THE BEGINNING
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THE BEGINNING
THE VOYAGE OUT
CHARLES LUSH of Charles Square, London, was at a dinner party on 27 August 1817 when a message was brought to him announcing the birth of his twentieth child. "Whereupon", writes his grandson Edward Lush, "the assembled guests drank the babe's health, the father's and the mother's." So Vicesimus Lush owed his unusual Christian name to his position in the family. Many years later in New Zealand he was to christen a child Decimus with the subsequent comment that "the tenth" had been baptised by "the twentieth".
As a Cambridge undergraduate he heard the Bishop-elect of New Zealand preach in 1841. He was impressed by both man and sermon, and a vision of service as one of George Augustus Selwyn's staff in the new Colony seems to have been with him through his final year at Corpus Christi College. It was not until after his marriage during his second curacy at Farringdon that a final decision was made and he wrote to the Bishop offering his services.
He was fortunate in his wife, Blanche Hawkins, niece and ward of Lady Taunton of Ewelme, Oxfordshire, whom he married on 5 May 1842. The gentle Victorian girl was a descendant of seafarers and explorers; she appears to have encouraged her husband's wish to emigrate, though by the time they were stationed in the London suburb of Hoxton, anxiously awaiting the Bishop's answer, there were four young children in her nursery. The parents subdued their impatience with the slow and uncertain mail service by visiting Brees's "Panorama of New Zealand"; they farewelled a
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shipload of passengers bound for the Antipodes, 1 and read every book and pamphlet they could find on the Colony of their choice.
They were ready for more practical preparations when a favourable reply 2 came at last. In April 1850, his shawled and bonnetted wife on his arm, Vicesimus Lush again visited the Docks, this time to inspect the ship Barbara Gordon. "Blanche liking the accommodation we agreed with Mr Willis for our passage in her.... Two cabins and six individuals for 200 £."
The six individuals were Blanche and Vicesimus Lush and their children: Blanche, born in 1843; Charlotte Sarah, 1844; Mary Eliza, 1847, and Charles Hawkins, 1849. But a seventh was to join the party. Mrs Lush decided to take with her a fifteen-year-old servant, Anne Sainsbury, usually called Betsy, 3 who was to supply unknowingly a thread of continuity to her employer's journal and also present a recurring family problem. The ordering of outfits for the family and the fitting out of cabins for the voyage combined with farewell visits to friends to complicate the few weeks before Barbara Gordon sailed from Gravesend on 16 May 1850 at five o'clock in the afternoon.
The Lush journal of the voyage out is brief and factual, a contrast to the liveliness and flair for description shown in the following years of the New Zealand journals: even the disappearance overboard of the second mate is recorded dispassionately. It is only as the coast of New Zealand becomes visible that the diarist's enthusiasm asserts itself.
Fortunately Joseph Longden, one of a group of young cabin passengers on their way out to settle in New Zealand, is able to amplify many of the entries, though his viewpoint differs considerably from that of his elders, Mr and Mrs Lush
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THE VOYAGE OUT
and Dr and Mrs Warrington, generally referred to as "the married folk". Charles Lush, his teething troubles mentioned sympathetically by his papa, becomes in Mr Longden's words "the Clergyman's baby; the dear little duck screams the whole day... and if the kind wishes of the passengers had been granted he would long ere this have been consigned to the tender mercies of the deep". Another example of the generation gap is Mr Lush's more moderate but still pained reference to the young contingent's noisy celebration of one another's birthdays - "and any other event that seems to them to merit it".
Mr Longden outlines "the first serious row" of the voyage and with a maturity beyond his years observes that "it is no doubt the prelude to many more, for this would not be a passenger ship if a quarrel did not frequently arise - they will blow over when we reach our destination when we shall all be as happy and friendly as possible". His reference to the ship as "my Barbara" and his no more than mild irreverence indicate a pleasant fellow-traveller who shows at times a genuine appreciation of the trials suffered by a ship's surgeon and a chaplain who has also the office of schoolmaster to the children aboard.
