Post by NZBC on Jan 18, 2009 19:02:37 GMT 12
A correspondent sends to the Marlborough Herald, from Robin Hood Bay, the following interesting account of the Chinese burial which took place there: — Last Saturday morning the inhabitants of Robin Hood Bay were surprised to see at 5 o'clock in the morning a large, steamer lying just outside the bay, and two boat loads of people just landing. The vessel proved, to be a large steamer of 9000 tons, the Inverie, belonging to the Bank Line. They left South America, and were bound for Sydney, but a Chinaman, one of the crew, met with an accident and died, and, as the Chinese won't allow their dead to be buried at sea, the steamer, put in here to bury the body. About twenty Chinamen landed, and one English officer. They had a funny ceremony. After putting the coffiin in the grave they made a fire and burnt paper money and other things. In the coffin they placed a bag of rice chop-sticks, twenty pounds in money, and twenty packets of cigarettes. Five of the Robin Hood school boys pulled out to the steamer, and were very hospitably entertained. This was the only place in New Zealand where they touched; neither the captain nor any of the officers had ever been in New Zealand waters