TUCKETT'S OBSTINACY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2818, 18 March 1908, Page 46

TUCKETT'S OBSTINACY.

It was Mr Chief Surveyor Tuckett who really decided the location of the Scottish Free Church settlement. He came down to the South Island from Nelson, and first of all inspected Port Cooper (Lyttelton) as a site for the Scottish settlement. ITo was not satisfied with it and came on south to Otakou, calling first at Waikouaiti to land the Rev. Mr Creed, who relieved the Rev. Mr Wat kin as Wesleyan missionary at that place. The story of that voyage was very fully told in the jubilee number of the Witness in 1897. Some, additional and interesting particulars are given in Dr Hocken's " Early History of New Zealand," and as they really preface Mr Clarke's account it will be interesting to reproduce them. It is evident that the effort to secure an Otago block, which was successfully carried out as shown by Mr Clarke's account, was really the third effort in that direction. Mr Symonds, the magistrate, accompanied Mr Tuckett on the ' first occasion, and these two proved so ill-matched a pair as to almost jeopardise every prospect of a sale being brought about. Dr Hocken's account ' states that at Waikouaiti Mr Tuokefct directed his assistants, Messrs Barnicoat and Davison, to commence surveying the Waikouaiti Bay. Leave to do this was procured from Mr John Jones and also from the Natives, but Mr Symonds entirely dissented on the ground of his imperative instructions that no instruments were to be landed nor any survey commenced until purchase from the Natives had been effected, and said that he would return to Wellington if Mr Tuckett persisted. Mr Tuckett did persist, whereupon Mr Symonds sailed for Wellington in the Scotia, just then leaving, and laid his complaint before Major Richmond, the superintendent of the southern division of New Zealand. As Mr Symonds' s qualifications were too valuable to be dispensed with, it was decided that he should return to Otakou, this time accompanied by Mr Daniel Wakefield, a barrister, and brother of

Colonel Wakefield, to act as peacemaker. But matters fared no better — indeed, rather worse ; the quarrel took a new direction, ancT the stilled correspondence at last became quite unparliamentary. Mr Wakefield, finding that he wa6 of no use a 6 a mediator, and would probably find himself one in a triangular duel, returned to Wellington with Mr Symonds, and placed the entire correspondence before Major Richmond, who determined that on the third occasion Colonel Wakefield himself should go to Otakou with Mr Symonds. This eventuated, and the history of the third and successful attempt to acquire a block of land in Otakou, portion of which was for the Scottish settlement, is contained in Mr Clarke's narrative given above. In the interim, however, Tuckett, accompanied by Dr Monro, had traversed Otago from Koputai (Port Chalmers) to the Molyneux overland, and from that point by sea to the Bluff and Stewart Island. He decided 1 that the land to be purchased should comprise a 400,000-acre block, with Hayward Point (Purehurehu) and Taiaroa Head as the northern point, and Nuggets as its southern. Of this 400,000 acres, the pre-emption of the Crown had been waived in respect to 150,000 acres in favour of the company, and it was this area which was submitted to the " Lay Association of the Free Church of Scotland for promoting a settlement at Otago, New Zealand."