THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 234, 26 September 1908, Page 3

THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF TARANAKI.

lij illts. U. U DUXixiP.

LAN JlighU iieserved.J it. When Hie hist immigrant shins rrived at Xaramiki the Maoris welcomed the new .settlers d ud paid then every kind of attention Curiosity and desire «eie a ike satisfied, and the former were , pleased with the opportunity 0 f obtaining the valued novelties introduced i,v tlie white man. H was deemed an advantage to oc near soine harbour iike.y to be visited by ships. Jt was to obUiii this coveted position that Te Rauparaua and the ivarnors of his tribe uuitfd kawhia and made their way southwards ravaging lauds and slaughtering the inhabitants. Humours 0 f massacre and cannibalism reached the new settl'cs and did not tend to reassure them' Parties ol strange natives from the north now frequently appeared on the scene, demanding entertainment and o»poi'iuniiios of trade. The manner of the newcomers was increasingly arlii- I trary, and it soon became evident that I dissatisfaction dillicttlt to comprehend ! existed. j In the course of time it became tin- j derstood that new claims were arisiu<«' with regard to the lands purchased ana ■ dealt with by the Xew Zealand Com- I pauy. As the Xew Plymouth Company nad purchased lands through the agency I of the former company their interests : were nearly affected. In a former period, before the arri.-il ! of the iwhite man, .Maori tribes from I the north had raided l the Taranaki lauds, carrying away into captivity such of the vanquished as escaped tlie pot. These lauds had been soid to Europeans by the conquerors, who had ••e----ceived coveted rewards of blankets, Hour and firearms. Maori law gives to the iviclors absolutely the property as we'd as the persons of the vanquished. Xow, in Ihe piping lime s of peace and prosperity, moved by the inllucnce oi tnc Christianity taught by the missionaries, the northern conquerors set free such of their slaves as were still living, with the descendants of others, and those people returned in strong parlies to their old haunts and laid claim to the •landed properties taken from them m earlier years. I

This was the position, ami constantly increasing murmurs and demands arose. The new arrivals made warlike demonstrations, danced war dances, and ordered the new settlers oil' the lands. At first, these demands were regarded with disdain, but as time advanced ami troubles grew a Commission was appointed to endeavour to settle the question with fairness to all. The more consideration shown to the demands of the newcomers, the more these demands multiplied. ilr. Commissioner Spain, a skilful barrister from England, was appointed to investigate the matter, and gave his decision in favour of the company, holding that the m w claimants having been conquered ill war had sacrificed the.r rights to the land and must abide by '-he

'bargains made by their conquerors. These were playing a double game. Having enjoyed the proceeds of the first sale, they were quite ready to share in the proceeds of a new disposal. The positiun of the Xew Zealand Company was further complicated from their

variance with the Government of tlie day nuclei' Governor Hobson, who had in 18-tu declared void "all future purchases of land from the natives of Xew Zealand." One can imagine the difficulties of discussing matters so important when one reilects that there was no newspaper iu Taranaki between the years of 1811) and 1850, so that everything had to be discussed in the streets or at meetings summoned by round robin. Xotice boards took"the place of the newspaper, and one in particular was creeled in a prominent position on Ihe approach to (lie bridge ill Devon. Street. This -bridge was, therefore, the general rendezvous, the club and the debating room. Very funny notices often appeared upon (he board, which was naturally attractive lo the local wits, and tlie lutes! jokes as well as the latest scandals were generally chalked up, also remarks of a pcl'sumd'character, (or mo one dreaded the law of libel in those days. Quarrels were settled by the primitive means of fisticuffs. Nevertheless, the general tone was very friendly, and there was a great deal of fun to light.m arduous toil. People were accused ot extravagant living and dressing and being too much addicted to amusement. An amusing incident occurred in eon nectiou with a gentleman, a newly-

arrived settler who had had the misfortune to lose the whole of his hair from the ell'ects til a fever, although lie was still young. He consequently wore a very nice r \vig of brown curh hair, which matched his complexion and was not easy of detection. He was present one warm summer's day at a discussion in progress, several natives being present, especially a chief rcnow:.cil for his prowess in war. Quite unconsciously and unconcernedly the h"wigged gentleman raised his hat, and also' his hair, and passed his handkerchief over his bald shining pate. There was a general howl from the Maoris, and a. particularly heartrending one from the chief, the whole party takitig to their heels, scarce daring'to look hack in their llight. The laughter of the owner of the wig and his friends could not avail to pacify the fugitives, as the'* were ciinviuced that there must be something supernatural in so extraordinary a power. The news was spread far and near, and every day some strangers would arrive in the settlement, demanding to see the man who could remove or replnce his scalp at will. "Here is a place for farmers to live!" writes an early Taranaki settler. "No taxes, no tithes, no rates of any sort! No scarcity of money or meat liere. I have a house and garden of my own. The trees are green all the year round: there are some of the liucst s hrubs you ever saw in your life. iSnmp of the f'e"it are from fifteen to twenty feet high, and we eat the roots of the fern trie just as we would apples at home, and it is very good, I am working at mv trade shoemaking, and I get from ]"s (id to Ki 5s for a pair of boots." It was only natural in the course of

setll 'lit that persons possessed of abilities and opportunities should gradually assume, or rather receive. Hit" position of leaders. Mr. Wickslcnd. one „f Hie company's most ncfive agents, was prominent among those, ami avas one oi Hie lirst .magistrates appointed. His manner was urbane and his inllucnce great with the natives. He was at lirst the means of settling many dillieulh matters and of conciliating obstructionists, acting as mi intermediary with success until thi' various complications in dealing with the native lands tended to frustrate his endeavours. There was a change of (lovernment, and when Caplain h'itzroy arrived he displayed "Teat activity ami annulled the decisions of Commissioner Spuin which had upheld the purchases of Hie Land Company. This edict was a terrible blow to the settlers whose works were in acti.'e operation. All parties now began to take a ling,.,- in the pie. The Wcsle/an missionaries, l!isl,„p Sclwyn, and 'all who had iitllueucc with Hie natives or I

who aspired to inlluence, .began to ad vise with them, and matters licaii !■ aniline really threatening aspect, th obslniclionisf claimants lo Ihe laud ordering occupant oil' the |j,.|,i s „„ threatening, and sometimes cxccutiii", force. Survey parties were iutorCcrci' with, and in many eases were obliged li relire.

