CROWN GRANTS AT WELLINGTON.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 22, 1 November 1845, Page 2

CROWN GRANTS AT WELLINGTON.

By the newspapers, recently received fiom Wellington, we understand that Colonel "Wake field has announced his determination of waiting instructions from the Directors of the New Zealand Company, in England, before he pays the fees, and accepts the deeds of grant, from the Ciown, in favour of the Company, for the land purchased by them from the natives. His reasons are given in a letter, inserted in the New Zealand Spectator, of too great length to insert entire, but the substance is as follows : — The Deed of grant issued is for 7 1 ,900 acres, of which 63,000 have been surveyed, and 54,900, including 4,310 reserved for the natives, have been selected ; but the grant gives a crown title to little more than one half which the Company sold in 1 839, in England, as being in the settlement of Wellington, — namely, 110,000 acres.

Colonel Wakefield anticipates that the Crown Grants for further land only awaits another report from the Commissioners of Land Claims. There are exceptions in the deed, to certain portions of land, within this area of 71,900 acres. The first is, all the pahs, burial places, and ground in cultivation by the natives, the latter meaning those tracts of land which are now used by the natives, for vegetable productions, or may have been used for such purpose by any natives since the establishment of the colony. There are also three portions of land, in the town of Wellington, excepteel, and for which deeds of grant from the Crown have been issued to other parties, than the persons actually in possession, and who have purchased from and paid the Company. They consist of one and a half acre fronting Lamb ton Quay, and covered with buildings, worth £4000 "to £5000 :-—another of three quarters of an acre, — and another of four acres with frontage to Thorndon Quay, the grant to which has been issued to the Manager of the Union Bank of Australia, by assignment of Mr. Robert Tod. The claims to the two first portions are founded on purchases alleged to have been made, prior to the sale of the district to the Company ; and the third, on a purchase made from a single native, three months after the general sale by the natives, and just previous to the arrival of the first body of settlers. The fees demanded on this grant to the Company, at Wellington, conjointly with another for 151,000 acres of land in the Nelson settlement, amount to £1,114 10s. Colonel Wakefield contends, that the three exceptions aie in direct contravention of the positive declaration of Captain Hobson made to him, in a letter dated 6Ji Sept., 1841. "Understanding that some doubt is entertained as to the iutentions of the Government, with respect to the lands claimed by the New Zealand Company, in reference both to the right of pre-emption vested in the crown, and to conflicting claims between the Company and other purchases — , " It may be satisfactory for you to know, that the crown will forego its light of preemption to the lands, comprised within the limits laid down in the accompanying sche« dule ; and that the Company will receive a grant of all such lands, as may have been by any one validly pin chased from the natives ; the Company compensating all previous purchasers, according to a scale to be fixed by a local oidinance "You are at liberty to give the utmost publicity to this communication." The schedule of lands described :—: — Town of Wellington, eleven hundred sections of one acre each ; total 1 100 acres. Town district, fifty sections of 100 acres each, exclusive ot 2 sections being crown reserves ; total 5000 acres. Harbour district, sixty-nine sections of 100 acres each. Watt's Peninsula, twelve sections of 100 acres each ; exclusive of one acre being crown reserve, total 1,200 acres. Porirua district, containing 10,000 acres. Hutt district, containing 6,400 acres. In the neighbourhood of Port Nicholson, 78,800 acres to be surveyed aud allotted by the company. The total quantity of land thus referred to, was 110,000 acres ; and the letter of Captain Hobson, with the schedule, and a notice describing the boundaries of the town of Wellington, were published in the Government Gazette of 13th Oct., 1841. To carry out the intentions of Captain Hobson; the second Land Ordinance was passed in February 1842, but Lord Stanley disallowed it, and stated that the first land ordinance passed in June, 1841, was alone to be the guide on land claims. Colonel Wakefield endeavours to show, by the 7 th clause of that ordinance, the Commissioner was bound not to recommend grants to individuals claiming land, that might be required for any town, harbour, or other purpose of public utility ; but if their claims were valid, to allow them compensation, in lieu, thereof, out of the remaining estate of the company. But we think, far greater importance is to be attached to the despatch of Lord Stanley, in which he plainly approves of Captain Hobson's conduct towards the Company's settlers.

