Missionary and gold-digger

Press, 25 January 1986, Page 20

Missionary and gold-digger

Seekers of Souls and Gold: William Hough, Pioneer Preacher and Prospector. By Mary Troup Barker. Concept Marketing, 1985. 124 pp. $15.95 (paperback). (Reviewed by Glenn Haszard) In spite of the title of this book, there is no contradiction in the life of Hough, a minor tnissionary of the 1840 s in Taranaki. He retired from missionary work and went to Nelson because of failing health and it was only then that he began fossicking for gold in Golden Bay. Later he was to claim that he was the prime mover in the gold rush. Unfortunately Hough never left a

journal, so the book sheds little light on his contribution to the mission field or his views on Maori customs and rights. It is also difficult to gain an insight into his character as a man during his days in Taranaki, because the references to him by other missionaries cannot really be relied on because of their tendency to flattery and politeness. In his twilight years he stubbornly and articulately engaged in a letterwriting campaign to the Nelson “Examiner” asserting that he was the man who discovered the goldfields in Golden Bay and those letters are reproduced in the book, throwing some light on those hectic days.