EXTRACTS FROM DR. THOMPSON'S " STORY OF NEW ZEALAND."

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 312, 16 October 1860, Page 3

EXTRACTS FROM DR. THOMPSON'S " STORY OF NEW ZEALAND."

After Governor Fitzroy's supposed settlement of the Taranaki native disputes of 1844, the fugitives from that district scattered over New Zealand knew that their inherited lands which had been lost by conquest were now restored to them by the British Government. Single families paddled in their canoes, with children and pigs, from Cook's Straits to occupy their fatherland; others came in the ships from Chatham Islands and in 1848 Wm. King, the Ngatiawa chief and 600 souls migrated from O)aki to Taranaki, and took quiet possession of their ancestral domains on the south bank of the Waitara river, ten miles from the English settlement of JNew Plymouth. Governor Grey, foreseeing how this migration complicated the land question, urged without success her Majesty's Government to locate a corps of pensioners in the district. These returned fugitives soon grew rich from the excellence of the soil, and the ready market furnished by the settlers for their surplus produce. Thus W. King's tribe in 1854 possessed 150 horses, 300 head of cattle, 40 carts, 35 ploughs, ,20 pairs of harrows, 3 winnowing machines, and 10 wooden houses. The natives placed a high value on the land from which this wealth had been extracted, and refused to dispose of it. In 1853, 5,000,000 "of acres were purchased from the Otago natives for J2600, 2,000,000 acres were bought from those in the province of Wellington for ,£24,000, and .£16,000 were spent on buying land in the Auckland province; but the crown could not purchase a rood in the neighborhood of New Plymouth. Here the natives said " The money we receive for our land is soon gone, but the land remains with the Europeans for ever.' To keep this spirit alive, an anti-laud-selling league was formed among some of the Taranaki tribes ; and in order to give solemnity to their proceedings, a bible was buried in the earth, and a cairn of stones raised over the spot. One tribe not belonging to this league, was induced by the indiscreet zeal of a Government officer to offer a quantity of land for sale iv 1854, and Rawiri Waiaua, the"chief of this party, accompanied by twenty-six followers, commenced cutting the boundary line. Katatore, one of the most-active chiefs of the league, with sixty armed men, requested Rawiri to desist, as the land was nut his to sell. As Rawiii refused to stop, Katatore fired a volley at the workmen, which killed seven and wounded ten; among the former was Rawiri. This horrible massacre occurred within sound of the church bell of New Plymouth, and the English, and native friends of the slain called upon Government to assert the majesty of the law, and hang Ratatore, seeing that Rawiri was an assessor, and a faithful ally of Queen Victoria's. Before the scars of the wounded had cicatrised, a^ conflict occurred between the party of Arama Karaka, the successor of Rawiri, and Katatore's follower's, in which twelve were slain and sixteen wounded. Indirectly, the conflict arose out of Rawiri's murder, although its immediate cause was an act of adultery. A general dispute was now engendered, distant tribes became embroiled in it. and congregated about New Plymouth, fortifications were strengthened, natives went about armed, and intercourse was cut off by the tapu between tribes living north of Bell Block and the English settlement. New Plymouth shopkeepers complained that free trade was at an end when bargaining with armed savages; a panic seized the settlers, ai.d, to prevent the town from sharing the fate of Kororareka, an imaginary danger, they prayed for the presence of the Queen's soldiers. At this juncture both the contending parties proclaimed their anxiety not to embroil the settlers; both dreaded the English power, both felt they could preserve their lives against trained soldiers, but both saw the impossibility of preserving their horses, herds, and agricultural imple ments. The troops were landed, followed by the acting Governor, Walker Nene, Te Whero Whero and Te Puni. 'On careful inquiry, Colonel Wynyard adopted a neutral policy, and refused to avenge Rawiri's murder because that chief was killed for offering to sell laud which did not belong to him. After^ several conflicts between the natives, in which sixty were slain, and one hundred wounded, a truce was made in December, 1856. Two hundred and fifty soldiers of the 65th Regiment were left at New Plymouth to protect the settlers, not to take part with either of the combatants, to the great joy of the settlers and natives, as both races were sensibly alive to the advantages of a commissariat chest. The soldiers called the Taranaki expedition the beef and mutton campaign; the excellence of which told on their coats, and gave the regimental tailors constant work in enlarging them. It is worthy of remark, that Arama Karaka's party were Wesleyans, and Katatore's and W. King's were Episcopalians. The Rev. Mr. Turton countenanced the former, Bishop Selwyn the latter; each thought his own people right, while both exerted themselves to stop strife and promote peace. Arama Karaka, worn out with anxiety, died in January, 1857. Notwithstanding this cessation of hostilities, no land was sold to the Government, and the settlers declared that the anti-land-selling league should be put down by physical force. Anonymous placards were stuck on the New Plymouth Bridge, urging u»on the Governor this insane and unjust policy, and they accused the chief actors of high treason. Political motives and patriotism bound the league together; for the New Zealanders consider that until they surrender their territorial rights, they only partially become British subjects and they know that native customs are not to be followed on the Queen's land. Advancing civilisation made them feel very acutely what it is to be a subject caste; that with a few exceptions they rarely visited settlers' houses on equal terms; that like oil and water, the two races did not blend; the English oil, being the richer, kept at the top , and that, if they alienated their inherited estates, their children would degenerate into hewers of wood, and drawers of water to the white men. Equality of condition between men living in houses and men living in kennels, and speaking different tongues was impossible, but little was done on the English side to narrow the gulf. While the colonists admitted the justness of these observations they stated the natives held much the same relation to the settlers which the Irish did to the English colonists in Ireland, the Saxons to the Normans, and the Indians to the followers or Cortes, they were universally treated with much greater kindness and forbearance. Actual attachment to the soil itself also suppsrted the league, for the natives love even their uncultivated lands more than the settlers are aware of. Scarcely an acre is relinquished without regret, as almost every hill, mountain, valley, and bay is linked to the tribe by some ancestral tradition. No heir of entail ever sold an estate which had come into his possession through ten generations of ancestors with keener pangs of sorrow than the New Zealanders give up their lands. Trifling events daily occurred which boi c evidence of the existence of this feeling. Ropoama, in April, 1857, when the last uubougiit suction of land in the Middle Island was purchased by Government at an assembly of the people held near the spot where Tasman first sighted New Z< aland, struck a green-stove adze with a powerful blow deeply into the ground at Mr. Commissioner Me Lean's feet, aud cried aioud iv the metaphorical language used on such occasions: " Now that we have for ever launched this land into the sea, we hereby make over to you, as a lasting evidence or iis surrender, this adze named Paiwhenua, wh eh, we have always highly prized from having gained it in battle, after it had been used by our enemies to kill two of our most celebrated chiefs, Te Pehi and Pokaitara. Money vanishes and disappears, hut this greenstone will eudure; as durable a witness of our act as the land itself, which we have now under the shining sun of this day transferred to you for. ever."

