Information respecting the aborigines in the British colonies. Circulated by direction of the Meeting for Sufferings. Being principally extracts from the report presented to the House of Commons, by the select committee appointed on that subject.

  • London Yearly Meeting (Society of Friends). Aborigines' Committee.
Date:
1838
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Information respecting the aborigines in the British colonies. Circulated by direction of the Meeting for Sufferings. Being principally extracts from the report presented to the House of Commons, by the select committee appointed on that subject. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    been engaged; but many in which my brethren have, at the different stations. 1628. Can you speak of those from that kind of information that you can confidently state that you know the facts?—Yes. 1629. M ill you state any that have come to your knowledge in that way ?—There was the battle of Tauranga: the first rise of that was the captain of an English vessel, a whaling ship, had a quarrel with some women on board his vessel; he was very angry about it, and deter¬ mined to get the natives of the interior to punish those on the coast for the insult which those two women had offered to him in that quarrel He sent into the interior to fetch the chiefs, telling them they must come to fight a battle for the insult of those two women. They refused to do so, saying, that it was not according to New Zealand custom; that they only fought when people had done some real injury, but that they never fought when it was all mouth, and that this had been nothing but mouth, and consequently they refused to fight. He told them that he would make it known in England; that every one in England thought the New Zealanders were a brave people ; but he would let the English people know, and let the King know that they were cowards • but that if they would fight he would supply them with arms and am¬ munition. They could not bear this, and therefore they resolved to fight. They brought down a great number of people. We were rather too late in going over; we did not know so much of it as we do some¬ times ; and about a quarter of an hour after the battle we saw a hun¬ dred of the people dead and wounded upon the beach. Then, according to the custom of the country, a number of the New Zealanders went to the south to seek satisfaction for the death of their friends. Those per¬ sons who went down intending to cut off some of the tribes of the south as a payment for the death of their friends, were fallen in with by a large armed party of the natives, and were all cut off themselves • 41 went and only one returned. This caused the whole of the Bay of Islanders to arm themselves and to go and fight with the tribes of the south for the loss of those 40. There were between 50 and 60 canoes. The canoes were attended by our missionary ship, the Active, the mis¬ sionary boat, and a small cutter that we have. Mr. Williams accom¬ panied the flotilla. They were five weeks before the fortification of the besieged, negociating with the besiegers, but without effect, the first five weeks. The missionaries then returned home, and afterwards not satisfied, they went back again. Mr. Williams went down in his boat a second time, with Mr. Chapman, Mr. Kemp, and Mr. Fairburn and effected a reconciliation between the two parties. The Bay of Island¬ ers returned home without having destroyed a single individual. Mr. Coates, the secretary of the Church Missionary Society, gives a, long list of improvements effected in New Zealand ; we take this paragraph as being of the latest date, 14 December, 1835 * * * * “ The scene in the Waimate and its vicinity is much changed, and we may truly be said to live in a civilized country. Our neighbours, those not connected with the seaports, are civil* courteous, honest and teachable. Locks and bolts are’ but little used,and but little needed ; working tools are safe, although lying in all directions. Ten years ago a person scarcely dared to lav a tool down, as it was almost sure to be stolen.”