OUR EARLY GOVERNORS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 77

OUR EARLY GOVERNORS.

GOVERNOR FITZROY.

By E. M. DuNLor.

Difficulties bebet the country in every direction v hen Captain Robert Fitzroy took the helm, appointed thereto by the Home Government, and he doubtless grasped it bravely and with a determination to play a worthy part, fle was the son of General Lord Chas. Fitzroy, brother of the fourth Duke ol Graf ton. Born in June, 1805, he entered the navy very early, for we find him as a lieutenant in 1824, and in 1828, when he was not yet 24 years of age, he was in command of the Beagle, on the voyage made famous by Darwin, who accompanied him. In the course of his voyagings he visited New Zealand, the famous naturalist being with him, and he accomplished surveys which led to his giving evidence before the House of Lords in 1838 on .natters concerning our country. Captain Fitzroy's career continued to be honourable and successful. He was the Conser\ative member for Durham irom 1841 to .id 43, and might have continued a political career at Home but ior his uniortui;nte appointment to disentangle the affairs or New Zealand. This led to his iinal withdrawal from oitiee and probably undermined his mental powers as well as his popularity. He was called upon to take command of a struggling colony, torn by internal strite and conflicting interests, with bankrupt finances, and a querulous, perhaps venomous, press.

Strife was raging in New Zealand between the appointees of the Home Government and the partisans of the New Zealand Company. Offence was taken almost immediately at every act and word, however trivial, of the new Governor, and conflicting advice was treely offered him. Most serious problems confronted him, for the solution of which he lacked the knowledge, experience, and that special skill developed in several of those who were afterwards successful in settling Native affairs. Governor Fitzrov did not lack boldness of initiative or personal bravery. A few weks> after his arrival he undertook the settlement of the Wairau difficulty, and personally interviewed the Maori chiefs Te ' Rauparaha and Rangiheata, whose hands were yet red from the massacre of many Europeans. At the interview which Fitzroy held with the savage chiefs only 12 white persons were present, while the chiefs had with them 500 armed Natives. The Governor's speeches and his judgments were considered too conciliatory by the Europeans concerned, and were taken by the Natives as signs of weakness, while ' they intensified the enmity of the leaders of the New Zealand Company. >

-Endeavouring to secure a basis upon which dealing in Native lands could be legalised, and the treasury supplied, the Governor succeeded in passing an enactment providing that persons might make their own purchases from the Natives on payment of a royalty to the Government of 10s per acre. Both races objected to this provision (which it was hoped might have supplied some funds for the empty Government coffers) as complicating transactions in progress, and the Maoris determined upon a demonstration of strength while demanding the repeal of the obnoxious clause.

With this object they assembled upon a spot_ in the Auckland district near where the Remuera railway station is now situated. Here they erected a shed 400 yards long, covered with blankets, surrounded by enormous piles of potatoes and dried sharks. They invited Governor Fitzroy and his party to attend on a given date, and made a display of savage customs ; several thousand fully armed warriors danced Native war dances, and the air was rent by their demoniacal shrieks and yells. They committed no acts of violence, but they visited the town in companies to gaze in at the shop windows or to make purchases, taking great delight in arraying themselves in European garb. Though they were civil to the townspeople and paid for the things they bought, they carried arms and gave plain indications of an independent spirit. They so persistently demanded the repeal of the obnoxious law that it was annulled, and what was called the penny-an-acre policy substituted — that sum to be paid to the Government on every acre purchased from the Natives by individuals or. companies. In Taranaki the feeling against Governor Fitzroy's administration rose to a high pitch. Sixty thousand acres of land were in dispute. This was the case in brief : The Waikato Natives of a previous generation had made a descent upon Taranaki lands, slaughtering most of the inhabitants, but carrying a proportion back with them as slaves. Meanwhile other Taranaki Natives took possession of the deserted lands and sold them to Europeans. The Waikatos. becoming Christianised through the influence of missionaries, released their slaves, who lost no time in travelling back to the lands of their fathers, only -to find Europeans in possession. By Native law, the returned ones, having been slaves, had forfeited their rights.

Commissioner Spain settled the case in favour of the European owners, but Governor Fitzroy reversed the decision, confirming the purchase by Europeans of only 3500 acres. This complication led to years of ill-feeling in the Taranaki district. Meanwhile, in the north. Heke's war loomed large upon the horizon, and the destruction of Kororareka sent shiploads of destitute fugitives to land upon the shores of Auckland. The Treasury was 'absolutely empty, funds being wanting for the most elementary necessities. Governor Fitzroy took the step of issuing debentures to the amount of £15,000, the debentures being declared legal tender, wad Auckland declared a free port. Troops were sent for lio^Sydney to help in quelling the Native disturbances which irere imperilling the north) largely on

1 account of the imposition of Customs duties. These were now repealed, again , exhibiting the Governor's vacillating j policy. His enemies were active in mak1 ing representations to the Home Government, and as a result he was recalled, on the ground of his iss\ie of the debentures referred to, and of his not keeping the Home authorities sufficiently informed of his proceedings — a difficult matter, as intercourse by sailing vessel was both tedious and uncertain. His recall occurred just when the arrival of troops, ships, and money appeared to offer hopes of his successfully grappling with the problems which had defied his judgment. Governor Grey, in succeeding him, perhaps reaped the benefit of his efforts. In person Governor Fitzroy was tall, slim, and dark, ot a pleasing appearance, somewhat tinged with melancholy. He was a descendant of the Royal Family of Stuart, with which he possessed points of resemblance. His career practically ended with his recall. His mind subsequently became unhinged through dwelling on meteorological problems. Governor Fitzroy, on his return Home, was promoted to be a rear-admiral and appointed to a seat on the Board of Trade. His mental trouble, however, became more pronounced. The one subject engrossed nearly all his attention, and his experiences as Governor of New Zealand weighed upon him during the intervals of the disease. His sudden, sad end in 1865 was the direct result of the aberration of his mental faculties.