Rev. Mr Marsden writes March 19, 1821:—"I think Government will be induced to attend to these islands, as they will be of national importance in time. New South Wales must be dependent on New Zealand for timber.

We are not surprised to hear of the numerous runaways in New Zealand when we recollect the three lately carried off from Preservation Island by the sloop Woodman. Perhaps they are not worth the sending for. The stern habits of the natives will not be slow to dispense the merited reward of justice. —Hobart Town Gazette, June 17, 1826.

Every vessel which leaves the harbour instructs us more and more of the necessity of strict scrutiny to prevent runaways. Attempts at escape are more particularly made on board whaling ships, which proceed to ports where there is no constituted authority or Magistrate, affords every facility, as at New Zealand and other islands in the South Pacific. It is well known that in New Zealand alone, about 100 runaways from sentence in these colonies are now at large. These being characters of the worst description, must do our nation considerable prejudice in the eyes of the brave and independent natives, who are well able to determine between good and bad conduct, but cannot be expected to make that distinction, which even we, in similar circumstances, could not judge between that self-degraded portion and the whole body of the English people. Whaling ships, being comparatively empty, offer many hiding-places for bad characters, who thus secrete themselves until they are fairly out at sea. The safety of the ship itself may thereby be endangered. One vessel, not very long ago, sailed in this way with no less than 40 runaways aboard, and without the knowledge of the ship's officers. We would therefore suggest a special constable should be placed in these ships in harbour, and fixed punishment assigned to these offenders.—Hobart Town Gazette, September 9, 1826.

In a savage state of society, such as New Zealand now is, every man is either a robber or the victim of robbery; it is a scene of universal violence and depredation. Yet this is what some writers call the reign of absolute liberty of the strong to tyrannise as they choose over the weak—which is an exact definition of an absolute despotism. Without protective institutions, such a country is also without all those things which are calculated to flourish under their protection. No arts or manufactures, or next to none—no general distribution of the people into trades or professions—no diffused appearance of general industry —no commerce, domestic or foreign—no coin or circulating medium,—these are a few of the more conspicuous deficiencies that must strike even the most ignorant observer of savage life, who has been accustomed to another condition of society. They will force themselves upon his attention, in fact, as he page 18looks even upon the landscape around him. The country is nearly a wilderness— all swamp or woodland, except a few scattered patches by the sea-side, or along the course of the rivers; the only cultivation to be seen is in the heart, or in the immediate vicinity of the villages: and these (how unlike the populous cities and towns of a civilised country, with their streets of palaces, and intermingled spires, and towers, and domes) are merely small groups of hovels, that dot the earth like so many molehills. Then, there are no roads, those primary essentials of all improvement; and, it is needless to add, no artificial means of conveyance from one place to another. To make a journey of any length is an enterprise of labour and peril, which can only be accomplished by the union and co-operation of a band of travellers There is not an inn throughout the land—nor a bridge—nor a direction post—nor a mile-stone. The inhabitants, in fact, have not, in any sense of the word, taken possession of the country, which they call their own. It is still the uninvaded domain of Nature; and they are merely a handful of stragglers who wander about the outskirts.—Hobart Town Courier, May 7, 1831.

The British Resident On Colonisation.

(Despatch by James Busby, Esq., subsequently appointed British Resident for New Zealand—1831.)

