New Zealand; or Zealandia, the Britain of the South

Front matter

-v Vincent Brooks Lit}.. Okoaxo". Cottage of J. Stephenson Smith Escf.6 New Plymouth i M. iuni Etoiom 8"_i70 feel high, distal 15 miles ) NEW ZEALAND, OR ZEALANDIA, THE BRITAIN OF THE SOUTH ffliHitl. Ctoo fHaps anfi gebtn Colourrtr "Fwtos. BY CHARLES HURSTHOUSE, A NEW ZEALAND COLONIST, AND FOEMER VISITOR IN THE UNITED STATES, THE CANADAS, THE CAPE COLONY, AND AUSTRALIA. IN" TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 6, CHARING CROSS "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates ; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it ; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass."— Deut. viii. 7—9.

LONDON : PRINTED BV WOODFALL AND KINDER. AXGEL COURT, SKINXER STREET. INSCRIBED TO SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON, BART., IN ADMIRATION OF HIS BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF COLONISATION PRESENTED IN "THE CAXTONS." NOTICES OF THE PRESS ON SOME FIRST WORKS AND LECTURES. " The advice to emigrants and settlers is peculiarly valuable, from its sound, practical character." — Westminster and Foreign Quartei'ly Review. " The work is written in a dashing, off-hand style, and contains an immense amount of valuable matter." — Colonial Magazine. " The merit of this book consists in the full and impartial account it gives of the colony, and the sound advice which accompanies it. There is no attempt to paint anything in rose-colour." — Spectator. " We cannot too warmly recommend Mr. Hursthouse's book to the intending emigrant and the general reader."— Critic.

" Mr. Hursthouse gives no exaggerated description of an emigrant's life, but states the case impartially." — Economist. "-Written in a vigorous and attractive style, and blends humour with earnest ness, which latter quality it possesses in an eminent degree." — Weekly Dispatch. '- Written in a clear, candid, impartial spirit ; every word bears the stamp and impress of truth." — Catholic Standard. " Truthful, honest, and judicious." — Gardener*' Chronicle. " One of the cheapest and best books on emigration."— Tallis's Weekly Paper. " Every intending emigrant would do well by purchasing this little publication, and pondering seriously over its contents." — Mark Lane Express. " Written in a style which combines vigour and ability, with a share of piquancy and vivacity which renders it very attractive." — Aberdeen Journal.

Chapter II. Historical Sketch

9 Spanish Discovery 10 Dutch „ 11 Cook's Visit 12 De Surville's Visit 13 Dawn of Australian Trade 15 The New Zealand Cannibal 17 Macaulay's Traveller 20 Irregular Colonisation 31 Appointment of Consul 34 The Missionary Confederacy 35 Missionary Designs ........ 38 The New Zealand Company 39 The First Governor 40 The French Expedition 42 The Colonial-Missionary Office . • . ' . . .43 Te Tamai's Fate 49 Missionary Anti-Colonisation 50 The Treaty of Waitangi 52 The Land Claims Court 57 The Land Troubles 60 The Wairau Massacre 61 Governor Fitzroy CONTENTS AND INDEX. Historical Sketch — continued. Page The New Plymouth Land Case 64 Ruin of the Company Heke's Rebellion 70 Parliamentary Interference ' Governor Grey . . . . • ■ • ' Te Rauparaha's Chastisement ' 5 The Wanganui Example ' Governor Grey's Civil Successes ' b The New Zealand Company's End ' ' The Australian Gold Fields J8 Governors Wyward and Browne ' " All 's Well that ends Well ...... 81

Chapter VIII. Natives

154 Origin 154 Early Customs 155 Numbers and Decrease . . . . . • .158 Causes of Decrease 159 British Law 162 Missionary Conversion ' . .164 Language 16' Physical Appearance 169 Domestic Habits 170 Dress *72 Labour 173 Amalgamation 1 ' * Property and Possessions 176 Mode of Trade • • .178 Moral Character 181 Intellect and Education 182 Preservation of the Race ......

