HIS ADVICE AND INSTRUCTIONS. 403 
accompanied by Mr. Nobbs, and the Chief 
Magistrate, Mr. Young, to the settlement, a 
distance of about three miles. On the following 
day he called the inhabitants together in the 
school-room, and read his commission, which, 
together with the instructions forwarded to him 
by the Secretary of State for his guidance, he 
caused to be copied into the book containing the 
laws of the Colony. He also applied for certain 
written returns as to names, families, population, 
available land, and other statistics. 
The people being much in want of flour and 
biscuit, he determined to proceed to Auckland, 
New Zealand, to get the requisite food, as well 
as to arrange for a trade in such things as 
wool, tallow, and hides, which the Islanders 
had for sale. He embarked for Auckland on 
Saturday, the 26th September, and returned to 
Norfolk Island on the 8th of October. In the 
mean time, the returns had been prepared, and 
the Governor had finished his revision of the 
Laws and Eegulations. A meeting of the adult 
portion of the community was held on the 14th, 
when he explained to them the objects of Her 
Majesty's Government in placing them where 
they were, and gave them valuable instruction 
and advice, in order that they might, with God's 
blessing, maintain their increasing numbers by 
their own exertions, and keep up, as far as pos- 
sible, the peculiar form of polity under which 
they had existed so happily on another spot 
The necessity of regular and energetic labour 
was impressed upon them ; and, to facilitate this, 
the Governor proposed to send as settlers on the 
