Chapter 2 the Scribes of the Governor
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9 CHAPTER 2 THE SCRIBES OF THE GOVERNOR The most extensive previous examination of the 1840 documents associated with the Treaty of Waitangi was that of Ruth Ross, who gave a generally accurate account of the genesis of the Treaty in English and in Māori (see Introduction, footnote 1). She pointed out that the identification of handwriting of officials is seldom straightforward, particularly as clerks often prepared documents for the signatures of their superiors; it is often the case that one person prepared a text, but a more junior person made the copies. To guard against unproven ascriptions, I have examined with particular care a wide range of the surviving original public documents located in the series of New Zealand Governor's papers and despatches at Archives New Zealand (Archives Group G), in the New Zealand Colonial Secretary's papers (Archives Group IA), in the New Zealand Governor's inward despatches to the Colonial Office, to the New Zealand LieutenantGovernor's despatches to the Governor of New South Wales, and to the NSW Colonial Secretary as well as the latter's despatches to the Colonial Office, (most of which are now at the Public Record Office, London). Also examined were other despatches from Hobson to Gipps which are still in New South Wales. 1 Some privately owned authentic documents have also been examined, to assist in confirming the identity of the various scribes. Public papers at the Alexander Turnbull Library, the Auckland Central City Library and the Auckland Museum Library have also been examined. It is helpful to review, at this point, the sets of Hobson's despatches. In theory, one set was sent to Gipps and followed by a duplicate in a second vessel, while another was sent direct to London for the Secretary of State, Normanby, also with a duplicate in a second vessel. Hobson reported direct to Gipps, but he also had authority to refer matters to the Colonial Office directly. But this arrangement was not always followed and the 'duplicates' do not always reflect the content of the 'originals'. Not all letters or despatches by Hobson to Gipps were forwarded on to Normanby, particularly those dealing with minor administrative matters. The critical despatches sent to Gipps in the vessel Samuel Winter on 8 February (40/8, dated 5 and 6 February, enclosing a text of the Treaty in English), were subsequently forwarded from Gipps to Normanby on 19 February, and were printed. The copy supplied to the printer, probably, was not kept after the printing.2 The 'duplicate' despatch dated 17 February (with rather different contents, 7 letters with 5 enclosures) was sent in 1 State Records New South Wales, series CGS 905 "Main series of letters received, 1841, New Zealand 1840 41". 2 In the GBPP series of Colonial office papers, printed texts often substitute for the originals. 10 RJP/NZACL CAHIER SPECIAL the vessel Martha on 20 February and received on 14 March.3 This is still in Sydney, but it is incomplete, lacking both 40/6 and 40/8 and their four enclosures, despite the listing of these in the 'list of copies transmitted herewith'. 4 Their whereabouts is unknown, but they may have been sent on to London. The extant copy of 40/8 at PRO CO 209/7, 712, 1315 – on the basis of the dating – would appear to be part of the Martha copy of the despatch, rather than that sent in the Samuel Winter. The absence of the authenticating attestation of Henry Williams in the despatch sent on the Samuel Winter – printed in GBPP 1840 (560) – suggests that it was not present in the manuscript sent by that ship. Some of this material (transcript copies of Hobson to Gipps 40/6 and 40/8) survives elsewhere, within the duplicate despatch 40/1 sent to Normanby, in the Achilles on 16 February, (Archives New Zealand G 30 /1 pp. 531).5 But this material presents other anomalies. 40/1 from Hobson to Normanby is a threepage letter in Freeman's hand with Hobson's signature but the scribe who prepared the three enclosures with it is less certain. Enclosure 1 is a transcript of Hobson to Gipps 40/6, dated 4 February, enclosure 2 is a copy of Hobson to Gipps 40/8 dated 5 February and enclosure 3 is a copy of Hobson to Gipps 40/13, dated 17 February, this last of which was not sent in either the Samuel Winter or the Martha. Hobson to Normanby 40/2, also dated 17 February, is in Freeman's hand with Hobson's signature, and comprises a long letter without enclosures "Reporting progress made in the acquisition of sovereignty". 