The intercourse carried on between the colony of New South Wales and the islands of New Zealand is worthy of the attention of the Government, first, as it interferes with the efficiency of the former as a penal settlement. From the reports of those who have visited the coasts of New Zealand it is ascertained that numerous runaway convicts are living in that country and assisting in carrying on the traffic; and as the trade increases this evil will undoubtedly increase also, in spite of the strictest search it is possible to make of vessels leaving the harbour of Port Jackson, and the heavy penalties attached to the offence of assisting in the escape of convicts. This intercourse also claims the attention of his Majesty's Ministers, from the advantages which could not fail to result from fostering and protecting a trade that is calculated to open a very considerable demand for British manufactures, and to yield in return an article of raw produce not only valuable to England as a manufacturing country, but indispensable to her greatness as a maritime Power; and which the superiority of that power will always enable her to command independently of foreign countries. And, lastly, apart from all motives of interest, it is deserving of attention from the opportunities it affords of civilising and converting to Christianity one of the most interesting races of people which British enterprise has yet discovered, in any quarter of the globe. Though stained with the habitual practice of cannibalism, a crime more calculated than all others to excite the horror and detestation of the civilised world, the New Zealander will not, on that account, be debarred from the effects of the philanthropist; and he is possessed of many noble qualities, which cannot fail to excite the sympathy and to encourage the endeavours of those who may interest themselves in his improvement: The New Zealander's point of honour is revenge, and this he will pursue in spite of danger and difficulty. For this he will encounter every fatigue and submit to every privation. No distance of time or space will conquer his resolution. His whole soul is engaged in the pursuit, and he will be dishonoured among his tribe were he to sit down in quiet while the manes of his friends or relatives were unappeased with the blood of the enemy by whose hand he fell. With this spirit of revenge is also united in the New Zealand chief a nice feeling of honour on other points that concern his dignity, which leads him immediately to perceive and resent any slight or insult offered to his person. But he is not more distinguished for ferocity and cruelty to the enemy of his tribe than for a strength of attachment to his kindred, which will dissolve the savage page 19warrior in tears on the neck of his friend whom he meets after a long separation; nor is he less susceptible of gratitude for kindness than of indignation at injurious treatment. But although his glory consists in warfare, the New Zealander has not, like the native American, learned to despise the habits of civilised life; nor, like the savage of New Holland, is he incapable of appreciating the value of the mechanical arts, or insensible to the advantages of commerce; neither, like his brethren of the inter-tropical islands of the Pacific, is he enervated by a voluptuous climate, and furnished, by the spontaneous bounty of the soil, with a profusion of the necessaries and luxuries of life. His climate is not less favourable to exertion than exertion is necessary to his comfort, and if his wants are at present few, it is only because there is no security for his property beyond his war canoe and his arms. Those of his countrymen who have visited Sydney have often evinced a curiosity and penetration which would have been considered as the characteristics of an educated foreigner rather than of an unenlightened savage. Some of these visitors, who were treated with a degree of respect which enabled them to satisfy their curiosity without danger of insult, were observed to exhibit, by the objects which arrested their attention, a very high degree of mental activity and acuteness. They would examine most minutely into the construction of a piece of mechanism; and they were not satisfied to admire the showy colours of an English carpet without also comparing its texture with that of the mats manufactured by their own women. On the whole, their admiration of everything they witnessed and of those who possessed such things was unbounded. The vigour of mind and intelligence displayed by this people, joined to the many respectable, though misdirected, moral qualities they possess, are indicative of a state the most favourable for grafting upon them the improvements of civilisation and the blessings of Christianity, and will, undoubtedly, of their own accord, lead ultimately to these results without the intervention of the British Government. It would, however, be a cold and calculating policy which should not gladly embrace an opportunity for effecting these objects when arising cut of circumstances upon which it has become necessary to act from considerations of a more interested character. It has been already stated that the asylum offered by the coasts of New Zealand holds out to the convict such a temptation to escape from New South Wales as greatly to lessen the efficacy of transportation to that colony as a punishment. On this ground alone it has become necessary that some connection should be formed with the chiefs of the former country in order that runaways may be delivered up to them, instead of being protected or tolerated by their people, as at present. And, with regard to the trade in flax, it has been shown to have now attained such a degree of importance as will undoubtedly secure for it from H.M. Government any protection comparatively to its importance which it may be proved to require. But from recent circumstances it has become extremely doubtful whether that trade can be longer safely pursued without some treaty with the native chiefs. The few observations I propose to add are intended to show that, in my opinion, without taking a formal possession of these islands, or forming expensive establishments upon them, it would be possible for the British Government, at little or no expense, to secure the two objects which more immediately concern Great Britain—namely, the delivering up of runaway convicts who might seek shelter