New Museum Acquisition - convict made chest of drawers

The Norfolk Island Museum Trust recently purchased a convict made chest of drawers that had been locally put up for tender. Made of Norfolk Island Pine it is stamped BO ↑ CD. The BO is for the Board of Ordnance and CD Commissariat Department. The broad arrow was used as an identification of British government property. As the museum is located in the basement of the Commissariat - it has made its way ‘home’ to the building it would have been issued from!

The Museum Trust were able to make this purchase as a result of accumulated profits from the Trial of the Fifteen play and the arrangement made by the late Peter Clarke, the author of the play, on how they could be expended. Peter’s son Stephen now holds the rights to the play and each year he agrees with the Trust on a program of expenditure. This year that included the purchase of acquisitions for the museum collection. It is so gratifying to see such a direct link between the efforts of the Museum to Produce, our Actors to perform, visitors purchasing tickets each week - and our collection.

Its purchase complements a few other pieces of furniture that also show similar markings including two convict settles or bench seats.  Most likely these were made for the verandahs of the houses and buildings for the Officers.  One of the settles has graffiti on it from an officer of the 99^th Regiment stationed here during the 2^nd Settlement.  The other piece is a cedar table that is actually part of a sectional table and may date from as early as 1825. While we don’t know the date that the chest of drawers was made, we will be researching its design to see if we can identify the most likely period. 

 Broad arrows are on many of the items in the museum collection. Being found in possession of marked objects without good cause was a serious offence. The symbol has been documented back to the 16th century to mark Royal property, and was occasionally referred to as a ‘Royal cipher’. An 1806 proclamation stated that:

“The Board having been pleased to direct that in future all descriptions of Ordnance Stores should be marked with the broad arrow as soon as they shall have been received as fit for His Majesty’s Service; all Storekeepers and Deputy Storekeepers and others are desired to cause this order to be accordingly attended to, in the Department under their direction, reporting to the Board in all cases when articles are received to which this mark cannot be applied”. [28th July 1806. Quoted from the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps website]

As a result the broad-arrow mark appears on everything from furniture to cooking pots and cutlery, packing crates and barrels, construction materials from timber to bricks and tools – and convict clothing. However an object that has a broad arrow on it doesn’t necessarily mean it has an association with convicts.

Bishop Patteson's "South Sea Island Labour Traffic" Memorandum

 By Janelle Blucher

The Norfolk Island Museum Trust has recently purchased additional shelving and a filing cabinet to properly house the books and files donated to the Museum by Paul Bowes from the Estate of the late Les Brown.  Undertaking the task of re-housing this collection again reinforces the value and interest of this material. One item is a Memorandum written by Bishop John Coleridge Patteson, the first Missionary Bishop of Norfolk Island. Dated 11^th January, 1871 it is on the “South Sea Island Labour Traffic” and was presented to both Houses of the General Assembly in Wellington NZ in 1871.

Bishop  Patteson was a strong advocate against ‘blackbirding’ throughout the South Pacific Islands and ironically it was this atrocious activity that led to his violent death in 1871. 

In the Memorandum he expresses his concern with the means of ‘procuring the labour force’ from northern New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Banks and Solomon Islands to work on the cotton and sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji.  This procurement of labour is otherwise referred to as ‘blackbirding’.  Bishop Patteson states, “No regulations can prevent men bound by no religious or moral restraint, practicing deception and violence to entice or convey the natives on board, detaining them forcibly while on board.”

Blackbirding was especially prevalent between 1847 and 1904.  The Queensland

Government first attempted to control it in 1868 with the Polynesian Labourers Act. This regulation provided for the treatment of labourers — who theoretically worked of their own free will for a specified period — and the licensing of “recruiters.” However the Queensland government lacked constitutional power outside its own borders which made the regulations impossible to enforce.

If it was assumed that the Government of Qld and H.M. Consul at Levuka, Fiji did all in their power to safe guard labour ‘traffic’ from abuse and provide some security to the islanders whilst working on the plantations.  Bishop Patteson states that they do not and cannot protect the so-called labourers from these lawless men. These lawless men were the masters and crew of the transport vessels, there was no way to protect the recruited labourers whilst on board. 

