1836.

By 24th January the news of the capture of the Lord Rodney, and of the two compulsory expeditions to Chatham Island were brought to Sydney by the Lord Rodney herself.

On 16th February the Harlequin and the Success were at Cook Strait, and on that date the latter sailed for Sydney, leaving the former to sail for the Bay of Islands. It was then stated that the Halcyon was engaged conveying natives from Port Nicholson to Chatham Island, which would indicate that after the Active had failed them the American captain had put his vessel at the disposal of the emigrants.

Mr. and Mrs. Guard were in Sydney at that time and took advantage of the schooner Industry sailing for Cook Strait, on 20th February, to return home with their three children. Amongst the other passengers was Thomas Evans. On 12th April, the Industry sailed from Cloudy Bay for Hokianga.

Just at this time Queen Charlotte Sound and Cloudy were visited by a missionary. The Rev. Mr. White and his wife were proceeding to New Zealand to take up mission work in the North Island, and sailed in the Martha from Sydney on 24th March. The Martha's route was to call at Queen Charlotte Sound and Cloudy Bay before sailing up the West Coast of the North Island to Kawhia, Manukau, Kaipara, and Hokianga. This is probably the first missionary visit to Cook Strait and the missionary work which was reported later as visible in Queen Charlotte Sound may have owed something to this visit.

April saw the Sydney merchants making extensive preparations for the bay whaling trade on the New Zealand page 149 coast. Wright and Long purchased the Governor Bourke to fit out for sperm and black whaling, and also equipped the Roslyn Castle for bay whaling. The Caroline was also reported to be getting ready. On 8th April the Mediterranean Packet had come up from Otago and was at Cloudy Bay, where she found the Hobart Town whaler, Marianne, with 1400 barrels. Captain Sinclair was determined to be early at his post, as whales could hardly be expected for some time yet. At Cloudy Bay most of the Mediterranean Packet sailors deserted, after they had plundered the vessel, and concealed themselves until the brig had sailed. It was generally believed that the men had been decoyed ashore by some of the whaling gangs, and as the season wore on this decoying away of the men became a very serious matter.

From 8th April onwards the whalers began to arrive at Cloudy Bay, until Captain Shaw, who had taken down the Lynx for a cargo from R. Jones and Co's, stations, found, on 15th June, no less than 18 whaling vessels at anchor in Port Underwood. Of these, 13 were American, while 2 were Tasmanian, 2 English, and 1 French. It was significant that the 3 Sydney boats—the Elizabeth, the Roslyn Castle, and the Governor Bourke—which might have been expected to have the best information about the prospects for the season, had left the Bay, the first going to Port Cooper, and the other two to Chatham Island. Captain Shaw took count of how many whales had been captured, and he gave 20½ to the 13 American whalers, 6 to the 2 Tasmanian, 1½ to the 2 English, none to the French vessel, and 1 each to the Sydney whalers which had sailed away. For what might be regarded as the first six weeks of the season there were, therefore, 31 whales to be divided among 21 whalers.

On 9th August, Wright and Long's brig, the Bee, which had sailed from Sydney on 21st November, 1835, to cruise for whales and to establish a whaling station at Port Cooper, returned under Captain Parkinson with 66 tuns of black oil, 9 tuns of sperm, and 3½ tons of page 150 whalebone. She reported the following vessels and cargoes at Port Cooper:—

• The Sisters, Sparling, 52 tuns and 1 whale alongside.
• The Harriett, Howe, 35 tuns.
• The Australian, Rhodes, 4 tuns and 1 whale alongside.
• The Caroline, Cherry, 50 tuns.
• The Elizabeth, Fowler, 90 tuns.
• The Nile (American), 80 tuns.
• The Friendship (American). 80 tuns.

The Caroline had left for Port Nicholson prior to the sailing of the Bee, and Captain Parkinson stated that the coast of New Zealand was covered with American whalers several of which were at Otago Harbour.

Outside of the above press record of the movements of the Bee we are indebted to “The Piraki Log” for the following:—The Bee same to an anchor at Banks Peninsula on 18th February, and as she was in a very leaky state a great deal of attention had to be paid to her to fit her for further voyaging. On 27th March two boats were sent to Akaroa, and they returned on 1st April. The same port was again visited on 7th and 8th April. Potatoes for the gang were purchased from the natives who resided in the upper part of the Harbour. Spars for the shore house were procured from Pigeon Bay on 15th April. The Friendship and the Nile arrived on 27th April. On the second of the following month the first whale was captured. The Caroline arrived on 20th May, and the Australian on 15th July. On the 23rd July the shore party left the brig with their try pots. The Bee sailed on the twenty-fourth and came to an anchor in Darling Harbour on 9th August.

Though no mention is made of the cove in which the Bee anchored, the reader of “The Piraki Log” should note that it was in Port Cooper, and not in Piraki. that the events recorded in the year 1836 took place.

