THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Saturday, July 1, 1843. Luceo non Uro. THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF NEW ZEALAND, OR. THE UNFORTUNATE AND DEEPLY INJURED LAND CLAIMANTS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 11, 1 July 1843, Page 2

THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Saturday, July 1, 1843. Luceo non Uro.

THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF NEW ZEALAND, OR. THE UNFORTUNATE AND DEEPLY INJURED LAND CLAIMANTS.

V If I have been extinguished, yet there rise A thousand beacons from the spark I bore."

We hold ourselves at all times bound to maintain the interests of the original settlers and pioneers of .New Zealand civilization, and although we have "hitherto appeared to have forgotten their claims upon us, and upon every other inhabitant of this colony, we beg to assure them ' that this has arisen from no indifference on our part to the deep wrongs inflicted upon them, or from want of sympathy "with them in .their sufferings, but because we expected no immediate good from any thing that we could say in .their favour so long as their bitter enemies held the sway in this unfortunate country. The land claims is a subject which we cannot at any jime approach without the deepest feelings of sorrow' and shame. Sorrow, for the unhappy original settlers, who have been so barbarously and cruelly sacrificed, and' shame on account of our country, for we honestly believe that no other civilised power in Europe (excepting England herself) would have in the same manner, rewardedthe enterprise and courage of its subjects, in adding such a splendid kingdom to the parent state, What have

they done to deserve this lingering and cruel torture ? Why |are their properties confis- ; cated any more than those of other British subjects ? Have they not shewn equal enterprise, suffered greater hardships, and been equally faithful and loyal as subjects ? Have 1 they not obeyed English law, and maintained its dignity, when there was no power i on the part of England herself to- support them ? Why then, have they been deprived j of their lands and dearly bought properties? why have they been subjected to every species of annoyance and insult from the ignorant and unjust servants of their country's sovereign ? Because of the indifference and recklessness of the Home Government, : because men are appointed in Englandto manage the colonial empire of Great Britain, who know as little of the colonies as they do of the domestic economy of the Emperor of China or the Grand Turk. A vote at a county election in England may be the means of entailing a curse upon one of the colonies which years cannot remove. A Governor, a Colonial Secretary, a Treasurer, or any other officer, on the recormnendation of a tallow chandler or grocer, or an ignorant boor of a country squire, who may happen to have some votes at an election, may be inflicted upon the poor colonies, without remorse or shame. The colonies are, in point of fact, looked upon by the people of England as nothing more or less than places where they may conveniently get rid of the most troublesome, and the most needy of their dependants. Mere receptacles for all the creatures who 'have been employed in the ignpble occupation of supporting the enemies of the liberties of our country, and the rights of our fellow subjects at home. But the day is fast approaching when England must pursue a- different course ; the spirit of English liberty may have been for a time quenched in her North American possessions by the blood of the best and noblest of her subjects. The firo however, is only smothered, not extinguished. If present measures are persisted on, it will assuredly burn again, with a fierceness which will cause the conflagration to extend from the forests of Canada to the grass-covered plains of Australia, and the mountains of. New Zealand. Englishmen love the land of their birth, and remember with reverence the institutions under which they and their fathers have lived, however far removed they may be from the former, and however much they may feel the want of the latter. But however .strongly and faithfully such feelings may be cherished, it is possible for tyranny and oppression to change them, and even to direct them in an opposite direction. Love of country may in certain circumstances undergo sfr complete revulsion, and degenerate into the essence of the purest hatred, as it has done in the case of America. England at the present moment holds ! her colonies by a very frail tenure. A tenure so frail, that the first safe opportunity would j be taken advantage of to break for ever the connexion. The colonies cannot be blamed for the existence of this feeling, their treatment at the hands of the mother country is i more than enough to convert the strongest love into the direst hatred. The quarrels of near relatives are always more bitter than 'those of ordinary persons — and there is a | spirit in man, especially in Englishmen and |in British Colonists in particular, which, though it yield and bend for a time beneath j the high pressure of injustice and tyranny. will never be finally subdued or crushed, The accumulation of wrong and the repetition of insults are the fire and fuel of its fierce strength. The colonists will suffer much at the hands of the mother state before they complain or even think of demanding their rights as British subjects, but when once aroused by injustice and oppression, i nothing short of the full and natural rights of man will satisfy them. This is sufficiently manifest from the history of the American Var of independence ' X — although its truth ! appears to be lost upon the governmeut of our country, England will not consent to [ extend to the subjects of her vast colonial empire the same rights and privileges which are enjoyed by their fellow-subjects at home, until some other colonies unite with America in establishing the^principle. That the unwise conduct of the British government will sooner or later be the means of destroying and separating from the parent state the greater portion of its present vastly extensive and wealthy colonial empire, is a cir.cumstance which cannot for a moment be doubted by any person who understands the policy pursued by the mother country towards her colonies, and has the opportunity j of judging of the feelings of the colonists under the oppressive sway of the English; colonial rulers. Who for instance that knows the manner in which the old settlers of New Zealand have been treated by the local government, would eyer suspect them of cherishing one particle .of regard or even respect for the home government, which has sanctioned the confiscation "of their property— who for an iastant could expect any obe-

