John 'Samuel' Howan

In 1860-1861 John was serving on the Royal Naval vessel H.M.S. “Fawn” when it visited New Zealand. I understand this was not the first time he had visited the country. He and a young friend deserted from the ship - a common occurrence in those days but nevertheless a very serious offence. The following is an extract taken from “The White Ensign in New Zealand” by J. Ross: “Desertion was probably the problem that exercised the minds of the commanding officers more than any other. The attractions of the free and easy life of a newly developing colony were too obvious to the sailors.” One ship, the “Fawn”, reported that in a three and a half year commission she had lost no less than 105 men to desertion, including two officers. One captain referred to “the utter inefficiency of the Auckland Police in their apprehension” while another went further and claimed that “agents are employed in many parts of the province of Auckland to visit the port and induce sailors to employment on the land.” One story has it that the two young men were chased to the Manawatu River across which they swam under fire from their pursuers. They were, however, followed no further and settled for some time to live in a local Maori village. With the fear of apprehension for desertion hanging over them the young men adopted new names. John’s friend took the name of Brown and eventually married one of the local Maori women. John Hambleton became Samuel Howan. Source: https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/345d8217-2d3b-459f-8522-dc88874...