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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 67

Previous History of the Group

page 6

Previous History of the Group.

There is a difficulty in obtaining authentic and exact information about some periods of the early history of the islands, owing in a great measure to the absence of any written records, and partly also to the want of time to procure such information as is known to exist in other countries; but the facts which are here related with respect to the early settlers are reliable, and state all that is of consequence. With regard to the first stages in their history, I have been most fortunate, by the aid of many friends, in obtaining access to, and copies of, the works which describe the discovery and give the first account of them. These works are now very rare and difficult to procure, and I have therefore made full extracts from them with the view of bringing together all that is known regarding the islands. The preservation also of matter relating to the early settlers is important, simply on the ground that, as most of it exists in the memory of a few people now living, their death would deprive us for ever of what little is known. I am greatly indebted to Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, Mr. W. B. White, Mrs. George Kelly, Mrs. Pymble, Mr. J. H. Greenaway, Mr. R. C. L. Reay, Dr. Hocken, Mr. C. W. Adams, Mr. James McKerrow, Dr. Stock-well, and Mr. II. Cook for information collected and supplied.

When Captain Arthur Phillip sailed from the Isle of Wight on the 13th May, 1787, to found the earliest of the Australian colonies—New South Wales—he had amongst his fleet of eleven ships a transport, "a clumsy vessel and heavy sailor," the "Lady Penrhyn," of 340 tons burden, commanded by Lieutenant Watts, R.N. After discharging her living freight of 102 female convicts at Port Jackson, the "Lady Penrhyn" sailed from there on the 5th May, 1788, on the further prosecution of her voyage. There appears to have been a change in the command of the vessel after her departure from Port Jackson, for, from the following account, which is compiled from Lieutenant Watts's journal, Captain Sever would seem to have been in charge, although it is stated in all the notices that I have come across that Lieutenant Watts was the discoverer of the islands about to be noticed. After calling at Lord Howe's Island, the "Lady Penrhyn" proceeded on her voyage to the eastward:—

"Nothing material occurred till the 30th June, when, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they saw two islands, one bearing page break
Macauley Island.

Macauley Island.

N. N. E. 1½ Miles.

page 7 N.E.½ E. seven leagues, and the other E. by S. about six leagues distant. Not having an opportunity of getting well in with the land before night came on, they plied occasionally under easy sail, and at daylight next morning made sail and bore up for it. On approaching the southernmost land they found it to form two barren isles, separated by a channel about a quarter of a mile over, and apparently free from danger. The north island lies in a N.½ E. direction from there, and about five leagues distant. At noon the body of the north island bore N.E. by N. three miles distant; their latitude at that time was 30° 11′ S., and the longitude by lunar observation 180° 58′ 37″ E. At 1 o'clock they bore round the west end of the island, and hove to near the centre of it, about a mile off shore. They were in hopes, from the appearance of the island at a distance, that they should have found it productive of something beneficial to the people (the scurvy gaining ground daily), but they were greatly disappointed; both the north and south sides are surrounded by rocks, over which the water flows, without the least opening for a boat. However, Captain Sever ordered the small boat to be hoisted out, and went on shore, accompanied by Mr. Anstis. They found great difficulty in landing, and, when upon the rocks, they had to mount a very dangerous precipice in order to gain the level part of the island. This island forms very high at the west end, and slopes gradually to the east end, where it terminates in a cliff of a moderate height: both sides have a range of these cliffs extending the whole length, which are chiefly composed of white sand. The whole of the island bears the strongest marks of being of volcanic production, having great quantities of pumice-stone on it, and the rocks quite burnt up. The top of the land was covered with a coarse kind of grass, and the place affords great plenty of the wild mangrove. The extent of this island is about two miles and a half, nearly in the direction of E.S.E. and W.N.W.; the soil, a mixture of mould and sand. The inhabitants are the brown gull, the light-grey bird, gannets, and a paroquet of the same species with those met with at Lord Howe's Island. The gentlemen could scarcely walk a step without being up to the knee in holes: they saw a great number of rats and mice, and found many birds lying dead at the entrances of their burrows. They saw no appearance of fresh water, though, from the gullies that were formed in various parts, the island must certainly be subject to page 8 very heavy rains. This island was named Macauley's Island, after G. M. Macauley, Esquire, and the two islands to the southwards Curtis's Isles, after Timothy and William Curtis, Esquires. At 5 in the afternoon, the captain returning on board, the boat was hoisted in, and they made sail, standing to the eastward with a moderate breeze at south-west. Macauley's Island is situated in 30° 9′ S. latitude, and 180° 58′ 37″ E. longitude."*

