AUCKLAND'S EARLY HISTORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20991, 30 September 1931, Page 13

AUCKLAND'S EARLY HISTORY.

Sir,—l notice a discrepancy between j the paragraph in your local column : on September 18, reminding us of j Jkhe landing at Point Britomart in 1340, ; and the account given of the same event ' in Brett's Early History of New Zea- I land, which [ happen to be studying at present. Your paragraph refers to j Governor William Hobson as being pre- i sent, while Brett's version does not in- j elude the Governor in the party arriv- | ing on the Anna Wat3on, and states de- i finitely that the flag was hoisted by Cap- I tain Symonds, the only mention of Gov- : ernor Hobson being that a s.alute of seven j guns was fired in his honour. It is 1 stated that Governor Hobson visited the Waitemata on H.M.S. Herald in Febru- i ary, 1840, for the purpose of selecting a ! site for a township, anrf that "owing to : harassing duties and long exposure to j wet" he was seized with a violent illness resulting in a partial paralysis of the right hand and arm. It would be interestincr to know whether Governor William Hobson was or was not present at tho ceremony of raising the flag at the place which afterwards became Fort Brito- j mart. Margaret A. Parker. [Most accounts leave it uncertain j whether Lieutenant-Governor Hobson was i present at the time of the formal cere- j mony, but there is no foundation for the belief that he was. He arrived, however, soon after the group of officials came from the Bay of Islands. He came in the corvette Favourite on October 17, the Colonial Secretary (Mr. Willoughby Shortland) having preceded him on Octo- j ber 13. Captain D. Rough, who be- j came Auckland's first harbourmaster, says I of the flag-hoisting at Point Britomart (otherwise Soldiers' Point), "I had the j pleasure of running up the British colours, | hoisted for the first, time in Auckland." Captain Hobson did not take up his official residence in Auckland until the following January.—Editor, Herald.]