^^ /jp^-*^- COLONIAL EXPEMENOES ; INCIDENTS AND EEMINISCENCES or THIRTY-FOUR YEARS IN NEW ZEALAND. AN OLD COLONIST. " Hear, Land o' Cakes, and brither Scots, Frae Maidenkirk to Johnny Groat's ; If there's a hole in a' your coats, I rede you tent it : A chield's amanp; you, taking notes. And, faith, he'll prent it." — Barns LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1877. T>ty ©ctiicattoii To the Hon. W. Fox, M.A., Late Premier of New Zealand. Sir, — As one of the pioneers of colonization in New Zealand, with whose social and political progress you have been identified through a long course of years, this personal experience of an old Colonist is, witJi kind permission, respectfully in- scribed by THE AUTHOR. Christchurch, Canterulky, New Zealand, Feb>-ua>y, /iS^/. . v> r\^ t^ v> '<> * Jt INTKODUCTION It is tlie peculiar privilege of an author to have the first and last word. In virtue of the former, I desire to make a few remarks, premising that they will be brief and to the point. It is nearly forty years since the systematic colonization of I^ew Zealand was commenced. The ranks of the earlier settlers are rapidly thinning, and a new generation of workers are occupying their places; to whom an epitome of the early days, written by one of the former, may possess special interest, albeit the writer may be without either literary ability or experience. It is generally admitted that colonists do not often rush into print ; they are either too busy, or the constant strain, and physical exertions of colonial life, indispose to literary eftorts ; from whatever cause, there is a dearth vi Introductio)i. of works relating (;xclusively to the colonies, written by colonists. The writer of the following sketches has no pretentions towards supplying this want, but ventures to hope this humble attempt to produce a picture from his limited stand- point, of a primitive state of things now passed away, will be received with liberal allowances for its many faults and crudities. And that it may also merit a kind consider- ation and support from a large and widening circle interested in the progress and advance- ment of "England's Colonial Empire," is the sincerest wish of the AUTHOE. CONTENTS, CIUP. I. RETROSPECTIVE AND DISCURSIVE II. A STEP DOWNWARD III. DISCARDED IV. ARCADIAN V. HARD LINES VI. A FKESH START VII. DECIDEDLY NAUTICAL VIII. DOWN SOUTH IX. A STEP UPWARD. X. A STEP MATRIMONIAL XI. TRULY RURAL XII. IN HARNESS .VGAIN . Xni. RETIREMENT XIV. CONCLUDING REMARKS FAGB . I . 33 . 54 . 69 . 96 . 109 . 154 . 175 . 199 . 238 . 249 . 273 . 282 . 284 COLONIAL EXPEEIENCES. CHAPTER I. EETROSPECTIVE AND DISCURSIVE. After an uneventful passage of 125 days tlie welcome cry of land ! was heard on board the ship Indus, 420 tons, McKenzie mas- ter, hound from London to the at that time re- cently formed settlement of ISTelson, 'New Zea- land. It was Saturday morning,'February 4th, 1843, when this heart-stirring sound sent an electric thrill of expectation and delight through the whole ship's company, galvanizing into sudden activity nerves and susceptibilities rendered al- most torpid by the comparative confinement and monotony of a four months' voyage. Though 2 Colonial Experiences. such a voyage would be deemed a long one now, and seemed long enough to the voyagers, yet in point of time it was considered a fair average one in those early trips to the anti- podes. During the night Cape Farewell was rounded, and on Sunday — a beautifully fine summer day, conveying a pleasing assurance of the salubrity of the climate — we were sailing pleasantly along in smooth water with a light wind down Blind Bay. About 4 o'clock a boat was observed approaching with two occupants ; on coming alongside, I learnt that one was Captain Moore, and his com- panion a Maori waihine or native woman who remained in the boat nursing a cat. This was my first introduction to an aboriginal, and a very comely specimen she appeared, not- withstanding the partial disfigurement of the tattooing. The ship was brought to an anchor shortly afterwards ofi" the Boulder Bank, the tide not suiting to enter the harbour until 10 A.M. next day. There were great numbers of dogfish disporting round the vessel, and many of the passengers amused themselves by Retrospective and Discu rsive. 3 capturing them. Next morning, just at break of day, I was startled by hearing the crow of a cock on shore ; it was so unexpected as, so far, no houses had been seen, the township not being visible from where the vessel lay at anchor. Anchored in that calm bay, in the quiet of the early morn, with no perceptible movement of the ship, and no sound save the gentle lapping of the water at the side, as with the strong ebb-tide it rippled and gurgled by the ship, it seemed as if the peace of Heaven had suddenly fallen around and upon us ; the reaction was so great after the per- petual unrest — the continuous heaving, and surging, and creaking of the labouring vessel, to which we had been subjected the past four months ; it was like entering upon a new ex- istence. I hastily dressed and hurried on deck, having made an appointment to witness the first sun-rise upon this ijrosjjective new home. As day advanced, wreaths of vapoury mist rolled majestically away, detached frag- ments like a beaten host lingering in the valleys until finally dispersed, while the lofty B 2 4 Colonial Experiences. peaks of neighbouring hills caught the golden flush of the rising sun. Gradually the golden flood descended the hill-sides, lighting up the valleys ; the blend- ing light and shade causing the varied ridges and low points to stand out sharply defined in the cool clear morning air. Though several years have passed away since then, I never hear the shrill clarion of the cock at morn, but the whole scene and its sweetly tender associations are brought vividly to my remem- brance in all their former freshness and beauty. And then the hearing at such a time and place that old familiar sound, with its human associations, on this otherwise appa- rently desolate shore, giving evidence of En- glish homes, and all that is comprised in that word, but cannot be expressed, was sufficient to profoundly stir sympathies especially at- tuned to such influences by the recent abrupt severance of all old ties, and the subsequent irksomeness of a protracted voyage. And by my side was one who shared my sentiments and feelings, and whose mind I had long learnt to lovingly regard as the counterpart and re- Retrospective and Discursive. 5 flex of my own — for by pre-arrange rnent we had romantically agreed to witness together the rising sun shine for the first time for us upon our adopted country, our future home. And hand in hand we gazed upon this new world opening out before us, feeling in leaving the old one a new and exquisite sense of free- dom in the present, and a trustful faith in the future, that forcibly contrasted with the trials and difficulties that had sorely oppressed us, and that appeared at one time almost insur- mountable and from which we appeared to have miraculously escaped. To us the glad vista of the future assumed all the roseate hues of the opening day, which with hearts too full for converse we were silently absorbed in witnessing, and deeming its splendour in some way prophetic of our future happi- ness. Alas ! that hopes so bright and promising should soon prove so fleeting and delusive ; ere many months had passed the hand then fondly clasped in mine was given to another, and as his bride she sailed gaily away to old England, bidding, it was supposed, a final adieu to New 6 Colonial Experiences. Zealand. And yet a few brief years saw her returned with a widowed heart, and for many years the grass has grown green above her, upon one of those sunlit points that we were all unconsciously gazing upon that summer morning, thirty four years ago. Time ! thou avenger and maturer of all things ; trials, and their compensations ; whose effacing fingers soften and obliterate the sharply chiselled lines on the marble, sacred to the memory of the loved one ; by whose benignant and consoling power, griefs, that appear to overwhelm, are succeeded by new joys ; and regrets and tears are comparatively transient when measured by the truer stand- ard of life's possibilities. In thus gently lifting the veil that has so long enshrouded tha episode in my life, I have somewhat anticipated the sequence of events ; but will resume my experiences as far as my memory will permit in the due order of their occurrence. On Monday morning, February 6, the ' Indus ' was piloted to a berth inside the Boulder Bank, passing in her course the hull of the- Retrospective and Discursive. 