From here the "Lady Penrhyn" proceeded to Tahiti, arriving there on the 9th July, and, after refreshing the crew, sailed for Port Macao, in China, on the 23rd July, arriving at that place on the 19th October, 1788. It is worthy of note that she was the first vessel to visit Tahiti after Captain Cook.

Next, in 1793, came the French Rear-Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, with his two ships "La Recherche" and "L'Espérance," which were despatched from France in 1791 to search for the unfortunate La Perouse, who had sailed to the South Seas in 1787 on a voyage of discovery, and had disappeared, none knew whither, until Dillon, in 1826, discovered the remains of his ships at Vanikoro, one of the Santa Cruz group. The Admiral, after touching at the North Cape of New Zealand, pursued his course to the north-north-east, and in March, 1793, discovered a rock, which he named "Rocher de L'Espérance," after one of his ships. M. Labillardiere, in his "Relation du Voyage," &c.,—a translation of which Dr. Hocken has kindly supplied me with—says,—

"Next morning early [the 17th March, 1793] we recognised the Curtis Islands. They are two in number, very small, and distant from each other about two myriametres [about twelve miles]. The southern one is not more than two kilometres in length from north to south; it is steep, sterile, and strewn with numerous rocks, whose highest point is about 100 metres [320ft.] above the sea-level. Their whitish colour appeared to me to be limestone, like the majority of islands in these seas. The other island [Macauley] is somewhat rounded, and of the same height. It is steep on all sides; nevertheless one could effect a landing at the western end. It is about 30° 18′ 26″ latitude by 179° 38′ E. longitude [from Paris]. About 6 o'clock in the evening we observed at some distance north-north-west some new land, which determined us to lie to for the night. At

* "The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay:" Dublin, 1790.

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Custis Islands.

Custis Islands.

E.N.E. Distance 5 Miles.

page 9 daybreak we saw the land again, distant about five myriametres [about thirty miles]; five hours after noon we were close to it, and saw its whole outline, which was about two and a half myriad-metres [15 miles]. We gave the name of the Recherche to this island, which is about 29° 20′ 18″ south latitude, and 179° 55′ east from Paris; its shape is almost triangular. Towards the middle the ground rises about 500 metres perpendicular above sea-level. We saw on its coast some small landslips where one could land. We could perfectly distinguish at these points the disposition of the small beds or strata, parallel and horizontal, of white stone, without doubt limestone. The interior was very steep. Trees were seen on the most elevated parts. A shoal, situated close to the north-west coast, extended 600 metres [660 yards] at least in the same direction. Eight rocks, separated from each other by some hundreds of metres, extended into the sea to within half a myriametre's [about three miles'] distance east-south-east. Between the north-west and west points we observed a little nook where would probably be found a good depth, where would be perfect shelter from the east wind. We saw between the north-west and south-east points a little stream falling into the sea, and at a little distance, in a perpendicular opening, we saw a large block of dark red-coloured earth, perhaps clay, and apparently incrusted by calcareous stone."—(Tome II., pp. 88, 89.)

