6. (See page 7.)

The Maori's Titles to Land. Eating the Owners.—The history of the negotiations carried on during the last twenty years by the Crown Authorities with the New Zealand Natives for the purchase of portions of their wild territories would afford some very remarkable, and some very amusing, illustrations of the "comprehensive views" our Maori friends are capable of taking when the question arising is one relating to their, so called, "rights and titles" to Land. Two or three may be given. In his evidence before our New Zealand House of Commons Committee on "Native Matters," Mr. MacLean, the Chief for twenty years of the Native Land Purchasing Department, a gentleman who in his admirable knowledge of Maori character, language, and customs, is almost a Maori himself, tells us this,—" The principal difficulties which have to be contended with in acquiring laud from the Native arise out of the necessity of insisting on proof of such merely asserted claims, and of excluding those who fail to substantiate them from participation in the money paid for the land. I know of instances in which the most frivolous pretences have been used to justify such demands. I have found Natives, after attempting to substantiate an asserted claim to land, and failing to do so for want of a good title, evince great disappointment at their defeat On one occasion a Native actually came to me and, with the greatest coolness, ashed whether (since he had failed in his first attempt) he could not bring forward a claim to an island in the South Seas from which his ancestors had come 600 years ago. The idea was absurd. I asked Mm whether he really meant what he said, He replied that he did, I told him he might as well have preferred a claim to a portion of the moon, His reply was that he was descended from Hawea o te Mamma. Finding, however, that it was useless to page 81 prefer a fictitious claim, he gave the question up. I allude to this circumstance to show that too much attention to merely asserted claims may entail considerable inconvenience, danger, and expense to the country. I do not wish to throw doubts upon any just claims of theirs, and am fully aware that every acre of land in this island, not acquired by the Grown, is their property."

Another illustration is afforded by that excellent Missionary, the Rev. Mr. Taylor, where, in his work on New Zealand he relates this anecdote:—" A gentleman entering my house, knocked his head against a beam and cut his eyebrow, so that blood flowed. The natives present deplored the accident, and said that according to their law, the house would have been forfeited to him; and that as they were of his party, it would have been their duty to have seen it given up to him; as every one present was affected by his blood being shed. In the same way, even if a canoe should be dashed on shore in a storm, and the owner's life endangered, he thereby acquires a title to the spot he is thrown on."

A third illustration of the peculiar fashion by which the Maori claims and acquires his "Title" is afforded by the modus operandi followed by that Band of Ngatiawa Weasels, mentioned in this pamphlet at page 82. I have conversed with a very intelligent old Native who was one of these emigrants to the Chathams. He described the Moriori as being rather smaller and darker than the New Zealanders but still delicate eating; while eels were found in great profusion. Taking the land and eating the owner, is certainly a mode of acquiring a right to the soil far more complete than any practised in Westminster Hall.