Baggage allowance



What property did the group take with them,they were leaving successful business and going to a remote British colony ,If it was me I would be taking everything

In addition to the group’s large amount of personal property, James Salter who was a goldsmith took out a considerable quantity of plate and John Stuart Wilkinson (senior) also had gold and a large amount of cash

This is from the document in How many soles
“hinging on them a large amount of property, agricultural implements and livestock”






And this is from the Indenture written when Dr Richard Day returned to Ireland
“The Full consideration for the block was $700 of which $360 had been paid to Parore according to FD Bell’s July 1862 schedule. James Salter advised that in addition to the $700 there were considerable other expenses such as transport to New Zealand, cattle, implements ect and procuring a location for a residence of a medical gentleman, in this case Dr Richard Day”



Payment for the said land also written on the Indenture  
“Forty four shirts, fifty pairs trousers, fifty crown pieces, one hundred blankets, two casks of Tobacco, one hundred pairs of braces, thirty coats, two womens cloaks, fifty spades, one bonnet, five hats, one hair trunk, six white shirts, one pair of black trousers, ten muskets, ten fowling pieces, five double barrelled ditto one breaking down saw eight feet ditto seven feet, two deal saws six feet, two cross cut ditto, one box of nails, one chest of carpenters tools, five bags of shot No.2, five casks of powder, one horse, two boxes of soap, ten iron pots, five paper ? fish hooks, five dozen claspknives, five dozen scissors, five dozen razors, five dozen shaving boxes with glass, twenty felling axes, ten adzes, five dozen hatchets, one saddle and bridle, one watch with guard chain and seal, three bags of sugar, and fifty sovereigns of gold”


All this had to be taken to New Zealand , some would have been brought in Ireland some in Sydney and some in New Zealand, also the group were devout Wesleyans who would start the settlement and by mutual co-operation find the means of starting a domestic, social and religious community in the expectation of being shortly followed by several more like-minded families. They had to make a Community , buildings, farms, roads churches ect . I haven’t found any records to say that the church helped with costs but they may have.
Firstly they needed all the things for the sale of the land so they would have to make sure from day one that they had all of these things not just hope they could get them on the way. Also they would need to bring with them enough food to last them the time it took to grow enough food. They could have picked up the food , cattle livestock ect from Sydney. Even though they brought with them Plate ,Gold and cash so they could buy some of the things they needed but they were going to a remote British colony , things would have been more expensive and if they needed something because of its remoteness it would have taken weeks to get something they needed. There was a timber industry in the area but it would all have to come by ship I don’t think there were that many roads


The Following Document helps to confirm that John Wilkinson (Senior) had cash and gold with him This is a transcription of the same document with the relevant sentences in a different colour

OLC 744 25
OLC 744 24
OLC 744 23
42/2028
Letter to The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary

19 Oct 1842
Mangungu Hokianga

My absence from home has prevented my replying until now to a letter which I had the honor to receive from you requesting information as to the property of the late Mr
Wilkinson.
I beg to state that as I did not arrive at this Colony until twelve months after the loss
of the Sophia Pate I cannot from personal knowledge give any information whatever
but from the Rev Mr Buller Wesleyan Minister for Kaipara and from Mr Stannard one
of Mr Wilkiinson’s partners in the land purchased for them at Kaihu I have learned that Mr Wilkinson purchased when at Auckland a small town allotment and that this is the only property now remaining to his orphan child who has been since his fathers death indebted to the Rev Mr Buller for a home. I have also been impressed that Mr Wilkinson was urged by his friends to lodge his money in the Bank at Auckland but that he declined doing so and took the whole of it with him in the Sophia Pate and that the fact that his body not having been found is to be attributed to him having secured to his person a large amount of gold when he expected to have been put on shore in the long boat after the vessel struck , this conjecture is derived from circumstances stated by the surviving child. I need do no service here than allude to the decision come to the late Governor and which unless revisited by a future one or by the Secretary of State for the Colonies will deprive the survivor of the only alleviation of which their unhappy circumstances and which did add to the calamity of loss of relatives, that of indigence in a strange land.
Trusting that you Sir, as the Officer now administering the Government will form
motives of justice as well as humanity favourably in regard to the claim to which I
allude should it be brought before you while in office
I have the Honour to be
Sir
You most obed’t servant
Richard Day MD.

