Chap. XH. CHRISTMAS SPORTS AT WELLINaTON. 319 
respondence with these Government officers ; whose 
letters, since published, do little more than find flaws 
in his statements, while they are themselves full of the 
most frivolous arguments and quibbles. And the little 
knot of officials used to sit over their dinner, and quiz 
" that old fool Swainson," as they called him, while 
the work of destruction was going on. How his 
wheat, nearly ripe, and his thatched roofs were saved 
from the fire, I do not know ; but the clearing was 
burned off, potatoes planted and gathered more than 
once, a pa was built on the river-bank ; and in October 
of last year the natives were not only living there per- 
manently, but encroaching still further on a large 
portion of the valley, in any part of which they forbade 
White men from settling. The clearings of the Ngati- 
rangatahi, Ratiperahas especial servants, extended 
nearly a mile along the banks ; and they carefully 
stopped every White man who began to clear or saw 
even in parts that had never before been occupied. On 
one occasion the Pitone natives, and some of those 
from the refractory villages in the town, came over 
with their arms to insist on the abandonment of this 
tract, to which the occupiers had not a shadow of right- 
But Mr. Clarke junior was well informed of their in- 
tentions ; and he and Mr. Spain came over on purpose 
to confine this burst of justice to mere palaver and 
negotiation. And a day or two afterwards fresh 
clearings were being made, and more settlers were ob- 
structed by the intruders. 
I spent my Christmas at Otaki, and dined off a 
haunch of goat venison instead of a sirloin of beef. 
But I heard that the festival had been celebrated with 
" right merrie" sports in Wellington. A cricket-match 
between two clubs which had practised for some 
months, quoits, swings, and other diversions, were nu- 
