AN HISTORICAL DOCUMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 March 1901, Page 2

AN HISTORICAL DOCUMENT.

Yesterday's New Zealand Times says: • — Wr.-nfcan.ui Museum is about to be enriched by the addition of a document of historical value, which constitutes a rare memento of the early settlers'. This is the original of a petition addressed to the Superintendent of Wellington Province, praying him to take stops to have the name of the town altered from "Pefcre" to its original appellation of Wanganui. We reproduce the petition and signatures : —"Wanganui, May 6rd, 1844.—Sir, —We have the honour to submit to you that the name given to out i i town —'Potre'—is so universally disliked ' that we believe there is not one in the entire community who uses or acknowledges the designation. But this arises from no factious motive, nor from any undue feeling of personality to the noble lord whose name it bears—though he can make out no private, public, local or general claim that entitles him to the distinction—but simply because the name is not appropriate either in sound or sense, and because, by its non-adoption by people generally, it it likely to be productive at confusion ant mistake. We have, therefore, to solicit, your Honor, that you will be pleased to represent to his Excellency the Governor the ■anxious desire of th-3 inhabitants to have reinstated the former and now well-known name, Wanganui ; or, if his Excellency should ■ prefer some English appellation, that the patronymic be of someone entitled by public beneficial acts to such commemoration. Wo -have the honour to subscribe ourselves, your Honors mo-=t obedient, humble servants —P. Wilson, J.P., Richard Taylor, M.A., M. Campbell, .T.P., John Nixon, ..f.P., iicor<r.' Rees.' James Alexander, J. Dunea-nson, William Patevson, Andrew Duncan, J. Deighton; John Garner, Richard Ball, J. S Jacobs, Ram. King, J.P., J. A. GilfUlan, St George Lowther, Samuel T'arkes, W. D. 'Hiring, William Watt, William Greenacre, Alvah Smith, William John Holder, William G. Bell, Thomas Thwaites Ball, William Spring. William A. Smith, John McGregor, Alex. Alexander, John Handley, John Colvill, B. Gordon, R. Davy,, Thomas Crosbie, J. M. Richards, Joseph Jones, H. Churton." The document, which is well preserved, has official endorsements, the first showing it to have been received on 15th May, 1844; a day later it is docketed "Inform petitioners that their request shall be forwarded by the. eai'liest opportunity for his Excellency's consideration" ; ; and finally, un- r del" date; 17th August, 1p44, is the".note "The; Governor's ;dedision coinmuhicatod to S: King, Esq., JlP:"' This'interesting record.of an incident inlthe early history of: Wanganui has just been forwarded'to Mr A. D. Willis, M.H.R. for Wanganui, by Mr J. A. 'Plinimer (of Wellington), with a view,to its being; preserved in the local museum. ; : . '