It was impossible for any of the islanders to make a bona fide contract as the traders could not speak more than half a dozen words in any one of the dialects of these people.  For example, ten people of Mota Island entered into one such contract with a trader holding up 3 fingers, this signified either 3 suns or 3 moons to the islanders where in fact in meant 3 years to the trader.  The three years had passed and these men were still absent from their home. 

The traders or recruiters supported the system of so-called emigration.  This system degenerated into a practice approaching a slave trade, or perhaps amounted to it.  It was a mockery to speak of it as a system of emigration.

While there was the suggestion of a benefit to bringing the islanders into contact with ‘civilisation’, indeed what type of civilisation did they make contact with on the plantations?  This was difficult to ascertain as most were not returned to their homes.  Of the 400 or 500 Banks Islanders taken away only a tenth of that number were returned and the Bishop stated, “of these no exhibit benefit, but noticeably bearing bad character amongst their own people”.

The Bishop received reports of the “nefarious nature of many of the transactions, undoubtedly in a number of instances being nothing less than kidnapping.”  One person writes to Patteson stating he knows the names of 4 vessels carrying on this ‘rough work’  “these men have no scruples of conscience, and, so long as they make money, are perfectly dead to any code of laws, human or divine.  This is told in confidence from a friend for the Bishop’s own protection when amongst the Islands.  

Patteson reported that in former years the natives would come off shore to the boats, bringing articles of trade. They trusted the white people and the white people trusted them. The missionaries and other seafarers used to transport the island people from one island to another and they would receive hogs and other articles in return.   This activity however was now to the slavers advantage.  The natives were easily enticed below deck, the hatches put on, and the vessel was off with the unsuspecting human cargo. 

Patteson chillingly surmises that should any ship be wrecked on these islands the lives of those on board would probably be taken for those lives that have been stolen and the natives would be condemned and called bloodthirsty.  This is not right in the mind of Patteson, however he declares that any civilised people would do the same in their situation.  

Patteson had spent many years travelling throughout the islands and developed an intimate and trusting relationship with the islanders. Now the traders were using the name of ‘Patteson’ and the mission ship ‘Southern Cross’ to decoy natives from the islands.   The evil effects of trafficing having damaged relationships meant the white people were now obliged to be cautious.   He asserts that some of the Melanesian scholars from the mission on Norfolk Island had returned to the islands and tried to dissuade their people from going on these blackbirding vessels

Bishop Patteson's study on Norfolk Island

Bishop Patteson concludes by exclaiming the desire to “protest by anticipation against any punishment being inflicted upon natives of these Islands who may cut off vessels or kill boat’s crews, until it is clearly shown that these acts are not done in the way of retribution for outrages first committed by white men”.    Reports of killings of boat crews had been received, “it is the white mans fault, and it is unjust to punish the coloured man for doing what may be naturally expected”.

Patteson said people spoke and wrote about the treachery of these Islanders but he had experienced no kind of behaviour during his fourteen years of intercourse with them, if they are treated kindly they will reciprocate kindly.

Bishop Patteson sailed to the islands on the Southern Cross in April 1871.  On the morning of the 20^th of September he landed alone on Nukapu near Santa Cruz where he had called at every year and would give the Chiefs and people presents. That afternoon his body was retrieved from a floating canoe by the crew of the Southern Cross; Patteson had been clubbed to death.  Captain Jacobs of the Southern Cross records with certainty that some vessel had been there ill-using the natives just previous to their arrival, or they would never have killed the Bishop.  Patteson was buried at sea the next morning.   The Southern Cross arrived back at Norfolk Island with her flag half-mast bearing the news of Patteson’s death.  The HMS Rosario under the command of Captain Markham touched at Norfolk Island soon after and decided to sail to Nukapu to investigate the situation.  The missionaries on Norfolk made a plea for no attempt to punish the islanders and the Captain agreed.  However when the Rosario appeared off Nukapu the natives naturally assumed that she had come to avenge Patteson’s murder.  The natives set off an assault of arrows and a sergeant of marines was killed, the crew responded with guns resulting in a number of natives being shot.  This unfortunate sequel to Patteson’s death was the absolute reverse of what he would have wished.

