NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume IV, Issue 315, 13 January 1844, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND.

Extracts from' the evidence given in 1838 by Captain R. Fitzroy, R. N., before the Select Committee of the House of Lords, appointed to enquire into the present state of the Islands of New Zealand, and the expediency of regulating the settlement of British subjects therein. [Continued from our last."] William Perm took the proprietorship and ownership of the country, but he did not take it without a bargain with the tribes ; receiving from the Crown the right that no other person should bargain with the tribes but himself ? Some such plan would answer, probably, in New Zealand. Is not the case in Australia the .first case of an English Colony where the land has been taken without any bargain with the natives ? I believe not. In Newfoundland, in Guiaua, when Sir Walter Raleigh first established himself there, no bargain was made with the natives. That was taken from the Spaniards 1 Yes. With respect to what would be ne> cessary for carrying on a system of colonization, without doing injustice or causing hostilities, I should wish to mention again the effect which a large ship would have ia those seas, as compared with a small one, and the ease with which a floating force of that kind pould be transferred from one place to another, as being so particularly applicable to the present state of New Zealand. The British Resident, being confined to one spot, can act only in his own neighbourhood ; but a ship of war could go to any part of the Islands wherever a disturbance occurred, and therefore the general effect would be far greater than could be caused by a much larger force stationed on shore for many years. Your notion of the Government you would wish to see established, would be the Resident acting through the Missionaries ? Acting in concerfwith them, for this reason. At present the Missionaries hold all the real influence in the northern part of the Island in their own hands ; and for the next two or three years at least he must act in. concert with them, or he could effect nothing. Were he to be opposed to them on any parfir cular measure, whose success they thought undesirable, they could prevent . it taking place, or the reverse. If the settlement there should grow into such importance as you seem to suppose it may, the country will be growing into consequence as a commercial and fishing station ; do not you think it would outgrow that sort of Government which could be established through the interference of the Missionaries, or that the Missionaries would become quite useless for their primary employment— -that of promulgating Christianity? In a few years they would, I think, be found filling situations corresponding to those of the lower orders of clergy in this country. The colonization and the settlement of that country is in no way at variance with a Missionary establishment ; they only require to be carried on in concert with it. Supposing the present irregular system of colonization were' to go on, and that it increased rapidly, in the sort of proportion in which you think it will increase, would not a time arrive, and that at no very distant period, when the settlers would be too strong for the natives, and the natives would be subjected to wars and oppression from the want of regulation ? Certainly ; and that case might arise tomorrow. A settler not acknowledging the influence of the Missionaries might be attacked, and having no force to protect him, might assemble as many of his countrymen as he could persuade to take his part. A designing clover settler might hi a short time get together a considerable force, and establish himself in some part of the Island where be^ might defy the natives, and thus would begin a series of feu.ds and great consequent evil." ' As colonization went on, would not the result be that in the course of a few years the colonists would become so strong as to be able to oppress the natives in consequence of ' the want' of established law and regulation of some lcind? ■ ■ 11 ' ili -I think it might. - ' ' Bo you look forward' to that as a distant period whe^ they might become too strong for the natives jj^ ' • " , Not distant, certainly. ' In' the northern ' part 'of the Island that might take place hr ; five or 1 six yisars from this time ;~ but;'6ver\!' the whole of the Island^ it might be moretfran fifty years', becauselittle W*flothi|-igl~ has yat^ been done' in the Southern^llland. i:! ; ~' J ~ Do you thirikthat wflibe the result in a'" shorter or a longer tjme, if, the present state* of things is unch'ec'k'eti 'V 5 ! '-'" " ~ ; Yes - - ------- . If, without the intervention of any 6ftairter pf Government or any act' of" l parliam«iw,''tKe 0