Chapter IX

Page THE SIX PROVINCES 189 Views 189 New Zealand Christening 19 Provincial Jealousies Auckland 195 New Plymouth 209 Wellington 218 Nelson 221 Canterbury 226 Otago 239 Stewart's Island 247 Choice of Province 247 Sea Roads 248 Land Roads 2$° Bush Travelling 251

Chapter X. Government

252 The New Constitution 252 Veto 258 Legislative Council 260 Vestry-Parliaments 262 The Imperium in Imperio 271 Amended Constitution 271 Queen's Speech (New Zealand) 275 " A Night in the House " 280 Prorogation 283 The New Zealand Ministry 287 The New Zealand House of Commons .... 288 The Seat of Government 289 Public Revenue 291 Public Expenditure 293 and 297 Public Debt 294 Law Courts, Police, &c 300 Patronage 302 Religious Institutions 303 Bishops 305 Church Ordinances, &c 306 Currency 311 Press

Chapter XI

Page EXPORTS AND MARKETS 314 Export Fallacy 314 Exports, present and to come 316 Hidden Exports 317 Exporting Power 31 8 Markets 318 Australian Markets 319 Rival Corn Growers 322 The Farmer's Sheet Anchor 327

Chapter XII. Agriculture And Horticulture

. . . .329 Wild Lands and Mode of Clearing .... 329 Soils 331 System of Farming . - 332 Farm Stock 335 Hand Labour 335 Implements . . . 336 Wheat 341 Barley 342 Oats 342 Maize . 343 Potatoes 343 Turnips and Root Crops 344 Hops 345 Laying down Lands in Grass 345 Dairy Farming " 349 Fences 350 Farm Houses and Buildings 353 Blights, Insect and Animal Pests 355 Purchase or Hire of Farm Lands .... 356 Profits of Farming 357 Horticulture 360 Banana Blunder 361 Flowers — Bees — Shrubs 364 English Trees 366

Chapter XIII. Pastoral Pursuits

368 The Home of the Golden Fleece 368 Australian Testimony 369 Numbers and Breed of Sheep CONTENTS AND INDEX. Pastoral Pursuits— continued. Page New Zealand Wool 379 The Wool to Grow 382 and 394 The Negretti Breed 384 Getting up Wool 391 Exemption from Disease 395 Lambing 396 Sheep Farming— Squatting 397 Young Beginners . . . . . . . .398 Profits of Squatting 399 Evils of the Squatting System 400 Cattle 406 Horses 408 Pigs 410 Goats 412 Taking out Choice Breeding Stock .... 412 The Sturgeon Merinoes 414 and 662 Dogs 416

Chapter XIV. General Investments And Pursuits

. .417 Capitalists and Capital 417 Loan Company 420 Professional Men 421 Mercantile and Trading Pursuits 422 Retail Traders 424 Manufacturing Industry . 425 Whaling 427 The New Zealand Flax 429

Chapter XV. Outfit And Departure Preparations

. . 445 Taking Goods for Sale 446 Domestic Outfit ........ 44$ Packing . . . .' 44y Shipping Goods 450 Wardrobe 451 Ladies' Outfit 454 Miscellaneous Outfit 455 Taking Money 459 Letters of Introduction ....... 40i Taking Servants 462 A Labourer Partner ....... 465 Life Insurance

Chapter XVI

Page SHIPS AND PASSAGE MATTERS 468 The New Overland Route 468 New Zealand via, Australia 474 Transient Ships ........ 475 The New Zealand Lines 476 Choice of Ship 477 ' A Bill of Fare 479 Proceeding Direct to the Settlement .... 482 Colonists' Rooms 483 Terms of Passage, &c 485 Eugaging Passage 488 Cabins and Berths 489 Which to Choose . 491 Fitting up Cabins 493 Insurance 496 Time of Year for Sailing 497 Sea Sickness and General Health 498 The First Week at Sea .500 Occupations and Amusements 501

Chapter XVII. The Land Regulations

504 The Pre-emptive Right 505 The Six Systems 507 Vestry Legislation 511 The Auckland Regulations . . . (See Appendix) 513 New Plymouth „ 517 Wellington „ 518 Nelson „ 518 Canterbury „ 519 Otago „ 519 Remarks on the Six Systems 520 Selling on Credit 521 Selling by Auction 523 The Evils of the Six Systems 525 Colonisation Quackery 531 Suggested Uniform System 533 Selling Land in England 539 Mr. Bridges' System 5'1* b ft CONTENTS AND INDEX.