on the coasts of New Zealand, and the protection and encouragement of the valuable trade which is already established. It is, I believe, generally known that the Church Missionary Society and the Wesleyan Missionary Society have, for a considerable number of years, had settlements on the Northern Island of New Zealand. A very considerable intercourse has accordingly taken place between the missionaries, some of whom are very enlightened men, and the natives. The Church Missionary stations are at the Bay of Islands and at Kidee Kidee, about 16 miles distant from that place, at which stations about a dozen missionaries, with their families, reside, and where they have established schools for the instruction of the natives. page 20The zeal of the latter in imitating the manners and customs of Europeans has induced many, even old men, to submit to the drudgery of learning to read and write, and, in the year 1828, about 100 persons, children and adults, attended the school at the Bay of Islands alone. The influence which the immediate benefits conferred by the missionaries upon the natives, and their disinterested conduct have procured, has been continually on the increase. But the missionaries complain that their labours are, in a great degree, counteracted by the licentious conduct of the crews of vessels which visit the Bay of Islands. And as power and authority in every shape command the highest respect of these people, and the missionaries, besides making no pretensions to authority, are often lessened in the eyes of the natives by the contempt with which they are spoken of by the seamen, their influence has little power over the conduct of the majority of New Zealanders, unless when strengthened by more interested motives. The conduct of the missionaries, however, in such parts of the islands as they have visited, joined to the opinions which have been spread of the power and wealth of the English by those chiefs who have visited Sydney, from almost every part of the coast, have produced a respect for the character of the English and a dread of their power that are not less universal than their desire to cultivate the trade from which they can derive such advantages. At the end of this paper there is a minute of the Committee of Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, which was sent to the Rev. Mr Marsden, of New South Wales, in 1827, and which I have been allowed to transcribe. This document, while it throws light on the general character of the New Zealanders, proves that all the chiefs were not so devoted to warfare as to prefer it to all other pursuits, and that some of them were even willing to purchase a peaceful life by quitting their native country. It has been the opinion of Mr Marsden who, having the direction of the missions, has made frequent visits to New Zealand, and who is held in the highest respect by the islanders, that the great body of the chiefs would often decline to join the expedition of their leader if they could refuse with safety; and that nothing is more generally desired among them than the establishment of an authority that would secure a peaceful life to those who were desirous of it. A number of the chiefs of the Northern Island, to whom Mr Marsden recommended that they should make an end of their wars by electing among themselves a king to whom the whole should yield obedience, unanimously answered that no chief of an independent tribe would ever be brought to acknowledge the authority of another chief, unless he and his tribe were first reduced to slavery. But they as unanimously agreed that "If King George would send them a king" they would joyfully submit to his authority. Under these circumstances, it appears to me that if an authorised agent or resident were established by the British Government at the Bay of Islands, or at any other place which might appear eligible, and invested with the authority of a magistrate over his own countrymen, he would be able to enter into a separate treaty with each chief, or a general treaty with the whole, having for its basis the reciprocal security of British subjects and the natives of New Zealand in their commercial intercourse. Also the delivering up by the latter of all runaway convicts and persons not having authority from the British Government to trade in the islands. From the character and intelligence of the chiefs, there cannot be the least doubt of their capacity to understand the obligations of such a treaty, or of their power to cause them to be fulfilled; and also, that the whole number of chiefs could be made to guarantee their performance by each separate individual. But, indeed, nothing more would be requisite to bring the most refractory of them to reason than to prohibit the trade to his district till he should see fit to fulfil his obligations. It would be necessary to enter into a separate treaty with the chief of the Bay of Islands tribe for the cession of a tract of country at that harbour, and for the property of the harbour itself, reserving to the natives its free navigation. A similar right might also be acquired at the River Thames, on the eastern coast, and at some other harbour to the southward; and from page 21the numerous British and American whaling vessels which call at these harbours to refit it is probable that a small duty levied upon each for permission to wood and water would cover all the expenses of such an establishment; or, if not, a small fee made payable at the Custom House of Sydney, on the clearing out of vessels for the New Zealand trade, would make up the difference. Without assuming any authority over the natives beyond what might be voluntarily conceded to his character, or attempting any interference in their internal government, except by persuasion and advice, it is beyond a doubt that the influence of the resident would be sufficient to induce the New Zealanders to abandon the worst practices to which they are at present addicted, and which, even now, a respect for the opinions of Europeans leads them to conceal and deny; and that, joined to the exertions of the missionaries in their education and the humanising influence of commerce and the domestic industry it would produce, their respect for the British character would lead them at length to abandon the ferocious character of the savage and the cannibal for the principles of a milder religion and the habits of a more civilised people.

