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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF NEW ZEALAND.

'BY W. H. J. SEFFERN,

JfEW PAGES FOR A NEW ZEALAND HISTORY.

MNw Plymouth, from Notes collected during aperiod of Thirty Years. [FROM THE FAMILY FRIEND A CHAPTER VI. Captain Hobson's Instructions for Annexing New Zealand — Marquis of Normanby States Condition of Colony in IS3B—Captain Hdbson Authorised to Treat with the Natives for Surrendering New ZealandHe Arrives at Sydney—His Estimate for Establishment of a Colony in New Zea' laiid-Hobson's Eeport on Co'ony—The First Government Officials—Arrival of Go" vcrnor at Bay of Islands-Treaty of "Wai-tangi-Hobson has an Attack of Paraly-sis-How the Treaty was Signed—New Zealand Proclaimed a Colony.

HE Marquis of Normanby, in his instructions to Captain Hobson 'on his embarkation to assume the government of the British settlement in progress in New Zealand,' which appear in a despatch issued from ' Downing-street, 14th August, 1839,' says : ' A very considerable body of Her Majesty's subjects having already established their residence and effected settlements in New Zealand, and many persons in this kingdom having formed themselves into a society, having'for its .object the acquisition of land in those islands .... Her Majesty's Government not being insensible to the importance of New Zealand to the interest of Great Britain in Australia, nor unaware w the great natural resources by which 'hat country is distinguished, or "that its ideographical position must, in seasons of peace or war, enable it, in the hands of civilised men, to exercise a paramount influence in that quarter of the globe. There »probably no part of the earth in which colonisation could be effected with a greater Sf, surer prospect of national advantage.' !ne Marquis then goes on to say that *Wst admitting that the aboriginal " title W» the sovereignty of New Zealand is indisputable, and has been solemnly recognised 7 the British Government,' . . . . circumstances entirely beyond their conJ» had nt length compelled them » alter their course, and the necesW lor the interposition of the Governwent had become too evident to ad--5* « any further inaction. The MarWhen says : ' The reports- which have mm this office within the last few months establish the iact that about the theyear 1838 a body of not ossthan two thousand British subiects had S mßi Permanenfc inhabitants "of New _.!''' t|' 3at ai»ongst them were many mm of bad and doubtful characterwnvicts who had fled from cur penal settleg uojit, or seamen who had deserted theii anvi at fcnesepeople, unrestrained bj al /la^ and amenable to no tribunals, were "wnately the authors and victims of ever. .Ppes of crime and outrage. It furthei S2HW* extensive cessions of land have 2 ?? tainod fwm the natives, and thai from iv drecl Persons have recently sailec thnli .CoUntry to occupy and cultivate beeh n The sPirit of adventure having ■douto i *i oally roilsecl, it can be no longei Brit;!- , at an extensive settlement o in K fi 7 3' ects win be rapidly establishec and ea!and. and that unless protectee instiJf-Straincd by necessary laws anc thau s ' they wiU »_»ftt unchecked ii of ;j" artet; of the globe the same procea Wilissri*«._ sP°'{iati°n under which un ■apDear i es have alftiost invariably dis into f cf' asoften as they have been brough from tt- e3 ,Bte vicinity of emigrant Qe n ations of Christendom. To miti

