settled down, men from the Mary of London came ashore and seized them and took them back to the ship, which set out for New Zealand. He was badly treated, and in crossing Cook Straits he hung on to a dead whale for eight hours. The vessel » put in at the Bay of Islands, and the two boys swam ashore, intending to join a Yankee whaler. They were taken by Maoris and carried 16 miles to a pah of 90 whares, with between 15 and 20 persona in each. In these days the Maori men were giants and the Maori women giantesses, and they were cannibals. He had seen them eat human flesh, and of course he expected to be eaten. He then gave a humorous account of a ceremony he and his mate went through, at the end of which they found themselves adopted by the tribe and married to two wives each. At the end of fourteen months he made his escape in a whaler, which took fire, and was for sixteen days in an open boat, till at last he was picked up and taken hack to Sydney, where he made a lot of money and was the owner of four vessels. He came back to New Plymouth in 1840. He went afterwards to California, visited England, had a personal interview with the Queen, and in company with eight noblemen visited the Tichborne claimant in prison. He succeeded in getting the claimant’s sentence lessened by six years. In 1882 he visited the King Country, and discovered minerals, but did not know what they were until in 1891 he got some assayed, with extraordinarily rich results. The King Country was the finest land he had ever seen—valleys 40 miles long by 20 miles broad, and the mountains were full of minerals. He was now getting up a company to work the minerals, and in a short time he would be one of the richest men in the Southern Hemisphere. He had secured 1000 acres of land from the Maoris, and had got a largo prospecting , claim from the Government, and when his schemes were complete they would find there would bo a boom in Now Zealand. After thanking (the audience for the kind maimer In which they had listened to him, and also stating that voiy probably he would come to Temuka and give another lecture about Christmas time, Captain Barry sat down amidst great applause. On the motion of Mr Twomey, seconded by Mr Daly, a hearty vote of f lanks to Captain Barry was carried by acclamasion, and the meeting terminated, when most of those present went forward and examined the mineral specimens which Captain Barry had on the table.

CONCERT AT UPPER WAITOHI. Another very successful concert was held on Thursday evening in the schoolroom, Upper Waitohi, in aid, as Mr Tennent, the hon. secretary of the committee explained, of the prize and sports funds. The chair was taken by Mr W. B. Howell, who, as a member of the Education Board since its inauguration, was warmly recalled. The programme was a lengthy one, (and the master, Mr C. J. Goldstone, is to be congratulated upon having enlisted the sympathies of some really good performers. He is also to be praised for his singing of “ Stranded,” the first song on the programme. From Timaru came two ladies, whose services are greatly in request, but who are not always able to respond to the appeals to them. They sang “ Jessie’s Dream,” “ Fiddle and I,” “ The Dear Little Shamrock,” “ The Broken Pitcher,” and “ Eileen Alannah.” Miss Connolly’s contributions were “ Come back to Erin,” and “ Mary of Argyle.” Miss Lee sang “ Stranger’s Yet,” and “ Ora pro Nobis.” Mr Toshack (of Timaru) sang “My Arab Steed,” and recited “ The death of the Old Squire.” Mr Burn (of Kakahu,) although suffering from a severe cold, sang “ The Powder Monkey,” and “ The Old Brigade.” Mr Early introduced to the audience that lively song “ Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay,” and also sang “ Old Simon the Cellarer,” as well as responding to encores. Mr Ricketts made a decided hit with Mrs ’Enery ’Awkins’ “ Such a nice man, Too,” and “ Cherry Bang.” Master R. Goldstone gave a capital rendering of “Father O’Flynn.” Each of the vocal items was warmly applauded. Mr Pearse also received hearty applause and an encore for a violin solo, and Mr G. Morris fairly delighted the audience with two selections on the violin. Dr. Morris with the utmost good nature played the majority of the accompaniments, and also a descriptive selections “Kowalski’s March.” Mrs Burn also kindly played accompaniments when required. At the close of the concert the customary vbm &f tluivka waia paaaed, after which there was a very enjoyable though rather crowded dance. The master and committee worked assiduously to promote the enjoyment of all present, and the visitors were most hospitably entertained.