Labillardiere is, however, wrong in saying that the rocks are calcareous; the white strata they saw both here and at Macauley Island are composed of pumiceous tuff. He says above also that they called this island "Recherche;" but no trace of this name is to be found in any other work or chart of the Pacific which I have seen, excepting in the small map given in G. F. Angas's "Polynesia," published in 1866, and there it is applied to Macauley Island. The name by which the island is more generally known is "Sunday" or "Raoul," and this latter is understood to have been given to it by D'Entrecasteaux when he discovered it, naming it after his first quartermaster, Joseph Raoul. The Admiral also gave the general name to the group, calling it "Kermadec," after the captain of his consort, Huon Kermadec, who afterwards died of scurvy at the Solomon Islands.

The next visitor to the group was a British vessel. From Collins's "Account of the English Colony in New South page 10 Wales," Vol. I., p. 536, we learn that the ship "Britannia," a hired transport, commanded by Mr. Raven, on her way home from Sydney, from whence she sailed on the 29th September, 1796, called at Norfolk Island to pick up the Lieutenant-Governor. Captain King, and his family. She left that island on the 25th October, having also on board Colonel Collins, who was Judge Advocate and Secretary to the colony. Collins says: "On the 5th November, 1796, we found an island, named by Lieutenant Watts (who first saw it in the 'Lady Penrhyn,' transport) Macauley Island. Sunday, the 6th, was passed in examining an island which Mr Raven was decidedly of opinion had never been seen before. It was situated in the latitude of 29° 15′ S., and longitude 181° 56′ E. We found the land high, and it appeared to be well covered with wood. On the southwest side of it is a bay, in which, from the colour of the water, Mr. Raven thought there must be good anchorage; but at this time there was too much surf breaking on the beach to render it prudent to send a boat in. The aspect on this side of the island was romantic and inviting; but on the other side the shore was bold, and in many parts rugged and bare. The whole appeared to consist, like Norfolk Island, of hills and dales. We conjectured that there was fresh water in the bay on the south-west side. The knowledge of the existence of this island can be of no other importance than to cause navigators sailing in this route to keep a good look-out, particularly in the night-time, as many straggling rocks lie off the north side. From the circumstance of its being seen on a Sunday it obtained the name of Sunday Island."

We learn from this account that the previous discovery of the island by D'Entrecasteaux was unknown, and also hear the origin of its second and more common name.

For the thirty years succeeding the visit of the "Britannia" scarce anything can be ascertained regarding the islands, but we know that the early years of this century witnessed a great development of the whaling enterprise, and in the trade carried on with the numerous islands of the Pacific by ships hailing from America, England, and Australia, and doubtless they were visited by some of these vessels, and information as to their character spread abroad. Situated as the group is in one of the best whaling-grounds of the Pacific, Sunday Island came to have a certain importance attached to it from the fact of its page 11 being made use of as an "ocean post-office" by the whalers. Vessels from Home here deposited letters and papers in a secure and well-known place for the crews of other vessels on the ground, and homeward-bound ships collected and carried away with them the mails of those remaining behind.

Polack, in his book on New Zealand published in 1838, Vol. II., p. 348, after referring to the occupation of the Chatham Islands by the Maoris, says, "Since that period other tribes have attempted to capture two colonial vessels for the same purpose, to be conveyed to Sunday Island, the largest of the Curtis Group;" and in note 6, "This group is the resort of whale-ships in the season: no less than thirty sail of shipping has been seen from one islet called 'French Rock,' employed in the sperm-fishing. A few sailors reside on the islands."

It would thus appear that Sunday Island was very nearly having a Maori population. They would have thriven there well.

In 1827 the group was visited by the French explorer Captain Dumont D'Urville, in "L'Astrolabe." It is believed that he made a survey of Sunday Island; but unfortunately I have not been able to see a copy of his Voyage. Indeed, it is believed no complete set is to be found in the colony; but the following brief note has been kindly obtained for me by Mr. C. W. Adams, from one of the scientific volumes of the Voyage now in the Museum library, Dunedin: "Captain D'Urville revisited these islands in 1827: not one of them was inhabited; but, if New Zealand owes its population to migrations from intertropical regions, it is quite credible that these little islets might serve as a resting-place for the canoes which made the passage from the Tonga Islands to To Ika-a-maui."*

Although frequently visited by the whalers and other passing vessels, no permanent settlement appears to have taken place until 1837, when the first bond fide settlers arrived.

