EARLY NELSON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 17 January 1928, Page 7

EARLY NELSON

A TALK ON ITS HISTORY BY BISHOP OF NtLSON SUMMER SCHOOL LECTURE i "Nelson's Early History" was the subject of the Teachers' Summer School po'st-ltfncheon address delivered by Bishop Sadlier of Nelson in the Velma Hall yesterday afternoon. Explaining how lie had first cr.<;iie to take an interest in early Nelson his Lordship said that when he took over the diocese. 15 years ago he found that about 80 per cent of the title deeds to the various parcels of lands and church buildings had not been properly fixed up and ho spent ten years unravelling the tangles. The research into old history thus entailed led his Lordship to further delving. The settlement of Nelson, said Bishop Sadlier, was undertaken in two stages. First of all was the preliminary expedition consisting of the three ships "Will Watch," "Whitby" and "Arrow." These vessels arrived in New Zealand in September 1841 for the purpose of forming a settlement. Port Ccioper had been proposed but the New Zealand Company disapproved and the three ships left Port Nicholson on 30th September, 1841, to find a new site. It was in the bay of Astrolabe (visible from the Takaka hill) that the ships anchored. From a little island out in the bay Captain lleaphy undertook a survey of tho coast. Various exploring parties went out, some up the Waimea river and others up the Motueka. river. They heard of Wakatu and eventually decided to bring their ships down here to a place called "Scorchyy" 'the name given to Nelson on Wilde's map, Nelson itself being wrongly marked where Takaka :now is. On the Ist November 1841 the brig "Arrow", the supply ship, entered round the Arrow rock and was the first ship to anchor in Nelson harbour.. An extract from Wakefield's diary stated "They fired a gun and gave three cheers" and the harbouij was described as "a port which is anything but contemptible." . The "Whitby" and the "Will Watch" entered on 3rd November, but a few days later the "Arrow" went ashore on the Arrow reck and became n, wreck. On 27th February the "Fifeshire' was wrecked on the same rock..

Then came the immigrant ships, the "Lloyds", the "Lord Auckland", the "Fifeshire" and the. "Mary Ann". The" speaker dealt briefly with many of these founders of Nelson, giving a short biography of -Captain Arthur Wakefield. "Wo have", said His Lordship, "no public memorial in Nelson to the founder of the city." He horfed this omission would soon be repaired. .There was only a little but much prized tablet in the old Cathedral. With this tablet was another and the speaker conjectured that both the simple inscriptions on them had been drawn up by Alfred Domett. The first read, "To the memory of Captain Arthur Wakefield who founded the City of Nelson" ; and the other, "To the memory of those who fell at the Wairau." These inscriptions avoided any direct reference to the terrible tragedy that had resulted in the deaths of Captain Wakefield and many of Nelson's men. Bishop Sadlier mentioned in passing that a portrait of Captain WakoScid was shortly to become public property. The speaker mentioned many other names met with in the records of early Nelson history inctiKimg Dillon, Keaph.y, Dillon Bell and his .brother, Fox, Stafford 1 , Dcmett, Thompson, Brunner, Edwards, Sclanders, Monro, Watts, Newcome, Fearort, Richmond, Tinline, and Renwick. His Lordship dealt, at some length with Domett and told several amusing anecdotes about Mr Thompson, who. was Police Magistrate, Postmaster, and who officiated at all funerals. The description of the first gaol in Nelson Where the prisoners had to be homo by 10 o'clock at night was also amusing. The fort built on the Church Hill in fear of a Maori assault that- never came, the immigration barracks, and later the church erected in" place of a temporary tent were all described by his Lordship. He mentioned too, that ploughing was begun in Nelson. on 25th May, 1845, when John Kerr turned the first furrow on the Waimea plains. Why, asked the speaker in conclusion; wa c . Nelsnn " a city? It was not municipally entitled to that distinction. The answer was that in the Royal Letters j Patent issued by Queen Victoria creating, the die'eese of Nelson it was specially decreed that Nelson should henceforward be known as a city. Bishop Sadlier was loudly tip-, pjaurled for his address. He then cxlii. bited and explained to the students »lie original Royal Letters Patent which are at present in his custody. Along with it was an .aterestin'ji sketch of Nelson in the very early days of its epystehc:}.