Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/72

This page has been validated.
Hempleman’s Purchase on Akaroa.
65

men, had purchased of certain native chiefs who had declared themselves the owners and possessors thereof, and who had conveyed the same lands by deed dated November 2, 1839; and further, that I did direct such aforesaid letter to the Honorable C. Leas Thompson, Colonial Secretary for the Colony of New South Wales, and did forward the same by brig Nimrod, which sailed for Sydney in or about the month of April, in the aforesaid 1840, and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of an Act made and passed in the 6th year of the reign of His late Majesty, entitled an Act for the more effectual abolition of oaths and affirmations taken and made in various departments of the State, and to substitute declarations in lieu thereof, and for the more entire suppression of voluntary and extrajudicial oaths and affidavits, and to make other provisions for the abolition of unnecessary oaths.

(Signed) Alfred Roberts.

Declared and subscribed at Wellington aforesaid, this 15th day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-three.

(Signed) M. Richmond, C.P.M.

Examined with the copy memorial and declaration in possession of the Commissioner, Col. Campbell.

December, 1853.

After his purchase of the Peninsula from Bloody Jack and the other Maori chiefs, George Hempleman appears to have lived quietly at Peraki, making occasional whaling trips, and visiting Sydney to exchange the oil for other commodities. He seems to have seen the occupation of Akaroa by the French with indifference, and to have had no dispute with them whatever about their taking the land. When,

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.