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Murihiku: A History of the South Island of New Zealand and the Islands Adjacent and Lying to the South, from 1642 to 1835

CHAPTER XXIX. — Otago Whaling Station, 1831 to 1835

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CHAPTER XXIX.
Otago Whaling Station, 1831 to 1835.

TOWARDS the end of 1831 the Weller Brothers of Sydney decided to form a whaling establishment at lishment at Otago Harbour, and, with that object in view, purchased a barque of 214 tons, called the Lucy Ann, from the New South Wales Government, and sent her away with the stores necessary, and under the command of Captain Owen. Her cargo for the first trading establishment at Otago combined the arts of peace and war to a charming degree: 6 cases muskets, 10 barrels and 104 half barrels gunpowder, 1 case axes, 2 iron boilers, 5 casks beef, 1 case whaling gear, 1 case whaling line, 1 pipe gin, 2 puncheons rum, 5 kegs tobacco and stores. Probably the ammunition was required for the natives, the alcohol for the whalers.

When the Lucy Ann returned on 29th February, 1832, she brought a cargo comprised wholly of timber and flax: 100 spars, 10,649ft. planks, 1200 trennails and ½ ton flax, consigned to J. B. Weller. It is not stated where the timber was obtained but the author is of opinion that it was loaded on board the vessel at Port Pegasus.

In the beginning of April, 1832, and before the whaling season opened, word reached Sydney that a fire had broken out accidentally at Otago and burnt about 80 houses, totally destroying the whaling establishment. Through the fire a considerable quantity of gunpowder also exploded. This was a terrible blow to the Wellers and meant the loss of a whole whaling season. On 28th May Mr. George Weller went down to Otago in the Lucy Ann.

The first record of oil from the Otago establishment is on the arrival at Sydney of the Lucy Ann on 7th November, 1833, under the command of Captain Wm.

page 410

Worth, when she brought up 130 tuns oil, 7 tons whalebone, 1 ton flax, 8 tons potatoes and 1 cask seal skins. She also brought up 5 New Zealanders as passengers. Worth reported that whales were so plentiful when she left that twice the cargo could have been procured had she possessed a sufficient supply of casks. He also reported the wreck at Auckland Island.

At a date which the author has not been able to ascertain, the Wellers arranged for the building of a schooner at Port Pegasus, by the shipbuilding party left there by Stewart about 1826. Captain Morrell, who called in there during the first week of 1830, says that a gang of men from Sydney were engaged in building a vessel then. This was probably Cook and his party, at the vessel which later on became the Joseph Weller. As the Wellers decided in 1831 to establish a station at Otago, this may have been the year arrangements were made between them and Cook's party, and the vessel which Morrell saw upon the stocks may probably have been gone on with for the Otago firm. From the nature of her cargo it would appear that the Lucy Ann called there in 1832 and she is, as we have seen, recorded as sailing from Port Pegasus when she came up with her first cargo of oil. She brought up, at the same time, news of the launching of the Joseph Weller, the first vessel recorded as having been built at Stewart Island. While examining the old Custom's records in Sydney, the author stumbled over a portion of the correspondence which took place in the matter of an application for a register for the vessel, although she had not been built in New South Wales. The correspondence opens with a letter to Mr. George Weller.

Sydney,
19th November, 1833.

George Weller, Esq.

“We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter addressed to the Controller stating that your brother had launched a schooner at New Zealand, and requesting that a sailing letter may be granted to her to trade between the islands in the South Seas and page 411 “New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, requesting also to be informed whether the produce of New Zealand when brought in the schooner to New South Wales will be treated as foreign. In reply, we have to acquaint you that vessels built at New Zealand can bring the produce of that Island only to New South Wales or Van Diemen's Land, and that hitherto no duty has been levied upon such produce in this colony. We are, however, invested by law with no authority to grant licences to foreign built vessels, which precludes us in this instance complying with your request.

James Brown

pC.

Bueman Langa

Cont.

The Joseph Weller reached Sydney from New Zealand on her first trip on 31st December, 1833, under the command of Captain Morris, with a cargo which included 33 bales flax, 7 ironwood timbers, 25 rough hand spikes, 4901bs whalebone, 13 casks oil and 3 fur seal skins. On her arrival she was the subject of the closest scrutiny by the Customs and the correspondence shows that her arrival must have excited more than ordinary interest amongst the officers.

1st January, 1834.
Captain Roach,
Revenue Cutter.

“We request that you will immediately report to us whether you boarded the George Weller which vessel has anchored this morning in the Cove, and if not you will be pleased to state your reasons why that important part of your duty has been in this instance neglected.”

Jas Brown

pC.

Bueman Langa

C.

