The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 9722, 13 June 1893, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY

TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1893.

IF the context of tho paragraph did not show that the writer was ovi'lontly ignorant of how New Zealand was iirat settled, we should have let tho matter pass, believing it to have been a slip of tho editor's pen when finishing off a sontonco, but the following statement is so contrary to fact that wo cannot help putting our usualiy correct contemporary right i i tho matter. In the Wellington Evening Post of June 2 there appears nn article headod " Otago v New Zealand," in which the writer d'plo es tho " narrow minded localism to bo found in tho South," and praise* tho 11 Genoral National feeling " which is taking the place of local jealousy in Wellington. It ia not (hat question, howevor, to which we would now refer; but at ' the contemptuous way in which the Post j refers to tho early settlement of Taranaki and Nelson. Tho writer *ays:- " Prior to tho introduction of tho Constitution Act, Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago were in all essential particulars separate colonies. Nelson and Tara naki wore in tho position of off shoots of Wellington." Wo do not know where our contemporary gets this ioformation from, but all tho records of the cd my uhow that Taranaki which was founded in 1841, and Nelson in 1842, were quite ub " separute colonies ' as Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago, tho two latter settlements not boing founded till 1818 and 1850 respectively. Tho founding of | New Plymouth, as it was calle ', was more

distinctive than any of the other New Zealanl colonies, foritwai settled by a company started in De\oishire, and the first emigrants came out in vessels which sailed frem Plymouth, England, direct for New Plymouth, Now Zoaland. Six vessels sailed with passengera direct for this place at the start, but others came afterwards, making Auckland their first port of call. It was the native difficulty and want | of harbour accommodation that impeded our progress; but even with those difficulties to contend against the progress of the settlement up to the war with the natives was equal to the othor districts, considering the limited area the settlers were restricted to. The statistics prepared in 1851 show that tho European population of New Zealand was 26,707, and the land under cultivation 29,140 acres ; each settlement showing the following returns : — Land in Population. Cultivation. Auckland ... 9430 13,125$ acres New Plymouth 1532 3.759.J acies Wellington ... 6409 4,896 acres Nelson ... 4287 5,542 acres Canterbury ... 3273 802 acres Otago 1776 1,015 acres The export of grain in 1853 was valued as follows:— Auckland. £27,589; New Plymouth, £5181; Wellington, £6607; Nelson, £3391; Canterbury, £2237; Otago, £311. Export of potatoes: — Auckland, £18,489; New Plymouth, £3078 ; Wellington, £3667; Nelson, £3523; Canterbury, £876; Otago, £30. This province was nude the seat of war to settle tbo question o£ supremacy between the two races, when everything here was de troyed, and tho Bottlers of tha district suffered for the benefit of the rest of the colony. A now generation hac, however, sprung up, who are ignorant of these facts, and look only at tho settlements as they now appear. Taranaki can claim however of having j sent foith a number of able men. The ! late Sir Harry Atkinson, Judge Richmond, Sir F. Dillon Bell (who was tho resident agent here), the Hon. J. C Richmond, Dr. Rawson of Wellington, Dr. Truby King, and a long string of others who we could name, did our s f aco permit, hail from New Plymouth, and who would never, we are sure, admit for a moment that Taranaki was an offshoot of Wellington, We may be a small place, we may not possess the wealth of the other provincial districts, but Taranaki has a history which she need not be ashamed of, but may be proud ■ f the fact that the district was settled independently, and by a community who came direct from Great Britain to their adopted home.

Prefessor Theodore Lichtwark, who lectures at the Alexandra Hall on Thursday e veuing, will also deliver his lecture on the Education of the Horse at the Waitara Town Hall on Monday next.

The Recieation Ground Board desires to acknowle l£;C, wit'i thanks, "the receipt of tv donation of £2 fiuin a friend.

The performing bears arrived by the tr.iin from Inglewood this mo ning, and were accommodated with quarters at Mr Jouob's livery Btables. They give their first performance on the reclaimed land this (Tuesday) evening.

A rather goid story comos from Mokui direction. It appears that fifteen years ago, Daniel, ono of tho native race, was tiavelling up the coast, and after crossing the Tongnporutn river he came to tho conclusion that he would have a sleep. However, before he attempted to woo Morpheus he secreted a bottlo of brandy that he hail in his possession in case that it might be seen and taken from him while in that state, which a poet has called " the death of evory day." Daniel, however, not only hid the brandy, but he hid it too securely, for when he woke and went on a voyage of discovery he waa unable to locato the bottle (history dees not tell us if it was three star), and at last he hid to give up the quest in despair. Now comes tho segue), History states that Daniel, every time he passed the place, which has been pretty frequent since the brandy was lost, always felt a pang of remorse over his loss, and at times he would be prompted to search for it. Now comes the moral. Daniel's perseverance was rewarded a month ago. Ho was passing the place, and was prompted to search, and lo 1 ho found the bottle intact. The liquor was not even adulterated with aqua pura, although fifteen years had elapsed sinco Daniel lost it. On tho finding of tho bottlo the curta'n falls.