THE GREY COLLECTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 8

THE GREY COLLECTION.

AT CAPE TOWN, v : SIR GEO. GREY'S INTERESTING 'LETTERS. , From time to, time the Now Zealand ,Govrnmont has boon urged by scholars .to arange/for the transfer of the groat collecion of books and manuscripts on Polynesian übjccts gathered by the late Sir. Geo. Groj nd presented to the Capo Town Library, 'he collection still " remains in' Capoj Town, 'ut the matter .has' 'been rovived in Christhurch of late, and. a representative of Tub Wminion had an interview bearing on < tho übject with a gentleman whoso.' principal lobby is books. . ,• . ..; "The recent agitation is' rather behind tho imes," said the enthusiast. ; He pointedout hat Sir Geo. Grey admitß in his: preface to lis "Polynesian Mythology," 1865, that- ho nay have made a mistake, but suggests that iltimately ho had no doubt that frequent ex-, ihanges of literary treasures would take ilace between New Zealand and South Af•ica, .and that I;liey would 1 thus; each of iliem, by relinquishing something,' gradually, icquirc those manuscripts, which, in their respective' estimations, they .think' it' most iesirable each country should possess. This Vas many years ago. What has been dono In he meantime ? Blame attaches to the Auckland L'ublic Library; which is the iristitutibh liainly interested,' because, as Sir Geotgo 3rey stated, there are in'that library'the ;icces'sary South African manuscripts that are ivailablc for exchange. !V.-; Sill-in Capo Parliament.' As it happens, one of the few literary institutions in New Zealand that is .doing good solid work, , tho Polynesian-'' Society, . has taken steps.. .During..l9os one of'its members, tho Rpv: H. ,W. Williams, M.A., visited Capo Town and tho''society arranged that he should carry credentials from'the Premier " of: the Dominion ■to : the Vernier of .the Gape with: a view to, his ascertaining the value of the Grey collection now at the Cape Town Library. , His visit .apparently had somo effect, as during tho 1906 session ofr tho, Cape > Parliament a Bill was presented making provision: for tho; custodj of .the .collection and also for exchange. The Bill, although ; strongly opposed, passec the • Houso of'. Assembly, but: was .thrown .put by. the Legislative- Council. It'was' pointec out' by>Mr. Sauer, one of- the chief' opponent'! of the' Bill, that New-Zealand investigator! might easily copy the manuscripts, -.f,; As far. as-cari be judged,' there appears t( be not ;the, least .hope of; South Africa 'sell ing.' "In: fact," concluded; our, informant "it- would .be>almost- like an : insult to 'asl them; ■ and the 'most .satisfactory' 'splutioi would be'for the' Government to ai expert-'Maori' scholar ,'to" the' Cape.''to' taki copies of these manuscripts." ; " V ' , • The,; Grey library _ : was : presented ;'to thi Cape in 1861, and in ; a letter to the lotJudge Wafcermeyer' Sir George Grey' cdh.vgj'ei his decision -to ■'leave' to'. South' Africa;' "th treasure' 'of great' value'.'. • which [had; col lected during his life. .. ." '.. .- . Vain Pursuit of Tranquility. ."For. .thirty';years," he wrote,',;'''qno. of . the chief; delights' of. my' life .'has'.been; 'to, : collefjt a. library which I hoped:, would ' form the charm and recreation-of : : my ..middlei.life arid of-, my old age.., Thus :I have: goiio ott indulging dreams of aV'tra'nquil and literary life, which '.was ;to be,.>■ compensation 'for ; the con stapt.,activity, of, my'early years.": ' ; His idea' was to publish from ancient .manuscripts : how .'editions, of.- .works which: he regarded' as \ being .capable of . great improvementj, bub to use .his, own, words- "he nad .ever found that the.'period.;,of rest and tranquility, he was; to' enjoy flowf''farther;and, farther from him as he advanced in life." .; During the time the Bill mentioned above was before the, Cape. Parliament .'■tho; "Cape Times'' -of September'ls;' 1906,' published the following:—'!We; arel.indebted'to tHe ; Librarian of .the' South. i Africaid'-rPublic; Library for the' following iextract from'< tihe' preface".'.to Sir- George .Grey's '.'Polynesian" - Mythology'' (second edition; Aucklandj-lSeSJj'. j.wHifch' 'explains how; the .Maori,MSS. .were included'in' the,gift .to■.thei.Gape:;;. .The.list' of':. Maori manuscripts • taken from;■ the.. Cabo:' of Good-' Hope catalogue"; will;.show ;.how , largely the Cape Library is ; endowed vwith I 'New Zealand Native literature of: extraordinary, Native value. Since'the establishment of that library I have made another collection, of: New Zealand manuscript literature for the Auckland Public Library. . .' In the Auckland Library will . also be found a considerable collection of manusoript',' South : 'African literature which.- would bo of_ great .value to tho Capo Library?' ' .': 1 ,' Roason of tho Arrangement..: ... i . '."It- must thuS seem (<kintmued-- Sir , George Grey). to' have 1 , made an-i injudicious arrangement'regarding the place of deposit: of great historical treasures. When I' made ments-for giving a library to the Cape of Good Hope I bolieived, -if l ljved so long; that I was likely'.to haye resided attheQape for a few years. ;My friend Dr. .oneof .'the greatest philologists of his. time; was..then a resident of Cape !Town. He; was a good Maori scholar, arid we- were; in the habit'of working together,: and '1/hoped that ,wo should have worked out and published . a great part' of ; 'the'; -New Zealand/literature which "was deposited at' .the-' Cape., I .'soon had to leave the ; Capb, have never returned there, arid, my friend '.Dr.'; Bleekv.ma.ny,'years younger than myself,; is dead.' "- Porhapsi still, advantages' may ■ be; derived from the ar- ; rangemcnt that was ■ made. ' Tho learned . of the Cape and of New Zealand must',' in- tiino, 1 be driven; into : frequent and ' intimate -correspondence regarding 'the ' sources of. information which the- two'- countries mutually-'po£ 'sess of their early, and of the native 1 populations - which' inhabited eaoh '.of .two.'.'such important -portions of tlio wi>rld; Prom such . 'correspondence''arid literary intimacy'''great ; mutual advantages 'jnay- arise,'-to- each'of j these -two places.' . Ultimately'v l have ,:nd 1 doubt .also that' frequeri J 'exchanges of, liter- " ary, treasures' will-'take' place between them. ' and that ' thoy -will' thus, each of- tlheni, ' by ' relinquishing soiuethirig, gradually, a«quiK » thoso . manuscripts'^"whicfr,; in their, respective estimations, • they think it most desirable '. that,each country'should possess. If iri 'anj ' respect either of them: may feel disappointeo " they -willj ;I: know,' roadily nardon . a ma.r * whose 'sold desire ; was to /benefit each. ol J 'them, according to tho- best 'of his . abilitj j arid knowledge at .the time he formed his de- ' cisdon."- : Some on the collection bj the Rev. H. W. Williams are to 'be! fount '» in the "Journal of the Polynesian Society,' j 1 vol. 15, pp. 175-180. . •.'■■■ • " -' '