Barbara Gordon's progress was slow and comparatively uneventful. On 6 October the Three Kings Islands off the north coast of New Zealand were in sight. Mr Lush hurried on deck but missed seeing them. However: "I saw what pleased me far more, the north coast of New Zealand itself. I beheld it under favourable circumstances and accompanied by what I took as a happy omen. The morning sun was shining brightly upon the steep rugged cliffs and an exceeding brilliant rainbow arched the canopy of heaven and embraced the Island in its gigantic arc." It proved to be a happy omen, in the main.
There is no journal entry after 6 October until one on 14 October: "Blanche wrote to my Mother and I wrote to Alfred." Mr Longden fills some of the gap: "Oct. 8. Off the island of Rangitoto this morning, a beautiful little island.... Foul wind all day, which obliged us to tack about at the
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mouth of the Shouraki [Hauraki] Gulf, the ship making little headway. Dressed in a white shirt and collar (quite a novelty on board) and put on my best suit that my first appearance in Auckland might create a suitable impact" - but it was not until 9 October that "we all (except the married folk) went ashore in the Pilot's boat". The Lush family landed the next day after a tedious voyage of over five months.
THE NEW ZEALAND JOURNALS
The New Zealand journals were begun in earnest in a raupo whare at St John's College on 15 October 1850; they end with the death of Vicesimus Lush in 1882. Faced with a manuscript of roughly half a million words I realized that only a section could be used. In spite of the charms of early settlement in the Waikato and the golden glitter of early years at the Thames, the first part of the journals was the logical choice.
It has been necessary to sift out some amiable ramblings, and accounts in full of religious services, from the descriptions of and comments upon colonial life. New Zealand was still new in 1850 and Mr Lush was present at a number of first occasions in Auckland as well as in his own parish of Howick. 4 He has supplied us with as good a piece of detailed social history of mid-nineteenth-century New Zealand as Parson Woodforde 5 did of rural England in the late eighteenth century.
Gaps in the journals are numerous; shipwreck and pressure of work at Howick account for some but not all. These accentuate the need for editing, as do long discussions of events and people irrelevant to the New Zealand scene. I soon came upon another reason - a tendency to repetition. Until his mother's death Mr Lush sent these journal-letters to her. Later two - if not three - sisters appear to have received entries recording the same events, with no more than an
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THE N. Z. JOURNALS
occasional clue to show to whom they are addressed, but all returned faithfully to the sender. Eventually it was decided that ease of reading was more important than scholarly convention; it seems desirable that this charming pioneer record should be presented without omission marks.
The idiosyncratic spelling and random use of capital letters and figures give a certain flavour to the account so they are retained; at times it is impossible to decide when a capital is used deliberately, in spite of the clear script of a Greek scholar. Mistakes in the spelling of surnames are many: these are usually corrected in footnotes, but Captain McDonald's name has been standardized from the beginning and the form used in The Parish Census of Pensioners Stationed at Howick, June 18, 1849 adopted throughout. The original punctuation has been altered where clarity demands it; square brackets are used where words are illegible and for the occasional small word missed out, also when explanation appears to fit better into the text than in the form of a footnote. I have used a consistent form of dating entries. Getting these pages into chronological order entailed much checking with contemporary sources; a habit of omitting the year from dates was balanced to some extent by an admirable practice of noting feasts of the Church following the day and month.
In spite of his affection for "Home" Vicesimus Lush was not among those settlers whose ambition was to make New Zealand an antipodean copy of Old England. From time to time he comments drily on certain "colonial" aspects of the new society - in some cases both circumstances and comment are topical today. He has an enthusiasm for his unfamiliar surroundings that is infectious; his enjoyment of life in New Zealand is largely responsible for the vivid picture he has left of it. Perhaps it is to be regretted that, apart from a brief visit to Taupiri Mission Station in the Waikato, he saw no more of the country between 1850 and 1863 than the young capital of Auckland and his own parish.