7 ' Eifeshire,' a wreck fast upon a ledge of rocks upon which she had been swept by the strong current, while attempting to leave the harbour at a dangerous state of the tide, then not sufficiently known. I and others were landed on the beach from a boat that we were sure was the private property of the pilot, as his wife in no very choice language soundly rated the boatmen in charge for allowing its keel to grate on the stones, which with a kindly desire to lessen the discomfort of their passengers having to wade on .shore, they had endeavoured to approach as near as possible, but even then, the boat being large and heavily laden, and drawing a good deal of water, it left a margin of several yards to be waded through. The boatmen very gallantly carried the females ashore, but the men had to jump out ; and I, happening to alight upon a treacherous boulder, fell prone, and, like an illustrious namesake of old, thus took fief of the new land. The family with whom I had immigrated consisted of a Mr. E , his wife and tliree daughters. There was a large quantity of 8 Colonial Experiences. luggage, and considerable difficulty was ex- perienced in removing it from the landing- place to the immigration depot, at a distance of about two miles, as there were no carriers or carts available for this purpose. After some delay a hand truck was procured, and I may truthfully say my first essay at real hard work was assisting to remove that luggage to its destination. The road was newly made, and, from the absence of wheeled vehicles, very rough ; my Wellington boots very thin, and soddened with sea-water, my hands and muscles very soft ; and, moreover, the temperature was about 95° in the shade, and the intense glare of the sun being reflected from the white road, made the heat almost insupportable. E. took the lead with the truck, while I laboured behind. Not having expected a job of this kind, I had landed in holiday costume, under a vague impression that it was, or ought to be, a sort of gala day ; and my position in the rear of that truck, wearing a black cloth cut-away coat, and a " bell- topper " must have been exceedingly picturesque and amusing to the Retrospective and Discursive. 9 onlookers, as indeed their broad grins abund- antly testified during our progress along the road. E. was a shipwright and boat-builder, and it had been arranged that I was to work with him with the object of learning his business. After the preceding remarks, I need not add that my love for his eldest daughter was the irresistible impulse that had impelled me to follow the fortunes of the family to N'ew Zealand, and to throw in my lot with them, and, like Jacob of old, I was only too happy to work and wait for my Eachael. A few days after arrival at the depot, E. received an order to build a boat, which ren- dered it necessary to look out for a suitable house or shed in the vicinity of the tide-way. One was bought for I believe five pounds, which was considered a great bargain, combin- ing as it did the advantages of size and site. It was bought from a Pakeha Maori, one who had lived a long time with Maories, until he had become almost naturalized. The house had been probably built by Maories, as it closely resembled the houses in lO Colonial Experiences. their palis, and being situate where their canoes could approach very near, had evidently been a place of frequent resort by them. I suspect it was this fact and other supposed belongings that was the secret of its being sold so cheap. It was thatched with raupo, or native bulrash, and had sides and interior partitions of the same material. That night I carried some blankets down to sleep there, as it had been decided to make certain alterations before the family removed into it. I had not retired to rest long when I began to experience some extraordinary and unac- countable sensations ; tingling all over with a supposed rash, I nervously longed for day- light to solve the mystery ; and the solution was very far from satisfactory; the place swarmed with myriads of fleas of the most active and industrious order, a race peculiar, I afterwards learnt, to Maori pahs. I seized my clothes and blankets, and after giving them a good shaking in the open air, rushed incon- tinently into the creek close by, as the readiest way of getting relief, and eluding my tormentors. Retrospective and Discursive. 1 1 On reporting the state of affairs it was decided to remove the interior partitions, to well water and sweep the floor, which not being boarded, had a layer of two or three inches of dry earth trodden into impalpable dust, and to line the inside of the rush walls at one end of the shed with blue clay that was close at hand, and by laying down a floor of concrete composed of lime, sand, and fine gravel, we hoped to get rid of the pest, and render one part at least habitable — the re- mainder being required for a workshop. This was accomplished in a few days, and the family and effects removed into it. As families were only allowed to remain a limited time at the depot, houses had to be procured somehow, and they were improvised in many instances after a very peculiar fashion, and in such variety that it would be almost impossible to attempt to describe them. Fern about two feet high still covered the greater part of the township, small clearings being made round the homesteads to protect them from fire, and the roads, with the excep- tion of the two main streets, were merely 1 2 Colonial Experiences. tracks cut or trodden through the fern. In some instances the fern was used for closing in the sides and even roofs of shanties. I was passing one of this description one day situate on low land near the river, and ventured to express an opinion that fern thatch could not afford much protection from rain, and that I thought some danger was to be apprehended from the rising of the river, when the matron of the house replied : ^' Oh ! the river often rises, and the rain pours through the roof, and then we stand on the top of a big box, and hold up an umbrella all night," and this was said with a tone and manner as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, and really all that was possible under the circum- stances. Those whose means enabled them to procure timber, and employ carpenters, came out in all the glories of a weather-boarded building in the prevailing style, a door and two win- dows in front, a lean-to behind, and the luxury of a brick chimney. But sod chimneys were the rule, brick ones the exception, some con- tenting themselves with little more than the Retrospective and Discursive. 13 fire-place 'only. I remember an amusing inci- dent connected with one of these low chimneys that is worth narrating here. A young fellow, a single man, who shared a small whare, with another robust youth like himself, full of fun and practical jokes, was strolling round one Sunday morning when his attention was attracted by a very appetising flavour proceed- ing from the low chimney of a neighbour, a young simple-minded bachelor, who was often made a victim of practical jokes. A. at once confided to his mate Joe, his opinion that so-and-so, whom we will call B. was roasting a duck for dinner, and they forth- with devised a scheme to possess it. Joe provided himself with a piece of hoop- iron turned up at one end to form a hook, and a fork securely fastened to a stick, both being about three feet in length. A, then sauntered leisurely round to the front of the house where the duck was roasting, and engaged the amateur cook in conversation, meanwhile Joe, leaning over the low wall of the fire-place, with the hook quietly raised the lid of the camp oven 1 4 Colonial Experiences. hanging over the fire, then dexterously in- serted tlie fork, and the duck was won. When A. was satisfied that Joe had efi'ected a masterly retreat, he took out his pipe and walked in towards the fireplace to light it, and was in the act of retiring again when he heard a hurried exclamation of "By Jove, the duck ! " and B. rushed past him, and to the rear of the house, and after gazing vacantly round returned very much concerned for the loss of his dinner, vowing vengeance against the delinquent. A. condoled with him in his loss, and said that Joe had snared a duck that morning, and generously invited him to come and share it with them, and having slily noticed some potatoes in the camp oven looking nice and brown, added, "By the bye, we haven't got any potatoes, so you had better bring these along and we'll make a jolly good dinner." Joe had so manipulated the duck that there was no suspicion. Dinner disposed of, pipes alight, and conversation brisk, B. remarked that as powder and shot was expensive he would like Joe to show him how he snared ducks ; Joe, with a knowing smile, produced the hoop-iron Retrospective and Discursive. 