1840 Early 1840 William Purves buys 2560 acres near Banks ...

11 April Four of Mr Herriot’s cattle disembark at Goashore from the Sarah and
Elizabeth, which is bringing Herriot, McGillivray, Ellis, Mr and Mrs Shaw, Mr
and Mrs McKinnon and child to Putaringamotu to oversee the property that
William Purves bought from George Weller. Woods returns from Akaroa, after
a skirmish with some Frenchmen out of two vessels at Peraki. At Peraki are
four French whalers, one Danish and the Nimrod from Sydney. D’Urville
makes an excursion to the head of Akaroa Harbour.
A. Balguerie to Decazes: the Spectator of 4 April shows that we can expect
trouble from the British. Could you get the minister to send a new expedition to
help the first, getting funds for a convict colony officially through parliament?
[ALG, D12].
12 April Remaining cattle are landed at Goashore. The John Bull (London) argues the
rights of Britain to N.Z. in the light of French pretensions.
13 April A letter from La Palma to the British Consul at Teneriffe reports the recent
arrival of the Comte de Paris with 90 passengers, on its way to survey part of
the coast of Australia with the view of forming a settlement there.
14 April The Thomas Dickason takes in 15 or 20 bushels of potatoes by way of trade,
and one quarter of beef of Mag Williams.
15 April Part of Messrs Herriot and Babington’s luggage is landed at Goashore.
A. Balguerie to Decazes: We have told our partners what you have said about
Rothshilds and Carette & Minguet. We are putting off the final choice of a
banker. We hope that you will succeed in convincing the government that the
N.Z. venture should become an official government undertaking [ALG, D12].
The British Consul at Bordeaux reports to the British Foreign Office on the
membership and capital (150,000 francs) of the Nanto-Bordelaise Co. The
French government has given every assistance and intends establishing a penal
colony there. About sixty emigrants, mainly labourers and artificers, and three
missionaries have been taken. Each emigrant has been given a bounty of 70
francs and is being supplied with provisions and materials for building huts.
A public meeting in Guildhall, London, protests against French pretensions to
Banks Peninsula, drawing up a petition (“even if France really possessed any
rights of colonization, your petitioners would deprecate in the strongest terms
her proposed establishment of a penal colony”) to the Queen and both houses of
Parliament.
16 April The French whaler Gustave, Captain Desclos, begins a whaling season at
Akaroa and Peraki [CC5 611]. The Comte de Paris lies off the island of La
Palma. Crew from the Thomas Dickason digs potatoes.