Chapter XVIII

Page STATISTICS AND PRICES 553 Population Table 655 Births and Deaths 55S Export and Import Tables 557 Cultivations and Stock 558 The Infant Marine 55S Shipping •5t51 The New Tariff 561 Shop Prices 564 Commercial Imports jtl° Price Currents 567 Agricultural Produce Prices, &c 5_3 Wages 573 Value of Improved Properties 574 Postal Regulations 574 Distance Table 578 Directory . ■ . • ■ ■ ■ • .578 Current Books on New Zealand 580

Chapter XIX. Emigration

583 Emigration's Enemies _ • 583 Emigration Truths 588 The National Benefits of Emigration . . . .589 The " Excess of Emigration " Cry 593 Waste Lands at Home 594 Cohesion of our Home and Colonial Empire . . .596 A System of State Emigration 600 How to Agitate for it 607 Why and how Emigration is beneficial .... 608 Capitalisation of Profits 611 Increase of Social Rank 612 Settling Families 613 Rural Life 614 Less Care and Toil 615 Retrenchment and Reform 616 Emigrationary Qualifications 617 Hint to Bachelors 621 The Dangers of Delay

Chapter XX

Page EMIGRANTS, FIT AND UNFIT 624 Those who go to the Wrong Place 624 Canada and America 625 American Liberty ......... 628 Those who should Stay at Home 630 Emigration Bugbears ....... 6-33 Home and Friends 635 The Future 637 The New Life 638 Society, Social Life, and Amusements .... 640 Work and Play 645 Governesses ......... 646 Retired Genteel Families 646 Brussels and Boulogne Emigration .... 649 Professional Men 650 Training Sons for Professions 653 Bachelor Heirs and their Careers 654 Invalids 655 Tradesmen 657 Tenant Farmers 658 The Counter and the Desk 659

Appendix

:— The Auckland New Land Regulations .... 661 The Sturgeon Merinoes 662 Emigration from our North American Colonies to New Zealand 663 The Author's Address ERRATA IN VOL. I. Page 84, for from Southampton to New Zealand 15,000 miles, read 14,000 miles „ 84, for from Southampton to New Zealand, via Suez, 14,000 miles, read 13,000 miles ., 105, note, for see chapter 19 read see page 655 „ 129, note, for New Road, read King's Road, Chelsea „ 136, last line but one, for eats like read tastes like ,. 195, ninth line, for almost capable read partially capable „ 237, third line from bottom, after Britain insert of „ 269, nineteenth line, for England and AYales read England „ 280, twenty-fourth line, for would cover read would have covered THE ISLANDS NEW ZEALAND D /w \v/i.,sui C.Cap* O.Gtds B..Æar6our Listens.

I. l.,i/\r M Mountain IV P.-rt l" /;.,„/ k.A'/iw AMUW Uu2r tiktf -,>'uf,r-ui/r'iilt,ri,,- .'/' (hf So.-i.tf teflu IfitTuNi.vn .ii'l's.inl gkxinliap Srttle/mvit.r Colored \.„u.,„, EdwMd Siiini". .i.i 6 Quiring C""*« NEW ZEALAND, THE BRITAIN OF THE SOUTH.