1 7 time it seemed endowed with the power of a galvanic battery, judging by the shocks com- municated to my arms and shoulders. After spending some time in a vain endeavour to control its vagaries, E. sent me to the sawyers with his compliments and the saw, I feeling at the time that I had sunk im- measurably in his opinion of my capacity and usefulness. This was an unfortunate commencement of my new occupation, but I soon acquired fair skill in the use of the tools, and being actuated by a strong desire to learn and make myself a necessity in the business, matters progressed very fairly, I even winning occasional commendations from E. The boat was finished in good time, and its spirited owner gave a supper to a select party of friends upon the occasion of the launch and christening, to which we were invited ; one of the most genial and hilarious of the guests, named McGregor, was shortly after num- bered with the victims slain by the Maories in the massacre at the "Wairau. The building of another and larger boat, suitable for trading c 1 8 Colonial Experiences. across the bay was next undertaken for a Mr. H., a young man, a fellow-passenger in the ' Indus.' At the same time arrangements were made by the E.'s to admit him as a lodger, and then commenced the insidious advances that resulted in his supplanting me in the affec- tions of the girl for whose sake I had left home, friends, and country to come sixteen thousand miles to win and wed. Turning for a time from purely personal matters, it will be of more general interest to refer to the social and political prospects of the young settlement at this time, which I shall endeavour to do as far as my humble ability and limited opportunities for observa- tion will permit. The first anniversary of the founding of the settlement had come and gone, and considering the backward state of the surveys, owing to the natural and physical difficulties of the country to be surveyed, and the disadvan- tages of the system adopted for the choice of sections, it was not surprising that at this time onlv about half-a-dozen enter- Retrospective and Discursive. 1 9 prising men had begun farming operations at the Waimea. It was generally admitted that the system of deciding orders of choice by a species of lottery in England, had resulted even at that early date in retarding settlement, and in many other ways to its great detriment ; and it required all the energy and tact of the resident agent, Captain Wakefield, to devise remedial measures to avert the total collapse and failure of the settlement. To encourage farming operations, and show the fertility of the soil, he had established a model farm at the Waimea, which was well managed, and the experience gained was doubtless of great advantage to new comers contemplating entering into farming pursuits. Yery little attention was paid at this time to pastoral matters. This may have been owing to the absence of the Australian element that was subse- quently so favourable to the Canterbury Settlement, but more particularly from the infrequent communication with the Austra- lian colonies. Enormous prices had been c 2 20 Colonial Experiences, paid per head for the few cattle and horses in the settlement, working bullocks were about £30 each, and cows £50, and a carter, I knew well, paid £110 for an ordinary cart- horse, and for a long time his was the only horse and cart in the towD available for general carting work. Salt and fresh pork were plentiful, but mutton only occasionally procurable, and then at \s. per lb. Bread was reasonable, being sold at Is. the four-pound loaf, but this was entirely due to the Company's agent keep- ing a vessel especially chartered to go to Valparaiso for flour, and retailing the same at the Company's store at 205. per hundred pound's weight ; butter 2*. M.^ and milk too scarce to enter into general con- sumption. Groceries and ordinary stores at very moderate prices for so young a settle- ment'. At this time nearly all the labouring popu- lation were in the employ of the Company, forming and making roads, and with the exception of a few families located at Motueka and Kiwaka on the opposite side of the bay^ Retrospective mid Discursive. 2 1 were concentrated in and about the township, entirely dependent upon the Company employ- ment ; and to show its eleemosynary character, married men with families were paid according to one scale, and single men another and lower rate, while each class was expected to execute the same amount of work. It was well- known the Company's labour expenditure could not be long continued, and reductions and fresh regulations were frequently being i^iade, with the object of forcing the men to find other employment, but with onlj^ partial success. Those who had commenced farming, having been accustomed to the scale of wages prevailing in the agricultural districts of England, were not disposed to give even as much as the Company, otherwise I think they would have attracted all the labour they required. The scale of payment for married men was 14s. per week and 10 lb. rations, and single men 1 4s. per week and 7 lb. rations, the ration in each case being 10 lb. meat and 10 lb. flour, and 71b. meat and 7 lb. flour, with tea and sugar in proportion. The pressure brought to bear upon the 22 Colonial Experiences. Company's agent by the land purchasers, ta still further reduce the scale, acquired for them a degree of unpopularity that was long remembered, and manifested itself upon the occasion of some memorable elections that afterwards took place upon the introduction of constitutional government. Unfortunately for the future welfare of the settlement that was not the only occasion upon which the class feeling, and antagonism engendered by the proceedings referred to, had an opportu- nity of displaying itself, and which I shall refer to again when treating of the compen- sation claims. Some amusing scenes sometimes occurred at the attempted reductions referred to ; upon the men being informed that the wages at the next pay-day would be so much less than hitherto, they would quietly smile at the information, and proceed to their work as usual, feeling confident their cause was in good hands. A.nd when Saturday noon, the pay- time, arrived, the men's wives would muster about 200 strong, and in true Amazonian style, march in a body down the beach to the Retrospective and Discursive. 23 pay-office at the port, and sturdily refusing to submit to any reductions, keep up such a clamour that the officials, after sustaining a two or three hours' siege, would receive orders to pay the old rate, and matters would go on again in their old groove until the next fit of re- trenchment came on, when a similar scene would be enacted and generally with the same result. In a settlement like Canterbury, with an almost unlimited extent of level land of good average quality, such a system of allotment as was adopted for the selection of land in T^elson, would have given general dissatisfaction to the land purchasers, and imperilled the success of the settlement ; and it may be readily imagined how the evil was intensified in Nelson, when the hilly cliEiracter of the country and limited extent of agricul- tural land are considered; disadvantages that would not present themselves to the land purchaser until his arrival in the colony, and there is no doubt had the effect of sending many away in disgust, possessing both capital and energy, who would have proved good settlers. 