vin SETTLERS AND OFFICIALS 77 



was not a white man's country, proud of the condition to 

 which he had brought it, happy in his own position there, 

 and most distinctly and righteously opposed to anyone 

 who proposed to disturb either the one or the other. 

 On the other hand, you had the settler, firm in the 

 common-sense opinion that it could and would be a 

 white man's country, and bitterly resenting the opinion 

 and attitude of those who said otherwise. 



At first the inevitable struggle was an unequal one. 

 Strong in numbers and authority, the officials gave 

 the first few settlers an extremely nasty time. 

 Probably they, the officials in question, would be 

 the first to admit it. However, where a country is 

 desirable mere red tape may hinder but cannot kill 

 white immigration, and so the settler element grew. 

 As the sides became more equal, though actually 

 bitterness decreased, the clamour increased, and 

 culminated under the late Governor in certain inci- 

 dents neither wholly creditable nor wholly dis- 

 creditable to either side. Sir James Sadler was a 

 kind, able, and courteous gentleman, and personally 

 popular both with settler and official alike. There 

 was, however, a want of breadth about his administra- 

 tion and an inability to recognise or even to consider 

 the views of the non-official portion of the community 

 which aroused intense hostility, not to the Governor 

 himself, but to his policy. This antagonism was fed 

 by what the People, who had taken already some- 

 what prematurely a big P, considered, rightly or 

 wrongly, to be a certain ambiguity or want of clear- 

 ness in every direct pronouncement. The result was 

 that the original and inevitable breach, which was 

 fast healing, was rudely torn open and a series of 

 unfortunate episodes occurred. These incidents, 



