Hocken. — Early New Zealand Literature. 103 



houses on Lambton Quay, contributed to its early death. 

 Its leaders were well written and free from the rough lan- 

 guage so often a feature of the Gazette. 



The existence of this paper is barely known ; but the 

 direct successor of the Gazette was the Neiv Zealand 

 Spectator and Cook's Straits Guardian, which was the out- 

 come, as above indicated, of a sentiment that the pioneer had 

 forfeited confidence and was no longer a representative 

 mouthpiece. It was conducted by a committee of half a 

 dozen of the principal gentlemen in the settlement, amongst 

 whom were the well-known names of the Hon. Henry Petre, 

 Mr. Clifford, and Mr. Lyon. Mr. Eobert Stokes, formerly on 

 the survey staff, was chosen editor; the issue was weekly, 

 and the price, as with the Gazette, Is. a copy and £2 per 

 annum. The charge for advertisements was, however, soon 

 reduced to 3d. a line. An active canvass resulted in 130 

 annual subscribers, and with the scanty income so derived, 

 and further supplemented by advertisements, the Spectator 

 commenced on the 12th October, 1844, what proved to be a 

 difficult career. Barely had six months elapsed before a very 

 scandalous advertisement appeared in its columns, followed in 

 the ensuing week by an equally scandalous rejoinder. These 

 were inserted by the printers without the knowledge of the 

 committee, who, ashamed and indignant, removed at once 

 their printing elsewhere. The offending printers were five in 

 number, one of whom (Mr. Thomas Mackenzie) still survives, 

 a very old and well-known citizen of Wellington, and all had 

 been employed on the old Gazette. Without delay they issued 

 a prospectus detailing and justifying the circumstances from 

 their point of view, and accusing the committee of seeking to 

 deprive them of their daily bread. And they did more than 

 this, for on the 2nd April, 1845, they issued the first number of 

 the Wellington Independent, for which they charged but 6d. 

 a copy, considerably reduced the price of advertisements, and 

 published twice a week. 



This was carrying reprisals into the enemy's camp with 

 a vengeance ; and they were, moreover, well supported by a 

 section of settlers of as good social standing as that of the 

 committee, for, small though the community was, it yet 

 possessed cliques. Mr. Mantell, for instance, son of the 

 eminent geologist, lent his aid by carving several blocks to 

 serve as divisional headings or woodcuts for the paper, 

 which gave it a decidedly quaint and unusual aspect. These 

 he carved from the native wood maire (Olea), which he found 

 to be superior for the purpose to the usual boxwood. It 

 must be confessed that the quantity of printing-ink requisite 

 for these primitive illustrations too often communicated a 

 smudgy appearance to the paper. Though the lofty Spec- 



