Chap. XIX. OPINIONS OF THE OOVERNOR. 607 
long time, and believed to contain most pernicious 
statements against the native. The natives should 
be protected. Justice should be done. If in the power 
of man, unless some unforeseen obstacles arose, which 
he did not contemplate, he would settle the land ques- 
tion. But, " my friends," continued the Governor, 
" mistake me not ; not an acre, not an inch of land 
" belonging to the natives shall be touched without 
" their consent ; and none of their pas, cultivated 
" grounds, or sacred burial-places, shall be tfiken from 
" them whilst I have the honour of representing the 
" Queen, my Mistress, in this country." 
E Tako and one or two other inferior native chiefs 
were then presented to him. He shook hands with 
them, and treated them with marked courtesy ; he then 
called upon Mr. Clarke junior to interpret to them 
that they might rely upon it that their lands should 
not be taken from them unjustly, but that they must 
assist the Magistrates to prevent the natives from doing 
wrong ; and that he approved most completely of all 
Mr. Clarke had done as Protector, and would support 
him to the utmost in the very arduous duties which 
he had to fulfil . 
Several of the settlers, and among others Colonel 
Wakefield, were then presented to him by Major Rich- 
mond ; and he addressed a few short words of usage to 
some, and only bowed to others. I followed, as soon 
as I could extricate myself from the crush, and handed 
my card to JMajor Richmond. I had made my bow 
and had passed on into the crowd on the other side, 
when the Governor called me back by name. I re- 
turned and stood in front of him ; when he used nearly 
the following words, with a frown on his face, and the 
tone of the conmiander of a frigate reprimanding his 
youngest midshipman : — " When you are twenty years 