Chapter I. Introductory

The character, credibility, and antecedents of an author must generally he matters of indifference to a reader ; and any remarks on personal history or motives for writing, would generally be obtrusive. The philosopher, the historian, the novelist, seek to instruct or amuse us; but they do not ask us to risk life or fortune in any new pursuit. We read their works with profit and delight; but we still keep our money in the funds, open our shop, go round our farm, and pursue the even tenor of our way- But it is not so in emigration. Here, the object of the writer is to root us up and transplant us to a new land, perchance ten thousand miles away from the land of our birth. He who writes on such a subject incurs grave responsibility ; and B AUTHOR'S PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE. would do well at the outset, to seek the confidence of his readers by showing them that he has had ample opportunities of acquiring a knowledge ol his subject, that he is sincere in what he says on it, and practises what he would preach.

To this end therefore, I shall take leave to mention so much of my personal history as may relate to emigration, and briefly state the circumstances under which this work appears. Some years ago, a mixed expedition of pleasure and business led me to America; and foreseeing then that a decayed family like my own might eventually emigrate, I lost no opportunity of ac quainting myself with the emigrational advantages of the various districts I traversed in journeying through Upper and Lower Canada and the United States. Soon after my return, an elder brother determined on bettering his fortunes in New Zea land ; and I, disappointed with America, and having meanwhile graduated as a carpenter, determined to accompany him. Touching at the Cape of Good Hope to purchase horses, we were wrecked and detained there three months; when we made the acquaintance of various Cape settlers, and saw something of the emigrational prospects of this African colony.

On arrival in New Zealand we bought wild land, and at once commenced the work of creating a little estate. After leading an active colonial life of this nature for four years, during which period I was twice over in Australia, private matters called me to England; when I induced my SECOND EXPEDITION TO NEW ZEALAND. 3 father and various members of the family to emigrate and join our pioneer party in New Zealand. ■ Compelled to remain in England for some time and not wishing to be idle, I partly employed my self in promoting New Zealand colonisation; and thus, brought into personal communication with numbers of emigrants of all grades and classes, acquired some further experience of the various requirements and details of emigration. Some little works on colonial and emigration subjects which I had written being rather favourably received by the press and the public, the " cacoethes scribendi " was inflamed ; and having reason to believe that a practical work descriptive of the " New Zealand of to-day " might interest a portion of the reading world, I was induced to attempt the production of one.

Feeling, however, that I could not satisfac torily perform the task without revisiting the colony and seeing for myself what progress had been made in my absence, I made a second trip to New Zealand, from which I have lately returned. And, now, having compared notes with relatives settled in almost every colony of the empire — having read almost eveiy modern work on colonies and emigration — having seen various emigration fields and arrived at the deliberate conclusion that New Zealand, as a " Home," is preferable to any — I intend returning thither, as soon as circumstances will permit, and settling down finally, for good. In discussing the great question of emigration, sceptical advisers of the intending emigrant are apt B CRY OF INTERESTED MOTIVES. to remark, " 0, don't put faith in that book, the person who writes it is interested !

" Of course he is; but does that make him unworthy of belief? The dentist advises a tooth out — are we to turn away in agony because he would be paid for draw ing it ? The family solicitor tells us of a ten per cent, landed investment — are we to distrust the bargain because he would pocket the conveyancing fees ? Your wife's milliner displays a new bonnet — does your wife refuse it because Madame Crinoline would pocket a pound by selling it ? I am interested in New Zealand ; the population approaches 50,000 ; if it were 500,000, the value of any property I might have there would be quadrupled. But I hold the belief, and on no light grounds, that thousands of down-going people, clinging to ruin in this competition-stricken country, would be saved by timely emigration to New Zealand; and that, though their going thither might benefit me in common with every colonist, their going thither would most benefit themselves.

In emigration, as in other things, there is a reciprocity of advantage ; and this argument of the " stay-at-home-and-sink " wiseacres would have been worthy of the classic fool who refused to go into water until he had learned to swim. I have remarked that any exaggeration of the advantages of an emigration field is sure to be followed by a most injurious reaction and recoil. Honesty is never better policy than when it is shown in making works on emigration speak FAVOURABLE TIME FOR EMIGRATION. 5 the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I have sought to keep this profitable maxim in view; and feel confident that three in four of those who might be partly induced to improve their fortunes in New Zealand through a perusal of this little work, would admit, after a year's residence in the colony, that I had understated rather than overstated the emigrational advantages of the New Life and the New Land.

