In the daily press a few weeks ago, appeared the following note:-

Early New Zealand Printing.

“A link with the early days of printing in New Zealand is provided by a copy of the Gospel of St. Luke, in Maori, printed by the Rev. William Colenso, at Pahia, Bay of Islands, in 1835, which was exhibited at the Winter Show last week. This work of Colenso's was the first printing of the Scriptures in New Zealand”

The details of that printing are very interesting. The Rev. William Colenso had rather varied duties to perform in those far off days, having to act as surgeon and dispenser in addition to performing the usual work around the mission station. He had necessity, too, to learn the Maori language and to take a hand in settling an occasional disturbance among the tribes and sub-tribes of the district. He lived a day's walk from the office, which fact added to the difficulties of his printing work.

In November, of 1835, he met a couple of young pressmen on board a whaler, and engaged them, but they remained only nine weeks—the mission station being too quiet for them. The wages paid were 5/- a day, and they worked five and a half days a week. In February, 1836, however, he met two other pressmen in the same way, and with the help of these the New Testament was completed, in December, 1837. These men went on piece work at 1/- per token (half a ream) for press work and 6d. per hour for other work, but they would never do anything in the way of distributing type. One man, Topham, worked the press alone for six months, and was paid 2/- per token. In 1837, the iron plate of the press having been previously used for “imposing,” Mr. Colenso secured a pair of imposing stones, which had been cut out of a block of hard basalt. (The vesicular cavities in

An example of the printer's art. A reproduction of the programme prepared by the Railways Department for the ceremony associated with laying the foundation stone of the Railways Head Office Building in Wellington, by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall and York (His Present Majesty King George V.), on 21st June, 1901.

these stones were filled with cement.) These imposing stones were fixed on a stand, with some drawers, and Mr. Colenso thought he was indeed rich. (This was perhaps the first time large imposing stones were made out of boulder of basalt.)

The printing of the New Testament, consisting of 356 pages, was completed by the middle of December, 1837, and by dint of hard work Mr. Colenso was able to finish binding a few copies in calf by the end of the month. These copies were used for distribution as a New Year's gift to the missionaries, on the 1st of January, 1838. There are still in existence, in a good state of preservation, a few copies of this early work. On the completion of the New Testament the editor and the printer were given a holiday by the committee of Missionaries—a holiday which they richly deserved.