THE SIGNING

Northern Advocate, 5 February 1934, Page 2

THE SIGNING

A MEMORABLE OCCASION MAKING OF HISTORY. GATHERING OF- THE TRIBES. BRITAIN’S WORD OF HONOUR. The following description of the gathering when the Treaty was signed is taken from Mr Lindsay Buick’s book ‘ ‘ The Treaty . of Waitangi. ” The scene. chosen for the conference with the chiefs .was the lawn in front of Mr Busby’s- house, ; which stands upon a gently sloping promontory, directly opposite the old. town of Kbrorareka. A large and commodious building, with its French easements, cedar doors and old fashioned fittings, it looks out.’ across the bay from the seclusion of its plantation of imported trees. Down between the house and the -sea beach, there funs a. grassy slope, at the termination of which rises a grove of the beautiful polmtukawa which had just shed their blaze of Christmas bloom when Captain Hobson arrived, . ■ To the right flows the tidal .waters of the Waitangi River, whose falls, four miles beyond its mouth have given their name “Crying Water” to the district. Upon the flat which fringes the river bank the Maoris camped amongst the cabbage palms, and the smoke of their fires might have been seen curling upwards until it was lost in the morning air. Paihia And Oihi. Still further to the right, and across the river under the forest clad hill, nestled the little mission station of Paihia, Avhcrc W. Colenso was producing copies of the New Testament from his primitive printing press. Away to the left, in Oihi Bay, stands the spot where the first Christian sermon was .preached to the Maoris by Samuel. Marsde'n on •Christmas Day, IS 14, and between these two points where the natives had first received the spoken and written word, the natives were now asked to decide a question that very largely involved their political salvation. \The morning of the auspicious day, Wednesday, February 5, broke with nature’s approving smile upon it, and was singularly beautiful even for the Bay of Islands. Many of the natives had arrived during the previous day, and the face of the harbour was still alive with canoes speeding from all directions to the place of the meeting, their crews straining brawny arms in the hope of outstripping their opponents in the race to Waitangi. Flag And Residency. On shore, a large marquee had been erected upon the grassy, lawn in front of Mr Busby’s residence. The Union Jack waved gaily over the whole scene until the official proceedings w r ore began, when it whs lowered as an indication that sovereignty had not yet been ceded to the Queen. The ships- in the harbour had likewise marked the occa- • toil by carrying all their bright flags, •ml in the brilliant sunlight the picture was one of picturesque animation rot the least interesting features being the leaders, of both Roman Catholic and Anglican missions and the bine-, shirted settlers. As a kind of off-set to ■ those there were the groups of natives -■(matting on the ground, each tribe discussing Avith ' ample gesticulation and volubility the Treaty from their own immediate point of view. The Europeans were very numerous, but the natives were more so, many who, yame. .from a distance carrying gnus. The Governed* Comes Ashore, At !> o’clock the Lieutenant-Gov-e:noi-, accompanied by Captain Nias,' 'of the ship “Herald,” lauded at Wailaugi, and they were shortly after- • wards- followed by the olliccrs of the ship, Lieut. Shortlaml and the mem-

bers of the civil staff, and by the missionaries who were resident in and about the Bay of. Islands, The Lieu-tenant-Governor. held a levee to' nieet all those . who had not already been intro- . dueeCl to him. Mean w h i 1 e the crowd had been accumulating, ; an d were rapidly finding positions of vantage within the tent. , : Colourful Platform. -The scene, says an eye-witness, was very interesting and impressive. ’ In th,e centre of the narrow raised platform were the Governor and Captain of the man-of-war in full uniform, on the Governor’s left were Mr Busby and the "Roman Catholic Bishop (Bishop Pompallier) in canonicals, his massive gold chain 'and crucifix glistening on his dark purple coloured habit. On the right of His Excellency were the members of the Church of England Mission ’ in plain black dresses. . 1 • . In front of the platform in the foreground were the principal native

chiefs of several tribes, some clothed with dog skin mats, others in splendid looking woollen coats of every shade of striking colour. Some wore dressed in plain European clothes and others in common native dresses. Here and there a hani, nr short spear, was seen erected, adorned with the long flowing white hair of the tail of the Hew Zealand dog, and with crimson cloth and red feathers. In ''the distance the raven black and glossy locks of the natives, gracefully ornamented with . snow white and

drooping feathers of sea birds and of the white crane, formed a striking contrast. Around the aides of the tent were the settlers. •Captain Hobson’s . Speech. Captain Hobson rose from his seat. The hum of human voices which filled the • tent suddenly ceased. Animated conversation gave way to an air o'f silent expectancy as the Queen’s representative began to speak in slow and measured tones. After a very short preliminary' address

land the reading of the Treaty, Captain Hobson invited the chiefs to ask explanations. Governor Hobson, in a despatch to Sir George Gipps, written the same .lay, gives the following circumstantial account of the proceedings, which dve describes as a most imposing spectacle. ‘ ‘‘The'bysih'ess of the meeting com* ineiiaeeii announcing to. ;the chiefs the object of my mission and the reasons that had induced'Her Majesty to appoint me. I explained to

