Extend to the British law, most certainly never supposing that thereby or in any way they brought the slightest risk to their or of their possessions. This fact alone ought to be sufficient to remove any idea that they could possibly think otherwise. Enough has been said to support a total denial of the affirmed acknowledgement of the actual residents. This naturally obliges me to make a few remarks on the received opinion of fraud practised on the Natives.

We need not enter into any comparison of the payments made in this country and that in North America, which, if we did, would fully surrender the palm in favor of our purchases. In proof, I would simply advert to the fact that one of their most accredited Historians (Dwight) a man of character and talent, states their purchases for intervals (alluvial) lands and town locations at the estimate of 1d. to 1s. 6d. per acre, and other lands at 1d., while the estimate for actual possessions will be found in very many instances to be within the lower limits of the schedule—at the same time the difference in the first resources put all comparison out of the question. You will observe there are claims which I shall shortly notice, to be thrown entirely out of question, as being unsupportable upon other grounds.

The unmeasurable difference in the fine rivers, thinly timbered and grassy lands of that country, afford the Settler with cattle-stock, the means of immediate support, by the falling of the timber, or merely ringing, the ploughing the land within one season can be brought to produce the first crop without any sacrifice and trifling outlay, and at a much less rate than the fern-land which is the clear land of this country, the timber-land here being so dense as to be impossible to be made available in any moderate period or expense. The value paid for land here by the first occupant, must receive a great increase in its estimation from the fact, that in lieu of deriving any immediate support from cattle-stock as in America, and all parts of the New Holland Continent—the Settler here must at vast expense lay down grasses for them; and it will be well if, with his own lands and passive permission of the Natives, he can keep his needful beasts in fit condition to do their work throughout the season.

Our own knowledge of this country renders it superfluous in producing other observations on this point of view. I shall here only advert to the claim to every indulgence to us from the privations already endured in want of comforts and not unfrequently, necessaries of life, forcible intrusion of Natives, and forced exactions to prevent them, which, with innumerable expenses, neither have been nor can be brought into any estimate of the expense and outlay of our little funds; and I shall close this part of my subject by noticing and adopting the statement of Mr. Dwight, that the Natives have in all lives received more for their lands than they could have derived from them by any cultivation or process of their own during the term of their natural lives.

This was the acknowledgment of the Natives in America, and they did really derive in produce much greater proceeds for their lands than the Natives of this Country—they cultivated larger tracts, and the waste lands were to them profitable as hunting grounds. The Natives of this land cultivate small detached spots in most favourable situations for communication, for 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, till the soil is exhausted, and then migrate to another spot far distant, and hardly return during a natural life, leaving the intermediate lands elevated tables or hill-lands and forests in utter waste and wild unoccupancy, all which the European takes in, in his purchase as absolutely necessary for his few beasts, and rests his bones upon the culture of the small portions collected in the little flats and valleys dispersed at the foot of precipitous hills.

However, to leave now the view of the comparative value of New Zealand, I will return to the consideration of this subject, upon what appears to me as the foundation upon which the limitations have been based, and that is, that a fair value has not been paid the Aborigines. This, like many other points, has been rather too hastily received. In the payments, till very lately, articles which they most desired were given to them, and as their wants and wishes were bounded by their knowledge of their use, they invariably chose such, and, in many cases, had any attempt been made to substitute a more useful, though dearer article, it would be pertinaciously refused for that with which they were better acquainted; and I may note, the value of goods in former years was much greater both to Europeans and Natives, from the difficulty in procuring them in this country; and it was not till lately that the baneful practice of money was introduced, which, at the same time it obtained a cheaper rate of purchase to the buyer, it increased the loss and evil to the Natives, who, many of them, parted with it for spirits, and always obtained in their re-exchange for goods, a much greater disadvantage in price. The articles that were given were always such as they were in the habit of purchasing in exchange for their agricultural produce and meat, and, consequently, they had a very correct knowledge of their value, from the competition they found among the buyers of their produce. That they knew the value of their lands is established, by the difficulty of obtaining portions of any lands they were accustomed to cultivate, and in the smaller portions of such lands when sold, they always reserved for themselves the first year’s crop, and mostly continued cultivating wherever desirable for themselves, until required for the actual user, of the purchaser, in contradistinction to the useful payments made by the real settlers.