Owing to fortuitous conjunction of external and internal circumstances, there has never been so favourable a time for emigrating to New Zealand as the present ; and it is scarcely probable that there will ever be so favourable a time again. It is self-evident that Population is necessarily the first requirement, the " primum mobile," the great enriching power of all new countries and emi gration fields. When the emigrant is once settled on his wild acres, the quicker population increases near his acres, the quicker and greater will be his gains. Now, population is increasing, and bids fair to continue increasing", near the New Zealand emigrant's acres at a rate that would once have been deemed incredible. In the five years prior to the last five, 180,000 more people went to Canada than to Australia; in the last five years 140,000 seiner people went to Canada than to Australia; and every emigrant who settles in Australia is near to, and increases the value of, every New Zealand emigrant's every acre.

In fact, the monopoly of emigration which our American colonies long pos- THE " AUPJ SACRA FAMES " BAIL. sessed has been broken up by the poet's " auri sacra fames." The Diggings have bridged the ocean. The crowded millions of the Old World's cities may now travel to the marvellous gold plains of Australia, to the "fresh fields and pas tures new " of New Zealand, in greater ease com fort and safety than our fathers travelled in from Jedburgh to Jersey, or from Limerick to the Land's End. A five months' pleasure trip to Australia and New Zealand and back, down the Mediter ranean by Suez and Singapore through the summer seas of the Indian Archipelago and the South Pacific, will be an easy possibility of 1858. Some fifty millions sterling of gold have been shovelled up in Australia in the last five years ; no man can say that she will not give forth as vast a treasure in the next five.

Gold and a smooth highway to gold, dissipating old ideas old prejudices old fears, are virtually bringing the Antipodes to the doors of Europe ; and many more seemingly improbable things may come to pass in the next ten years than that in 1867 Australia and New Zealand may count five millions of people, be within forty days' sail of London, and have an annual export of gold, wool, flax, and raw produce, of the value of thirty millions sterling. Such are some of the external circumstances which make the present a most favourable era for New Zealand emigration. Glance a moment at the internal. The early struggles of New Zealand, the fatuous, flagitious Government, the long-lasting " THE GOOD TIME COME." 7 insecurity of life and property, — all those hostile causes which annihilated New Zealand emigration, though they half ruined the pioneer colonists and terribly retarded the progress of the infant colony, have nevertheless had a counter beneficial effect on the prospects of those who may be going to New Zealand now.

For if this sad anti-emigration state of things had never existed, the surpassing natural advantages of New Zealand would unques tionably by this time have drawn to her tens of thousands of people instead of a handful ; when, necessarily, most of the finest sites and locations for settlement which the country affords would have been pounced on, occupied, and monopolised ; and emigrants of 1857, instead of having, as they now have, first choice of many best locations, would have had only second choice of inferior locations. Happily, these fatal emigration obstructions are removed ; the road to New Zealand is at last open. The young colony has won for herself an admirable representative government. With the exception of a petty tribe in a corner of the North Island, the remnant of the native popula tion is fast changing into an industrial, productive portion of the community.

The marvellous ad vance of the sister colonies of Australia has wonder fully advanced New Zealand ; a portion of the golden shower is sidling on her shores. If there be a " tide in the affairs of colonies which taken at the turn leads on to fortune," such tide seems set ting towards our youngest one ; and, looking both OFFEB TO EMIGBANT BEADER. at these external and internal circumstances, I state nothing more than a deliberate conviction, in saying that the present is a most favourable period for New Zealand emigration ; and that those who profit by it would now purchase wild lands for shillings per acre which, five years hence, they could not purchase for pounds. In conclusion, I have only to remark, that, should the reader desire to obtain any little special or personal information touching New Zealand emigration matters which these pages may not supply, I should have much pleasure in attempting to afford it by replying to any communication sent to my town address, 28, Thavies Inn, London. Ramsoate, Jan. 1, 1857. SPANISH CLAIMS TO DISCOVEBY. 9

