EARLY NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19676, 30 June 1927, Page 11

EARLY NEW ZEALAND.

INCIDENT OF 1824 RECALLED. BARON DE THIERRY'S PLANS. DUTCH POSSESSION CONCEDED. .An incident in the relations of the famous Baron de Thierry with early New Zealand was recalled recently by a correspondent of the Times as showing how, only a century ago, the sovereignty over the country seemed neither settled noteven greatly desired hv either of the countries concerned, England and Holland.

The name (originally Nieuw Zeeland) recalls that Dutch navigators first discovered in 1642 what was long believed to be a single island. But the first permanent settlers did not arrive until 1815, and they were a few British missionaries. The stai"s of the island a century ago is indicate( .1 a letter written under date London, February 9, 1824, No. 18, by .Mr. A. R. Falck, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of H.M. the King of the Netherlands in London, to the Chevalier Reinhold, acting-Minister of Foreign Affairs at The Hague. Purchase of Lands from Natives. The Ambassador expressed embarrassment at having to transmit an offer made by the Baron Charles de Thierry:— "His communication to me is to the effect that I should induce H.M. (the King of the Netherlands) to cede H.M.'s rights 10 Nieuw Zeeland to the Baron Charles for a lump sum payment of fifty thousands pounds sterling. This gentleman," he continues, "was born in Brussels . . . came to this country in early childhood, and has served in the English cavalry. After the declaration of peace, when he was placed upon half pay, he married a lady of some means and settled down in Cambridge." It appears that "some natives from this Australian territory were brought to England by missionaries and were taught their Catechism in the neighbourhood of Cambridge." From these natives the Baron Charles had obtained, by bill of sale, dated August 7, 1822, the full ownership of all the lands, forests and waters within certain areas along the Yoki-Anga River in Nieuw Zeeland "in consideration of 36 axes to us now given." The astute Hollander doubts whether even so moderate an outlay is worth while for the honour of becoming "a landowner in so wild and remote a country," but proceeds to point out that, "with the present surfeit of capital in England and the persistent tendency among agriculturists as well as craftsmen to carve out for themselves a more ample livelihood in other latitudes," it was not difficult for M. de Thierry to obtain the required financial backing for his colonisation plans, which the cession of the Dutch King's nominal sovereignty was to complete. Colonial Office Indifferent; The first concern of the diplomat was to ascertain the English point of view as to the sovereignty over the islands, "for I know," he states, "that the English authorities of New South Wales have from time to time issued orders as though Nieuw Zeeland were subject to their Colony." To appease him, the Baron produced "an official communication from the Colonial Office," a copy of which he transmits, "from which it 'may, I venture to think, be concluded that H.M. could assume to himself the sovereignty of Nieuw Zeeland without the British Government being able to say anything about it." Even so, the proposal seems somewhat extraordinary to the worthy envoy, notwithstanding the redeeming feature that "the man asks but for a conveyance o;i paper, without any guarantee whatsoever which might subsequently cause us trouble or responsibilities." Whether the dignity of the King would permit of,such a "paper conveyance" of sovereign rights to a private individual seems to have been doubted by the correspondent, but faithful civil servant as he had long been, he wound up by explaining 1 lie exact procedure by which the London Emba .-iV could, if desired, carry through the transaction and make sure of receiving "cash upon delivery." The Netherlands Foreign Office and King William did not see fit to entertain the adventurous baron's proposal, but it seems strange- —in the light of subsequent developments—that the matter could even have been raised so comparatively recently as a bare hunched years ago.