The sympathies and pronouneeniems of (lovernor Kitzroy were in opposition to the awards of Air. Commissioner S]>ain, and he liimsell' looked about lor those on whom he might rely to support his own views of the best methods of dealing with the natives. He sought anil found one whose inlluence soon superseded that of any other in negotiation with the .Maoris. This was Sir Donald .Mef-.can. with whose name the story of the- early settlement of Tnr.-i----naki is closely associated, as a very large portion or that district, as weil as of llawkc's Huv and Poverty Buv ami the l-'.ast Coast, .was |>laccd' on a

linu foundation of successful settle nt by means of his tactful negotiations.

Ihtwee.n the years 18-111 and ISol) -McLean succeeded' in settling the lilies, and purchased from Ihe natives seven blocks containing nearly liitv lliousaad acres of Taranaki lands, lie then proceeded under (iovi'l-iinieiil orders io llawkivs liny, where he was successful in eslnblkhing peace lietween hostilfc tribes, and in securing the titles of largo areas, including Scinde Island, on which the town of Xapier is built. [|i< at-"i- neiiolialions concei- I Ihe Pnver'y day anil l-'.asl Coast lands.

Sir Donald .McLean came from one of (he wot em isles upon the Scottish coasl. and oelonged to a typical Seotdt Presbyterian family, of a elass whh-h has been prominent in steadiness and sagacity wherever British colonisation has extended. Tn his early years, led by a spirit, of adventure, he' went io sock his fortune in Australia. There lie

became employed by a firm trading the G cat Barrier, which was being exploited lor copper. ]„ the course of years he work s . were abandoned, his'firm withdrew, and Mcbean -was left, still a youth, to his own resources. lie now devoted his mind to a thorough masl-rv of the Maori language, and studied •he ways and bulbils of the natives, with whom ho became extremely popular. He turned his steps to Coromaudel, and found openings there for one conversant with the Maoris and acquainted with their habits of thought and dealiii"thus it came U, 1U ss that he became well known as one skilled iu native transactions, and when a special instrument was required lie was sent for by the Government of the day and given a position in an olliee then established lor "the protection of the aborigines of Xew Zoalaim." He had wonderful inllucnce with the Maoris, 'who placed the utmost confidence in him, and during more than forty years he devoted his best ell'oris to assisting in the pacification and settlement of Hie North Island of New Zealand. The times were, of coursej utterly different from those we now enjoy. .McLean wa s dealing with a nttiuei'-

ous race of perplexed, hardv and ignorant savages, endeavouring blindly 1.0 grope to a way in whic-li they could arrive at some understanding 01 lOuropo- . ans ami their amazing introduction. ]m> was also dealing with real dangers, and often with explosive materials which only needed the nnilch to cause a general conllagration. It can easily be understood, therefore, that tact and discretion were necessary qualifications in those, who Mould take a part in the transactions of the da v. Donald McLean's abilities became widely recognised, and he rivalled Sir (leo'rge (ircv in his native, dealings, lending"hiiiHel'f to the nielhods id' the .Maoris in cunning, in subtlety, and harangue. He was a genuine .Maori lover, and had the welfare of the people sincerely at heart—their welfare, then, doubtless lay in paeifyiug their ancient instincts which led ihem to a constant war. When -ici-iou-, troubles with the natives arose, experts who understood the .Maori race were all-important. McLean's iulluenee extended over a very long period of our most critical days, and was in the ascendant from about 184(1 to IS7«. lie \va- Native -Minister during six (.'oventments, and his occupation of ollicc ceased with his death, which ovcurred at .Napier in 1877.

McLean was essentially ti pacilicatur, and his methods were often broadly material, so that he enjoyed the nickname given by the Maoris' of " Hour and sugar," which he caused to be distributed in immense quantities, together with all I hose objects considered desirable in elementary native dealings, bright shawls, print wares, &c. When strife appeared imminent, such gifts often sweetened the atmosphere, and feasting and mirth succeeded distrust, and sullcnuess, as in dealings with children the appearance of sweets and toys is usually productive of smiles while tears and sulks disappear in a moment. A s early as the year 1544 Sir Donald McLean was appointed Protector of the Aborigines iby (lovernor Filzvoy, an appointment which gave satisfaction to the Maoris and to a great many of the European settlers. ■Sterling qualities were required 'n those who undertook negotiations with the unlives in those days. Personal bravery, tact, patience, good humour, perseverance, were all necessary, and in no small measure. Sir Donald McLean had several very able assistants. It is a great pleasure to recall memories of these and of himself. Mr. Samuel Locke was constantly with him at a later period, and when young I was much with them ami listened to very interesting talks. They were exceedingly kind in interesting themselves in young people whom thev deemed worthy or promising. The present Native .Minister was one of those. Should he read these lines he will concur with me in many pleasant memories of those who, though occupied in such groat concerns, yet found time to give instruction and encouragement to those around them.