gate, and, if possible, to avert these - disasters, and to rescue , the emigrants I themselves from the evils of a lawless state i of society, ifc has been resolved to adopt the i most effective measures for establishing amongsb them a settled form of civil go- . vernment. To accomplish this design is _ the principal object of your mission.' Captain Hobson was then authorised by ; ' Her Majesty's Government to treat with the aborigines of New Zealand for therecognition of Her Majesty's sovereign : authority over the whole or any part of the islands which they may be willing to place under Her Majesty's dominion.' He was also instructed, on arrival at New Zealand, to ' announce by a proclamation, addressed to all the Queen's subjects in New Zealand, that Her Majesty would not acknowledge as valid any title to land which either had ! been or should hereafter be acquired in New Zealand, which was not either derived from or confirmed by a grant to bo made in Her Majesty's name, and on her behalf. At the same'time Captain Hobson was told to take care to dispel any apprehensions which might be created in the minds of the settlers that it was intended to dispossess the owners of any property which had been acquired on equitable conditions, and which was not upon a scale terest of the community.' New Zealand, the British Government thought it advisable, should be first of all annexed to New South Wales, although the connection would not involve tho extension to this colony of tho character of a penal settlement. The Marquis of Normanby further stated he had arranged, until the sources of revenue should have been set in action in New Zealand, that Captain Hobson should be authorised to draw on the Government of New South Wales for his unavoidable expenditure; and that the system established in the same colony regarding land should be applied to all waste lands which might be acquired by the Crown in New Zealand. Briefly told, such were the instructions Captain Hobson had handed to him before leaving England in H.M.s. Drmd. He arrived at Sydney towards the latter end of December^ 1839, and at once took means to have them published in the Government ' Gazette 'of New South Wales, as well as all the correspondence which had been passing between the several departments and the Marquis of Normanby. Amongsb the letters is one from Captain Hobson giving 'an estimate of expenses for the first establishment of a colony in New Zealand.' It is as follows :— A wooden frame house for the Lieut.Governor .. .. .. •• ,•• •• Furniture for drawing-room, waitingroom, entrance hall, and watercloset oiO [Probable] Freight ™ Stationery -• *%£ Iron Chest .. *° Presents for natives l.goo [Probable] Passage Money WJ Total - ..£4,005 Captain Hobson was no stranger to New Zealand, for in 1837 he had visited the various parts of the colony where European settlements were forming in H.M.s. Rattlesnake, lb is stated he was sent by Sir Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales, to ' spy upon the land and !to report to the British Government, and ifc was owing no doubb to his despatches ! that bhe British Cabinet decided to annex ! New Zealand and to appoint him as its first Governor. The despatch Captain Hobson sent Home was published in London in 1838 in pamphlet form, with * introductory observations by S. Hind, D.D., one of the Council of the New Zealand Association.' In this report, which i* dated August, 1837, Captain Hobson speaks of the steady decrease of the Maoris and simultaneous increase of Europeans, who were acquiring from the aboriginals large portions of the land. He points out that to avert serious disaster that must ultimately result from the conduct of the white people towards the natives, certain remedial action is absolutely necessary. . _fc Government House, Sydney, on 14th January, 1840, Captain Hobson took the usual oaths of office as LieutenantGovernor, and on the next day Sir George Gipps handed to Captain Hobson his coni-mi.-sion to act as such, as well as a copy of i tho commission from the Secretary for the ; Colonies to the Governor of ISew bouth ■ Wales, intimating that the territory over

whichheheld aufchoritywasextended to New Zealand. Captain Hobson sailed from Sydney for Bay of Islands on 19th January in H. M.s. Herald, Captain Nais, and the passengers in the Kame vessel were Mr Felton Matthews, Dr. Johnson, and Mr Hustler. Governor Hobsoirs first officers wero the following gentlemen, whose appointments bear the date of January Ist, 1840:—Felton Mutthows, Esq., J.P., Sur-veyor-General ; H. D. Smart, Lieutenant 28th Regiment, Magistrate of the Territory ; and Mr Charlos Logic, Colonial Storekeeper.

H.M.s. Herald arrived at Kororareka on January 29th, 1840, and the following Thursday, the 30th, Governor Hobson issued two important proclamations. By the first he declared that he had, on Tuesday, the 14th January, taken the oaths as Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand before the Governor of New South Wales, and that he had formally opened two commissions—one extending the territories of New South Waled to New Zealand, and the other appointing him Lieutenant-Governor. By the second proclamation he declared void all future purchases of land from the natives, and announced the appointment of a commission to inquire into claims for land already purchased. Thus was the dominion of Britain formally extended over these islands, and thus easily was a sovereignty acquired which has never been questioned. In England and Sydney this event caused some excitement, and considerable interest was taken in tho colony. The matter, however, has long since been forgotten, and it is only when the historian revives tho circumstance that persons aro made to realise from what small beginnings tho sovereignty of New Zealand originated. Captain Hobson immediately set to work to acquire from the chiefs the sovereignty of the country. The remarkable document, termedtho Treaty of Waitangi, by which the chiefs,or some of them, ceded the sovereignty but retained their lands, was the result. This matter is so well known, or there aro so many accounts of it to be procured, that it is unnecessary to refer at any great length to this historical event. However, as it forms the basis of our sovereignty in theso islands, and has been pronounced by highest legal authorities to be as binding as any international treaty extant, it will not do to pass the event over without some slight notice of it. Being a treaty, it imposes obligations which cannot, it is said, be annulled by enactment. It was drafted by Captain Hobson on board H.M.s. Herald, and revised by Mr Busby, the British Resident of that time in New Zealand. After the two proclamations had been i-sued, Governor Hobson circulated notices in the native language, intimating that on the sth February he would hold a meeting of the chiefs of the confederation (those who had signed the declaration of independence), and the other chiefs who had not sinned, at which he said he would explain to them the commandshe had received from Her Majesty, and place before them a copy of a treaty he had 'to propose for their consideration.' The meeting, which was held in front of Mr Busby's residence at Waitangi, came off, and as the Governor describes it in his despatch, it was 'an imposing spectacle.' Forty-six chiefs signed the treaty in the presence of some five hundred natives, the ofiioers of the Government, those connected with the Church Missionary Society, tho Wesleyan missionary, Bishop Pompallier, the Roman Catholic Brelate.and his missionary priests, and many of the European residents in the district. The Governor's work, however, had only commenced. A number of chiefs of the confederation had not yet signed the treaty, and it was a matter of necessity to obtain not only their signatures, but the assent of the chiefs of the southern tribes, who had not even joined the confederation of 1836. From Waitangi the Governor went to Holdanga, where some three thousand natives were found wailing his arrival. After considerable korero the signatures there worn obtained, and His Excellency proceeded to Waitemata, where he had an attack of paralysis in his right side on March Ist, 1840, losing the use of his right arm and leg. He was therefore compelled to delegate"the duty of obtaining additional sionatures to other' hands, appointing Cap- ' tain Symons, Rev 3. H, Williams, Brown,

