Camped on the beach, reality for the Settlers
Set out below are further extracts from the Diary of Hannah Butler, aged 22yrs and daughter of the Rev J. G. Butler mentioned in the previous blog. The Rev Butler, his wife Hannah and their daughter were on board the "Bolton" with the Trevarthen and Spackman families. The diary makes for some fascinating reading. They record the first six months of her experiences in Wellington. They would have been similar to the Trevarthens and the Spackmans.
April 21st.—We beat in, and anchored in the harbour about one p.m. Went on shore with others, and went to Dr. Evans to Inform him of my father's arrival. Mr. E. came on board.23rd.—Mr. Wakefield came on board with the emigration agent, Mr. Riddiford. The emigrants all went on shore to build their houses. Mr. Butler also went to see the native (missionary?) F. Davis. The people were taken to a spot near to the native village, but the native chief would not let them. He said it was his ground, and had not been purchased by the Company off him, and they should not have it. A meeting with Mr. Williams to be held tomorrow respecting it.
(Nb Mr Williams, is the Rev Henry Williams, in Wellington to secure the Maori Chiefs signatures on the Treaty and also to become the Rev J. G. Butler's (Hannah's father) new boss) . See below an extract from EJW's book of his view of what else was going on that day!!
(Nb Mr Williams, is the Rev Henry Williams, in Wellington to secure the Maori Chiefs signatures on the Treaty and also to become the Rev J. G. Butler's (Hannah's father) new boss) . See below an extract from EJW's book of his view of what else was going on that day!!
24th.—Mr. Butler went on shore to see about the disputed land; came on board at two p.m., and set off for Brittania with Mr. and Mrs. Collett and Mr. White, to remain over Sunday and preach.
30th.—Went on shore to the missionary Davis about some potatoes; secured a ton for Captain Robinson.
MAY 7th.—Bought a house off Captain Gomm. Colonel Wakefield ordered Captain Robinson to take the luggage to Brittania (Wellington).
8th.—Set off for Brittania with the goods in the long-boat towed by the cutter, and whale boat; arrived at Brittania about four p.m. and unloaded.
10th.—Went to the Scotch church; Mr. Butler baptize the son of Uriah and Harriet Hunt—named Charles Nicholson Hunt, born 20th January, 1840.
12th.—Mr. Butler and Colonel Wakefield set out a churchyard.
17th.—Divine Service held in Mr. Hunter's store room at twelve a.m. After service, Major Baker called Mr. Butler to go to the west end of the beach, to settle a quarrel between a European and the natives about a son of Aponi (Epuni?) being thrust out of doors against his will. An inquest was held on the body of H. R. Eaton who was speared by a native, before Major Baker, etc. After the inquest, Mr. Butler buried him.25th.—A hurricane all night. A fire broke out in Cornish Row, which destroyed fifteen dwellings, and nearly all the people's goods.
26th.—A dreadful earthquake took place at five thirty a.m.; all our houses rocked in a most fearful manner. We all ran out quite terrified, but then returned to bed. After three quarters of an hour we heard an explosion and a small shake. Upon enquiry we found there had been two earthquakes prior to this, and since the arrival of the Europeans, but nothing so bad as this.27th.—Another shock of earthquake.
29th.—Two vessels arrived, one named the “Bee,” from Sydney, reported the loss of the “Aurora” off Kaiparoa. The “Sally Ann,” from Bay of Islands, which reports the loss of two more vessels off the coast.
30th.—A disturbance arose between some of the Scotch settlers and the natives about a knife; they came to Mr. Butler to settle the affair. One of the Scotchmen had hit one of the natives with a piece of wood on the side of the head, and made it bleed. They went into his house and took a blanket for payment.
31st.—A “Charity” sermon preached for the benefit of the sufferers by the fire. Seven pounds were collected.
JUNE 1st. — Ngatakahuni came in the morning. Mr. Butler and Mr. Breary went to Capt. Smith's to marry a couple, Mr. By. acting as clerk. Mr. Butler went to the pa, and had a long talk with the natives.
2nd.—Mr. B. and C. I. B. went to the east end of the beach to marry another couple, but Mr. MacFarlane had already married them.
4th.—Went to Thorndon with Mr. Butler, C.I.B., F., and Mr. Moreing in Atoru's canoe. The Queen's Proclamation was read by Mr. Shortland, secretary to Governor Hobson, taking possession of New Zealand.9th.—Building a house.
11th.—While at dinner a person of the name of Todd came and wanted Mr. Butler to go to his house and pacify some natives who were pulling his fence down.
