1853 - Swainson, William. Auckland, the Capital of New Zealand - APPENDIX

       
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  1853 - Swainson, William. Auckland, the Capital of New Zealand - APPENDIX
 
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APPENDIX.

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APPENDIX.

PROCLAMATION.

By his Excellency Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Wynyard, Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Ulster, &c. &c. &c.

Whereas information has been received by the Government that Gold in its natural place of deposit has been discovered in the district of Auckland, in the Province of New Ulster, on land in the possession of her Majesty's Native Subjects. And whereas it is expedient that the said Gold Field should be made available to all classes of her Majesty's subjects, and to that end, as well as to the peaceable and productive working of the same, that the management of the said Gold Field--saving the interests therein of the owners of the soil--should be undertaken by her Majesty's Colonial Government:--

Now, I, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Ulster, do hereby proclaim and declare that measures are now being taken with a view to that object, and that, as soon as the necessary arrangements shall be com-

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APPENDIX.

pleted, Licenses to work the said Gold Field will he granted by the Government on payment of a reasonable Fee.

And whereas her Majesty has been graciously pleased to place at the disposal of the Colonial Legislature the profits of any Gold Field which may be discovered in New Zealand. Now, for the protection of the interests of the Public therein, I hereby further proclaim and declare that all Gold-metal or Ore containing Gold, procured without such License as aforesaid, will be liable to be seized, in whose possession soever it may be found; and that all persons who shall take from any land within the Province any such Gold-metal, or Ore containing Gold, without being duly licensed in that behalf, will be prosecuted according to law. And I hereby call upon the Inhabitants of the Province to be aiding and assisting herein.

Given under my hand, and issued under the Public Seal of the Province of New Ulster, this Tenth day of November, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two.
R. H. WYNYARD, Lieut.-Governor.
By his Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR, Colonial-Secretary.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

Agreement between the Government and Native Tribes for the management of Gold Fields on the Thames for the term of three years.

1. That one system be adopted for the regulation of all

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APPENDIX.

persons searching and digging for Gold between Cape Colville and Kauairanga.

2. The Government undertake to pay in respect of the whole Land within the above limits, per annum, for three years, for any number

Under500.............. 600l.

500 to 1,000 .......... 900l.

1,000 to 1,500.......... 1,200l.

1,500 to 2,000.......... 1,500l.

and so on in the same proportion.

3. The native owners to register themselves and point out their boundaries to the Government, and the money paid to each body of owners so registered, to bear the same proportion to the whole sum that their land does to the whole block.

4. All owners to be free to dig Gold on their own land, without payment to Government, but not to permit other persons, whether Natives or English, to dig without a License.

5. The Government guarantees protection to all classes of persons; in consideration of which, a License Fee will be required from all diggers not being owners of the land.

6. The Native owners undertake to assist the Government as much as possible by reporting all persons who are found digging without a License.

7. The Government to be at liberty to issue Licenses immediately, but the payments to be reckoned from the 1st December 1852; the first payment to be made on the 31st March 1853, and quarterly afterwards.

8. The property of the land to remain with the Native

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APPENDIX.

owners; and their villages and cultivations to be protected as much as possible.

9. If any of the Tribes of the Peninsula decline this proposal, their land shall not be intruded upon till they consent.

(Signed) R.H. Wynyard,
Lieut.-Governor.

[Here follow Signatures of the Maori Chiefs.]

Witnesses of the Signatures.
G.A. NEW ZEALAND
WILLIAM MARTIN
THOS. LANFEAR

Witness to Marks and Signatures.
JOHN G. JOHNSON, Interpreter.

Coromandel Harbour,
30th November 1852.

Note. --The foregoing arrangements include the consent of three Tribes, and comprise about 16 square miles, or 10,000 acres.

Further Guarantee in respect to the Natives who have agreed to Lease their Lands to Government.

In addition to the terms of the agreement or lease drawn up and signed on the 19th November 1852, I guarantee that a Fund shall be created by a Tax of two shillings on every License, for the purpose of paying (independent of the rent thus agreed upon), and for rewarding the native owners for their faith and confidence in the Government, as well as recompensing them for any damage, annoyance, or inconvenience they may experience from Europeans while digging on their lands.
(Signed) R. H. WYNYARD,
Lieut.-Governor.

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APPENDIX.

COROMANDEL GOLD FIELD.
PROVISIONAL REGULATIONS.

