THE REAL RACE FOR AKAROA.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18900, 15 January 1927, Page 13

THE REAL RACE FOR AKAROA.

AN EXCITING PERIOD. HISTORICAL RESEARCHES. • ( 3FE «AU,T WRITTEN POR THOS PRESS.) (By DR. A. J. HAKEOP.) • LONDON, December 2. 1 have been studying with the greatest interest the special Akaroa supplement of The Phess, published on September 28th. Having devoted a good deal of time to the question of French interest in Xc w Zealand, the results of which occupy about forty-five pages of my recent book, I was particularly interested in the announcement that the J*ew Zealand Historical Association has been asked to determine the exact circumstances of the proclamation of British sovereignty over Akaroa, and the sequence of events relating to the arrival of the French colonists. Although I have in general adopted the view that there was no "race" for Akaroa in the sense that is usually given to thnt expression, I should be the last to assert that there was not a race of a very definite kind for the possession of the beautiful port which those who visit once always want to sec again. There was a race of a kind peculiarly exasperating to those interested in New Zealand at the time. With both England and France, it had been a case of hastening slowly on the part of the Governments, though there were individuals in each country who counselled speed. In England, there was Edward Gibbon 'Wakefield, familiar with France, well supplied with French newspapers, and naturally jealous of any foreign participation in the colonisation of a country which he had for years described as the most suitable for a colonising experiment in the new method which he had evolved. Wakefield's views found expression through many channels, but notably in the "Spectator, the files of which journal at this time make fascinating reading for anybody interested in the expansion of Britain through the Southern Seas. Trench Whaling Stations.

lii France, there was Captain Langlois, chafing at the delay in pressing claims to land which he had acquired at Akaroa, and doubtless angered by the flood of schemes for exploiting them, whoso only result for some time was to paralyse the French Government into bewildered inactivity. Supporting Langlois and urging the necessity of swift action, was the "Journal du Havre.". It was with the keenest interest that I perused in the Bibliothequo Nationale, Paris, a rile,. unfortunately incomplete, of this newspaper, which served the maritime interests of France and was specially solicitous for the welfare of the whaling stations which had been established on the New Zealand coasts. The French whalers were better equipped than their British' or American rivals, and there is no doubt that the French Government set great store by these establishments which were such prolific nuTseries of good sailors. It would almost seem that they set too much store by these whaling stations and cared too little for acquiring'what they realised when *too late was necessary for the existence of the stationsformal possession of parts of the coast from which to work. That they did realise this ultimately is true, and when the colony of Frenchmen set cutis dominating idea was, I think, not that o permanent colonisation. The cok-ms •were'encouraged and subsidised by.the Government more because they were to be a base for the whalers Jhan. the icentre of a new colony. Tins view is borne out in one respect by .the worls of Mr C. J. M. de Ma manche, quoted in The Press supplement: "The French only wish to make money so that they can get back to France. They have not got the colonising spirit." Wakefield or langlois? ' \Be this as it may, a. real race for Akaroa did develop- Who would irst overcome the opposing forces—Wakefield or Langlois? Wakefield's task was the more difficult. Ho had to reconcile the British Government to the idea of taking possession of any part of New Zeaknd,' and then see that the officer sent out should provide against foreign occupation of any part of the country. The Frenchman, on the other hand, had only to get an expedition sent out to the spot required. His preparations to this end wore, howwer, his own undoing. The British Embassy got to hear of the French Government's support of the proposed expedition, one newspaper indiscreetly disclosed'further details, and Wake, had just the sort of ammunition of which ho knew .how to make the best possible use. It was one thing for the British* Government to desire that the Maoris should be left independent, it was another to stand idly by while a foreign Power marked out possessions for herself. French action led to British action, which in turn stimulated the French. Hastening slowly was given over a s a policy, and a well-contested race seemed .in prospect. Delay after delay, however, hindered the French prospects, and when Captain Hobson was proclaiming British sovereignty over the South Island the French expedition was but crossing the Equator. Strengths of Navies. The British success' which followed was not so much the result of a race between Captain Stanley and Captain Lavaud, but the consequence of the general state of Europe at the. time, and the relative strengths of the .French and British Navies. Gnizot, a man of peace, was in power in France. He recognised that war with' Britain for the possession of Akaroa would not be in his country's interests, and he accordingly decided not to run the risk of it. He adopted exactly the policy which Lavaud had pursued on the spot, and it is quite possible that the actions for which Lavaud was so severely condemned were really prescribed for him before he left France. The French Government undoubtedly desired the success of his mission, but his instructions probably. included a clause stating that he was not to dispute British sovereignty if it had been proclaimed over the South Island. The whole question is a fascinating one, and the result of the enquiry of the New Zealand Historical Association will be awaited with interest. Ido not know what steps the town of Akaroa has taken -to preserve all documents and books relating to her origin, but an adequate collection would be sure to prove an attraction to visitors.