GRIEVANCES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. [From recent Parliamentary Papers.]

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 21, 25 October 1845, Page 3

GRIEVANCES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. [From recent Parliamentary Papers.]

One of the most important of these documents, is a letter from J. Bushy, Esq., the late resident at New Zealand, to G W. Hope, the Under Secretary of State for the colonies; which as i) has not oniy reference to the state of feeling among the New Zea-

lmders, hut to the character of Honi Heke himself, — we ghe it entire.

38, Noifolk street, Strand, ] 7th January, 1845. Sir,— ln compliance with your request, I Tiave now the honour to address you in w riling, the substance ot what I verbally stated to )ou respecting the lute disturbances at the Bay of Islands. The account which I have received does not differ in any material point from that quoted in some of the London Journals from a New South Wales paper, (the Sydney AJotnmg Herald), under the signature of "W O. Hector," but gives tin additional information, that two days after the flag-staff was cut down, " another parly of natives came and put up another flag-staff, the inhabitants emeriaming' them whli flour, &c. &c.;" that " th«y then came across to the point opposite, in a number of war canoes, with the police boat, and another boat containing a Rom sh priest; that Mr. Kemp (the protector of aborigine* for (he district), met them from Paihaia, where they had a war dance, and again returned to Kourauka." This was a hostile demonstration towards the party whocut down the flag-staff, and might lead to farther disturbances. But my account further states, that the bishop was to have a meeting wiih the natives nt Waimate, and it is hoped that he and the missionaries will have sufficient influence to keep them from, following up their previous proceedings. I would beg to remark that the latter signed "W. O. Hector," though written in a tone of aggravation and complaining loudly of the outrages committed by the natives, only mentions (as far as my memory serves), thtir having occupied two houses, one of which they found vacant, and the other the residence of the individual with whom John Heke, the leader of the party, had a native quarrel to avenge ; and their having killed two or three straggling pigs belonging to the inhabitants, which it is very probable they would send others to replace. It is said that insults were offered to someEnglish females ; bul though it would be M'ong to affirm that nothing of the kind had taken place, still I confidently believe that such insults were not of an aggiavated character, and that they weie confined to the case of or two individual natives. It is the custom of the natives in their war dances to throw off their upper garments, but this proceeding could not properly be considered an outrage on modesty. It is of more importance to remark, that though (he shops were filled with every article on which the natives set a value, no allegation is made of any attempt to rob them. From these considerations, and from an intimate knowledge of the character and conduct of John Heke during the last 11 yeats, as well as from the sentiments he has more than once expressed to myself, I have no hesitation in affirming that the act of cutting down the flag-staff, was a premeditated act of defiance and rebelli on against the government : and though I am inclined to hope that lew of the chiefs in the northern part of i\gw Zealand would be parties to Mich an act, yet I am firmly persuaded, that the majority, if not the whole, of the natives participate in the distrust and disaffection of which that ptoceediiig is an evidence. This disaffection may be traced almost exelnsively to the conduct of the Government with respect to the land question. When it was proposed to the natives to cede the sovereignty of their country to the Queen, 1 the alleged grounds of that proposal were the great influx of Hei' Majesty's subjects into New Zealand which she could not prevent, and the impossibility of repressing those disorders which resulted from such a state of things, and of affoiding pioteclion to the weak and well disposed of either race, from the violence of men of an opposite character. The only motives alleged, were those of benevolence and protection. The chiefs were persuaded to agree to the treaty («o far as it was executed at Waitangi), by the confidence in the missionaries and myself But had we been aware that- it was the intention of Her Majesty's government to enter into a competition with the New Z aland Company, in colonizing the country by the profits to be realized fron; the lands, to which the natives were invited for their own protection, to yield the pre-emption, we could not with our knowledge of their feelings and sentiments, have conscientiously recommended them to agree to the treaty ; nor had it been otherwise, would our recommendations have had any influence with the natives, provided the intentions of the government had been made known to them. It was not without a feeling of great uneasiness and alarm that we first" became aware of these intentions on the part of the government ; and on the appearance of a note from the Emigration Commissioners, that parties in England purchasing land in New Zealand to the extent of eight square miles, would be eh titled to a right of selection in any pait of the colony, at a time when the government had not acquired the possession of more than from 2000 to 3000 acres; a petition to the Queen on the part of the missionaries and myself, setting forth the excitement and disaffection occasioned in the minds of the natives, and the daugeis to which we, as the advisers of the treaty, were exposed by this and other proceedings, in violation of the treaty. But this petition was not forwarded to Her Majesty, as the missionaries alters ards decided upon petitioning or reptesentiug these facts through their society. It may be advisable to state, that while Sir G. fiipp's bill lelative to the New Zealand laud titJes was under discussion in Sydney, a New Zealander ha 1 been iutroJuced by some peison into tiie gallery of the council chamber. This man went home, and created the greatest excitement and indignation amongst liis countrymen, by his account of the proceedings he hart witnessed. Shortly after this, a deputation of Christian natives waited on Mr. Davis, of the Church mission, who was their pastor ; and asked if indeed it m ere true that the Btitish government intended to take possession of their lands ? Mr. Davis was then able (o reply, that he believed there was no such intention. They then asked, if it were true that several ship loads of emigrants might be expected ? To which Mr. Davis replied, that he believed there wasso-ne truth in it. Wnen tlu->y asked, what then is to become of us ? He endeavoured to soothe them with the assurance that they should be protected in their properties ; but w ith many of them this assuran c was ineffectual, and he was told in very plain terms, that if they were betrayed, we hid been their betrayers, and should be Ihe fijst ob

