Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Wellington, 8th October, 1850.

HIS EXCELLENCY the Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased to direct the publication of the following Charter, which has been issued under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom for Incorporating the Canterbury Association of New Zealand, for general information.

By His Excellency’s Command,
(For the Colonial Secretary,)
S. E. GRIMSTONE.

CHARTER OF THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND.

COPY OF A DESPATCH FROM EARL GREY TO GOVERNOR GREY.

Copy of Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom for incorporating the Canterbury Association of New Zealand.

VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these shall come, greeting.

Whereas our right trusty and entirely beloved cousin and councillor Richard Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of Ireland, and others of our loving subjects, members of the Church of England as by law established, have formed themselves into an Association for founding and organizing in our Colony of New Zealand or its dependencies, a settlement of colonists being wholly members of the said Established Church, and for the promoting and assisting the immigration of such of our loving subjects, being such members as aforesaid, as may be desirous of becoming settlers in the said Colony; and for providing effectually for their establishment and welfare in the same Colony; and to this end and purpose the said Association have entered into arrangements for procuring to be set apart and placed at the disposal of the said Association, a large tract of land in our said Colony of New Zealand or its dependencies, which it is the purpose of the said Association to sell and convey, or cause to be sold and conveyed, in lots or parcels to such of our loving subjects aforesaid as may be willing to purchase portions thereof: And whereas it is the purpose of the said Association to expend the whole of the funds which may come to their hands (whether arising from the sale of land or otherwise) in founding the said intended settlement and promoting the prosperity thereof, more especially by the execution of divers works and operations of a public nature adapted to prepare the site of the said intended settlement for the reception of immigrants, and afford peculiar facilities for the immediate beneficial occupation thereof, and by the establishment and maintenance of ecclesiastical and educational institutions in connexion with the Church of England as by law established, and which expenditure is intended to be regulated, so far as circumstances will permit, according to the following distribution and appropriation (that is to say,) the said funds shall be considered as divided into six equal parts, whereof one sixth part shall be appropriated to the acquisition of the tract of land requisite for the site of the said intended settlement; two other sixth parts shall be appropriated to the emigration of settlers, two other sixth parts thereof shall be appropriated to ecclesiastical and educational purposes, and the remaining sixth part thereof shall be appropriated to the general purposes of the Association, including the execution of such preparatory and other works and operations as aforesaid: And whereas the said Association have reason to believe that the proposed undertaking would be of great benefit and service to our loving subjects in general, and would tend to the furtherance of immigration into our said colony of New Zealand and its dependencies, and to the extension of the influence and privileges of the Church of England as by law established; and we have been accordingly besought by the Association to grant to them and to those who shall hereafter become members of the said Association, our Royal Charter of Incorporation for the purposes and objects aforesaid: Now know ye, that we being desirous of encouraging a design so laudable and salutary, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have willed, granted, constituted, and declared, and do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, will, grant, constitute, and declare, that the said Richard Archbishop of Dublin, and the several others of our loving subjects, being members of the Church of England as by law established, who have formed themselves into and are now members of the said Association, or who shall at any time hereafter become members thereof according to such regulations or bye-laws as shall be hereafter framed or enacted, shall by virtue of these