THE CHATHAM ISLANDS

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1703, 25 February 1862, Page 3

THE CHATHAM ISLANDS

Avery interesting report on the Chatham Islands is published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 14th January. It is from tbe pen of Mr. Seed, the Landing Surveyor of this Port, who was directed to proceed thither last September to audit the aooounts of lhe Customs Office there, and to report generally on the Customs Establishment, trade, population, and resources of the Island. Considering that Mr. Seed had only about a week to do all that was required of him, he must have had his time most uncomfortably occupied. Only thelat-

ter portion of his report is published — that which relates to trade, population &c :to the completeness and general accuracy of this portion of the report, we cau testify from a personal visit some few years since, and doubt not, therefore, that the unpublished departmental portion conveys sound data for the guidance of the Government.

The trade of the Chatham Islands is very limited. The supply of a few whale ships is all that the iuhabitauts depend upon, besides the sale of potatoes — the sole marketable commodity they produce.

Potatoes are at present almost the only things grown, large crops of which are raised year after year from the same ground, with very little labour. It has also been exclusively for tbese that the trade to tbe islands has hitherto Been carried on. Very little wheat or grain of any kind has been raised since the potatoes first began to realise suoh high prices. One year the Maories were paid as much as '£6 a ton for them by the traders from Australia. In 1854, about 2QOO tons were shipped tor Sydney aud Melbourne, in the purchase ot which it is estimated that the traders spent about £5,000 in cash, and as much more in goods. Altogether from 1854 to 1856 inclusive, about 7000 tons were exported, and it was during that time that so many vessels visited the islands, and that a considerable trade was carried on. At present there is scarcely any sign among the natives of the prosperity they attained to in those years, beyond the number of horses which they possess, as most ol the money they received for their produce was soon most foolishly dissipited. Iv 1859, the whole potato crop, about two thousand tons, rotted in the ground for want of purchasers. Iv 1860, five vessels arrived from Australia, and took away about 450 tons, and three vessels from New Zealand shipped about 150 more ; these all cost on the average, £3 a ton, so that last year, about £1800, most part in trade, was laid out on the islands. The goods taken from New Zealand were, no doubt all duty paid at the ports at which they were shipped. In consequence of these few vessels calling last year, the natives again made large plantations ; both Mamies and Europeans assured me that the crop of the present season would yield at least 2000 tons, and, from what I saw myself, I believe this to be a low estimate. At Waitangi alone, there were at least 200 tons of the finest potatoes I ever saw brought into the pah to be ready for shipment. With the exception ot 160 tons shipped for Wellington, all this large crop, like that of 1859, must rot on the ground. The Esther has been the only vessel that has called to load this year. In the three trips that she has made, there have been shipped 732 bushels of wbeat, 162 tons of potatoes, and about 1200 pounds of wool. The cost of this would be about £350, and more than two thirds of this was paid for in goods, duty paid in New Zealand. The natives this year have been glad to take £1 a ton for their potatoes, delivered on board the vessel. The price of wheat has been 4s. a bushel.

JThe price of potatoes during the years 1844-5 was higher than Mr. Seed mentions, oompetition amongst vessels who had little time to purchase cargoes, freqeut • ly raising tb_ price considerably, The want of a steady market fur perishable agricultural produce is the main draw back to its prosecution at the Chathams, as elsewhere. The natives seem slow to learn the law which sooner or later obliges every man to do that which pays him best. Wheat being always in demand at some price, will be more profitable to them than continuing to grow an article, saleable one year, perhaps, at a high price while totally uncalled for the next. It is just this which renders the growth of wool so popular in New Zealand — a certain market, even though it may fluctuate a few pence, is by fur the most profitable investment iv the long run. Mr. Seed proposes that a supply of seed wheat should be sent down — a very prudent way of spending any "Surplus Revenue" derivable from the Islands.