24 Colojiial Experiences. Fancy the disappointment and chagrin of a small farmer who had expended nearly all his capital in the purchase of one or more sections of landj and embarked with his family, re- solved to carve out for himself a new home ; finding upon his arrival in the colony that his land was situated upon the top of some inaccessible mountain, or in an impossible-to- be-drained swamp, or on the extreme boun- daries of the settlement, so remote that in the absence of roads it might as well be in the moon. I have known of young men with fair prospects, possessing moderate but sufficient means to make a fair start in life, had no impediment existed to their at once occupying their lands, remaining about the township, dissipating their means, and acquiring habits of intemperance that must have seriously damaged their future prospects, if no worse result followed such indulgencies. One spirited land purchaser upon finding it was physically impossible to put him in possession of the land he had purchased, forth- with returned to England and brought an Retrospective and Discursive. 25 action for damages against the New Zealand Company, and the matter was compromised by the Company paying him £900 I believe. Upon the Company learning it was the opinion of their legal adviser that they were liable to a scries of actions of the same kind, they resolved to compensate all the resident land purchasers by allowing them to select from the unsold lands, so much extra land in pro- portion to their original purchases. This was both just and politic, and, although too late to remedy all the mischief entailed upon individuals and the settlement, would have been of far greater advantage to the latter had it not been for the intemperate and short-sighted action of one man of the " par- lour orator " type, so aptly described by Charles Dickens. This individual got up an agitation in Nelson in favour of the absentee land pur- chasers, that (meeting with special favour in high quarters) not only neutralised many of the advantages of the previous measure, but inflicted untold injury upon the settlement, and was mainly answerable for its subsequent depressed condition. 26 Colonial Experiences. This man had a morbid dislike to the resi- dent land purchasers, whom he was in the habit of designating " land sharks " ; and any- thing calculated to benefit them had the same exciting effect upon him as the red flag is supposed to have upon an enraged bull, and when the compensation scheme was made known in the settlement, he convened a public meeting, and having numerous fol- lowers for reasons previously referred to, was enabled to carry a string of resolutions re- commending compensation to the absentee land purchasers, insanely supposing that by such action he was spiting the resident land purchaser. These resolutions were duly forwarded to the Governor, Sir G. Grey, who upon this occasion exhibited a remarkable deference to public opinion by immediately passing an ordinance in council authorising the issue of an almost unlimited quantity of scrip to the absentees, who, having no grievance, must have been wonderfully elated at such un- wonted liberality. There was a whisper of a certain gentle- Retrospective a7id Discursive. 2 7 man, who was in the colony upon a visit at the time, receiving a large quantity of the said scrip, in his character of an absentee land purchaser, and with it becoming the almost sole proprietor of a small province not far from Wellington. But for the miserably insignificant croak- ings of a few imbeciles affording a colourable pretext, even Sir G. Grey, arbitrary and despotic as he showed himself at that time, would scarcely have ventured the intro- duction and passing of such a measure. It was universally denounced in the colony, and was considered in England of such a question- able character, and so detrimental to the colony's interests, that the Queen's assent was withheld, notwithstanding which it was put in force, and the scrip issued. Sir G. Grey's recent utterances in the House, in the debate on the Abolition Bill, and sup- porting his opposition to its coming into force upon the grounds of its not having been sub- mitted to the Law Officers of the Crown, or received the Queen's assent, displays a new found reverence for Imperial authority, in 28 Colonial Experiences. strong contrast to his former action connected with the " absentee script ordinance." By a singular Nemesis, the individual who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing this infliction and loss upon the settlement was twice elected to fill the highest position in the province (a suflS.cient leaven of the old feeling remaining to secure this result), a position of all others where the impoverished state of the finances, resulting from the extinction of so much land scrip, would most obtrude upon his notice, and he must have been obtuse in- deed, if he did not then feel the full extent of the mischief which his paltry gratification of class feeling had brought upon the province. It is worthy of remark that at the time of the issuing of this scrip, the price of the crown lands of the colony was twenty shillings per acre, and the scrip was of the nominal value of twenty shillings and representing one acre ; but some time afterwards, when by the fiat of Sir George, the price of all the unsold land in the colony, except the Canterbury block, was by proclamation reduced to five and ten shillings per acre, the original nominal value Retrospective and Discursive. 29 of the scrip was insisted on by the holders, when paying for land at the reduced price, so that scrip originally representing one acre, was passed into the treasury in payment of two or four acres, according to the class of land applied for — so that for all the unextinguished scrip by the reduction in the price of land, the original evil was doubled, and quadrupled. Nearly all the unsold available land in the ^Nelson province was paid for in scrip, thus leaving it without a land fund for the pro- secution of public works. It was not alone the scrip issued to the Nelson absentees, but also a large portion issued to the Wellington land purchasers, that Nelson was called upon to extinguish. When, by what is known as the Compact of 1856, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, under- took the liquidation of the New Zealand Company's debt of £200,000, and having sole control of their land fund, each to become liable for one third of the amount, in a sub- sequent session of the General Assembly Sir David Munro advocated the justice of relieving Nelson of a considerable share of the burden, 30 Colonial Experiences. on the grounds that the province had been and was still specially weighted with the ex- tinguishing of nearly all the compensation scrip issued in the colony. It was well known at the time of the re- duction of the price of the land that a Nelson land agent was the holder of about £40,000 worth of this scrip, and his standing ad- vertisement in the ' Nelson Examiner ' to intending land purchasers, by offering certain terms of credit, had the effect of intercept- ing nearly every pound that would have otherwise found its way to the Waste-lands Board ; he, the agent, allowing the y^x- chaser to select the land wanted, and himself paying the Government for it in scrip. The boat which I have left so long on the stocks was finished and launched in due course, and no further orders coming in, matters be- gan to assume an ominous aspect, as although our living was arranged upon a very frugal scale, even that involved a certain weekly ex- penditure for which a corresponding income was indispensable. To show that it was not of a very luxurious Retrospective and Discursive. 3 1 character, but, in the words of a Paris re- staurant kee]Der, both '' fortifying and simple," I subjoin a few details, which will be fairly descriptive of the style of living that generally prevailed at this time. Bread, no butter or milk, salt pork, occa- sionally a joint of fresh pork for a change, potatoes, tea and coffee sweetened with very dark Mauritius sugar, and to vary the fare sometimes, a kind of rice stew, made by boiling with rice a small quantity of fresh pork, cut into small pieces and suitable sea- soning added. The salt pork was American barrelled, very prime to look at, but possessing the remarkable property of almost vanishing in the pot, and reappearing again upon the cooling of the water in which it had been boiled in the shape of a two-inch cake of fat. Potatoes were procurable from the Maories in flax kits, at from one to five shillings the kit, which estimated by weight would be at the rate of about £6 the ton. They were also the purveyors of the fresh pork sold by the butchers. 