jects of their venge nee. John Heke belonged to the district from which this deputation proceeded, and it is very likely he was a member of if, though I am not aware that such is the fact He was also one of the party ftom whom I purchased the land, which the government gave me notice they intended to depn've me of, in order to make it the site of a public township, — and ■who sent me a message to give myself no uneasiness on that subject, for they who sold me the land would maintain me in possession ef it. Indeed it was with some difficulty that I could suppress their indignation at the questions which the Commissioners thought fit to put to them with reference to my title, The sentiment has been universal among the natives in the neighbourhood of the Bay.of Is lands : that if the Queen (according to the enactment of the Land Claims Bill) deprived hei own children of their land, it was only because she was not jet sfiong enough, that she did not interfere with theirs. It therefore, need excite no surprise, that they should consider themselves as over-reached and betrayed, when that right of pre-emption which they were prevailed upon to yield to the Queen, for the benevolent purpose of projecting them from the fraudulent dealings of her subjects, should be made the very instrument of realising their worst fears. Whatevermay be said of the desiie of the New Zedlcinders to have our countrymen settle amongst them, they have always dreaded the appioach of sue.i numbers as would place them in our power. They are aware of the degradation to which the aborigines of other colonies have been reduced by the establishment of British dominion ; and they frequently refer, with pain and apprehension, to the conduct of the Governor of New South Wales, towards his ''friend Bungarahie," meaning the aborigines of New Holland and Van Dieman's Land, asiepresented in the person of their chief. I was a witness to the baptism of John Heke and his childi en, about si* or seven jeaisago, and his fast flowing tears on that occasion show ed how keenly he felt the solemnity of that sacrament and the obligations it imposed. It is impossible for me to believe that he was at that time otherwise that a sincere ami intelligent convert ; and though I have since heard actions imputed to him inconsistent with his Chnsti.m profession, I have no difficulty in believinjj that he considers he was only doing the duty of a patriot to his country, in the late distutbances. it may be further desirable to make the character of Heke belter undeistood, by stating what Was his conduct in the unhappy collision bronirht on between the tribes at Manganui, by the conduct of the government in interfering with the lands even against ther own regulations. He was the leader of a parly who went to assist the tribe of Pororma, with which his own tribe was connected ; and it was arranged, I believe, by the influence of the Bishop, the Protector of Aborigines, and others, who had gone to endeavour to pi event mischief, that his party, and another party of auxiliaiies to / the advetse tribe of Nopeia, should retire from, the ground by a particular path. Heke t<oka position to 'see that this arrangement was adhered' tb,~and that the opposite party did not, by diverging into another path, make a detour, which would place his friends betw een two tires. Seeing the first men of the oppo»ite party ac tualh take this path, he called out to them that they w ere breaking the treaty ; they looked back «s if to get encouragement fioin their fiiends •behind, and then continued to advance; he ■warned them again, that if they proceeded another step he should iire upon them ; and tiiis Warning having also been disregarded, he levelled Iris double-bai relied gun, and shot dead the two first men of the paily. Heke is married to the daughter of the late Hongi, who visited England, and Mas introduced ro King George the Fourth, and who was the greatest man ior New Zealand has produced. There is much leason to apprehend that his influence would be very great throughout the noithern part of the island should matieis be pushed to extremities between him and the government. Hfiving been prevented by prjrate business from sending this letter so soon as I intended, and being about (o go to the country fora day or twjo, I* shall not prolong it with further observations, but shall be happy to afford any further information which may be required. 1 have, &c. JAMES BUSBY. Formerly Her IYLiji st\'s Resident at New Zealand. To G. W. Hope, Esq. Under Secretary for the Colonies.