Tradition says that Cook and his party of shipbuilders went to Sydney on board of the schooner, and when they landed there, one of the first men met on the street was Stewart. The old captain of the Prince of Denmark came page 412 forward eagerly to shake hands but Cook indignantly declined, asking why he had been left down at Pegasus with seven men to starve for want of supplies. Stewart's reply was that he had been put into jail in Sydney for debt and could not get back, not having long escaped from durance vile. This reply rather mollified the indignant shipbuilder and peace was once more restored; shortly afterwards, Cook returned with some of his men to the Bay of Islands, where Harry, then a mere lad, has resided ever since.

The trading difficulty was afterwards overcome by the receipt of orders from London to issue licenses to vessels built at New Zealand. A license was issued for the Joseph Weller and the Home authorities advised in the following terms:—

4th September, 1834.
No. 37.

Honourable Sirs,

“In compliance with the directions contained in Your Honor's Order of the 20th December 1833, No. 36, we report that the undermentioned vessels built at New Zealand have been furnished with Licenses to trade as British Ships between that Island and the Australian Colonies since the receipt of that Order on the 12th June 1834.”

S. Gibbes

, Coll.

Burman Langa

Contr.

“No. 1 Joseph Weller Schooner 49 69/94 tons Ralph Snowden Master belonging to George Weller Merchant Sydney, built in the year 1831.”

On 17th February, 1834, the Joseph Weller, Morris, sailed for Otago with stores.

On 22nd April the Lucy Ann, Worth, which had sailed from New Zealand on the twelfth, returned with a cargo of 10 logs of timber, 890 rickers, 165 handspikes, 13 casks black whale oil, 6cwt. whalebone, 2 casks seal skins, 3 tons flax, 86 bundles coopers' flags, 2 tons potatoes and 23 barrels of salt fish, consigned to George Weller. She then took in whaling stores and a gang of whalers and sailed for Otago page 413 on 19th May under Anglem, late of the Caroline, whose place was taken by Captain Bruce.

The Lucy Ann returned from this voyage on 16th August, having left New Zealand on 21st July with 100 tuns of black oil, ½ ton whalebone and 3 tons potatoes. She brought with her as passengers several Maoris taken away by Anglem against their will. The following day the Joseph Weller came into port, having called in at Port Nicholson and Cloudy Bay and brought Guard, of the shipwrecked Harriet, to Sydney. Her cargo was 120 tuns black oil, 4½ tons whalebone and 3½ tons of potatoes.

Captain Anglem's account of his Otago experiences was as follows:—

“While the Lucy Ann was at Otago, a very-large body of natives, about five hundred, arrived from Cloudy Bay, where they had been at war with a contending tribe. They treated the residents with much insolence, and struck Mr. Weller repeatedly, and assaulted Captain Hayward and most of the gentlemen there. They took the pipes out of the mouths of the servants, and went into the houses and broke open the boxes, taking whatever they thought proper from them. After this about half of them left Otago for the purpose of going, as they said, to Port Bunn (the establishment of George Bunn & Co.) which they did. The rest remained behind, and while there a child belonging to one of the chiefs died, which, under some superstitious impression, they attributed to the visit of the Lucy Ann. In consequence of this they resolved to take the vessel and assassinate Mr. Weller, Captain Hayward, Captain Anglim, and the rest of the Europeans. On going ashore for a raft of oil, Captain Hayward was informed, by one of the native boys, of the intentions of the natives to murder them all and take the ship. Captain Anglim immediately left off work, and before daylight next morning the Lucy Ann was in a state of defence.

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“The natives soon found that the Europeans were acquainted with their intentions, and gave up the idea of taking the vessel for that time. Captain Anglim previous to his departure, for the better security of the lives of the residents at Otago, and its neighbourhood, persuaded some of the Chiefs on board, and having got them below set sail for Sydney in the most secret manner, and kept the natives as hostages for the good conduct of their tribe during the absence of the Lucy Ann. The utmost consternation is felt about this part of New Zealand, by the labourers belonging to those gentlemen who are residing near Otago, and very little work can be done by them.”

The Lucy Ann had the misfortune to lose three of her men while whaling off the coast, through a boat capsizing while they were fast to a whale. She brought up a sample of New Zealand coal which was represented as clean and bright burning and likely to form another article of commerce with the islands.

At the same time an extract from a letter dated 21st July, which came up in the Lucy Ann and which is evidently from the pen of Mr. Weller, was published in the “Sydney Gazette” of 18th August.

