Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/89

] glittering toys that I had selected as a present for her, she recognised a portrait of our most gracious Queen, which was in my cabin, and immediately resuming a most ridiculous air of dignity, walked up to it, and holding out her copper-coloured hand, said, "Yes, all same as me—Victoria, she queen,—me queen too." Pomare was well pleased with some carpenter's tools I presented to him, instead of his customary present, and which I selected from a number of useful and ornamental articles which had been sent to me by my excellent friends, Mr. and Mrs. Beaufoy, for distribution amongst any natives we might meet with in the course of our voyage, and which I had now an opportunity of bestowing with great advantage to the natives, and felt much gratification in thus fulfilling the intentions of those benevolent and kind friends.

Pomare complained in strong terms of the treaty to which he had been so instrumental in getting his countrymen to become parties. He had not supposed that it was intended to deprive him of the power of selling his land to whoever he pleased; and although they all clearly understood that the treaty of Waitangi bound them to give the Queen's government the first offer of any portion of their lands they wished to sell, yet he expressed himself highly indignant at the thought that, if his offer were declined by the governor, no private individual could become the legal owner of it; thus, in fact, depriving him of the independent use