Henry Nott, Of Tahiti

Letter to the Editor.

THE article on the Tahitian Bible by your Papeete correspondent in the January issue of the Pacific Islands Monthly was extremely valuable and most Interesting. In the years to come I can see students of Pacific affairs searching the files of your journal for information concerning our own and earlier periods. But there are one or two little inaccuracies which, I am sure the writer will pardon me, in the interests of historic research, for pointing out.

First, Nott’s Christian name was Henry— not John. Secondly, he was not buried in the Royal enclosure at Arue.

True, he lies very close to it—hardly a stone’s throw away—but members of the

Pomare family are enclosed within a wall.

Nott’s grave is in the immediate vicinity on the seashore, and McKean, another missionary, is buried beside him. There is also a tradition to the effect that Nott’s Chinese servant is buried near the mis sionaries, but I have not been able to verify that fact. Thirdly, the writer makes reference to Nott’s “one and only visit to his native England” in 1826. It is apparent that Nott also visited Eng land much later. In The Colonist, an early Sydney newspaper, there is a reference to his departure for the South Sea Islands on August 14, 1840, on the mission vessel Camden, accompanied by Mrs.

Nott, and several other missionaries and their families. Henry Nott had arrived in Sydney some months before with a large quantity of recently published mis sionary literature, including, of course, his famous Bible. I came across other references in the Mitchell Library (though he was certainly referred to as “Knott”), which clearly establish the fact that he was in England, superintending the pub lication of his work, in 1839.

Henry Nott was a great figure in Pacific history. Though his antecedents were humble, and his educational ad vantages few, he was a man of genuine ability. It is indeed gratifying to know that his name is honoured to-day in Tahiti —the land that he loved so dearly and for whose people he gave most useful and able service.

I am etc.,

Eric Ramsden.

Darling Point, Sydney.

January 31, 1936.