Part 21 (1/2)
The Lady Nelson's log will sho in 1806 she paid a second and perhaps a more important visit to New Zealand Her co to convey Tippahee, a New Zealand Chief of the Bay of Islands on the north-east coast, back from Sydney to his own dominions
At soht to Port Jackson in a whaling vessel The Governor had shown his to be sent from Norfolk Island to New Zealand for his father, and Tippahee, on receiving the present, had hi He e vessel bound for Norfolk Island The voyage was hardly a success, for on his arrival there he complained to the authorities that the master of the shi+p had treated theest son Captain Piper, the Coave theest son from the master of the whaler Shortly afterwards, HMS Buffalo called at Norfolk Island, when Tippahee, with his sons, was received on board by Captain Houston, and after the Buffalo had visited Tasht to Sydney, where, dressed in the costue to Governor King We are told that thisthe cere noses” The Governor seereat admiration for Tippahee He allowed the Maori Chief to reuest at Governs The Chief is described as being 5 feet 11 1/2 inches high, stout and athletic looking, and about forty-six years of age His face was co writes of him that he was ”a constant attendant at Divine Service,” and he adds, ”he had a conteine”
The Reverend Samuel Marsden, then chaplain in Sydney, became intimately acquainted with Tippahee, and he, too, states that he found hi and capable of receiving any instruction His co mental faculties” When the Maoris had re as they wished--by that tiures to all the citizens of Sydney--the Governor gave instructions for the Lady Nelson to be fitted up to convey them back to their own country Before their departure they were loaded with presents by the Governor and other friends, the gifts being carefully packed in chests and put on board the brig On this voyage Governor King also ordered some bricks and the framework of a house for New Zealand to be received as part of the cargo
On February 25th, Tippahee and his sons bade farewell to New South Wales and their nu on board, the Lady Nelson i the voyage the Chief was taken ill and Mr Sye Bruce to nurse him So well did Bruce carry out his duties, that Tippahee afterwards requested that he ht be allowed to reranted, and Bruce was afterwards given Tippahee's daughter in e How badly the pair were treated by the captain of a British vessel, which called at New Zealand to refit, is told in the Sydney Gazette, which states that Bruce and his ere carried away from New Zealand in the Wellesley, first to Fiji and afterwards to Malacca, where Bruce was left behind His as taken on to Penang, but on hisofficer at Malacca, that gentleal, where the authorities extended him aid, and eventually his as restored to him)
The Chief's illness hness of the passage, as the log records that the weather was very squally
On March 2nd the Lady Nelson reat deal of water and had to be pumped out The vessel still remained in a leaky state, and this drawback, in conjunction with the cross currents and heavy gales that she encountered, greatly retarded her progress
A succession of gales followed, consequently the land of New Zealand was not sighted until March 30th, when at noon it was observed for the first tiht o'clock in the evening a proht miles distant, which Symons records was North-West Cape (or Cape Maria Van Diemen) At eleven the shi+p hauled round to the eastward and hove to
Native fires were seen burning on land Nextat six o'clock the Lady Nelson made sail and stood in shore, and as she made her appearance she wasthat the coast was very rocky and a gale arising the co east-south-east half a ain endeavoured to anchor, and the Lady Nelson was brought to in a bay ”in 15 fathoside, and as the Maoris appeared very friendly a boat-load of wood and of water was obtained
Working his way round the coast, which he says he could not ”fetch,” on April 3rd Lieutenant Symonsthe shi+p caues from North Cape Of this place her Co to the south-east by north; one to the north which will break off all sail from this point of the compass One of these islands is very thinly inhabited” The boat was lowered to sound between the island and theout astern, and the soundings gave ten to five fathohed and ht fatho ”fine sand and shells”
At four o'clock two canoes containing only threethree New Zealand Chiefs from the Island of titteranee, friends of Tippahee, came to welcome their countryman on his return
On the Island of titteranee the natives were very friendly One of their number, who had spent some time at Norfolk Island, came on board, ( He was named Tookee) and the Chiefs supplied the shi+p with a quantity of fish, for which Lieutenant Sy the vessel's stay, the Chiefs of titteranee were not only constant visitors, but soether in the shi+p Possibly the Commander saw a little too much of Tippahee and his friends, as while the boats were on shore cutting brooly troubleso a disturbance by lifting up weapons and threatening the seamen at their work At noon on the 12th of April, Mr Symons records that he became very mutinous An Otaheitan in the shi+p inforo on shore and bring his men to attack the vessel Tippahee's residence was at the Bay of Islands, and it seems fortunate that Lieutenant Sy his own people, for according to the Sydney Gazette he wielded great power and was acknowledged to be a great Chief by the New Zealanders ”fro place”