Chapter II. Histoeical Sketch

Between 1520 and 1610 the Spaniards made several voyages from their South American possessions in search of a Great South Land, the Terra Australis Incognita, " an exceeding rich gold countrie and fair land of diamonds and precious stones," which the old explorers and ancient mari ners of those times fondly hoped tolight on some day in the South Pacific. In 1605, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros and Luis Vaez de Torres started on one of these voyages and discovered the islands now known as the New Hebrides. Here, in a storm, they parted company. Torres sailed north-east, and coasting New Guinea, discovered and passed through those dreaded straits which still bear his name. Might not Quiros, holding on south in continued search of the gold land (the realised " Diggings " of two centuries later), have been the real discoverer of New Zea land ?

At least, it is something more than conjec tural that New Zealand was first discovered by some early Spanish navigator, inasmuch as there B SPANISH CLAIMS TO D1SCOVEBY. exists a remarkably correct Spanish chart of Dusky Bay, of very early date ; and Dusky Bay was not a place which Tasman the recognised discoverer of New Zealand forty years later appears to have visited. Those who would here exalt the Spaniard and dethrone the Dutchman, may further urge, that some New Zealanders assert that the dog was not brought to the country by their ancestors ; but was introduced by some strange ship which once visited their shores ; and that as Perro is the Spanish, and Pero the New Zealand word for dog, there is some evidence that this strange ship was a Spanish ship.* Whoever though may have been the European navigator who first stumbled on New Zealand, the honour of the true authentic discovery is due to * Too much weight, however, has been given to this evidence of words.

It is said that perro or pero is a word evidently foreign to the Maori language. Now one Maori word for dog is kuri, the other pero, or peropero. But there are many words like pero, such as the verb pera, to be like that ; peraro, a shellfish ; pere, a sling ; perepere, to clear away weeds/ Ka tuku nga peru a to kotiro, the girl pouts with anger. At the same time it is only fair to Columbus' countrymen to add that the word pero, peropero, is generally applied to a hungry-looking half-starved dog, a little fact which favours the assumption of a Spanish-introduced dog. For it is reasonable to suppose that a runaway dog or dog sent adrift from any of the old ill-found exploring tubs of the Spaniards would not be a fat dog in easy circumstances, but a stunted dirty ill-fed cur ; and as such animal was called perro by the strange men who left it, the natives took the new word and applied it to all thin dogs in future.

Further, the New Zealand dog bears a closer resemblance to some degenerate European mongrel than it does to the dingo of Australia, or to any native dog of the Polynesian group whence it is supposed the New Zealanders migrated. DUTCH DISCOVERY. 11 the Dutch commander, Abel Jansz Tasman. Whilst the Spaniards were searching the South Seas for the great gold land, the Dutch were prosecuting voyages of discovery in the same quarter, and partly with the same views. In August, 1642, Autonio Van Dieman, governor of the Dutch East India Company, dispatched Tasman from Batavia with the yacht Hemskerk and the fly boat Zeeehaan, on a voyage to the south. This quaint little squadron, steered by dogged Dutch courage and, probably, well found in breeches pipes and Schiedam, achieved great things with small means.

Some three months after its de parture it leisurely discovered Van Dieman's Land ; aud then, steering due east, on the 13th of No vember again discovered land, which proved to be the south-west coast of the middle island of New Zealand. Tasman coasted northwards and on the 1 8th anchored in a small bay which he named Massacre Bay (Nelson), from an affray which he had there with the natives. He then proceeded along the northern coast until he arrived at the low promontory forming the north-western ex tremity of New Zealand, which he named Cape Maria Van Dieman, in honour of his patron's daugh ter the fair Vrow Maria Van Dieman, whose sub stantial charms seem to have touched the stout commander's heart. He then set sail for Batavia, quitting the new land without, as he says, having set foot on its shores, and naming it Nova Zea landia, after the Dutch province of Zealand.

