Chap. X. A HARBOUR-MASTER APPOINTED. 257 
for the Governor s approval, when an opportunity for 
domg so should arrive. 
. A Harbour-master and two pilots were at length 
appointed in this month for Port Nicholson. But 
even in this trifling appointment, the Government had 
apparently taken pains to disregard the wishes of the 
principal part of the community. The Police Ma- 
gistrate had been instructed to find out two or three 
persons suited for this office and willing to accept it, 
in order that one might be selected. One of the 
candidates, Mr. Richard Houghton, had come out from 
England early in 1840. He had been commander of 
a steamer in England, and was a pilot for the English 
Channel. He and his large family had engaged in 
the trade of boatmen ; and he had two large boats 
constantly sailing about different parts of the harbour 
in the employ of the shipping. He was an exceedingly 
industrious, hard-working man, perfectly competent 
to handle a ship of any size, thoroughly acquainted 
with every sounding and flaw of wind in the harbour, 
and a regular hard-weather sailor. A memorial, 
requesting his appointment as Harbour-master, received 
the signature of nearly every settler of respectability 
and note from Colonel Wakefield downwards, and of 
every mercantile house of any influence and business. 
Another candidate was a ]Mr. Hay, who had com- 
manded small craft which formerly supplied the 
whaling-stations and traded on the coast from Sydney, 
and who had since settled in Wellington as a trader 
and shipping-agent in a small way. It was heard 
with great surprise that the Governor had decided in 
favour of Mr. Hay. It appeared that he grounded this 
decision on the fact that his memorial contained more 
signatures. Being acquainted with some of the people 
who had influence with the Scotch labourers at Kai 
VOL. II. s 
