Chap. VIII. COMPLICATED PROCEEDINGS. 203 
objected ; and the Commissioner adjourned the Court 
to the next day but one, " to allow the Counsel to 
" confer on the precedence of the claims." 
At the next sitting, the lawyers still differed ; Dr. 
Evans appealing to a private arrangement made with 
Mr. Hanson, and Mr. Hanson denying any such ar- 
rangement, and appealing to the former decision of 
the Commissioner that the Company's case should 
proceed. And Mr. Hanson, on being asked by Dr. 
Evans for whom he appeared, said first, " for the na- 
" tives," and then, correcting himself, " for Mr. Scott," 
one of the rival claimants to a tract of land in the 
town. Dr. Evans now refused to proceed with the 
Company's case, until Mr. Scott's should have been 
first heard ; and, during an adjournment made for 
two hours by the Commissioner, in order that he 
might reconsider his proposed course, begged Colonel 
Wakefield's permission to throw up the advocacy of 
the Company's claims. He stated that he was in- 
duced to take this course by the hostility evinced by 
the Crown Prosecutor to the Company's interests, and 
the factious and litigious spirit shown by him to their 
advocate, which caused the conviction that Dr. Evans's 
professional assistance would only embroil the question 
on points of law and evidence, when it was wished to 
treat it as one of equity and conscience, agreeably to 
the Commissioner's instructions binding him to that 
spirit. Colonel Wakefield fully appreciated the ho- 
nourable view thus taken of the question by Dr. Evans ; 
and proceeded to conduct the case himself. He was 
sworn, and handed in the deeds and plans. After he 
had given his evidence as to the Port Nicholson pur- 
chase, Mr. Hanson commenced to cross-examine him ; 
and put a (juery which could have nothing whatever 
to do with the question at issue )>etween the Company 