I shall oppose the small sum paid by the Government of £100 for the title to a large Tract of Country on the Northern part of this Island, not less than one or nearly 200,000 acres, some parts of which had been fairly bought, and in the occupancy of British subjects, for six years past, and upon which a Government Notice was issued, disallowing their titles, on the ground of being bought from wrong parties, although those parties were still in occupancy, cultivating the ground, which, being a direct attack, threw these European occupants into great difficulty. This Notice has never yet been rescinded, although the claim of this Native, who valued it at £1,000, nearly producing a civil war, and ultimately, not being allowed, has, by other Chiefs, been reduced to a no greater value than that of a troublesome dissentient vote, only worth £100. This Native and many others have horses in payment, I presume, for lands; let me ask of what use such delicate animals could be to them? The only use I have ever known them to make, is, to ride them without mercy, till disabled by their treatment from being useful to Natives or Europeans. The value to be put on these animals ought to be charged again to the party who sold them, to punish him for sacrificing those unfortunate animals to ill-usage—and it may be a question, if the real value of these animals could be fixed, as to Natives. I shall merely note, that the amount of fees and value in their actual application to many purchases, in which available land will be found a very small fractional proportion, will make the cost of our possessions infinitely beyond that of any other Colony.

For support of this point I submit the following consideration:

In the year 1830, no price was put on Land in New Holland, but grants given upon proof of property only, subject to conditions for improvement, occupancy, or some minor conditions by no means equal to the price and liability of the occupier here, where it is to be taxed at the rate of 6d. From that period to 1837, it was 6s. per acre; the average for the period here 2s. 4d. Now, estimating the agricultural land here to be an average of 10 per cent., and that the grazing will not carry more than 1 cow for 60 acres, as has been publicly advanced, and which is undoubtedly the smallest computation but as the small portion of agriculture, land must be reserved, and the forest land too dense to be available for either stock or culture, that portion would be increased to one cow for every 100 acres of the land on limited portions, and, consequently, should be at one-tenth of the value of New Holland, namely, 6d. or multiplying the average of the Schedule by this comparative value to the 1st occupant would be 2 1/2d. per acre to the New Zealand purchaser. The price of years from 37 to 39 is for New Holland 12s., which, by some comparison ought to be 1s. 4d. on New Zealand. Or to take the average of the Schedule at 6s. and multiply as before would be 60s. per acre a dreadful disproportion, which brings this result, that from the irregularity of its surface, in 2,000 acres of land not above 100 will be immediately available to the plough, and not more than twenty head of cattle could be supported on it. From the numerous swamps and morasses, much of that portion would be injurious to sheep, and horses cannot be supported without artificial food, except in some few highly cultivated spots, where, in fact, artificial food or grass has been introduced by successive culture. This shows the extent of land absolutely required to establish any farming, till by a century of culture the character of the country be changed by the introduction of grass, and draining, and sheep walks and cattle meadows be produced. The advantage of which can never be obtained during any of the first or, perhaps, second lives, and when it is considered that the New Holland settler had no personal danger or distresses to encounter, but certain and ready communication for assistance; with servants whom he could command, instead of being obliged under fear, constantly to buy the neutrality of the savage. But the character of the savage is now so much altered by intercourse, that the losses and mortifications we have endured, cannot now be known, and scarcely believed by present observers. Many who now hold claims coming under the latter years of the Schedule, although they paid the full satisfactory price demanded by the Natives, cannot come within the increase of the schedule as it now stands, their purchase being of a less valuable character than former purchases; they having passed former years of endurance had held back from purchasing till they saw the probability of the establishment of Government, and the example of the Missionary brethren had encouraged them to purchase at a higher rate, by the increased wants and demands of the Natives, than they would have paid for the same lands at an earlier period, and thus, for want of a little more courage, although paying the increased Native value, they may be forced to a further payment of 600 to 1200 per cent. above their more courageous neighbour, who may not have been so long in the land.

(To be continued,)

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