Page 3 Advertisements Column 1

New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Volume I, Issue 53, 19 February 1842, Page 3

To the Editor of the New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette. Weikatani, February 6,1842. Sir,' —As you are more likely than most people to know something of the movements and intentions of our good rulers, would you have the goodness to give me an answer to the following questions, viz.:—l. Are we to be allowed any lands on account of improvements, travelling ex penses, surveys, &c., &c. ? 2. Shall a person who has bargained for his lands and made part payment for the same prior to the proclamation, and paid the remainder at any period after the proclamation be entitled to the whole or any portion of such lands ? 3, Shall guns and ammunition be allowed for in the same manner as other goods? You will oblige me much by favouring me with an answer to the above questions in the next number of your paper—as, if the answer to one of them be unfavourable, it is my intention to give back to the Natives several portions of my lands and take pork and potatoes in exchange, the Government may buy it from them again if they can or wish. I am your’s, &c. A TOP SAWYER. We regret much that our answer to all the questions of our friend the “Top Sawyer,” must be ■unsatisfactory—to each of the questions we must say “No,’’ It was but the other day that the same questions occurred to ourselves. We immediately waited upon His Excellency the Governor, and distinctly and unequivocally discovered that we had been all along deceived, and deceiving ourselves, by expecting any thing half so good as the bill of Sir Geo. Gipps, in its worst form, while the present “ seven wise men of Greece ” sat in Council. Greeks they are, and no mistake; and Trojans and fools have we been to assist m bringing their wooden horse into the midst of us. We would warn our friend, the “Top Sawyer,” and others, by our own case. Prior to Capt Hobson’s arrival in New South Wales, we sent down from Sydney some hundred pounds worth of goods, which were laid out in buying land, and in presents to the natives. On Captain Hobson’s arrival in Sydney, we and some others waited upon him, when he assured us of Her Majesty’s goodness and kindness, and Her anxious desire that we should not wound either our own or her feelings, by supposing for an instant that she contemplated depriving us of our lands. To our questions about going on with improvements, we were given to understand that Her Majesty would be shocked to think we could doubt her good intentions, and we were desired by all means to go on with them. We set immediate’)’ to work—bought a large and expensive saw-mill, which we contrived to bring nearly to the centre of New Zealand, at very great expense—we were busily at work with our men when we heard of the famous act of Sir Geo, Gipps —we came immediately to the Ray of Islands—we waited upon the Governor-—we were to 1 d not to be alarmed, that our own case and that of Capt. Symonds and Mr. Mair would be made special ones—we begged not to be deceived, for that we had determined to put up with the first loss, and to abandon New Zealand and the undertaking at once. We were persuaded not, that all would be right. We went on—Capt. Symonds and Mr. Mair with greater wisdom abandoned their scheme. We waited the other day on the Governor, showed him the account of our Sydney Agent, on account of land and improvements, reminded him of by ■ gone promises— memory is treacherous !! We were distinctly told we should not have a single acre for the thousands laid out upon improve-ments--that ifwe could show by deeds we had paid the Natives the smaller sum before the proclamation, we should get land to that amount!!! Our answer was, that we could afford to lose the one, the other we would not, and bad made up our minds to have all or none, and would try our case at home. This is our answer to the “ Top Sawyer.”— Editor.

Cheap Timber.— lt will be seen by an advertisement in our paper, that timber is now selling at Mr. Weavell’s pit, Fort-street, at from eight to twelve shillings per hundred feet.