FRENCH AT AKAROA

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 572, 26 January 1929, Page 7

FRENCH AT AKAROA

ANNEXATION NEVER CONSIDERED THEORY EXPLODED 1 1 1 TJ 16 , French annexation of New Zea- - land legend was laid yesterday when 1 a paper on the French at Akaroa was read at the Science Congress by Dr ' Scholefield. s Paper was written by Mr. T Lindsay Buick. F.R. Hist.S..' and Dr i behol efield prefaced the reading by ; mention of Mr. Buick’s valuable work j in historical research, and his recent j ook on the Akaroa incident which ! would Clear up the legends surround- - mg that spot. Mr. Buick said that jn IS3S Jeau Langlois, captain of the French whaler Cachalot, negotiated with the natives of Port Cooper (now Lyttelton), and purchased, he believed, the " hole of Banks Peninsula. It was clear that the natives did not believe they had sold it all. and Langlois him301nonStimated t is P urc base at only 30.000 acres, whereas the peninsula amounted to 32G.000 ' ™T niUg t 0 France he tried to cn?n„w 111 , a proposed French j , ( ony * n New Zealand, and eventually | obtained the attention of the Government of which Marshal Soult was cl nJ, ren,le !'- Tl,e Ministry firmly de,ri a scheme of state colonisation and military occupation of the South Island, and Langlois left with merely xt D !'°° lise that French nationals in i\ew Zealand would be protected. \s a result the actual work of colonisation had to be done privately, and consequently the Nanto-Bordelaise ; Company was formed to found a ’ ! COl °l ly and to en s a se in whale fishing. | ihe French Government agreed to i j lend a ship, to give provisions to the j crew and colonists for 17 months, and to afford naval protection, receiving in return one-fourth of the land that the company might be able to acquire in New Zealand. It was clear that the Government was not disposed to territorial aggrandisement in New Zealand. There was never any question of annexation. FLYING FRENCH FLAG Mr. Buick quoted the two letters of instructions given to Captain Lavaud, of the French corvette L’Aube, when he was sent to visit the French settlement in Akaroa in 1840. "You will see to It,” wrote Marshal Soult, “that possession is taken in the name of France of all establishments formed in the Southern Island of New Zealand, aud that the national flag is flown upon them.” Admiral Duperre, Minister of Marine, objected to this wording, because he thought it would be unwise to attempt to fly the French flag at all of the settlements since there would be such a small force in New Zealand to protect it if required. As a result of his protest the flag was to fly only on the establishments of the company, aud "ail taking possession of laud was to be the result of purchase by the company.” It was clear that the establishment of a penal settlement at Akaroa was also discussed at one time. It was a general misconception that Captain . Lavaud was sent to New Zealand to i seize upon the 'South Island. The 1 French Government was rather assist- * ing and subsidising the extension of trade in the help it gave to the com- , pany. In referring to the maintenance of < the status quo at Akaroa for several 1 years after the French arrived there, J Mr. Buick expressed the opinion that * it was fortunate for both England aud , France that such a sane, rational, t frank and honest-hearted man as s Lavaud was sent to represent Franco 1 in those delicate days.