On 23rd August the Dublin Packet, under the command of Captain F. Leathart, came up from Cloudy Bay with 75 tuns of black oil, 5 tuns of sperm, and 4 tons of page 151 whalebone. When she sailed from Cloudy Bay on 8th August, there were there 11 American vessels, and the Cheviot (English) with 100 barrels, the Roslyn Castle, which had returned to the Bay on 13th July, with 100, and the Mississippi (French) with 150. The cargo of the Dublin Packet was from Captain Duke's Establishment.

On 12th September the Roslyn Castle and the Cheviot sailed for Kapiti. Six days later the Australian reached Cloudy Bay from Port Cooper. She had lost 15 of her crew by desertion and was on the look-out for more men. Later on she sailed for the Bay of Islands.

On 19th August the Bee sailed from Sydney back to her gang at Port Cooper. Her log states that she anchored at Kapiti on the twenty-sixth, sailed over to Cloudy Bay on the twenty-eighth, left that port on the thirty-first, and anchored at Port Cooper on 2nd September.

Amongst the manuscripts in the possession of the author is one in the form of an advance note given by the Captain on the wages of one of the seamen. The interesting little document reads as follows:—

£0.10.0 Stg. Sydney, 15th Aug. 1836

Three days after the sailing of the Brig Bee and providing that Billy Williams be reported to be on board Pay to his order the sum of Ten Shillings, being an advance, and in part of his wages as ordinary seaman on board the said Vessel.

Payable at Mr. Long's Office, George St.

(Written across the face.)
Accepted,

Jas. Wright.

By the Bee, Long sent the following letter to Hempleman:—

Sydney 17 August……….
Mr. Geo. Hempleman

Sir

We have again dis……..the Brig Bee with extra hands & good ……of Stores and necessaries for your whaling……..

page 152

I trust that the promptitude which you cannot fail of observing we have display'd in sending you our vessel in so short a space of time will have the effect of causing you to use your utmost in returning her to us as soon as possible & with a good cargo.

In future we do not allow the Bee to sail away from you with so few hands, in case of a Loss—our policy of insurance would be useless—Eight men. or 7 men & 1 Boy are as small a number of hands you can well furnish her with. We wish you to procure for us to as great an extent as your means will enable you—as many Flags & Spars as possible,—Let these also come up next p. trip of the Bee.

We are Sir

Your Obedt Servant

Wm. Long……..

The flags were evidently flagstones. They would be utilised for floors and pathways, and would command a figure for similar uses in Sydney.

The Bee was back at Cloudy Bay on 6th November and reached Sydney on 23rd December, with 20 tuns of black oil and 1 ton of whalebone.

Under date 13th September a letter written from Port Cooper, from an agent to a London House concerned in the whole fishery, and sent to New Bedford by the Nile, says:—

“The ships at Port Cooper have not done much, but better than the Cloudy Bay ships. The Elizabeth has taken 150 tuns, and she was late on the ground. There are three other Sydney ships here, one deserted by her crew, and the others with about 115 tuns each. The season is nearly over in the bays, and I consider the whale and shore parties to have taken this season about twenty thousand barrels (American, French and English ships), in all forty ships and six shore parties. N.B.—A great quantity page 153 of the above oil will not be on the market this eighteen months, as most of the ships will have to remain for the next season.”

The writer was evidently connected with the Elizabeth. His information about the three Sydney vessels is very interesting, as we know that they were the Harriett, Howe, the Australian, Rhodes, and the Caroline, Cherry, and the vessel deserted by her crew was the Australian, which must have sailed for Cloudy Bay within a few days of the letter being written.

From 16th to 25th November, 4 Sydney vessels came up from Cook Strait, loaded with whale oil and bone—the Governor Bourke, the Lynx, the Hind, and the Dublin Packet. The total of the oil cargoes amounted to 350 tuns. The Lynx called at Mana Island and found the Louisa there. This vessel had suffered a serious reverse. It appears that there had been a merrymaking on board another Colonial whaler and all hands had imbibed too much, with the result that, on returning to the Louisa, the boat was upset and the chief officer and the whole of the crew drowned. All the returning vessels complained of the severity of the weather on the New Zealand coast.

The old trouble of stealiong away men had come up again. Captain Bateman, of the English whaler. Cheviot, bitterly complained of the conduct of some Sydney men at Cloudy Bay. Many of his seamen had been enticed away from his vessel and conveyed to another part of the Island to strengthen the shore gangs of the unscrupulous offenders. After Captain Bateman had satisfied himself of the facts he took counsel with the other captains in the Bay as to what method of retaliation he should adopt, and, finding that the offence was fairly common, he decided on summary vengeance, and took possession of the boats of the offending parties. Captain Hayward, of the Louisa, Captain Robertson, of the Caroline, and Captain Neil, of the American whaler, Navy, supported Captain Baseman in the steps he took, and all three gave him documentary evidence of their moral support. From what is recorded page 154 in connection with American whaling, it will be seen that Captain Richards, working for Wright and Long of Sydney, was the offending party. That was also the reason, probably why no Sydney captain put his name to paper.