CAPTAIN COOK'S EE-DISCOVEBY. In 1768, George the Third, at the instance of the Royal Society, dispatched Lieutenant Cook to Tahiti, for the purpose of observing the transit ot Venus. From this service Cook proceeded on a voyage of exploration through the South Pacific ; and on the 6th of October, 1769, descried land which proved to be the east coast, 38° south, of the north island of that " Nova Zealandia " discovered by Abel Jansz Tasman more than a hundred years before. During this and three subsequent visits, Cook circumnavigated the islands, took possession of them in the name of the king, repeatedly an chored in Queen Charlotte's Sound, named many of the principal mountains bays and capes, and held a great deal of friendly intercourse with the natives. Our illustrious circumnavigator was a signal benefactor to New Zealand.

He introduced some of our domestic animals, the potato and various other vegetables and useful seeds. Up to his time New Zealand was but a semi-fabulous terra incognita ; his excellent survey of the coasts and full description of the country gave it a local habitation and a name, fixed its place on the map, and paved the way for the merchant and the missionary. He formed a high and remarkably correct opinion of the capabilities of the country for European settlement. His reports of the genial climate, fertile soil, fine harbours and evergreen forests excited considerable interest in England ; and so captivated the practical mind of Benjamin Franklin, that the Ame- FIBST FEENCH VISIT. 13 rican philosopher published a proposal for the colo nisation of New Zealand. Shortly after Cook first arrived in New Zealand, coasting northwards, he one day passed a bay which he named Doubtless Bay.

Singular to relate, a few hours afterwards, Captain de Surville, of the French exploring ship St. Jean Baptiste, ignorant of Cook's presence in these seas, anchored in this very bay, and named it Lauriston Bay. De Surville had been dispatched from the French possessions in India, in search of that rich gold land before alluded to ; and which, as rumoured in India, the English explorers had at last discovered some1 where in the Great Pacific. De Surville was hos pitably received by the natives; but, suspecting them of having stolen a skiff, he landed a force, burnt down the village, and carried the chief off to sea, where the poor prisoner pined away, and soon died. About three years after this, a similar French expedition, commanded by Marion du Fresne, touched at New Zealand and anchored in the Bay of Islands, hard by the scene of De Survdle's violence.

The natives received their visi ters with apparent delight ; but when, after some weeks' intercourse, Marion, four of his officers, and twelve men, had gone ashore on a fishing excur sion, the natives fell on them, and murdered all but one man, who escaped to the ship. The French naturally avenged their comrades, landed in force, destroyed several of the inhabitants, burnt their villages, and departed. De Surville's painful mode of revenge, and the severe chastisement which ESCAPE FBOM CONVICTISM. this retaliatory murder of Marion brought on the natives, rendered the Weewees (oui oui), or people of the tribe of Marion, hateful to the New Zea landers for the next half-century. Indeed, the semi-civilised descendants of the actors in these bloody scenes even now regard the French with aversion; and it is probably owing to this cause that the French Catholic missionaries are less suc cessful among the New Zealanders than their Church of England and Wesleyan brethren.

Cook's fourth and last visit to New Zealand occurred in 1777- In the course of his explorations in these new Australian seas he had discovered a spot of the Australian continent, which he named Botany Bay ; and it appears to have been partly through his official report of this locality that the government of the day were induced to commence the system of transportation. In 1788 it was debated in Par liament whether Cook's New Zealand or Cook's Botany Bay should be the site of our first experi mental penal colony. New Zealand escaped the perilous distinction ; possibly on account of fears entertained that the existence of her ferocious can nibal population might prove incompatible with the safe keeping and probationary discipline of the pri soners ; and that in some fatal outburst of the can nibal passion, convict, governor, and guard might undergo the common lot, prematurely, in the native oven.