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THE HOCKEN LIBRARY

ADDITIONS TO COLLECTIONS

The Hocken Library has long had a copy of the journal of Air J. W. Barnicoat, who was a surveyor working with Air Tuckett in Otago and Southland m 1843-44. The Barnicoat family has now presented to the library photographs of sketches which were executed almost 90 years ago to illustrate Afr Barnicoat’s journal, and the student of the early his tory of the province will find these of more than passing interest. The first pictures known to have been made of the Otago Harbour were those drawn by the draughtsman of D'Urville's party on its second expedition, which was in the harbour in December, 1839, and January. 1840 The original drawing from this set is already in the library. The next pictures in point of time are believed to be those executed by Air Barnicoat in May, 1844. and are among the very earliest drawings of any part of Otago. It is the intention of the authorities to have these copied so that they will be clearer, and the copies will then be exhibited in the gallery. One sketch, dated June 22, 1844, is of particular interest, as it shows the pres ent site of the city, and more particularly South Dunedin. A Maori canoe is drawn up on the beach, and several buildings are shown, among them being a Native storehouse on piles and a small house with a chimney, standing against a backgiound of heavy bush. From Otago Harbour Afr Barnicoat moved down the coast to Bluff, Ruapuke and Stewart Islands, all these places being particularly well illustrated by this black and white artist of almost a century ago. The Hocken Library has received two other donations, which would appear to indicate that people are realising that in the interest of the community as a whole it is much to be preferred that documents and manuscripts of an historic nature, or possessing general interest, should find a final resting place in the library rather than that they should remain almost unknown in private ownership.

Airs A. W. Traill, of Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, a daughter of the wellknown missionary, the Rev. Johann Fredrich Henrich Wohlers, who worked among the Afaoris on Ruapuke Island from 1844 till 1885, has presented a collection of the manuscripts, dealing with Alaori mythology, which were compiled by Afr Wohlers. They are written in both Maori and English. At the beginning of 1930 Sir Frederick Chapman deposited with the library authorities 40 books and pamphlets and a large immigration poster, dated June 29, 1839, and probably the first issued bj' the New Zealand Land Company. These form a very valuable collection, and recently Sir Frederick made a gift of them to the library.. Last month another consignment of a similar nature arrived along with files of early New Zealand newspapers, of which the oldest goes back to 1839, and contains a record of events before New Zealand was a British colony.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19310623.2.265

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 65

Word count
Tapeke kupu
494

THE HOCKEN LIBRARY Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 65

THE HOCKEN LIBRARY Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 65

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