Baillie. — The First New Zealand Navy. 29 



Art. III. — The First New Zealand Navy ; with some Episodes of the 

 Maori War in connection ivith the British Navy. 



By Herbert Baillie. 



\ Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 21st October, 1919 ; received by Editor, 

 21st September, 1920 ; issued separately, 27th June, 1921.] 



Plates III-VI. 



The early volumes of the Illustrated London News contain many illustra- 

 tions of New Zealand scenes and incidents. I was particularly interested 

 in those shown in the issue of the 30th January, 1864, among which was 

 one of " the gunboat ' Pioneer ' at anchor off Meremere, on the Waikato, 

 reconnoitring the native position." On looking into the subject of New 

 Zealand's first navy I found that New Zealand had about that time quite 

 an imposing fleet, which was manned from ships of the British Navy then 

 on the station. On further search I found that the colony possessed a gun- 

 boat as far back as 1846. In the early days of settlement many requests 

 had been made to the Mother-country to provide the colony with one or 

 two armed vessels, but without success. It has been difficult to piece 

 together the story of New Zealand's first navy from newspaper and official 

 records and personal narratives, the censor having apparently been at 

 work even in those far-off days. 



An official statement of " Revenue and Expenditure for 1846 " contains 

 the item, "Purchase, &c, gunboat for Porirua Harbour, £100 17s. lid." 

 A newspaper records the information that H.M.S. " Calliope's " pinnace 

 and two whaleboats had been sent to Porirua, and in a later issue it is 

 mentioned that the " Tyne's " long-boat had been lengthened for service. 

 The " Tyne " was a barque which had ended her voyage from London to 

 Wellington on the rocks off Sinclair Head, Cook Strait, on the 3rd July, 

 1845. McKillop in his Reminiscences says, " A ship's boat had been 

 purchased and converted into a gunboat by the carpenters of the ' Calliope,' 

 mounting a 12-pounder carronade." A brass gun was also placed aboard. 

 (Plate III, fig. 2.) The "Calliope" took the boat to Porirua on the 11th 

 July, 1846. Midshipman McKillop was installed in command. He says 

 that he secured the addition of six more bluejackets and two gunners lent 

 by the officer in command of the Royal Artillery detachment then stationed 

 at Wellington. McKillop came into contact with the Maori at the Paua- 

 tahanui head of the harbour on the 17th July ; shots were exchanged, 

 but, as he had " taken the precaution of lashing the men's beds up in their 

 hammocks and fastening them round the boat, making a bullet-proof breast- 

 work, which afforded great protection to the crew," no damage was sus- 

 tained, except that the brass gun burst at the first shot. For meritorious 

 work at Porirua Midshipman McKillop received great praise from Lieut. - 

 Governor Grey, and was promoted to be mate of H.M.S. " Driver." 



The gunboat was used for some time at Porirua on patrol duty, and 

 was then taken early in 1847 to Wanganui, where it was commanded by 

 Lieutenant Edward Holmes, H.M.S. " Calliope," who was assisted by Naval 

 Cadet H. E. Crozier, of the same ship. Crozier accidentally wounded a 

 native chief with a pistol, and this was the direct cause of the Gilfillan 



