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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 266, 21 October 1884, Page 2

The visit of Tawhiao and his companions to England did not escape the calculation of a keen American citizen from New York, who happened to find himself at the time in the “ Smoky Village.” The London correspondent of the Auckland Weekly News says :— “ In my last letter I incidentally alluded to a proposed union of American and Maori interests for mutual benefit. Among the first assiduous visitors to Demeter House was an American gentleman, (Mr. Frank Bowden), who professed to have large commercial and territorial interests in China, and made himself very affable and agreeable to the Maoris, taking them here, there, and everywhere, paying all. expenses, and generally putting himself to endless trouble to accommodate them. He was courteous and kind, and showed himself very desirous of ascertaining the nature of the Maori grievances, rendering them all the assistance in his power. All of a sudden he propounded the idea of starting an Anglo-Maori Company, the objects of which should be to work in conjunction with Tawhiao and the other chiefs for their mutual benefit. The idea was that the Maoris were to provide the land and make concessions to the company—which might be made up of capitalists of both races —and that they were to work together to prevent colonial interference and to preserve the King Country intact for their own purposes. Mr. Bowden seemed to have a notion that the chiefs in England were all-powerful, and could do as they choose with the land ; but after several

interviews with them, and after, as J believe, seeing Mr, Chesson on the subject, I am credibly informed that the whole thing fell through. Meanwhile. through one of those many mysterious channels of which no one knows the source, the scheme gained wind in the city, and it is said that one firm alone were prepared to raise and put down at once all the necessary capital, even to the extent of ten millions sterling, on the necessary concession of land being obtained. I believe, however, that it generally came to be understood that the King was powerless in this latter matter, and the whole thing terminated in a fiasco.”