(Extract of a Letter from Governor Wobson to the Secretary of St ate Jar the Colonies J Auckland, 13th Nov , IS4I. "Anxious to relieve a numerous body of British s ubjects from a stale of much eintiariassmpnt, and having learned from the arrangement entered into with the New Zealand Company that it was the intention of her Majet>t)'s Government that thete- should be gianted to them f»ur times as many acres of land as it should be found they had expended pounds in the manner pointed out in that arrangement, 1 caused it to be notified to the Company's Piiucipal Agent that, as to the lands comprised in an accompan) ing schedule, Hie Crown w ill forego its right of pre-emption. The few claims I hat might be substantiated in preference to that of the New Zealand Company,

in respect of the lands comprised within thei settlement, being made bv persons not actually settled on the spot, I deemed it expedient at once to declaie, should give way in favor of persons actually occupying the land, and that the Company should compensate such previous purchasers according to a scale fo be fixed by a local ordinance. I am happy to say that the assurance thus given to the Company's agent had an immediate and marked effect on the commercial credit of the settlement." I have, &c , (Signed.) W. HOBSON.

(Lord Stanley's Reply.) Downing street, 12l!i May, 1842. Sir,— " I have received jour despatch of the 13th November la6t, No. 30, transmitting copies of communications which joti had made to the Agent of the New Zealand Company, relative to the Companj's title to land sold by them to settlers at Wellington. " I have to convey to you my approval of your proceedings in that matter." 1 am, Sec. (Signed) STANLEY.

We certainly are of opinion that the exceptions in the deed of grant are unjust in the extiemc. Bearing in mind, the sensible declaration of Governor Hobson, — that the claims made by persons not actually settled on the spot, should give way in favour of persons actually occupying the land, the Company compensating the absentee valid claimant,—* we entirely concur with Colonel Wakefield, '* that to concede grants of land, which has acquired a greatly enhanced value by the outlay of the capital of others, to individuals whose case has been otherwise specially provided for, is well calculated to embroil the community in strife."

Native Outrage on the River Thames. — We regret to hear that the Natives at the settlement of Opito, about a fortnight since, taking advantage of the absence of Mr. A. Warbreck and his crew from their vessel, boarded her — broke open the boxes, and stole property to the amount of from the owner," besides all the seamen's clothes, We trust that the next publication of the Maori Gazette will disseminate this outrage, with a Government reward for the felonious act.

Travels in New Zealand, by Alexandra Majoribanks, of Majoribanks. — London, Smith, Elder, $ Co, 1845.

We have been favoured with a perusal of a small volume published in London, at the early part of the present year, under the above title. It is a most curious production, beiug composed of various quotations from the numerous works previously written on this colony, interspersed with poetical extracts,— .iriginal poetry of the author,—scriptural quotations, and crude opinions on different subjects not in the least connected with New Zealand. Alter attentive consideration of the contents, we cannot but conclude that the real object of this publication is similar to many otheis that have preceded it, whose authors have an interest in the southern settlements, — namely, to disparage by every possible means the northern or government district of this colony. We have been led more powerfully to this inference by the fact that this pamphlet has been put forth, about the period .vhen the New Zealand Cfimpany anticipated an amicable arrangement with the Government, and the settlement of New Edinburgh was still in contemplation. In addition to this, we find the work dedicated to Mr.Lockhait, the member for the county of Lanark, of which Glasgow is the metropolis ; and that the author himself, resides at Balhgate, which is midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow. This we conceive is rather strong evidence,, that the work was intended for circulation among the friends of Mr. Rennie, the projector of New Edinburgh, and that the volume was produced under the sanction and auspices of the New Zealand Com - pany. We quote the termination of his preface. " In conclusion, I have to return to the New Zealand Company, and to their polite Secretary, Mr. Harrington my best thanks, for the kind assistance which they have at all times afforded me in the prosecution of this work." With these preliminary observations we shallproceed to some account of thd author and his lucubrations, which we think will be rather entertaining to our readers. The Author left England from Glasgow on the 3 1st October 18.if) in the Bengal Merchant, with the first Scotch colony to New Zealand and arrived at Port Nicholson in 1 13 days from Greenock. His observations on the voyage arc strange and ludicrous, alternately from attempts at the sublime, to perfections of the ridiculous. He gives minute account of the passengers, carsfo and stock down to the last pig 1 , and then adds—" Talking of pigs, Mr. Dickens in his late work on America, gives an amusing anecdo.te of oue he met with in the streets of Washington. 'I his pig had only one ear, having parted with the other to vagrant dogs, in the course of his city rambles, though he gets'on very well withoutit. He had lost his tail in the same cause, but notwithstanding these severe losses he leads a roving, gentlemanly kind of life. lie leaves his lodgings at an early hour every morning, throws himself upon the town, gets through the day in a manner highly satisfactory to himself, and appears regularly at the door of his own house again at nijjht. He is a free a^ud easy, carejessj,

