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Chapter XVI.

Thus urged, the directors advertised on the 22nd of September that they would receive tenders for the hire of two vessels of not less than 450, nor more than 650 tons, one of which was to sail from London and one from Glasgow about the 30th of October. From the Argo to the Mayflower, from the Arawa to the Tory, a romantic story or a great repute has always attached to those "first ships" and their sailors which left the shores of home for some obscure and distant land. Now this sentiment has been crushed out by steam and electricity, but fifty years ago the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing of Otago, and the "first four ships" of Canterbury, were invested with a halo which will always surround them.

The ship John Wickliffe was built in 1841 and was classed A 1 at Lloyd's. She was 662 tons measurement and was owned by Mr. John Sands, of Greenock, who was paid 2,000 guineas for her charter. The barque Philip Laing, of 547 tons, belonged to Messrs. Laing and Ridley, of Liverpool, who received something over £1,800. They were to be at their respective ports of departure—London and Greenock—by the latter end of October, and were advertised to sail on the 20th and 25th of November. The terms for passage varied from 35 guineas to 60 guineas, for the fore cabin 20 guineas, and 16 guineas for the steerage. The John Wickliffe was the storeship of the expedition, and was heavily laden with a varied supply of goods suited to the requirements of a young community beginning housekeeping in a strange land, and were for sale a little beyond cost price. There were thousands of bricks and slates, all the appurtenances of the mechanical trades, for blacksmiths, wheelwrights, plumbers, painters; wheelbarrows, spades, and pickaxes, guns and muskets, and tons of provisions of all kinds. £500 was placed on board, £100 being in gold, £350 in silver, and £50 worth of fourpenny pieces. The commander was Bartholomew page 93Daly, an Irishman and first-rate sailor, and long engaged in the East India trade. The surgeon-superintendent was Dr. Henry Manning, of London, who remained in the colony and died at Warepa, near Balclutha, in 1886. There were ninety-seven emigrants, headed by Captain Cargill the leader. But the Philip Laing carried the bulk of the emigrants, of whom there were two hundred and forty-seven souls, placed under the supervision of the Rev. Thomas Burns, the Aaron of the settlement. Her commander was Captain A. J. Elles, who afterwards married Clementina, Mr. Burns's eldest daughter, and who died at Invercargill in 1887. Dr. Robert Ramsay, who still practises in Scotland, was surgeon-superintendent. Mr. Burns was requested by the Company to act as its agent and representative on board ship and to exercise the same powers in case he should land first in the settlement.

After various delays everything was ready for sea. On the 22nd of November Captain Cargill received his formal appointment and power of attorney as the Company's resident agent. His salary was £500 per annum, and he and his family had a free passage provided. On the 24th the John Wickliffe sailed from Gravesend, and this was the signal for fresh disaster. It did seem, as the pious Mr. Burns had long before surmised, that the devil himself exercised a baneful influence on the scheme which he was determined yet to thwart. Heavy weather raged round the British coast, and for three weeks the vessel was buffeted about the English Channel; she commenced to leak, which necessitated constant pumping. At length on the 8th of December, with opened seams and the cabin afloat, she dropped anchor at Portsmouth, there to effect necessary repairs. Leaving again on the 16th amidst boisterous weather and heavy seas, she narrowly escaped collision with a large homeward bound barque—the two vessels being within but a few yards of each other. Thus commenced a voyage undertaken, as one of the Glasgow resolutions put it, to secure the settlers a summer voyage in southern latitudes. Here, with the exception of a narrow escape from wreck on the Scilly Islands and then on Kerguelen's Land, all further mischance ceased, and the remainder of the voyage was made in comfort and fine weather. The equator was crossed on the 15th of January, the thirty-second day out, and on Wednesday the 22nd of March, 1848, the ship dropped anchor within Taiaroa Heads, moving up to Port Chalmers the following day. There were twenty-four persons in the cabin— page 94thirteen adults and eleven children; Captain Cargill, his wife and five children; the Rev. T. D. Nicolson, a Presbyterian minister, who, with his wife and three children, was proceeding to Nelson; Mr. Garrick, a solicitor, his wife, governess, and three children; Mr. W. H. Cutten, who married Miss Cargill and later resided at Anderson's Bay, and Mr. Julius Jeffreys, long a wellknown settler. The remaining cabin passengers were destined for other parts of New Zealand. In the forecabin and steerage were seventy-two passengers, mostly English, of whom probably not more than fifteen now remain. The religious services were conducted by Mr. Nicolson. A small school was established with Mr. Henry Monson as master, and Miss Westland as matron, who received for their services gratuities of £10 and £5 respectively. The late Mr. William Mosley of Inch Clutha was constable; his duties were to preserve order and to look after the lights, for which he received a gratuity of 2s. 6d. per week.

