if i Jolin 8«c.— Cnnrtur-t of lb* ui<w 7I?it ivn Pro»peci» of the l«la)ir?cF.». 



w American annul Ntw ALA LA. > U. Alli.tmrni. oHnml rna.lr. 



muted f,. r the year 1841 at 50,92-2/. 4/, 

 sterling, which is about equal t(» 10/. for each 

 man, woman, and child ; for the whole foreign 

 population on all the islands is not supposed to ho 

 more than five thousand. The great precipitancy 

 with wliich the inlands were taken possession uf, is 

 said to havi: been owing to the fears entertained 

 that I hi French intended forming a colony on the 

 southern island in like manner. 



After my arrival 1 gave tin. men liberty. Among 

 ill.- tir-,1 who obtained it was John Sac, a native of 

 Now Zealand, and of the neighbourhood of th 

 bay. His native name was Tuatti, and he was a 

 potty chief, lb- had litfii wnue time absent from 

 his country, and had sailed in the expedition from 

 lie- I Hi tod States, was an excellent sailor, a very 

 good fellow, and bad been enthusiastic in the praise 

 of his country ami countrymen. According to him, 

 there was nothing like New Zealand ; and under 

 this feeling he hired a canoe to take him on shore, 

 for which his. countryman charged him three 

 dollars, although half a dollar would have been an 

 exorbitant price. He landed at Tibhey's, and 

 being desirous of going to his friends, wished to 

 engage a canoe to rjikf him about ten miles* up one 

 of the rivers, the Kawa-Kawa, where they resided. 

 For thin conveyance he was asked 2/., nearly a 

 month's pay. Poor John could not submit to this 

 extortion, and was found sitting on a log, greatly 

 mortified, depressed, and incensed at BMP treat- 

 ment. 



After John returned on board, ho made a propo- 

 sition to Mr. Waidron, in a letter, to purchase the 

 island w hich he called Motugee, with the territory 

 of Muckatou, belonging to hi* father and family, 

 and expressing his belief that they were all op- 

 posed to tho encroachments of the English, and 

 were determined not to part with their laud to 

 them. 



Although the land about the Bay of Islands is 

 much cut up by indentations, yet from I his circum- 

 stance- it affords many pretty views, which have in 

 some respects an appearance of an advance towards 

 civilization, that one hardly expects to find within 

 the scope of the residences of these savages. 



At the time of my visit, which was, as has been 

 seen, immediately after Captain tlubson's arrival, 

 and l ho waning of tho treaty, or cession, it was 

 evident that full seven-eighths >d the native popu- 

 lation had the same feciing* as are found exprossi d 

 in this note. The circumstances that have occurred 

 at New Zealand fully prove the necessity of having 

 American citizens as our coumiIs abroad. Mr. J. 

 R. Cleudon, our consul at New Zealand, an inde- 

 pendent state, and the only representative of a 

 foreign power, whose interest was at stake, was 

 consulted by some of the most powerful and inilu- 

 ential chiefs, who had refused to nign the treaty or 

 cession to (Jrejit Britain. They came to Mr. Cleu- 

 don for advice, how they should act, and he ad- 

 mitted that he had advised them to sign, telling 

 them it would be for their good- Ho himself 

 signed the treaty as a witness, and did all he could 

 t.i carry it into effect ; but, in doing this, he said, 

 he had acted an a private citizen, by request of 

 the governor, thus separating hi.-, public duties 

 from his private acts. At the same time he buys 

 large tracts of land, for a few trifles, and expects 

 to have his titles confirmed as consul of the bnited 

 Slates. This i* not surprising, and any foreigner 



would undoubtedly have pursued the same course; 

 for his personal interest was very great in having 

 the British authority established, while the in- 

 iluenee he had over the chiefs was too great not 

 to attract the attention of the governor, and 

 make it an object to secure his good-will and 

 services. 



The prospect-, of these islanders are, in my 

 opinion, any thing hut pleasing., and the change by 

 no means calculated to insure their happiness, or 

 promote their welfare. It seems to have been 

 brought about by a rage for speculation, and a 

 desire to take possession of this country, in nrder 

 to secure it from the French. The hh-a that it was 

 necessary to extend the taws id New South Walea 

 over ihe island, in order to protect the natives,and 

 break up the nest of rogues that luid taken refuge 

 there, is far from being true. No such necessity 

 existed, for there was no difficulty in liaving any- 

 one apprehended by sending utfuvra for the pur- 

 pi 'so, or offering u reward. 



The New Zealand Land Comjiany have been the 

 secret spring of this transaction, and under the 

 shelter of certain influential mimes, the malingers 

 have contrived to blind the English public. It will 

 scarcely Ik* believed that the New Zealand Land 

 Company hud disposed of several thousand shares 

 of laud before they purchased an acre. Some 

 three or four thousand emigrants, who bad pur- 

 chased allotments, left England on their way to 

 lake possession of them, just after the agent, 

 l.'pon their arrival they could obtain no satisfactory 

 information respecting their allotments, mid were 

 left in a dostilnte condition, to spend the few 

 earnings they had left, and to endure alt the pri- 

 vations, to which people landed in a new country 

 are subject. 



Even of those allotments that have been given 

 out, many are not susceptible of cultivation. It is 

 scarcely to be believed that the high names which 

 stand at the head of this company could have been 

 informed of the true state of things; yet it is 

 generally supposed in this part of the world, that 

 it is by their exertions and influence that the 

 British government lias been induced to take for- 

 cible possession of the territory of an independent 

 suite, which New Zealand undoubtedly was. How- 

 ever ihis may be, the speculators have succeeded 

 iu their object, and the country will now be retained 

 by England, even if a military power should be 

 necessary. Should tho New Zealanders resist, and 

 they are a warlike race, yet acting against Euro- 

 pean discipline, they will readily be overcome. 

 They are not unlike grown children, and may be 

 more easily ruled by kindness, and by satisfying 

 the wants of the chiefs, than by force. The popu- 

 lation w ill goon disappear before the whiles, for 

 the causes that have operated elsewhere are to be 

 m'< ii in action here, where the savage is already 

 sinking imperceptibly before the advances of civili- 

 zation. While philanthropy, real or pretended, 

 is ransacking the globe to find subjects for its 

 benevolence, it seems a little surprising that 

 scarcely a voice has been raised in Parliament 

 against this act of usurpation. 



(In the 2!>th of February, 11140, there was a vio- 

 lent gate at the Bay of Islands, said by the mission- 

 aries to have been the severest they had experi- 

 enced, with perhaps the exception of one which 

 took place shortly after their arrival. Many vessels 