3 2 Colonial Experiences. Pigs with such extraordinary long snouts I am sure were never seen out of T^ew Zealand. They were peculiarly well adapted for rooting up fern root, their staple food, and afforded a good illustration of Darwin's theory of the '•'- survival of the fittest," as it might be fairly concluded that all the short- nosed pigs had perished in the struggle for existence. On Sundays, in honour of the day, and to preserve an ancient tradition of puddings of some kind or other having graced former din- ners in the old country, in addition to the ordi- nary fare, an apple-pudding was improvised out of a pumpkin ; which was done by cutting a portion of a pumpkin into small pieces, and making and cooking it in the same manner as an apple-pudding ; and with the addition of a small quantity of tartaric acid we used to make believe it tasted exactly like one. CHAPTER II. A STEP DOWNWARD. After a brief period of enforced idleness, or rather of odd jobs about the house that brought no return, I suggested to E. the expediency of my applying to the Company's agent for work on the roads, until more work in the boat- building line offered, as at this time the weekly wages paid to single men was 18^. without rations. The family strongly objected, as with their English notions they could not dis- abuse their minds of the idea of such employ- ment being derogatory; but I, feeling their objections were entirely unselfish, and ad- vanced solely on my account, they not wishing me to engage in such new and uncongenial employment, thought it my duty to be firm, D 34 Colonial Experiences. as no other means offered by whicli I could avoid being a burden upon them, and at the same time, in a small degree, assist the house expenses To lessen the unpleasantness I knew this resolve would cause them if I were employed anywhere in the neighbourhood, 1 applied to be sent to a working party engaged about eight miles from town. This involved an enforced banishment from the house, from very early on Monday morn- ing until the following Saturday afternoon, which at that time was to me by far the severest part of the undertaking, as it left the course clear for the machinations of my rival, whose designs I intuitively began to suspect. Matters being all arranged, and with a thick rug, and a week's supply of provisions, consist- ing of two home-baked loaves about 5 lbs. each, 7 lb. piece of salt pork (cooked), some tea and sugar, and a small tin can for making tea in, the whole compactly stowed in a Maori kit, and carried on the back with Maori flax- made slings, like a soldier's knapsack, I started about 4 o'clock on Monday morning for the 5cene of my new employment. A Step Downward, 35 And thus ended my boat-building career, for circumstances soon occurred that effectually prevented any future resumption of that em- ployment. A considerable part of the road I had to travel lay across mud -flats covered by the tide at high water, and into which I sank over my boots at each step, and occasionally to the knees in crossing the numerous' water-courses that intersected the flats. Arrived at the scene of operations, wet and weary from the difficulties of the road and the load carried, I found the party of men with whom I was to work numbered sixteen including myself, besides an overseer or ganger to direct operations. The work consisted in cutting a siding road round the base of hills washed by the tide at high water. Only two or three of the men appeared to me to be of the regular navvy type, the rest like myself had not been accustomed to this kind of work. The habitation to which the party retired, upon the conclusion of the day's work at 5 D 2 36 Colonial Experiences. o'clock, had been formed by digging into the side of the hill in a small gully, thus forming three sides of the house, while the fourth side or front being the lowest, was built up with sods, the roof thatched with toi-toi, and sloping from the highest part of the cutting to the front wallj following the slope of the hill so nearly that it was almost invisible at a short distance. In the back wall a fireplace was excavated, and a shaft sunk to it from the hill above,, which formed an excellent chimney, and on either side wide benches of the earth had been left when excavating, about two feet in height and extending the width of the house from front to back ; upon this a thick layer of New Zealand feathers (dried fern) was laid and formed the sleeping quarters of the in- mates. I suspect it was due to the presence of the navvies that such a compact and comfortable residence had been provided. Brief as my colonial experience had been at this time, I had become accustomed to many things that were new and strange, and in A Step Downward. 37 some instances not altogether to my taste or inclinations, and simply from a desire to make the best of what could not be altered or avoided ; but when I saw the sleeping accom- modation I instinctively recoiled from such a communistic arrangement. As soon as tea was disposed of, I set about the construction of a bedstead in a spare corner -of the appartment. In the immediate neighbourhood was a wooded gully from which I procured six forked stakes about 30 inches in length ; these, when driven into the ground at suitable distances and at a uniform height, to form the frame- work, received the side-pieces in the forks, and by lacing it across with broad leaves of flax, a very easy and comfortable couch was provided that quite excited the envy of my compa- nions. Occasionally I experienced the incovenience of a break-down in the night, when the flax got dry and tender. I remember that at this time I was gifted with an enormous appetite, which might under b.e circumstances be deemed a very question- 38 Colonial Experiences. able advantage ; I know it required some self- denial to make my provisions last their ap- pointed time. "Working in the open air, and the very fact of having to allowance the con- sumption of each meal, there is no doubt tended to increase a desire that never seemed thoroughly appeased. I was not singular in this respect, for gene- rally by Saturday morning, there was not among the whole party, more than would have suf- ficed for a tolerable breakfast for one. One Friday morning at breakfast time the overseer wishing to have a certain piece of road completed that week, offered the men the opportunity of finishing it as quickly as they liked for their week's work. The offer was cheerfully accepted as we judged the work could be done in time to allow of our starting to town soon after noon. Upon the faith of accomplishing this there was a general consumption of the then remaining provisions at that breakfast without causing any very alarming symptoms from repletion. The contract was finished by two o'clock ; having worked hard and continuously from A Step Downivard. 39 eight including our dinner hour, as having no dinner to dispose of, it was unnecessary to stop the usual hour. x\s we were conyeying the barrows and tools in the direction of our whare we were met by the Superintendent of Eoad who naturally enquired where we were going. The overseer could not explain the little contract he had made, so replied that we were going to lessen some of the abrupt curves in another part of the road; consequently instead of proceeding to the whare, and preparing for a start home, we were, to save the credit of the overseer, reluc- tantly obliged to set to work upon the part of the road he had indicated, until the superinten- dent returned from a visit he was making to a Mr. Jollie, some distance beyond the work upon which we were engaged. He did not return until nearly five o'clock, and it being then almost dark, and too late to start for town, we retired to our whare in no very enviable state of mind or stomach. Next morning we started to town minus a breakfast. Arriving about 11 o'clock I walked into the 40 Colonial JExpe^^iences, first small store I came to, and after disposing of a two-pound loaf and half a pound of butter, felt in capital trim for my dinner to which I shortly after did ample justice. I had not been many weeks at this work when news was brought to Nelson of the massacre at the Wairau. It created a genera] feeling of insecurity and alarm, and heartfelt regret for the victims of this savage onslaught, among whom were many of the leading gentlemen of the settle- ment. Being so near the scene of the tragedy, it was considered that the savage instincts of the natives having been excited and emboldened by success, they would probably attack the township ; energetic measures were therefore made to meet such a contingency. Nearly all the adult males in the town and vicinity were enrolled, armed, and drilled, the hill in the centre of the town now crowned with a church was scarped and bastioned, and a considerable area on its summit enclosed with thick planks looped-holed for musketry, into which it was intended the women and children should re- treat if the town was attacked. It was judged A Step Dowrnvard. 