The New=Zealander. GOLD.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 616, 10 March 1852, Page 2

The New=Zealander.

GOLD.

Be just a7ul fcni not: Lrt ill the ends thon anm't at, be thy Country's, Thy vjoij s, anil 1 ruth's.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1832.

In a few hours after the observations which wo made on Saturday morning respecting the probabilities of the existence of a GoUl Field in the neighbourhood of Auckland had passed into the hands of our readers, a new and strong impulse was given to that excitement on the subject to which we then adverted. The circumstance which produced it was this. A portion of earth which had been given to a policeman named Marsh while he was engaged on the duty of collecting the Census .Returns at Waiheki some weeks ago, and which had since remained in his possession, Jiad been fused by Mr. Winch, Watchmaker, in Short]and-strect, and found to contain Gold. That it was real Gold admitted we believe of no doubt, as it fully bore the various tests to which it was subsequently subjected. The anxious question then arose, where and how the auriferous substance had been originally obtained? It appearing that Marsh had received it from Mr. Merrick, of Waiheki, who had a quantity of it lying at his house, the Committee appointed by the subscribers to the advertised reward for the discovery of gold in New Zealnnd —(consisting of the Mayor, Dr. Campbell, Captain Salmon, Mr. W. S. Graluimc, and Mr. Coolahan) —wore in immediate activity to gather trustworthy information on the subject. They met on Saturday evening, and decided that such steps as seemed most likely to attain this end fehould be taken without delay. Accordingly on Monday -Dr. Campbell } proceeded in a sailing boat to Wailcki, and the other members of the Committee followed in the course of the day, having chartered the Governor Wynyard, steamer, for the purpose. About three o'clock yesterday morning, they returned to town, accompanied by Mr. Merrick, and bringing with them a larger quantity of the substance, part of which, ifc was alleged, had been given to the Policeman. " Some hours yesterday were occupied in experiments on this; but the reeuitjwe have to add, was wholly disappointing, —nogold whatever havingbcen obtained from the portions which were then tested. Still, wisely judging that the negative evidence thus presented was far outweighed by tlio a positive evidence of the previous experiments, the Committee resolved to proceed at once with Mr. Merrick to the locality at which he states the .specimens were found, —which is not Waiheki, but another place within a moderate

distance of Auckla hi, the exact situation of which, however, lias not b< en eommuuic;itcd to tho niblie, and, wo bolieve, wasouly very genera ly indicted to iho Committee. With tli is object, they sailed in the steamer at six o'clock yesterday evening, — the Bon Accord accompanying in order that if tho weather, or the nature of any bay into which they may have occasion to enter, should render it desirable, tho services of this schooner may be nlso available. Their return, which may bo anticipated early to-morrow, will go far to sot the question nt rest ; as their intention was to dig in the spot pointed out by Merrick, and in any adjacent spots which might seem promising 1 , and to bring- away sufficient quantities of the soil or rock to admit of examination on such a scale as will obviate tho uncertainties necessarily connected with cxpci iments on more hand specimens. In addition to the inquiry thus set on foot, the Authorities have not been slow to prosecute such investigation as the circumstances demanded or admitted. The Colonial Secretary having- given the Commissioner of Police full authority to adopt such measures as the enquiry called for, a boat was despatched on Monday evening* with Mr. Percy, of the .Resident Magistrate's Office, and two Policemen, — having- instructions to visit Waiheko, and, if unsuccessful there, to proceed at once to the Hen and Chickens and to "Wangarci, both of which localities have been mentioned by rumour as seats of the precious object of pursuit. They, obviously, go under a disadvantage as compared with the Committee, who have in their company the person on Avhose authority the discovery, in its present position, is supposed to depend. But all the " prospecting" is conducted on public grounds, and the results, if successful, will bo for the public good. In the present state of the case, and awaiting the more complete information which a day or two will probably bring within our reach, wo deem it better thus simply to state the facts, leaving the reader to form his own conclusions from them. That Gold has been procured from some of the specimens, we hold to be certain. 'I hat in parts of these specimens it existed in oven a rich abundance, we also think admits of no question. Still the conclusion that this gold was a natural deposit in tho soil of New Zealand, however probable it is, is not made so absolutely certain as to render more decisive and accumulated evidence unnecessary. And even supposing that point to be finally and satisfactorily settled, it will still remain to be ascertained whether tho Gold exists in such quantity as to repay the toil and cost of procuring it. In our next we trust we shall be in a position to speak more confidently on a matter which just now naturally engross *s attention almost to the exclusion of all other topics of inf rest. C

