RUSSELL IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS.   15TH APRIL, 2013

We are storm bound at the moment at anchor off Russell, sheltering from a NE gale with winds gusting at 50 knots.  It arrived last night after we had been ashore in Russell.  Yesterday morning we visited the Pompallier Mission House, built by the Marist brothers who came over to convert the Natives to Christianity.

The house is fascinating as inside is the oldest surviving pioneering printery.  We got in for free as I had my National Trust Card on me, worth knowing for those of you due to visit New Zealand, the houses under the National Trust here have an agreement with the NT in the UK and vice versa.

What we also found fascinating were the origin of sayings and phrases in the English language.  Here are a few examples:-

The letters kept in a large case for printing are organised so that they are easy to find so the Capital letters are kept in the Upper section of the case and the small ones in the lower case, hence the origin of Upper and Lower case letters.

The first impression made during printing is a test to make sure that the inking is right and it is done well for the approval of the proof readers hence the phrase 'making a good first impression'

The letters are kept in place once a phrase is made up in the printing frame, they are secured by wooden wedges known as quoins, hence the saying 'quoining a phrase'.

The frame on the press holding the type set was known as the chase and it is to prevent print ink rubbing on to the surround of the printed page, it is known as a chase so the cover is 'Cut to the Chase'.

Last night we decided to go to watch a film ashore called 'Liberal Arts' it was very good.  The film was shown in the local Town Hall, there were 6 of us watching it!

Back to yacht where we have been ever since, too horrid to go ashore, swinging around on our anchor chain now well dug in and can hardly see across the bay.  The front is said to pass through by Wednesday and then hopefully we will have fine weather back again.

The leather for book binding is softened here

 

 

 When the mission was built they used a pressed earth method, by grinding stone and making lime with seashells and mixing into a cement in this box pictured and then building the wall, shown, in sections.

Book binding machine, 

 

Gluing with paste

 

setting it ready to add the leather binding

 

Leather added and held in place until set.

 

The printer (shipped out from France in 1838) the Chase is where the square hole is on the white bo

 

Cabinet with Capital prints in the Upper section and small letters in the lower.

 

Print metal letters set in the frame ready to be quoined with wood segments

 

The inker

 

A better view of the chase which comes down over the page to be printed

 

Pompallier Mission House and Printing house

 

The fillgree around the verandah of a nearby house.