41 that any attempted attack would be by the natives approaching stealthily in the night, and for which the bay, at or near where the shore end of the Australian cable is now landed, and an inland valley leading from it, offered great facilities for their getting very near the town unobserved. It was therefore deemed im- portant to have a watch upon this part of the coast. The road party that I had recently joined was constituted the watch, and we were sworn special constables, our duties being to keep a vigilant watch upon the bay by day, and the inland opening of the valley by night, until recalled ; and to signal to the town, distant about nine miles, anything portentous by lighting a signal fire upon a lofty peak upon which we had collected a large quantity of firewood, dried fern, etc. I think we had been engaged upon this duty nearly three weeks, when news reached Nelson that Rauparaha and his party had crossed Cook's Straits, and the watch was withdrawn. During this period there was no panic, but a cool and firm resolve to make a determined 42 Colonial Experiefices. stand against the expected assailants, however numerous and savage they might prove, and only such precautionary measures were adopted as circumstances appeared to render necessary and judicious. The friendly natives living at the Motueka, on the opposite side of the bay, were in great fear lest they should be held accountable, and made to suffer for the doings at the Wairau, as in accordance with their savage notions such reprisals were usual and customary among the various tribes of native inhabitants. It required considerable tact and exertions on the part of those having influence over them to allay their fears and convince them of the more just and humane policy of the Europeans. It may not be out of place to notice here an occurrence prior to, but closely connected with this tragic event, as in none of the accounts published has any reference been made to it that I am aware of. Some time in the month of February, 1843, Eauparaha and Eanghiaita and a numerous following visited Nelson and had a long and A Step Downward. 43 angry korero with Captain Wakefield respect- ing the land at the Wairau, maintaining that it had not been included in the land sold to "Wide-awake (Col. Wakefield) for the new settlement (Nelson) and threatening to mati moi (kill or tomahawk) any one going there to put in the rakau (wood, meaning the surveyor's pegs). Captain Wakefield regarded these threats as mere native bravado, and having enter- tained them for two or three days, by distribut- ing a quantity of flour and sugar among them, and their departing in exuberant spirits, apparently well pleased with their reception, he concluded that having got all he supposed they came for, namely, a good feed, no more would be heard of these absurd claims. This, be it remarked, was the first introduc- tion of the fiour and sugar policy, and how lamentably it failed upon this occasion to " soothe jthe savage breast" subsequent events only too sadly showed. When Eauparaha heard the surveyors were at work at the Wairau, he re-crossed the Straits with a strong party and ordered them to leave, 44 Colonial Experiences. at the same time pulling down the tents, and firing the huts. Upon these proceedings being reported to Captain Wakefield, he thought all that was necessary was to make a display of force, to at once overawe a parcel of savages ; and as the Grovernment brig happened to be in the harbour at the time, he took the oppor- tunity to assemble, and convey to the mouth of the Wairau river, in Cloudy bay, about 20 men from a road party working on the beach road. These were each supplied from the Company's store with an old Tower musket with flint lock, being part of the stock used in barter with the natives for their land; muskets, powder, and blankets were the chief articles of exchange, as being in great request, and most highly prized by the Maories. Many of the men had never handled fire-arms before, and so little did Captain Wakefield think of any necessity arising for their use that no instructions, it ap^Dcars, were given even in the simple matter of loading them, as it was well known that several of the muskets were afterwards fouud loaded with the ball-end of the cartridge downwards. A Step Downward. 45 So weak and inefficient a force was totally unfitted to cope with such redoubtable fight- ing chiefs as Eauparaha and Eanghiaita and their numerous followers, well trained in many a desperate encounter with neighbour- ing tribes. Several gentlemen volunteered to join the expedition ; and to give it a legal colouring, a warrant for the apprehension of Eauparaha for arson was issued by Mr. Thompson, the resident magistrate, who with Malin, the chief constable, accompanied the expedition to exe- cute it. The sad catastrophe that followed is only too well known. After shots had been exchanged and several wounded on either side, Captain Wakefield, who with some of the gentlemen had become separated from the remainder of the party through a little delay in re- cross- ing the river, was anxious to unite his forces on the rising ground a short distance from the river ; but part of the guard on retiring for this purpose continued their retreat up the hill, gradually accelerating their speed, disregard- ing Captain "Wakefield's orders and entreaties 46 Colonial Experiences. to stop. After following them, for a short distance, Captain Wakefield, the gentlemen, and a few of the guard that had remained together with him, halted on the side of the hill, and faced about to the Maories, at the same time holding up his white handkerchief as a signal for a cessation of firing. The natives immediately rushed up the hill to where they had halted, Banghiaita stopping on the way to tomahawk those who had fallen on the hill side wounded. Mr. Cotterill, one of the surveyors, had halted before Captain Wakefield and his companions, and was sitting down on the slope, about half way between his own party and the Maoris, coolly filling his pipe, when he was brutally despatched. The natives disdained to follow the fugitives up the hill, having got all the Eangitiras in their power. What followed was told me by an eye-witness, who surrendered with the rest, and escaped by a miracle almost, and was for some time working in the same road party as myself. His name was Bamford, and while the Maori who was mounting guard over him had his attention absorbed in watching the A Step Downward. 47 sanguinary scene that was being enacted, he quietly slid into the high fern, and creeping a short distance down towards the gully, fortu- nately remained undiscovered. On surrounding the party, and taking pos- session of their arms, an attempt was made to take off Captain Wakefield's coat; this he resented by snapping a pistol at the offender, but it missed fire. Mr. Howard, who was standing near, said, " For God's sake, Captain, be calm, don't excite them." The natives, far outnumbering their prisoners, then contrived to isolate them by insinuating themselves between them, and Ranghiaita nimbly stepping behind each in turn, his tomahawk did its deadly work. I was working for some time in company with one of the party who accompanied the Eev. Mr. Ironsides from Queen Charlotte Sound to the scene of the massacre, a few days after its occurrence, to inter the bodies of the unfortunate victims. He told me it was a ghastly sight ; Brooks the interpreter could only be recognised by his clothes. They appeared to have wreaked special vengeance 48 Colonial Experiences. upon him as there were no distinguishable features remaining; and with savage irony they had phiced a damper (flour cake) under Captain Wakefield's head, and laid his pistol across his throat. The threat made four months previously had been only too literally fulfilled. Considering the weakness and isolation at that time of the two small settlements of Wellington and Nelson, it would not have been politic, nor indeed practicable, to have attempted the arrest of the perpetrators of these savage murders, as they had retired to their stronghold ; but on the other hand, the attitude of Governor Fitzroy and the two Clarks, father and son, called the Protectors of " Aboriginees " forsooth! in not alone con- demning the proceedings of the settlers, but in a manner justifying the actions of the natives in this affair, was an outrage upon the sympathies and common sense of the entire community ; knowing what a pernicious effect was likely to be produced upon the native mind, by the publicly notified approval of their actions by the Governor. The result A Step Downward. 