STRAYING COWS. Sir— The Biped race an evil law against us have enacted, Which we poor town cows hope to see amended or retracted Before we put in practice the stopping the supplies". We hope our friend Chief Justice Hyde will soon memorialise The Council to grant commonage, which we shall daily prize. Meantime, dear Sir, we hope you'll print this 'bout our cousin Pranky, And may the cows with richest cream know how and where to thank ye. Town Hawky. my cow pranky. 0 my cow Pranky, so lean and ill-fed, You're hunted like Prince Charlie, there's a price upon your head, Your Flora can't conceal you from treacherous vision keen, And highlanders and lowland era is all the same I ween. For a gentleman's at large, and in duty he is hound To mark you in his note-hook, or lead you to the Found. My poor*cow Pranky! you better days have seen, When the hills were at your service, and mi-mi green; But they sold your promised pasturage, and pushed you east and west, And if you show your face inside the belt, they shout out Pest! And a gentleman's at large, and in duty lie is bound To mark you in his note-book, or put you in the Ponnd. My poor lady Pranky ! your schoolmaster's abroad— You will not learn geography, though aye upon the road. 1 wish they'd put your ladyship upon the Survey staff; You then might learn the boundary line, and teach it to your calf. Nor keep a man at large, who in d'<ity strict is bound To mark you in his note-book, or put you in the Found. Sure wisely thinks poor Pranky, labor's at an overplus, "When a man is kept expressly to look so after us: And rich must the Exchequer be, or Charity 'twould seem, Must pay a man to walk about, and eat, and sleep— and dream How many cloven hoofs he saw, and how they jinked him round A flax bush, playing hide and seek, but would not go to Pound. My poor cow Pranky ! I wish you would take fright: Do you not know that town grass is five pounds a bite ? 'Tis true his Worship charges less—extremes he fain would shunBut darling of a cow, I wish you'd keep upon your run : For the geutleman's still at large, and in duty he is bound, On Sabbath day or Saturday, to drive you to the Pound. And you, my little Pussy, when next you cross the street, I hope you'll try to walk erect upon your two hind feet; ' ' And you my little darling rejoicing out of doors, I must insist upon it, you creep not on all fours ; For the gentleman's abroad—no doubt he will feel bound To mavk you in his note-book, or put you in the Pound. —Otago Witness.

