PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION AMONG THE NATIVES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume I, Issue 28, 28 October 1843, Page 2

PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION AMONG THE NATIVES.

Eldest of things, divine Equality ! Wisdom and love are but slaves to ihee; The Angels of thy sway, who pour around ihee Treasures from all the cells of human thought, And from the Stars, and from the Ocean brought, And the last living hearts whose beatings bound thee; The powerful and the wise had sought Thy coming ; thou in light descending O'er the wide land which is thins own ; Like the spring whose breath is blending All blasts of fragrance into one, Comest upon the paths of men. Earth bares her genial bosom to thy ken, And all her children here in glory meet To feed upon thy smiles and clasp thy sacred feet. Some of our readers may perhaps feel disposed to think that we bestow too much of our time and space upon matters which are not of immediate importance, or of much real interest to tho European population ; such as the consideration of tho condition and rights of the aborigines. Many persons arc disposed to look upon the aborigines of every country as creatures who have been made in vain. Beings who are destined to serve no good or useful purpose on tho earth ; things with whom we can have no common sympathy or fooling. Practice, custom and history have all combined to impress us with these ideas. History informs us that the aboriginal inhabitants of all countries have given way and disappeared before our countrymen, and our own observations confirm tho truth of its melancholy record, — but few of us take tho troublo of travelling beyond the mcro annals of these cvonts ; and the aborigines have had few, if auy, real historians, who have undertaken the task of faithfully tracing events to their causes. The facts are recorded, but the causes aro purposely kept secret and hidden. We are told and believe, tho fact that the natives of nearly every newly discovered country havo passed away before the face of tho strangers ; but wo care not to enquire how this has been accomplished. We remember recently to have read in the New South Wales Magazine an article on this subject (worthy of tho penal settlement) wherein the author endeavoured to provo as a necessary consequence of colonization, tho inevitable destruction of the aborigines. Tho arguments of this writer are worthy of the Prince of Darkness himself, and such as he might use for the justification of every monstrous murderer, who lias disgraced his race. But why should the countenance of tho civilized man act like the hateful sight of the upas tree upon his uncivilised brother ? Why should death and destruction go forth as the messengers of love, peace, charity and knowledge, the true and only characteristics of a really civilized man ? They have never done so, and whercever the savago has disappeared beforo the pestilent breath of the white man, theso hcavonly virtues havo never been exhibited. ; A New .South Wales and a Van Die-men's Land scribbler in a Magazine may well tell the world that the savage must be murdered and destroyed by ' tho white man, for such i has ever been tho custom in these countries. The civilized inhabitants of Van Diemens j Land have within the last thirty or forty' years, destroyed nearly every one of their dark - coloured brethren ; and but that a greater extent of desert country affords greater protection in New South Wales, the same would have happened in that country as well. We still remember with a thrill of horror the execution in one day of five monsters of our countrymen in Sydney, for the cold-blooded massacre of a whole tribo of natives on the Hunters River, and while such deeds are being perpetrated by hundreds of the civilized brethren of\he writer in the New South Wales Magazine, he may well insult the world with his hellish philosophy, and appeal for confirmation of the truth of his doctrines to the deeds it may be, of his own shepherds and stockmen, whom he