The Kailienne Stewart Forbes arrived in our port yesterday evening, Laving sailed from London on the 19th of October, calling at the Capo of Good Hope on her way out. , The English papers by this arrival brings intelligence ten days older than that already received via Sydney. We have been favoured with the loan of a few Capo Town Journals. They contain little of importance respecting the general features of the war; but such information as they furnish proves that it was still apparently as far from a pacific conclusion as over. The following Government Notice, has a painful interest as recording the death of Major "Wilmot — well known a few years since in New Zealand where he served with honour during the Northern disturbances :—: —

" King William's Town, Jan. 2, 18J2. " Despatches have been tins evening received by his Excellency the Commander- in-Chief from Major-General Somerset and Lieutenant-Colonel Eyre. Upwards of G,OOO head of cattle had been captured by Major-General Somerset up to the 23rd ultimo, and 7,000 were in possession of Col. Eyre up to the 21st ultimo, exclusive of vast numbers, estimated at 7<w, drowned at the continence of the Tsomo and the Kei. "Major- General Somerset and Lieutenant-Col. Eyre were in direct communication on the 23rd ultimo, and were about to descend the Lower Bashee, to which large herds of cattle had been driven ; while Faku, it was expected, would make a forward movement. The Fingoes had rallied round the British troops. "The coniinued rain had been much against the troops, who were, however, in high spirits and health. " By His Excellency's command, "John Garvock", "Lieut.-Colonel, Private Secretary."

"January 4»— The mtnirnful intelligence has reached town this morning of the death, by the hands of the Enemy, of Major "Wilmot, Iloyal Artillery, Commanding at Fort, Peddio. This able and gallant Officer was shot on New Year's Day, while leading his men in an attack upon the Enemy in the jungle of the Fish lliver, where it is said Sandilli has now taken shelter. The lamented deceased was among the bravest and most active officers in the field. On every occasion, wheu hard and gallant service was demanded, he distinguished himself. lie fell as a soldier, and his name will stand conspicuous among the defenders of this country, and be embalmed in the inemoryof its inhabitants."

We give the following item of intelligence as we find it in the Cape Monitor of Jan. 7, — merely observing that, from more than one quarter, wo have heard shrewd suspicions expressed that some such information would one day arrive : — ■ "We learn from the Staffordshire Advertiser, Nov. 8, that the Rev. Mr. Jackson, Bishop Designate of Lyttelton, (Cantorbury Settlement) New Zealand, who has arrived in England, declines to return to that colony." On Saturday we shall, of course, lay before our readers anything new or interesting which our search through the English iilcs may discover.

By the overland mail we have received a few Wellington papers, the latest date being the 7lh ultimo. They tue entirely barren of news ; we, however, exlrsct an aiticle from the Spectator refeiring to Mr. Fox's misrepresentations of New Zealand, and a letter from Captain Deck on a branch of the same subject, which especially relates to that gentleman's attack on the Government bug in " Tbe Six Colonies." The letter "shows up" Mr. Fox sevmely but most justly in that jnailicular matter.