21st.—Epuni, a chief, dined with us, by special invitation, and behaved remarkably well.
23rd.—To Dr. Heely's to agree with the natives about a house which they had built. Atoru dined with us. Gave some hymn books to some strangers.
25th.—A native from Kapiti sold a pig to a person named (Barry?) a constable, who agreed to give him £1 and one blanket. He gave the native the sovereign, killed the pig, and then would not give the blanket; the native declared he would not keep the money without the blanket, and there was a great disturbance. Mr. Riddiford came to Mr. Butler, and they went to (Barry?), who was very saucy; the native left the sovereign with Mr. Butler. Mr. Pierie had offered £2 for the pig, but the native wanted the blanket. Mr. Butler gave the native a 12qr. blanket, value £1 10s 0d.
26th.—Went to Pipitea in the canoe with Aponi. Mr. Butler visited Mr. Shortland, and had a long conversation. Mr. Riddiford went and returned with us. Went on board the “Bolton.” Capt. Robinson kindly received us; gave the natives rum and biscuits.27th.—Atoru went with the canoe to Thorndon to tow a raft of timber for Mr. Moreing.
28th.—Mr. Butler baptised Helen Chaffers, daughter of Daniel and Harriet Riddiford. Capt. Chaffers stood godfather, and myself as proxy for a lady in England. Miss Riddiford could not come, it was so rough.
JULY 1st.—A large meeting held in the Exchange to petition Captain Hobson to make this place the seat of government. Col. Wakefield was publicly solicited to convey the petition in person to the Bay of Islands. Mr. Butler, Epuni, and two of his sons, put up two notice boards, one on each of the native farms, forbidding anyone trespassing thereon.
3rd.—Natives up the river to cut rushes, flax and nikau for our house.
4th.—A native lad stole two tomahawks from Mr. Telford, who put him in irons, and came up to Mr. Butler requiring his assistance in this affair. Matanga and his wife here to breakfast; Epuni dined with us. Married James Williams of Cloudy Bay, and Jane Florence. Mr. Smith, Saml. Florence and myself present.
5th.—Divine Service as usual.
10th.—Epuni to breakfast; up river for boards for house; hurricane.
13th.—Engaged in the morning correcting the native language for the press.
14th.—Mr. Butler looking over N.Z. language. Our yard has been full of natives all day. Makiri, Epuni's son, spent the evening.15th.—Mr. Butler reading N.Z. corrections to the natives, to know if they are according to their pronunciation. Awari, Epuni's son, to breakfast.
16th.—Dreadful storm.
19th.—Divine Service as usual; Mr. Hunter rang a bell for the service.
21st.—Sold Mr. Riddiford three pairs of blankets and hatchet to pay for his house at Thorndon.
27th.—Mr. Butler went to Thorndon to attend a meeting about the division of the town land, to see that the natives were not imposed upon. Attended the funeral of a native at Pipitea.
28th.—Mr. Butler went to Thorndon about the division of land; he protested against the native pas being taken; there were some choices, chosen in the pa, but the governor protested against the native land being taken away from them.
AUGUST 6th.—A large fire up the river.
7th.—Waitera putting the mats on the sides of the house.
8th.—Wharepouri came to Mr. Collett's, and behaved himself very indecently, and remained all day.
9th.—Wharepouri here in company with Mr. Smith, the constable, and had a long conversation.
10th.—Wharepouri gone, as he says, to fetch some strange natives and make a fight.
16th.—Christened William John, son of George and Sarah Spackman.
17th.—Col. Wakefield came back.
22nd.—Paid the natives for building house two pairs blankets, £6; two pairs, £2; three gowns, £1 16s Od; four shirts, £1; three axes, 15/-; four planeirons, 4/-; money, £4; total, £17 5s Od.
25th.—Mr. Coglan's boat upset about two miles off. Mr. Collett and Mr. Child put off their boat to their assistance, and rescued them just in time. Mr. Fowler's boat upset on the beach opposite our house; eight or nine drowned, viz.: William Elsdon, William Lancaster, Chas. Rogers, Josiah Tucker, John Griffin, Martin Augustus, John Pierie, William Hight. Mr. Butler went down to Thorndon in Mr. Roskell's boat. He went on board the “Platina,” and remained all night.
26th.—The body of Rogers picked up at Waiwetu.
28th.—The bodies were buried in very solemn manner, almost the whole of the settlement attending. Mr. Butler performed the service; Mr. MacFarlane concluded with prayers.
30th.—“Platina” left for Thames. Messrs. Collett and Childs on board. Two earthquake shocks during the night.
