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The Early History of New Zealand

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The Early History of New Zealand THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES *f Dr. T. M. Hockkn. THE EARLY HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND. BEING A SERIES OF LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE THE OTAGO INSTITUTE; ALSO A LECTURETTE ON THE MAORIS OF THE SOUTH ISLAND. By The Late Dr. T. M. Hocken. WELLINGTON, N.Z. JOHN MACKAY, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. I9I4. MEMOIR: DR. THOMAS MORLAND HOCKEN, The British nation can claim the good fortune of having on its roll of honour men and women who stand out from the ranks of their fellows as examples of lofty patriotism and generosity of character. Their fine idea of citizenship has not only in the record of their own lives been of direct benefit to the nation, but they have shone as an example to others and have stirred up a wholesome senti- ment of emulation in their fellows. There has been no lack of illustrious examples in the Motherland, and especially so in the last century or so of her history. And if the Motherland has reason to be proud of her sons and daughters who have so distinguished themselves, so likewise have the younger nations across the seas. Canada, South Africa, Aus- tralia, New Zealand, each has its list of colonists who are justly entitled to rank among the worthies of the Empire, whose generous acts and unselfish lives have won for them the respect and the gratitude of their fellows ; and, as I shall hope to show, Thomas Morland Hocken merits inclusion in the long list of national and patriotic benefactors who in the dominions beyond the seas have set a worthy example to their fellows. The Woodhouse Grove School, near Bath, where Dr. Hocken was educated, was founded in 1812 for the sons of Wesleyan minis- ters, and has numbered amongst its scholars many men eminent in the Church, in politics, and in the law. Though no longer ex- clusive in the same degree as to its pupils, it still continues to be one of the chief educational centres in England. Dr. Hocken always entertained for this old school a great affection and pride, and was never tired of describing the strenuous school discipline and Spartan diet (very different from that prevailing nowadays), or of relating anecdotes of schoolboy pranks and all the little great events which go to make up a schoolboy's life. When in England on one of his visits from New Zealand the doctor visited his old school, and as the result of an interview with the headmaster obtained for the boys, some three hundred or four hundred in number, a half-holiday, and gave them a brief address, and 6d. all round. At an anniversary dinner of old boys held in London shortly afterwards he and a celebrated London barrister found themselves to be the only surviving pupils of his year. After taking his Dublin degree, Dr. Hocken was articled to Dr. Septimus Rayne, of Newcastle, a man whose fame reached far beyond the bounds of his own country, and with him he practised for several iv MEMOIR. years. He always spoke with the greatest reverence and affection of his old master, and often lamented that the good old custom of articling a young, inexperienced, and simply theoretical doctor to some older practitioner, who acted as mentor and guide in practical work, should have fallen into disuse. In 1855 Dr. Hocken was awarded the silver medal given as the botanical prize at the College of Practical Research, Newcastle. Botany was ever one of his favourite studies, and. had the demands of his profession permitted it, there can be little doubt he would have attained to a foremost position in the botanical world. The knowledge gained by him in this interesting study during his career in the North of England was of great value to him in after-life when he came to study the flora of New Zealand, and to regard with the deepest interest the varied and striking plant life of the new land in which he made his home. The rigorous northern winter proving too much for a rather delicate constitution, Dr. Hocken was advised in i860 to take a long sea voyage to warmer climes. This was the reason of his accepting the post of surgeon on board the " Great Britain," then one of the fastest steamers voyaging to the Antipodes. On board he was a universal favourite, especially loved by his poorer patients in the steerage, and was always foremost in organizing pastimes to relieve the monotony of a long sea voyage. He also contributed largely to the journal published on board ship. On the occasion of his last trip round the world as surgeon of the fine ship which brought so many people to Australia the grateful passengers pre- sented him with a purse of sovereigns, and an address bearing testimony to the general kindness and attention shown by him to all on board. At the foot of this document—now yellow with age —he wrote, many years later, the following words : "I left the ' Great Britain ' at Melbourne in January, 1862, having permission from Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co. so to do, in order to go down to Dunedin. On our arrival at Melbourne thousands of diggers were making their way to the newly discovered Otago Goldfields. Although my prospects in England were of the best—viz. , to enter into partnership with my old master, Mr. S. W. Rayne, of New- castle-on-Tyne—my health had not been good for two or three years, and I thought it better, on the whole, to cast in my lot with those who were seeking fortune in so new and so fine a country as New Zealand. This step I have never regretted." It Dr. Hocken never regretted the step he took when he came to Dunedin with the crowds of stalwart men who in those stirring times flocked to the new goldfield, of which it was the seaport, it may truly be affirmed that those with whom he cast his lot had even greater reason to feel that they had secured as a new citizen one whose professional skill and whose qualities of heart and mind made him many friends. Eor some time the building- MEMOIR. V up of a large practice absorbed his time too much to permit of the development of those features of his character which in future years were destined to make his name a household word through- out New Zealand. But inherent in his nature was that spirit of true patriotism, that love of his fellow-men, that kindness of heart and buoyancy of spirit which were his attributes until the day of his death. And it is not surprising that there steadily grew an intense love for the land which he had made his home. He studied with intelligence and zeal the people who were building up the fortunes of the young nation that was arising, as he did the characteristics of the original owners of the land. He be- came more and more interested in the Maori inhabitants as he increased his store of knowledge of their character and their history. Simultaneously with his acquired knowledge of the history of the Maori since the advent of the white race to their shores he became conversant with the events of those memorable years when the New Zealand Company was making heroic efforts, under the guidance of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, to bring about a practical and progressive scheme of colonization. It was not an easy matter, coincident with the demands of an exacting pro- fession, to find time to pursue his historical researches, but he was a hard and persevering worker, and he set himself resolutely to the congenial task of building up a library in which he would have at his hand the records of New Zealand's earliest days. He was imbued with the true spirit of a collector. Year by year he added new treasures to his library—rare papers, maps, periodicals, and manuscripts ; he searched the world for anything that would find its proper place in such a collection. He realized that the history of New Zealand is involved with that of Australia at so many points that any collection confined to New Zealand pub- lications would be inadequate for the purposes such a collection should serve ; hence many of the early Australian periodicals and pamphlets were gathered by the industrious doctor to enrich his library and lighten the labours of future students. Moreover, when he visited England—where many rich stores of historical matter relating to the colonies lie hidden—he searched with in- defatigable energy for unpublished manuscripts and early docu- ments relating to colonial missions and the early days of coloniza- tion. The result was that he built up a collection of priceless value, which was regarded by its owner with a solicitous affec- tion such as can only be felt by assiduous gatherers of rare and valuable things. His collection came to be known as one of the finest of its kind, and students and literary men from all parts of Australasia deemed it a rare privilege to be shown its many treasures. It was therefore an act of the utmost generosity and self- sacrifice on the part of Dr. Hocken when in 1904 he offered to VI MEMOIR. make a gift of his collection to the people of New Zealand on condition that a suitable building was erected in which to house it and a sum of money raised to ensure that it would be properly taken care of. It was perhaps not unnatural that the public at first failed to appreciate—and, indeed, have not yet adequately appreciated—the generous gift.
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