The Evening Star SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1931. BEGINNINGS.

Evening Star, Issue 20980, 19 December 1931, Page 14

The Evening Star SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1931. BEGINNINGS.

Mr George Finn, who is a past president of the Now Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, and was a Government representative on the first Unemployment Board, has found occupation for his leisure which must have been vastly more pleasant to him than his labours in the last capacity. He has compiled a record of almost everything that has happened in this country’s history, which he calls rather oddly ‘ Datus, a Chronology of New Zealand from the Time of the Moa.’ He does not attempt to give the dates when the first moa was seen (traditionally by the navigator Ngahue) or the last one died; the “time of the moa ’’ continues vague, as it is likely to do for all futurity, but there is not much after that that his record ignores. It is instructive to follow our history in these short entries, which have more variety than the most portly narrative. Perhaps it is not a defect, hut a merit, owing to the stimulus afforded to the spirit of inquiry, that Mr Finn’s recordings raise some questions at the same time that they settle more. Wo are not sure that he has always drawn from the best sources of information. His third enry, for example, reads: “ 1550, visit of Portuguese to New Zealand.” Was Tasman thus anticipated? There must he some authority for the statement, but, it would be interesting to know what it is and be able to test it. In a \-olume which is a monument of close research Miss Hetheriugton has written; “There were no known Eprtuguese visits previous to that of asvhaling ship, the Especulacoa, just before tlie British annexation in 1840, and the only visit of Spanish ships did not take place until 1793.” And yet we have known a Maori researcher who claimed to have found traces of Spanish (or may it have been Portuguese?) in the Maori language. The main date of To Rauparaha’s raids on the South Island is wrongly given. The fall of Kaiapoi (after a drawn-out siege) was most probably in March or April, 1832, after, and not before, the atrocity of the brig Elizabeth, and certainly not in 1830.

When it deals with European events that are not too remote, Mr Finn’s book is a mine of information. On May 3, 1820, it is of interest to note, the first plough was used in New Zealand by Mr W. J. Kemp at Keri Keri. The implement is still to he in the Old Colonist Section, Auckland Art 1 Gallery. One of the articles—they form half of the book—by which the chronology is amplified gives an illustration of the plough, but does not mention Mr Kemp. It states that it was used by the Rev. John Butler, the first ordained minister (Anglican) to settle in the colony. “I felt much pleasure,” -writes Mr Butler, “in holding it after a team of six bullocks.” Probably Mr Kemp used it afterwards. And that suggests another, not mistake of fact, but error in proportion. On February 7, 1840, we are told, “ Mr Malcolm M'Kinnon, first settler on Canterbury Plains, lauded near outlet to Lake Forsyth.” That may bo correct, but it should not obscure the most important of the Canterbury pioneers of settlement, who were the Deans brothers. Arriving in 1844, they were the best helpers of the organised settlement, begun six years later. Jacobson, in his ‘ Tales of Banks Peninsula,’ distinguishes M'Kinnon as the “ first man to do any ploughing in Canterbury,” in 1840, or early in 1841. He did not stay long at Riccarton, where ho went (before tho Deans) at that period. In 1847 ho was at Akaroa, and “Mr M'Kinnon and .Mr Lucas got Mrs Brown to ask Governor Grey [arrived on a visit] whether they might be allowed to squat in the hills, and he replied in tho affirmative, saying they had better go there and ‘ breed children and cattle as fast as they could.’ ” Tho French settlers had arrived in August, 1840— an event overlooked by Mr Finn. An entry of more casual interest is '(Pickwick Club formed, Wellington,” May 25, 1840. As the first settlers of Wellington had only qrrived in September, 1839, not much time was lost about that inauguration. ' Pickwick ’ was published in 1836. It would be interesting to know when that club breathed its last. Duels in the early days might make an interesting subject for research. There was one, or an approach to one, in Dunedin., Mr Finn records, under February 26, 1844: “Duel fought between two lawyers in a valley near Sydney street, Wellington, Mr M. V. Brewer and Mr Ross. Mr Brewer was severely wounded and died a few days later. Mr Ross’s second was Major Durie.” At the end of 1845 or beginning of 1846 there was one in the present Lavaud street, Akaroa, fought with pistols between the Commissioner and Dr Renant, a French naval surgeon. After tho Commissioner’s trousers had been cut by a bullet, which also grazed Ids thigh, the fight was stopped by tho appearance of tho French commodore Lavaud, .who had kept aloof till ho heard ih§

shot. The eucounter had a very trivial cause. Two entries for 1852 piquo curiosity for more knowledge. On May 4, wo are told, “HunedTn magistrates decided that reporters should be for ever excluded from their meetings,” and on May 13 “Mr Reynolds censured for reporting proceedings of Magistrate’s Court meeting.” In 1849 there was an alarm that the Secretary for State had formed the decision to send convicts to Otago, and a public meeting of protest was held. Our early history was more varied than most of us knew.”