WHEREAS arrangements have been made by the Colonial Government with the Native Owners of certain portions of Land in the neighbourhood of Coromandel, in the district of Auckland, with a view to the management of the Gold Field which has recently been discovered therein, his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased, with the advice of the Executive Council, to direct the publication of the following Provisional Regulations, under which Licenses may be obtained to dig, search for, and remove alluvial Gold, on and from the portions of Land above referred to, as also on and from the demesne Land of the Crown in the said district: And whereas, with a view to render the remaining portions of the said Gold Field speedily available to the public generally, and on equal terms, it is expedient that no person shall, without due authority, dig, search for, or remove Gold on or from such portions of the said Gold Field until they shall have been placed under the management of the Colonial Government, and the public are hereby warned that no such License as aforesaid will at any time hereafter be granted to any person who shall, without due authority, dig, search for, or remove Gold from any portion of the said Gold Field which shall not have been made subject to the Government Regulations:--

Regulations for the working of matrix Gold combined with Quartz or any other rock, remaining in its original place of deposit, will be published as soon as conveniently may be, and as occasion may require.

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APPENDIX.

Regulations for the working of Gold on Land alienated by the Crown in fee simple, will shortly be made public.

All alluvial or matrix Gold procured without due authority, within the district aforesaid, will be liable to be seized, in whose possession soever it may be found.

From and after the first day of December next, no person will he permitted to dig, search for, or remove Gold on or from any Land, public or private, within the said district, without taking out a License in the form hereunto annexed.

Every such License shall continue in force for one calendar month, and shall commence and take effect on the 1st day of the month in which it shall be dated.

For every such License there shall be paid, in advance, the sum of one pound ten shillings. But if a License be taken out after the 15th of the month, one half only of the said fee will be charged; provided that permits already issued shall remain in force till the first day of January, 1853, without any charge.

The Licenses will be issued from the office of the Colonial Secretary, at Auckland, but they may be renewed on the Gold Field by a Commissioner.

No person will be eligible to obtain a License, or the transfer or renewal of a License, unless he shall produce a certificate of discharge from his last service, or show, to the satisfaction of the Officer by whom such Licenses may be granted, transferred, or renewed, that he is not a person improperly absent from hired service.

Any such License as aforesaid may be cancelled, in case the holder thereof shall be convicted, by competent authority, of the illicit sale of spirituous liquors, wine, ale, or beer, or of any disorderly or riotous conduct, endangering the public peace.

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APPENDIX.

With a view to the security of person and property, and to promote peaceable and orderly conduct on the Gold Field, the name and description of every body who shall be convicted of the illicit sale of Spirituous or other Liquors, or of disorderly or riotous conduct on the field, will be forwarded to the officer by whom Licenses may be issued, transferred, or renewed, and no License will be granted or transferred to, or renewed in favour of, any person so convicted as aforesaid.

Persons found working alluvial Gold on any Land within the district aforesaid, without having previously paid the License Fee to the proper officer, shall pay £5 instead of the usual Fee for the first License he may take out, and, in default thereof, will be proceeded against according to law.

Every person desirous of establishing a claim to a particular portion of unoccupied ground, by working in the ordinary method, for alluvial Gold, may have his claim marked out on the following scale, viz., not less than

(1) 15 feet frontage to either side of a River.

(2) 20 feet of the bed of a tributary to a river or main creek, extending across its whole breadth.

(3) 60 feet of the bed of a Ravine or Watercourse.

(4) 20 feet square of table-land, or river flats.

Such claim will be secured to the party for such time only as he may continue to hold a License for and work the same.

If any dispute shall arise in respect of any such claim, reference should be forthwith made by the claimant to the Commissioner, who is hereby authorized to hear and summarily determine the case upon the spot.

The owners of all claims who may employ men on hire to assist them in working alluvial Gold, and who

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APPENDIX.

may take out Licenses for them, will he entitled, on application to the Commissioner, to have the Licenses of such men transferred to other labourers. In every such case the License must be produced to the Commissioner, who will endorse thereon, without any additional fee, the name of the Transferee.

Persons desirous of constructing Tram Roads, or forming Reservoirs or Dams on the gold field, for the purpose of washing gold, must make application to the Commissioner for permission so to do: and any Tram Road, Reservoir, or Dam, which may have been constructed with the requisite permission, will be reserved for the exclusive use of the applicant, in case such Tram Road, Reservoir, or Dam, shall not, in the opinion of the Commissioner, he detrimental to the public interest.

FORM OF LICENSE REFERRED TO.

GOLD LICENSE.

No. (Date)

The Bearer,
of
having paid the sum of
I hereby License him to dig, search for, and remove alluvial Gold, on and from such land on the
Gold Field as shall be duly assigned to him for that purpose, for the period of One Calendar Month from the date hereof, subject to the Government Regulations in force for the time being for the management of the Gold Field.

This License does not extend to Matrix Gold, and it must he produced whenever demanded by a Commissioner or any person authorized in that behalf by a Commissioner.

(Signed)

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APPENDIX.

N. B. --Every Licensed Person must always have his License with him ready to be produced whenever demanded by a Commissioner, or Person acting under his instructions, otherwise he is liable to be proceeded against as an unlicensed Person. It is enjoined that all Persons at the Gold Fields maintain and assist in maintaining a due and proper observance of Sundays.

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London:

Printed by STEWART and MURRAY,

Old Bailey.

March 1854.


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