indifferent kind of pig, havingan extensive acquaintance among other pigs of the same character, whom he mows rather by sight than by conversation, as he seldom troubles himself to stop and exchange civilities." What connection this New York pig can possibly have with travels in New Zealand, we are at a loss to imagine. With similar consistency, there immediately follows, an essay, in consequence of the death of a child on board, on "The Cause of the Dread of Death," of some 150 lines. We cannot pass over the further account of the voyage without another extract, in proof of the poetical genius of the author. " It was when off this island that I composed the following poem, under these circumstances. The Rev. Mr. M'Farlane offered a piize for the best poem, and though I believe that mine, upon the whole, was considered the best, yet our reverend friend contrived to keep the money in his own pocket in a veiy ingenious way ; asserting that it did not come up to what according to his views, a prize poem ought to be. But though rejected by this eminent divine, who must have been a bad judge of poetry, it does not follow that it must also be rejected by you." Seene — On board of the Bengal Mvi chant, at Ten o'clock at night, off D' Urville's Island, Cook's Straits, New Zealand, on llth February, 1840. The l)ell tolls four, the knell of parting day, The night w atch sings " let lights extinguished be ;" Sa\ e wheie the cuddy daits its glimm'iing ray— The only light that now remains at sea. No more the fiddlers play their wonted aiis, No moie the dancers trip the highland fling ; No moie the Doctoi* banishes our caies, With stories told amidst th' accustomed ring. Oh sleep, thou harbinger of peace below, Thou only refuge fiom the cluldien's scieam ; Thou only levellei of friend and foe, And emblem of thyself without a dieam.f The cry of water, dealt with wine-hke care, Awakens those still lull'd in " Murphy's" arms; And chance of finding boards laid bare, Soon rouses those, quite dead to othei charms. Once more the hubbub on the deck is heard, Once more the sextant fills the Captain's hand ; Once moie the gallant Lawyei % mounts his guaid, Prepaid for fight in jonder savage land. And now the Butcher takes his -wonted stroll, 'Midst pigs and fowls that know full well his tread ; Or stopping,, listens to some stoiy dioll, Tho' not before his num'rous Hocks aie fed. And now the Doctor goes his daih round, And feel's the pulses of his childien dcai ; And tells them that the best relief is found In soups and salts, and sicklike good old cheer. At night we offei up our prayers sincere, To Him who doth the mighty deep command; That he would bless the friends we've left so dear, And guaid us still thiough our adopted land. And when the cry of " Land" was heaid at last, How eager all that land weie to explore , Though some shed tears on scenes for ever past, Far, far away on Caledonia's shore. And now that we have plough'd the stormy deep, And anchor'd safely on a foreign strand, Let's sing the praises of the gallant ship, That's wafted us unto this smiling land.

