Political Extracts.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 3, 9 May 1848, Page 2

Political Extracts.

EXTRACTS FROM BLUE BOOK, 1847. (No. 26) No. 2. Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey. New Plymouth, New Zealand, March 2, 1847. Ms Lord,—ln the course of yesterday and this day I have htd interviews with several bodies of natives upon the subject of the elaims of European suaiects of Her Majesty to various tracts of land in tin's district, ami Itsgretto state that the majority of '"ese interviews have been of the most unsatisfactory natuie. It will be in vour Lordship', recollection that Mr. Commisioner Spain who was specially appointed iu England for the purpose of investisa'uig claims to land in .New Zi aland, alter minute inquiries made upon tho spot, decided that a tract ol liu.UOO acres of land luul Wen purch >sed at Taranaki, in a bmifiili manner, fur the use of British subjects. Subsequently to this decision of the Commissioner, my predecessor thought proper to set aside the award that had been made, because (as I understand. !u= decisiop) the claims of cer-

tain absentee native proprietors had not been extinguished at the time the original payment was made. My predecessor entered, upon this account, as J believe, into a new arrangement, by which a block of about only 3500 acres was immediately secured to the Europeans. But I do not understand, nor can I think, that he intended that the original purchase should be ect aside, in as far as those natives were concerned who had originally sold their land in a bona fide manner, and received payment for it. To my surprise, howover, yesterday some of the natives, who were the parties to the original pale, and who had been amply paid for the land they hud disposed of, informed me that they intended to stand by my predecessor's arrangernent, and to repudiate the first transaction, and that they would neither permit the Europeans to occupy the land they had 6old them, nor would they even do so upon receiving another payment j but tbey insisted upon the Europeans confining themselves to the block of 3500 acres. In the same manner the majority of the natives whom I faa vc 6cen t0 °" a y ( none °f whom were parties to the original sales, but were principally the inhabitants of Waifcanae and the country in its vicinity) stated, in the first instance, that they would not, upon any terms, permit the Europeans to move beyond the block of 3500 acres. And upon my pointing out that they were actual occupants of large tracts of land along "ook's Straits, that they did not use any land in the s % of Taranaki, aud that they could not remain here upon account of their enemies, if it were not for the presence of the Europeans, they stated that pome of them intended to come and live here themselves, and that they had plenty of Europeans here. I th" n pointed out to them that the great majority of tin in had not until recently, advanced any claim to this land, although they were quite aware that the Europeans intended to purchase it (which they had even recommended them to do), as also thit the Europeans bad eventually bought it and occupied it; after which they had opened up the country by roads, built houses, cultivated lands, &c, and spent Urge sums in the improvement of the district; and that when this had all been done, the natives put forward their claims and turned the Europeans off, they merely replied, that it was their land, and they would do as they thought proper with it. One of their leading men then asked me some questions respecting a section of 50 acres, occupied by a Mr. Flight, which lies without the block of 3500 acres, and asked me where I intended that Mr. Flight should settle ? I answered that he was already settled. He then asked when X intended to compel Mr. Flight to retire within the block of 3500 acres ! I answered, "Not at all -. hut that if any native had a claim upon Mr. Flight's section of land, he Bhould be compensated ; but that, as this claim had not been advanced until Mr. Flight had occupied the ground, and expended a considerable sum in clearing and cultivating it, I could not permit him to be disturbed. He replied, Very well; but that all t>e native claimants must be satisfied, and have a good payment, as these hitherto had been very insufficient, and that the payment I had made in this instance wonld be considered as a sign of my good intentions for the future. I then asked him how many persons might expect to be paid for this small portion of land ? He replied, that they had arranged that 200 men should be paid. In fact, it is quite clear that, relying upon their great numerical superiority, and anxious to maintain this, they had determined to allow no more Europeans to come amongst them. At the same time I found the settlers in a state of great distress; many of them who had brought large capitals with them from England, have now expended the whole of their money, waiting in the vain expectation that they would at last be permitted to occupy their land * and living from year to year upon that capital which was intended to render their land productive, and which, having been now all wasted, will render their land comparatively valueless when it is obtained for them. The numerous complaints made by the settlers, and the bearing and conduct of .the natives themselves, convinced me that the natives of a portion of this district regard the Europeans as, in every respect, in their power, and as persons who must submit to their caprice. I thought it proper, therefore, at once to assume a high tone to them, and to acquaint them, that I intended ultimately to carry out the arrangement, thu terms of which I wonld acquaint them with. Before detailing the terms of this arrangement to your Lordship, I think it as well briefly ta recapitulate the facts of the case, which led me to form the decision 1 did. This country was (as is shown from the remains of pahs and cultivations still visible), very densely popujated about fifteen or twenty years since by the "Ngatiawa" tribe. They were attacked by the neighbouring "Waikato" tribe. A large number of them were destroyed; a large number of them led away captive, nnd the remaining portion of them abandoned their homea and retreated to the country bosdering on each side of Cook's Straits, which had previously, as far as the shores of the Northern Island are concerned, been nearly depopulated by a war party led down there by Walker, Nene, and other Ngapuhi chiefs.. Only a small portion of the Ngatiawa tribe, consisting of about forty men, returned to the home of their fathers at Taranaki. Affairs weie in this etate, when the European settlers came to Fort Nicholson ; that place and the surrounding country was sold to them by the Ngatiawa tribe, who recommended the Europeans to go to Taranaki, and purchase land from the natives resident thire: they diJ so. European settlers then went to '■ Taranaki; the country was opened up by roads; farms %vere formed; and the Europeans at last formed a fc toltrable safeguard against the Watkato tribeß. At w llustime, portions of Ngatiawa tribe, who had been f i leased from slavery, as well as those inhabiting Port m Nichols* l . and Cook's Straits, feeling reassured by the presence of the Europeans, and regarding them a3 a vrotection against their furraer enemies, began to re. turn to Taranaki, aud soon finding themselves numeri. cal ly superior to the Europeans, (who recently also bad suffered some reverses, at Wairau and elsewhere, so that their power was supposed to be on the decline), they began to claim the wb.de district, and to turn the Jiuropeani off their farms. . l ' Commissioner Spain, was appointed to investigate these questions, came about this time to Tswiiaki, and, after inquiry, decided that a district of sixty thousand acres had been fairly purchased from the resident natives. My predecessor, however, in the latter end of IS 14, set aside the award of the Commissioner, and further stated, that he would recognise, in their fullest integrity, the claims of the absent members of the iVgntiawa tribe. H e , at the same time, repurchased a small portion (about 3,500 acres) of the dMrict awarded b> Mr. Spain, , md nolificd that the remaining portion of the tract of U n d claimed w as iu like manner to he re purchased. He also required several European settlers to abandon their farms, aud to move within the block, paving- them a triiimg compensation for the io&s and injury to which thev were subjected. Since that time, various individuals of the Ngatiawa tribe, (which is a vcryaumuous tii&ej amiQus to share