The Junior Journals: Of the four children Vicesimus and Blanche Lush brought with them to New Zealand, the only survivors of a disastrous epidemic of scarlet fever were
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Blanche the younger (Blanney) and her brother Charles, both of whom left childhood journals that amplify and act as cross-references to their father's much more detailed account of the same period.
Blanche's series of exercise-books covers sporadically the years 1857 to 1863. Her daily life - the highlights of which were Auckland's concerts and rare operatic performances - are recorded conscientously for the benefit of her Aunt Eliza in England. Gardening and domestic affairs, lessons in singing, pianoforte and drawing, visiting the sick and needy as her father's lieutenant, and almost daily rides about his large parish, are commonplace, but her "coming-out" at Governor and Mrs Gore Browne's reception at Government House in 1861 is momentous. Her father's mention of the event - which he refused to attend - is tantalisingly brief, but from Blanche we get a glimpse of a simpler era when the National Anthem played on the stroke of midnight was the signal to colonial Cinderellas in white muslin gowns that the ball was over.
Charles Lush reveals himself as an intelligent and capable fifteen-year-old. In 1863 he was a pupil at the Church of England Grammar School, on the corner of Parnell Road and what is now Ayr Street - then Grammar School Road. His father had bought land opposite the school that year and built Ewelme Cottage 6 for the sake of his sons' education and their companionship with boys of their own age. Charles even supervised the building of the cottage in his father's absence.
In spite of the continual ill-health that was a burden to his parents as well as himself, Charles Lush's account 7 of a schoolboy's life in the 1860s, of family activities and events in the city of Auckland and the parish of Howick, is both well observed and important to the main journal.
THE FAMILY CIRCLE
The parting from England and the cowslip meadows of Farringdon had not been easy for the Lush family. Many
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THE FAMILY CIRCLE
possessions to which they had become attached had to be sold, as freight beyond the individual passenger allowance on a sailing-ship was expensive. Though it was comparatively easy to bring books, china, pictures and silver across the world, each case as it was nailed down had to he swathed in canvas, and Blanche Lush's was the hand that stitched the yards of heavy cloth in place. As well, water being scarce aboard emigrant ships, facilities for washing clothes were generally limited to a sail slung to catch such rain as appeared imminent, so clothing for parents and four children under seven years of age had to be provided in sufficient quantity to last at least four months.
Mrs Lush appears to have accepted with composure what must have been to her an alien and uncomfortable life at St John's College; dining in Hall on meat that less thrifty establishments would have buried seems to have been her sorest trial. Her children revelled in the freedom after months aboard ship, though their father as one responsible for a roof over their heads, in stormy weather had some reservations about the safety of a raupo whare in a high wind and driving rain.
It was not until Vicesimus Lush was appointed Vicar of Howick by Bishop Selwyn in December 1850 and the household was settled at the Parsonage that the full extent of loss of their possessions was discovered. A neat Pocket Almanac for 1850 gives a "List of Broken Things" in the same elegant hand (presumably Mrs Lush's) that has written a recipe for Lemon Suet Pudding on the fly-leaf, and precise instructions for making butter, beginning: "1 cow should yield abt 8 gals Milk twice daily.... " The list of broken things was not long, but when unpacking started at Howick worse was discovered. Two barrels of china had been packed in England, one of fine Worcester for transport to New Zealand and one of common earthenware that was to be sold. It was then that Mrs Lush made the shocking discovery that the Worcester china had been sold as earthenware and the earthenware had joined the family at Howick,
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The wooden Parsonage, originally built for Captain Montreson Smith, Officer Commanding one of the three companies of New Zealand Fencibles at Howick, became a comfortable home with children's ponies in the paddock and the hope of English buttercups and daisies in the surrounding fields of the Vicar's glebe land. Like most British settlers, though an accomplished gardener, Mr Lush had a passion for importing the wild flowers and fruits of his native country.
