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We are lowly-very lowly,
And yet the fairest flowers
That by the wayside raise their eyes,
Thank God they still are ours!
Ours is the streamlet's mellow voice,
And ours the common dew;
We still dare gaze on hill and plain,
And field and meadow too!

We are lowly-very lowly;

But when the cheerful Spring
Comes forth with flowers upon her feet
To hear the throstle sing,

Although we dare not seek the shade
Where haunt the forest deer-
The waving leaves we still can see,
The hymning birds can hear!

We are lowly-very lowly :

Our hedge-row paths are gone,

Where woodbines laid their fairy hands
The hawthorn's breast upon.

Yet slender mercies still are left,

And Heaven doth endure,

And hears the prayers that upward rise
From the afflicted poor!

ART. XIII.-The Colonization of New Zealand. By PROFESSOR CHARLES RITTER, of Berlin. Smith and Elder.

THIS pamphlet is welcome; for it is not only written by an intelligent and inquisitive person, but by one who must be regarded as entirely impartial, on subjects that have much divided the people of this country. The Professor, while on a visit to London, having no doubt previously made emigration a theme of cogitation, especially in reference to the overstocked British islands, and also had his thoughts particularly directed to the great experiment going on in New Zealand, set about studying and judging for himself of its merits. Accordingly he adopted the best course open to him for coming to a satisfactory conclusion: that is, he examined, with the care characteristic of his countrymen, the measures and proceedings of the New Zealand Company, and at length found himself prepared and entitled to pronounce upon its scheme, its conduct and its prospects, both in regard to the adventurers and the natives of the" Albion" of the southern hemisphere. And we are happy in having it to report that, while the Professor's confident opinions support the views which we have all along entertained and urged respecting the British colonization of New Zealand, he has but

tressed his judgment with such enlarged reasoning relative to emigration generally, and with such encouraging and cheerful prognostications with respect to New Zealand particularly, as ought to convince and to assure all those amongst us who may have hitherto entertained doubts. Speaking of a well-devised system of emigration, and of the beginnings which have been made in the islands mentioned, we have these speculations and statements:

Should not the colonization of New Zealand, if considered, as generally it was, an urgent necessity of the condition of the British population, in its high cultivated native territory, be also at the same time regarded as one no less imperative for the welfare and improvement of the aboriginal race? After Cook's discovery, there was no longer the distinction of a separate native territory. It happened, therefore, that here, as everywhere else around the earth's compass, European civilization, in conflict with a country which offers its natural treasures, and requires many benefits in return, and with a people consisting of about 100,000 individuals, must, through the power of tradition, and the activity of time, be drawn on with it to a new historic life, in which the old race must become elevated or expire. In this struggle, yet certainly going on, we now see before our eyes the fate of New Zealand entirely, with the most rapid development, transformed. And now for a few observations in reference to the manner in which the Company has aided in such transformation the particular colonization, of the brilliant results of which, equally with its first progress, we have already spoken in the commencement of our investigation. Only in two places, and within the last two years, has this colonization system been in operation, namely, at Wellington in Port Nicholson, and at New Plymouth at the foot of Mount Egmont. We have described the characteristics of their position. The establishment of the third colony, Nelson, is in growth; its locality, however, is yet unknown, as its selection will only have been determined on in the course of the present New Zealand summer, by the Company's officers on the spot. Since the year 1825, New Zealand, as a new rich field for relieving the necessities of the superabundant population of Great Britain, has attracted the most general observation. From that period, there has been a conflicting variety of projects, debates, and plans, on the part both of private individuals and the government, with the view to bestow upon that island-land the benefits of law, the new principle of the Australian colonization, but devoid of its evil influences as regards the aborigines, and to put an end to the corruption of the life of vagabondism there prevalent. But three different associations were necessitated, from want of means, difference of principles, and the difficulty of adequately discharging individually a responsibility so weighty, to merge eventually in one another, until it appertained to that last formed, to conduct and to accomplish on the largest scale, through a complete reorganization, what on a smaller one appeared impracticable."

Emigration and colonization, as branches of political science, are only in their infancy; and it seems to have been reserved for a

Company to chalk out to Governments the great principles which should guide the settlement of new and savage lands, so as mightily to benefit the aborigines, at the same time that a civilized country is not only relieved, but made to taste fresh springs of life, while individual adventurers who bid farewell to their father-land are rendered comfortable and independent. Never for a settlement of the kind, says the Professor,

Has such wise and generous care been taken by a business-association, and never probably has a commercial company drawn, notwithstanding, so large a benefit from its outlay. Through its instrumentality, cornstores, warehouses, a bank, inns, have been erected at the settlement. A New Zealand Gazette was established; and premiums for the promotion of the infant industry, more especially for the invention of an improved method of dressing the native flax by machinery, were freely offered. Through it also instructional institutions, a school for land-surveying, a preparatory seminary for colonists' sons destined for colonial life, and many other arrangements of a similar enlightened kind, are to be practically carried out. The colonized portion of New Zealand becoming in effect by such means a resembling portion of Old England, will in all things become placed on an equality, nay, still higher raised; for there at least the galling contrasts of excessive riches and anguish-stricken pauperism, as in the parent-country, will be swept away; nor could the extremes there generate the same pernicious consequences; many of the existing evils of the British state being thence pre-organized. The whole project was arithmetically and statistically calculated on such warning data, so as to give the preponderance in the social equilibrium on the virgin soil to the middle and productive classes. As already in the succeeding year, it was deemed expedient to establish a second colonial settlement, namely Nelson, on the same principle as the first, full 50,000l. of the purchase money of the allotments were applied to the higher objects of the same: that is to say, 15,000l. for the building of churches, schools, and for religious objects; 15,000l. for the establishment of a New Zealand University; and 20,000l. for the promotion of steam-communication, which, while preserving between Europe and New Zealand an unbroken chain of connexion, should benefit the whole Australasian world; and should maintain the intercourse with the continent of South America, already in its beginning at Valparaiso and Chili.

