Hocken. — Early Visits of the French to New Zealand. 153 



" LTAube," one of the French squadron maintained for the 

 purpose of looking after the interests of the French whalers in 

 the Pacific seas, arrived at Akaroa from the Bay of Islands to 

 act as tender or convoy to the expected emigrant vessel. What 

 must have been the intense chagrin and annoyance of her com- 

 mander, Captain Lavaud, to find that H.M.S. ; ' Britomart," 

 Captain Owen Stanley, had anticipated him by four days, and 

 that the British flag was floating and British authority already 

 established ! The fact was that immediately on learning the 

 mission of the French war-vessel Captain Hobson despatched on 

 this service the " Britomart," then lying at anchor in the Bay 

 of Islands. That old and well-known settler Captain William 

 Barnard Rhodes — familiarly known as ; ' Barney Rhodes " — 

 did a good service at that time which should here be recorded. 

 In November, 1839, he and his partners, Messrs. Cooper and 

 Holt, who conjointly traded between New South Wales and 

 New Zealand, sent several head of cattle to Akaroa. Receiving 

 private information that the French emigrants might be expected 

 there, Captain Rhodes lost no time in erecting a large flagstaff 

 on the spot now known as Green's Point, and gave instructions 

 to Green, who had charge of his cattle, that when the French 

 arrived he was to hoist the British flag, drive the cattle under 

 it, and inform the officer on landing that the South Island had 

 been taken possession of for the Queen by Messrs. Rhodes, 

 Cooper, and Holt. Whatever may or might have been the 

 legal value of such precautions taken by a non-official subject 

 of Her Majesty it is needless to discuss ; but they, at any rate, 

 exhibited patriotism, foresight, and ingenuity. Probably the 

 deeds of both Captain Stanley and of Captain Rhodes were really 

 unnecessary, inasmuch as Colonel Bunbury had taken formal 

 possession of the South Island at Cloudy Bay on the 17th June, 

 1840, two months previously. 



Long ago has the warm sentiment of mutual respect and 

 friendship dissipated the envy and ill feeling which once dis- 

 figured the great French and British nations. Now they are 

 close friends and allies, and through the long future may there 

 be but one rivalry between them — that of best helping forward 

 whatever advances the progress of humanity and knowledge. 