He emerges from the pages of his journals as a likeable parent, firm but not tyrannical, with an engaging sense of humour. He did share, however, the regrettable Victorian belief that no child should hear praise of itself under any circumstances. Young Blanche's music progresses well - but no one must tell her so; Charles has been much admired for his wit and his efforts as a carpenter - his parents are relieved that he was not present to hear this. The removal of small shoes and stockings and permission to paddle on Howick beach merits an entry in the journal destined for the Aunts at home - with the explanation that this was an exceptional occasion. No wild colonial boys - or girls - are permitted in this very happy family circle.
Four children came from England to Howick; five more were born there: Henry Alfred, 1852; John Martin, 1854; Eliza Anne, 1857; Margaret Edith, 1859; and William Edward, 1862. Their father has succeeded in conveying to his friends in England the appearance and developing characters of his children and they emerge from the pages of his journals as sufficiently three-dimensional figures to be of interest to readers a century later.
THE PARISH
On a fine spring day in November 1847 work was begun on the church of All Saints at Howick. Bishop Selwyn and the Governor, Sir George Grey, had chosen the site - as whenever possible with Selwyn churches, it was built on top of "a rising Knoll" and was easily visible from land and sea. The Bishop himself assumed not only the duties of "spiritual
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hospitality" to the incoming Pensioners, but also took part in the actual building of their parish church.
This largest of the military Pensioner settlements, envisaged by Sir George Grey as a chain of defence across the Auckland Peninsula from possible invasion from the Waikato, was certainly the most picturesquely sited. The village grew up in a basin-like hollow to the west of and below the church and the vicarage, or "the Parsonage" as it was called at that time. On the glebe of ten acres that was at the disposal of the Vicar, London-born Vicesimus Lush pastured the cows that provided his household with milk, butter and cream, raised pigs which his accomplished wife transformed into pickled pork and bacon. He grew vegetables and fruit and even ran some goats after finding that the family enjoyed roasted kid.
A plan dated 1852 8 shows All Saints in its churchyard, in relation to the Parsonage, the glebe and all fourteen of the farm buildings. Except for the dairy and an implement shed, these were all built by the Vicar in his scanty leisure. Another venture was the wholesale planting of trees, both native and exotic.
Readers of this edited journal may raise an eyebrow at the apparently numerous trips to Auckland and what appears to be a lack of parish visiting and administration. In justice it must be stressed that the Vicar took advantage of his Monday holiday to explore the new terrain, pursue his hobbies and home improvements, and was inclined to record for his relations in England only the more unusual aspects of life in the Colony.
The parish school was a heavy responsibility during the first months at Howick, and at frequent intervals between schoolmasters thereafter. At first encounter the Vicar made the unpleasing discovery that the children were being taught in the nave of the church as there was no schoolhouse; "From their manner I fear familiarity with the Sanctuary had almost engendered within them a feeling of contempt for it." A schoolhouse was built in 1851 but found to be too small by the end of that year, though the number of children attending
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fluctuated according to the popularity or otherwise of the schoolmaster. Sergeant Pearce, the current master, also accompanied the singing in church on his flute.
The Howick settlement suffered its share of discontent with the new country. As Mr Lush observes, old soldiers are not necessarily the best tillers of the soil, though in the light of that period in history the terms offered the Fencibles were reasonably good. The age of a Pensioner was not to be over forty years and his height not under five feet five inches. He had to be of good character, in good health and prepared for military service - also to attend church parade once on Sundays. In return each man was given a cottage on a one-acre section, one quarter of which had been cleared for him, and later a country section of five acres. That some of the cottages were designed to house two families - four rooms with a chimney between them that provided a fireplace for each - did nothing to contribute to the overall peace of Howick village. The mild comment of a visiting officer 9 that, from his knowledge of human nature in general, and soldiers' wives in particular, he "could not feel sanguine as to the entire domestic peace of these Siamese households" was well justified.