6 Most alarmingly the English 'official' text of the Treaty of Waitangi as given in the printed Samuel Winter despatch (GBPP 1840 (560) p. 10) and the extant manuscript written by Freeman (PRO 209/7, 712,1314) are very different from that in the 'duplicate' in the Achilles despatch to Normanby. The scribe has, in fact, copied the wrong document, using a draft of the Treaty of Waitangi rather than the official text, as was intended (see Appendix, document 4). Freeman, who was responsible for the documents, and may personally have prepared all of them, appears not to have noticed the error. 3 The Samuel Winter and the Martha despatches include 40/5, 40/6, 40/7, 40/8, 40/9, 40/10 and 40/11, but one of the lists of contents ("Enclosures herewith") attributes two enclosures to 40/6 and three enclosures to 40/7 while the other "List of copies of letters transmitted herewith" attributes three enclosures to 40/6 and two enclosures to 40/7. The "List" attributes one enclosure to 40/8, while the other indicates no enclosures in 40/8. There was in fact one enclosure in 40/8, this being the authenticated fair copy of the Treaty in English, now at PRO CO 209/7, 1315 and which is presumably the Martha copy. Despatches 40/12 to 40/15 were all sent on the Martha on 20 February. The next batch of despatches (40/1640/18) were sent in the Herald after 10 March. 4 State Records, New South Wales, Colonial Secretary CGS 905, Main series of letters received, 1841, New Zealand 184041, [4/2540]. 5 Letter 40/6 is also missing from this series but it and the two printed proclamations that had accompanied it are in PRO CO 209/7, 2324. 6 Archives New Zealand G 30 / 1, 4055. ENGLISH DRAFTS OF THE TREATY OF WAITANGI 11 William Hobson's handwriting is large, untidy, and is easily recognised. He did not usually write his own despatches, having been equipped with clerks for that purpose (principally James Stuart Freeman, the Chief Clerk and private secretary). Hobson was particularly reliant upon his scribes because, on 1 March 1840, only a month after taking office, he was disabled by a stroke which left him temporarily unable to write. While he gradually recovered, he was still suffering the effects of the stroke at the end of the year.7 The sickbed diary and other documents, such as signatures and drafts of letters, assist us to trace the progress of his recovery. The scribes and other officials in Hobson's party are considered in turn. I GEORGE COOPER Hobson had few officials in whom he had any confidence, but Cooper, the most senior official, was the worst of them. Hobson had asked for a rather extensive staff complement in a letter to Gipps (13 January 1840). He wanted 11 officials, 4 sergeants, 10 clerks, 12 mounted police and 30 mechanics, a total of 67.8 Instead he received just four officials; George Cooper as Treasurer, Felton Mathew as Surveyor General, Willoughby Shortland as Chief Magistrate and James Stuart Freeman as Chief Clerk. There was no provision for a Colonial Secretary, but Cooper was calling himself 'Acting Colonial Secretary' by 17 February. 9 After an acrimonious dispute with Hobson and Shortland, however, Cooper left the Bay of Islands on 11 March in the Herald (Capt. Nias) destined for Sydney – he was later forced to apologise to Hobson and Shortland, after they complained to Gipps.1 0 Cooper did not return to New Zealand until 28 June and so was effectively unable to have much influence on either the business of signature gathering for the Treaty of Waitangi or for the proclamation of sovereignty in late May. 11 Although he countersigned Hobson's proclamations of 7 Compare holograph documents nos 1 (30 January 1840), 3 (ca 13 May 1840), 7 (24 December 1840), all in ATL fMSPapers2227, and also his sickbed diary of April 1840, W. Hobson, "Diary kept by William Hobson while recovering from a paralytic stroke, with other family documents and letters to and from Maori chiefs" 18331934 ATL fMS097, both in the Alexander Turnbull Library. 8 Archives New Zealand, G 36 1, pp 89. 9 An excellent example of Cooper's holograph and signature is found in his note to Hobson of 16 January 1840, when leaving Sydney "Treasurer respecting money to be shipped on board the Herald" (Archives New Zealand, IA 1 40/11). His counter signature appears on the original of two copies of Hobson's second proclamation of 30 January 1840. 10 G Gipps to W Hobson, 8 May 1840, in ATLqMS0843: On 4 April Hobson requested that Cooper be removed from his situation as Treasurer but Gipps "having severely animadverted on his breach of duty in quitting it without your permission" but had sent him back "from not having any competent person to supersede him or act in his place".