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Letter from James Cowan to Horace Fildes

page 1

Dear Mr Fildes,


I have not been in
town since Monday & should have
looked in to see [unclear: you] — have not
got rid of this bronchitis, as yet,
so am working quietly at home.

I have not heard from Mair
lately, so it is possible one of
the letters to which you refer was
intended for me. I shall be
in early next week — Monday most
likely & will call to see you.

I read your Heuheu [unclear: pas]
(Waitahanui, Te Rapa, etc.) in the "Dominion",
the reference to the great Heuheu's bone
burial particularly interested me
as I could have told you
something abo on the subject.

page 2

In 1900 (or 1899) in Tokaanu
one of the survivors of that great landslip
in 1846, old Te Heuheu's half
brother
Tokena te Kerehi,
then about 85 years or 90 years
old, gave me an account of the
affair & his escape. He
was one of those who dug up
the his chief's body. The great Te Heuheu
was his elder brother (half-brother
I think). I used his story in a
little book I wrote, in published
1901, called "Lake Taupo & the
Volcanoes
."

Te Heuheu's bones were recovered
a few some years ago by
a party which included old
Waaka Tamaira & were
brought down and deposited in the
urupa behind the Heuheu family's
home at Waihi, near Te Rapa.

page 3

I have not seen them myself,
but the late Te Heuheu Tukino
invited me to inspect them
when next at Tokaanu. He
described his grandfather's
skull as of exceptionally
large size.

As for the "Dominion," I
would see them to the devil
before giving them anything in the
way of information. Some time
ago I sent a couple of good
articles to the "Dominion"
editor who returned them with
some excuse or other about
space. The fact is they are
too infernally mean to
pay for matter — want it all on the cheap.

Kia ao koe
J. Cowan