49 was soon apparent, as the astute Maori, con- struing the impunity for the past as evidence of fear and weakness, made a raid upon the settlers in the Hult Valley, near Wellington, and many valuable lives were lost before they were finally quelled. At the time the New Zealand Company began the colonization of these islands, there arose an influential party at home, distinguished as the " Exeter Hall Party," whose sympathies were enlisted on behalf of the native inhabitants, whom they were instructed to regard as a weak, simple- minded race, and the English settlers as a lot of rapacious, land absorbing native destroyers, from whose advent in New Zealand a whole- sale demoralization, and rapid depopulation of native districts would result, and in a com- paratively brief period the final extinction of the " Noble Savage " unless energetic measures were taken to avert it. In pursuance of this philanthropic object the party was organised, large sums subscribed, and there is no doubt considerable influence brought to bear upon the Home Government in tlie colonial appoint- ments made, and they were represented in the 5 o Colon ial Experiences. colony by two salaried officers, styled the " Protectors of Aboriginees." It was the knowledge of the ruthless manner in which the American Indians had been dispossessed of their hunting grounds, and almost exterminated, that originated a movement that had for its object a laudable desire to avert such evils in the new field being opened for colonisation; but, like many other benevolent schemes, it was traded upon to a considerable extent, and had a natural tendency to run into extremes. In the case of Kew Zealand, with a remark- ably intelligent and warlike native race, that could neither be cowed nor overreached, and were quite capable of taking good care of themselves, much mischief resulted to the settlers, and also the natives, from the officious interference of irresponsible officers. But their mischievous antics in the colony culmi- nated upon the burning of the town of Eussell at Korororiki ; and upon a full know- ledge of the facts reaching the Home Govern- ment the colony was relieved of the incubus, by the governor and protectors being sum- marily swept away. A Step Downward. 5 1 At the time of the foundiDg of the Nelson Settlement there were very few natives located in the middle or what is now called the Sonthern Island; Eauparaha some years before having swept it from end to end, killing and burning all before him, and his savage ferocity not being satiated, he pressed an English ship into his service for the con- veyance of his fighting party to the Chatham Islands, where a further war of extermination was carried on. There were consequently only some two or three hundred of the refugees living at the Motueka, "Wakapuaka, and Queen Charlotte's Sound, and these were friendly and of great service in supplying needful produce to the settlers. They were remarkably shrewd at driving a bargain, had a very appreciative opinion of their commodities, and a critical knowledge of the value of the " utu," (money) and the goods taken in exchange. As they much preferred the Pakeha's blankets to their ordinary dog-skin, or flax mats, this was the only change of costume that had at that time been adopted, and they were to be seen in all the varied shades, and stages of E 2 52 Colonial Experiences. wear, from the well worn and tattered speci- men, to the snowy-white with resplendent border just out of the store. One storekeeper who did a large blanket trade with the Maoris and whose knowledge of their language was limited to the word kapai (good), was accus- tomed to express various degrees of excellence by a single, double, or treble repetition of the word kapai, to the great amusement of his swarthy customers, by which he acquired among them the sobriquet of " old Kapai." Some of the native names of places were curiously transformed into familiar English words by the early settlers, for instance, Wakapuaka and Motueka, were Anglicised into Hokeepokee and Muddy-wake. Occa- sionally the natives when encamped in the township, either for their own amusement, or to please or terrify the on-lookers, would range themselves in a row, and sing or chant in a monotonous tone, what we supposed was a native song or poem — with a kind of chorus in which the arms were thrown alternately to the right and left, with a spasmodic twitching •of the fingers, all acting in perfect time and A Step Downward. e^'^ concert ; and with lolling tongues, and hideous contortion of the features, of which the carvings that adorn their houses and canoes were not very exaggerated fac- similes, at the same time producing a gutteral hissing sound from the chest, reminding one of the steam escaping from the cylinders of a loco- motive engine when just starting. CHAPTER III. DISCARDED. Mr. Tuckett, the chief surveyor, was with the party at the Wairau, but being a member of the '^ Society of Friends," and therefore not countenancing any steps of an aggressive character, had remained at a distance from the korero, and when he heard shots fired retreated at once to the boat at the mouth of the river, and was taken on board the brig. After the lamented death of his chief, he was for a time acting agent of the Company at Nelson, and during his brief tenure of the office, made fresh eff'orts to extend the small farm system that Captain Wakefield had initiated and encouraged. As there were so few employers of labour Discarded. 55 either engaged in farming or other works, there was a great redundancy of labour in the settlement ; in this respect there was a failure of Edward Gibbon Wakefield's ' Theory of Co- lonization,' as capital had not been attracted in sufficient ]3roportion to praperly balance the labour element, or if attracted, it had been repelled by the pernicious system of allot- ment before referred to. From whatever cause, the fact remained that there was a large number of men and families solely dependent upon the Company's employment ; and when that should cease, with no tie to bind or attach them to the settlement. Captain Wakefield therefore endeavoured to establish cottier farming, but with very limited success. About twenty families were settled in the Riwaka Valley, who being supplied with seed wheat and potatoes gratis, land upon easy terms, and employment in forming necessary roads in their neighbour- hood, began vigorously to devote such little time as was not occupied in road making, to the cultivation, of their land. A few provi- 56 Colo7iial Experiences. dent families had been induced by the same encouragement to settle at the Waimea and Motueka ; but the chief occupation at the latter place was sawing timber for the Nelson market, as there was a fine extent of bush unappropriated, that any one was free to enter to fell trees, and saw timber without let or hinderance. This gave occupation to a con- siderable number, as it was work at which novices soon acquire a fair proficiency. As summer was approacliing and some of our party being desirous of doing a little cultivating in the spare time of morning and evening, if land could be obtained in the neighbourhood of the work, the time on the road work being from 8 to 5, four of us re- solved to apply to Mr. Tuckett for the lease of a 50 acre section with right of purchase, and the seed wheat and potatoes granted under such circumstances. E., not having anything to do at his own trade, was invited to join; he, the overseer, one of the road party, and myself, being the four applicants. The application was readily granted, and opera- tions were immediately commenced as the- Discarded. 