I believe the first thing that must strike the student of the history of New Zealand is the very large number of able men that were to be found amongst the early settlers to understand why it should have been so, one has to look at the history of England during the early part of the nineteenth century. England had ended a successful and yet what might be termed a disastrous war. She had had hundreds of millions added to her debt. She had seen her industries paralysed, and thousands of her people killed. She had not only fought a duel with France, but she had been engaged on one side or the other in many European wars. Her taxation was heavy, and her people were poor and ignorant, and their sufferings cannot be adequately realised by us to-day. But amidst all her troubles a new spirit was growing up, and her able men were devising means to uplift the nation and the race. One the means suggested was emigration or colonisation and along with this another means suggested was the education of the people and giving to them of political power. Much was being accomplished in education. Two great educational societies had been founded, one on the Bell and the other on the Laneastrian method. One was founded in 1808. called the British and Foreign school Society, and the other in 1811 called the National Society. But it was not till 1846 that education was recognised as a State duty and function, and then only in a partial and insignificant manner. Political agitation had ended in a step forward by the passing of the Reform Act in 1832. and it was thought that a new era was at hand for England if her people could only be politically educated. There were others who had not much faith in the extension of the franchise, and they looked forward to a settlement of the people in new countries where there would be freedom to develop without the clash of vested interests or class institutions. One of the early settlers of New Zealand had written a notable book on colonisation—"A View of the Art of Colonisation." This was Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and his book was but the expression of what many felt. We see in looking at past history how an idea can get hold of a people, and how all their policy and all their efforts may be forced into one channel, so that this idea may have a realisation. I may illustrate this remark by referring to two historical incidents. For example, what Scotchman has not heard of the ten years' conflict, when all the earnestness and ability and zeal of Scotland were employed from 1833 to 1843 in dealing with a church question. It has been well said that the intellect of Scotland at that period seemed concerned with nothing else, but the gov- page 2 ernment of its State church, and that struggle produced a wealth of intellect in the church that has not been seen since. And in our own memory we have seen a wave of feering for union pass over Europe. We have seen Germany united, Italy made one, and the struggle for the creation of great federations, which has found expression in the Dominion of Canada and the Commonwealth, of Australia, and what is Imperialism but a struggle for the same idea? Nay, we have also seen outside of the political arena the same aim in the creation of large companies, and trusts. Association and union are in the air. We have international societies, trade unions, conferences, etc.. etc Even churches have been invaded by the feeling for union and co-operation. At one time the struggle was for individuality: now it would seem as if humanity imagined that its only hope lay in co-operation, and the existence of this feeling may count for much of what is termed Socialism. Beginning in 1830. there was a struggle to give expression to the idea of colonisation, and the ablest men of England, Scotland, and Ireland entered with zeal into the question, and formed societies for the purpose of giving effect to many of their plans. The colonisation of New Zealand was one of the droits of this movement, and because the movement had many able men at its head, there were many young men at the universities who became enthused with the colonising spirit, and eventually became pioneers in New Zealand. They started for New Zealand, not with the idea of amassing wealth, and then returning to England to end their days in comfort and luxury, but they left their homes with the hope and ambition of being the founders of new nations. Their vision of the future of colonisation may be expressed in the words of a poem by J. A. Symonds:—

These things shall be; a loftier race
Than e'er the world hath known shall rise
With flame of freedom in their souls.
And light of knowledge in their eyes.

I believe that this is the explanation of why so many men of rare ability were to be found amongst the early settlers of New Zealand.