The reluctance to emigrate even to the antipodes is fast passing away, that great neutralizer of distance, steam-power, having wrought wondrous changes in feeling as well as in respect of remoteness. But other and special circumstances will hereafter direct the thoughts of persons, intending to emigrate from our shores, towards New Zealand. Not only can a voyage now be performed from London to Wellington, in Port Nicholson, in seventy days, but a number of strong resemblances exist between the two countries, just as if, when half the circuit of the world intervenes, we should

meet with the legitimate companion, the fac-simile, of our own green and fertile lands. But besides, the "Albion" of the South Seas is most advantageously situated in its own hemisphere. Its seclusion, observes the Professor, "from all other sister-islands, whereof the far greater part are in a state of less development; nay, the oceanic unity of this double island is in strict unison with its size, its bounteous endowments, its intrinsic qualities, its selfsufficing powers. It could itself amply suffice to provide a natural abundance and an organization of property for its own population; and could be summoned, unlike any other of the Australian sisterislands, to become hereafter the fruitful mother of an extended civilized race."

The capabilities of New Zealand, the abuses of which vagabond adventurers were the authors amongst its interesting people, and the lights which benevolent individuals, together with the hints which a wise business-association offered to the observation of our Government, have led it to take possession of the double-island; so that Government and Company are carrying on the work of colonization and civilization simultaneously. Our author illustrates in a striking manner what has been done, what is doing, and how it is done.

According to the statements of the New Zealand Bank, established at Wellington, and already made use of by the aborigines, it appears that these already possess amongst them a money-capital of about 150,000%. For, in the pursuit of industry and commerce, those amongst them thereto trained already emulate their masters. But though, forsooth, many vain sons of the proud chiefs be wont, on the occasion of their visits on board European ships, to rattle gold pieces in their pockets, it thence by no means follows that their princes are rich. Most of them, in fact, as yet, set no value upon property, of which they know not how to make a profitable immediate use. Hence they have usually distributed amongst the members of their families, their inferiors, and their slaves, the articles received in barter for their land, retaining but little for themselves after satisfaction. In this respect, a great change in their condition must unquestionably ere long take place. In proportion as civilisation inducts them more and more in the appreciation of the luxuries of social life, so will it embue them with an increased desire for riches. Formerly, their fisheries, their potato-grounds, their exhaustless supply of the fern-plant root, the domestic use of their plentiful wild flax, and their pätu-pätu that is, their battle-axe, or tomahawk, rendered them independent of every foreigner. But, in a measure, they are already become the slaves of wants which their ancestors knew not. They must have powder, lead, muskets, and tobacco, which, even their women, as also their children from earliest infancy, are wont to smoke. In addition to these, they require knives, hatchets, iron-kettles, shirts, pantaloons, coloured stuffs, without the attirement of which several articles of dress, they are, indeed, no longer willing When, therefore, they cease to be able to acquire such things

to appear.

so readily as heretofore, through the sale of lands, they must of necessity, as now partly happens, be compelled to labour; and hence very generally learn to understand the value of money.

The Professor continues to state facts to contrast, to speculate, and to foretell in a manner which is highly satisfactory, and most cheering at least in regard to New Zealand. A word need not be added to the following enlightened and humane statements:

In every instance where a land-purchase was effected, the Company, through its agents, dealt with the aborigines, with their chiefs, their acknowledged princes, or heads of tribes, as with those whom it was necessary to instruct as fully as possible in regard to the advantages and disadvantages of the contract into which they were about to enter. Thus, confidence was every where created; and, as care was taken in the barter to supply in the most liberal manner, the most desired and useful articles, a predilection towards the Company was commensurately insured. A complete dispossession of the aborigines from the ceded lands, appeared neither just nor prudent; for, in such case, there must have remained to them ultimately only the worst districts of the island, in which, rendered more compact, and utterly excluded from all humanising intercourse with the colonists, they must have become to these only the more dangerous with time, unless decimated by systematic warfare or by grief. The fate of the Indian races, both of North America and Australia, thus treated, (even as wild beasts, no less by the government than by individuals,) was a fearful discouraging example of such wholesale human degradation, and of the eventual extirpation of whole races of people by the colonists in selfdefence. Hence, a different method was devised for New Zealand. The Company established it as a principle on every land-purchase, uniformly to reserve a full tenth part of the whole quantity acquired, as an inalienable land-inheritance for the aborigines represented by their chiefs, to whom at a proper season, the same should be delivered over in manorial possession. This appeared to the benevolent projectors to be the only effectual way to preserve the coloured race from the sad fate which it had met with, in contact with civilisation, in all former British colonies; that is, to have become thrust, through the conjoint influences of the spiritual preponderance of civilisation, and the greater energy of Europeans, into the lowest rank of the aboriginal rabble. In contrast with this afflicting, hitherto almost inevitable fate of an utterly hopeless million of aboriginal people of the wide earth, all sunk in the lowest depths of abasement and debility, it was proposed by the New Zealand Company, in the disinterested, benevolent, in fact, noble manner indicated, to place the condition of the aboriginal race of New Zealand. It was not sought to repel them on account of their barbarism; but, inducted by humanity, to receive them simultaneously into the lap of civilisation and of domestic citizenship; there also to prepare for them, in equal progress with the general development, their future social position. These reserves of the tenth part of its territorial possessions were assigned by the Company to the charge of an officer of its own, specially appointed for the purpose, as

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