dience from them excepting that which' power can command. It is not natural to suppose that a ruined man will love the person who deprived him of his property ; he may fear and obey just because he cannot help himself ; he will submit to his will and observe his laws until he feel that he is possessed of sufficient strength effectually to resist them. This is precisely the state of feeling into which the home government is driving the inhabitants of all the colonies. A feeling which we are convinced is merely prevented from manifesting itself in the same manner in which it appeared in former times in America, and more recently in Canada, because England is at peace with other countries, and because no single colony, except perhaps the - Canadas, is strong enough to venture unassisted ' upon the assertion and defence of its liberties. Let -England go towar with any of the European powers, and we shall- soon see what the love and obedience of the colonies consist of. The above reflections have arisen in our mind in consequence of seeing an article in the last number of our sickly contemporary the Polygamous Chronicle, on "The Land Claims and the Concentration System." . The writer of - that article reminds us of the cat playing with the dead rat, whom he had destroyed himself, and whom he would even after death wish again alive from the pleasure of making him more miserable, and sporting with him in his agonies. Such must be very much the feeling of the learned writer of that article. We do not yet forget the threat or prophecy of Mr. Swainson, the Attorney-Gene-ral, in the Legislative Council, when the first Land Claims Bill was thrown over board, that "the settlers would have cause to repent of it, that the next Bill would be worse for them." We can even connect the speculations of the writer in the Chronicle with the speech of the learned the Attorney General on that eventful day, and we can discover by the one the authorship of the other. Mr. Swainson 's schemes for the Land Claimants are something like the former unwise scheme of urging upon the home government to pay from the New Zealand Emigration Fund (which did not exist) the Cabin Passages of Men of Capital who wished to come to this colony. Surely the members of this government may now at least let the ruined land claimants alone. They have taken their lands — what more do they want with them. Must they, like the cat, amuse themselves by tossing about their dead bodies, and vainly forming projects for resuscitating the dead. Messrs. Shortland and Swainson may .kil]< but they cannot bring alive. The latter is beyond their power, — Any schemes for the good of the Land ■Claimants propounded in the Chronicle, the disorded organ of the government, we view much in the light that we wonld the offer of bread from his Majesty of the lower regions. — The statement in the Chronicle is incorrect throughout. The , learned writer first of all commences by the assertion that he "had recently met witli a great number of Land Claimants," who were anxious to exchange the miserable portions granted by the Commissioners for lands at the government settlement. The fact that there are not more than five or six land claimants residing in Auckland, not one' of whom would condescend to consult the writer of that article, is quite enough to prove the inaccuracy of the first statement. The second statement, "We know of several who made formal application to government for a grant of land in the vicinity of Auckland," is equally incorrect. We believe that one unfortunate individual has actually been induced by Mr. Shortland to accept one acre near AucMand for every four awarded to him at his own place. But why has he done so ? because he was ruined, and because Mr. Shortland would not venture to ! give him or any other of the settlers a Crown Grant to his lands. Mr. Shortland knows ►.' right well that he is acting in the dark, and ' without any authority. He knows the Land > ! • Claims Bill has not and will not be allowed, but he sends Commissioners to exact fee 3 , and fines from, the Claimants, and when their _ " claims are reported upon by the Commissioners, he refuses to give a Crown Grant. We tell him, Mr. Swainson, and the Commissioners, that the whole of their proceedings are useless, and must be upset. Where , is the authority to decide the Land Claims I Can they show that their Bill has been allowed at4iome ?' We know that it has not, and we know that the Claims must again be heard and gone over. The writer of that article would make himself appear to be the organ and not (as we ■know him to be) the enemy of the settlers. J He believes the Claimants would prefer *, land near Auckland at a pound per acre to -, their own lands at five shillings, he is| haunted with the ghost of the Wakefield J Concentration System, poor child J — Does ? he not know that his own compulsory con- y centration system was purely and solely the -4 cause of rejecting his bnl? Does he not kna# •]

