RARE N.Z. BOOKS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 7

RARE N.Z. BOOKS

EARLY WELLINGTON

SCARCE EDITIONS

DTJPPA AND ORIENTAL BAY

By Johannes C. Andersen. There are three early New Zealand books that are linked together by at least two facts —all were published within two years of each other by Smith, Elder, and Co., London, and all . contain the same two engraved illustrations—one of Lambton Harbour, the other of tho New Plymouth shore with Mount Eginont in the distance. First comes "An Account of the Settlements of the Now Zealand Company," by the Hon. William. Petre, usually known as Pelre's "New Zealand." This was published in the latter part of 1841, a very favourable review, with long extracts, appearing in the "New Zealand Journal," London, on 2nd and 16th October, 1841. Petre was a son of Lord Petro, a director of the New Zealand Company. He arrived in Wellington, in February, IS4O, then known as Port Nicholson, in the Oriental. He returned to England in 1841 to make final arrangements to come to New Zealand as a permanent settler, and he lived here for many years, though he died in England. His name, Petre, was given to tho town of AVhanganui for a short while, but the Native name was finally adopted, as Wanganui. . A BOOK OF SIX EDITIONS. He was noti the author of his book; he supplied the information, and Mr. H. S. (afterward Judge) Chapman wrote the book for him when he went Home with the material in 1841. Petre had no command of English or of a pen; Chapman had both; he wrote easily and in a lucid style, as his son did after him—or, I may happily say, does. I learned from Sir Frederick of his father writing the volume, ana the fact is also recorded in Hocken Js "Bibliography.-" H. S. Chapman was editor of the earlier issues of the "New Zealand Journal," including the period when the review of Petre's book appeared. The book was not a big one—B7 pages, followed by four pages of advertisements of Smith, Elder, and Co.'s publications, ft contained a map of New Zealand, published by Smith, Elder, and Co., on which the North, South, and Stewart Islands are called respectively Now Ulster, New Munster, and New Leinster, names given by Hobson, tho first Governor of New Zealand. It also contained the two engraved views referred to, that of part of Lambton Harbour facing the opening page, that of part of New Plymouth facing page 24. The book sold well, and there was a second edition the same year. The matter was, however, rearranged. In the first editionifc was run on, introduction and all, without any division into chapters. In the second the introduction was given a double page to itself, and the rest divided into chapters and extended to 94 pages, a blank leaf following page 94, and then four pages of advertisements as before. The illustrations now faced pages 19 and 28, and page 30 was wrongly numbered 32. The third edition, which followed next year, is the same as the second, except that it has eight pages of advertisements at the end instead of four. The fourth and fifth editions, also published in 1842, are the same as the third. There were two issues of the fifth edition; in the "New Zealand Journal" of Ist May, 1842, there is a notice regarding a fifth which was in smaller type—a cheap reprint of Mr. Petre 3s excellent little book. The former editions were beautifully and even expensively got up, though sold at a comparatively moderate price. This edition is adapted for more general circulation, being not much more than one quarter of the price of the former editions, the steel engraving being replaced by a neat woodcut." The new price was one shilling; the original one was three. All five editions are in the Turnbull Library, but the fifth, of which there are two copies, is just the same as the others—in blue cloth boards, edges cut, a horizontally-ribbed cloth with "The Honorable H. W Potre's New Zealand" in gold inside a_ blmd circle, blind scrolled ornaments round the circle, and in the four corners of the front cover. All ought to have the map, but many copies are defective, the. map being often swiped, the signs only of its former presence remaining. L It will be noted that in the advertisement of the issue of this cheaper edition it is said that the steel engraving (not engravings) has been replaced by a neat woodcut. No copy has been UZ« 7tT £ re«™blAe woodc i* "w« r Lambton Harbour; for in the New Zealand Journal" of 18th Ser> fr^Vß^' t l her° " a woodcut>^rawn trom the steel engravino--_( > rp^ , SSt » ™ -New Zeal*nd Settlement." The view is the same as the Waving, though the title is different! fn* tnT/ ™n Sto» already «JZ ]?& thL^ Bmty °f a cit r-and that in Nortl ?A W? y,earSJ ** took Palmerston a httle longer than that. EARLY VIEWS OP WELLINGTON i v-lfal|*viii£'S first* ,:. »*ny Pounds " Mw \ "i* "..a killings then. The "Bron K ham» V.IOU. buildings and points of W « along the waterfront are Hun'bcTft id ?« I accom Panics the sheets te identification of the numbers. Too ofen the key gets lost; and when later on about 1909. there was a local re r, 1 M° f +£ c Paiiorama ljy M'Kao and Gaible, the numbers and names were bot printed on the sheets. The first shet was sketched on 2nd May, the secod on 3rd May.. The view of 'pa t of few Plymouth settlement is Botby Heaphy, but by George Duppa Dupa was an early settler, coming out J" tie "Oriental" in 31st January, 1840 He ha a good deal of exploring, and beinj an artist, on the "Brougham " ■220.-t.ons, leaving Wellington for New Piynouth early in 1841—a trip that •took from 26-28 hours with a fair wind—for the purpose- of looking out y>e best site for the- New Plymouth ■ettlement, he joined as a draughtsman or the New Zealand Company, and rom on board the "Brougham" rlrow a anorama of the shore-line from Wniira to the Sugar Loaves, with Mount -gmont towering in the distance, 30 riles away. A close-up view shows in tie immediate foreground the Tange of biilcrmgs, in three long end-to-end