The Southern Did/ ids of N»io Zcahind ; a .Fournal, I with Pacing Noticci, of the Customs of the Aborigines. By Edward S:ioktlano, !\I.A. Cantab , Extra- Licentiate of the lloj.tl College of Physicians. Post BAa>., p.p. xiv., 315. London 1 Longman & Co., 1851. Tins is, so far as we are awire, the latest volume on New Zealand winch has issued fiom the press, having been published in London so leceiitly as August last Many of our leader^ will no doubt recollect its authoi, who in former yeais was well known in the colony, wheie he held the office of Prolecloi of Abotigines He states as his leason for appealing in print now, and not until now, thai seveial applications have been made to him for information regaiding the part of New Zealand with which he was best acquainted by persons who had formed the design of emulating, or by their friends, and that therefore . " he has been induced to publish the volume now offered to the public." We are immediately struck by two limitations which materially restrict the usefulness of the book, both for intending eimgiants and for the geneial reader. First as to p ace :—: — the title admits that it is confined to the • l Southern Districts," and in fact it is almost wholly restricted as to locality to portions of the Kast Coast of the % Middle Island, from Banks's Peninsula to Foyeaux's Stiaits. Then as to time: — the Journal from which it is chiefly taken was wutten in 1833 — 4 — most of it during the period while Mr. Sho tland was engaged in performing "the duty of Piotector of Native Inteiests, and Interpreter to Colonel Godfrey, who was the Commissioner appointed to examine claims to land south of Cook's Struts, said to have been purchased from the aborigines " Much of the volume is therefoie rather of a historical character, and cannot claim to be, in any proper sense, a repiesentation of more recent occurrences, and still less of the present condition of the colony, except indeed so far as it delineates Maori customs and feelings which may have undergone comparatively little alteration within the last seven or eight years Of some of these it does give a description which is manifestly founded on close and cont nued obseivation, and as manifestly given with fidelity, for—even had we no knowledge of the personal character of the author, — theie is a tone of frankness, — an absence of straining after dramatic effect or ol moulding statements to subseive a theory— -which would impiess the leader with a conviction that the woik was so far trustworthy. There can be no doubt that much of the book has been copied from Mr. Shoitland's Journal j and in this fact we have the explanation of — what, ciitically speaking must be consideied a fault — the frequent lecord of trivial ciicumstances,so wholly unimpoitant in themselves that they can have little or no interest, except for the wiiter or his immediate friends. Mr. Shortland offers but few opinions on public topics, and in some of these few we find ourselves constrained to dissent from his views. In the preface he observes, '' The author estimates highly the vnlue of the Southern Districts of New Zealand to colonists, being of opinion that they ulone — on account of tho inconsulei.tble amount of native population — are at all suitable (o the system 6f colonization, which, at the ( present day, fincU favour with the public, namely colonization conducted under the auspicies of companies. For it is indispensable to the success of this system, to hare at command a continuous and [exlen-ive block of land, uneinbai raised by the cl.nms of native piopnetorn; winch requisite is not to be obtained iv the North Island."'' The tendency of this passage throughout is to make an imp ession not borne out by facts. It is true that the scheme of colonization by companies has found favour with the public ; but it is also tiue that the delusion on this point is passing away under the stern teaching of the worse than failure of the New Zealand Company, and the thickly gathering embarrassments of the Canterbury Association. Besides, colonization in the South does not exempt fiom the difficulties connected with native propiietoiship, as the New Zealand Company's settlers have found to their cost, the ruin of many of them being attributable to the circumstance that the Company dishonestly sold land to them in which the Natives had an unextinguished right of property. The remark seems strange as coming fom Mr Shoitland when it is remembered that a principal of the Commission, to winch' he was attached at the time and place to which his book chiefly relates, was to try the merits of a dispute between a Company (the Nanto-Bordelaise) and the Aboiigines, respecting the claim to Banks' Peninsula which the French Company advanced. On the general advantages resulting from the proximity and numbers of the native population, there can be no second opinion amongst persons acquainted with the Noith. The Natives are found good neighbours, good producers, good customers, and no inconsiderable poition of such commercial progress as Auckland has made has undeniably been owing to the " Maori trade." Referring to Land Claims, the following extiact is both amusing and instiuctive. It shows strikingly the mode in which " landshaiking" was carried forward in the early days of the colony. " Several claimants of small tracts of land — in somo cases meiely a few acres — came fiom the neighbourhood of J?ovpnuK's Straits, to establish (heir titles. There appeared little douht that they had gent-rally given for them ample consideration, and tliat tbpy were never likely to be disturbed in then possession, having been resident theieon for many years. These persons all picsented parchmpnt deeds, with fine seals, diawn up in the forms in use in Sydney or England, which were, probably, neatly as unintelligible to them as to the New Zealander, who, of couise, could never have understood them. "Colonel Godfrey justly estimated the value of these deeds, and often surpnscd and disappointed their possessors, by saying that he should have thought better of a "crap of paper, containing a few lines written in (he native language. "The history of their origin, and of most like thorn, was lather amusing. A l.nvyei's cleric, finding a temporary absence from Sydney convenient, conceived the idea that, as there wns at that time a great rago for buying- land in New Zealand, he might employ his time to advantage in thst country. He therefore propal ed a cargo of those paichment deeds, leaving blank spaces for the names of places and persona, and with them visited vaiious paits of the coast. He seldom failed to find willing purchasers at five guineas per deed. " Though such documents could fairly have no intrinsic value in the eyes of any sensible person, if unconfirmed by the original proprietors of the soil, they had, Iwas assured, bi on found vciy useful at Sydney. Tlieie land speculations wcmp then in fashion, and their formal appoaianco, with the addition of a tattooed f.ico, sci aw led in place of a signature, gave them a marketable value. In many cases, gooils to a huge amount were sent to New Zealand without any secuiily that they would ever be paid lor, other than the deposit of such a document as one of the above. " Of th« claims to extensive tracts of land, only a part were investigated. The rest had been piobubly

