NOTABLE NEW ZEALANDERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22374, 22 September 1934, Page 2

NOTABLE NEW ZEALANDERS

FIGURES OF THE PAST By Guy. H.' Scholefield, 0.8. E., D.Sc., F.R.Hist. S. X.—Sill FRANCIS DILLON BELL (1821-1898). Father and son, the two bearers of the honoured naipe of Francis Dillon Del), span with their lives practically one hundred years of the history of New Zealand, with the making of which they have been intimately connected throughout. The first Bell was born in 1821, the second son of Edward Bell, an English merchant who lived for many years in France. The Bells, with the collateial branches of Wakefield and Gurney, descended from common stock in Robert Barclay of Urie, the Quaker apologist. Voung Bell received his education m France and almost entirely at the hands of tutors in Bordeaux and at Auteuil. Thus he acquired a fluent and polished French, which much later, in life made him the ambassador of the colonies ot Australia and New Zealand in important negotiations regarding the New Hebrides. At the age of 17 Bell was attracted by the activity of his kinsman Wakefield to the service of the New Zealand Company. For some time he was assistant secretary, and during the absence of Ward in Hamburg he was acting-secretary. As early as

1840 he wrote articles on New Zealand colonisation, and in 1843, before the company was aware of the trouble at the Wairau, he sailed .for New Zealand in the Ursula. Almost immediately after Ins arrival in Wellington he went to Auckland to effect the purchases of land which the company desired to euable it to establish a settlement there. His work was practically finished when the new Governor (Fitzroy) arrived. The arrangements were upset, and in the long run Bell realised that the activities of private land selectors had run the price so high that it was hopeless to think of colonising on a profitable basis. While he was in Auckland the trouble broke out at Bay of Islands and Bell held a commission in the Auckland militia until its disbandment in July, 1845. Early in 1840. while on 'business in Taranaki, he climbed Mount Egmont with Wellington Carrington, and discovered the Bell fall. Bell’s next important service was the negotiations for the purchase of the Wairarapa, which was already well held by squatters in defiance of the regulations. Finding no paramount chiefs with whom to negotiate, Bell was called away to take the place of Wicksteed as the company s agent at New Plymouth. When the Governor (Grey) visited this settlement early in 1848 the settlers requested that Bell might' be authorised to negotiate for the purchase of land for settlement. Giey concurred, and Bell, with great onprgj and judgment, completed the arrangements for the acquisition of what was utterwards known as the Grey and Belhblock, payment being made for the most part in cattle, Which at that time the Natives j wanted more than anything else.. In order ! to test the opposition of the chiefs Ivatatore and Waiaua, Bell fixed a day for the cutting of the survey lines, and he duly appeared on the scene with an escort ot 60 friendlies. There, was much scuttling with fists,, sticks > and the backs of tomahawks, hut after a few days the completion of the survey was celebrated by an amicable feast. , . . , Shortly after this Bell was appointed to succeed Fox at Nelson, and in September, 1848, Tie was present at the deathbed in Wellington of his kinsman, Colonel Wakefield. At this time Bell contemplated returning to England, but Fox, now chief agent, prevailed upon him to make another effort to purchase land in the. W airarapa. This attempt bade fair to succeed. The squatters were conciliated by promises or liberal compensation for improvements and the chiefs, were encouraged by the hope that the Church of England settlement would be established in their midst. When news arrived that it was going to .Port Cooper the negotiations broke down : 'and Bell returned disappointed to Wellington. Thence he proceeded to his post at Nelson. In April, 1849, he was married at Wellington to a daughter of Mr A. Hort, a prominent merchant. bor the next year or two Mr and Mrs Bell were the principal hosts of the Nejson settlement, and Bell did sound work in purchas- ! ing the Waitohi block, bringing the land t purchasers of Nelson to adopt a fresh scheme for the settlement of their claims; { in examining titles and claims for com-? pensation; and in transacting the regular I business of a magistrate in the province. While there he was appointed to the Legislative Council of the province of New Munster. It was during these years that the eldest son, Francis, was born, at the Residency at Nelson (March, 1851). Later in that year the company’s charter was surrendered, and Bell accepted the post of commissioner of Crown lands in Wellington. This took the family to Wellington, and they made their home at the Hutt. Bell’s contribution to the work of these early Legislative Councils showed a fine grasp, of constitutional principles combined with democratic sympathies and a wide knowledge of affairs. It was not surprising that when the new Constitution came into force his services were secured as a member of the Wellington Provincial Council, in which he was almost immediately appointed chairman of the committee on education and a of the executive. In May, 1854, he was called to the Legislative Council, in which he moved the first Address-in-Reply. A fortnight later he was appointed as the first to have charge of Government business in the Council. Sixty years later his son occupied the same position of “ leader.” At the general election in 1855 Bell was elected by the Hutt electors to the House of Representatives. When responsible government came into force he was appointed a member of the executive, and within a month from that date lie i collaborated with Sewell in forming the 1 first responsible Ministry in New Zealand. Bell had withdrawn from the Provincial Council early in 1856, and when later in the year he seemed to be the only man with the experience and the qualifications to examine land titles in the colony, he resigned from Parliament and for six years devoted himself with patient skill and industry to the solution of this intricate problem. V , „ , . When at length, in 1860, he felt free once morp to enter Parliament, he was elected by a constituency in the far south of New Zealand which had never seen him. As member for Wallace he fought strenuously for South!ami’s right to secede from Otago; nucl when this was granted lie was one of the commissioners to adjust the debt between them. In August, 1862, he was invited to join the Domett Ministry, with charge of Native affairs, which were in February. 1863, fully entrusted to the responsible Ministry. Convinced that a strong policy must be adopted towards the Maori, he accompanied Grey with the force that reoccupied the Tataraimaka_ block; but be took a courageous stand in regard to the debated Waitara purchase, which the Government duly renounced. When hostilities in Waikato were imminent he went in person with Const in the hope of limiting the area of conflict and persuading certain tribes to refrain. When