NATAL.

" The Oolony of Natal" An account of the characteristics and capabilities of this British dependency. Compiled and edited by Robert James Mann, M.D., F.R.A.S., Superintendent of Education in Natal. There is no British colony which offers greater natural advantages to emigrants than Natal. Whether regard be had to the geniality of its climate, the romantic beauty of its scenery, the diversified fertility of its soil, or the Inoffensive character of its native population, it presents temptations to the intending emigrant, which, if known, and properly appreciated, could scarcely fail to be irresistible. What is really wanted to cause a large addition to its wealth and population is, that a knowledge of its merits should be more widely diffused among the masses of the English people. Happily, unlike Australia and British Columbia, Natal is no El Dorado, attracting tens of thousands of the basest of mankind by a prospect of the immediate acquisition of wealth, in the form most inviting to human cupidity. It offers something far better than a gold-field,—a home in which millions may realise all the comforts, and fulfil all the duties of civilised life, and found an Anglo-African empire which shall be a blessing to future generations. The work compiled by Dr. Mann is the best written and most complete of the books on Natal which have yet been published. It could hardly be otherwise, seeing that Dr. Mann, who is the superintendent of education in Natal, has compiled the work from two essays which obtained the prizes offered by the Government Emigration Board in 1857, and has made valuable additions to it from his own pen. There is nothing connected with the colony respecting which it does not furnish the most ample information. The history of the colony from its earliest commencement; its geographical and physical characteristics; its native races, climate, and natural productions—these, combined with a large amount of special information for emigrants, are the chief among the topics of which the work treats, and which it fairly exhausts. The scenery, climate, productions, and capabilities of the three great terraces into which the colony is divided, are described in detail; and there is not one point, as far as we can judge, which is left untouched. The picture, which is drawn of the Zulu Kaffirs—the race to which the natives of that colony belong—is, on the whole, of a highly favorable character, and altogether free from the dark cooring of colonial prejudice. The Kaffirs are naturally too fond of their native freedom to be easily induced to adopt civilised habits, but it is nevertheless a fact that large numbers of them do contribute their labors to the wants of the colony, and prove faithful and industrious servants. We cannot but regard with a hopeful feeling the future of a race which, as Dr. Mann asserts, possesses in a high degree the qualities of cheerfulness, hospitality, and gratitude. Let those of our readers especially who have been taught to regard the Kaffir as being destitute of every virtue, and addicted to every vice, peruse the following extracts :«—

