536 CASE OF THE VENILIA.
the law, and said that he would not regard the law. We then
became more resolute: the governor said to the chiefs, ‘ Friends,
chiefs of the land, we must have a meeting.’ The chiefs assembled
on the twenty-second day of December 1831. The governor
ordered a man to go for the captain of the ship. When
he had arrived on shore, the governor appointed a man to be
speaker for him. The speaker said to the captain of the ship,
•' Friend, here are your men, take them, and put them on hoard
of your ship; it is not agreeable to us that they should remain
upon our land.’ The captain said, ‘ I will not by any means
receive them again: no, not on any account whatever!’ The
governor again told his speaker to say, ‘ Take your men, and
put them on board your ship, we shall enforce our laws.’ The
captain strongly objected to this, saying, ‘ I will not, on any
account, again receive these bad men, these mutineers.’ We
then said, ‘ It is by no means agreeable to ns for these men to
live on shore: if they are disturbers of the peace on board the
ship, they will disturb the peace on shore.’ Captain Hill, who
has long been a captain belonging to Britain, spoke to the captain
of the ship : this is what he said to him : ‘ It is not at all
agreeable to the laws of Britain that you should discharge, or
in any manner turn away your men in a foreign land.’ This
is another thing Captain Hill said, ‘ you should write a document,
stating clearly the crime for which these men have been
turned on shore; that the governor and chiefs may know how
to act towards them, and that they may render you any assistance.’
But this was not agreeable to the captain ; he would
not write a document. The governor then said to the captain,
‘ If you will not take your men on hoard again, give us the
money, as expressed in the law.’ The captain said, ‘ I will
not give the money, neither will I again take the men: no,
not on any terms whatever; and if you attempt to put them-
on-board the ship, 1 will resist, even unto death.’ The governor
then said, ‘We shall continue to be firm ; if you will not give
the money, according to the law, we shall put your men on
board the ship, and should you die, your death will he deserved.’
When the captain perceived that we were determined
to enforce the law, he said, ‘ It is agreed ; I will give you the
money, three hundred and ninety dollars.’
“ On the 24th of December the governor sent a person for the
money. The captain of the ship said, ‘ He had no money.’
We then held a meeting : the governor’s speaker said to the
captain, ‘ Pay the money according to the agreement of the
22d day of this month.’ The captain said, ‘ I have no
money.’ The governor told him, ‘ If you will not pay the
money we will put your men on board the ship.’
“ One Lawler said, ‘ Friends, is it agreeable to you that I
should assist him ? I will pay the money to you, three hundred
and ninety dollars ! I will give property into your hands:
this is the kind of property; such as may remain a long time
by the sea-side and not be perishable. In five months, should
not the money be paid, this property shall become your own.’
“ Mr. Pritchard said that this was the custom among foreigners.
We agreed to the proposal.
“ On the 26th of December we went to Lawler’s house to look
at the property, and see if it was suitable for the sura of money;
and also to make some writings about this property. While
there, Lawler made known to us something new, which was,
that we should sign our names to a paper, written by the captain,
for him to show his owners. We did not agree to this
proposal, because we did not know the crime for which these
men were turned on shore. We saw clearly that these two
persons were deceiving us, and that they would not pay the
money ; also that the captain would not again take his men ;
but we did not attempt to put his men on board the ship, because
another English whaler had come to anchor. We told
the captain that we should write a letter to the British government,
that they might order this business to be investigated,
and might afford us their assistance.
“ This is the substance of what we have to say:—We entreat
you, the British Government, to help us in our troubles. Punish
this Captain Miner, and command the owners of the Venilia to
pay us three hundred and ninety dollars for thirteen of their
men having been left on our land ; and also to send the wages
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