THE AVON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 9426, 29 May 1891, Page 6

THE AVON.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— My attention has been drawn to some extracts from, the Church News, written by “ Anselm,” published in your paper on May 4, Absence from homo and being otherwise engaged have prevented my replying to them sooner. As some of your readers who are interested in this subject may not gat tho Press, in which, I maintain, I have fully proved the origin of the name Avon, and in which I think “ Anselm” ought to have replied if he had any substantial grounds for doing so, instead of writing to a paper (the Church, News) that I am not at all likely to see. With your permission I will enclose the following extracts, which I can scarcely think “ Anselm ” will deny or dispute.

My uncle, Mr James T. Deans, of Kirkstyle, Riccarton, Kilmarnock, writes on Dec. 12, 1871, to my mother, as follows ; “ I now enclose extracts from two letters of my brothers, dated 1843 and 1849, which I think completely explains how the river Avon in New Zealand and the Riccarton property derived their name. The Avon, at Home, for nearly from its source, forms the boundary between Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, and for all that distance it also either formed the boundary or intersected our grandfather’s estate. We used to fish often in it when boys, and my brothers naturally retained a pleasant recollection of the stream. That accounts for their wish to connect the name with the stream intersecting their property ia New Zealand,”

Extract from letter of my lato uncle, Mr William Deans, to my grandfather, dated Sept. 8, 1843 :—“ Close behind our house is a fine grove of trees, and in front of the house there is a stream a little larger than the Avon.” Also from my father, dated Jan. 20, 1849 : “ Captain Thomas has fixed on this place as the site of the Canterbury settlement. Ho goes to Port Nicholson (Wellington) in a few days to forward his report to the Association, and make arrangements for proceeding with the survey. The river up which we now bring our supplies is to be called the Avon at our request, and our place Riccarton, which will at least remind us of these two places at Home.” But why so much fuss about so unimportant a matter ?—I am, &c., JOHN DEANS. Riccarton, May 27,1891.