SIR. W. DENISON'S. VISIT TO NORFOLK ISLAND.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 1, Issue 18, 23 January 1858, Page 5

SIR. W. DENISON'S. VISIT TO NORFOLK ISLAND.

(Continued from our last.) Having sailed from Sydney on the 17th September, we made the island early in the morning of the 23rd. The surf was too heavy to allow a boat to land at the settlement ; we therefore stood round the island and I landed at the northern end of the island, at a spot called the Cascades, where I was met by the chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Nobbs, the chief magistrate, Mr. F. Young, and a large proportion of the adult inhabitants. Having walked across the island to the settlement —a distance of about three miles, along a very good road, I took up my quarters at the house of the former commandant, which had been reserved as a Government house. The furniture, however, wilh the exception of a few tables and chairs, had been removed ; and I was obliged for the first night to trespass upon the kindness of the inhabitants for many matters conducive to my comfort. On the next day I called the inhabitants together in the schocl room, and read my commission to them ; explaining, at the same time, the objects which I conceived the Government had in view in establishing them in the island ; ■which objects were, in the first place, their well-being and comfort, and in the second, the perpetuation, so far as circumstances would admit, of their existing social polity. Having in the course of my conversation with the Chief Magistrate, who appeared to be a clear-headed, sound-judging man, ascertained that the supply of flour and biscuit on the island^was exhausted, I decided to run down to Auckland for the purpose of procuring some, and of arranging with a mercantile firm for the purchase of such articles as wool, tallow, hides, which the the islanders had to sell, and for the shipment of the stores of which the inhabitants were in want, the cost of which would be defrayed out of the price of the articles purchased at the island. The time expended upon the voyage to Auckland and back would be sufficient to enable the islanders to make out certain returns which I had called for, explanatory of the state of the different buildings, and of the mode in which they were occupied ; it would also afford me time to look carefully over the existing code of laws or regulations, for the purpose of modifying them in such a manner as to adapt them to their changed condition and circumstances. I accordingly gave directions for the preparation of the returns reqwired, and having obtained from the Chief Magistrate a statement of the articles which were required for the use of the settlement, and of the character and amount of the different matters which they wished to dispose of, I embarked on board the Iris on Saturday the 26th September, and we made sail at once for New Zealand. We were driven too far to the eastward by westerly winds, but we made the harbour of Auckland on Thursday morning by daybreak. On landing I received every attention and kindness from Colonel Gore Browne, the Governor, and every facility was offered to my private Secretary, to whom I entrusted the negotiation of the arrangements for the supply of stores to the island and for the purchase of the wool, tallow, and hides, which the islanders had for sale. I was desirous that these arrangements should be considered as a matter of business between the magistrate, as representative to the islanders, and the merchant, and this was satisfactorily completed by an undertaking on. the part of the merchant to ship certain stores on board the Iris for the immediate use of the island, and to despatch the remainder in asmall schooner within a fortnight, in which schooner the articles •which tike islanders had for sale would be "brought to Auckland, being either purchased "by the-.merchant on his own account or sold by him on commission; the proceeds of the'sale being charged-with the cost of the provisions and stores furnished; We' were ~al>le to complete all our arrangements and. to sail for Norfolk Island on Saturday,. 3rd October. Our passage up.to the island was more tedious than that doj^to^ncldand. We had light baffling •winds.from the north-westf and~did not ,xaake 'tneisland till the* morning of the 12th .when,rthe^ wind .being"from the.nor}h-ward, 1 'vtifs able 'to land at the settlement. The le^gtKbfiny Voyage gave me ample time not' only to draw up a revised code of laws and regulations, but also to'accompany this with-along paper of instructions and advice bothto thechief magistrate and the. people ; and aSj on landing,^ -I ascertained that :ftU the returns which I had asked for had been prepared, nothing remained to be done