The death of Patteson made a huge impact in England, Australia and New Zealand, attention and focus was targeted towards the cessation of blackbirding which amounted to slavery, kidnapping and murder.  The Under-Secretary for the Colonies, moved the first reading of the Pacific Islanders Protection Bill in 1872, this became known as the Kidnapping Act but was doomed to be ineffective as it only applied to British subjects and ships.  Fiji was annexed in 1874 and a new Pacific Islanders Protection Act was passed in 1875, however this was still limited in preventing the incidence of blackbirding.  Queensland had a demand for labour and the practice continued until the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, that year the Commonwealth Pacific Islands’ Labourers Act was passed and a provision made for the cessation of the labour trade and deportation, with certain exceptions, of all “Kanakas” (as they were colloquially called) still in Australia after the end of 1906.

Ref:   Memorandum by Bishop Patteson on the South Sea Labour Traffic, Missionary Bishop, Norfolk Island, 11^th January, 1871.  Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly, by Command of His Excellency, Wellington 1871.

Martyr of the Islands – The Life and Death of John Coleridge Patteson, Sir John Gutch

New Acquisitions

Every time a visitor purchases a ticket to see the museum’s historical play, “The Trial of the Fifteen” they unwittingly support many areas of museum activity. Thanks to an Agreement originally initiated back in 2005 by the play’s author Peter Clarke, all profits from the play must be used for projects and purchases outside of normal museum expenditure. Each year the current copyright holder, Peter’s son Stephen Clarke, and the Museum Trust together agree on what these projects and purchases will be. Funding for the acquisition of new artefacts is included in the current year and some wonderful new purchases have just been made.

Many on Norfolk would remember Richard Swansborough who lived here for a period of time in the 1980s and took the underwater footage of the four HMS Sirius expeditions to recover the material that is now in our Sirius Museum. That footage was used to make the movie “The Search for the Sirius” which we show and sell at the museum. Richard recently had a number of items from his diving career for sale and the Trust purchased several with significance to Norfolk Island. Included was the purchase of the original film reels and copyright to the “Search for the Sirius” which will free us from having to purchase future copies as well as allow us to copy and sell to other retailers. This single purchase will provide long term income to the museum.

 A bottle Richard retrieved from the Port Vila shipwreck site of the Resolution is one of three artefacts purchased. The Resolution was locally built in 1925 as a whole of community effort by Islanders trying to take control of their economic destiny by getting their fresh produce to market in the midst of a lack of shipping. She sadly ran into debt soon after and was purchased by the Burns Philp Line who used her on the New Hebrides run until in 1948 she sank at her mooring. Her wheel and bell are in the Pier Store Museum and this bottle will add to our telling of her story.

A pair of beautiful scrimshaw are perhaps the most outstanding items. In the 1800s sailors on long whaling voyages would pass the time by carving elaborate designs into the teeth of whales that had been killed on the voyage. The carved teeth, and other carved pieces of ivory, became known as scrimshaw. Norfolk was regularly visited by whaling vessels during the entire 19^th century and into the 20^th century. This pair has been made to stand together with a male and female beautifully dressed looking towards each other, the man holding a scroll. 

 

 

The last object purchased is also from our whaling past - the inner ear of a whale that Owen Evans gave to Richard. Together with other whalebone pieces and samples of whale oil currently in our collection, this piece adds to our whaling story. Whaling was of course such an important industry on Norfolk with beginnings not long after the Pitcairners 1856 arrival.

 The artefacts purchased will eventually be put on display in the Pier Store Museum. Together, they add to our capacity to carry out the museum’s role of presenting our Islands heritage and stories. With no other current funding available for acquisition of artefacts, we are very thankful to Stephen Clarke, the Museum Trust and all those visitors who attend “The Trial of the Fifteen”.

An Adventure of a Lifetime...

...a feeling of going home to where it all began.

These are the words of our very own Millie Walden of Norfolk Island as she reflects on her recent visit to Pitcairn Island.

 A group of 10 people have recently returned home to Norfolk after making the long journey to Pitcairn.  Travelling via Auckland to Papeete followed by a 5 hour flight to Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, which are located in the extreme southeast of French Polynesia.  Then a 36 hour boat trip to Pitcairn on the Claymore II, Pitcairn’s government chartered passenger and cargo vessel.   A voyage where most of the passengers spent their time below deck in their cabins feeling not so well!