SEPTEMBER 17th.—Mr. Hopper drowned in the river. He was sitting in the bows of the boat, which, striking a snag, tossed him out of it, and it is supposed stunned him. A native named Waitupi came and disputed the land at Koro Koro; said he would set fire to the house and burn it down.
19th.—A tremendous storm blew the schooner “Jewess” high and dry opposite Allen's.
20th.—Mr. Hopper buried.
21st.—Paid Mr. Hughes the balance of the account for the churchyard. The brougham came down to take away the Colonel's goods to Britannia.
23rd.—Two Europeans and three Maoris were attacked by Ngatikahingungu; they took one man, two women, and two children prisoners, and set them down at Waiwetu.
25th.—Mr. Allen's boat, returning from Britannia, picked up a body drowned at the upsetting of Mr. Fowler's boat; they buried him.
28th.—Severe earthquake.
29th.—Great alarm at the firing of guns. Upon Messrs Hunt, Henry and Judd enquiring, it was found to be the Scotch firing at a target.
Well this diary pretty much speaks for itself. There was obvious land disputes going on with the Maori and much tragedy. Death, Earthquakes, Fires, Hurricanes, burials, but also the joy of births, christenings and marriages. Welcome to their new world!!!
The Trevarthens off to Auckland
On the 21st Feb 1841 William, Elizabeth and their three children boarded the "Chelydra" bound for Auckland, along with a number of other "Wellington Settlers", arriving 5 days later.
The Wakefields were upset that they were losing "bonded" workers but they obviously had no paid work for them to do and William needed to provide for his family.
During their ten months in Wellington there had been Land disputes, 3 hurricanes, a Maori spearing a settler to death, numerious earthquakes, 8 drownings and 2 fires, one of those destroying 15 shacks!!! What a start to their new life in "little Britian".
Extract from pg 275 of EJW's book "An Adventure in New Zealand", recording his view of what else was going on that day!!.
"SELFISH VIEWS OF MR. WILLIAMS
Now it just oozed out, that Mr. Williams was charged to procure the assent of the chiefs in Cook's Strait to a similar cession of their sovereignty, in order to make the document a secure foundation on which to build the assumption of the sovereignty by the English Crown. Although Mr. Williams's negotiations with the chiefs of Port Nicholson for this purpose were conducted with great privacy and mystery, of course they had constantly reported the proceedings to Colonel Wakefield; who had yet been, for a long time, unable to discover what they were required to sign.
Another negotiation, however, had employed a considerable part of the Reverend Mr. Williams's time. He had communicated to Colonel Wakefield his claim, in the name of Richard Davis, the native teacher, to about sixty acres of land in the best part of Thorndon, where the town was about to be built. On investigation and inquiry, Colonel Wakefield found this claim to be totally without foundation.
Subsequently, in the course of a long and full conversation, Mr. Williams had very candidly explained himself. He had told Colonel Wakefield that he had a large family, and was naturally desirous of providing for them. He very plainly intimated that he wished to have some share in the profits likely to accrue from the growth of the infant colony, and so completely confessed his selfish views, that Colonel Wakefield, anxious to secure the friendship, or at any rate to ward off the enmity of so influential a person, at once offered to reserve for him two acres having frontage on the beach of the harbour, one in his own name, and one in that of Davis, on condition of his abandoning his original claim. The proposition had been at once acceded to.
Mr. Williams had been so earnestly engaged in the prosecution of this more personally advantageous object, that the natives had shrewdly perceived that some dispute was going on as to land between him and Colonel Wakefield, and were reluctant, while it appeared to last, to listen to any of the Government envoy's proposals. But, as soon as they saw the affair had been amicably arranged, they went on board in a body, got a blanket each, and signed the paper presented to them. Mr. Williams, having thus accomplished both his objects, proceeded to visit the other chiefs of Cook's Strait. He sailed the same day that I arrived from Kapiti.
The Arrival of the Bolton
On the 21st, another ship, the Bolton, had arrived from England; bearing, among other passengers, the Reverend J. F. Churton, who had been appointed chaplain by a Church Society in connexion with the settlement, and the Reverend J. G. Butler, also a clergyman of the Established Church. The arrival of these two gentlemen with their families had been hailed with much pleasure by the members of the Church of England."
It's amazing that this young 19 year old man, EGW's son, was right there on those critical day's of NZ history, recording the events in his diary. A few months later he would be in Wanganui negotiating with the Maori, on behalf of the New Zealand Co, the purchase of land for a new settlement.
Source material and additional reading:
Hannah Butlers Diary
An Adventure in New Zealand
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