Some time between the years 1830 and 1835 there came to Hokianga a ship's carpenter named Baker. He subsequently became interested in a small vessel trading to the islands, and made a voyage in her to Tutuila, in Samoa. Whilst there he and

* Through the kindness of Mr. W. D. Campbell, of Sydney, I have since obtained D'Urville's account of the voyage of the "Astrolabe." He merely passed through the group in March, 1827, without landing or doing more than to verify D'Entrecasteaux's position of the islands.

page 12 another man named Reid married two Samoan girls, and were taken by the vessel to Sunday Island and landed there, thus becoming the first settlers. There is some doubt as to the month in which they arrived there, but the year was 1837. They settled in Denham Bay, built houses, and remained there a good many years, several children being born—five of the Bakers, but how many of the other family is not known. Baker built a four-roomed house of raupo, cut from the edges of the little lagoon, with a stone chimney, &c., besides erecting a large shed for storing potatoes, maize, yams, taro, and kumara for barter with the whalers. They planted bananas, and caught and preserved fish and mutton-birds. A road was also cleared through the bush to the lagoon, to enable the whalers to obtain water, which they did by rolling the casks over the intervening beach to the boats. Large quantities of potatoes were grown and firewood cut to dispose of to the whalers, who were frequent visitors, the barque "Danger," Captain Nichols, being one of them; and from these visitors the settlers obtained flour, sugar, &c., and the little clothing they required. Bread they made themselves from pulverised maize. Boots and stockings were not in fashion, but hats were manufactured from a grass growing there (probably the Dracæna), There were no other settlers on the island during the time these two families lived there. In 1812 Baker visited Samoa with his family, and from there introduced the goats which are now so numerous on the island. Reid was the first to tire of their isolation, and left with his family, it is said, for New Zealand. Subsequently Baker, feeling the loneliness of his position after the departure of his shipmate (and also, it is said, being somewhat alarmed at the earthquakes, which were becoming more and more frequent and severe), gave up his island-home, and, embarking in the whaler "Ganges" with all his family, arrived at the Bay of Islands in the winter of 1848. He afterwards settled at Mangonui, where (Mr. W. B. White tells me) he took up the first section sold in that township. Several of Mr. Daniel Baker's descendants are now living in New Zealand; among them was Charles Baker, well known in the Bay of Plenty as the genial master of the s.s. "Staffa," who was drowned about two years ago. It is interesting and important to note that the first settlers on Sunday Island were emigrants from New Zealand.

Sterndale (Journal of the House of Representatives, A.—4, page 13 1884), says, "The first little community of Sunday islanders consisted of three families of American whalers with Polynesian half-caste wives; their children were very numerous, as likewise very handsome and healthy." "The first settlers came about 1840." In this Sterndale is not quite right: he obviously confounds the early settlers with the subsequent and second party of emigrants, who were Americans.

On the 14th April, 1840, Commodore Wilkes, in the "Vincennes," with the other vessels forming the United States exploring expedition, sighted Sunday Island, but the wind being light and the sea rough he was not able to get near enough to send a boat ashore. He says, "It is said to be inhabited by a few white men, and some of the officers reported that they saw smoke." If the settlers then occupying the islands had been Americans, Wilkes would have mentioned the fact, as he was a few days afterwards in communication with one of the many American whalers frequenting those seas, and saw others at Tonga and Fiji during his stay at those places.

It is not known when the American settler, Halstead, first took up his residence on Sunday Island, but it was subsequent to Mr. Baker's leaving, and prior to the arrival of the second party from New Zealand, for he was living there when they arrived; but, from the best information I can get, I believe it to have been about 1850.

