A PIONEER FAMILY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 248, 14 July 1919, Page 6

A PIONEER FAMILY

_ * THE LATE MR. LUKE N. NATTRASS. Air. Luke Nelson Nattrass. who died at his home in Adelaide Road, Berhnmpore, on Friday last, was a colonist of seventylive years' standing, having been born in Nelson iii the year 1844. He is said to have been the first white boy bom in the settlement, and ho lived, grew up to man. hood, and married there, before he decided to take up his permanent residence in Wellington. Mr. Nattrass was the son of the late Mr. Luke Nattrass, who is said to have come to the colony in a specially chartered vessel as early as 1836 or 1837, having been sent to report on the country by Earl Derby ana. Lord John Russell. There is direct evidence that ,Mr. Nattrass did valuable work in that connection, for when he returned to England in 1839 he took with him some very -ably-drawn sketches of Wellington, as it then existed, and (hey were in due course, lithographed in Lon' don'. These sketches bear the imprinti "I'ublislied for the proprietors at Huegiro's Marine Mart, 105 Leadenhall Street, London." Copies in a good stat" of preservation are still in possession o the fnmilv, each one bearing the tesf monv, "From sketches by L.' Nattrasf When he (the kit.» Mr. Nattras father) ■ returned to New Zealand, biough l with him a number of 1.-..H •from Ireland, skilled in the work- of dressing flax, the pioneer, even.in ijuse davs, having seen the possibilities ii: tho (lax fibre.which then grew roundV.Wellington in large quantities. What is now Lynll Bay and the Miramar flat,were then pretty thickly covered with flax bushes, anil it was at Miramar, cside tho lagoon which formerly existed on tho flat, that (his descendants in Wellington, state) the pioneer made his experiments with the fibre. The skilled workers, which he brought out from the r.orth of Ireland, under his direction, were nblo. to dress flax to the fineness of silk, and there are samples of the flax so dressed among the belonginss of his son, who died last week, and. fuHlie". Hie.re is among the family papers a diploma awarded him for exhibiting some of his ilax products at an exhibition held in Paris. Another interesting relic bearing on this, perhaps the earliest discovery in the superfine dresstug of nliorml'm tenax, is a small card to Which is attached a isample of wool and be.'i'de it a sample of the flax dressed by Mr. Nattrass in Wellington, probably' beforo the formal .establishment of Wellington by the New Zealand Land Company. Tne wool has perished, but the flax fabric is as good as ever. The' process by which these results were'obtained is'not now known. Experts who have seen the sample state that they know no method to-day by which the same results could be obtained. Mr. Luke Nattrass also manufactured himself potash from certain woods, and with its oid was able to smelt ironsand from the shores.of Taranaki. History,doe9 not relate why the inventor did not push his discoveries' pconomieally,\-but early in the '•Ifl's he evidently removed his •■■ home td Nelson and remained there for a considerable term of years. .■. :■",-.,--

Interest in the pioneer, who has long since imssed away, is increased 'by the statement of members of the family trat he was ono of the first, if not the first, private owner of the property now known as the Basin Reserve, but relinquished his right to vc as he thought that nothing' could be done with the s'vamn. Whether this was before the deal.' made by Colonel Wakefield with the Maori owners or not is not very clear, for it certainly passed to the New Zealand Land Company in 1839, and wag incorporated in plans of the proposed township, drawn in 18W, as a reserve for an inland harbour, access to which was to have been made by a canal cut from end to end in Kent Terrace. Tho assumption therefore is that Mr. Nattrass had soir.ething to do with-the block before the advent of the Wakefields. He is also said to have had a proprietary interest in Stewart Dawson's corner, and the first house of tho old settler stood upon the hill at the rear of. Barrett's Hotel, and is clearly shown in the sketches drawn by Mr. Nattrass, and subsequently lithographed in London x by his patrons. It mny be that the investigations, of Mr, Nattrass in 1536-7 helped to' inspire the formation of the New Zealand Lant' Company. The late Mr. Luke Nelson Nattrason of the pioneer of tho '30's, was a ir of retiring disposition. After follow, the trade of a carpenter in Welling! . for some years ho entered the serv; of the Post Office, where he r»ninined i 28 years, retiring some seven years at< on superannuation. His death on Fri day last was tho result of a second stroke of paralysis.

The deceased leaves n widow, three daughters, and eight sons, all living. The daughters are Mesdames H. Benge, or' Greytown; C. D. Purser, of Brooklyn; and Mrs. W. H. Ferris, of Wellington and the sons are Messrs. Frank aid T, ■ It. Naftrnss, of Sydney; Messrs. W. E; P., H„ C. V., and H. D. Nattrass, of Wellington; Arnold A. Nattras?, of Maitou; and Ralph L. Nattrass, of TeUawa,