PAST GOVERNORS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 363, 27 April 1889, Page 3

PAST GOVERNORS.

Lord Onslow ia the fourteenth Governor of New Zealand, or rather his is the twelfth Governorship, Sir George Gtey having been twice Governor of fhe colony. The first was Captain William Hobson, who. held the position from January, 1840, to 10th September, J842. Id was dining his term of office that the iir&t body of settlers arrived at Port Nicholson (Wellington), and that tho first land sale took place in Auckland ; the New Zealand Company established settlements at Wellington, Taranaki, Nelson, and Wairau ; tho treaty of -Wattangi was signed, the seat of government was removed to Auckland, and New Zealand was proclaimed a British colony. From January 1840 to May 1841, Captain Hobson was Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand under Sir George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales, and from May, 1841, Governor of New Zealand. Ho died in Auckland in September, 1842, and from the time of his death until the arrival , of Governor Fitz- 1

i roy, in December, 1843, the governmenb i was administered by the Colonial Secretary, Lieutenaub Short/land. Captain Robert Fitzroy, R.N., held fcho appointment from 26th December, 1843, to November, 1845. The massacre at Wairau, in which 23 Europeans were killed, had occurred during the interregnum. The chief event during Governor Fitaroy's term of office was l!ie destruction ot Kororareka by Hone Hoke, and war with the Ngapubis, but the insurrection was not suppressed until after his recall, when he was succeeded by Captain Grey, holding office as Governor-in -chief in Wellington. Captain Grey (who was knighted in 1848) assumed the Governorship of the colony on the 18th November, 1845. He held the commission of Lieutenant-Governor until the Ist January 1848, when he was sworn , in as Governor-in-chief over the Islands of New Zealand, and as Governor of the provinces oi New Ulster and New Munster. After the passage of the New Zealand Constitution Act, Sir George Grey was, on the 13th September, 1852, appointed Governor of the colony, the duties of which he assumed on the 7th March, 1853. In August, 1847, Mr £. J. Byre was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Munster, and was sworn in on the 28th January 1848. On the 3rd January, 1848, Major General George Dean Pitt was appointed Lieutenant-Governcr of New Ulster, and was sworn in on 14th February, 1848 ; he died January Bth, 1851 ; and was succeeded as Lieutenant Governor by Lieut. - Colonel Wynyard, appointed 14th April, 1851; sworn in 26th April, 1851. "The duties of the Lieutenant-Governors ceased on the assumption by Sir George Grey of the office of Governor on the 7th March. 1853. Sir Geo. Grey suppressed the Ngapuhi insurrection in 1857; he o\ercame the difficulties of settlement, and made great progress in the consolidation of the colony. The Canterbury Association's Settlement at Christchurch was founded during his term ol office. In 1851 he successfully ptevontcd an attack on Auckland which was threatened by the natives. Up to 1852 the colony was governed by an Executive and Legislative Council. Sir George Grey encouraged the settlers to exercise large functions ot ielf governmenb, created extensiveendowmenls. granted aliberalcharter to tho settlers of Auckland, and framed a constitution for the colony, which, with some modifications, was adopted by the British "Parliament. The government of the colony was administered by Licutenar.tColonel Wynyard, C.8., from January, 1854, to 6th September, 1855, Sir George Grey having gone to England on leave of absence. it was '.lurincr Colonel Wynyaid's administration that the first session of thej General Assembly was held on tho 24th May, 1854, tho Provincial Council having mot pieviously for de-.patcb. ot business. Colonel Thomas Gore BrowneJ C. 8. , became Governor on the 6th September, 1855, and held office until 2nd September, 1861. During his Governorship the colony made steady progress. In 1860 a war broke out in Taranaki, owing to a dispute over a block of 600 acres of land at Waitara which the Government had purchased. The settlers were dihen into New Plymouth, the country devastated, and finally an unsubstantial true" was concluded, which practically left the rebels in possession of the licld, lowered the European prestige, and strengthened tho JMnoii King movement. Governor Goie Brownes term of office expired in 1861, and Sir George Grey, X.C.8., who had gained additional di&tinction by his dealings with the Kaffirs, during hi*3 Governorship of Cnpe Colony, was appointed by the Imperial Go. vernment to succeed Governor Gore BrownHe entered upon his difficult duties on the 3rd October, 1861 ; and in the following December was appointed Comtnander-in-Chief of the Colonial Forces. in 1863, he reinstated the refugee settlers on their lands in Taranaki. On the 4th May, a massacre at Wairau, on the Tataraimaka Block, led to further hostilities. The Governor surrendered the claim to the Waitara block to the native?, and the true ground of contention then became the sovereignty of the jMaoii King. The troops were removed from the west coast of the North Island, which was placed in a state of defence, and in July the troops advanced across the Maungatewhiri, and war wayS begun with the action at Koheroa. The war continued till 1864, when the natives had been driven from the Waikato, i into what is now known as the King ' Country, bu<- up to 1868 a rruerella warfare continued in the country between Wanganui and Taranaki. Sir George Grey was succeeded on the sth February, 1868, ; by Sir George Fergusson Bowen, G.C.M.G., \ who continued in office until the 19th Maich, 1873, when ho was promoted to the Governorship of Victoria. During his term of office in New Zealand occurred the escape of Te Koot and a band of native prisoners from Chatham Islands, their landing at Poverty Bay, the massacre at Makarnka, and the subsequonfc operations in the Uriwera country, which resulted in Te Kooti and his band being driven out of the district into the Taupo country. Sir George Arney, Chief Justice, was administrator of the Government from 21st March, 1873, to 14th June following, when Sir James Fergusson, Baronet, P.C., became Governor of the colony, but resigned in the following year, and on the3rd December. 1873 , wassucceeded by the Marquis ot Norman by, who left on the 16th Febiuary, 1879, to assume the Governorship of Victoria, and was succeeded, on the 20th March, 1879, by Sir Hercules Robinson, who was promoted to the Governorship of Cape Colony. His successor, Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon, arrived in Auckland on November 24th, 1880, and was sworn in at Wellington, on November 29th, 18G0. The chief incident of Sir Arthur Gordon's career as Governor was the military demonstration made, under the direction of Mr ■ Bryco, Native Minister, against Te ' Whiti and his followers at Parihaka. His Excellency had throughout his career been Governor only of Crown colonies where the Queen's representative J exercised almost undivided personal authority. There id reason to believe that the re- < strain ts placed upon a governor in a colony : possessing responsible government Avere ' distasteful to Sir Arthur Gordon, and he terminated his connection with the colony i before the expiration of the four years for 'which the appointment of Governor < is usually made. Sir William Drum- ' mond Jervois was appointed Governor in 1883, and paid his first visit to i Auckland in April of that year. The [ question of Colonial Defence had been a J burning one in all the Australian colonies 1 for sevoral years previously, and Sir W. D. f Jervois had given valuable aid in making these defences efficient, being himself a < distinguished officer of the Royal Engineers, t Now Zealand showed great reluctance 1 to incur any large expenditure on 1 defence against foreign invasion, her s large military expenditure for internal de- i fence having proved burden enough upon < her revenues. There is very little doubt that the Imperial Government were anxious \ to induce the colony to take up the question i of fortification against external foes, and that the selection of Sir W. D. Jervois as Governor at that time was in order that he might arouse some enthusiasm in the