In 1851 Mr. Henry Cook with his Maori wife and daughter, and two Maoris and their wives, embarked from the Bay of Islands in the ship "Louis," of New Bedford, Captain Clements, and, landing at Sunday Island, settled near Halstead, in West Bay. Their object in so doing was to grow refreshments for the whaling fleet.

At that time none but Halstead and his family were living on the island. The settlers continued to produce the same articles as the Bakers for disposal to the whalers, which frequently called for supplies and water. Cook left again in 1853, and proceeded to Lord Howe's Island. He says that he was frightened away by an eruption taking place, though he also says that "the only sign of anything approaching activity in the crater was that there was always a certain amount of heat, and in wet weather steam rose from it." The crater here referred to is however the little lagoon in Denham Bay, which is not a crater at all, and the steam no doubt emanated from the page 14 fumaroles at the base of the cliff not far off, which are still sending forth a little vapour. Cook says that, although he never descended to the lake situated in the great crater, others of the party did, and they found the water salt, and apparently deep. This is strange, if true, for the water is quite fresh at the present time, and its surface is 40ft. above sea-level.

In 1854 Sunday Island and the neighbouring sea was surveyed by Captain H. M. Denham, of H.M.S. "Herald." Mr. R. C. L. Reay, who was then an officer of the "Herald," has been kind enough to inform me that they arrived there on the 2nd July, 1854, and were occupied until the 27th in making the survey, having to slip their anchor every few days on account of bad weather, which generally was from the south-west. At the time of their visit an American from New York named Halstead, his two Samoan wives, their families, and a Kanaka were the sole inhabitants. They had come there from the islands and been landed at their own request to avoid some unpleasantness on board the whaler which brought them. They lived on the flat at the head of Denham Bay, near to the lagoon of fresh water, and cultivated bananas, potatoes, kumaras, and other vegetables, besides cutting firewood, preserving mutton-birds, and rearing poultry for barter with the whalers. Fish were caught in great numbers with a net in Denham Bay. In one of the frequent winter-gales that prevail here, the "Herald" lost both flukes of her anchor, and with difficulty got to sea. On the 8th July Fleetwood Denham, the captain's son, died, and was buried not far from the lagoon. His grave and the neatly-engraved copper-plate at the head of it were seen by us in a good state of preservation on the 20th August last. Mr. Reay mentions that at the time of their visit there was a considerable number of other graves in the same locality, where some of the early settlers had been buried. Stories were current at the time that these people had not altogether lived such happy and peaceful lives as might have been expected, and that quarrels were frequent.

Dr. Macgillivray, the naturalist on board the "Herald" during her voyage of nine years, made a collection of the flora of Sunday Island, which was afterwards described by Mr. (now Sir Joseph) Hooker in the Journal of the Linnean Society, 1857. His collcction, however, comprised only about one-third of the more extensive one procured by Mr. T. F. page 15 Cheeseman on the "Stella" expedition. Captain Denham's survey is wonderfully complete, and his map is replete with information as to the island and surrounding seas, which is the more remarkable considering the difficulties he laboured under in having such very bad weather to contend with. Having ten chronometers on board his ship he was enabled to fix the position of the islands with great accuracy.