Large as was the quantity of oil brought up from New Zealand, there was still great disappointment felt by those who had been whaling at Cloudy Bay. The preceding years had been so successful at that port that it had been made the general gathering ground of all the whalers who looked to New Zealand for cargoes. There was no doubt that too many vessels went there, but apart from that there were local causes for the comparatively small amount of oil which was obtained. These causes were carefully investigated by Captain Greene, of the Mediterranean Packet, and the result of his observations was embodied in a report, of which the following is a copy:—

“1. Prevalence of South-east Winds, which in a greater or less degree, prevailed at and contiguous thereto, from May to the latter end of September, and during which Cloudy Bay is a lee shore; therefore shunned, the whales preferring cawing and rearing their young in the more still waters under the lee of the weather shore.

“2. Scarcity of Whale Food.—It appears from the report of the oldest resident whalers, that for many seasons the water in the bay has not been so divested of that food which the bountiful hand of Providence was wont to distribute for them in its waters, as during the season alluded to.

“3. The great number of Shipping that resorted thereto.—Nine-tenths of those constituting the number were American, some of whom (as they stated to me) prior to leaving America, were under the impression that having once moored at Cloudy Bay, they would have no further labour devolving on them than to fasten to whales alongside, cut in, try out, and stow away without intermission, until their cargoes would be completed. How different to their former conception it page 155 came to pass! After having had recourse to the same manners as our Colonial and other English whalers thereat, for the lapse of four months and upwards, we departed thence, some having secured but two whales.

“When the spout of a whale would casually come within the scope of vision from the “look out point,” no less than seventy to eighty boats would put off in pursuit. One out of six (on an average) of those seen and pursued in the offing, was fastened to, the monsters generally on the approach of such a multitude of boats, became terrified and effected their escape, by wading their way with all the fleetness they are capable of, beyond the bounds of vision.

“Those ships which visited in the early part of the season the very excellent harbours, situated in Banks' Peninsula, speedily obtained full cargoes, and those at Otago were pretty successful.

“Commotions among the Natives.—At and sometime prior to sailing from Entry Island, the Natriaora tribe were disposed to exercise hostilities towards the shipping at Flat (Mana) Island, also the European residents adjacent thereto.

“The cause of that massacre seems to have originated in the following circumstances:—A Native Chief brought supplies of potatoes, etc., to a barque from the port of Hobart Town (the Caroline); the payment offered did not satisfy him; observing a small tomahawk in one of the boats, he took possession of it, judging it and the payment already made, adequate in value to the property delivered.

“On being requested to restore the tomahawk, he declined; a scuffle ensued between the Chief and the first officer of the barque; meanwhile one of the boat's crew deliberately took a lance, and thrust it through the Chief's body, immediately under the right breast, of which he shortly died. Intervening this affair and the date of my sailing thence (October 13th), whalers, while cruising in their boats, were repeatedly fired page 156 at by the natives, among whom was Captain Cherry; of the barque Caroline, of this port. Fortunately they escaped unhurt.

“Late state of the weather on the Coast of New Zealand.—The unprecedented state of westerly weather that prevailed on that coast from the close of September to the 15th of the current month, was truly terrific. Not within the memory of the oldest European residents, has the wind continued so boisterous from the same quarter, for so long a period. without intermission. On our passage from Entry Island towards the Bay of Islands, we had, during its prevalence, the misfortune to carry away our maintop-mast, and split the main-top-sail.”

Shortly after the death of the chief, the Mediterranean Packet was at Queen Charlotte Sound and the natives there concocted a scheme for seizing Captain Greene and taking his life as satisfaction for that of the dead chief; the vessel and cargo they were to appropriate to themselves. The scheme was frustrated by a native of another tribe communicating to Captain Greene what the intention was. By daylight next morning—13th October—a few hours before the plot was to be carried out, the anchor was up and the brig away for the Bay of Islands. The cargo which the Mediterranean Packet brought up was a mixed one from the stations of W. Long. McGaa & Co., and R. Jones & Co.

The attention of the reader has already been called to the information gathered by the Collector of Customs at Sydney regarding whaling on the New Zealand coast. The portion relating to Cook Strait is now supplied.

Robert Duke, of Maequarie Place, Sydney, informed the Collector that this year—1836—was his first in the black whale fishery. He had 8 boats, 60 Europeans, and 1000 tons of British shipping employed. His total outfit cost him £5000.

R. Campbell, Junr., & Co. reported that they had had no shore whaling establishments for two years past, and page 157 they could not give the exact quantity of oil they had brought up from them, but it amounted, during the preceding four years, to about 600 tuns. In addition to that there was about 1200 tuns caught at Cloudy Bay by their ships and brought up in them. The boats, men, and transport, were all British, Colonial, or Maori. The firm had three vessels engaged in the trade.

Dealing with the black whaling trade as a whole there were reported to be five establishments at New Zealand, and the number of the vessels, and the cargoes of the preceding four years, were as follows:—

Date.	No.	Tonnage.	Tuns brought up.
1832	4	336	232
1833	8	854	409
1834	11	1319	849
1835	14	2159	1231

The five establishments were probably those of J. Jones (Preservation), G. Weller (Otago), Wright and Long (Kapiti and Port Cooper), R. Jones & Co., and R. Duke.