The Kaffir is by nature as social as the ant which makes its hillock nests upon his plains. The men assemble, day by day, and pass their time in incessant conversation. To sit together, and snuff and talk, and then dance and sing together, is the prime enjoyment in Kaffir existence. It must also be added that the talk is not uncommonly earnest, and concerning grave State affairs. When an ox is killed at a kraal, invitations are sent round throughout the neighborhood, to bring guests to the feasts; and the gathering is at last by no means restricted to invited guests. Countless numbers, besides, drop in as from the clouds, and, as a matter of oourse, receive their share. It has been remarked that if an ox is killed anywhere in South Africa, Kaffirs and vultures are sure immediately to appear. The Kaffir is quite unable to eat his meal alone. Whatever he has he freely shares with all who chance to be at hand, excepting the amasi, or some milk, which is only partaken of by members of the owner's kraal, in consequence of being deemed essential for the support of the children and women. Even when in the bervice of white men, this national trait < continues to be vital. The meal-time is almost sure to bring its bevy of hungry mouths, and all get something from the iron pot, even if no addition is made to the contents. ***** White men, whose principal intercourse with Kaffirs has been in the relation of masters and servants, very generally hold that the race is devoid of all sense and gratitude. The notion, however, mainly depends on the fact that the Kaffir has too commonly been expected to be grateful for some act which he himself has never recognised as a benefit. The simple truth seems to be that the Kaffirs are fully as sensible of kindness, consideration, and acts of real benefit as white men. Instances are continually occurring which prove this position in the most striking way. There is an old German, residing at New Germany, whose means are very limited, but who, nevertheless, has been dubbed a chief among the Kaffirs, in consequence of his expressing only gentleness and good-will towards them. A Kaffir who had been out of this German's employ for some time, made his appearance at his house the other day, pulled from a basket two small packets and laid them on a table, and added, " There, old Baas (master), are some coffee and sugar which I bought for you at Pine farm, because I know you like them." Mr. Posselt tells of an English hunter who was laid up in a solitary hut in Zululaud with a fever, and whose life was preserved for some days through his Kaffir attendant creeping by stealth into the neighboring kraals at night and milking the cows for him, although quite aware that if he had been caught, his life would have been the sacrifice for the robbery. Mr. Posselt was once passing a kraal in a remote part of the country, when a Kaffir woman rushed out from a hur, and called after him to stop his horse. On coming up with him, she said, " Here are sugarcane and mealies for you. You are the man who gave me bread in your place three years ago.1' Mr. Posselt had forgotten both the woman and the occasion alluded to. Instances of grateful memory of this kind are of constant occurrence. To complete this picture of the Zulu Kaffirs, Dr. Mann states that they have " a very fine and correct sense of justice:" and are so scrupulously honest, that, although they are sent long distances with large sums of money—with the value of which they are perfectly acquainted— " there is not a single instance on record of money having been lost while in the messenger's hands." No wonder Dr. Mann comes to the conclusion " there is probably no land in the world in which property is more absolutely safe than it is in Natal." We have alluded to the diversity of the products of Natal, and certainly no country was ever more favored in this respect. The coast lands are adapted to the cultivation of every kind of tropical produce, such as cotton, sugar, indigo, and arrowroot. In the midlands all the cereals, excepting wheat, are cultivated, and yield productive crops, while dairy farming is carried on very profitably. The uplands constitute a great cattle-grazing and woolproducing country, and wheat is also largely grown. The following may be taken as a sample sketch of Natal scenery :— The lower, and approximately tropical terrace, which immediately overlooks the coast lands k for the most part, a very broken and bushy tract. Hilly prominences and ridges, aDd abrupt ravines and valleys, alternate with each other incessantly. The immense chasm, indeed, seems to run the whole length of the colony at this distance from the sea, having a loftier escarpment on the landward than on the seaward sides; and having conical eminences, jagged ridges, aad table masses reared from its floor in the wildest confusion. The sloping prominences are grass-covered, but the table masses are for the most part circumscribed at the top by walls of bare rock. Enormous blocks of stone are scattered in many places over the hill sides. The Marda location, set apart as a Kaffir reserve, and standing immediately beneath the eastern face of the great " table mountain," is one of the most characteristic specimens of this magnificent wilderness. The entire location, indeed, is but a basin-like dilatation of the wild extra-lateral valley. From the summit of the Table mountain the eye roams for miles over a wide prospect extending beneath, and composed everywhere of a succession of grey and violet hills, looking like hillocks in the distance, with various windings between, and serpentine streams glittering here and there. At times the air is so transparent and clear that every inequality of rock in in this wonderful basin landscape stands revealed to the eye for mile after mile, with a distinctness that renders it very difficult to compass the idea of the enormous expanse of territory that is spread beneath the gaze. Before concluding this notice we must express our sense of the great practical value of the two last chapters, entitled respectively " A Few Words to Emigrants," and " Hints to Emigrants' Wives." — Morning Star. A Difference.—The difference between a man and a woman is, that a man gives two shillings for a thing he wants, and a woman gives eighteenpence for a two shilling thing she does not want. The Floating Population of London. —Mr. D. W. Harvey, the Commissioner of the city of London Police, has, upon the application of Mr. Alderman Cubitt, M.P., chairman of the Police Committee, caused an account to be taken by the police of the number of persons entering the city within a given period. The result shews that the amazing number of 706,621 individuals passed into'the city by its various entrances during the twenty-four hours tested; and as the day selected for the enumeration was free from any extraordinary attraction to the city, there can be no doubt that the return furnishes a fair estimate for the average daily influx. Of tiie 706,621, the aggregate of this census of a day, 49,242 only, or less than one-fourteenth, entered during the night—viz., between the hours of eleven p.m. and seven a.m. It is hardly necessary to add that these numbers are altogether irrespective of the resident population.—Times.