Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign life was very hard for many people in Scotland, and a little group of men, having the good of their fellows at heart, formed a plan for a new kind of settlement in New Zealand.

New Zealand was a long way off; stormy seas had to be crossed in a small and crowded ship, friends had to be farewelled. There were unknown dangers to be faced. At first there were only a few hundred pioneers willing to forsake all and set out on this adventure.

The Otago Province owes much to some of the fine men who helped to lay its foundations. George Rennie, man of vision, who first showed the way; to Captain Cargill, Peninsular War Veteran, and first Superintendent; to Rev. Thomas Burns, nephew of the poet, and first minister.

Most of the Otago colonists were Free Church people, and the leaders of the settlement set aside valuable land and large sums of money for the building of churches and schools, and for providing ministers and teachers...