When the Melanesian Mission Museum at Mission Bay was closed, a number of items were deposited with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and stored at some of their properties. Some Melanesian items were recently returned to the John Kinder Theological Library which holds the Melanesian Mission Trust Board Archives. Among these was a large and beautifully bound Bible, inscribed to Captain Jacobs:
To Captain Jacobs with the best wishes of his friend JC Patteson, Missionary Bishop
In thankful remembrance of the merciful
preservation of the Missionary Schooner Southern Cross
during a fearful gale of wind on May 5th, 6th, 7th, 1870
Research shows that the incident that prompted this presentation was printed in the New Zealand Herald (date unknown) and reprinted in Mission Life London, 1871, pp 165-174; 208-209. The Southern Cross, the mission ship of the Melanesian Mission, after encountering a severe storm en route for Norfolk Island. The resulting damage to the vessel caused her to return to Auckland, where
The Bishop presented Captain Jacobs with a handsome Bible and each of the crew with £2 10s. Thanksgivings were offered in all the Auckland Churches for the preservation of the vessel and all hands. The cost of repairing the vessel has been a little over £1000.
It is not often that we are able to so clearly identify the provenance of an item. The Bible will be added to our New Zealand and Pacific Collection and is available for anyone to look at.
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