October 1864

Here is more of what I learned about Edward Gibbon’s life from my visit to his sister.

In 1849, after Edward Gibbon had resigned from the New Zealand Company, it was given a charter. His brother, Felix, Edward and Teddy then spent much effort for the next years in recruiting emigrants to Canterbury. Edward’s friend John Godley, was in charge of the new settlement, and he and his family went to Port Lyttleton in March, 1850.The plan was for 4 ships, 792 pilgrims set forth for Canterbury in September of that year.

Another of Edward’s brothers, Daniel, was by then attorney General for the North Island of New Zealand, and Catharine’s son Charley Torlesse and Teddy were back in New Zealand as well, sorting out problems in Canterbury.

Edward Gibbon finally agreed to join them in 1853 accompanied by another of Catharine’s sons Henry Torlesse and his five beloved dogs, a bull and a heifer.

The voyage was rough, and the animals were quite starved when they finally arrived. But on his arrival Edward Gibbon’s comment about the Promised Land, as he thought it, was “I could have fancied myself in England except for the hard working industry of the upper classes and luxurious independence of the common people."

He did not find Canterbury to his liking, so moved to the North Island. He arrived in Wellington in March, 1853, found it an agreeable climate for his health, and remained there for the rest of his life. But his new life was not perfect for him. This is what he wrote about his early impressions, “I have no friendship here. Not one person sympathizes with my fears and hopes. What would I give for a few days back in London.”

He immersed himself in the local politics and was soon elected to both the Provisional Council and the General Assembly. Before long he came in conflict with the Governor, George Grey, and due to these problems, his brother also resigned as Attorney General. He took issue with George Grey on his policy on land sales. Grey was in favour of selling land very cheaply to encourage the flow of settlers. Edward Gibbon wanted to keep the price of land high so that the growth of the colony could be financed by land sales, it was a fundamental tenet of his colonial theory. He applied for an injunction to prevent the Commissioner of Crown Lands selling any further lands under Governor Grey's regulations.

Grey responded to the attacks on him by questioning Edward Gibbons' integrity, always an easy target.

Particularly he focused on the generous fees that had been paid to Edward Gibbon as a Director of the New Zealand Company at a time when it was reneging on its debts in New Zealand. This served to remind the people of Wellington just how badly they had been let down by the Company and how angry they felt about it. Edward Gibbon managed to clear himself of the actual charges but a great deal of dirt was thrown around.
 
I have now almost all the information I need to complete my book about Edward Gibbon Wakefield, but it is still in a very rough and disorganised state, and I shall have little time to do anything more with it. I will put the two last letters from him to my Pa in this chapter and the next, and then I will wait and see what the future has in store for me before I take the next step.

"London
December, 1843

Dear Daniel,

I went back to Canada, after a few months in England, but returned home after I had the shocking news of another family death.
 
All I can think of at the moment is the death of my brother Arthur in New Zealand at the hand of the Maoris. I sent him there. Am I to blame in this early end to his life - as I might have been for those of the others I loved in the past who died young?

I will just copy the bare outline of what happened from Teddy’s report of it.

On 17 June 1843 a party of 50 Europeans, led by my brother, Arthur Wakefield, walked into the Wairau Valley from Nelson. They tried to arrest Te Rauparaha and another Māori chief, Rangihaeata, on a flimsy charge of arson from when a survey party had tried to survey disputed land in the Wairau Valley.

The European claim to the land was based on a false deed of sale, which the Māori owners had been tricked into signing. The chiefs refused to go with them, and one of the Europeans fired his gun (probably accidentally).

Fighting broke out and people were killed on both sides. After Arthur called on the Europeans to surrender, Rangihaeata demanded utu for his wife who had been killed, and Arthur and others were executed.

Despite demands for revenge from settlers in Wellington and Nelson, Governor Fitzroy refused to act, saying that the Māori had been provoked by the unreasonable actions of the Europeans.

I hope for a better New Year.

Your friend,

Edward Gibbon"

Reading through Teddy’s book, I found items from the local newspaper about the incident which I will put down here.

Mr Cotterell, one of the surveyors belonging to the Nelson staff, was in the Wairoa district following his duties, when he was attacked by the Maories, and his hut burnt down.

He immediately sent off a dispatch to Captain Wakefield. Captain Wakefield, Mr Tuckett, Mt Thompson, J.P., with about twenty other persons, started in the Government Brig (Victoria) for Wairoa. On arriving there, they found the Natives encamped.

Mr Thompson, Captain Wakefield, and one or two other parties, proceeded up to the encampmant, and stated that they had a warrant for the apprehension of Rauparaha, the chief, for assaulting a European, and burning down his hut.

They explained to him the nature of the warrant, and told him, that as he was a subject of her Britannic Majesty he must not presume to take the law into his own hands; he must submit them to the constituted authorities, who would redress his grievances. In the presence instance, he had disobeyed those laws in seeking to redress by violence his supposed injuries, and therefore they were come to apprehend him.

He refused to allow himself to be taken, and was told, that if he resisted, orders would be given to take him by force. A canoe was then ordered to be placed across a stream or gully for the main body of the Europeans to cross over to the Maori encampment, which had no sooner taken place, when a gun was fired by a European (whether accidentally or purposely we cannot learn) on which an engagement ensued. After several persons were wounded on both sides, and we believe four Englishmen killed, the latter retreated, finding themselves unable to accomplish the object of their mission.

It is rumoured that the first shot which seems to have been fired accidentally killed a Native woman, a niece of Rangihaiata, and that a chief of some importance was slain. Six or seven whites and an equal number of Natives were killed. The dead bodies were afterwards taken by the Natives to Guard's whaling stations at Cloudy Bay, and there left for interment.

Mr Thompson, the Police Magistrate, and Captain Wakefield, the Company's Agent have fallen.

Obituary of Captain Wakefield

The late Arthur Wakefield, R.N., whose lamented fate we recorded last week, was in the 44th year of his age, at the time of his death. He was the third son of Edward Wakefield, Esq., of Burnham, Essex, the author of the well known statistical and political account of Ireland.
Captain Wakefield entered the Navy at ten years of age, and first sailed in the Nisus frigate, with Captain Philip Beaver, whose expedition to Bulama and other services are matters of history. He was for some time in command of a brig on the coast of Africa, where he captured several slave ships after obstinate engagements and boarding from boats away from the ship. It is thrice occurred to him to jump overboard and save the lives of shipmates at sea.

Few officers were better known or more highly considered in the Navy than the subject of our remarks. Before his promotion to the rank of commander, he was much sought after as a First Lieutenant, and was seldom at home many days between leaving a ship paid off, and being appointed to another newly put in commission. He had served in all parts of the world, and left the command of the Rhadamanthus steam frigate before undertaking the foundation of the Nelson settlement in the New Zealand Company. His conciliatory manners and moral worth had made him respected and beloved by all classes at Nelson, and it will be difficult to find a successor to him possessed of his energy and ability in the administration of the Company's affairs. - New Zealand Gazette