* Dr. Graham Tod, of Glasgow, an emigiant, who died at New Zealand a few months after his anival. + The Emperor Napoleon compared death to sleep without a dream. % It. Strang, Esq., late Solicitor in Glasgow, -who used to drill the passengers, to be leady for battle, in case of being attacked by the New Zealanders. After detailing the adventures of his first arrival, at Port Nicholson, during which he was an object of much attraction to the natives on account of his size, weighing fifteen stone, our author gives a history of New Zealand, from the discovery oFTasman, down to the formation of the New Zealand Company. The second chapter comprises a description of the three islands, and the various settlements, compiled chiefly from other authors, and accompanied by remarks of his own, which plainly indicate the true spiiit with which this book has been writ) en ; for we believe, he never was in any but Port Nicholson, and there only for a few weeks, when be left New Zealand altogether, returning to England by New South Wales and the Brazils. His Travels in which countries he has also published in separate volumes. After a brief description of the Bay of Islands and llokianga,— there are some most incorrect statements regarding Auckland, which ne shall extract from the mass of ridiculous observations. " Auckland, the new metropolis adjoining the Thames, lies on an open slope, with little Iresh water and no wood either for fuel or building, within several miles ; arid ships are obligej to anchor a long way off, as they cannot approach the shore at low water." *' The people of Auckland have built some decent weather boarded cottages, at an enormous cost, and are now only waiting for emigrants to restore their exchequer." " Firewood too is very dear, as it has to be brought by water carriage by natives, from a considerable distance." *' Provisions were high, as at one time I observed in the Auckland Gazette of 24th Julj', 1841, that Potatoes were £6 10s. per ton ; Beef, Is. 4d. per lb.; Mutton, ds.; Fowls, 12s. per pair; Eggs, 6s. per doz.; and that they had no Tea at all. Now in iheGazetfe of Ist December, 1841, opposite to the word • TeaJ there is still marked ' none,' so that from the want of that article, during so many months, the Aucklanders had it not in their power to become tea-totallers eveu though they had been iucliued ; ihey became, however, almost all rum-totallers, during that time, and to that society they continue so much attached, that I fear they are not likely to change it for any oilier." The injustice and disingeneousness of thus publishiug in 1845, the state of supplies and pi ices of the Auckland market in 1841, will be obvious to our readers; although he remaiks two pages further — " Provisions of all kinds, are now, however, less than one half of what they were in 1 84 1 , in Auckland, and wages and house reut have Jalieu in the same proportion." But we particularly call atleution to our next quotation, respecting Auckland, from this Traveller in New Zealand. " Auckland though now slowly recovering, was in a deplorable state in 1844. A friend of mine, Mr. Sauderson, writes thus to one of my brothers in Sydney, on 22nd January, 1844. 'There are at this moment, not half a dozen houses standing in Auckland, and these half dozen could not iai.se together jg3oo. Sales of bankrupts are taking place every day at ruinous pi ices, aud at one which 1 attended lately, sugar was sold at a penny per pound, Indian si Ik-handker-chiefs, eight-pence each, and lice one farthing a pound.' "