Millie has been excitedly relating her Pitcairn stories and sharing her photographs with us and amongst them is the story of ‘John Buffett’s Box’..

This particular story begins with Heather Koldeway from the Zoological Society of London who visited Pitcairn Island in November 2013 along with Terry Dawson from the University of Dundee.  They are undertaking a project funded by the United Kingdoms, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ‘Darwin Initiative’ to help develop a more sustainable livelihoods strategy for the island based on tourism and fisheries, which is interesting in itself.  However, Heather Koldeway has connections with Pitcairn Island dating back to 1848.

Her great-great grandfather, Dr. James Donnet, visited Pitcairn Island during that year on the HMS Calypso and he returned home with some beautiful mementos.  These mementos were contained in a beautifully crafted box made by John Buffett who arrived on Pitcairn Island in 1823.  The wooden box made from Miro and Gardenia was given to Heather’s grandfather by Fletcher Christian II, grandson of Fletcher Christian “the ringleader of the Mutiny on the Bounty”, as he is described by Dr James Donnet.   The visit of the HMS Calypso in 1845 was recorded in the Pitcairn Island Register by George Hunn Nobbs, the patriarch of the Pitcairn community at that time, it reads … “Dr. Donnet, hearing there were some hieroglyphics supposed to have been cut by the aborigines on the face of the cliff, on the east side of the Island determined to inspect them himself.  He was informed that the path was not only difficult, but dangerous, yet he would not be turned from his purpose.  Accordingly he started with one of the islanders and succeeded in his undertaking being the first European that ever went down the face of the cliff (which is very precipitous), without the assistance of a rope”… It was Arthur Quintal, the Magistrate of Pitcairn in 1855 that assisted him down the cliff. 

Pitcairn Island’s December issue of “Dem Tull” provides the account of Heather Koldeway handing over this box with its treasures to the Pitcairn Museum.  It says the box has a top that slides off, several compartments inside and a drawer underneath.  It contains medicinal powders and bottles and mementos from the Calypso’s visit to Chile and other places.  Of particular interest of course are the items from Pitcairn, locks of hair from three young Pitcairn women at the time, two sisters Martha (21) and Jemima (20) Young, and Ruth Quintal (19).  Martha and Jemima are the daughters of George Young and Hannah Adams.  Ruth is the daughter of Arthur Quintal.   Heather also presented a letter written by Arthur Quintal to Dr. Donnet in 1855, Dr. Donnet maintained friendships with the Pitcairn Islanders for years after his visit.   The box also contains a collection of shells picked from the shores of Pitcairn over 165 years ago.

Colleen Crane left Norfolk Island last October for a 6 month stay on Pitcairn Island. Colleen is a descendant of John Buffett and was fortunate to witness the actual handing over of the box to the Pitcairn Museum.  I believe Colleen has just arrived back in New Zealand after a 2 week voyage from Pitcairn on the Claymore II! It will be fantastic to catch up with Colleen once she lands back on Norfolk as I’m sure she also will have many memorable stories to share.

Millie travelled to Pitcairn along with Arthur Evans, Phillip ‘Lully’ Macrae, Robert ‘Possum’ Westwood, Ray Sills, Michael ‘Boo’ Prentice, Roger Duncan, Donna Rowlinson, Rob Ryan and Yvonne Robinson.  She said “it was a particularly emotional trip for herself, Arthur, Lully and Possum as Pitcairn is where our ancestors came from when they travelled across the ocean on the Morayshire in 1856.  Every day on Pitcairn was a special day, visiting all areas of the island that we had only read or heard about, the people were so welcoming and we can’t thank them enough for welcoming us to their home”.  Millie couldn’t believe that she was actually there… “it was a dream come true”.

Thank you Millie for sharing this experience with us, it has prompted me to make contact with the Pitcairn Island Museum.  Carol Christian-Warren is the Curator and we are both delighted to be in touch with each other.