in the expected payment, have been locating themselves temporarily at Taranaki; and every sepnrate family of the tribe has been sending up some persons to look after their interests. These individual have been quarrelling amongst themselves, regarding their respective claims ; and in order that there might be much to pay for, have prevented the Europeans occupying any additional land, although many hundred thousand acres of the richest soil are lying perfectly neglected and useless, whilst many European families have been left in comparative want. Indeed, the inability of the natives to adjust their respective claimß, now makes them unwilling to allow the land to be sold at all, nnd they constantly assert that those natives, who wish to sell land, have no right to dispose of it. Upon taking a review of the whole of these circum stances, together with our isolated and weak position in this portion of New Zealand, the only arrangement I thought could be advantageously made, was to acquaint the natives, that I should order, in the first place, that the most ample reserves for their present and future wants should be marked off for the resident natives, as well as for those who were likely to return to Taranaki; but that the remaining portion of the country, in that district, should be resumed for the Crown,.and fur the use of the Europeans; that, in the fulfilment of the promises made by my predecessor, the value of the resumed land, in its wild and defenceless state, should be assessed by a Commissioner, and that a Court should then be appointed to inquire into the native titles to the whole, or portions of the distiict so resumed; and thai those natives, who established valid claims to any parts of it, Bhould receive the corresponding portions of the payment to which they would become entitled. But very few of the natives seemed disposed to assent to this arrangement; but they distinctly understood that it was my intention to enforce it. I trust that it may meet with your Lordship's approval, as the best which could, under circumstances of such difficulty, be made, and as one which, whilst it ensure the interests of Her Majesty's European subjects, inflicts no injury on Her Majesty's subjects of the native race ; although I fear that these latter, now that their cupidity has been so strongly excited, niny, if they think they are Btroiig enough, end avour to resist it by force of prms. I have, 6\*c., (Signed) G. Grey. The Right Hon. Earl Grey, &c. &c. &c. P. S.—l have the satisfaction of being able to state to your Lordship, that, since writing the foregoing despatch, I have aßcertiiied that the whole of the Ngatiawa tribe, with the exception of one family of it, named " Puketapu," have assented to the arrangement detailed in this despatch, and that several European settlers have already been put in possession of their lands. I have now every hope that the " Puketapu" family will shortly follow the example of the rest of the tribe. I tbiak that a consideration of th ir own interests will lead them to take this step ; bu Bhould they adopt any hostile proceedings against the settlers, their influence is so trifling, that they cannot cause any great amount of mischief, although certainly tbey may occasion great expense and trouble to the Government. I will, in the meantime, take care that every precaution for the protection of the settlers is adopted, G. G.