“I am very sorry to inform you that the natives have been very insolent and troublesome; they were on the point of taking and plundering the Lucy Ann but for the activity of Captain Anglin, who repulsed them. The brig Mary Elizabeth, Captain Lovatt, from Hobart Town, very narrowly escaped capture, by making a precipitate retreat; they took her boat, gear, and dead whales, and also took out of the vessel whatever they thought proper; I did not fare better myself, as they took from me whatever they pleased, and would have killed most of us, had there not been a Chief's son residing with you in Sydney, and whom I told them would be hanged if they destroyed any of us,—this had the desired effect.

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“I shall be obliged to leave the place if some sort of protection be not afforded to the Europeans. What havoc have they not been making at Cloudy Bay.”

The Joseph Weller returned to Otago on 4th September.

About this date Mr. Weller decided to ship some of the Otago oil direct to England instead of via Sydney, and he made enquiries of the Customs officers whether that could be done. The difficulty which presented itself was as follows:—The law of England imposed a duty on whale oil according to whether it was caught by the crews of British ships and imported direct from the fishery or from any British Possession in a British ship, when it was one shilling per tun, or whether it was the produce of Foreign fishing, when it was £26 12s. per tun. Mr. Weller wanted to know whether the oil taken at his establishment at Otago could be imported direct into England. The Sydney authorities were unable to advise and stated the following case for the opinion of London.

25th October, 1834.

Honourable Sirs

“Application having been made to us by Mr. Weller a respectable merchant at this place, for information as to whether oil shipped under the following circumstances would be admitted as British.

“We beg leave to submit the case to your Honours' Consideration.

“Mr. Weller has an establishment at Otago, New Zealand, for catching fish and preparing the Oil, which Establishment is wholly British, the men the gear and the Boats, and the party is furnished with provisions from this Port.

“Mr. Weller then wishes to know whether if he sends from home a British vessel, to take on board and carry direct to England the oil thus cured, and obtain from the Resident at the Bay of Islands, a page 416 “certificate that it is so caught, it will be admitted as English.”

J. Gibbes

Coll.

Burman Langa

Cr.

Unable to ascertain whether he could ship direct, Mr. Weller chartered the John Barry, 540 tons, Robinson, to proceed to Otago for oil and return to Sydney with same before proceeding to London. The chartered vessel left on the 24th September with a supply of whaling stores.

Four days after the John Barry left Sydney the Joseph Weller sailed from Otago under circumstances set out in a letter published in the “Sydney Herald” of 16th October, thought to be from the pen of Captain Hayward.

Otago New Zealand
28th September 1834.

“The schooner Joseph Weller arrived on the 21st of September, all safe, I believe, through her timely arrival, our lives have obtained a respite of a few weeks, that is to say, as soon as the Lucy Ann shall arrive, and the two Chiefs which went up in her shall return. They make no hesitation in telling us that they will murder us all, and divide our property among them, each man having made his selection. Since their return from Cloudy Bay, they have been so much emboldened by their success in plundering the white people there, and they take from us whatever suits their fancy, such as our clothing, and food off our very plates—help themselves to oil, in such quantities as they require, from our pots. They say white people are afraid of them, for great numbers of vessels have been taken and plundered by them, and white men killed, and Europeans dare not come and punish them for so doing; and if they did come they (the natives) would all run into the bush, where they would be enabled to kill all the Europeans; but white men do not know how to fight with a New Zealander. We asked them why they wished to kill us? they answer with as much indifference as a butcher would do, that it was necessary for their safety, for then ‘no one would know what would become of us.’ We are page 417 under constant apprehension of being burnt in our beds every night; and of the Natives robbing and shooting those that remain, as they attempt to escape. Once or twice Tabooca (Te Whakataupuka), who is one of the worst disposed Chiefs, and a horrid cannibal, came up with his mob with, that intention, armed, but was persuaded to desist by the relatives of those Chiefs in Sydney, until the arrival of the Lucy Ann; when after some consultation, they departed, having first endeavoured to provoke me to quarrel. However a fire they would have, and they burnt down a Native's and a European's house. The schooner Joseph Weller, having brought the news that two ships of war were coming to New Zealand to seek revenge for the murder of the people of the Harriet, surprised them a little but when they heard the small number of men (nearly sixty) they laughed at the idea. Notwithstanding, that very circumstance has saved the Joseph Weller from being taken, and all of us from being massacred, the night after her arrival. Had those chiefs come down that went up to Sydney in the Lucy Ann, all would now have been over with us, for as soon as it became dark, a great number of strangers crowded on board, under pretence of bringing women, when they began an indiscriminate plunder—some opening the hatches and going below—others taking whatever they could lay their hands upon, but were once more stopped by the relations of the Chiefs in Sydney; so you see everything is got ready for an immediate attack, and God only Knows what our fates may be. We put great hopes in the statements which have appeared in the Sydney Papers, that two men-of-war were on the coast, and in all probability they will visit this place; if they do not come here after having told the natives they would, and seek revenge if they should kill us, our fates will then be certain. However we are all prepared for the worst, and we are determined to die like men, and not give up the ghost without a struggle. We are all well armed, and are determined to sell our lives as dearly as possible. We have petitioned the Governor for assistance, but I am fearful page 418 that it will arrive too late to rescue us from destruction. If you should get this letter, send down another vessel well armed with the Lucy Ann. I have only landed part of the goods from the schooner; the remainder I return, and have despatched Mr. Snowden in hope that he may arrive in time to make arrangements for sending down two vessels to bring up all our property, as the whole of us intend to abandon the place should our lives be spared.”

