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/96

 92 : which no Person would live in, War ensues; and Enmities arise from the most trifling Things possible. They are Children on that Subject.

Suppose Civilization to eradicate those Superstitions, do you not think the Tribes might live in Amity?
 * My Opinion is, they will be annihilated before that is done; the only Method I can think of, is Europeans giving them Employment, and keeping them apart.

Would they not remember their old Feuds then?
 * No. Colonization would annihilate a great deal of that on the Part of the New Zealanders. If they eat at the Table of Europeans, and mix with them, they easily adopt the civilized Customs; and when their Minds are occupied

on the Topics Europeans will bring before them, and when they are fully employed, they will cease to recur to their old Feuds. Now, in consequence of having nothing to do, if a Chief passes over a Place in which some Conflict occurred Years ago, he is roused to Vengeance, as the Locality reminds him of former Feuds, and he sets about assembling his native Force to revenge it at once.

You state that they have the Means of curing the Venereal Disease; of what Nature is that?
 * By steaming of the native Oven. It is not so virulent with them as in this Country. If a Native has a Gun-shot Wound he will recover in less than Half the Time that an European will.

You consider that Wars have depopulated the Country much, but you do not consider that Cause likely to continue in the same Ratio?
 * Undoubtedly not; the Remedy has been found in the Thing itself; in the Equalization of Fire-arms.

You do not consider that from those Two Causes, War and Infanticide, the Population is likely to diminish in future?
 * No. I think Infanticide will be left off; for the Women are reserved, I am sorry to say, for bad Purposes.

You say that the Church Missionary Society wish to keep the Land to themselves?
 * No; they wish to keep others from the Land.

What do you suppose is their Motive for that?
 * I suppose of course that it is from Religious Motives, that they wish to keep the Natives from the Europeans, that they can bring them up in the Christian Persuasion better. At the same Time, and they have seen that for Four-and-twenty Years past, there has been such an Influx of European Settlers and Visitors who are injuring the Country, that they must, I should think, begin to feel that a Government which shall repress those Excesses has become essential.

Why do you conceive that Colonization would be beneficial to the Natives; do you mean by having Commercial Factories in different Parts of the Island, or taking the territorial Possession of it?
 * From the Want of Commerce the Territory is perfectly useless.

Would you confine your Colonization to Commercial Factories, or have Tracts of Land?
 * I would have Tracts of Land, and let it be sold to respectable Emigrants; Persons that would be serviceable to the native People; and let Persons amenable to Her Majesty's Government reside there, and the Natives be under

their Power.

Do you mean that they are to interfere to prevent the Natives doing what they please?
 * No; that they should be Guardians of the native People, and do Justice to either Nation. Rh