No: content with these indirect false insinuations of what may be the present slate of markets in Auckland, the author again refers to 1841, and we have his termination of the description of the town and district of Auckland in the following words :— " It is curious that the English cannot settle down quietly, even in a new country, without wasting their time and money on these two most absurd of all absurdities, namely horse races, and public dinners. When betf was one shilling and four pence a pound, one would suppose that the AuckJanders might have been better employed in sowing a little clover or turnip seed for their cattle, than in drinking a lonsf list of absurd toasts, or setting a parcel of dumb animals to run against each other, particularly in a country like that, where, from there being scarcely any roads, it is of no earthly consequence whether ahorse can gallop twenty miles an hour, or only twenty )ards; intleci] a couple of working 1 bullocks are intrinsically more valuable than all the race horses in the world. These races weie advertised in the Auckland GazeiteoC Ist December, 1841, as the Epsom Races, and to those amongst the Aucklanders who had really seen the Epsom races in England, the contrast must have appeared singularly striking. The winner of the Auckland town plate was to besold for £150, "if demanded," but who in their senses would give above as many pence for a raec t horsc in a wilderness. " The dinner was given to Captain Hobson, the late governor, and took place on the 2lstofJuly, 1841, when, as the newspaper states, " his Excellency fulfilled h'S promise of honouring the inhabitants of Auckland with his company to dinner, at Wood's Royal Hotel.'' This dinner, like most .other public dinners, though given ostensibly in honour of the Governor, was no doubt got up by the fifty gentlemen who attended it, chiefly with the view of affording them an opportunity of sounding each other's praises'. When his Excellency's health was proposed, he made an eloquent reply, worthy in every respect of a jolly British tar conveited into a governor. The toast of "the Church," gave the Rev. Mr. Churton an opportunity of displaying his usual eloquence. The" Army and Navy" followed next, when Lieutenant Dawsou, of the Navy, and Captain Richmond ot the Anuy, both returned thanks. Lieutenant Daw son, in his speech, seemed to think that Governor Hobson was as eminent an iudividal as Captain Cook, which no doubt secured for him a knife and fork at his Excellency's table the following day. The next toast was " the blessings of peace and civilization to the aboligines," to which Mr. Haswell responded, declaring that though he had been appointed one of their protectors, he found them able and willing to protect themselves ; admitted by all present to have been the most sensible remark that was made during the whole evening. The next toast, " Mrs. Hobson" ami the Ladies of New Zealand.'' was proposed by the Attorney-General, and responded to by the Governor, who alterwards retired. Now as the dinner was given in honour of him, they ought all to have retired at the same time, but that would not have answered their purpose at all, as, with the laudable object they had in view, it was of no consequence whatever to them whether they entettained at dinner his Excellency or a chimney-sweep; and but for that, his Excellency in all probability, would have had the distinguished honour of dining by himself. After his departure, accordingly, they set to work wilh more energy than ever. The vice-chairman gave the " Colonial Secretary," who made a neat reply; Mr. Mason gave " the Commissioners of claims to grants of land," when Colonel Godfrey, one of the Commissioners, displayed his usual eloquence ; Mr. Coates gave " Captain Symonds and the Magistrates of New Zealand,'' when the captain returned thanks in an appiopriate manner. In short, they continued pouring forth the most extravagant eulogies on each other for sveral hours, till the healths of almost all the whole company had been proposed, ami they had made their speeches, when thfe revelry, of course, came to ah end. They were all, in short, so delighted with each other, that they s\ere reluctant to separate, thereby resembling two lovers courting, who, it is well known, never tire of each other's company, for the best of all possible reasons, because they are always talking of themselves.'' The details of Auckland and the Waitemata distr.ct are comprised in six pages of this volume j — then follow eighteen pages, highly laudatory, without any disparaging remarks, on Port Nicholson, extracted as might be expected, from the works of Heaphy Petre, from letters of a fellow ship mate of the author's, named Peter Dorcen, and of extracts from various other letters which have come under our perusal in all the newspapers and journals over which the New Zealand Company had any influence. The whole object in these remarks on Port Nicholson in comparison with those on Auckland, is evidently to induce a removal of the seat of Government, from the northern to the southern district. Pelre — New Plymouth, and Nelson have brief notices, and then follows some observations on New Edinburgh, terminating with the author's estimate of the present population in New Zealand, which proves how little he U acquainted with the islands and their statistics. He says —

We omit the author's remarks on the various products of the colony, for they are merely repetitions of information, that has been much better expressed by Others, and we pass on to his third chapter, which is a curious mixture of subjects, perfectly unconnected; but we shall confine' our observations and quotations to one, as evincing the philosophical reasoning poweis of Majoribauks of Majoribanks, who says, in describing the customs of tattooing and cutting their flesh, among the natives :— "This practice of cutting themselves, and tat (ooing, not only their faces, but a great part of their bodies, seems to leave but little doubt ot their Asiatic origin, or that they were descended from the Jews." Then in proof of this, there are quotations from the 16th chap, of Jeremiah, the i 9th chap, of Leviticus,

