is colonization alone which gives the real value to land; and that by reserving for the natives a tenth part of the land in every settlement, they have given them what must be considered far more valuable than either goods or money, as this tenth will shortly produce as much as the whole would formerly have done ; and its management is attended to by an officer specially appointed, and its revenues distributed by him in forwarding their comfort, and carrying on their education and general improvement. This tenth, too, it must be remembered, is a free gift for the benefit of those who had no property or benefit in it previously; and we are justified in saying, that its parallel in enlightened generosity towards native inhabitants cannot be found in the history of the world. Though the Wairoa plains are at present almost uninhabited, and of course uncultivated, and would probably have remained so; yet, it appears, that Rauperaha was in the habit of visiting them occasionally, and by thus keeping up a sort of possession, he was entitled to some compensation for giving them up, more particularly when we take into view the vast amount of labour and of blood which he and his tribe must have expended before they acquired them. His possession of them was no doubt that of an usurper, having driven the original tribes like sheep before him, but he had merely followed the practice adopted by all savage nations, where the law of force supersedes all other laws; and a great part of the colonial possessions of Great Britain is held under the same title,and not a bad title it is. Governor Fitzroy has been much blamed for not bringing Rauperaha and Rangihaiata to trial; and I observe, that the editors of the Sydney Morning Herald, who are in general very guarded in their remarks, are amongst those who censure him for not doing so. It is impossible for me, of course, to know what his motives were in acting as he has done; but I may mention two or three circumstances that have occurred to myself on the subject, and these have led me to the conclusion, that perhaps, upon the whole, it was the most prudent plan to allow the matter to rest where it was. In the first place, he would make great allowance, no doubt, for a people so lately removed from barbarism, and for the feelings which must have actuated them when they came in contact with those whom they must have considered as interlopers upon their soil. In the second place, he did not arrive till six months after the event had taken place, and when the excitement was in some measure dying away. In the third place, he could not have selected a jury of twelve impartial men to try them in the whole colony-the feelings of the settlers, almost to a man, being against them, so that they would either have got scrimp justice, or, more likely, no justice at all-and Captain Fitzroy is a great lover of justice. In the fourth place, he could not have got them apprehended without an immense sacrifice of life, requiring a much greater force too than he had at his command, besides running the risk, had he made the attempt, of rousing the whole natives throughout the country, who though at war amongst themselves, would probably have united against the whites, whom they now consider the common enemy; and had this been the result, the whole European population in that country would have been annihilated in one moment. Colonel Wakefield, in his despatch to the secretary of the Company in London, dated 24th July, 1843, says, "That Rauperaha was resolved to resist any attempt made to apprehend him, and that the force at his command might easily be increased to a thousand men." And lastly, because it must be admitted by every candid impartial person that the British were the aggressors, and that Rauperaha, whatever other faults he may have had, acted on this occasion, at least, not only with wonderful forbearance, considering the school in which he had been brought up, but also with great fairness, and even liberality, declaring as he did, before the conflict began, that he did not wish to fight, but was willing to abide by the decision of Mr. Spain, who was so soon to arrive amongst them, and expressing his readiness, at the same time, to pay the damage done, on the spot, if a fair statement were made out. I acquit Governor Fitzroy on these grounds. It is satisfactory to know that the chiefs and tribes at Port Nicholson have all along remained faithful to the settlers. Indeed Dr. Dieffenbach asserts, "that the hatred of the New Zealanders is never directed against the white man, who may travel where he likes, and is never molested, unless his own misconduct give rise to a quarrel." A monument is about to be erected to the memory of Captain Wakefield, and those who fell at this sad catastrophe. Captain Wakefield seems to have been universally beloved. Mr. Jollie, a Nelson settler, says of him, "this man who had seen near thirty years of almost incessant service as a naval officer,—this man so practical and sagacious, and moreover so respected and beloved, has been hurried away to an ignominious end,-brutally butchered by a parcel of miscreant savages, ten thousand of whose useless lives would have all too cheaply purchased his survival, let the cant of ultra- philanthropists say what it will." Rauperaha and Rangihaiata resisted for along time, all the efforts of Commissioner Spain, Chief Protector Clarke, and Colonel Wakefield, the Company's agent at Wellington, to induce them to withdraw their allies and slaves from the upper valley of the Hutt, but they have at last accepted of the money offered, and withdrawn them accordingly. These warriors have now established their head quarters at Porirua, where they have lately erected an extensive pah on the cleared land, near their beloved ally Mr. Thoms' place. The Porirua valley is now becoming an important place. The whaling station. and pah, or native village, is sixteen miles from Wellington, by the road, and at present there are sixty or seventy English settled there, besides the whaling party, which may consist of nearly as many more. The number of acres surveyed and given out in this district is 10,800, and most of the land, though covered with timber, is very fertile, and when cleared, will. become extremely valuable. The most unfortunate circumstance attending the late catastrophe, is the marked change which has taken place in the feelings of the natives of almost the whole of that country towards the British, and more particularly with Rauperaha and Rangihaiata, and their tribes. Exulting at the victory which they have obtained, mainly owing to the cowardice of the English party, and overjoyed to find that the British authorities have allowed them to escape with impunity, a result which they attribute more to fear than any thing else; they and their tribes are becoming greater braggadocios than ever,-treating the British with great contempt, calling them cowards, practising their war-dance and songs, eating more pork to make them strong, buying gunpowder and lead, making tomahawks, saying that the Queen is but a girl, and that they are ready to fight the people at Port Nicholson; and Rauperaha, in particular, now declares that he can cut up the whites like cabbages. Let us cherish the hope, however, that this massacre may be the prelude to a new era in the history of that country, and that with the Psalmist, we may be enabled to say, Thou shalt arise, and mercy yet Thou to New Zealand shalt extend; |