But most interest centred around the Philip Laing, the representative vessel of the expedition with her 247 Scotch passengers. She weighed anchor from Greenock on the 27th of November, but like her sister vessel, encountered the same wild weather, which compelled her to seek shelter first in Lamlash Bay and then in Milford Haven, from which harbour of refuge she did not finally sail until the 20th of December. Prior to her departure an interesting ceremony took place. In the early days of New Zealand emigration, it was a not unusual custom to speed a departing emigrant vessel by means of some function—a breakfast, ball, fête, or religious service. Probably the last of the "send offs" was in 1850, when the "Canterbury Pilgrims" sailed. On that occasion there was a large public breakfast followed by a ball on board one of the vessels. The sober Scotch chose no such frivolous way to bid farewell. When nearly ready for sea a large party assembled on the vessel. A portion of the appropriate 72nd Psalm was read, followed by singing and prayer. The hymn chosen was the 100th in the Presbyterian collection, composed by Dr. Doddridge—

"O God of Bethel! by whose hand
Thy children all were led."

The Rev. Dr. McFarlan then addressed the emigrants on the duties that would devolve on them, to secure their own happiness and the success of the settlement. Mr. page 95McGlashan, the Secretary of the Association, then narrated the arrangements that had been made for the comfort of all in so careful and liberal a spirit. There were twelve passengers in the cabin, the Rev. T. Burns, his wife, son, and five daughters; Mr. Blackie, the schoolmaster; Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie of Edinburgh, and Mr. Donaldson. The remainder of the passengers were in the steerage, where most complete arrangements had been made. Ninety-three were children under fourteen years of age. The regulations were admirable, but Spartan in their strictness, and not such certainly as would be complied with to-day. The people rose at 6.30 and by 7.30 were all on deck. There was no breakfast until the berths had been scrubbed out and cleansed. Twice a day, at 10.30 and 7.30, there was religious service, with one additional on Sunday. At 11 school commenced, and again at 4, conducted by Mr. Blackie, who was assisted by a few of the better educated passengers. Dinner was served at 2, and tea at 5.30. The discipline was rigorous and faithfully enforced. One persistently guilty youth was condemned to have his head shaved, a sentence which was commuted at the earnest request of his parents to close cropping of his hair. Another criminal was imprisoned in the coalhole for several hours. The enjoyments consisted principally in singing national songs and in practising church psalmody. No land was sighted during the voyage, which, after the first bitter experiences, was on the whole an agreeable one. Otago Harbour was entered on Saturday the 15th of April, 24 days after the arrival of the John Wickliffe, and 140 after the first start from Greenock.