may have bribed to perpetrate the foul crime. We may not look to Botany Bay for examples of morality or teachers of moral philosophy ; but wo may well look to Botany Bay for horrid illustrations of the manner in which the savago, or aboriginal inhabitants disappear before tho powder, the fire, tho rum, and the arsenic of tho white man. These are tho elements of civilization with which the aboriginal inhabitants of Now Holland are made to disappear before our countrymen ; and no wonder they have been so successful. From the days of Columbus, Cortcz, and Pizarro, downwards to those of Cook, Hobson, and Shortland ; eveiy petty and despotic Governor kept uniformly and steadily one object before him ; that of recommending himself to his superiors by his tact in cheating, perhaps his bravery in killing tho aborigines. One system has been pursued, one set of principles have been acted upon, and one uniform result has been accomplished. Tho Europeans have prevailed, have become possessed of tho country and lands of the natives, and tho natives themselves have eventually disappeared. It could not in the nature of things be otherwise ; take away the earth a^nd nourishment from the largest tree in tire forest, and it must die. Deprive man of the land from which he obtains and derives his nourishment, and lie too shall, and must disappear. This has been done in every case, and in every case the aborigines have died, it could not be otherwise. This has been the object of every Governor, and of every civilised man in every colony ; and no wonder that the result has been uniformly the same. Can the people of this colony then complain of us for bestowing too much time upon the natives? can they themselves remain quietly by, and sec the same foarful result take place in this colony ? Is it their interest to do so ? Have the natives of New Zealand no claim upon' the European population? They have every claim upon us, and we are convinced that every man in this settlement with tho exception of some of the members of tho Government, are keenly alive to the sufferings of the natives, and keenly anxious to see them restored to tho rights of men. They know, and they feel that peaco and prosperity will never visit our colony until this shall happen. Strife, discord, ruin and murder, can only be prevented by the accomplishment of this object. Our contemporary at Nelson a short time ago accused us of a suicidal advocacy of the rights of the natives. Tho unfortunate destruction of his countrymen and fellow-settlers had not then occurred, and had he and his countrymen at Nelson paid the proper attention and respect to the rights of tho aborigines, tho necessity of which wo have been endeavouring to impress upon the inhabitants of this colony, this melancholy event would never have happened. We again and again warn this Government against the attempt to troat tho natives of this colony according to the prevailing custom. Reason, justice, and good Government demand a different treatment on behalf of the New Zealandcrs. Their own superior intelligence and senso of right will never allow of their tamely degenerating into slavery. We have occasionally alluded to the great change which is fast taking place in the character of the natives, and the rapid progress which they are making in civilization. Tho change is indeed so great, that it will scarcely bo believed by persons who are accustomed to judge of those matters by the ordinary and slow march of intellect among ignorant people at homo. But tho one great fact that nearly all the natives of New Zoa • land can read and write, must bo sufficient to prepare tho minds of persons at home for the belief of every other species of improvement. — This fact, though true, will scarcely j be believed by those who have been year at- 1 ter year almost without any apparent sue- { cess endeavouring to accomplish tho same j desirable object, as far as the lower orders of our countrymen at home arc concerned. But independent of this general opening of the flood-gates of knowledge, there are several other evidences of the very rapid and genei'al extension of civilization among the natives of this country. One of the most remarkable of them is the earnest desire to become possessed of cattle, horsos, ploughs and farming implements. In former times it was costumary in all purchases of land from tho natives to make payment for the same in blankets, spades, tomahawks, guns, and sometimes powder and shot ; in all the sales which are now made to Government, nothing of this kind will be accepted by tho natives, horses, cattle, ploughs and harrows arc the only articles by which they will bo induced to dispose of their lands. Tho Government are at the present moment in treaty with the natives for a small tract of land between tho Manukau and Waikato, for which they are about to pay in horses and working bullocks which havo been employed about Government house ; the natives have seen these cattle, and they

