Stewart Island

Southland Times, Issue 22131, 27 September 1933, Page 13

Stewart Island

Pages from History Colonization Schemes, 182?

By

“The Native.”

For some time William Stewart has not appeared in our narrative. If, however, he had not accomplished great things in southern New Zealand trade he was certainly attempting schemes sufficiently large and important to earn mention. One scheme, that for opening up a timber and flax trade with Stewart Island, will always be associated with his name. The year 1825 was an important one in New Zealand history. Though the colonization of Australasia was still in its infancy, three different schemes for establishing colonies in far away New Zealand were before the emigrating public of the Mother Country. These three were; (1) The New Zealand Company, prominent figures in which were George Lyall, Stewart Majoribanks, George Palmer, Colonel Torrens, and the Earl of Durham. (2) A scheme by one Baron de Thierry, which with the first named related chiefly to the North Island. (3) The Stewart Island scheme inaugurated by our friend William Stewart, sometime of the Pegasus. The first came in contact with the third later on at Stewart Island before ii finally came to grief in the North Island. The second went so far that the Barron set himself up as Sovereign Chief of New Zealand, but the natives and everybody else laughed at his pretensions, and his reign was short lived. The history and fate of the third scheme, so far as the author knows it, will be found in the following:—

In 1824, and early in that year too, Captain Stewart was in England, and judging from the terms of correspondence which passed between de Thierry and Earl Bathurst, must have been in the former’s employment. If he'was it would be in connection with the scheme the Baron was preparing with elaborate care prior to placing it before the people of England. However, Stewart left that employment, if he ever was in it, and set to work to forward a scheme for a trading settlement on Stewart Island. De Thierry had been engaged during the previous year in trying to obtain concessions from the English Government for his" colonization scheme, but was put off by the authorities with the reply that New Zealand was not a British possession. In these days when colonial possessions are sought at the expense of blood and money, the idea that the ownership of a great country like this was actually repudiated by the Imperial authorities, within the lifetime of people now living, is so novel that reproduction of the official reply is a matter of interest. Downing Street, December 10, 1823 “The Baron”, Charles de Thierry Sir, I am directed by Earl Bathurst to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, and to acquaint you in reply that as the questions'' which you have proposed to his Lordship respecting the Island of New Zealand are founded upon the assumption that that Island is considered as a possession of the Crown, it seems necessary to apprise you that you have been misinformed on the subject. I am,

R. Wilmot Horton.”

De Thierry was not satisfied with this reply and fearful that Captain Stewart might succeed in obtaining some Government sanction and thereby prejudice his own scheme he wrote the following letter to Earl Bathurst:—

“My Lord, After the nature of the answers to the letters which I .had the honour at various times to address to your Lordship, I would not again intrude upon your time respecting the Island of New Zealand, if it were not that I claim an act of justice from his Majesty’s Government, to obtain which, I cannot better address myself than to your Lordship whose impartiality and justice are so well known.

“The act of justice which I plead for is, that should any privileges be granted to any individual in New Zealand, that H.M. Government will bear in mind that I was the first to seek this assistance, and the first to set on foot the colonization of New Zealand; I should not therefore be the last to be listened to with a favourable ear. “A Captain Stewart, of the whale trade, is to wait upon your Lordship, to request that Government will grant him the Island which bears his name, on the southern extremity of New Zealand. I will not enter into any length on the hostile tendency of the step towards myself, and will confine myself to two facts, the one that he deserted from H. M. Royal Navy, and only dared return to England on the general pardon some years back; on the other, that he has deserted me, who had employed him not knowing his former offence. “I write not to you, my Lord, as an informer, but simply that your Lordship may be enabled to draw a line between an aspirant who deserted the service of the King and a claimant who has served him faithfully and will ever be at his disposal. , I have the honour to be etc., C. de. Thierry.”

“P. S. After deserting H. M. service Mr Stewart was prize master on board a privateer.”

If bitterness in a letter could have settled poor Stewart and his attempt to form a trading colony at Stewart Island, nothing more would have been heard of that proposal. If there is one virtue in officialdom, it is the impenetrable calm with which violent expressions are received in correspondence. No doubt the incident ended with the receipt of the letter. At any rate Stewart managed to float his venture by the October following, and, having floated it, sailed on October 8, 1824, in the Prince of Denmark, from London, reaching Sydney on March 2, 1825. One passenger, a Mr Matthew, accompanied the vessel. The men Stewart completed negotiations with were Messrs T. and D. Asquith, and it was left to them to continue the correspondence with the British Government. It was not until Stewart had reached Sydney that they made approaches to the authorities to futher the scheme. This correspondence, or rather a portion of it, is to be found amongst the great mass of manuscript records which, after costing a mint of money to obtain, are now in Sydney,

awaiting apparently with little prospects of success, authority from the New South Wales Government for publication. The details available are contained in this letter:—

“To the Right Honourable The Earl of Bathurst.

Permit us to call your Lordship’s attention to the following statement: In the month of October last year we entered into a speculation the object of which was cultivating flax and procuring timber at that part of New Zealand called Stewart’s Island, to accomplish which we have engaged a person named Stewart, a man apparently well qualified for the undertaking, and from whom the island takes its name. To forward the enterprise we have since purchased another vessel named the Lord Rodney. She is now in the London Dock nearly ready for sea, the expense attending both ships amount to about £5OOO.

“We further beg to inform your Lordship that one company is already in existence and another forming for the same purpose, namely, collecting flax and timber at New Zealand. Their intentions agreeably to their professions will be to form settlements on the more northern parts of the country, but to guard against any interference on their part at Stewart Island. We have taken the liberty of thus addressing your Lordship under the persuasion that having advanced capital to the above amount you will not refuse granting us protection for that portion of New Zealand we have already made choice of. We have the honour to be, etc., T. and D. Asquith.” (To be Continued.)