THE CENTENNIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23057, 7 June 1938, Page 13

THE CENTENNIAL

EARLY NEW ZEALAND LETTERS AND PAPERS PROFESSOR'S INVESTIGATIONS VALUABLE MATERIAL OBTAINED Having gathered what is regarded as easily the most important and interesting collection of material dealing with its early history which has ever come to New Zealand, Professor J. Rutherford, professor of history at Auckland University College, returned to Auckland by the Remuera yesterday atfer spending many months in England. As a result of the generosity of private families whose relatives played prominent parts in the country's 19th century history, Professor Rutherford has already sent or has brought back to the Dominion from 16 to 20 noteworthy collections. Professor Rutherford had access to the Colonial Office's archives and to other official sources, and as a member of the Auckland provincial and the national centennial committees he made an appeal through the High Commissioner's Office for manuscripts likely to be of historical value to New Zealand. Material About Hobson Of those he has obtained Professor Rutherford regards three collections as having outstanding importance. One consists of remnants dealing with Captain William Hobson's administration, and will help greatly to supplement the material already held in New Zealand. This collection was the gift of Colonel Rendel, a grandson of the first Governor. Another collection is the Felton Mathew manuscripts. They are documents originally belonging to the young colony's first surveyor-general and his wife, and hold particular importance for Auckland, since most of the surveyor-general's work concerned this province.

"These documents deal with the very foundations of the province," said Professor Rutherford, "and I think they will settle at least one point—the vexed question which has concerned the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, about the exact date of Hobson's landing. The centennial committee is being, specially asked by the donors of these papers to hand them to Auckland for safekeeping. All the others will probably go to Wellington to the archives."

A third important collection is the Sir Edward Stafford papers, consisting of confidential letters which passed between the man who was three times Premier of Xew Zealand in the middle of last century and his political friends. They give the inside facts of many situations and are particularly valuable because the writer has not been restrained by any official necessity. These papers are the gift of Miss M. M, Stafford, a daughter of Sir Edward, and have been brought out by Professor Rutherford. There are so many that they fill a tin trunk.