Opinion of the chiefs in relation 

 to the treaty. 



NEW ZEALAND. 



New Zealand, a separate colony. 

 Laws and imposts. 



163 



reach the rest of the natives, and overcome their 

 objections. About forty chiefs, principally minor 

 ones, a very small representation of the proprie- 

 tors of the soil, were induced to sign the treaty. 

 The influence of Mr. Clendon, arising from his 

 position as the representative of the United States, 

 was among the most efficient means by which the 

 assent, even of this small party, was obtained. 

 The natives placed much confidence in him, be- 

 lieving him to be disinterested. He became a 

 witness to the document, and informed me, when 

 speaking of the transaction, that it was entirely 

 through his influence that the treaty was signed. 



The lieutenant-governor installed himself, con- 

 firmed the appointments of a host of government 

 officers, and the whole machinery, that had been 

 long prepared, was put in motion. Proclamations 

 were issued by him, extending his authority over 

 all the English residents on both islands ! and it 

 was considered by the Englishmen as good as law, 

 though far otherwise by the other foreigners. After 

 this, the lieutenant-governor proceeded to the 

 district of the Thames River, or Hauaki, in the 

 Herald, for the purpose of procuring a similar 

 cession of the country; but before this could be 

 consummated, he was attacked with paralysis, and 

 the Herald was obliged to depart for Sydney. 



So far as the chiefs understand the agreement, 

 they think they have not alienated any of their 

 rights to the soil, but consider it only as a personal 

 grant, not transferable. In the interview I had 

 with Pomare, I was desirous of knowing the im- 

 pression it had made upon him. I found he was 

 not under the impression that he had given up his 

 authority, or any portion of his land permanently; 

 the latter he said he could not do, as it belonged to 

 all his tribe. Whenever this subject was brought 

 up, after answering questions, he invariably spoke 

 of the figure he would make in the scarlet uniform 

 and epaulettes that Queen Victoria was to send 

 him, and " then what a handsome man he would 

 be!" 



Those who are not directly benefited by the change, 

 cannot but view it as a disastrous circumstance for 

 the natives, which will seal their doom, and make 

 them the prey of the hosts of adventurers who are 

 flocking in from all parts, some to be engaged as 

 public officers, and to fatten on the coming reve- 

 nues, and others as speculators. During our stay, 

 a cutter arrived from Sydney, with a number of 

 revenue officers, magistrates, and other minor dig- 

 nitaries. 



New Zealand continued under the authority of 

 New South Wales until September, 1840, when it 

 became a separate colony. One of the first acts of 

 the new government has been, by proclamation, to 

 require all those who have acquired lands by pur- 

 chase from the natives, to exhibit their vouchers, 

 and to show how much land they had purchased, 

 and the price paid. At the same time, a com- 

 mittee was appointed to examine these claims. A 

 few statements made by this committee will show 

 how the spirit of speculation has been at work in 

 New Zealand. Up to October, 1841, they reported 

 that five hundred and ninety-one claims had been 

 entered by two hundred and eighty individuals ; of 

 these, there arc four hundred and thirty-five claims, 

 amounting to thirteen millions nine hundred and 

 twenty thousand four hundred and eighty-two 

 acres. The remaining one hundred and fifty-six 



claims are not defined by ordinary landmarks, but 

 are limited by degrees of latitude and longitude, 

 and computed in square miles instead of acres. 

 The last description of claims are considered, at a 

 moderate calculation, to be double the amount of 

 the four hundred and thirty-five claims, so that in 

 round numbers, the claims already sent in to the 

 commissioners may be estimated at forty millions 

 of acres. For four hundred claims, affidavits have 

 been made, and the total value of goods and money 

 paid by these claimants is thirty-four thousand 

 and ninety-six pounds. 



For one hundred and ninety-five claims, no value 

 is stated; but if paid for in the same ratio, the 

 amount will be nearly forty thousand pounds, or 

 about one penny for three acres. The whole sur- 

 face of the two islands does not contain more than 

 eighty thousand six hundred square miles, or fifty 

 millions of acres, and the largest part of them has 

 not yet been sold by the natives, viz., the Waikati 

 district, Rotorua and Taupo, in the interior, as well 

 as the whole of the eastern coast of the northern 

 island; so that it will be difficult to find a space 

 wherein to locate these enormous claims. 



Laws have likewise been promulgated and im- 

 posts levied, harassing to foreigners, (Americans 

 and others,) and most destructive to their com- 

 mercial pursuits, while they offer the most marked 

 protection to those of British subjects ! This would 

 seem not a little unjust to those who have been 

 resident, and extensively engaged in commerce, 

 before England took possession, and whilst New 

 Zealand was acknowledged as an independent 

 state. It has, among other things, been enacted, 

 that all goods imported and remaining on hand on 

 the 1st of January, 1840, the time of British 

 assumption, shall pay duties; that all lands are to 

 be considered as belonging to the queen, even those 

 purchased of the chiefs prior to the treaty, while 

 the purchasers shall be only entitled to as many 

 acres as the amount paid to the chiefs will cover 

 at the rate of five shillings per acre. The govern- 

 ment in addition reserves to itself the right to such 

 portions as it may require. Many of these pur- 

 chases were made from the native chiefs, prior to 

 the treaty, in good faith, and for an equivalent with 

 which they were well satisfied, and so expressed 

 themselves. 



The destructive effect of these laws on American 

 commerce will be great, particularly as those en- 

 gaged in mercantile put-suits find themselves called 

 upon to pay heavy duties on their stocks. Americans 

 are not permitted to hold property, and, in conse- 

 quence, their whaling establishments on shore 

 must either be broken up altogether, or transferred 

 to other places, at a great loss of outlay and capital. 

 Our whalers are now prevented from resorting to 

 the New Zealand ports, or fishing on the coast, by 

 the tonnage duty, port charges, &c.; are denied the 

 privilege of disposing of any thing in barter, and 

 obliged to pay a duty on American articles of from 

 ten to five hundred per cent. The expenses of 

 repairs have so much increased, that other places 

 must be sought for the purpose of making them. 

 The timber and timber-lands are exclusively 

 claimed as belonging to her majesty. Thus have 

 our citizens been deprived of a fishery yielding 

 about three hundred thousand dollars annually in 

 oil. 



The expenses of this new government were esti- 

 M 2 



