SECTION VIII page 174 - 225 [8 MB, PDF] - Christchurch City Libraries

six-pounder bronze gun, mounted on a naval travelling-camage-such as formed part of
the armament of the British warship despatched to annex Akaroa to the British crown
in 1840 ; together with a smooth-bore muskat of those days, with bayonet ; and a boarding-pike
and a cutlass of the old style. These warlike relics embodied a he story in
our Dominion history. They were representative of H.M.S. " BritoIllart "-a ten-gun
brig of war, built at Portsmouth in 1819, carrying an armament of eight 18ponnder
carronades and two Bpounder S.B. guns (similar to the one shown)-which Governor
Hobson sent from the Bay of Is!ands in 1840 for the purpose of securing to the Empire
the South Island of Xcw Zealand. A French company-the Nanto-Bordelake-had
previously projected a settlement at Akaroa, and had despatched thither a party of
immigrants in the " Comte do Paris," which vessel was supported by the French
Government with the frigate " L'Aube," under Commodore Lavaud. " L'Aube "
called in at the Bay of Is:ands, and Captain Hobson despatched the " Britomart "
ahead of her to Alraroa, and sent Messrs. Murphy and Robinson, Police Magistrates.
with her commander, Captain Stanley. The " Britomart " arrived iu Skaroa first.
and Captain Stanley, on the 11th August, 1840, hoisted the flag
The
Hoisting
of
and proclaimed Brihh sovereignty over the South Island. The
British flag had already been hoisted at Cloudy Bay, JZar!borough,
but the Akaroa ceremony made things doubly safe for the British.
The French frigate amvd on the 15th August, and the " Conlte de
Paris" 011 the following day with f&y-seven French irnnligrants, who found to their
surprise that they were in a British colony. The disappointed immigrants were
offered by their Government free pasaages to the Ialsnd of Tahiti and the Marquesss,
then lately taken possession of by the French nition. Ifany of them preferred
however, to remain at bkaroa, and both French and English have ever lived together
on the bsst of tern= as fellow-colonists.
An object of unique interest was a large
nlodel of one of the blockhouses erected by
the early French and English settlers at akaroa
in 1846 during a period of alms of Maori
raids, and on several occasions occupied, but
fortunatcip never required in earnest. This
I rep!ica of the old-fashioned little forts had the
upper story projecting beyond the walls of the
lowr ome, just as in the military blockhouses
erected in much later times on the Waikato
frontier. It was loopholed i both stories for
rifle-fire. The model did not shot\- any door
in the lower story; a ladder gave access to
the door 011 the upper floor.
Another Akaroa niodel of historic interest
was one in relief of Ona\\-e Pcninsda, the pic-
turesque high point jutting out into the upper
part of Akaroa Elarbour. On this green hill
are to be seen the parapeted remains of the
fighting-pa of the ,llama Maoris, which was
MODEL OF TEE OLD BLOCKHODSH,
.stormed and captured in 1830 br the raidine
northern cannib'als under Te ~ai~slaha,
AKABOA. wh;
hilled and ate many of the unfortunate defenders.