NEW ZEALAND’S FOUNDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 29

NEW ZEALAND’S FOUNDER.

REMOVAL OF A REPROACH. A BIOGRAPHY. (From Our Own Correspondent:. LONDON, January 25. The New Zealand News, which is published to-day draws attention to vhat it considers an urgent matter. It is “ a unique opportunity of removing q standing reproach to New Zealand.” “ It is an extraordinary fact,” says the editor, “ that the memory of the founder of New Zealand is not preserved in any adequate way whatsoever. His grave in Wellington is almost unknown. The only biography of him, written 30 years ago by an Englishman, has long been Out of print Up till now, the founder of New Zealand has received justice only from a -few writers on the history of British colonial policy, which he did more than any other man to change. “ To remove the reproach that no New Zealander has written the biography of his country’s founder. Dr A. J. Harrop, author of “ England and New Zealand,” has written “ The Amazing Career oE Edward Gibbon Wakefield,” to Form a memorial to the great reformer who saved New Zealand from the disaster of French convict colonisation. For a biography to be a memorial it must be widely read. To be widely read it must be reasonably cheap.

“ The ordinary price of a book .>f this type would be 10s 6d in England and 13s in New Zealand —far to high for most people. To obviate this, the publishers, Messrs George Allen and Unwin, have agreed to publish the book at 7s 6d if New Zealanders in this country will take 250 copies—not, be it noted, at a higher price, but at Gs, post free —a reduction of 2C per cent, on the net published price. “ The author has agreed to autograph the copies of this special edition. One lady has already taken 50 copies, so that there remain for New Zealanders to take up 200 autographed copies at 6s. “ The book has be.en read and highly approved of by Dr J. Hight, Rector and Professor of History of Canterbury College, who states that the promise of the aeneral plan of the work has been more than fulfilled The book will include a previously unpublished portrait from a bust of Wakefield as a young man. It will be of 256 pages, crown ctovo.” A ROMANTIC CAREER.’ in an article in another part of the New Zealand News, Dr Harrop gives bis seasons for .writing the biography. In the course of this he says: — “ The neglect of Wakefield is all ths more extraordinary when one takes into account that his-life was full of romantic incidents, tragic interludes, overwhelming triumphs, and bitter disappointments. Tha elopement which led to his first marriage, the disaster of his wife’s death, the ambitious match-making plans of a gay circle in Paris, the folly which led to the abduction of Elllen Turner, the ride to Gretna Green, the famous trial which held the attention of all Britain, th e imprisonment in Newgate, the vivid scenes which Wakefield saw in that evil abode—these are part of the first section of Wakefield’s life “ The second sees him inspired with th® vision of a new age—and the ability to bring it _al>out He saw with his own eyes the horrors of indiscriminate capital punishment for minor offences and wrote such an indictment of the system as to make its earlv abolition inevitable He turned his attention to convict colonisation—the only ' system ’ of colonisation England possessed at the time—and ho wrote one of the most important books ever written, if its results are taken into account— * A Letter from Sydney.’ which set out, in its first rough draft, the Wakefield system of colonisation. Next year is the centenarv of the publication of this work—an additional reason for publishing a biography of Wakefield, and one which has induced me tn add thereto extracts from the ‘ Letter,’ which is now practically unobtainable anvwhere. CLAIMS TO FAME. “ Wakefield’s later life is crowded with great events After setting on foot tbe colonisation of South Australia, he turned his attention to New Zealand, formed the - first New Zealand Association in London, defied the Government bv personally despatching the first expedition, and saved New Zealand from French convict colonisation. These bare facts, however, can give no idea of the vast expenditure ot time, money, and energy which Wakefield made to bring them about. His share in the Durham repot t. the foundation of Otago and Canterbury, the es<tabfishment of responsible government in"' New Zealand —these are but a fe.w of his claims to fame. Those of his letters which remain give a good insight into the character of a man who did more than any other man in the nineteenth century to make the present relations of the dominions and the. Motherland possible.”