57 season for sowing was fast slipping by. The section was admirably suited for our purpose, not only from its contiguity to our day work, but from its including a small wooded valley, which, being chiefly scrub and small trees, the larger trees being some distance apart, and only one here and there requiring to be felled, was easily cleared. We soon had two acres cut down, burnt and cleared, and the wheat sown, chipping it into the rich loose bush mould with adzes, and we shortly had the satisfaction of witnessing its dark green verdure giving promise of a luxuriant crop. As December was the season for potato planting, there was plenty of time to get a good patch cleared ; we were very busy in the early mornings and evenings, often working by moonlight, and had made sad havoc with a beautiful stretch of bush that was ruthlessly laid low before our axes, when orders came for the summary removal of our road party to assist in cutting a large ditch through a swamp at the Waimea. This brought our agricultural operations to a sudden standstill, 58 Colonial Experiences. our only consolation under the circumstances being the knowledge that the wheat was growing, and that we had as much land cleared for potatoes as we were likely to pro- cure suflS.cient seed to plant, as two or three months of summer sun would render the brushwood cut down so combustible, that when fired it would leave the ground in such a clear state, that no after labour would be required but planting the seed. During the next two or three months the change was consummated to which I have already referred. No boat-building work offering, I continued at the road work, and as its distance from town necessitated an enforced absence all the week, my opportunities for counteracting a change that was gradually, but surely taking place, were necessarily limited. For some time it was felt rather than per- ceived, and fearful of giving way to what miglit be only the promptings of jealousy, I fought against the vague suspicion, lest any action of mine should precipitate a cliauge that I could not help feeling was impending. Discarded. 59 And so matters progressed until it was no longer possible to mistake the altered feeling of my fiancee. There was a rude awakening from what had been a very pleasant, all ab- sorbing day dream, a crushing blow to many fond anticipations, accompanied with a sen- sitive consciousness that could not help con- trasting my, at that time, comparatively hopeless position and prospects, with the superior ad- vantages enjoyed by my rival, which deprived me of all power of protest and resistance. I had many reasons for believing that she had also long struggled against a change, that circumstances had in a great measure rendered inevitable. On arriving on Monday morning at the scene of our future work, I found several ^angs of men concentrated upon one spot, which from the limited out-look afforded me, standing as I was knee deep in water in a dense mass of bulrushes, which reached far above my head, I judged to be near the centre of a large swamp ; we had had to scramble for about a quarter of a mile through the rushes and slough to reach this position. 6o Colonial Experiences. I could not help wondering how any number of men set down in the middle of a swamp like that, were going to solve the engineer- ing difficulty of draining it without some outlet. I afterwards learnt that another party of men were working towards us from seaward, and had completed from fifty to sixty chains of ditching, but in the meantime we were isolated, and working at great discomfort, and under serious disadvantages for the due pro- gress of the work. I also very soon discovered another innova- tion that was freely commented on by the men in no very complimentary terms, namely, the presence of a time-keeper whose duty we were informed it was to deduct an hour from each man's time who paused from work for a few minutes. These and other vexatious changes, and our position in that part of the swamp, were for some reason that I never learnt attributed to the influence of a Frenchman named Yallie, who henceforth was to have complete control and superintendence of the men and works. Discarded. 61 He was expected to visit the work in the swamp during the week, and there was some kind of understanding between a section of the men to be revenged upon him in some way. About the middle of the week he made his appearance equipped in a pair of long boots and an eye-glass ; I don't mean in quite the style of the native chief who upon being requested by the missionary to set an example to the others attending church, by putting on some clothing next time, appeared in a pair of boots and a paper collar. As he neared the scene of operations, stepping nimbly from tussock to tussock, unfortunately for himself he first encountered the advanced guard of the party who had resolved to signalize the honour paid them by his visit. The first symptom of insubordination was by one of the men coolly surveying him in true theatrical style through a piece of flax, twisted up in the form of an eye-glass, and as this marked attention was not fully appreci- atedjbut on the contrary provoked some threaten- ing language, a number of the men immediately 62 Colonial Experiences. began to display great activity in tying flax together to form a rope, on perceiving which and divining something threatening in their looks and actions, he commenced a hasty retreat, not pausing this time to step from tussock to tussock, but plunging recklessly through the slough and water, followed by about 30 or 40 of the men. On emerging from the bulrushes the party came out where the other men before referred to were ditching — here a long section of the ditch had been dammed in order to bottom another portion of it and was consequently full of water to the surface. While walking alongside of this with a numerous and noisy retinue, he either slipped, in his trepidation, or was pushed in, and for a minute or so was floundering in a very in- glorious manner in a seven-foot ditch of very dirty water. He was quickly extricated, however, and after being tenderly tilted, to empty the water from his long boots, was permitted to quietly re- tire, with very dampened spirits from his moist reception. Discarded. 63 A charge was laid against one man, and he was lodged in gaol, but it, the gaol, was of such a primitive character that his comrades found no difficulty in unceremoniously liberating him, and I do not remember any further proceed- ings being taken in the matter. Mr. Yallie, after his involuntary bath, retired from the appointment, considering it impractic- able to manage such an unruly lot of men, and the public works resumed their accustomed serenity. After working some time in the swamp, the party I was engaged with (for I may observe the men were divided into gangs of about twenty, with an overlooker to each gang) was drafted to another part of the "Waimea, where the work being dry, it was much pleasanter, and shortly after this change came another still more agreeable. Mr. Fox had succeeded Mr. Tuckett as the Company's agent, and in order to facilitate the cultivation of land by the men employed on the Company's works, initiated a system of piece work on the roads, but limiting the quantity to be executed each week to what was considered an average week's work by day 64 Colonial Experiences. work, paying the same wages, but allowing tlie men to do the required quantity in as short a time as possible, by which arrangement they would have more time to devote to their cultivations, and the Company's work would not suffer. This was a very politic and wise arrange- ment, as there was not only a marked increase in the amount of work executed each week, but there is no doubt it materially assisted to permanently settle many families of the work- ing class in the settlement, who would other- wise have left on the suspension of the Com- pany's expenditure, which took place about nine months later. By this time I had become so well accus- tomed to the work, that on the introduction of piece work, I could execute my portion as well and expeditiously as any of them, namely, in two and a half or three days, though it took some four and five days to complete the required quantity. The allowance was twenty four cubic yards of ditching, including the pitching the earth, and forming the road a chain wide, but leaving Discarded. 65 a clear space of seven feet between the made road and ditch on either side ; this involved pitching the earth a long distance, and I remember there used to be frequent disputes between parties working on opposite sides of the road about filling up the centre, some not throwing the earth far enough. The price was 9