he had done his utmost, at some personal risk, to achieve this object, he went, again with Gorst, to raise troops in Australia to settle the frontier lands of South Auckland. The Ministry went out of office in October, 1863. and Bell then took up his residence in Otago, where he had considerable personal and political interests. Once more Mrs Bell, at her home in Dunedin and at Shag Valley, was one of the leading hostesses of the province, while IJell was fully engaged in his business and political interests and in casual artistic pursuits. With Richmond and Fox he collected a fine exhibit of New Zealand water colours for the Dunedin Exhibition of 1865. Continuing to be a member of Parliament (now for Mataura) he also in 1867 entered the Provincial Council of Otago—for Matau and later for the city of Dunedin. In 1809 he, became a member of the Fox Ministry, and served the country well when he went to England with Featherston to raise a loan of £2,000,000 for the purposes of Vogel’s development policy. Saunders remarks that “ the courtly and attractive manners of both contributed to the success of their task.” When the new Parliament met in 1871 Bell was elected Speaker, a position he filled with distinction until his retirement in 1875. In 1873 he had been created a knight bachelor. t In_ 1877 he was called again to the Legislative Council. and before his retirement in 1882 he did the country a final valuable Service when, with Fox, he investigated the confiscation of Maori lands and the trial of Native prisoners. Bell had now seen 40 years’ service in New Zealand. He was an excellent administrator, but he courted popularity too little to achieve his full success as a politician. Early in 1881 Bell went to London ns Agent-general in succession to Vogel. By his wide experience and fine personal equipment he moved easily to a position of leadership amongst .the colonial representatives; and his knowledge of French designated him the natural spokesman of colonial grievances in regard to the settlement of French recidivistes in the Pacific. He was very successful in negotiating New Zealand financial matters in London; he was one of the most prominent executive commissioners for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886; and for his services on the Mansion House Committee for the Paris Exhibition of 1889 he was made a commander of the Legion of Honour. When he retired in 1891 fell’s services were recognised by votes of both houses of Parliament in New Zealand. He died on July 15. 1898, paving given 60 years of service to New Zealand. Gisboime considered him one of the best officials that New Zealand ever had. with a mind remarkable for its perceptive faculties and its analytical powers; indefatigable industry and a fondness for work. When be died Ills son, Sir Francis, had been Mayor of Wellington and bad been five years in Parliament.