ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XVI. 
CHAPTER XVI. 
Official crimping of labourers — Withdrawal of the troops from 
Wellington — Once employed — Surprise of colonists — Anger — 
Notice against occupation of lands — Sir John Franklin reproves 
crimping — The New Plymouth pioneers — Public meeting — Peti- 
tion for the recall of Captain Hobson — Why sent home informally 
— Mr. Petre — Mr. Sinclair — Increasing trade with the natives — 
Working Men's Land Association — Lady Franklin. 
The day after I arrived, four vessels entered the har- 
bour together. Among them was the Columbine, a 
missionary schooner; and the Chelydra, a large barque 
from the Thames, chartered by Government to remove 
our army of thirty soldiers to the metropolis. 
But it was soon found that this vessel had come on 
another and more noxious errand. Instructions had 
come by her to carry out the crimping measure already 
officially announced ; and the instructions were obeyed 
in the most disagreeable manner. The Police Magis- 
trate, warned by the warm notice which had been 
taken of the advertisement authenticated by his signa- 
ture, appeared ashamed or afraid to do the dirty work 
himself; so the constables were deputed to go about 
among the newly-arrived emigrants, and try every 
means of persuading them to engage. The soldiers 
acted as though they had been in the plot ; and as- 
sisted in harassing and frightening the new-comers, 
who had hardly had time to look about them. 
The withdrawal of the soldiers, in itself, inflicted no 
great injury on the settlement ; as they were always 
causing disturbance by their drunken quarrels at every 
