TREASURE TROVE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 579, 6 August 1909, Page 5

TREASURE TROVE.

' EECOBDS FROM OOLONIAI/" OFFICE. _From.the Colonial: Office, England,- the received a large quantity of books and papers of the New Zealand Company, referring, to , the issue of shares in the company, its financial operations, and ; shipment of emigrants to the' infant colony of. New-Zealand during .the early 'forties.' The■. papers' had been ; lying in England for half a century when thoy. wore investigated by Dr., Hocken, of Dunedin, In the course ■of a visit Home, and it is due to hie interest m the matter that they have come to.■Nβ* Zealand: The collection, which has arrived,-and Which is now stored in the old Parliamentary j Buildings, represents those documents which are not considered'necessary for tho British archives. Messrs. A Hamilton, A. H. Tnmbull, and C, A. Etfen were, asked to report on the consignment, and they state that the Dominion has received a valuable collection of idocumonts relating to tho fouudation and growth of the company's, settlements. The records includo complete lists of tho Company s emigrants,' with their ages and occupations, log books of some of the ships and surgeons' logs, papers .in connection With land grants made by the company in New :■ Zealand, and duplicate . and triplicate copies of dispatches arid correspondence, Thore are also some original.-letters',', '-.which Bhould be boutld and carefully preserved. Tho Committee of Examination' recommend that ill the duplicates, land orders, and accounts referring to Oteßo , should be presented to the Hobken collection in Duncnin, and that the duplicates of the papers of the other settlements should bo offered to tho atithbrities of tho towns to which they relate. It is hoped thrtt soiho historical student will undertake to mako, under proper supervision, a detailed clasnification of these papers. ■ ■■'" : .'.. ■ .:- ;.■ . ■;:. The company's etnbarkation reports, containing a complete list of Emigrants to Wet lington, Otago, and Nfiw Plymrtuth by all the company's ships from the Culm, which 1 sailed on August 1,1839, to tho Ursula (May 17, 1843), has b-jen placed on exhibition in tho Dominion MtiSctttn. Among the records which remain with tho Colonial Office are from 8000 td 10,(100 letters rfllatihg U the colony, of which it is'suggested copies should be requested.