THE FRENCH LEGISLATURE. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, MONDAY, MAY 27.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 7, 23 November 1844, Page 3

THE FRENCH LEGISLATURE. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, MONDAY, MAY 27.

The first item required by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (600,000f.) for extraordinary missions, called M. Berryer to the tribune. M. Berryer said, thathedid not agree with M. de Came, that France should not seek to extend her influence beyond certain limits. He thought that it behoved her to give the world an 'adequate idea of her power, in order that her natives might be certain of meeting protection and commanding respect wherever they might direct their steps. He then presented an historical account of the operations of the French in Oceania since 1827. New Zealand was the first point winch attracted their attention. Its coasts, afforded greater, advantages for fishing than the northern shores of the Pacific ; the islands offered the roost. abundant resources for tbe navy ; the position was in every respect inviting for the establirhment of a French station ; a coal mine had even been -discovered in the island. ' Admiral Dupetit Thooars, Captain Cecile, and Captain Langlois, of Havre, : visited it in 1833. The latter concluded, in that year, a treaty, with the native chiefs; who sbaudoned their right to s portion-of the southern' island,^ ,toM-.,sLangloi«, as representative of France, The latter having returned -'r'o Europe, »üb>' roitted the treaty, tohis Government, by which it was approved,, and- Captain Lavaud^was'

sent with powers, signed "by thfe2 ■jStffiStefSJ" to take formal 'possession of the grant; 'The chiefs, on the return of Captain Langloi3, pit him in possession of the territory thus ceded, in August, 1840. In the mean time, hqwever, an English company had contracted with soma chiefs of the north for the cession of a certain extent of territory, and Captain Hobson was sent thither in January, 1840, from Tort Jackson, in the capacity of Lieutenant-Go-vernor. The latter established himself in that portion of New Zealand. The French were at the time in quiet possession of their grant in the south", and Captain Langloishad actually taken possession of it in the name of France, when Captain Stanley arrived from the north, and in his turn, aud on the 14th of August, 1840, took possession of it as belonging to Queen Victoria. Our Cabinet had recognised the frivolous argument of the right of possession by the discovery of Capt. Cook. This was intimately connected with the affair of Tahiti. The check received at New .Zealand was a grave one, and it was necessary to repair it, In 1840, Admiral Dupetit Thouars had formed part of the committee appointed to examine the demand of Captain Langlois. He had been, in 1838, at the Marquesas, and had caused the, wrongs suffered by the French whalers to be redressed. He obtained what he required, by writing to Queen Pomare in very determined terms. In the beginning of 1841, when the account of what had taken place at .New Zealand had arrived, Admiral Thouars, in order to seek for something to make up for the kfss sustained there, set out to take the Marquesas and to assume the protectorate of Tahiti. The determination to abandon, without conUstation, New Zealand to a jealous rival, produced this mission of the admiral's. The hon. deputy then proceeded to detail the circumstances, already so well known, attendant on the taking possession of' Tahiti in. the name of France, refeVring particularly to Queen Pomare's application to the Queen of England, and the displaying of the Tahitian flag. What ought Admiral Dupetit Thouars, pursued the hon. member, to have done under those circumstances ? He ought evidently, according to his instructions, to seize on" the islands, and he did so. Thus the power of France was at last established at Tahiti, and within eight months after ihat event Queen Pomare would be informed of the disavowal of the Admiral's act, and the Moniteur, with its disastrous words, would be thrust under M. Dupetit Thouars' nose by 'some English, subject. (Movement ? ) ,It was said that there were men who endeavoured to envehojn everything.. For his part, he was proud of the sentiments which actuated his heart at that moment. His conscience was tranquil, for it obeyed thoroughly French inspirations. ! (Approbation on the left.) It was because the Cabinet had misunderstood the interests of France as well as her dignity that he ac T cused it. He fully approved" the idea of sending diplomatic missions to the most remote parts of the globe, because it was indispensable that the French flag should wave and command respect on all the seas, and that Frauce, who was a commercial and ,maritime nation, should possess a station in Oceania for the protection of her trade arid the revictualling' of her merchant navy; but, he could not help expressing hisr disapprobation at the abandonment of her acquired rights over Otaheite, because the occupation of that Archipelago by France gave umbrage to a rival power. Admiral Dupttit Thouars had acted in conformity with the instructions lie had received in 1838 and 1840, and he could not see how it was possible for the Government to justify the disavowal of. the- admiral. The perseverance of the administration in its system of concession was .visible, he said, in its conduct at New Zealand and Otaheite ;, it was the natural consequence of the p,olicy that had characterized the previous policy of the Cabinet in Turkey'and Egypt, which had been marked by a shameful 'condescension to the dictates of England. Far from him the idea of involving his country in war ; but He thought the Ministry might preserve to France the advantages of peaco, without any danger of war, by pursuing a mote dignified policy, and not always yielding- to the exigencies of England. " • M. Gutzot, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, having risen to reply, said, that he conceived the viblence of the attacks directed, again*! the acts of the. Administration was the rigb! of the Opposition, and the principle of ihj Constitutional Government; but he could noi conceive that ii should stoop to the pervertior of facts in order to- substantiate its charges, He had been accused., oMiaving »pprojria^ larger sums than his predecessor* to. dij^g! 4 matic missions. Now, be .heldl i$ his I»W|4j .document wfiich proved that,, during the Uimj ,! years that preceded his ac'ceasum'to .p&*fij tae'^crediti applied to' that purpose, fyjyijril ceeded B'y'^PQ^jO'Op those Expended fqfftyl i«tn^ object, during die three, .yean o£ h^^ • raniiifijfttion^ I ;^He JJ r t.b. yen v en pri>peed<s jx± jutti^l

the various items of the required credit,- and mentioned the important advantages that ,the country had derived .from such missions. M. Guizot next referred to New Zealand, ThjU island, he said, had been repeatedly visited; fronr 1790 to 1814, by British navigators, who had taken possession of it in the name of Great Britain. The Government, however, did not sanction that occupation, and it was only from 1815 to 1838 that companies had endeavoured to prevail upon England to act upon that occupation. It was not true, as M, Berryer had asserted, that Captain Hobson had received no instructions from his Government. Those instructions were of July, 1839, and enjoined him to negotiate a treaty with the chiefs for the cession of the Northern Island, and in February, 1840, a treaty to that effect was signed by 512 chiefs of that island. In April following, a similar treaty was concluded with the chief of the Southern Island. Their regular occupation by England was an accomplished fact, when Captain Lavaud arrived in the Northern Island in July, and found, as he himself announced to his Government, that the three islands of the group had legally passed under the dominion of Great Britain. M. Thiers here interrupted M. Guizot, and said that it was incorrect to say, that because the English had arrived first in New Zealand they should be considered the righteous owners of a territory which was as large as the British islands. M. Guizot replied, that the I'rench could only lay claim to a certain extent of territory, and not to the sovereignty of the islands. Failing in its intentions to establish a station in New Zealand, the Government had directed its attention to another part of Oceania, and the result was the occupation of the Marquesas, and the establishment of the protectorate over the Society Islands. M. Guizot observed, that the Chamber having approved the solution given by the Ministry to the question of Otaheite, and nothing new having occurred since, he would not again entertain the subject. — Times, May 30.