Page:Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords, appointed to inquire into the present state of the Islands of New Zealand.pdf/104

 100 Do you think that in Purchases of Land a New Zealander will often give his Land without sufficient Value received?
 * Yes. I think he is scarcely capable of considering what it is worth; if the thing takes his Fancy he will take it without Consideration or Forethought. They have no Idea of storing or saving against an evil Day. There are One or Two on the other Side of the Island who are beginning to do so, but at Hokianga they are particularly careless about that.

Did you ever know of a Settler or European who had bought Land for any Payment, and sold it before he had made Improvements upon it?
 * I do not.

With respect to the Sale of Land, what is necessary to give a legal Title; is it the Consent of the Chief only?
 * The Chief, I believe. The People have no Power upon the Land.

Do you know what constitutes the Law?
 * I do not; there are a great Number of Proprietors.

You state that you have seen a Deed; of what Nature was that?
 * This Deed was signed by the Natives before the Deed was written; it was signed on blank Paper.

It is stated that in Purchases made by Europeans there have been a great many contending Claims; that many Europeans have laid Claim to the same Land?
 * I believe that is the Case.

Do you know from what that has arisen?
 * I do not. I know there have been Claims between the Wesleyan Missionaries and Mr. McDonald.

With respect to certain Lands sold by the Natives to the Missionaries and to Mr. McDonald, can you tell whether that has arisen from the Claims of the Persons who have sold the Land being disputed by others?
 * I do not know, but that Persons have come in afterwards, and said they had a Claim upon the Land.

There is a Petition from the Merchants, Traders, and others praying for Protection, and some signed as the Missionaries; have they suffered at all?
 * No, except being turned out once at Wangaroa; but there has never been a Loss of Life among the Missionaries.

There are several Places where there are Congregations at present?
 * A great many.

Are those Congregations generally within a few Miles of a Missionary Establishment, or do they extend to some considerable Distance?
 * To a considerable Distance; Mangumuku, the farther Station, must be, I suppose, Twenty-five Miles very nearly.

Your Opinion is that the Labour of the Missionaries has effected a great deal of Good in christianizing the Country?
 * A very great deal. I was quite astonished, though I had been so near them; I did not believe the Extent to which it had gone.

Do the Missionaries possess much Land?
 * I do not think the Wesleyans possess much Land; the Church Missionaries do, I know.

Do you think the Possession of that Land to the Extent to which it goes impedes the full Success that might be given to their Labours?
 * No, I do not think that it does. I think they are a very conscientious Set of Men, and that they would not allow their Attention to be diverted from their proper Employment.

Do you know what the Number of the permanent Population of the Bay of Islands may be?
 * I do not. Rh