EMIGRATION. Seventh General Report of the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 157, 1 December 1847, Page 3

EMIGRATION. Seventh General Report of the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners.

NEW ZUALAND. No returns of land sales have been received from this colony for the years 1844 and 1845. In 1846 a few lots were sold for J340, the moiety of which would be applicable to emigration.—* This sum has not been deemed sufficient to ren-r der it expedient, at present, to renew emigration. It is obviously beyond our province to remark upon the important events which have lately taken place in this colony j but we may perhaps, without impropriety, remark that we are glad to perceive by Governor Grey's published despatches, that he anticipates, with reference to the hostilities on the part of the natives, a satis* factory settlement of affairs. With respect to the land question, there are a few only that require to be noticed. The claim of the Manukau Company was decided in September, 1845, by the late Governor, after an enquiry before the Executive Council; but against that decision the agent of the Company, Mr. Heale, appealed to the Secretary of State, After a careful review of the facts, the decision of the late Governor has been confirmed. It was in substance as follows :—: — That the Company should receive a grant of 1927 acres, which the natives acknowledged to have sold, and that the Crown should take the Company's imperfect title to another smaller tract of land which they claimed to have purchased, but which the natives denied themselves to have sold, the Company receiving in exchange certain crown lands near Auckland, consisting of about 2000 acres, upon which some of their settlers had previously been located. But your Lordship has directed that the Company should be alowed besides, in conformity with precedent land enough to complete in all four acres for every £1 expended by them on emigration. The decisions of the late Governor on several other land claims have been brought under the notice of the Secretary of State j but as we believe they are still unsettled, we abstain from further allusion to them. In the course of last year an application was made to your Lordship by Messrs. Enderby, a firm well known for their enterprise and long experience in the whale fisheries in the South Sea Fisheries, for the occupation of the Auckland Islands. With a view to encourage this important trade, your Lordship has consented to grant them a lease for thirty years, renewable at the expiration of that peiiod for a similar term. A copy of the lease which we executed by your Lordship's directions, is given in the appendix ; and it will be seen that the arrangement is based on the condition that the Messrs. Enderby, or any Company formed by them, are to bear all the charges necessary for civil government and the protection of the settlers,