blocks, etcctod by Maori labour for the expected immigrants. Thero is also a drawing by Heaphy showing JMt. -Egniont and the New Plymouth sctllomcut, but it is from a somewhat different point of view, and does not show th^immigrant buildings, but shows the Maori workmen burning off wood for potato gardens. This view was on sale by iSmitli, Elder, and Co., 3s plain and 5s coloured; Duppa's panorama, 5s coloured. This was also published uucoloured, but in cither state is rare, and worth £5 or more. Heaphy's drawing of Lambton Harbour and Duppa's view of Mt. Egmont with the buildings in the foreground, were evidently taken to London, no doubt on the "Brougham" when she left "Wellington- for London on 3rd May, 18-1.1, reduced and engraved for Poire's book, used again in Jameson's book on Australia and New Zealand, and yet again in Chapman's "New Zealand Portfolio," two books mentioned later on in this note. DTJPPA. AND ORIENTAL BAY. George Duppa and W. B. D. Mantoll both came to Wellington in the "Oriental," and when they landed at Petone Duppa called his tent, made by himself on board, Oriental Tent. Judging by signs round about he reckoned that the part adjoining the Hutt where the settlers were located was subject to flood; and so it proved. Duppa went to Oriental Bay, so named by him after his ship, and his was Iho first house there. It is shown on sheet 1 of the Nattrass panorama. » When Duppa explored tho Canterbury Plains at Port Cooper for the Nelson Settlement, in his company was a man named Daniell. The late Mrs. Juliette Deane was a daughter of Daniell, and told Mr. H. Fildes last year (1930) that both Duppa. and Nathaniel Levin (father of W. H. Levin) often used to visit their home in Wellington when she was a little girl. Duppa was dark and sallow; and Nat. Levin taught the girl to say the following lines to him:— "Well I never did I ever Se-e a fella half so yella. How's your liver?" ~ There were.other Duppas; one, Edward Duppa, I am told by Mr. H. tildes, the antiquarian above, an English artist who painted portraits of Charles Buller and J. A. Roebuck, both men energetic in.London on behalf of the NewZealand Company. Whilst this Duppa docs not appear, so far as Mr. Fildes can learn, to be connected with George Duppa, there is evidently artistic blood in the Duppas. George made the sketch of Mt. Egmonfc and the New Plymouth panorama; and one, J. H. Duppa, in April, 1848, made a beautiful copy of a "Head of Christ" •by Guido in the Louvre. This J. H. Duppa, too, must have been known to W. B. D. Man toll, as was George Duppa; for on the Mantell treasures coming to tho Turnbull Library this copy, in colour, came with them. Petre .... Petre is not particularly sought by collectors; for one thing, his various "points" are not well known, for another thing the book is a small one and often in shabby condition. All the same, they fetch. 10s and upward, and in good condition should fetch much more, and very soon will. Care should bo taken that both plates and map are present. The map. "from official documents," is a good one, and is often missing. The advertisements should also be present;, they are important; in the present instance they give a good deal of information, about rare New Zealand publications then only recently issued. With the above points in view, especially remembering tho cheaper fifth edition—which if found would really rank as the sixth and top all the others in price—collectors will find tho chase of a set of Petre a hot one. Regarding the fifth edition, too. a collector may sometimes be put a poser; it is as well to be prepared for it.1 Fifth editions are really much rarer than first editions; so how is