colony on the subject. If this were sof'H- .t. t Excellency fulfilled his mission. He dfe?-' livered various addresses strongly urging the importance of coastal defence, the result being that an extensive scheme of fortification was undertaken, and has been carried out, His Excellency giving the colony the full benefit of his experience during the progress of the work. Although personally the representative of militarism, His Excellency was called upon to rule New Zoaland during a period of unbroken peace. In his official capacity he steered clear of all party embroilments and administered his office according to strictly constitutional precedents. Privately he specially interested himself in the encouragement of art, and was universally popular. Since Sir W. D. Jervois's departure, Chief Justice Prendergast, who holds a dormant commission, has discharged the duties of Administrator of the Government, and will continue to do so until His Excellency the Governor proclaims his commission and takes the customary oath. Of the Earl of Onslow's administration the record remains to be written by the finger of time.

LORD ONSLOW. With relsronco to the New Governor, " Burkes Peeiage"' contains tbe following: : — " The Earl of Onslow (Sir William Hillior Onslow), County Salop ; Viscount Cranley, County Surrey ; Baron Onslow, of Onslow, the County Salop, and of West Clandon, County Surrey ; Baron Cranley, of Imbercourt, and a baronet ; Lord High Steward of Guildford ; born 7th March, 1853; succeeded his grand uncle aa fourth earl, 24th October, 1875. Mar* ried on 3rd February, 1875, the Hor. Morenre Coulstone Gardner, eldest daughter of Lord Gardner, and has a eon, Richard William Alan, Viscount Cranley, born 2nd August, 1876. Lineage : The family of Onslow was anciently seated in Shropshire, where it enjoyed extensive possessions, and in the reign of Henry 111. it assumed its surname from tho lordship of Ondeslow (styled in Doomsday Book, Ondeslow, but now written Onslow), situated within the liberty of the town of Shrewsbury." The Earl of Onslow's administrative capacities obtained lecognibion under the Marquis of Salisbuiy's Administration. He was appointed a Lord-in- Waiting to Her Majesty the Queen, in July, 1886, and held that oftice until February, 1887, when he became Under-Secretary for the Colonies In Febmary of the following tear he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Tiade, which office he held at the time when he was nominated to the Governorship of K<?w Zealand. Creations — Baron, June 25, 1716. Baron Cranley, May 14, 1776. Earl, &c, June 19, 1801. Arms — Arg., a fesse, gu., between six Cornish choughs, ppr. Crest — An eagle, sa., preying upon a partridge, or. Supporters — Two falcons, close, ppr., belled, or. Mottoes — " Festina lente, ' and "Semper fidelis."' Seats — Clandon Paik and Stoke Park, near Guildford, Surrey. Town House— lB, Eaton PJace, S.W. Clubs -Carlton ; White's.

Mr 1