MEETING OF EARLY SETTLERS.

Evening Star, Issue 3124, 22 February 1873, Page 3

MEETING OF EARLY SETTLERS.

A meeting of the early settlers “ who arrived in this Province up to the end of the year 1856,” was held, pursuant to advertisement, at Wain’s Hotel, Manse street, last evening, “to take into consideration the forming of an Early Settlers’ Association, and a re-union on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Province.” Mr A. Mercer presid d ; and there were present Col, Cargill, Messrs W. D, Munson, A, J. Burns, D. Miller, Simpson, A, Brcbner, D. Cnlder, A. Findlater, J. S. Douglas. Jno, Anderson, Sanderson, J. Healey, C. Reid, C. R. Chapman, J. G. S. Grant, H. F. Hardy, J. Barr, Royes, E. Smith, J. W. Feger, 0, H, Street, Grainger, A. Barr, D. Taylor, Jno. Curie, C. Allan, Cheyne, Hammond, J, Wain, Hamer, and Mansford. The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, expressed the pleasure he felt at seebig such a large gathering of the i arly settlers, and stated that the object of calling tffo j meeting was t° takp the advice of those present as to the best moans of the old settlers nueting together once more in a friendly way. Mr Burns said that Mr Mercer and some half-ffzn of the “old identities,” who had arrived by the first ships that had come to the Province, had been talking about a meeting of that kind ; indeed, on one occasion, not long ago, a number of them, himself being one, had met and talked the thing ove r , and the idea then was that those who came out by the first ships should once nmro in their lives ipeet together ip a friendly manner. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Province was drawing near, and it offered a fitting opportunity for the early s«ttlers to meet together, to sec how one another looked, and to talk to each other about their affairs. On further talking the matter over, it was also agreed not to confine the affair to the passengers by the earliest ships, but to throw it open to those who came out up to 1856. For hia part he should he deeply grieved if the matter were confined simply to ft dinner or supper. Ho hoped something better would cqmp put of it j but whatever shape it topk, he would be prepared to give it his heartiest support. Ho would like to see something in the shape of an association, whereby the old settlers would be enabled to meet once a year, or once every two or three years, and whereby a common fund could be established,'by means of which old fellow-colonists in distress could 1 r assisted, and many good purposes comic.;'i d with old associations helped. In fact, there were a hundred ways in which good could come out of such a movement. While he would rejoice at seeing the old sel - lers meet once a year, he would rejoice still i more to see them formed into an association for the purposes to which lie had referred. Mr David Miller’s original idea, which he still favored, was to confine the movement to the families who arrived by the Wickcliffe and the Philip Laing, whom he was prepared to bring together at his own expense. The forming of an association should be left entirely to those who came by later sbipL Hp wanted to see a gathering of the oldest settlers at which those with the largest families—(laughter) -could be present; at which the eldest married daughter of tbo oldest settler should receive a present, and the eldest son of the oldest settler should have a suit of Mosgiel tweed. (Loud laughter.) He would gather all the old settlors together from all part? of the Province and give them a treat, and convoy them to fort five by rail, rs many of them had never gecn a tpain. Mr JupN Caudill, having been called upon to give his opinion as to the direction which the proposed movement should take, mentioned that ho was visited some time ago by Mr Duff, whose idea seemed to he in the first place to get aU the “ oh] identities” to meet, together, and “to place their legs under a mahogany,” as it was termed, or to get them into the open air : at all events, to meet together. But he would advise, as a first step, that they might go in the direction of the association formed by early colonists in Wellington, the objects of which was not only to bring its members together, but to gettheoriginal records of the Province. There were many amongst them who could te 1 some curious stories of the early days of Otago, For example, there were the Chairman and Mr Healey, who carried on business here then j but on a very different scale to what it was now, and they could give capital explanations of the difficulties they had to overcome. So, too, there were many stories connected with the early trade of the place. One*»ubject to which the Association should turn its attention would bo to having those records of the early days written out with the aid of the documentary evidence to which they now had access, ami bo begin what would form the history of the Province. He had noticed some pipers on the subject; but thope were not what were dttued : the/ did uut give * cvbUruobi hi**

toiy of the settlement, nor give prominence to many events which many old settlers considered very important matters. He hoped his suggestion would be acted upon. Whether the met ting of the old settlers should take the selfish form of a dinner or that of a picnic was for those present to decide. His own opinion was it w’ould be better to have a pleasant re-union, and to promote the objects to which he had referred.

Mr Grant condemned the short-sighted, narrow-minded idea of confining the movement to the passengers by the Wickliffe and Philip Laing, and thought the best time to hit upon was the year 1856, when the turning point of the Colony took place. He supported Colonel Cargill’s suggestion of gathering together the records of the settlement, and of those concerning two men, whose names would always be re ceived with the respect due to their personal worth and sterling abilities—the late Captain Cargill and the Rev. Dr. Burns, whom he eulogised as the b:st politician and the best pieacher the Province had seen up to the present time. He suggested that the sermons of Dr Burns should be gathered together by the Association and printed, with a biographical notice of the man, and heventmed to say that they would meet with a large circulation, be a source of happiness to and lead to solid reflection in many families in the Province. He considered it a disgrace to them as Scotchmen that such a long time should have elapsed before proposing to do honor to one whom he styled the Otago Washington. Air (J. I \ i:i n observed that it was refreshing to hear Mr Grant eulogise any person ; but he objected to Mr Grant’s eulogy of Capt. Cargill as Otago’s be.-tpolitician. That man was the late John ADGlashan—(hear)--to whom the Province was indebted for its education system, and its road system, The “old identities” had been taunted with being very much behind the age; Mr M‘Glashan, on the contrary, was considerably in advance of his time. He would like very well to see an organisation such as was proposed, set on foot. If the association were for the people born in the Colony, and their families, as was suggested, it would become very popular. He approved of the proposed pic nic, as the enjoyment should be extended to their wives and families. It would be refreshing to have a little of the early affinity, of the freedom of the early days to which they had been strangers for the last ten or twelve years, which had been rubbed off by the Victorian importation, that had brought to the place new arts and new ways of life. If the Victorians only came for that purpose, the old settlers were very much obliged to them. He concluded by moving “That Messrs Burns, Mercer, Anderson, Findlater, Cargill, Hardy, Street, Smith, J. Barr, Chapman, Healey, Sanderson, Hislop, and Jtfreys be appointed a committee (with power to add to their number) to take such measure! as to them may appear necessary, to make arrangements for a picnic for early settlers, their wives, and families on the next (twenty-fifth) anniversary of the Province, al oto draft rules, &c., to be submitted to a future! meeting.”

Col. Cargill suggested that it was better to put things in proper order, and moved, ‘‘That the persons now present form themselves into an association, to be called the Early Settlers’ Association,” which was carried.

Mr Grant moved a resolution, “Thot a Pilgrim Fathers’ Association should be formed, and that a public meeting of the early settlers should be held in the Queen’s Theatre ou Anniversary Day but the amendment met with no seconder.

After a few remarks by Messrs A. and C. H. Street, Mr Reid’s motion was put and carried, aiiff the meeting broke up with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.