Feb 22, 2009

Tales of Banks Peninsula


Canterbury Heritage is pleased to announce the Internet publication of a new edition of Tales of Banks Peninsula.

Compiled by 1883 and published the following year by Howard Charles Jacobson (1841-1910), the Editor and owner of the Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, the book is a compilation from various sources about old identities and early historic events, and also small pieces written by Jacobson for his newspaper.

Written by the Maori historian the Reverend James West Stack (1835 -1919), the first part covers the legends and folklore of the Maori, from the warfare between the Ngati Mamoe, Ngai Tahu, Ngatiawa and Ngapuhi tribes until the advent of European settlement in the mid 1830s. Stack's contribution is followed by the anecdotal reminisces of many of the earliest European pioneers in the district.

The book's historical significance may be appreciated by the knowledge that it was republished in 1894, 1917, 1976 and continues to be cited in the adjudications of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Where the subject matter deviates, the chapters have been re-paragraphed for this edition. In the interests of historians and genealogical researchers, etc., the proper nouns or names have been amended to their current usage. Punctuation, abbreviations and Dickensian-era grammar have also been slightly amended in accordance with current conventions, but beyond that, this revised edition remains faithful to the original text.




The links to the parts of the book (in blue) open in new tabs or windows.


TALES OF BANKS PENINSULA
Frontis and prefaces to the earlier editions.
FOLKLORE OF THE MAORI
Pa of Nga-Toko-Ono (The Pah of the Six)
Parakakariki
Tu Te Kawa
Waikakahi (Wascoe's)
Ngai Tahu Taking Possession
Te Mai Hara Nui
Kai Huanga (Eat Relation)
Raid on Panau (Long Look-Out)
Capture of Te Mai Hara Nui
Onawe
Maoris Reorganising
Death of Tu Te Hou Nuku
Conclusion
PART 1
European Account of the Massacre in Akaroa Harbour
George Hempleman and his Purchase of Akaroa
George Hempleman's Diary
"Headed Up" (The imprisonment of Puaka at Peraki)
The French Settlement of Akaroa
Early Days
Arrival of the First English Ship
Reminiscences of the First Five Years
A Lady Colonist's Experiences
Billy Simpson
Jimmy Robinson
Jimmy Walker
"Chips" (Adolph Friedrich Henrici)
Thomas Richard Moore, M.D
French Farm and the Survey
John Henry Caton
The Chief Paora Taki's Story
Story of a Snake Hunt in Akaroa Harbour by Mrs. Tikao
The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. Dicken
Harry Head
The Loss of the Crest
PART 2
LeBon's Bay
Okain's Bay
Little Akaloa
German Bay
Robinson's Bay
Duvauchelle'a Bay South
Pigeon Bay
Head of the Bay
Island Bay
Little River
Charteris Bay
Gough's Bay
Peraki
MORE STORIES OF OLD SETTLERS
Mr. Philip Ryan
Mr. Thomas White
Mr. William Isaac Haberfield
PENINSULA STORIES IN VERSE
Akaroa
Our Jubilee
The Legend of Onawe
The Legend of Gough's Bay



Image credit: Akaroa, April 1840 (an engraving entitled Baie d'Akaroa, from Voyage au Pôle Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l’Astrolabe et la Zélée, 1837-1840, by J. Dumont d'Urville.)

9 comments:

Jayne said...

OHHHHHHHH!
How may one purchase a copy?

Marcus Castell said...

Sorry Jayne, I should have said that the links to the parts of the book (in blue) open in new tabs or windows.

But if you'd rather have it in a printable Microsoft Word document (650 KB), then I could email it to you.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Mr Heritage :-) Makes for fascinating reading! Thanks for sharing!

Marcus Castell said...

Thanks Sarndra, now I know why proof reading is quite a seperate skill; editing a 99,377 word manuscript has left me utterly bug-eyed (and it's still got faults).

kuaka said...

Excellent! Thanks for making it available on-line. Will be a great reference resource for various projects.

Marcus Castell said...

It's already been indexed by Google (one of the real advantages of a Google blog site) so should now be easy to find references.

Have nearly finished editing THE EARLY DAYS OF CANTERBURY: A MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION OF INTERESTING FACTS DEALING WITH THE SETTLEMENT'S FIRST THIRTY YEARS OF COLONISATION 1850 - 1880 by A. Selwyn Bruce. Should have it online by next week.

Jayne said...

Thanks, will follow the links lol.
Wonderful work!

Louise said...

Hi, I work for an educational organisation and we would like to use this book as a standard text for our students. Of course it's out of print and some of the students don't have internet access. It is possible to download a copy and photocopy it for our students? What copyright rules apply if it's for educational use? Thanks, Louise

Marcus Castell said...

You're most welcome to download the book and photocopy if for educational use. The original edition has long been out of New Zealand copyright restrictions, as the author has been dead for more than fifty years. This revised edition has been compiled and published specifically for the purpose that you intend. Vic.