 

Colleen Crane and group in the Pitcairn Island Museum

Protecting the H.M.S. Sirius Wrecksite and her Artefacts

Last week we celebrated the 224^th anniversary of the wrecking of the flagship of the First Fleet, H.M.S. Sirius on the reef at Slaughter Bay. Her role as the flagship places her as Australia’s most important shipwreck and her artefacts are the most significant array of First Fleet cultural heritage held anywhere in Australia. She was the lead ship of those coming to start the new colony, and is therefore positioned right at the very beginnings of what was to become our Nation. The story of the first two years of settlement at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island are together the story of the start of Australia and the wrecking of the Sirius here was a defining event for both colonies. What is astounding is that as a whole we do not know or are not taught at school, about Norfolk Island’s role and the final resting place for the Sirius. I imagine every American child knows what happened to the Mayflower?

The site of the shipwrecking and eventual spread of her artefacts received National and Commonwealth Heritage Listing in 2011. Given her importance it is also not surprising that there is Legislation that protects the wrecksite of the Sirius, along with other Historic Shipwrecks around Australia. This is the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. This legislation covers the ownership and sale of historic shipwreck artefacts and also shipwreck sites. The aims of the Act are to ensure that historic shipwrecks are protected for their heritage values and maintained for recreational, scientific and educational purposes. The Act also seeks to control any actions which could result in damage, interference, removal or destruction of an historic shipwreck site or relic. It does not prevent private ownership of relics, or their sale or disposal, but it does regulate their transfer.

 

NIMAA members snorkelling on the last Sirius anchor still on the sea floor

It is also important for locals to know that while they may have Sirius or other historic shipwreck artefacts currently in their possession, the Act does not allow further removal of objects from wreck sites or disturbance of sites. Relics can only be removed if a permit has been issued (which is what occurred for the official expeditions to recover the Sirius objects). A permit can be issued by the Museum Director as the appointed Officer under the Act. For the Sirius site, there are no restrictions on the use of the site by divers, surfers or swimmers. When the Norfolk Island Maritime Archaeology Association (NIMAA) members were recently diving with visiting maritime archaeologists they were lucky enough to have conditions that do not occur very often over the site, being calm and with little current or swell, and could snorkel over the remaining anchor still visible on the sea floor (see photo).

It is important to know though that no-one may remove relics or disturb the physical fabric of the site. The reason for this of course is that we want the Sirius wreck site and artefacts to be around for future generations to see and learn from. Private owners have an obligation to ensure the artefacts they hold are looked after properly. Working with the Sirius collection on a daily basis we know the conservation work that is required to ensure that these objects do not deteriorate. We had a great example of this presented to us recently when a copper bolt was taken from the site without the diver, Jamie Ryves, being aware that this was illegal. Jamie is an experienced and very responsible diver – but was unaware of the HSP Legislation. The bolt he recovered is likely to be a keel bolt and is an exciting find. However after being under the water for 224 years, it immediately began to corrode once taken out of the water and quickly coloured bright green – a lovely colour in any other circumstances, but one that gave us a clear alarm bell that active corrosion was underway.

Janelle with the keel bolt and its 'tank'

Once we alerted Jamie to the importance of the bolt and that it shouldn’t have been taken off the site without a permit, he immediately donated it to the museum. Janelle Blucher quickly worked on its conservation by rinsing it in fresh water then removing the attached accretions.  This provided an even surface for treatment by immersion in a citric acid / thiourea solution.  The citric acid assists in the removal of the remaining salt laden calcareous concretions and the thiourea prevents the citric acid from attacking the underlying good metal.  The bolt is over 900mm long so a vessel long enough for the immersion in the solution was created (thanks Raewyn and Christian Bailey-Agencies!).  The bolt spent a few weeks in solution and was recently removed and will soon be ready for its next phase of treatment including immersing in sodium sesquicarbonate solution to remove salt contaminations in the metal. This process should remove all the salt and it will then be ready for a protective coating and display.

We sincerely thank Jamie for not only donating the bolt but approving of us publically relaying his actions as a way of publicising that the purpose of the Act, is protection of the artefacts. We hope that everyone will understand that the issue at stake here is not about denying the right to collect objects or ownership per se – it is about ensuring that our children’s children will be able to inherit their rightful heritage by us being good custodians during our lifetime. We are very happy to offer conservation advice and assistance with any artefacts anyone has that they may be worried about. Please call down and see us at the Museum or call on 23788.