198 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. VIH. 
accompanied by the Chief Justice, while the meeting 
took place. 
Bills on England, to the amount of 25,000/. had been 
drawn by the penniless Government, and sent up to 
Sydney to be discounted. And here it may be men- 
tioned that all drafts on the Sub-Treasurer at Wel- 
lington, drawn by the Government officers for the 
payment of ~ their salaries, had been for some time 
dishonoured. 
The general condition of Auckland was described 
as even worse than at the time of Mr. Clayton's 
desponding confession. The inhabitants were said to 
have become soured by disappointment into a touchy and 
pugnacious humour, which gave rise to the most bitter 
bickerings and animosities among themselves. They 
could suggest no remedy for the amelioration of their 
condition, except the reduction of the minimum price 
of Crown lands to five shillings per acre ! 
Several robberies and outrages had been committed 
by the natives on the scattered settlers in the Northern 
district. At TVangari, especially, not far from Auck- 
land, four or five Europeans had been plundered of 
everything in their houses by a foraging-party, which 
assigned no reason for its conduct. 
At the Bay of Islands, a vote of thanks had been 
made to Captain Lavaud, of the French corvette, for 
the protection which he had promised to the Whites, 
while lying in that port during the excitement arising 
from the apprehension and execution of the murderer 
Maketti, and while that protection was withheld by 
their own Government in a manner so negligent as to 
appear intentional. 
On the 1st of May, the London arrived at Welling- 
ton for the second time from England, with a cargo of 
immigrants and passengers. Three other vessels 
