Harding. — Belies of tlie First Neiv Zealand Press. 401 



For a long tiuie the composing-stick could not be found by 

 the executors. It was at last discovered — alas ! — partly em- 

 bedded in the earthen floor of a damp shed, where it had lain 

 neglected for probably thirty years, and was so corroded by 

 rust as to be almost unrecognisable. Most of the wooden 

 articles had been so ravaged by the boring-beetle that they 

 had to be burnt. An exception, however, was a large and 

 peculiar pair of type-cases, containing the types just as they 

 had been last composed from. These cases were of kauri, 

 and were in good condition. They contained part of a font 

 of small pica, which it was necessary to remove. From their 

 unusual size and depth I took them for "font-cases" — that 

 is, cases specially used for reserve supplies, and too heavy 

 when full to be handled in the ordinary manner ; but I had no 

 sooner begun to remove the type than I found them to be a 

 pair of the original cases, made in 1836, from Mr. Colenso's 

 design and to his order, specially for Maori work, and there- 

 fore a quite unique relic of the first printing-office. I made a 

 diagram of the cases, showing the "lay," which I afterwards 

 drew to scale, and a copy of which appears on Plate XXV. 

 The cases are 36f in. long by 16f in. wide ; the depth is If in., 

 the front ledge 2 in. ; the bottom -^in. thick. The upper case 

 weighs (empty) 10 lb. 6 oz. ; the lower 9 lb. 12 oz. The cases 

 differ in size, capacity, and slightly in proportion from 

 standard English cases, which are 32|-in. by 14Jin., 1 in. 

 deep, and weigh about 5 lb. each. Both in weight and in 

 capacity they are more than double the English standard. 

 English cases, when well filled, are quite heavy enough for 

 handling, and the Paihia cases would be cumbrous and incon- 

 venient unless always on the frame or stand, as probably they 

 were. The scheme could, however, be reduced to the familiar 

 standard without difficulty. 



The problem being given : To design a pattern of case for 

 the alphabetic characters and signs of any given language — 

 no two people would solve it in the same way. And, the plan 

 being fixed, no two people would independently arrange the 

 characters in the same order. It is interesting to see in what 

 a systematic and orderly style our first printer adapted his 

 case to his alphabet. Beginning with the upper case, he 

 adopted the plan in vogue in his youth of placing the capitals 

 to the left. In most modern offices they are now placed, 

 more conveniently, on the right hand. Formerly they were 

 absurdly arranged at the top of the case ; he has brought 

 them down, starting with "A" where the modern printer 

 starts, fourth row from the bottom. The Maori alphabetic 

 order is followed : First the vowels ; then the consonants, as 

 in English. " G " is at the end, as " G " is properly no part 

 of the alphabet, used only in the digraph "ng," which, m all 

 26 



