When the barque “Tory” sailed into Port Nicholson on 20th September, 1839, the settlement of New Zealand was begun. This is a landmark in our history as clear-cut as Tasman, Cook, or the Treaty of Waitangi. The arrival of the “Tory” was the first step in the development of Wellington. Cook Strait was full of whaling-ships, dozens of them, but with the exception of a small missionary schooner, Port Nicholson had not been visited by any ship for many years. The voyage of the “Tory” is a very important, interesting, but little-known story in the growth of this colony.

The settlement of New Zealand by the New Zealand Land Company in 1840 was preceded by the preliminary expedition in the Tory, led by Colonel William Wakefield, brother of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. The expedition was dispatched from London to make necessary arrangements for the settlement of the colonists who were to arrive early in January, 1840. The Tory herself carried no colonists, in fact, apart from the officers and crew, there were only six cabin passengers aboard. Of this important party, many later played a conspicuous part in the development of the colony. Colonel Wakefield guided the infant city of Wellington through its first critical years. Edward Jerningham Wakefield, Edward Gibbon's only son, was prominent in the political life of the colony and published a most exciting account of the first years of the settlement, Adventure in New Zealand. He came out as a mere youth of nineteen, as he said himself, in search of adventure. Another mere youth, Charles Heaphy, was employed as draftsman to the company. His record is a particularly creditable one. He left behind a magnificent collection of paintings and drawings, did great exploration work, was Commissioner of the Thames goldfields, fought in the Maori Wars, reaching the rank of Major and earning the Victoria Cross. The naturalist was Ernst Dieffenbach, New Zealand's first political refugee, a Berlin medical student who had been exiled to London. His explorations and reports were notable contributions to the development of the colony. He was, incidentally, the first white man to climb Mount Egmont. Dr. Dorset, a popular figure in early Wellington, was surgeon to the company and was proprietor of a well-known establishment in Wellington, the Medical Hall. The only other passenger was a native Nayti. who had found his way to Europe in a French vessel, and returned as interpreter to the expedition. His services were dispensed with soon after the arrival in New Zealand. He is the only member of the party who is lost in oblivion. The pace of European development was too much for his simple outlook and like so many of his fellow natives he has been disregarded as a factor in the bestowing of the blessings of civilisation. The master of the Tory, Captain Edward Main Chaffers, a distinguished naval officer, had been master of the H.M.S. Beagle, the survey ship with Charles Darwin aboard, which had called at the Bay of Islands in 1836. He also remained in Wellington as unofficial harbourmaster, where he rendered incalculable service by charting the harbour and discovering the passage at the entrance which bears his name. Several of the crew also remained in New Zealand, but the master and his cabin passengers certainly occupy a most prominent and creditable position in the history of the colony.