lands have "been taken from, the natives, do not you conceive that it might be possible for the Government of. this country tp give neater proteptiqn to tb,e natives, undfr a charter pr other act of parliament ,than. th,ey appear to have enfoyefl 'under their jndep,en r d^nt ri^bt qf doing what th,ey, pleased wijh their- own property? Decidedly; there can be no deuty that they could be much more efficiently protected. You consider that it is essential to their interest that some Protection should be thrown around them ; . Certainly. If colonization takes place ill the Island uqder any other circumstances t&an those under which it has taken place hitherto, that of acknowledging the authority of/ the chiefs as the paramount authority, if any other system of colonization should take place it appears to me that it will be necessary for, the British Government to protect the property of the natives in some manner, aqd {(>, protect even the chiefs themselves. Therefore the apprehension which you stat,e it oae rather founded upon the existing state of things than upon any alteration ? Yes ; or rather upon both. % was asked whether the natives transferred land from one to another within their own tribes. I am not aware that such a transfer of land has ever taken place between the natives of any one tribe; indeed, land has never been of sufficient consequence to them. I believe no instance has occurred of a decided transfer of land having- taken place between the natives of the same, tribe, "from the circumstance of there being so much land that they can go where they please, and make use of their own lands, which- to them have been of no value. I wish to make a remark on their maritime life. The- natives of that country are much upon the water in their out-.of-dobr pursuits, and they could not, without changing their habits very, materially, retire far from the sea coast, which peculiarity it would be necessary to consider in making any arrangement to provide for them in the event of part of the country being colonized. Should you suppose that. a,ny, system, o£ colonization could" be applied that could. gre r vent the access. of the natives, to the seas, and the bays ? An Englishman settling, in thajl; country,, with ideas of property learned in England, might think it very strange that a tribe of natives, or any number ol natives, should cross his property whenever and wherever they liked, and r one of. the' first ppin.ts .hfl would urge, would be, that, it was his, land, and that, tney must not trespass upon it. Powfl, to, low- waiter mark probably ;■ suppose that; would; be; the limit. I was, aj(sp asked, whether, I. thought it absolutely, necessary, that, England, should assume, the protection pf, thafc countny ; oc that thei question of colonksfsg, might he s.et at rest, or arj,ange,d,, without actually) taking possession of the cpun^y, o.r-withqqi/. dven. assuming! the. protection ; apd ag,far : aq.l haye, been- able. to> depide in my, own. mind, by, combining' what I have,,heard^f^qm ; -others v wath wha.t.l haveiseen myjself,,l now consider that ilus.not necessary. I certainly thpught, when; I last was: questioned,, that by no means,s)iart,qf undertaking thejjrp.te.ctipn of the, Islands could; it, be. quietly colonized; but now, I beg to say, that I do no.t. tiring, it is necessary; tp take., any, ostensi.We step, of t)iat, Xfa&i, heca^use,, whe,n r one con^i(jers T tha.t, thq Missionaries have, alone, su9qee4.ed,in^partly civilizing nearly twp-thirds of th§ Jargesf Island, that th,ey have, done so against all obstacles, and that no great dis r turj^apqe of t tranquillity has y,et tajken plape among^th.e;' acttlers,, I cannot, but thinly that, winU,Sßm§, sjigh.t, andj a, degree of p^Qtep^jfon, fronj Qov^rnmftnt, ( the-ciy4ization r ot^ r wip|p,J?jin?i' might, sqqn, be,, effe,c^e4, andj.th^t, oploniz,a.tjon xpighj. l b l e ? carried qn J( in, a qv^ie^^a^, ( w,iih ( the g.ood r .wi}l qf thenatives, ; and 1 , it, .is, my. o.pjn4pn,, thafc with judicious, management tfe?yf might; be. brought to. conn sijje^ Tingjapd. as, their sincere, friend, and, virtual p^c^r,, without, her being apknqwl ledged,in a,, formal, manner fo, be, ss; and, furtoer 4i t^t^e,, sam^.sysmn .w,hich .hasibpe^,, purged. hithe,rjtp v might, be^.carried^, oiit, iv.a, mojs, ejfeptual,, mafln^r, ; &9 f a^. in, a, few, yeaflsj toj hring. .^.th^e natives iin 9 t^a|; -country; toaskfi formally for the protection of England, in-, stead of its being assumed; without, the/r gefleja], cgnsen^ I^hink^ th,aj hy L influencing tKe r ttTJLn.ds,of th^, natives, , ins^ea^ of tak;ing J( any visible steps, such a dewgn, might , be r , effpe^ed^in a,veryjfew. year^ t , T]he- mjssipnar^s,/a,nd^ thpsp, afitiijg. ,v^fth, them,, migb^, br4n &^e ) .desir^^rangp;ent,a : hout, z throug^ rj th^ap^ , ojt\ the r na,tive^ Wl wJjo a should, 4oAe ( [ apnpar ? ,a^ % r acting b.ydy,;, th^ja r tin lefting, e>v£ry r th.jng ( bje,.djO^e f O3fensibjy(b\y.th.e,, natiyesj.whp w^uld, themselves be influenced by the Miksipnaries,. To be contisuf&

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