In 1861, or about that time, a great, calamity befell the in-habitants. Sterndale says (A.—4, 1884): "There came to Sunday Island a slaver on her way to Callao. She had on board over two hundred Tokerau natives, amongst whom had broken out a disease of a typhoid nature. They were landed here (after having been refused admittance by force at Tonga), and all died, as did half the unfortunate settlers and their children; the rest departed in the first whaleship that came along, fearing the pestilence which seemed to have established itself in the island." The island was, however, again occupied for the fourth time some time previously to 1869, at which date a volcanic disturbance took place, which drove the inhabitants away.* In 1870 Mr. Arundel, of the s.s. 'Explorer,' landed on Macauley Island, and from thence (a distance of 68 miles) saw steam and smoke from Sunday Island crater. He says that there were no inhabitants there at that time; but it must have been again occupied prior to 1872, for Sterndale says: "The last inhabitant of Sunday Island was one Covat, a man of strange experiences, with a Samoan wife. He is now in Fiji. He quitted his island-home, on which he was very happy and had reared a large family, in consequence of being frightened by a volcanic disturbance. In the early part of the year 1872 the water in the little fresh-water lake on Sunday Island began to boil furiously, which was followed by a column of fire spouting up from the middle of it. A whaleship in the neighbourhood, seeing the flames, bore up, and took away Covat and his family, together with a comrade of the whalemen whom they had landed two weeks previously, his leg being broken while killing a fish. Thus the place became finally deserted. In September, 1872, I landed there, having previously stayed some time upon it in the

* A writer in Chambers's Journal for the 2nd May, 1887, says they were frightened away by an eruption at Curtis Island. This eruption may possibly have been in May or July, 1870, when the outburst at Tongariro, New Zealand, took place, with which the disturbances at Sunday Island are said to have been contemporaneous.

page 16 year 1869 (myself and companions having lost our vessel, which had foundered at sea a hundred miles off this place two days previously). I found no one, and the place was much scorched towards the interior. All signs of volcanic disturbance had disappeared, with the exception of the dead trees upon the hillsides surrounding the little lake, and some black cinders and ashes which were strewn about the margin. All was becoming green again, Covat's house was uninjured, and the banana-trees had fruit on them."

After the departure of Covat the island remained uninhabited for nearly nine years, though it had some transient visitors.

In July, 1874, H.M.S. "Challenger," on her voyage from Wellington to Tonga, passed through the group, but none of her people landed. They obtained, however, the only deep-sea soundings which are known anywhere near the islands, and which are referred to further on. In May, 1876, Captain Bezer, of the schooner "Vibelia," was an unwilling resident for some few months, having been deserted by the mate of the vessel whilst the captain went ashore for water. The mate, in point of fact, ran away with the schooner, but, being driven by stress of weather into Auckland, the Customs authorities seized and detained the vessel till her owners were communicated with. Again, in October, 1876, Dr. Stockwell, of Auckland, spent a few days camped on the island. His description of the state of the island at that time shows how very rapidly the vegetation had obliterated the signs of the then recent eruption.

In December, 1878, Mr. Bell and his family, having heard of the fertility of the soil, and the excellent position the island occupied in the midst of the whaling-ground, removed there from Samoa, and took possession of the solitary isle, as it seemed a kind of "no man's land," open to the first comer. He has remained in occupation to the present day. He brought with him (besides seeds, plants, poultry, &c.) sixteen natives of Nieue or Savage Island, with the intention of going largely into the business of supplying the whalers and others with refreshments, but, owing to the decrease in the number of whaleships visiting those parts, the scheme failed, and he had to send the natives all back to their homes, much, I believe, to their regret, for they had got to appreciate highly the plenty of food and fish to be obtained at Sunday Island as compared with the scarcity in their own over-populated island.

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Mr. Bell and Family-Sunday Island.

Mr. Bell and Family-Sunday Island.

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Banana Grove, Sunday Island.

Banana Grove, Sunday Island.

page 17

In November, 1885, the New Zealand Government having represented to Her Majesty's Government the desirability of annexing the Kermadec Group and declaring it a part of the colony, instructions were sent to the Admiral commanding the Australian station to hoist the British flag and to proclaim the Queen's sovereignty. This was carried out by Captain Clayton, of H.M.S. "Diamond," who visited Sunday Island in July, 1886, and erected a flagstaff near the landing-place at the north end of the beach in Denham Bay, and attached to it a Proclamation, which was seen by the "Stella" expedition in August last, but unfortunately the wet had got into the case in which the document was secured, and had obliterated the wording of the Proclamation, all excepting the captain's name and the date—July, 1886.