THE EARLY COLONISTS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 764, 22 July 1916, Page 13

THE EARLY COLONISTS.

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. At the meeting of the Early Colonists' section of the Canterbury Museum, held yesterday afternoon, the following business was transacted after The Sun went to press:— Continuing his remarks, the chairman, Mr J. C. Adams, mentioned the correspondence that was in the hands of the section. Mr Adams referred to the fact that these leiters had to be handled very carefully in the matter of their exhibition, as many direct descendants and relatives of the writers were still living. As the correspondence related, very frequently, to private matters, care had to be exercised in exposing it to view. However, some of them had j been photographed, and were included in the exhibits. Negotiations were* in progress whereby it was hoped, j by the courtesy of the Diocesan authorities, to secure the first print-j ing press brought to New Zealand. It was hoped that the setting aside of a! room would induce all those who had articles of historic interest to deposit them in the Museum. Mr E. W. Seager staled that he had a collection of lantern slides, numbering 200 or 300, which included the first four ships, landing of the first immigrants, portraits ol the founders of the settlement. These views were taken from photographs alter 1853, and from sketches made prior to that date, when photography was first introduced. They, therefore, constituted a valuable record of the early days from 1850 onwards. Mr Seager's offer to give these slides to the Early Colonists' collection was accepted, with many expressions of thanks from those present, (he chairman stating that they would be of value not onlv because of their being S taken by Mr Seager himself, but because they would prove of infinite j historic service in promoting the objects which the committee had in view. 11 was announced that the letters sent to Mr J. R. Godley by his son, Lord Kilbracken, some hundred in number, contained much information of historical value. It had been decided to catalogue these in chronological sequence and to have a precis made by a thoroughly competent i person.' To this end a donation of £lO hail been made by the Museum authorities. Mr Pavilt's offer of a book written by Edward Gibbon Wakefield's son, containing many of the father's letters, was accepted with thanks.