but that I should ascertain the amount of land under cultivation, in order that I might have some idea of the requirements of the people, and that I should explain to the whole body of head of families the code of laws under which they were to live, with the reasons which had induced me to superadd one or two of which they had no previous cognizance. The officers of the Iris kindly assisted me, by making a rough measurement of the cultivated land, which was found not to exceed 18 or 20 acres; and with this return before me, I called a meeting of the inhabitants on Wednesday, 14th October, when all the heads of families, females as well as males, were present. Having recalled to their recollection the substance of my commission and instructtions, that I had read to them at a previous meeting, and which had been entered upon their records, I proceeded to read the laws which I had drawn up, and which were, with one or two exceptions, based upon the code which had been handed to me ; no objection having been made to any these, I signed the copy which had been made in their book of record, and handed this to the magistrate, to whom I give a commission under the great seal of the colony, and also gave commissions as magistrates to his two councillors. I then proceeded to read the paper of instruction and advice which I had drawn up ; and as this will give you a I good idea of the present state and prospects of the people, and my view of the steps which it will be necessary to take in order to enable them to avail themselves of the advantages of their position, I cannot do better than read it to you. Instructions and Advice addressed to the Chief Magistrate of Norfolk Island. Th 3 objects of her M ijesty's Government in transferring the Pitcaim Islanders to their present residence were: — Ist. — To put them in a position to maintain their increasing numbers by their own industry : and 2nd, to enable them to keep up, so far as the change of circumstances may permit, the peculiar form of polity under which they have hitherto existed as a community. It will therefore be the duty of the Chief magistrate, while administering the affairs of the Colony during the absence of the Governor, to keep these two subjects steadily in view : — to see that the labour of these islanders is properly applied to the cultivation of the ground, that a sufficient area is brought under cultivation to supply all the probable wants of the community, so that it may not be necessary to purchase flour or biscuit from the adjacent colonies, and, while doing this, to be careful not to sanction any deviation from the principles which, by maintaining a sort of family feeling among the whole of the community, have enabled them to live together in peace and harmony up to the present time. The rules and regulations which have been submitted by me for the considerationof the community, and which have now been promulgated under the authority vested in me by her Majesty, have been framed in strict accordance with those under which your affairs have hitherto been administered ; some few rules have been abrogated, as having no relation to the state of things now existing, and one or two have been added to provide for circumstances contingent upon the position of Norfolk Island, in the immediate vicinity of the colonies of Australia and New Zealand. I allude especially to the rule which prohibits the introduction upon the island of any spirituous or fermented liquors, except for purposes purely medicinal. The evils which are forced daily on my notice, as originating from the use, and consequent abuse, of those stimulants, are too great not to make me most anxious to guarantee, jif possible, the inhabitants of Norfolk Island from them ; and, as none among you have ever been accustomed to the use of these stimulants, it can be no possible hardship that you should be prevented by legal enactment from indulging a taste which ex-, perience shows does too often lead to. crime, and to sin. It must, however, be obvious to every one, that the very altered position in which you are now placed, must eventually render obligatory many additions to these regulations. Nothing- has been said as yet relative to the alienation of land by the Crown, and its transference to individual proprietors ; nothing to regulate the admission upon the island of settlers, who may wish to become members of your community ; nothing to indicate the mode in which

the descent of property from parents to children is to be hereafter regulated, &c. These with several others, are matters which you have hitherto had little occasion to consider. They are questions which will soon be forced upon your attention — they ought not, however, to be hastily dealt with, or to be subjected to the operation of any arbitrary rule, the object of which you might be incapable of comprehending. I have, therefore, left them untouched for the present, in order that they might be submitted hereafter to the deliberate consideration of the people themselves, guided only by such advice as the Governor, from his position, and from the more extended means of infonna ijn at his disposal, might be qualified to give. Some advice upon matters of special interest to the community, I shall now proceed to give ; and I shall accompany this with such positive instructions to yourself, as chief magistrate, as may tend to facilitate several of the arrangements which must shortly be made. The present state of matters on Norfolk Island is, I believe, altogether incompatible with its prosperity, or with the comfort and happiness of the people. You appear to be living, not on the produce of your own labour, but upon your capital ; or rather upon that capital which was handed over to you by the Government for the purpose of being employed reproductively for your own benefit, and for that of your posterity. .The scabby state of the sheep, arising from the impossibility of dressing them properly, may be a sufficient reason for killing them off gradually — but unless steps are soon taken to introduce more of this stock, and for allowing the cattle to increase, the supply of animal food will soon fall short of the wants of the people. The habit which you are acquiring of depending for a large portion of your food upon a source which is entirely independent of any exertion of your own, must manifestly lead to the introduction of improvident and idle habits, which cannot be too carefully guarded against. The first thing, therefore, to be done, is to make a positive and marked distinction between public and private property ; to give to each head of a family an absolute right of property in a certain amount of land, and to make him a present of a sufficient number of cattle, sheep, &c, to enable him to cultivate that land with advantage, supposing him to exercise the ordinary amount of forethought and industry. When this has been done, an end should be put at once and for ever to any gratuitous distribution of food, clothing, &c, from public funds ; except, perhaps, to those who, from age and infirmity, or'mental or bodily incapacity, are unable to maintain themselves. In order to pave the way for this important change, the chief magistrate will arrange with the heads of families, and with those unmarried persons who may wish to acquire properties of their own, for the selection by each of such an amount of land, not in any case exceeding 50 acres, in such -a position as may seem to them most advantageous. A rough approximation to this area of a piece of land may be made by stepping round it ; and the following table will give the number of paces — each pace being 30 inches, which it will take to include certain areas. 10 acres will be 1026 paces in circumference, or, the side of a square which will contain 10 acres will be 256 paces in length. 20 acres will have a circumference of 1450 paces, and the side of the square will be 368 paces. 30 acres will have a circumference of .1780 paces, and the side of the square will be 445 paces. 40 acres will have a circumference of 2013 paces, and the side of the square will be 513 paces. 50 acres will have a circumference of 2296 paces, and the side of the square will be 569 paces. Marks should be placed at the corner of their allotments; and properly qualified persons will be sent to make the necessary surveys and plans of the different properties, from which the formal grants will be drawn up. and issued, in pursuance of the ppwers vested in me by her Majesty. Looking, however, to the object which, as I have before stated, the Government had in view in removing the present occupants from Pitcairn to Norfolk Island, I do not think that the grant in fee-simple to the settler should be altogether unconditional. I. do not think that it would be at all desirable to allow the settler to sell the land