On April 20th, before reaching the Bay of Islands, the Commander of the Lady Nelson went to examine a deep bay to the south-west, which he explored He found at the bottom of this bay a river which ”ran south-south-east and north-north-west about three miles and one from the west-south-west to west-north-westafter the first Reach the River runs flat and 3 or 4 leagues On the larboard shore of the river it is not safe for any vessel, drawing ” He also oon which ran at the back of the beach to the eastward of the River and a deep bay; these were about onefrom this little expedition of exploration--which was a very early one--the boat was upset and two muskets, three powder horns, and two pistols were lost Symons had already lost the stock of the s the rocks On April 22nd the shi+p took her departure fro behind her here a seaman named Joseph Druce who deserted and could not be found
On the evening of the sahted, and a native fire could be seen burning there At noon the latitude observed was 34 degrees 43off and on the shore, Cape Brett, some fourteen miles distant to the eastward, and at noon Point Pocock (of Captain Cook) which lay to the south-east came into view ( The Point Pocock of Cook is now Cape Wiwiki)
On Friday the 25th April the Lady Nelson, escorted by three canoes bore up between two islands in the Bay of Islands and came to under the Island of Matuapo in two fathoms Tippahee's home was situated on the north side of the Bay of Islands, just within Point Pocock, and is described as ”a considerable Hippah strongly fortified” The district extending to the northas called Whypopoo, but Tippahee claimed the whole country across the island from Muri Whenua ( The name for the land's end or most northern part of New Zealand) At the sareat rivals were Mowpah, as Chief of the territory in the neighbourhood of the River Thames, and Moodee, Chief of the territory to the northward
Lieutenant Syiven to the Maoris at Sydney on shore, and at daylight on the day after his arrival he also landed the bricks and the fra's orders, was to be erected in the most suitable spot possible, and was intended for the use of any officials who ht be sent froht permit to dwell there The carpenter was sent on shore to carry out the Governor's instructions, and he built the house on an island in the Bay of Islands on a site selected by Mr Symons, who afterwards stated that the island was a very snable, and able to withstand the attacks of any force that the country at that tiainst it ( This house was one of the first, if not the very first house, to be built in New Zealand We do not hear even of a single sealer's hut then at the Bay of Islands, but shortly afterwards settlers and missionaries from Sydney arrived there, and in 1815 (see Calcutta Gazette, April 27th), after the row up, and the Bombay Courier, November 20th, 1819, says of it, ”The settleular forulated under the control of New South Wales Government Authority On September 29th the Missionaries, sent out by the Church Missionary Society, took their departure fro General Gates, one of the previously been appointed by Governor Macquarie to act as justice of the peace and istrate of the Island of New Zealand”)
The Lady Nelson waited for five days in the Bay of Islands, until the carpenter had co that time Tippahee, who seeht on boardone to each person individually; these were for the most part weapons of hich, observes the Sydney Gazette, ”must have somewhat diminished his native armoury” A saht back from Tippahee's dolines The lines, although they were twisted entirely by hand, resembled the finest cord of European manufacture, The most useful presents, however, sent on board by Tippahee were soreat abundance, and also a quantity of seed potatoes, then very scarce in Sydney, and consequently greatly appreciated
Leaving New Zealand, and after passing Three Kings' Islands, Lieutenant Symons steered to Norfolk Island, where he en Lawson for Sydney During the long voyage of four h sheher character,” says the Sydney Gazette, ”as being a vessel of the greatest capability, considering her sht on the character of Tippahee, who had been overwhelmed with kindness at Sydney and on board the Lady Nelson
Notwithstanding this, Sy attacked by the Maoris In 1809, when alaroa, Captain Tho too hasty with Tippahee He had previously resented so to pay his respects, had told him ”not to bother him as he was too busy” Possibly Captain Thoed him too harshly, for had he been as watchful of Tippahee as Mr Syht not have occurred
Fro at Port Jackson
JAMES SYMONS, Commander
”Sunday, 19th January 1806 PM At 1 fired a salute in honour of the Queen's birthday
”Tuesday, 21st January Received a boatload of bricks for New Zealand and stowed them away