House of Lords

“ I have passed over Fifty Miles of Country with not an Acre cultivated, fine rich Soil, from Puriri to Matamata by Land, crossing the River Thames twice. When an Advance was made for the Sale of Land, do you know any thing of the Manner in which that Land was appropriated to the Purchaser; was there any Ceremony or Form adopted by the Natives?
There is no Form, no Taboo, to Europeans; that is confined to the Natives; it becomes British Property and they look upon it as such ”

“ Do you think that if the Natives hereafter should find that was a very small Sum for the Purchase of that Land, they would be satisfied?
I have no Reason to believe but that they would be perfectly satisfied; they seem surprised to think that they should have so large a Payment. ”

“ Are you prepared to say that you are satisfied, from what passed upon that Occasion, that they looked to that Land being cultivated by the Purchaser through native Workmen?
Yes; that was stated by them, that it was to be cultivated in Agriculture for Mr. William Fairburn's Children. Was much of the Land in a State of Cultivation? ”

“ If they go on in the Bay of Islands as they do now, will not that cause the Extermination of the Natives before long?
Yes; including their Wars. I believe some of their Wars have originated with spirituous Liquors in the Bay of Islands. When they set about revenging an Injury there is no knowing where they will stop. Do you think they would like any Laws that would prevent their getting intoxicated?
The Natives are not inclined, generally, to get intoxicated, except those employed in supplying the Ships with Articles, and those Females who have been degraded by this Intercourse. ”

“ Nothing occurred for some few Days, until they heard that the Party at Rotorua had been to the Tuma, a native Fortification on the Seacoast, and cut off Sixty Natives, who were connected with the Party of Waharoa, and eat that Part of their Bodies which is their native Custom to eat; it is native Custom to eat their Enemies killed in Battle, and only their Enemies. ”

“ At present they are cultivating their Land. To use the Words of the Reverend Henry Williams, they are just holding on for their Children, seeing no other Prospect for their Children than the Cultivation of those Lands. They cannot send them home to England;—that would be too expensive;—New South Wales would not be desirable for them; and this is their only Chance. Are there any other Missionaries in any of the Islands except the Church Missionaries? ”

“ The Europeans fix the Price generally under what they really intend to give, and add the other in afterwards as a Reward or free Gift; they generally throw in some extra Price, such as Scissors and Tobacco and Pipes, and so on; Razors and Shaving Boxes sometimes. When a Chief sells any Land does he keep the whole Price himself, or are there others entitled to a Part? ”

“ There is a Gentleman near Tamaka who has been employed in sending Wood to England; he has Natives and Europeans employed by him to cut the Timber down. The Natives wish the Europeans to employ them as well as Europeans. I believe they would not suffer Europeans to go and cut down Wood, and bring it away, without employing them. Do you think it would be very popular with the Natives in that Country if People were to purchase 10,000 Acres of them, and then cultivate that by Europeans? ”

“ He is well aware that he cannot cultivate it himself. If the Purchaser does not proceed fairly to cultivate it, then he thinks he has a Right to sell it again?
Yes. I have been informed, not only by Natives but Europeans, that the Land at Tamaka had been purchased several years before; but the Purchaser not having used the Land, the Party considered him or them as dead. In the Case of the Son of the Chief who sold Land wishing to sell it again, he brought back the Price his Father had received, and repaid it to the original Purchaser? ”

“ He is looking forward to become a Gentleman; he first receives Payment, and then he is employed upon the Land; consequently he is richer, he considers, than he ever would be without that; they get a Payment for the Land and another for working upon it, they say. ”

“ Very intelligent; not at all inferior in point of Intellect to Europeans. Are you aware of any Instance in which Land has been bought by Europeans from the Natives and afterwards sold again by the Europeans? ”

“ Did the Men who were taught by the Church Missionaries behave as Christians ought to do?
Yes; but there are but few of them. The Question refers to those who might have had the Elements of Truth originally instilled into their Minds; did it appear that they had lost the Impression, or that in after Life their Morals were correct, and they were conducting themselves in an orderly Manner?
I consider that they walk as well as we can expect them; according to native Custom, they walk consistently with it, so far that they will not go to War ”

“ He comes partly to partake of the Feast always given upon those Occasions, both Women and Children; several Pigs are killed, and there is a Quantity of Flour and Fish, and so on. Any one of the Relations or belonging to the Clan is supposed to have, in proportion, a personal Interest in the Transaction, so as to receive a Portion of the Purchase Money?
Not the Women or the Slaves, but the leading Men. Is it in consequence of Relationship to the Chiefs, or what determines who shall be paid, and who shall not?
They settle that Difficulty among themselves ”

“ I am told by the Natives, they, the Females, are as apt to get tipsy as the Men on board. Do they continue the Practice of eating any of their Prisoners?
Yes. Do they carry off many Women and Children, and make Slaves of them?
Yes; at Makatu they took all the young Men, Women, and Children as Slaves. The head Chiefs were all killed; they are immediately killed. The Country then becomes the Property of the Chief which is so taken?
Not immediately. It remains to be proved which is the strongest Party; if he can exterminate the whole Party it becomes his ”

“ Yes; they had no Safety of their Lives; they had, as far as we were able to protect them, fled to us; when we receive them into our Employ the Natives look upon them as devoted to us, and that makes them sacred; they think that if they touch them they are touching us. Were you present and privy to any Purchases of Land?
Yes; I was present at one in January 1836. By whom was that Purchase made?
By Mr. William Fairburn, Catechist of the Church Missionary Society. Was that to a large Extent?
It was a Purchase very large; it is termed, by some of the Europeans in New Zealand, a whole County ”

“ Clerical Secretary of the Church Missionary Society. When you received those Instructions from the Committee in the Island did you proceed to Matamata?
I did, immediately. Had you then an Opportunity of seeing a good deal of the Natives?
A great deal indeed. What is your Opinion of the Climate of the Country?
It is a very healthy Climate; superior to England. What is the Nature of the Soil?
A very prolific fine stiff Loam in one Part, and fine vegetable Mould in others. What was your particular Occupation at Matamata? ”

“ Waharoa fixed them, with their Guns loaded, and then sent a Challenge to the Fortification outside of the Lake. They had another Fortification on the Island to retire to in case they were beaten. Waharoa sent a small Party of Natives to go and fire into the Fortification, to approach up as near as they could with Safety, and to retreat immediately back to them. Accordingly his Men made the Attack, and fired into the Fortification; the Natives came running out immediately, not aware of the Men lying in ambush ”

“ They arrived at Makatu the Beginning of 1836, and cut off this small Tribe, Thirty in Number, for Payment of this single Offence; and they stripped Mr. Tapstall, the Agent for some Gentlemen in Sydney,—I think Messrs. Jones,—who was employed in purchasing Flax; he had just received a large Quantity of Goods from Sydney, consisting of Blankets, Powder, Guns, Axes, Flour, Bullets, Razors, Knives, and various other Articles, amounting altogether to 1,500l. After this Party had destroyed, that is to say killed, all the fighting Men, the whole Tribe at Makatu, they remained quiet for that Day. ”

“ Yes; they are very anxious to hear about Military Affairs. Waharoa is considered to be the best Military Chief in the Waikata District by the Natives; he is considered so courageous. Do the great Majority of those Persons fight with Muskets? ”