them in the fullest manner the effect that might be hoped to result from the' measure, and I assured them in the most fervent manner that they flight rely implicitly on the good faith of Her Majesty's Governor in thetransaction. I then read the Treaty, and offered a few-remarks explanatory . of such passages as they might be supposed not to understand. Mr H. Williams, of the C.M.S.j did me the favour to interpret, , and repeated in the Native tongue sentence by sentence all I said. Note of Opposition. “When I had finished. reading the Treaty I invitcfl the chiefs to ask explanations on (any . point they did not comprehend, and to make any observations or remarks on it they pleased. Twenty or thirty chiefs addressed the meeting, five or six of whom opposed me with great violence, and at one period with such effect and so cleverly that • I began to apprehend an unfavourable impression would be produced. Waka Nene Speaks. “At this crisis the Hokianga chiefs, under None and his elder brother. Patuone, made their appearance, and nothing could have been more seasonable. It was evident from the nature of the opposition that some underhand influence had been at work, and the

arguments were such as convinced me they had been prompted. Eewa, while addressing me, turned to the chiefs and said ‘Send the man away; do not sign the paper. If you do you will be reduced to the condition of slaves, and bo obliged to break stones for the roads. Your land will be taken from you and your dignity as chiefs will be destroyed. *' “At the first pause, Nene came forward and spoke with a degree of natural eloquence that surprised all the Europeans and evidently turned aside the temporary feeling that had been

created. He first addressed himself to his own country men, desiring them to reflect on their own condition, to recollect how much the character of New Zealand had been exalted by their intercourse with Europeans, and how impossible it was for them to govern themselves without frequent wars and bloodshed, and he concluded his harangue by strenuously advising them to receive us and place confidence in our promises. He then turned to me and said ‘You must be our father; you must not allow us to become slaves, you must . preserve our customs, and never permit our lands to be wrested from us.’ “One or two other chiefs who were favourable, followed in the same strain and one reproached a noisy fellow named Katiki, of the adverse party, with having spoken rudely to me. Katiki, stung by the remark, sprang forward and shook me violently "oy the hand, and I received the salute apparently with equal ardour. This occasioned among the natives a general expression of applause, and t a loud cheer from the Europeans, in r, hich the natives joined, and thus the business of the meeting closed, further consideration of the question being adjourned until Friday at 11 o'clock, leaving, as I said, one clear day to reflect on my proposal.” A Halt Called. | During the remainder of the day a strong effort was made by the beachcombers and whisky sellers of Kororareka to spread dissension among the chiefs, and to prejudice the idea of the Queen's protection, but fortunately the natives were able to appeal with confidence*to the missionaries, and, to the credit of that body, it must be said that they were as loyal to their eounselves faithful to their church. The try as they had already proved themgood impression created by Hone Hoke and Nenc therefore stood, and, before the evening had closed, there was a preponderating number anxious to sign the Treaty, Successful Issue. To have refused the request made by the natives that proceedings be terminated the following day would probably have meant that there would have been a stampede from the scene 1 of operations, and a golden opportun- i

ity would probably have been irre- ; trievably. lost. Captain Hobson there* fore assembled the officers of- the.* ; 'Government, and, with Mr Busby • and ■" 1 the- gentlemen of the missionary body, ■ proceeded to the tent, where the * Treaty was signed in due form by 46 . 1 head chiefs, in the presence of at ! least 50,0 of inferior degree. Hone > s Hekc ,jyas the first to fix his As each chief signcd tfie Treaty, Gap- ; ; tain Hobson took him by" the ■ hand ’ and repeated in Maori “He iwi tahii tatou ,J —“We are now one people.” Having now concluded' 1 the 'official portion of the business, 'Captain Hobson, who had conducted the whole ;of the proceedings with conspicuous pati- - ence and ability, left the meeting um". der a volley of cheers from the natives, ' which resounded through the .hills- apd , across the sunny waters of the. bay. / Governor Hobson then took active steps: to obtain signatures to the Treaty ; throughout the whole -of the Colony, and, by July 4th, 1840, 512 had been, obtained, embracing almost every - map.: of influence throughout, the : islands, with the exception of Te Where-

Whero, of Waikato, Tc Hcu Hen o£. - Taupo and Taiaroa, of Otago. Ancient Reign Ends. And now the ancient reign , of the ' native chief tains was over. A more powerful race had entered into possession of the land. It had come as

though by inspiration to Hongi, ■when leaving Sydney harbour with the Bey. Samuel Marsden, that he was opening > the portals of his Dominion to a people who would supplant the , child-, • ren of the soil. that time barely a quarter of a century had elapsed, and already the mystic mummeries of

tho once powerful Maori toh.unga had lost their influence, and the multitudes • had turned from the gods of their forefathers to the God of strangers. Still they had maintained . .their political independence, and played the part of

patrons and protectors to pakehas. Now all this was to he changed. The ’ chiefs whose power of life and death , in the ‘good old times \ none durst dispute were to bow down under strange laws, the ancient, customs to be overridden, their. ..sacred things, trampled underfoot. They must either, rtee to the level of a higher civilisa-’ tion or sink beneath its resistless wat* ers. How this problem has been dealt with since the native leaders signed away their sovereignty a hundred years ago, and how it is hoped the eventual solution will bo assisted in the present - celebrations, it will be the purpose of ~ other articles to deal with. ",