it, ho will be asked, that first editions are usually considered ,so much more valuable than, fifth ones? He will recover his wind after a'moment's thought, and return the wiss answer. The second of this interesting trio is B. G. Jameson's "New Zealand, South Australia, and New South Wales," published still later in 1841. Tho author had been Surgeon-Superin-tendent on the "Surrey," an emigrant ship to South Australia in June, 1838. Ho visited New Zealand at the end of. 1839. and again in 1840, and whilst the. book is not altogether a New Zealander, more than 200 of its pages are devoted to Now Zealand. The advertisements in Petre disclose that Jameson's.book was published at Bs—another link between the two. The same- two engravings that appeared in Petre appeared also in Jameson; so did the map of New Zealand, A second map, Australia and New Zealand, was added. Hocken says tho book has only one engraving—that of New Plymouth— and no map; so his copy must have been defective. In tho Turnbull Library copy the engraving of Lambton Harbour faces tho title-page, that of New Plymouth faces page 1, and the two maps are placed together after page 340. In the second edition, 1542, there is 'a: rearrangement; tho view of Lambton faces page 214, that of Now Plymouth page 47; tho map of Australia faces the title page, that of New Zealand page 173. The title page is undated in. the first edition; it has been reset, and is dated 1842, in the second. Inserted in the first edition in the Turnbull Library is a four-page leaflet advertising works published by George Routledge and Co., including the onec-popular "Valentine Vox," and the ever-green "Robinson Crusoe." CHAPMAN'S NEW ZEALAND * POKTFOLIO. This book is not, perhaps, of as great interest as the othors, but tho third of our trio, "The New Zealand Portfolio," has a most interesting publica-tion-history. It was issued by the same publishers, Smith, Elder,. and Co., in 1843, but first came out in six parts in 1842. It also was written by H. S. Chapman, an indefatigable writer in those days, always in the thick of affairs. In 1840 he wrote the article on Now Zealand fo;: tho then current "Encyclopaedia Britannica," and many of the articles in the "New Zealand Journal" on the subjects of finance, government, and legislation, were written by him. He wrote the parts of the "New Zealand Portfolio" in the form, of letters, the first one, addressed to the Eight Hon. Lord Stanley, being on tho administration, of justice in New Zealand; this comprised the first part, published on Ist August, 1842, Tho second part, published on Ist Septomber, contained a letter to John Abel Smith, on the advantages whici. would accrue to the English capitalist from the establishment of a loan, company for New Zealand, similar to the Australian Trust Company, a subject that had been written about in the "New Zealand Journal" for 1841. Full details of the Australian Trust Company referred to appeared as an appendix to Jameson's volume. Wellington people will also recognise John Abel Smith as oue after whom ono of the- streets of that city was named; and they may remember that it was orice thought by a good many, that this namo was two names, one end of the street being called Abel and the other Smith. The third letter, published on Ist October, inscribed to tho Hon. Algernon G. Tollemache, contained an address to the New Zealand land proprietors. The fourth, published Ist, November, contained a paper by Charles Terry on the financial condition of New Zealand. ■ During the same year Terry had published ono of tho good books on New Zealand, "New Zealand: Its Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony." This book may