Chap. X. LOYALTY AND GOOD FEELING OF COLONISTS. 301 
law no great effort. The very worst examples, and oc- 
casionally great provocation from lawless outcasts of 
the most depraved habits, had not served to corrupt 
the community which restrained their excesses ; and 
even the defiance of these voluntary laws by a man of 
some station who had been no party to the agreement 
had failed to impair the strength or unity of the com- 
pact. And then, to crown all, the worth and good 
faith of this most prudent agreement was made clearly 
apparent, by the willingness, nay, the eagerness with 
which the authority was resigned into the hands of 
those who called this orderly conduct sedition and re- 
bellion. They, forsooth, although supported only by 
a physical force totally inadequate to compel submis- 
sion if resistance had been intended, assumed a dictato- 
rial tone, well calculated to irritate rioters or rebels, 
and to render them more obstinate. 
Much of this admirable result was no doubt owing 
to the British origin of the colonists, which had im- 
planted in them a respect for law proportionate to their 
love of liberty ; and some portion of it to the very 
complete state in which the young society had arrived, 
with leaders whom many of the inferiors had been 
used to respect, with clergymen, and with many of the 
arrangements which promote social order and comfort 
in the most highly civilized countries. Thus, the 
" democrats " at Port Nicholson heartily assented to 
the proclamation of the Queen's authority, while they 
could not withhold their good-humoured laughter at 
the burlesque arrogance with which it was accom- 
panied. 
One feature, however, of the new authority was pe- 
culiarly repulsive to the English colonists. This was 
the presence of the " mounted police" on foot whom 
