Chap. II. TAPU ON THE BEACH. 25 
" interference." He added, that he understood the tapu 
had been laid on the beach " simply in consequence of 
" the death of a chief, and not from any desire to 
" injure the English settlers in the country." "To 
" attempt violently to break through it, therefore," 
he concluded, " would probably excite feelings of 
" hostility to the settlers, which would involve greater 
" eventual inconvenience than any that can be expe- 
" rienced from a temporary interruption of communi- 
" cation, and might therefore be inexpedient, even if 
** it were strictly legal." And so they had to wait 
until the natives took off the tapu of their own accord, 
or accepted heavy payment for a permission to pass. 
The beach had only just been made free, when I came 
from TVanganui. 
In the town itself, the want of authority vested in 
the sole legal officer was producing great mischief. 
Numerous persons were squatting on the lands re- 
served for public purposes, and destroying the orna- 
mental timber upon them. They were not ejected, 
as the Police Magistrate probably thought that such a 
course " might be inexpedient, even if strictly legal." 
Now that people were locating on the most avail- 
able lands, both in the town and in the neighbouring 
country districts, much complaint was made against 
the evil of non-resident proprietors. Many of these 
had given but very limited powers to their agents, 
restricting them in most cases to the granting 
leases of seven years' duration. And the industrious 
colonist passed with reluctance and heart-burning to 
some less available situation, while some of the best 
sections lay idle and unoccupied under such ridiculous 
conditions, to be increased in value merely by the 
exertions of those who built or cultivated on the sur- 
rounding land. 