Snowden reached Sydney on 15th October with 28 tuns oil and 3 tons of bone. He saw no other vessels, going or returning, nor did he hear anything of the movements of the Alligator or of the Isabella.

The next trip of the Joseph Weller Mr. Edward Weller came up from Otago, leaving there on 15th November and reaching Sydney on the twenty-sixth. The John Barry was at Otago at the same time and sailed three days before the Joseph Weller with 155 tuns of oil and 10 tons of whalebone, reaching Sydney four days later. The word brought up by these vessels was that the natives had become very civil and their conduct had improved so much that Mr. Weller had made up his mind to remain a few months longer. On 4th December Captain Stitt took down Mr. Edward Weller, Mr. Philpson and Mr. William Shaw in the Joseph Weller to the Otago station.

The plethora of news from Otago during the year 1834 gives place to a very commonplace repetition of arrivals, departures and cargoes during 1835.

On 8th January, 1835, the Lucy Ann sailed, with Captain Anglem in command, but beyond the fact that she left New Zealand on 23rd April and returned on 19th May with 50 barrels of oil on board, nothing is known of her trip.

On 14th February the Joseph Weller sailed from the “southern part of New Zealand” with 1½ tons whalebone, 31 casks salt fish, 65 seal skins, 4000 dried fish and a cask of sundries, and reached Sydney on 4th March under the command of Stitt. She sailed again on the seventeenth of the same month and returned on 11th May. Captain page 419 Camroux then went on board and left on the twenty-fourth with Edward Weller and a whaling gang for the season then opened. He returned on 25th July after a passage of 27 days with 12 tuns of oil and 4 tons of whalebone and 10 tons of potatoes. Mr. T. Gray was the only passenger.

On 11th March the brig Children, 254 tons, Durocher, sailed for New Zealand. She had been chartered to convey stores to Otago, intending to call at another part of the country for a cargo of flax.

Shortly after the Joseph Weller left Otago on her last trip, Mr. Joseph Weller, who had been suffering from consumption, died. His remains were preserved in a puncheon of rum and shipped on board the barque Sushannah, Ridley, on 6th September, when she was loading for Sydney. She reached Sydney on the twenty-seventh and reported that measles was making headway among the Maoris.

The Lucy Ann which had so long traded with Otago now began to seek for fresh places for the pursuit of whales and sailed on 1st June for Port Cooper. On 22nd September she left that port with 90 tuns oil and a few tons of whalebone. She had been absent from Sydney for only about five months and Captain Rapsey stated that had it not been for rough weather he would have filled his vessel in that time. The Joseph Weller was the only vessel in Port Cooper when the Lucy Ann left. The former afterwards sailed to Otago and, taking on board a gang of whalers there on 2nd December, returned to Sydney on the eighteenth, with 8 casks of oil, 13 tons whalebone and 400 bags of potatoes, consigned to G. Weller.

On 29th September the Collector of Customs received from the Board of Customs, London, a reply to Mr. Weller's queries of the previous year.

Customs House London
30th May 1835

Gentlemen

“Having read your Letter of the 25th October last No. 49 requesting to be informed whether Oil taken page 420 “By a British Establishment at Otago in New Zealand and shipped from thence on board a British Vessel to this Country accompanied by a Certificate from the Resident at New Zealand, would upon its arrival here be admitted as British.

“We acquaint you that as New Zealand is not a British Possession, oil imported from thence will be liable to a duty of £26 12s per tun.”

John Dean


Hy. Legge


W. L. Haberly.

Sydney, New South Wales.

The following reply was then given to Mr. Weller:

29th September 1835.
George Weller Esq.
Sydney

“By a letter received this day from the Board of Customs in reply to our communication of the 25th October last we are informed that as New Zealand is not a British Possession Oil imported from thence into Great Britain will be liable to the duty of £26 12s. per tun.

J. Gibbes

Coll.

R. S. Webb

Act. Cont.