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An Epitome of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand

Enclosure B. — James Busby, Esq., Resident at New Zealand, to the Hon the Colonial Secretary of — New South Wales

Enclosure B.
James Busby, Esq., Resident at New Zealand, to the Hon the Colonial Secretary of
New South Wales.

British Residency, Bay of Islands, 16th June, 1837.

Sir,—

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 16th ultimo, which was delivered to me on the 27th of the same month by Captain Hobson, of His Majesty's ship "Rattlesnake."

On the Tribal War at the Bay of Islands.

By my letter of the 4th ultimo, No. 111, His Excellency Sir Richard Bourke would perceive that the fears I had formerly expressed, that war was about to break out in this immediate neighbourhood had been realized but that, contrary to all expectation, the conduct of the Natives towards the British settlers had been, on the whole, most exemplary. I am happy to add that it has so continued up to the arrival of the "Rattlesnake," page 13Under circumstances so favourable, an attempt was made by Captain Hobson, accompanied by a party of Missionaries and myself, to mediate between the contending parties, but without effect. The chiefs on Pomare's side, whom I formerly represented as being unfriendly to Pomare's procedure, although in a manner constrained to take part with him, were most favourable to the proposition, and requested that one or two persons, whom they named, of the opposite party should meet them to adjust the preliminaries; but Pomare himself turned a deaf ear to every argument that could be urged.

The overtures of the well-disposed chiefs were nevertheless delivered, but they were received by the Ngapuhis in the moat unfriendly spirit; and, on its being too evident that all attempts at mediation were fruitless, Captain Hobson concluded by cautioning them as to their conduct to British subjects, assuring them that if any violence should be offered by either party to these it would then become his duty to take satisfaction, and that he would do it effectually.

Since the date of my last despatch the war canoes have been almost every day in motion; but there have been only two encounters of the parties worthy of notice. In these two affairs thirty persons were killed The Ngapuhis have lost another chief of the first rank, and in other respects have been the severest sufferers from the commencement of hostilities. The injury for which they took up arms has consequently been aggravated by every attempt to obtain reparation.

A fact has also come to my knowledge which gives a greater colour of truth to Pomare's original accusation than any circumstance of which I was previously aware, namely, that the woman, of whom it was alleged that she had been murdered and eaten on being landed from the ship, had formerly been the wife of the person who was charged with her murder. It was, in former times, a very common case for a chief to put to death any of his wives who had deserted or been unfaithful to him.

But, whatever may have been the real circumstances or motives which originated the present war, there is not the least probability of its being speedily brought to a termination. Pomare's party appear confident in the strength of their position, and the Ngapuhis are evidently actuated by the most irritated and vindictive feelings; and there seems no reason to doubt that they will speedily be joined by the powerful Tribe of Rarawa, from the more northerly parts of the island. Under these circumstances, although the visit of His Majesty's ship "Rattlesnake" at this juncture is peculiarly important, as making it appear to the Natives that a vigilant guardianship is maintained over His Majesty's subjects who are settled here, and that assistance is never at a great distance, should it be required, yet it is impossible to look at the continuance of this contest without the most serious alarm.

Titore, who was the most influential of the Ngapuhi chiefs in preserving order in the Town of Kororareka, where the Natives and British are mingled in the greatest numbers, died a few days ago; and in several instances already I have heard that the loss of his influence has been felt to the detriment of the British inhabitants. Whatever influence the other chiefs possess will also be weakened when their provisions become exhausted and, as little or no cultivation will be attempted while things remain in their present position, it may naturally be expected that the Natives will become reckless in proportion to their want of the means of subsistence.

Under these circumstances, His Excellency will be prepared for my entire concurrence in his opinion that any additional expenditure, with the view of giving increased efficiency to my office as at present constituted, would be altogether fruitless; nor would the Act of Parliament to which His Excellency refers, if the powers it was intended to impart should be limited to the controlling of British subjects, be of much service in the state to which the affairs of this country have arrived. What is wanted is a paramount authority supported by a force adequate to secure the efficiency of its measures.

Without the establishment of such an authority by some civilized State, I cannot, after a full consideration of every circumstance connected with the actual condition of this people, see the least prospect of any permanent peace being established amongst them whilst there remains a stronger man to murder his weaker neighbour. There are few persons so insignificant as not to have it in their power at any time to plunge the country into war. The crime of an individual involves his most distant connections, as each of them is a legitimate object of retaliation to the connections of the injured party. It is in vain to represent to them that the criminal alone should suffer: their answer is ready, and it is perfectly consistent with the dictates of natural justice, namely, that his tribe will not surrender him to suffer for his crime, and by standing up in his defence they have become participators in it while, on the other hand, provided the criminal be not a slave, his connections are never without a grievance more or less ancient, which they bring forward as a justification of his crime. Thus, by every attempt to administer the law of retaliation—the rude justice of nature—the breach is made wider. New deaths involve more distant connections; tribe after tribe becomes a party to the contest; and peace, or rather an intermission of murders, can only be procured when one of the parties becomes too weak to continue the contest, or when the loss on both sides happens to be so nearly balanced that neither party has an advantage over the other.

In this way has the depopulation of the country been going on, till district after district has become void of its inhabitants, and the population is, even now, but a remnant of what it was in the memory of some European residents.

Rapid Decrease of the Maori Population.

It would, in relation to the subject on which I intend to enter in this despatch, be an interesting and important question, did there exist means of bringing it to a satisfactory solution, how far, this depopulation of the country, which has at least been rapid in proportion to the increase of its intercourse with the whites, was originated by the latter and may justly be chargeable to them. My own opinion is that all the apparent causes which are in operation are quite inadequate to account for the rapid disappearance of the people.

The introduction of firearms is alleged as one cause, but there seems good reason to doubt whether their wars were less sanguinary before firearms were introduced. The use of intoxicating liquors and tobacco are less questionable evils and, though their direct influence cannot, I think, be stated as at all remarkable, they are, in all probability, the original causes of diseases with which their immediate connection is not apparent.

page 14

Venereal diseases are another means of undermining the constitution of the multitudes who, in one shape or other, are subjected to them; and, besides these sources of disease and death, the abuse of the females who are sent by their masters or relations on board ships, and the murder of the fruits of this intercourse, which is believed by those likely to be best-informed to be of frequent occurrence, are undoubtedly powerful checks to increase, and ought to be largely allowed for in estimating the causes which are in operation for the depopulation of the country. But, on the other hand, it must not be lost sight of that the mortality has not been confined to those who have been the victims of violence, or who have been exposed to the effects of vices or diseases of foreign origin. Disease and death prevail even amongst those natives who, by their adherence to the Missionaries, have received only benefits from English connections; and even the very children who are reared under the care of Missionaries are swept off in a ratio which promises, at no very distant period, to leave the country destitute of a single aboriginal inhabitant.

The Natives are perfectly sensible of this decrease; and when they contrast their own condition with that of the English families,. amongst whom the marriages have been prolific in a very extraordinary degree of a most healthy progeny, they conclude that the God of the English is removing the aboriginal inhabitants to make room for them; and it appears to me that this impression has produced amongst them a very general recklessness and indifference to life.

I have, &c.,

James busby,
British Resident, New Zealand.