To return to the latter vessel. She made land off Stewart's Island, and from this to Taiaroa's Head her course was close to shore. Off the Molyneux Harbour two guns were fired to attract any whaleboat happening to be thereabout. There was no reply, and after waiting some time Captain Daly cautiously pursued his way through these unknown seas, and with but little better chart than that of Captain Cook. He anxiously scanned every point to find out the entrance to the Heads. Guns were again fired, and the vessel lay to, and soon to the intense relief of all two little boats shot out from the steep bluff. One contained Mr. Kettle and a Maori crew, the other the pilot, Richard Driver, and his crew, also Maoris. As previously said, the anchor was not dropped within the Heads until the following morning, the 22nd. During the unavoidable delay the Maoris proved most acceptable page 96visitors, and made friends with all on board. A little incident raised them greatly in estimation. The waters were teeming with barracouta, and several passengers who had brought out the most approved tackle began to fish with much patience but no success. After watching these operations for some time with good-humoured contempt, the Maoris split up an old cask stave in pieces, which they armed with a flax string, hook, and bit of red rag, and soon caught a boat load. Driver, the pilot, died last year at Purakanui in his 85th year. He enjoyed the reputation of spinning the toughest of tough yarns, and on this occasion he was amply able to supply his eager listeners with many such indigestible morsels. Born at Bristol in 1812, he went to sea as a boy of 14 in the Governor Ready, a vessel which carried convicts to Hobart Town and soldiers to Sydney. Thence he went to America, and after a due amount of whaling and adventure found himself about 1838 in New Zealand. The adventurous aspect of his life ceased in 1847 upon receiving from Governor Grey the respectable appointment of first pilot to the Otago settlement.

Most of the young and unencumbered men left the old vessel without delay, and with stout hearts and heavy knapsacks made their toilsome way to Dunedin through the surveyor's track. The weather was serene and warm for a time, so that the taste of their new life was all that could be depicted by a Defoe. Captain Cargill and his friends came up by boat and pitched their tents on the beach line. Captain Cargill's was a very conspicuous affair, giving life to the beach, its bell shape and scarlet bindings marking him out as leader of the camp. The women and children remained on board for some weeks, and were then pulled up to Dunedin with their belongings by boat-loads, where they entered the shelters prepared for them by their male relatives.

Whilst this was proceeding, word was received that the Philip Laing had arrived at Port Chalmers. She was boarded by Pilot Driver, whose boat, manned by a fine native crew, was the admiration of all as it swiftly pulled alongside the weather-beaten vessel. A thousand hurrahs rent the air, and with sails again bellying in the breeze, the Philip Laing sailed swiftly to her anchorage. All were in a state of bustle and excitement, each chattering to his neighbour and struck with the magnificent amphitheatre of wooded hills around. Barely had the grating sound of the chains and heavy splash of the anchor page 97announced that the voyage was at last over, before a loud cry of "man overboard" rang out. In the moment of this supreme confusion, a little child had fallen from its mother's arms. Without a moment's delay, Mr. Blackie, the schoolmaster, sprang over the side and rescued the little one from its imminent peril, for the tide was running fast. Safely on deck with his charge, the air was again rent with a thousand hurrahs. Soon Captain Cargill was on board and welcomed the old friend, who, for so many bitter years, had been so staunch a henchman. The battle was won at last and now they stood together victorious. It mattered little what other difficulties lay in the unknown future; they could not surpass those which had been overcome. Captain Cargill now addressed the assembled people. First thanking God for His mercies vouchsafed, and then congratulating them on their safe arrival, he proceeded to give them some homely, plain advice as to their future conduct. He concluded by saying that he had fixed the rate of wages for public works at 3s. a day for labourers, and 5s. for craftsmen. There was constant boat communication between the vessels and the town, and it was some weeks before the last of the women and children and the stores were removed.

The shelters or barracks, as they were called, were situated along the beach which extended from the junction of High and Rattray Streets to Dowling Street. They were long and low, and constructed of native grass, rushes, flax, and small timber. That built by the Scotch emigrants was 60 feet in length entered by a door at one end. The single girls occupied the upper part, the married folks the middle, and the single men the lower part. The sight must have been as unique as it was busy and interesting. The Maoris helped their new comrades with all the good humour of the race; indeed, their assistance was invaluable in the erection of these primitive dwellings. The forms, tables, and other fittings brought from the vessels, composed the furniture. The cooking was done outside gipsy-fashion; fuel was abundant and to be had for the cutting. All were active, happy, and exhilarated under the new conditions and the serene skies which preceded the stormy and rainy weather. The landing of the cargo was much mismanaged and occupied two whole months. There was no recognised leader in the business, and the cases, crates, and casks were dragged up the bank from the boats by main strength.