R. C. BARSTOW, ESQ., R.M.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6147, 30 July 1881, Page 6

R. C. BARSTOW, ESQ., R.M.

[FROM THE "AUCKLAND WEKKLY NEWS."] We give in this week's issue the portrait of Mr. R. C. Barstow (from a photograph by Messrs. Hemus and Hanna, of Queenstreet), the well known and respected Resident Magistrate of Auckland, who is one of our oldest colonists, having been connected with this province for nearly 40 years. The subject of our sketch was born in 1820 at Skipton Bridge, Yorkshire, and is a member of a family which has been established in the neighbourhood of 'York for four centuries. Among the institutions in York there exists to-day the Barstow Hos-. pital for Indigent Old Men, which was established in 1660 by Dame Alice Barstow. His great grandfather, Sir Michael Barstow, was thrice elected Lord Mayor of York, an honour which has'not been conferred on any other gentleman, save the Earl of Zetland. Mr. Barstow received his early education at St. Peter's, York, and witnessed the burning down of York Minster in January, 1829, by the incendiary, Jonathan Martin. He afterwards received .tuition from a private tutor, and subsequently went in'lß3B to Jesus College, Cambridge, of which college he was a foundation scholar.. Jesus College was at that time, as of late years, celebrated for its boating crew, and "during a portion of that time was at the head of the river. After the usual . college course,, and a year spent in travelling" in' Scotland, "Ireland, and on the Continent, Mr. Barstow determined to emigrate, and" embarked on board thi; good ship Bangalore, on the 25th June,. 184 SI, from London, taking with him three "servsints. The Bangalore called at Bahia, and thence at the Cape, for: which place she had passengers, and on to; Sydney, arriving finilly in' Auckland in December, 1843....'Am0ng this'.passengers-for this colony were Governor and MrsVFitzroy, General O'Brien (Mrs^, Fitzroy's. father)," Judge-Chapman, and Mr. C. A.' Harris." Mr. Barstow took up a'selection'of' land at the .Tamaki, and after establishing his servants : upon it, Tie : made .sundry, tonrs through' the, •province' of Auckland. Being interested in the cargo, of sawn timber . and ; "spars "shipped' on board' the B&ngalore at Waiheke' he went on with the vessel, calling at tho Ba'y\of Islands, eh route for "Valparaiso. On the, passage the .Bangalore lost all her topmasts' >y a tidal wave which she encountered : near the island San Juan de Fernandez; "memorable, as the scene of Robinson Crusoe's advenfrares as depicted by'the pen'of the novuliatjDefoe., After disposing of ihe cargo at .Valparaiso,"' Mr.'' Barstqw,' intending', to return to. New. Zealand, went up as far'as Paita, hoping there" to find" a whaleship 'in order to get back to the colony j '■ but failing in .the attempt, he proceeded to; Valparaiso, and sailed - thence to Tahiti,, arriving, at Papeete.in August, 1544. ; ,He shortly, afterwards visited, the ; Marquesas and Sandwich fclands, returning to New Zealand in 1845, immediately before the arrival of Sir George' GJrey on. liie.first Governorship". Having again a. strong, desire , to revisitahd cruise among the islands of the' South Pacific, Mr. Barstow had a schooner built at Auckland by Messrs, H,! Niccol and Sharped the, wellknown .Undine, rwhieh was subsequently purchased by Bishop Selwyn with the" view. of utilising "her in carrying'the blessings of

.Christianity lind civilization to the islands of Melanesia. In August, -1846,-he married the eldest daughter of. Colonel Hulme,- of-H. M.96th Regiment, formerly b'fficer'commanding' the troops. in.-New Zealand, ,and whose gallantry in the Heke war, will be rerhem--bered by all old,colonist3. He was calledto the Legislative Council by Sir George Grey, fax" 1848,. in succession, to . Mr. WiUiam Brown j (of the firm of BroWn and Camp-, bell), and served till 1850. Owing to the exodusiof the labouring classes in that year ito California,; through the breaking out of the gold fever, Mr. Barstow abandoned agricultural pursuits; and sold his farm at the Tamaki,: partlyl to St. John's College and partly on private account, leaving Auckland to reside at the Great Barrier Island, where for years previously he had had a cattle station; In January, 1859, he accepted the post of Resident Magistrate at the Bay of Islands, the duties of which office he fulfilled untirMay,-1872, when, in succession to Mr. Melsopp, who '. died, he became Resident Magistrate of the districts of Onehunga, Papakura, and Waiuku, erecting his house at Epsom, where he has since resided. Owing to the death of Captain Beckham, RiM., Mr. Barstow was appointed Resident Magistrate of this city, which post he at present holds, and the duties of which he efficiently fulfils. Of course his decisions do not satisfy everybody—Solomon himself was not successful in doing that—but his conscientious desire to administer law and equity in a spirit of thorough impartiality is admitted on all hands. Mr. Barstow is one of the; Visiting Justices at the Mount Eden Gaol, and has interested himself in the question of a reformatory for youthful criminals. In regard to the public institutions of the city he has fulfilled all.the duties of a food citizen. He has served his term as a 'resident of the Auckland and taken ah active interest as a member of th& Acclimatisation and Horticultural societies. For many years be was a member of committee of the Howe-street Industrial Home, and oh which he did much useful service'from his experience as a magistrate in connection with the crime and destitution of the lower classes of the city. 'Mr. Barstow has devoted his leisure moments tor making "a collection of rare aad ancient works, engravings, &c, and also of rare and ancient coins. The study of numismatics, especially, has been with him almost a passion for the last fifty years, and his collection of coinsembodie3 within itself an almost complete history ranging back to a period 600 years before the Christian era. Over forty years ago he had accumulated a rare and valuable collection, which was unfortunately destroyed by fire; but ho resumed with unabated perseverance his favourite study and pursuit, with the result above-mentioned. His colle«tion, in completeness, number, variety, and antiquity, is probably not equalled anywhere in these colonies, and scarcely surpassed even in the ordinary private collections in Europe. It begins with tho drachmas of Corinth and Corfu, and forms an almost unbroken chain to the large silver medal struck in honour of the coronation of Queen Victoria. Altogether the collection is most creditable to Mr. Barstow's skill and industry, and to his devotion to numismatic science.