Copy Minute of the Committee of the Missionaries attached to the Church Missionary settlement at New Zealand, referred to above:—

Mr Williams calls the attention of the Committee to a subject left by Mr Marsden for their consideration—namely, the formation of a settlement in New South Wales for New Zealanders, in consequence of the applications made by various chiefs who are anxious to avoid many of those evils which they cannot avoid in their own country. The following questions were proposed:—

• I—Does the present state of the New Zealanders render it desirable that any such settlement should be formed? It is thought desirable unanimously —(1) Because those natives who wish to abstain from war are unable in consequence of the threats with which their friends intimidated them in case of their refusal. (2) Because those who wish to adopt habits of civilisation cannot, inasmuch as property is never safe. (3) Because there are many peaceable chiefs, with their tribes, who are now in continual fear from their more powerful neighbours, the Ngapuhis; to which may be added that there are some tribes in the Bay which have been broken up by them, and are now living in the same uncertain state. (4) As a refuge for slaves, who now are unable to possess property, or to marry, and are not certain of their lives for a day: whereas there are several living at this time with the missionaries, who are anxious to change their condition. (5) In order that Natives from other parts of the islands who now, owing to the perpetual warfare which exists among the tribes, are, and must be, excluded from religious instruction, may thus be brought together for their own benefit and be prepared for future usefulness among their people, in which case a union might be prepared for the tribes which now is impracticable. (6) As a refuge for the body of missionaries in New Zealand, where they might still continue their labours, in case any violence should take place on the part of the natives, such as they are frequently threatened with, and of which there has been already an awful example. (7) Because frequent applications are made by various chiefs requesting to have a settlement formed for them in a distant land, where the advantages mentioned can be secured to them.
• II.—Mr Masden having suggested that a settlement for this purpose may be formed in the neighbourhood of Parramatta, the opinion of the Committee is asked relative to this situation.—It is unanimously disapproved—(1) Because the New Zealanders, like the aborigines of New Holland, being so near the Europeans, could be kept under no restraint by the missionaries, but would be continually liable to stray. (2) Because the New Zealander, being unacquainted with English laws and customs, would be in continual broils with the Europeans, and the punishments they might receive in consequence would very much endanger the safety of the missionaries in New Zealand. (3) Be-page 22cause the New Zealanders would be established in all kinds of wickedness by their intrecourse with prisoners, which would very much preclude the hope of rendering them a benefit, either temporal or spiritual. (4) Because a sufficient portion of land cannot be procured to supply the purposes of the settlement near to Parramatta for the number of natives who wish to go. (5) Because the expenses of the settlement would be very much greater in the immediate neighbourhood of civilised society; because the natives would be dissatisfied unless they were clothed and fed as Europeans.
• III.—At what distance from Port Jackson is it thought that such a settlement may be formed?—At not less than 100 miles from Port Jackson.
• IV.—What expense is it thought would be incurred in forming such a settlement?—For the Europeans who may accompany the settlement, it is considered that the expense will be no greater than if they were in New Zealand. For the natives, it is calculated that £5 a head would supply them with food and blankets for the first year, after which they would render themselves independent. The children in the school and the natives in employ would be at the same expense as in New Zealand.
• V.—What number of Europeans will be required to attend to a settlement formed for the above purpose?—Not less than three.
• VI.—Whether it is desirable that all or part of this number shall have lived in New Zealand, in order to become acquainted with New Zealand manners and customs?—It is unanimously considered that not less than two who have resided in New Zealand.

The Mary and Elizabeth, now undergoing extensive repairs in the King's Docks, will when ready for sea be stationed at New Zealand, where Government has, it appears, finally resolved on fixing an establishment for the purpose of affording protection to the natives, and deciding any question that may arise amongst the Europeans visiting the coast. The commanding officer of the troops and the captain of the Mary and Elizabeth will, it is understood, form a bench of magistrates in the first instance. The growing importance of these islands and the facilities they afford to many runaway prisoners from the colony renders such a step as the present highly necessary.— S. Gazette, October 8, 1831.

A deputation from the Sydney Chamber of Commerce took the opportunity of submitting to his Excellency the necessity of having in New Zealand a resident representative of the British Government, especially as the chiefs had themselves voluntarily requested British protection. His Excellency paid the most candid attention, and promised to take them into his earliest consideration. When the business had been gone through his Excellency assured the deputation that the commercial interests of the colony should ever have his utmost support, and that he should at all times be glad to combine with the Chamber, or to give personal interviews to its deputation. The deputation retired highly gratified with the interview, and with the fullest confidence that in Governor Bourke the commerce of Australia would find a firm and steady friend.—Chamber of Commerce Minute, December 15, 1831.

New Zealand is spoken of as likely to be shortly colonised—its timber and hemp being great inducements. Great consternation prevails among the runaways at the prospect of a British [Resident being sent to New Zealand, and they are taking every opportunity for leaving.—Hobart Town Gazette, March. 29, 1833.