The Church in New Zealand

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 22, 17 June 1925, Page 21

The Church in New Zealand

U*;: :,i\T ,-iyit/o 'MI ;?;::. m/i.> uih -io feirst New Zealand Land Deed>i// ,w " ';: '"We extract the following from Te Manukuru • (The 'Maori'Pcoplo's Newspaper),- printed in Auckland: ' '^' ; " ; '••'-• oil'' ?,'^.':)/f«;>>> i< : l This deed is ! in the Missionary llegister of -'the year 1816, pages ; 327-8, concerning a land grant of 200 acres for twelve axes to Chief Ahoodee O Gunna, for land called Hoshec, at Rangihoua. "■''■'■■•'' ;; ; ;1, " The following is an exact ; copy of the agreement: ■ ' !;:: ' ;.:;.." ; :Ki Unow all men to whom these presents shall come, !, that I, Ahoodee O Gunria, King of Rangee Hoo, in the Island of New Zealand, have, in consideration of twelve axes to me in hand now paid and delivered by the Rev. Samuel Marsden, of Parramatta, in the territory of New South Wales, given, granted, and bargained, and sold, 1 and by this present instrument do give, grant, bargain, and sell unto the committee of the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, instituted by London, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and to their heirs and successors, all that piece and parcel of land situated in the district of Hoshee, in the Islands of New Zealand, bounded on the 'south side by the Bay of Tippoona and the town of Rangee Hoo, on the north side by 'a'creek' of fresh water, and on the west by l a. public road into the interior, together with all the rights, members, privileges, and appurtenances thereunto belonging, to have and I to : hold to the aforesaid Committee of the "Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, instituted in London, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, their successors and \ assigns ' for ever, clear and freed from all taxes, charges, impositions, and contributions whatsoever, as and for their own absolute and proper estate for ever.

" ; In testimony whereof I have to these presents, thus done and given, set my hand at - Hbshee, in the Island of New Zealand, this twenty-fourth day of February, in the : year of Christ one thousand eight hundred and fifteen. v " Signatures, to the grant, ■V--. ■'.'! •■/'. ,i: ? Thos. Kendall. J. L. Nicholas. Note.. This first land grant was drawn up ' by the Rev. Samuel Marsden on February 24, .1815, written on parchment in the proper technical form of legal instruments. The ■■. signature of the grant is curious and original, the Maori displaying the ingenuity which , was characteristic of the Maoris, the tattooed I lines upon his face being placed as his '*signature! .'," V'• ■ • ~V ! ' Tho second, land purchase was in the year 1915, on October 24, : at Te Puna, hear Wai- .'.'' tangi. ''• '.,' ,*..;■■ Mr. Hall remarks that. he and Mr. Ken"V dall agreed to purchase a settlement at Wai- / tangi about five or six miles from Te Puna. Here they purchased another. 50 acres of land on the .Missionary Society's account in \ '.: ;consideration^.'which was given five axes. ";- ! It was in the year 1814 that the Rev. '"r Samuel Marsden ' arrived in New "Zealand,

b>:u>i, > SOME HISTORICAL NOTES.

and * for 'about' 11 years, he and the Mission-' aries labored to convert tho Maoris. if In the ! year 1822 the Rev. Henry Williams, the first ordained Missionary, was .sent out to New Zealand by the Church ; Missionary-Society, and arrived at the Bay of Islands. Ho was followed by his brother, William, in the year 1835. > tMvptuf. .u: ;■'/. '-&&£& oA\ u^h It was in the year 1825 that the first conversion and baptism of a Maori named Rangi, to whom the baptismal. name of ■ Christian (Karaitiana) was given. No more conversions . took place until the year , 1830, when Rawiri Taiwhanga was baptised, five years 1ater.,;.,,."!"'/.,,.'; ';'■??■ '. ' '"""'.

Protestant Missionaries and Maori Lands A correspondent writing some years ago to a Sydney contemporary, says: "Sir,—ln the Daily Telegraph of May 26, arc pictured the 'wedding dress and bridal veil, worn by Mrs. Elizabeth Marsden (wife of Rev. Samuel Marsden), on April 21, 1793. ' The Rev. Samuel Marsden must have made his mark in Australian history, seeing that his' wife's dress is treasured as a national relic. He did make his mark by founding '"tho Protestant Mission" of New Zealand in 1814, and' he' made there an increase to his ■fortune by obtaining'laud from the confiding aboriginals; In his Christian Missions, Marshall writes 'Mr. Marsden inaugurated the nascent.mission by purchasing l 2oo acres of land chosen by himself, for twelve' axes. The transaction was not honest, for the poor savages, as they afterwards complained, did not' know the value of their land. Mr. Marsden's contract suggests to others a spirit of eager commercial enterprise which soon'led to very ' notable results: : " The Episcopalian and .'Wesley an clergy, * who now congregated with startling promptitude in :! this land of

promise, rivalled each other in .'-purchases,''! the feme-of which traversed half the globe. It even the courts of Jaw, and! found,.an. echo within the walls of Parliament. f This was \ the ,terra iof , its progress 1 for f then .arose such an outcry, of many voices, such a chorus of mingled laughter and indignation, that the Government had f jio" alternative but, to , adopt instant measures ,to thwart the exorbitant ' cupidity of \, the mis- J sionary societies and their agents." "A little later, , and a large portion of the soil of New! Zealand (Wpuldjiave.passed into the hands of the;,•• Church of .England., and Wesleyan .mis--* sionaries. Mr. ; , Marsden was originally, we are. r told, brought up as a blacksmith, but became ultimately an Episcopalian minister, in New South Wales, where for many years he combined the two , functions of preacher and agriculturist. ~ Having amassed a considerable fortune as a sheep farmer, without, prejudice to his spiritual character, and having acquired a very accurate knowledge of' the value of- land, of cattle, of crops, and of a good many' other things, he seems to; have paid a visit to New Zealand on behalf of : the Church iMissionary Society. The Royal Australian Historical Society treasures the memory of I his wife, Mrs. Marsden, who did nothing that we know of to merit public recognition', whilst:at the same, time it has no memento i of I Mrs. Chisholm, a Catholic lady, who deserved so well of Australia. Miohelet calls Mrs. Chisholm The Saint;of Australia. 5 -:' Judge Therry writes of her-:; "Caroline Chisholm was the only, practical reformer and • worker in the colonisation ■ of the age, who will be remembered and blessed by thousands following their flocks and cultivating their farms >in Australia'when the 1 names of the land Jobbers and charlatans of tho 1' • sufficient price school/ the false protectionists of colonial capital, are forgotten." As to ; her work, Mr. W. E. Abbott, of Wingen, writes: "If Mrs. Chisholm's work-in bringing out and providing for the right sort of immigrants hen they arrived had been continued until to-day the present population of the Commonwealth would have been over 30,000,000, and all our problems in reference to Asiatic invasion and the control of the Pacific would have settled themselves." Mrs. Chisholm deserves well of Australia. Is Australia, is New South Wales honoring her memory by picture, or by statue!; or by any :of the Royal Australian Historical Society's good offices? . • -i:--> ilfirr ,~tu'-: i fq'/Yours, etc., r ■> \-y.niiyo: "J. B." •'::■>- htfiihi}. (To be continued.) otii .''io .