DEEDS, NOT WORDS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5293, 3 June 1904, Page 6

DEEDS, NOT WORDS.

DOCUMENTARY EEMINISCENCES. Deoils, not words build up history. Historically, New Zealand is yet in us swaddling clothes, but it is a fine healthy infant. Though the colony (and \> ellincton) only dates hack some sixty mil '•errs porhaiis no British colony has advanced so quickly and with such sure fact. Tho progress of a country isi always indicated by its land values. Who dreamed sixty-five years ago that a troutago to tho ‘‘beach" (Lumblon quay) would be worth over <£3oo por foot i Who was ever mad enough to. - prophesy - that within that time dairying land 'n Taranaki would bo valued at *>6o por acre? Sanguine ag the early settlers were they never in their wildest moments imagined that such things would be. Thinking thus while wandering aimlessly along the corridors of ‘‘the biggest woodern building in the world" the sign "Clerk <of Titles ’ caught, the eye of a visitor, and he at once feit that he had "received a call ” ' The officer, with a due regard for his responsibility did not care to allow tho stranger to peruse the parchment trea-sui-es of tlio State, but with the utmost courtesy made appeal to a higher authority. and permission was readily given. The way was shown to tho roar of the building to a large concrete strong-room. An iron door about a foot thick was thrown .open, and before the electric light could bo switched ou tho study smell ot ancient parchment was detected. The official dived down a pigeon-holed alley-way and came back laden with yellow sheepskin, covered with much writing, and tied with pink tape—commonly called red. The first was untied and rolled out. It was tho deed by which the Maori chiefs of the northern halt # of Taranaki conveyed to one John Dorset “all those lands, islands, tenements, woods, bays, harbours, rivers, streams and creeks" extending from Tatara (about teu miles to the north of \V aitara) to Mount Lgmont. and down agaiu to ths sea ou the other side of New Plymouth. And for these few million acres ■ John Dorset (for the New Zealand Laud Company) was rash enough to pay—3oo blankets, 15 fowling pieces, cwt. of tobacco, 10 kegs powder, 1 cask, ball cartridges, 40 tomahawks, 1 case pipes, 1 dozen spades, 6 bullet moulds, 500 flints, j 3 hoes, 3 dozen red woollen shirts and caps, 3 dozen duck frocks and trousers. 13 bins cloth and calico dresses, 12 shaving boxes, brushes and razors, 12 slates and 100 peucils, 200yds calico, 3 dozen scissors, 3 dozen tin pots, 13 tinder boxes, 3 dozen white and check shirts and shifts, 6 umbrellas, 13 shawls, 11b sealing wax, and a few other sundries. The deed was negotiated in 1840, legally it never hel 1 water, and was upset before its consequences were serious.

Another transaction that was afterwards quashed was signed, sealed and delivered on .December *ch, IB3y, when Ring John Thwack disposed of a big slice jf Otago and Southland to "Geo. and Ed. Weller, merchants of Sydney," for Jill) and two blankets. This marvellous deed of conveyance was signed by O. \V. Schxutz© (n well-remembered name in Wellington), John Black, Tuuirekipai, Bogany, ir'aituiti. Gets Jtianvood, vvymouth and John Towack, juu. Another much-sealed document chronicles the making over to William Wakefield'of all that land between Manawatu and Fatca. A most interesting and valuable deed exposed to view was the grant to the JNew Zealand Company, of Wellington. The accompanying plan shows the Basin Reserve as a sheet of water with a canal leading up Kent terrace, by which vessels were to have proceeded up to .this natural dock. ‘“The best *uid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." The document is dutcu «ian. Zi th, 1848, and is signed by George Grey. On July 20th, 1818, 71,000 acres at lV>rirua were also granted to the company. This deed was lixed up by C. H. Mclntosh, and signed by Robert Fitzroy. Tho names of Geo. and Ed. Weller occur on those parchments frequently. In--1830 they purchased for JiO© all the *and between Okahu beach and Molyneux Bay from one Ring Jacky (.White). Kings were frequent and free {with their lands) in those days. The same Sydney merchants in the same, year bought certain land in th© neighbourhood of BlueskTn Bay from Ring Golok—“King of the middle parts of the Middle Island"—for one bag of powder and one musket. An impressive, document is the charter Issued by the then Lord Mayor of London to the French Akaroa Company, and the subsequent conveyance of 30,000 acres to the New Zealand Company by M. Laurent Boillard on behalf of the French company. This parchment bears the names of several people whose descendants aro still to be found among the settlors on Banks Peninsula. Lucre arc heaps oi such documents imprisoned in. the strong room, besides the deed or every section or block of land acquired by the Government for rail ways, schools. State buildings, reserves, etc. In looking over the closely-packed shelves the intruder continued to marvel at the change wrought in this colony through tho coming of tho white man. Those countries whore good land can bo purchased for an old musket and a bag pf powder are very, few at present.