THE RACE FOR AKAROA.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16420, 14 January 1919, Page 8

THE RACE FOR AKAROA.

TO TUX EDITOR OF "TOT TIIESS." Sir, —After many years and much discussion among the lovers of history in important events, your leading article of last Thursday most ably clears away the fogs which have added mystery to tho question as to whether Akaroa was included in the Treaty of Waitangi and' the proclamation of Governor Hobson, made on May 21st, 1840,, in the area) over which the sovereignty of Great! Britain was set forth. The article has done more: it shows the necessity for the New Zealand Government to step in and, in the interests of history j to compel the correction •of the inscription ,on the Akaroa monument. TAe inscription reads: "On this spot Captain Stanley, of H.M.S. Britomart, hoisted the British flag,-and the sovereignty of Great Britain was formally proclaimed. August 6th, 1840." The fact that he" hoisted) a flag may he admitted,' but it is untrue' to represent it as hoisting, the British, flag in connexion with the sovereignty of Great Britain having token place, as the true date of that event was May 21st. I presume the Christchurch Cathedral Chapter may allow any inscriptions they like within their walls, but that the date and circumstances connected with Captain Stanley, of the Britomart, are so misleading that the Cathedral authorities wo,uld be justified in attaching a printed ticket, and including in the handbook of the Cathedral a correction "which concerns the British and French nations, of-an incident that could easily be applied to fa use .constrained relations. As one who entered into an investigation to obtain the facts as to the Britomart's mission, etc., as early as 1576, I was quite convinced in the year following, when the Government, with the help of! Mr Hanson Turton, issued the full text and correspondence relating to "the Treaty of Waitangi," together with photographed facsimiles of the respective signatures of the chiefs of New Zealand, that leave no room for doubt upon the cnrx of the matter, namely, that on May 21st the sovereignty of Great Britain was proclaimed over the Northern, Middle, and Stewart Islands, from 34deg N. to 47deg S. latitude, ami between l<36deg and 179deg E. longitude. When I met Captain Halsey, of H.M.S. New Zealand, in May, 1913, and knowing he would visit I gave him my old first edition-of the Blue Book "Treaty of Waitangi." Having glanced through its pages he said, "I must place this among tho ship's papers, and now I shall have tho facts about Akaroa." A reference to Captain Stanley's own report on the mission of the Britomart simply states he landed two police magistrates at Akaroa, and that flags were hoisted by him at two parts of the bay where ther© were houses,, but never _ a word of his "proclaiming sovereignty.'" Had I met any of the French Mission I should have been gladt to have given. - General Pau a copy of the n£ "Waitangi, and the authoritative correspondence compiled by Mr Turton( in April, 1877. The Akaroa monument was erected only a few years ago, the Cathedral part in the eighties.—lours, etc., J.L.W.