have determined to get possession of them as the price of their land. They aro also extremely anxious to procure the services of Europeans to teach them to plough and to cultivate their lands, so as to bo able to grow wheat for tho supply of the demands of tho European population, of whose customs and wants they arc exceedingly observant. A young chief, of whoso improvement we havo on a former occasion made mention, is at tho present moment about laying out and establishing a township at the Portage between Manukau and Waikato ; the township is to be regularly laid out with streets, the samo as Auckland, and all the houses arc to be built with sawn timber, precisely the same as Europeans do. The chief and his tribo are to abandon their present settlement, and to reside in it. This chief has at his former residence erected a large church with glazed windows, wooden floor, and American chairs for the accommodation of the aristocratic portion of his hearers. We have been informed by a gentleman who has been recently at Hokianga, that another native chief residing in that district is also about laying out a township at Herds Point, on land contiguous to the spot selected by Government for their township. This native purposes building a number- of weatherboarded houses in the European fashion, which he expects to let to Europeans, and in this manner obtain an income sufficient to support him as becomes the rank and dignity of his station. — Can the Government prevent Europeans from at least feuiug land in these native townships ? we imagine not. In Scotland, the greater part of tho land in the large towns is sold in feu, or for a small ground rent, and we see no reason whatever why the Newzealandcr may not in a similar manner feu his land for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, and we see as little reason why Europeans should not buy from him. There is no clause in Sir Geo. Gipp's Bill against feuing or leasing, although it endeavours to prevent the native from selling. It will bo a new era in the history of colonization to see the Government and the Aborigines rival competitors in the land and emigration market. This will however happen in New Zoaland, if the Government persist in their present foolish scheme of denying tho native rights. But can the Government consistent with tho peace and safety of this colony persevere in the present course ? Can they in this manner oppose the enlightened and just demands of the natives? Can they maintain the existence of one set of laws for tho Natives, and another for tho Europeans ? They have attempted and they may continue to attempt this, but we are well assured that tho natives will not submit. This subject is at the present moment canvassed by all the natives over the length and breadth of New Zealand, and a Congress of Native Chiefs amounting to the number of G,OOO is to be held in January or February, for tho purpose of discussing and deciding upon this point. This Assembly of Natives is to be held in the vicinity of Auckland. — Many of our readers are doubtless aware that a considerable body of the natives have been employed some months ago, cultivating land and planting potatoes near Mount Hobson ; this has been done with tho view of providing provisions for tho ensuing native congress.— And wo warn our Government to remove the grievance under which the natives suffer, before the natives compel them against their will to do so. The Natives will have the full rights of Englishmen, and nothing else will satisfy them. They aro as keenly alive to the wrong and to the injustice of the state of demi-slavery in which they are attempted to bo kept by this Government as Europeans would bo in similar circumstances, and they are determined to demand, that they shall liko tho Europeans obtain crown grants to their land, so as to enable them to sell, as formerly, to those Europeans whom -they wish to reside among them. It is on this account they wish to sell their lands, and the great objection to sell to the Government is because the land so sold remains unoccupied. And we ask this Government what benefit they have derived from the imposition of this yoke? What revenue have they derived from the purchase and re-sale of native lands ? Would all the money they have obtained from this source make up for a tenth part of the actual loss which Europeans alone havo sustained from the infamous system, if the Government can say yes? then let them go on — and perpetuate tho slavery seeing they are such gainers by it. But we again appeal in behalf of the natives of New Zealand to the friends of humanity in the mother country, we beseech them to poruse with care the evidence of civilization which we have given above ; and .we ask them to assist in removing the galling yoke of bondage from the neck of the Newzealander. Let them lend their powerful and their Christian aid in preserving at least one race of the unfortunate people called savages, from the ordinary fate. Let them assist in belieing the blasphemous doctrine that civilized man must necessarily destroy

his uncivilized brother. — Let them remoni. bor that New Zealand is the door way to the other and tlie numerous islands of tho Pacific That this is tho centre of the civilization of tho innumerable inhabitants of the lovely south sea islands. If the New Zealandcr f s l permitted to bo enslaved by England, wliai' may wo not expect Franco to do towards the inhabitants of Tahiti and tho Marquesas The battle of freedom is to be fought in tliiJ country. The bright example is to be fur.] nished in and set by our own treatment o(| New Zealand. Our Missionaries, our mone^j and our means have for tho last twenty yeauj been omployed in civilizing its inhabitants, shall we now and after so much labour permit the objects of our affection to bo swept away from the face of tho earth ? Shall the fate of the Aborigines of New Zealand add another confirming testimony to tho blushin; fact that tho civilized man must necessarily destroy his uncivilized brother? — Let no; the friends of humanity bo led avaj by the argument tnat it is necessary for the' benefit of the European population that thel land should be taken by Government from] tho natives. There is not a right-minded European in New Zealand who" would iwj rejoice at the prospect of tho emancipation of the natives. From one end of ~Kew Zeal land to the other, the cry among European^ and Natives is tho restoration of the native! rights. This is tho great euro for all the ills! that afflict our colony. The attempt fci enslave tho native is tho cause of everji quarrel, crime, and murder, which havexisted between tho two races. This i. the grievance which opposes the settler, the judge, and the minister of religion in the; dischargo of their respective duties. Evenj thevory Government itself will insult our com mon senso by declaring to us that tho Xoir Zcalanders are superior to every other race of savages ; and yet they treat them after tho fashion of tho age of Isabella and For dinand of Spain. There is not one shadow of difforenco in principlo between tho crud adventurers who followed in the wake 01 Columbus in America, and those who have followed' Cook in tho Pacific. The same hollow pretence to roligion and humanity is mado by both, and the samo accuiwl scheme is pursued by both in their treatment .of the aborigines ; and will not tho same fatal results ensue in both cases ? Oppres sion will sooner or later bo met by resistance,! resistance will terminate in bloodshed amlj war, and war will accomplish tho death awlj final destruction of tho aborigines of Nc\> Zealand.