to persons unconnected with the island. Should any one wish to leave the island, his property, should he wish to sell it, should first he offered to individual inhabitants, and should none there he willing to purchase it, the community might he empowered to do so at a valuation. When the allotments of land have heen selected, the following articles may be handed over to each occupant. Ist. A certain number of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, poultry, &c. 2nd. Such tools and implements as may be necessary to enable him to cultivate his land. 3rd. Such an amcmnt of corn, potatoes, &c, as may be necessary to enable him to plant a sufficient area to maintain his family. The amount of stock should not be too great ; a cow or an ox to every ten acres will, I should say, be ample. Each proprietor will put a mark upon his own stock, to enable him to distinguish it from that of his neighbour, and from that of the public. These marks should be notified to the chief magistrate, and recorded by him ; and, whenever established, should not be allowed to be modified or altered. The stock of individual proprietors may be allowed to run upon the unallotted part of the island, for the present ; — but, as it is evident that this unallotted portion will rapidly diminish, as fresh families take up grant of lands, it will be necessary that each proprietor should take early steps to fence in his own land, and to divide it off in such a manner as will enable him to keep his own ground. It is the more necessary that this should be done, as the manure made by the stock will ultimately be required for the proper cultivation of the soil. At present this is very rich, but each proprietor will act wisely in looking forward to the period when, in order to obtain proper crops, it will be necessary to apply manure ; and in commencing to collect manure for that purpose at once. When the land and a proper amount of stock have been handed over to different individuals, it must be distinctly understood that nothing is to be drawn by any one from the public store for his private use, without payment for the same at its full market price. As no individual settler is in a position to set up a store, it is necessary that a public store should be maintained, at which clothing, provisions, tools, etc., should be kept for sale ; a fixed price being placed upon each article, so that every person may know what he will have to pay. The establishment of a store will entail the appointment of a storekeeper, to whom the charge of all public stores should be handed over, and who will be held accountable for them : — he will have to keep an account against each individual settler, crediting him with any payment, either in money, stock, or produce, and debiting him with the cost of any articles which he may have purchased from the store. The storekeeper may also be the schoolmaster : — The salary which he will receive for the performance of these duties, together with contingent advantages, will probably be sufficient to enable the community to secure the services of a competent person. I have said that the chief magistrate should see that the labour of the islanders is properly applied to the cultivation of the ground. It appears to me that, in order to place the community in a position to feel themselves without reference to the adjacent colonies, at least eighty acres of maize should be planted. Looking to the calls which may be made upon this crop for other purposes, it would perhaps be better to plant 100 acres of maize, irrespective of the land appropriated to the growth of potatoes, yams, bananas, etc., and other vegetable products. If, then, such an amount of land is to be brought under cultivation, the labor of every member of the community should be rendered available towards it, and some check should be imposed upon the prolonged absence of those who, by going away for a time during the preparation of the ground for a crop, do, in point of fact, compel others to do their work. When once the land is given over to individuals, then any check of this kind will he unnecessary ; but till then it should he imposed. The present mode of working the ground with the hoe is both dilatory and unsatisfactory. It would be as well, as soon as possible, to introduce the use of the plough : until this is done, the labour of a large portion of the adult inhabitants will be expended in. the productionof food ; leaving but little available for the cultivation of articles which will be useful to exchange for the products of

other countries. lam not aware, however, that there is any person on the island who knows how to use a plough. la the same way, the islanders are now placed in possession of buildings composed of stone, and plastered within and withouc, yet they are not in a position to carry out any repairs of these houses, as they know not how to burn the lime to make mortar to plaster walls and ceilings, etc. In fact, there are several trades which ought, for the comfort and convenience of the inhabitants to be practised on the island ; but of which the present possessors are ignorant. They have wind and water mills, yet for want of a competent millwright and smith, they have to grind their corn in hand mills. They wear shoes ; indeed the character of the work they have to do, and the risk of wounding the feet, compel them to do so ; but they have no man amongst them who can mend, not to say make a shoe. How, then, can their immediate and prospective wants be adequately supplied ? With regard to the millwright and smith, I do not think it at all improbable that a competent person might be induced to settle on the island, by the grant of the water and windmill, subject to a condition that he should grind all the corn of the community at a fixed rate — that is, as in Canada, at a fixed proportion of the quantity brought to the mill — 3ay one twelfth — the same pei-son would be qualified to act as smith for the repair, of tools, etc. ; and as wheelwright — were a circular saw attached to the mitl wheel, all the timber required for the use of the community might be cut up at a cheap rate. For the repair of the houses a mason and a plasterer will be required ; — and a shoemaker is also wanted. It may be possible to induce a few persons of this stamp to settle on the island ; but beyond these, whose services may be said to be actually indispensable to the comfort and welfare of the inhabitants, I should not be disposed to admit of the introduction of any strangers. Pending, then, the establishment of some rule as regards this, the chief magistrate will understand that he is not to permit strangers to remain on the island, or to occupy except for a short visit any of the public buildings. [To be concluded in our next."]