"What Is In a Name?"

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 287, 1 November 1884, Page 3

"What Is In a Name?"

Major-General Maxwell, m an interesMngf letter to TJte Tithes, urines that several of the Australasian Colonies have been most unfortunate iv the names they have had conferred upon, them, and suggests that the present time is opportune for re-nam-ing tibese territories m a manner more . national, more harmonious, And more worthy of regions destined to plsiy a conspicuous ,. part . m future history.; The following extract from his letter will supply the salient points of Geno-, ,ral Maxwell's contention : " Xevr "Eolith Wales is no suitable name for a vast region which, at no distant time,' will he a great and powerful coun t iy . Why should such a country; bear for all tmie the name', of ' in-! significant section of Great Britain ?! - Surely a better title could 'be iound; nncl the sooner it is found the better..; /Victoria, the name of itsnoi^rushing.! neighbour/ is happy, and should; stand I j so with Tasmania, and so with; Queensland. But South' Australia i and Western Australia should! assuredly be improved upon. But of! all thetinFelicito.us designations of the ! group, the worss is |fow Zealand: I 'What a hanie for a country to go down into the future with! Wh«n, at no distant date, the islands which now bear that name whall bo occupied by a great population of British blood, j and shall form a great and powerful ': <gountiy^hoj»r absurd,^how unsuitatWe, i w6u'ld be s 'tneir present name. Why New Zealand? What is Old New' Zealand?" An obscure corner of an. ; obscure, foreign country m Euibpe. Ifit'oe desired to' preserve the word 1 Zealand — and its etymology is not inappropriate, the Ocean Land— call it , , Zealandia, call it Great Zealand, any- 1 thing but New Zealand. ; There is much to be ,s«aid m favour of the classic forms ending .m * a ' ; already , We, Have Tasmania, . "Victoria, , and (Australia itself, to say nothing, of America, Austria, and many more. So Zealandja might <Jo/ Kut. better still, these islands are nearly all antipbjieal to' Great Britain, they are. almost identical -with Britain m area, : their climate is a British climate! glorified, they are destined to besf qccupied by a people of essentially : British race; ond type. Why note- ill , the group, New Britain, or even South Britain?" : , ; , . i . . |