Maunsell, W. Williams, Taylor, and Mr Shortlandwith instructions to ' secure the allegiance of the chiefs' in the different localities. Major Banbury at a later period was also sent in H.M.s. Herald to aid in securing the ' adherence of the chiefs' and specially directed to see Te Rauparaha, who at that period exercised a largo amount of influence over both sides of Cook's Strait. His cruise extended down to Ruapuke, where he received the signature of Tawike. It would occupy too much space to follow the parties in their travels through the various portions of the North Island, but tho signa tures of most of the chiefs of influence were obtained, being signed at Waitangi, Hokianga, Waitnate, Waifcemata, Kaitaiu, Thames, Russell, Coromandel, Mercury Bay, Akaroa, Ruapuke (Fovcaux Strait), Otago, Cloudy Bay, Kapiti, Hawke's Bay, Manukan, Kawliia, Waikato Heads, Opoi tiki, Torere, Tekaka, Wakatane, Welling- ' ton (Port Nicholson), Queen Charlotte's Sound, Rangitoto (D'Urville'.s Island), Otaki, Manawatu, Waikenae, Wanganui, Motu Ngarara, Turango (Poverty Bay), and Tauranga. None of tho Taranaki or Ngtiruanui tribes appear to have been solicited to sign, as their marks aye absent from the roll. The number of the signatures affixed to the eight sheets on which the treaty is signed was rive hundred and twelve ; and amongst those who witno&scd these signatures arc some well-known names, including Clarke, Woon, Russell, Puekey. Hamlin, Whitolv, Clayton, Hatfield, and Stack, most of whom have left their descendants to occupy positions of honour and trust at the present day. The treaty had a narrow escape of being burnt on the occasion of the public building in Auckland being destroyed by tire in 1841; it was, however, rescued by tho late Mr G. E. Elliott, who arrived just in time to secure it and the colonial seal from destruction.

The treaty having been completed with the natives, Governor Hobson, on Thursday. May 21, issued a proclamation declaring the sovereignty of Her Majesty Queen Victoria by treaty over the North Island, and over the South Island by right of discovery. The peculiarity of the treaty is, that the English copy from which the Maori translation was made and the English translation from the Maori, are in many places at variance with each other. For instance, the second article is as follows : —

GOVERNOR' SIT R A N S L AT I ON VERSION. FROM THE MAORI. | Her Majesty the| The Queen of Eng-j Queen Of England con-jlnnd arranges and. firms and guarantees to agrees to give the the chiefs and tribes ofjehiefs, tho hapus, and Now Zealand and to ah the people ot New theirrespoctivefawilicsZealand the ful clnciandindividuals.hereofjtninship of their lands the full, exclusive, and and settlements, and undisturbed posscssionlall their property; but, oftheirlandsandestates'tlie chief of tho asforests, fisheries, andseuibly and all the other properties which other chiefs give to the they may colled ivclyor, Queen the purchase ol individually possess, sothose pieces of land long as it is their wishlwhich tho proprietors and deciro to retain the.of the land may wish, sameinthoirpo.3ession;for such payment as but the chiefs of the may be agreed upon by united tribes andthcin-lthem and the purdividual chiefs yio.d to chaser who is now apHer Majesty tha exclu- pointed by tho Queen to sivc right of pre-emp-jbe her purchaser, tion over such lands as the proprietors thereof may be disposed tol : alienate at such prices as may be agreed upon between the respective proprietors and persons appointed by llor Majesty to treat with them in that behalf.

Knowing now the different interpretations put upon the ' mana ' of a chief, tho divergence in the meaning of this clause of the treaty as quoted above is very great. The question of native title, however, dees not now rest upon that treaty ; but it shows how useless such agreements are whon one party cannot understand tho language the original is written in, and the other does not understand the literal meaning of the translation. (Ti be Continued.)

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18880514.2.46

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 113, 14 May 1888, Page 7

Word Count
2,578

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF NEW ZEALAND. Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 113, 14 May 1888, Page 7

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF NEW ZEALAND. Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 113, 14 May 1888, Page 7