A change of seed wheat is much required, as the sort the Maories now have, from want of proper care and attention has very much deteriorated. If a few bushels of really good seed wheat and barley could be sent down for distribution amoog the Natives, it would have a most beneficial effect, and would perhaps be the means^of inducing them to cultivate more grain, for which there would always be a steady demand at remunerative prices ; and they would not then have the mortification of seeing their whole year's labour thrown away, as is now the case in consequence of potatoes being the only crop cultivated, for which, as I have before pointed out, there is often no purchaser at all. Great benefit would also result from sending at the same time some white clover seed, which, if ouly scattered over the abandoned Maori cultivations would soon rapidly spread over the Island, besides converting these waste places into excellent pasturage. At almost all the pahs there are small patches of English grass which look rich and luxuriant, but I did not see any clover.

The population details are most curious and show how speedily the races there must die out. Bishop Solwyn's census alluded to by Mr. Seed, was taken in 1818, so tbat in less than fourteen years the natives have decreased one half. The

maorioris or morioris as the aborigines call themselves, Paraiwharas or blackfellows as the conquering Ngatiawas call them (as a term of contempt, not as applicable to their oolour which is lighter than that of the New Zealander,), have not decreased in the same ratio. In 1848 they number 268, the decrease is therefore about 40 per cent — au advantage in their favour resulting, we have little doubt, from their beiog restrained from participating in the drunkenness and lioeutiousuesa wbioh *o grossly prevailed

among the maories while trade was good, and which still prevails to a degree only subordinated to the means of continuing

! The European population of the Chatham Islands is now very small ; beyoud the three German settlers and their families, and Mr. Shaud and family, on the main Island, and the families of Messrs. Hunt and Reignault on Pitt's Island, there are not a dozen others altogether, and most of these live among the Maories aud cultivate small plots of ground or taupas in common with them. I enclose a return which shows the total number to be 46 only, viz. : 33 adults, and 13 children. I found great difficulty at first in ray endeavours to ascertain the present number of Maories aud aborigines ; all the estimates both by Natives and Europeans differed very widely Shortly after my arrival, however, a large number of Natives a Kaingaroa met to see me, and I took some pains to induce them to make a complete list of the names of all the Native inhabitants of the different settlements round the Island. In this I succeeded, and believe the list I procured, of which I beg to enclose a cony to be perfectly correct, as I had several opportunities of testing its accuracy. I enclose also an abstract of tbis nominal list, which shows thei Native population to be as follows : — ' Aborigines or Morioris iqq Maories , 413 Half-castes (by European fathers; 17

Total 590 Five hundred and ninety souls. From this return it will be seen that the Natives must be rapidly on the decline, as there are only 64 children to 509 adults. At Kaingaroa and the adjacent kaingas, which comprise about half ot the population, 34, nearly all adults, have died since 1856, and 17 only have been born in the same period. Several years ago the Lord Bishop of New Zealand lookjalist similar to the one I obtained, and then the Natives, I was told, numbered over a thousand. It would be interesting now to compare the two lists so as to ascertain the exact rate of decrease. It should be noted that in addition to those who have died, about thirty left for Taranaki by the Esther, in 1856. J

Everywhere that I met the poor Morions I found them delighted to see me, but the Mao ries appeared to exercise a most suspicious vigilance over their actions, aud rarely left them a moment alone to talk to me. The miserable remnant of this ill-used people, I believe, cling most tenaciously to the belief that His Excellency's Govermr ent will ere long restore them to freedom, and to the possession of some portion of the land which was so cruelly wrested from them by their Maori conquerors. It is estimated that there must have been fully 3,000 aborigines on the Island when the Maories first leached there, twenty-five years ago; the greater part of these were slaughtered at once, and the remainder subjected to a slate of the most oppressive slavery. Of late years, however, their condition has much improved. I believe they are not now beaten or ill-used, and they are allowed to cultivate the ground for their own benefit, in common with the Maories ; the men are also now allowed to take wives, which they were not formerly permitted to do, but are still piohibited from marrying Maori women. Only two instances have occurred of Moriori men baying taken Maori wives and in one these the woman was formerly a slave in New Zealand.

The islands present many advantages for settlement, but few Europeans care to make use of them until some method of land purchasing is legalised. The " Native difficulty : ' in New Zealand is quite as much as the Government oan at present attend to, and there is little probability that they will ultimately add to the burden that of the Chathams. If Mr. Seed's surmises relative to gold shoul f j prove correct, " swarms " will settle from the Otago hive, in which Mr. Seed's report has created no little stir, indeed from the tone of the Otago press, it is most likely that a prospecting party will soon be despatched.

