94

might, with their co-operation, he advantageous
carried out. But Mr. Gabrielli informed Lord
Canning that he was not aware that the scheme
had been considered by any of the Colonial Go-
vernments, and, therefore, it appears to Lord
Canning that it would be useless to entertain the
proposal at present.

I have, &c., (Signed) R. HILL.
Herman Merivale, Esq.,
&c., &c., &c.

No. 3. Downing-street,
17th February, 1855.
SIR,— Itransmit to you herewith a copy of
a letter from Sir George Farmer, Baronet,
who is desirous of carrying out a project
for the working of the New Zealand flax,
together with a copy of the reply which
has been returned to that application. I
also enclose a copy of a letter from Lord
Lyttelton on the same subject, together
with a copy of the reply to that letter.

I have, &c.,
SIDNEY HERBERT.
The Officer administering
the Government of New
Zealand.

Bideford, 24th January, 1855.
SIR,— I have the honor to inform you that I
have invented machinery to prepare the fibre of
the phormium tenax, when in the green state, so
as to render it available for every purpose of
manufacture to which hemp and flax are applicable.
I beg to enclose a circular, to which I respect-
fully solicit your attention. It was issued by
me to capitalists, merchants, and manufacturers,
with a view to induce parties to embark capital
to carry my plans into operation in New Zealand,
as I had been informed by the Board of Trade
that "this is a matter that must be left to pri-
vate enterprise to develope." For the reasons
stated in the report of the Wellington (N.Z.)
Society of Arts, parties otherwise disposed to
employ capital in this way are deterred from
doing so.

Thirteen years ago I sunk a considerable sum
of money in machines sent to that colony for this
purpose. Those machines were the invention of
another person and different from mine in every
respect. I was misled by a person returned from
New Zealand, who showed me some tolerably well
prepared New Zealand flax, and assured me that
it had been prepared by the Natives, with the
shell. This person brought an introduction to a
Liverpool house from Auckland, and thus I be-
came acquainted with him.

I do not now possess funds either to go to New
Zealand, or to make machines to send there. I
would, therefore, humbly suggest that if I was
appointed to an official situation in that colony it
would enable me to instruct the Natives in the
use of the machines, and how to make them.
The introduction of this valuable fibre in large
quantities into the home market would be of in-
estimable advantage to the colony and to the
mother country.

There may not, perhaps, at this time be any
office vacant to which I could be appointed; but
it is possible that my name could be added to
the list of Legislative Councillors for this special
purpose, and a fair salary attached to the appoint-
ment, to enable me to execute my plans, and to

support me while in the colony : my whole
attention being devoted to the subject of the fibre
and its uses.

On my proving to the satisfaction of the Gover-
nor and Council that my machinery is as efficient as
I represent it to be, I may reasonably expect to be
compensated for making my invention public pro-
perty instead of protecting myself by patent law.
This compensation may be provided for in two
ways, viz :—by an annuity to be paid out of an
export duty, for a specific number of years, or by
a grant of land in the colony.

The benefits that would accrue to the colony
and Her Majesty's Kingdom in general from the
introduction of a sufficient supply of New Zeal-
and flax, to reduce the price of Russia hemp and
flax, now and hereafter, are so obvious, that it is
unnecessary for me to enumerate them.

Five thousand natives employed daily with my
hand machines, and each to produce only 56 lbs.
of dry flax per diem, would yield upwards of
35,000 tons per annum, a sufficient quantity to
reduce the price of European hemp materially :
the quantity of the latter imported into the Uni-
ted Kingdom in 1853 being 63,142 tons, according
to the parliamentary return.

By permission of the Lords of the Admiralty,
a few weeks since, I improved a small quantity of
the native prepared fibre sent home by the Wel-
lington Society, by passing it through my ma-
chine, and had it manufactured into twine and
cordage at the Devonport Dockyard. The quality
of this specimen of flax was originally so very in-
ferior, that it cannot be (and was not by Her
Majesty's officers) considered a fair trial, although
every justice was done to it by the Dockyard
officials, and workmen. Some of it was rotten
when discharged from the vessel in the London
Dock; but so scarce has this fibre become in this
country, that I could not procure any other in
London.

Inferior as was this specimen, the master atten-
dant (Mr. Mills) also the master rope maker
satisfied, that if hemp of superior quality can be
obtained from the same source, it can be used for
rope in the Royal Navy, with the greatest advan-
tage to the public service. This inferior New
Zealand fibre was tested against rope made of
the very best Russia and Italian hemps, which cir-
cumstance ought to be taken into consideration.

I understood from Mr. Mills that he had been
on the Sydney station when afloat, and had seen
very superior cordage made of the New Zealand
fibre—and that he entertains a very favourable
opinion of it as a substitute for Russia hemp in the
Royal Navy as well as the Mercantile Marine.
This gentleman's report to the Board of Admi-
ralty will only be as to its relative strength to the
best Russia and Italian hemp. His opinion on
this hemp can be obtained through the Admi-
ralty.

I take leave to enclose the report on some of
the same lot of New Zealand fibre as that sent to
Devonport, made by a ropemaker in this neigh-
bourhood. The Russia hemp he uses is inferior
to that used in the Royal dockyard, and places
my New Zealand in a better point of view.

My invention is applicable in the present state
for the preparation of all fibrous plants producing
fibre in the leaf; and, with the addition of only a
pair of rollers, will be suitable for plants contain-
ing fibre in the stems.

I am informed by the Secretary that the Court
of Directors of the honorable East India Com-
pany is prepared to take the expediency of send-
ing to India for trial a few of my machines as
soon as I am in a position to furnish them.

I have also had communication on this subject