 
 
 
Another document to help with finding out what they took or brought on the way. The good thing about these documents is they are first hand information from people that had something to do with the Shipwreck. The following is a Transcription of this document with the relevant sentences in a different colour
 
OLC 744 35
OLC 744 34
OLC 744 33
OLC 744 32
OLC 744 31
43 / 151 21 Feb 1843
Jan 2 1843
Mangungu Hokianga
G Stannard information ????
Mr Wilkinson drowned in the Sophia Pate

In reply to your communication dated Nov 24/42 I beg to forward for
the information of his Excellency the Officer advisory of the Government
of this Colony the following particulars respecting the subject of inquiry.
When we left Sydney for New Zealand in the Brig Sophia Pate the late

Mr Wilkinson had all his property onboard in goods, cash and cattle. When we

arrived at Auckland our long and unexpected delay there made it very expensive

and indeed nigh impossible to procure food for the cattle on board. In

consequence of which Mr Wilkinson exchanged his, consisting of a cow &

3 heifers for a small building lot in Albert Street & Bull also in proprietory

of which he was joined with Mr Slater was left in charge of Mr Croker

of Auckland with a power to dispose of it for the benefit of the owners.

With these exceptions the entire of Mr Wilkinsons property was lost in the

wreck, at the time the Brig struck the passengers expected to be put ashore

in the long boat and I learned from the lad saved that he saw his Father,put

his money the assignment obtained in Auckland and some of their papers on

his person and as his body was not found these of course were irretrievably

lost, on my return to Auckland after the shipwreck I sold the Bull to a Mr Russell
for 13£ 6£ 10p of which was to Mr Wilkinsons credit I paid £4/5 to Mr Brewer
for a new assignment of the ground in Albert Street for the childs benefit.This
is in the hands of the Rev Mr Buller of Kaipara £1 I had advanced by Mr
Wilkinsons direction to his brother in law Mr Stuart during our overland
journey to Kaipara. Mr Stuart was then in the employment of Mr Wilkinson
and is at present in the concern of Mr Allerton of Auckland 10/- I expended
for a pair of boots for the child & 15/- I have in hand.
It will not perhaps be deemed impertinent to the subject on which his Excellency
requires information if I submit as briefly as possible a detail of the circumstances
of the land claim which it is my duty to refer on behalf of the orphan children of
Messrs Salter and Wilkinson as well as my own behalf.
In the year of 1838 Mr Salter being desirious of removing to one of the colonies and
having proposed to myself and others to move in concert with him, communicated
our design to his friend Dr Day who was there about sailing for Sydney and requested
that he would avail himself of a visit to these ports to obtain for us such information
as might be valuable in determining our the locality we should select,
circumstances having led to the Doctor to visit this country and keeping in view the request of his friend he was advised and did in March 1939 purchase a trait of land in
Kaipara he then paid a small earnest and engaged that within 2 years from that time
the settlers in whose behalf he had purchased should arrive , when the remainder
of the price should be paid , on his return to Cork with all convenant dispatched we
proceeded to arrange our affairs for removal here, in the meantime New Zealand
was declared a British colony and one of our members wrote to the Marquis of
Normanby the then Colonial Secretary stating the circumstances of our purchase
and as the welfare of a number of respectable families was involved, requesting
to know it any objection was made or contemplated which would damage our claim,
we received from the Colonial Officer a letter enclosing a copy of instructions
to Captain Hobson and a general assurance that if the purchase was equitably
made and a valuable consideration to be given the claim would be recognised by
the Crown. Conscious that if this dealt with, we had nothing to fear and fully relying
on the good faith of the British Statesman we left our homes for the land, we had with
with us a large amount of personal property and the goods to be paid to Parore in
fulfilment of the terms of our deed of purchase, at Sydney we were delayed for
several months before we could obtain a vessel for Kaipara , from the above we
proceeded to Auckland where we had the honour of an interview with his present
Excellency to whom we stated the particulars of our claim and some of the
many unavoidable circumstances which prevented our earlier arrival, his
Excellency was pleased to express a most favourable opinion of our position as
claimants and to assure us that ‘Bona Fide settlers such as we were the
government ought and would encourage’ From Auckland we proceeded to
Kaipara the sad result of our attempt to enter there his Excellency fully knows
and in that event I have for the first time learned that the payment not being made
in full before the claimation of Jan 1840 very seriously endangered our claim, but
I beg on behalf of myself and the surviving children from his Excellency that such
instructions may be given to the Commissioner who shall visit Kaipara and shall
warrant him in entering on the investigation of our claim on those principles
of Equity and Justice which we have been led to regard as the standard
Judgement, there are in this country most respectable witnesses who can
verify most of the particulars above stated and if we in remaining here have
been actuated by a spirit of land or if we had any reasonable grounds when
leaving our homes to conclude that any Government legislation could annul
our purchase these will the doing so be the result of our termity but if the
above facts be substantiated I feel strongly confident that his Excellency will
not use any power of his Government to set aside a Title to Justly and
clearly acquired and thus to increase as calamity already sufficiently heavy
and distressing.

I am Sir
Your Very Obed’t Servant
George Stannard.



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