In the centre of the main Island, which is nearly all low and undulating, there is a large salt water ot brackish lake occupying fully onethird of its area. This lake has a hard sandy bottom and is easily fordable over about half of its extent, wheu the moutb is open at the point where its waters flow inco the sea ; at times, however, after heavy gales of wind I believe this is closed up, and then it is too deep to be crossed except in boats ; a large portion of it is always very deep.

Nearly all round the sea coast there is a belt of bush varying in width from a mile or. more down to one or two hundred yards ; this portion comprises the 'best laud. Between it arid the lake the ground is open, and is covered either with flax or with rushes, low fern and a kind of heather. The flax land is generally good, the other is mostly very wet and swampy, even on the highest parts ; but it could all be easily dr&iued aa it appears to be everywhere considerably above the level of the lake. The soil throughout is light and rich and is composed principally of peat mixed with fine quartz sand varying in their proportions in different places. In some parts, uear the sea coast, the quartz sand entirely prevails, forming long lines of sand-hills ; in others, the ground is composed exclusively of peat. lv many places in the open ground this fine white quartz is so thickly strewn over the surface as to preseut the appearance of a recent fall of snow. The bush land, which is the ouly part that has yet been cultivated, is the richest lhat I have ever seeu ; it sustains a dense growth of vegetation, and when cleared yeilds abundant crops of the same kind for many years in succession. Wheat, oats, and barley, have beeu cultivated with great success; all tbe English fruit trees, such as the oppie, pear, peach, plum, and cherry, &c, grow most luxuriantly aud bear well. Anything that is cultivated iv tbe Middle Island of New Zealand would do well, I have uo doubt, at tbe Chatham Islands, as the climate and temperature must be much alike. The crops never suffer from drought, and uo blight of any kind has yet made its appearance. From the abundance of quartz and other indications, similar to what I have observed at Otago, I have little doubt that gold will be found at the Chatham Islands ; and I am confirmed in this impression by the opinion of a gentleman in Welliugton of acknowledged authority in such matters, to whom I showed specimens of the rocks that I brought back with me.

The despatch winds up with a suggestion whioh merits oareful attention. The pr obiem oi he central gaol is ia som-

measure solved. It is a problem which resolves itself into the questions of expense, safety, and morals. On the two first we are not in a position to write, but as regards the last, we most cordially endorse Mr. Seed's observations ; and feel sure that the founding a convict estab lishmeut there, would certainly not add to the demoralisation of the islands, but, by introducing law and order, might possibly check it.

Altogether it must appear, from what I have stated above respecting the soil, climate, and productions of the Chatham Islands, that they are admirably suited for settlement and occupation by Europeans ; yet it is doubtful, I think, whether settlers, without some special advantages being granted to them, could be induced to go there, while so much land yet remains open for selection in New Zealand, where, already great facilities exist, in theshape of good roads, and steam communication for the conveyance of farm produce to the nearest market: besides the numerous other advantages of being located at no great distance froni large and thriving towns, the centres of commerce aud civilization. Under all these circumstances, I cannot help remarking thst these Islands impressed me as being most admirably suited for the location of a penal establishment for this colony, more tban anything else. Distant from New Zealand, at the nearest point, about 400 miles, their insular positiou would ensure tbe security of the prisoners ; whilst with the advantages of possessing a good harbor, temperate climate, rich soil, and abundance of stock,- such an establishment ought in a short time to be made entirely self-supporting from the labour of the convicts alone.

I know it may be objected that the presence of convicts would have a demoralizing influence ou tbe present inhabitants ; but the place is of sufficient size to allow a large number to be kept iv a locality quite apart from the native. And even if they were occasionally to meet, I do not think worse consequences would result than have already followed from the bad examples of the lawless and dissolute characters who have from time to time been left on shore from whaling ships — especially as prisoners would always be under strict surveillance and control. And putting aside altogether the question of the relative expense, I do not think tbe location of convicts at the Chatham Islauds can be looked upon as nearly so objectionable, as would be the formation of a large establish,, ment for them in the midst of any of the populous and rising settlements of New Zealand.