■at the very thing the land claimants deBanded, " optional concentration, " was the Rly part of that measure which appears to Kye met with the approbation of the home Kvernment ? And liad Mr. Shortland, even ■ the eleventh hour, given the benefit of that Biuse to the land claimants, (as he might Ke done) bt 'allowing them to select acre X acre- in the vicinity of Auckland, much B the present, .distress' would have been Boided, and - Mr. Shortland would have Btined for himself a certain amount of j esKct, if not esteem, but neither he, nor Mr Hramson has ever manifested the slightest Kire to benefit the land claimants, or the Sffiuntry, and- tho short and accidental- rule Khe one, will only be- remembered for its iffiaero.us acts of injustice, and the judgelint of the other, will be estimated by the ■merous:insultiflg, and foolish schemes Bich appear day after day in the Chronicle m this subject. If the first Bill contained By thin* ofgood, Mr. Swainson, and not Se "persons who represented the claimKts," was the cause of its rejection. Many X the claimants petitioned for the optional Bause, and this he pertinaciously insisted R)on, not conceding to them. " All the evil Rul mischief which have followed, are attriBitablo solely to him and to Mi-. Shortland. BWe know that Mr. Swainson's " object Bas to bring the claimants together to enBuice the yalue" of " Iniquity Bay," " Glen Kibberty," ''.Blarney Hall/ "Coopers fey," and Mr-. Shortlands numerous allotments, but the interests of New Zealand, ffid the welfare of ' its native and European Bmulation demanded that the settlers should H scattered through the length and breadth ■ the country to civilise the natives, and to ffipply them with European manufactures Bid trade. ■ We should like to be informed by the Writer of that article, upon what authority Biis government takes upon itself, to decide Kie land claims in the manner they are ■oing ? What bill has been approved of by pie Home- Government? and what right 1 Biey have to'^barter with the claimants in Kiie acre allotments' near Auckland, for four mi their own land. Neither the Home GoyRrnment; nor their own bill warrant theni in Kriving such infamous and hard bargains ivith the unfortunate parties whom they have l-uined. If they ' wish' to concentrate the foopulation, let them .offer acre for, acre at Beast. But* we think- their schemes will toon come- to,an- end. • England must either abandon New Zealand altogether, or give Khe natives the right of selling their lands to p«rhomib.ey,-will, this .is the only remaining [alternative. If she adopts (as she must) jthe latter,. then the claimants will not only treceive the whole of their lands ; but also, ample compensation for all* losses sustained through the unjust measures of this government. We would in conclusion, .earnestly impress upon every land, claimant in New Zealand, to make up a correct list of all the losses which he has sustained through this government, and to claim through the British Parliament (by Petition) full compensation por the same. ' If they send their petitions to [Mr. Cormack,,who has gone to London on Ifchis subject, he will get them presented Ithrough some member of Parliament, and [we are assured the British nation will listen [to their prayers.' '