NEW ZEALAND 



Maoris. The following letter from one of the naturalists 

 of the expedition to the Secretary of the Navy refers to 

 an historical event of great significance, the acquisition 

 of New Zealand by Great Britain. 



JOSEPH P. COUTHOUY TO J. K. PAULDING, SECRETARY 

 OF THE NAVY, MARCH 29, 1840 



" Before this reaches you, you will doubtless have heard 

 of the occupancy of New Zealand and its dependencies as 

 a British colony under the lieut. -governorship of Wm. 

 Hobson, Esq., R. N. ; in consequence of which, without 

 some understanding to the contrary with Great Britain, 

 our whalers, outnumbering those of both England and 

 France together, will be wholly cut off from this lucrative 

 field of employment. Although the British government 

 affects to recognize the independence of the native chiefs, 

 in pursuance of the treaty stipulation with European 

 powers, that New Zealand should preserve its sovereignty 

 intact, yet it is obtaining possession, as fast as possible, 

 of their territories, by purchase; and no reasonable man 

 can doubt that in a very short time they will thus be en- 

 abled to lay claim to the whole of both islands, as they 

 now do to the best portion of the northern one. Gover- 

 nor Hobson has already gone so far as to issue a pro- 

 clamation stating that henceforth no purchases of land by 

 individuals from the natives will be held valid which do 

 not receive the sanction of the crown ; and, still farther, 

 that, in regard to purchases already made, the crown will 

 decide what portion shall be retained by the purchasers. 

 I also learned this morning from a brother of Robuluha, 

 the most powerful chief on the northern island, that the 

 new government is using every exertion to dissuade the 

 chiefs from disposing of their lands in future to any one 

 but the Queen of Great Britain. The whalers here ex- 

 press great apprehension lest the result of these move- 

 ments should be their exclusion from any participation in 

 the valuable fisheries of the coast, and this, together with 

 the interest which as an American citizen I feel in any- 

 thing affecting so important a branch of our national 

 industry, will, I hope, be a sufficient excuse with the De- 

 partment for my having alluded to the subject." 



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