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Tales of Banks Peninsula

No. 40.—The Sinclair Family

page 262

No. 40.—The Sinclair Family.

Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, with their family—three sons and three daughters-arrived at Wellington in 1841. Mr. Sinclair had purchased land in New Zealand before leaving Scotland, but, finding he could not get suitable land near Wellington, he built a schooner, with which he visited Nelson, Banks Peninsula and several other places, and finally decided to settle in Pigeon Bay, where he brought his family in 1843 Having bought land in the Bay from the French Company, he formed the family estate in Sinclair's Bay. Here Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, with all their family, had a happy home till 1846, when the family were plunged into the deepest sorrow by the death of Mr. Sinclair and his eldest son, who were lost at sea on a voyage to Wellington. They were regretted by everyone, and Sir George Grey, then Governor of New Zealand, said that Mr. Sinclair's death was a loss, not only to his family, but to all the Colony. Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair's family were George, who was lost with his father on a voyage to Wellington; James, who died in the Hawaiian Islands; Jane Sinclair, who married Captain Thomas Gay; Helen Sinclair, who married Mr. C. B. Robinson; Francis Sinclair, married, and living in England; Annie Sinclair, who married Mr. V. Knudsen in the Hawaiian Islands After several years Mrs. Sinclair and family decided to leave New Zealand, for, although they had such a fine estate and comfortable home in Sinclair Bay, they wished to get larger tracts of land where all the family could settle near together, so they sold their land, cattle and sheep, and bought a barque of 300 tons, in which they all left New Zealand in 1863. They had a pleasant voyage across the Pacific to British Columbia, and landed for a time at the Island of Vancouver, where the Governor, Sir James Douglas, offered every inducement to settle. This they were obliged to decline to do, as they found the country was not suitable for grazing purposes. They left Vancouver, and went to the [unclear: bawaiin] Islands, of which they bad heard good accounts. When theypage 263arrived at Honolulu, Kamehameha IV, was king, and he and his Ministers offered the family every inducement to settle in ths country, and so the family bought the Island of Niihau with good grazing land suitable for sheepfarming. They also bought the land of Makaweli on the adjoining Island of Kanai. The latter estate is principolly devoted to the culture of sugar cane. These lands have been very profitable, yielding large sugar crops, After a happy life in her home at Makaweli, surrounded by children and great grandchildren, Mrs. Sinclair died in 1892, deeply regretted by her family and everyone. Mount Sinclair, on Banks Peninsula, was called after this family.