The Editor's Mailbag

Captain J. B. Stevenson

I am writing to seek your assist ance in tracing any records relating to Captain James Barclay Stevenson who was master (and part-owner) of the wooden barque Chevert in 1880.

The Chevert was a wooden barque built at Rochfort, France, in 1863 as a French man-of-war. She later passed into the hands of R. R. S.

Bowker (the coal factor and ship owner of Newcastle, NSW). Later still, in 1875, the Chevert became the property of Sir William Macleay who retained ownership of her until 1877, during which time he made her his headquarters for his famous voyage of discovery from Sydney to New Guinea and return (this chapter of her career is very adequately covered by David Macmillan in his excellent book A Squatter Went to Sea).

In June, 1877, he sold her. She passed through various hands during the following few years. In 1880 her (then) part-owner and master, Captain James Barclay Stevenson of Sydney, reported that she had been dismasted in a hurricane, towed into Havannah Harbour in the New Hebrides, and there condemned. She was (apparently) bought wholly or in part from Stevenson by Captain Donald McLeod (the rather legen dary South Sea Islands’ trader and seaman) who re-rigged her. With this transaction her Sydney registry was cancelled and she disappeared from Australian shipping records. So, as far as I have been able to estab lish, did James Barclay Stevenson.

The Chevert was 105.6 ft in length, 29.0 ft in breadth and 16.7 ft in depth. When registered in Sydney her registered number was 71,799; she had a registered tonnage of 314.

After Donald McLeod purchased the Chevert it seems possible that he retained the services of Captain Stevenson—possibly as her master or as master of one of his other ships.

I have in my possession a letter written from Noumea, by Stevenson, to his son (Willie) in Sydney, in January, 1882. In this letter Steven son gives no Noumea address, but refers to “a cheque (to his wife) for £3O on the Union Bank at Sydney”.

The cheque was from “Morgan” and I wonder who Morgan was.

Captain Stevenson’s son (Willie) was William Henry Webster Stevenson who became the Anglican Bishop

of Grafton in New South Wales in 1938, and who died in Sydney in 1945 at the age of 67 years.

I have read with interest the two references to Captain McLeod in your magazine of September, 1955 (by H.

E. L. Friday), and in November, 1955 (by Donald Hugh Kerr). I have also read Lion of Scotland and Cannibals and Convicts, but neither leads me any closer to James Barclay Stevenson. I also know the two sur viving grandsons of Captain Steven son but neither is able to shed further light on the previous or subsequent career of their ancestor.

My interest in J. R. Stevenson is in connection with some research which I am doing into early Australian shipping.

M. E. Palmer.

129 Mackenzie Street, Hackett, Canberra, A.C.T. 2602.

Does Anybody Know?

Seeing in an article in the October, 1971, PIM on the “Half-forgotten Western Isles” (the Ninigo Group), a photograph of a girl, Mary Handis, I wrote to her on Pihon Island on January 24 but got my letter back.

I assumed she was living there but maybe she has moved. Do you know her present address?

C. Heuboer (Mr).

175 Paul Gabriel Street, Den Haag, Holland.

Indians In Samoa

Mr R. P. Berking, bless his indus trious soul, was a reservoir of Samoan history which he could relate in a most absorbing way. I discovered this to my pleasure during my term as Observer-in-Charge of Apia Observa tory from 1962-65. It was with some sadness therefore that I read of his death in PIM (June, p. 129).

You say it is not clear why, during the German era, Mr Berking ignored the direction of his superiors and turned a group of Indian immigrants away from Western Samoa.

He explained to me that he could envisage an “Indian takeover” in the years ahead if these immigrants had been allowed to even put a foot ashore. As soon as they had come ashore, he said, they would have sought out local chiefs and had them selves accepted as guests. Next, with the support of the chiefs, they would have got around the authorities to

allow them to remain permanently. It was precisely this situation that Mr Berking, with his foresight, had sought to avoid.

Had not the ship (or ships) earlier been turned away from Tonga? Does any reader know why and in what circumstances Indians attempted to migrate beyond Fiji?

John Milne.

Bali, Indonesia.

"Men, Not Natives"

Fred Archer, in his letter “Wuvulu Island” (PIM, June, p. 3) says, “Rep resentations have been made to the MPs in Canberra and to native mem bers of the PNG House of Assembly recently . . .

Why is it necessary to use the word “native”?

As a member of the dying race of arrogant European settlers in South- East Asia and the Pacific, Mr Archer should be reminded that SE Asia was once a land of “boys, boongs and natives”, (in the eyes of people like Mr Archer).

When we freed ourselves from our colonial masters and were able to assert ourselves we became men .

Mr Michael Somare was man enough to remind some white inter lopers at Goroka recently that Papua New Guineans are men, not boys.

Regardless of our educational back ground we are all humans seeking dignity and self-respect. To use the word “people” instead of “natives would have been a nice gesture from highriding Mr Archer. However, he and his ilk will soon have to step off their horses and face reality.

S. Chalid.

c/- Hotel Negara, Singapore.

Impressive Pim!

I wish to advise my change of address. It is now over two years since I started my subscription with you, for PIM. The first time I came upon the magazine was in early December, 1969 at the old overseas terminal at Sydney airport. Wanting something to read on the flight to Tontouta, New Caledonia, I was browsing through the contents of the newsagency when the title, “Pacific Islands Monthly” caught my eye.

Those words and the coverplate promised literature relevant to the area I was about to be travelling in.

I must admit I was a bit set back when, on the aircraft, I opened the magazine and found no glossy travel advertisement-type photographs of sunbathed beaches, palm trees or

damsels in grass skirts and hibiscus blooms.

Much daunted I waded tentatively into the print. I became interested.

In between my activities over the five days spent in Noumea I finished reading the magazine and left it in my room on my departure for Fiji.

On arrival back home I found that I wanted to keep informed on hap penings in the Pacific and it was then that I remembered that impressive PIM I had read two months earlier.

Fortunately I had kept the subscrip tion form that was in that issue— foresight or luck?

In the two years since then I have found that the standard I found in that first issue has been maintained.

In fact I do not even mind that there are no glossy photos.

The articles have been interesting, informative and, at times, amusing.

My interest in the region the magazine covers has been increased by it and, perhaps, it is partly responsible for my coming to Papua New Guinea.

Since being here I have noticed the articles dealing with this country to be informed and accurate. Un fortunately, I feel that a lot of the people here are less informed, in some cases, than your PIM.

Thank you for the last two years.

I look forward to the future, both of your issues and the region.

Noel M. Leach.

Boroko, Port Moresby.

Exclusive Yacht Club

When our overseas yacht was recently moored at the Royal Suva Yacht Club, an Indian friend from Lautoka on the other side of the island visited us there.

An official of the RSYC, not very politely, and in fact, quite nastily asked a crew member, who was ac companying the Indian, what our guest was doing in the club grounds and on our yacht. He said that club rules stated that no locals living within fifteen miles of the club could visit it.

When he was told that our friend was from Lautoka, he said that no “locals” at all could visit either the club or our yacht there and because our Indian friend was visiting us, the official requested that we remove our yacht from the RSYC area.

Both we and our guest were embarrassed and humiliated by the attitude of the official. Many people in Fiji are aware of the colour-bar at the yacht club and we feel that something must be done to eliminate it.

(Miss) Diane Galiardi.

Yacht Tathata , Tradewinds Marina, Suva.

More letters on p. 121