and the 18th chap. Ist hook of Kings; to prove that the Jews of old being prohibited liom any cuttings iti the flesh, and also from printing any marks upon their bodies, — were addicted to such practices, as the prophets of Baal— ergo, according to our author, ihe Maoris must be descendants of them ; but mark the additional circumstance brought forward by him, that such must be the historical fact, and ■which he puts forth as a discovery. " I may mention one other circumstance, which leads me to the conclusion that they were Jsws, though passing for New Zealauders, — and that is, their wonderful rapacity and love of money. This feature is not mentioned by any of the historians whom I have read; but during my residence in that country, 1 became atquaiuted with two Englishmen, named Smith and Eberly, and a Scotsman called Malcolm, who had all married Maori or Native girls, and had resided there for some years, who all assured me that they were remarkably greedy in their disposition." Now can any thing be more ridiculously absurd than such deductions or such observations. Cannibalism— Massacre of the Boyd — and the history of Captain Marion, all old threadbare topics occupy the remaining pages of the third chapter. The Wairoa massacre with the fullest details composts the fourth chapter of the woik, and we consider this the most sensible and rational of his own remarks in the whole volume, which, on that melancholy affair he thus conclude*. "Upon the whole merits of the case, the conclusion which I have come to, after much deliberation, is generally, that though there may no doubt be some truth in the several reasons assigned by the settlers, as to the cause of the late disasters, yet that none of them can properly speaking, be said to apply to the natives; and that it must be looked upon as having beentheresult of a variety of unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances combined, and attributable more to the inconsiderate and cowardly conduct of the settlers, and the rash conduct of the Magistrate who directed their movements than to any premeditated design on the part ot the aborigines. 5 ' The fifth chapter of this work is an heterogenous medley, commencing with Law compared to a country dance,— -then passing on to the cause of the love of life,— lnfanticide, — Evils of surplus population, — Doctrines of Malthus, &c ; but we pass on to the last section, which contains certainly some amusing and pertinent remarks as to the disappointment of the author ia be'ng induced to come to Port Nicholson. "The gieatest deception that has been practised on the people of this country [England], in regard to New Zealand is, that those interested in its prosperity, when statiug its wonderful fertility, kept almost entirely out of view the extent to which this fertility extends. They tell you the crops are the finest in the world,— ana the soil the finest iii the world, — and the climate the finest in the world, and though this may be all true enough, yet they too often conceal the circumstances that not above one tenth part o\ the country can even be rendered productive, thus reducing the ava'kvhle laud to within a comparatively narrow limit." Again, in referring to the evidence of an individual before the House of Lords, that—-" New Zealand was in scenery, climate and productiveness, a perfect paradise." Mr. Majoribanks says— " It appears to me a singular sort of paradise at all events, unlike what mankind in general look forward to, being composed chiefly of mountains, hills, ranges of mountains, ridges of mountains, snowy mountains, creeks, bays, lagoons, and mangrove swamps. When making outa description of the land in this paradise, they seem to have just stood on the top of one ridge of mountains, and looked across to another j then turned their eyes towards some creek, lagoon or mangrove swamp, and when all this was done guessed the probable contents as nearly as they could." We have thus endeavoured to amuse our readers with some analysis of these " Travels in Neio Zealand" and the extracts from which will best convey the little influence they will have on public opinion ; but of this, we are ourselves well convinced, that the Auckland and the Wailemata district will become the emporium of New Zealand, in despite of all such fallacious disparagiug publications. The Town of Auckland has recovered its commercial depression, which be it remembered did not arise from its geographical position, but from causes far different. Now that the land claims are settled, —the mineral and other resources being developed, — affairs are assuming quite a different aspect, and should the differences with the natives, in the northern district, be peaceably and satisfactorily adjusted, in a very few jears prosperity and plenty will be in the ascendant, on the Waitemata. However it may be the foolish practice of the southern settlements, and of the New Zealand Company at home,— should that body continue it 3 existence, — to vituperate the northern district — , Auckland will flourish. R On the quarter ending sth October last, the receipt of Customs, at this port, was nearly i? 3,000 ; while, for the same period, at all the settlements m Cook's Strait, the proceeds were not £800. The cargoes that ai c now in progress of shipment from Auckland, for the ensuing two months, are, we rejoice to record, earnest of brighter and more prosperous days, for the loyal settlers in this "district.

" The whole British population now settled in New Zealand may be stated pretty nearly as follows :—