THE BOROUGH SEAL.

Marlborough Express, Volume XII, Issue 936, 14 July 1877, Page 7

THE BOROUGH SEAL.

Sir,—l was struck the other evening m reading the report m your journal of|the procedings at the last meeting of the Borough Gouncil, by the off-hand manner m which an emblem was decided upon for the Borough Seal. There appears to have been no discussion on the subject. Resolved—" That a seal be obtained and that it do contain a representation of a beaver m the centre." That is all: no talk about it. Yet I am sure it -will appear as an absurdity to most of the burgesses, putting forward a beaver as an emblem for the Borough. Writing as a burgess, I shall say that as an emblem for us it ?s both incongruous and inappropriate. It is incongruous because such an animal has never been known to be m New Zealand, and if it had bean, the site where Blenheim stands is not the place where it would have dwelt, at least since the time of kisiory. And the beaver is inappropriate as our emblem, for while it is a remarkably good dam builder ; we so far have been very bad ones. And wliile the beaver builds dams to make deep water round its dwellings, we try to build dams to keep the water away from ours. So, unless wo wish to have an animal for our emblem that does not symbolize us, we had better not have a beaver. We live here; and the beaver never did nor could. The beaver builds good dams and we don't. The beaver wants its house to stand m fdeep water, while we want ours to stand on dry land. The beaver and ourselves are therefore not at all similar, and it is not suitable to be our emblem. ;i As to the tradition about the surveyors likening themselves to beavers, when they could not get out of their whares m a. flood, (by the way, had they been like beavers they could have _got out) it does not appear to be a sufficient reason why we should adopt an emblem that would be stupid for us. Moreover, so far as the place was named Beaver at first it was m derision, and as a sort of nickname, and though adopted for a time was at last changed through the operation of an Act of Parliament to Blenheim, and I cannot think that the burgesses could wish to revive the associations of the Beaver by putting a representation of it on the seal of the town, after having got rid of it as aname for the town. I feel sure that if their opinions were taken, they would not have "freshes" (see Express leader) and a beaver for their emblem. For my part I would almost go a little further, and ask why have a seal &t all ? What is it wanted for ? Seals m feudal times were of use, because most persons then having to sign couldnot write: the seal was then practically the signature. Now all documents of importance have to be verified by signature, and the seal ia not wanted. Sealing is a mere formality and quite useless. If documents that the Mayor or Town Clerk have to sign were sealed any number of times with a Borough Seal they wouid be no good unless they were signed. If, however, we are to have a seal, let us follow common sense m devising an emblem, and let it be m some reasonable way connected with the rise and progresss of the town. The town undoubtedly took its rise from the necessities of the wool export. It was the nearest point at which water carriage could be obtained. Let us then have a bale or bales of wool m the emblem, and a boat to carry it away. And as agricultural produce soon came m to supplement the wool, let us support the representa*: tion of wool, with sheaves or bags of grain. Such an emblem would have an obvions meaning 1, and be common sense. I hope our Councillors will reconsider this matter, and decide not to offend common propriety by representing floods and a beaver on the Seal. And above all things I hope they will not perpetrate the absurdity of a Latin inscription. Latin might be better than Chinese, as perhaps a few more might make it out; but good plain English would be very much better than either for all of us. " Corporation, Borough of Blenheim," or something qf that sort would do very well, and- if we are to have a centre emblem, let it symbolize the foundations of our existence and prosperity —the pastoral and agricultural industries. — J.'have, &c. Geo. Henoebsomt. Blenheim, 13th July, 1877.