abuulonrvl as untenable, now (li.it it was foil nil that (hey weie to ho examined thoroughly ; 01 because they hail become part of bankrupts' estates,, as they h id in so 'lie cases ; and had thus fallen undei tlio neglect lo which piopersy so cncumstanced is often sacnuced. "The claimants, however, of this class, or their agents who were piesent could generally t>i7P no moio description of the bouiviaiies of tho lands which they claimed, than tint contained in their deeds, which wa^ often no more than a ccitain number of miles along the sea-coast, fiom a named point, the extent inland being | as far as the hills, or else far enough to make up tho inunbui of acres claimed. The names of places given i w. rt> more olten those by which they woie better known to the whaleis and sealers, than to the. natives themselves. " 'ihe internal evidence, therefore, which they offered was, that ih"y never could have been deiived from native dictation, — indeed tliat they could with difficulty havo been m tde mtolhqible to the natives, whose signatures weie attached, even by a person who had an entire knowledge of tho language. The only means, theiefoie, of obtaining a tolerable accurate description was to lefer to tho natives present for their statement of the boundaries of tho lands they acknowledged to have sold. In one instance it was evident that the claimant was thereby given even a larger number of acres than he demanded. '1 his, however, was a peculiar case, for he had been long resident in the country, and bad paid, at different times, a very large amount of property to the natives. lie was, besides, 'on friendly teuns with them, so that they weie anxious to deal geneiou-ly by him. "It appeared, at the same timp, from observations made by the natives, even when they shewed a desire to give evidence favourable to the claimants, that most of the monster claims had originated simply in the purchase of a right to occupy sufficient ground ashore for the requirements of a whaling station, and to fish along a certain extent of coast, to the exclusion of all others, within a reasonable distance of the station. " The natuio of their tenure was, in the first place, what the natives teim " he noho noa lho," winch is about equivalent to what is called a l< squatting license" in New South Wales ; in fact, one expression is almost a translation of the otbpr. When it seemed probable that New Zealand would, tit no distant time, become a Britibh Colony, there naturally arose a desire to substitute for this holding a more permanent claim ; and, by the payment of property of comparatively trifling value, it was not very difficult to obtain the signatures of a few chiefs, who, in some instances, were at the time on a visit at Sydney, to deeds of the nature above described. "It was indeed affirmed by the natives, on sevoial occasions, that the coast boundary, set forth by the claimant, only defined the extent of his light by sea ; wheieas he would have it to serve for the base line, which was determine the extent of his propeity on shore." An entire chapter, and that the longest in tlie book, is devoted to the object of controverting the prevalent belief that the native population is generally decreasing, with especial reference to an article in the Edinburgh Review for January, 1860, in which the decrease is assumed as a notorious fact, and an elaborate inquiry into its probable causes is ably conducted. We fear that, in contending against this conclusion ; Mr. Shortland is undei taking a task. The point is one on which we have felt deeply interested ; and we have lost no opportunity of obtaining information respecting it from missionaries and otheis who, from long residence in the country and intimate acquaintance with the aborigines, weie best qualified to form a correct opinion. We have found their almost — or altogether — unanimous testimony to be, that — whatever may be the direct or indirect causes of the decline in numbers — the fact is certain ; and that the comparative fewness of the Maori children now growing up indicates that, when the present generation of adults shall have passed away, the diminution will be so evident as to prec'ude the possibility of any doubt on the subject. As we have already intimated, the most interesting poitionsof the volume aie those which incidentally describe the manners and customs of the Natives. We have marked some extracts from these which we shall piescnt to outreaders in another number. The remarks w Inch we have now made will give them a general idea of the contents and character of the volume. We regard it, on the whole, as a praiseworthy contribution towards the malena's for a comprehensive work oa New Zealand, should such ever be undeitaken by a competent hand. And what beyond this can be saiJ of any of the volumes on the subject hitherto given to the world? A woik on New Zealand, at once reliable in its statements, and even approaching to completeness in its execution, lemains a desideratum in our literature. The writer who shall supply it will confer no mean benefit both on the colony and on the Mother Country itself, and may confidently calculate on a wide and interested circle of readers.

Severe G-alk. — On Friday night and during the whole of Saturday, the neighbourhood of Auckland was visited by a gale of unusual se-ver-ty, the wind blowing -for the most pait E.N.E., and mounting to a furious storm at intervals. Much damage was done to fences, young trees, &c, but it was in the harbour that the most injurious effects were experienced. With much regiet we have to lecord the following amongst the disasters. The Shamrock cutter, 14 tons, belonging to Mr. A. Warbrick, was driven from her anchors while lying in Commercial Bay, and became a total wreck alongside the Victoria pier : her cargo (consisting of sawn timber) was saved. ..Iknow you don't, & schooner of about 16 tons, was also completely wrecked alongside the Commeicial Whaif. She belonged to a native chief named Tohi, residing at Makatu in the Bay of Plenty A small cutter belonging to Captain Lewington, now lies completely broken up in Commercial Bay... A boat, the property of Mrs. Osboine, was driven ashore on S male's Point, and received considerable damage... Th se are only some of the casualties occasioned by the gale. The total amount of damage sustained by the small craft in our harbour was so considerable that it will lequire time and no little outlay to repair the whole. The injury was confined) however, to the small vessels which lay close tp the piers and wharves. The American ship Lion, from drifting a consideiable way from her original anchorage, appeared to have dragged ; but it was only in consequence of more chain having been paid out, and she rode out the gale in safety. We have had no intelligence from the East Coast ; but we can scarcely venture to hope that the tempest passed over without producing injurious lesulls in some places.