The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 279

Chapter 279: The First Colony in the Pacific

After the Māori chief repeatedly confirmed the transaction details with Dufresne and consulted with the high priest Matro to ensure there were no hidden traps, he solemnly agreed to the French proposal to purchase land.

Chief Toue, seemingly moved by the French's sincerity to the point of feeling indebted, agreed to sell Dufresne 1,000 acres of land with full ownership rights, provided the location was not too close to the Tainui tribe. Dufresne could choose the site freely.

Overjoyed, Dufresne immediately chose the spot where he had first landed. It was a convenient location for establishing a port, with room further inland to build a town. This arrangement would facilitate the export of New Zealand's wool to France.

Once the transaction was agreed upon, relations between the two parties became noticeably closer. Chief Toue ordered his tribe to prepare a ceremony to welcome their French guests, while the priests who accompanied Dufresne began conversing with the Māori high priest.

“Yes, there is indeed one great God in this world, who rules over all,” Matro declared reverently, raising his hands. “Io Matua Kore, we worship Him, venerate Him, and offer everything to Him!”

A priest from Reims smiled and nodded. “Honorable High Priest Matro, in fact, this God’s name is Jehovah. He indeed governs all.”

This resourceful priest, recalling the Crown Prince’s “Guide to New Zealand,” knew that Māori valued facial tattoos. He had drawn some lines on his face with a pen. Although the Māori found the design incomprehensible, they found him more appealing than those with unmarked faces.

Matro glanced at him and said, “How can this be? Our ancestors told us this truth, and they cannot be wrong.”

Father Dietrich, mindful of the guide’s admonition never to outright dismiss Māori beliefs, replied, “You see, names differ across languages.”

He picked up a sweet potato from the table. “For instance, you call this...”

The translator immediately provided the Māori word for “sweet potato.”

“And we call it a sweet potato,” Dietrich continued. “Similarly, our pronunciations for God’s name may differ, but we all mean the same supreme being.”

He watched the high priest nervously until the latter nodded thoughtfully. He felt a wave of relief—just as the Crown Prince had predicted, the Māori seemed likely to convert to Catholicism. The Church’s significant investment was unlikely to go to waste.

By noon the next day, Matro was already making the sign of the cross, persuaded by the seasoned priests. He remained convinced that he had not changed his faith but had instead gained a deeper understanding of God and His works.

As the sun set, the ceremony formalizing the “map sale agreement” between Dufresne and Chief Toue officially began.

The Māori, lacking written language or paper, signed contracts through ceremonial rituals, drawing marks on animal hides. Their reverence for ancestors and devotion to the divine ensured they would not breach agreements. Any violator would face ostracism from the entire community.

Since the deal involved tens of thousands of acres of Tainui tribal land, the ceremony was grand, with nearly every tribe member present.

Dufresne adhered strictly to local traditions, working tirelessly until past 9 p.m. to finalize the agreement for 50,000 acres of pastureland and 1,000 acres for personal use.

As a down payment, the French from Port Cafia generously handed over several dozen flintlock rifles, leaving Chief Toue beaming with goodwill toward his French friends.

Days later, Dufresne planted the French royal flag at the site of his original landing, naming the port “New Marseille.”

Dufresne and his exploration team then headed toward the central North Island of New Zealand. Introduced by Toue’s tribe, they met the chief of the Ati Ra’i tribe.

A few days later, when Dufresne emerged from the Ati Ra’i encampment, surrounded by welcoming tribespeople, he reflected on his fortune in accepting this colonial task. It was almost effortless. At this pace, he estimated he could secure agreements with all the major tribes of the North Island within two months and then sit back to collect his reward.

Meanwhile, near New Marseille, construction of a rudimentary town had begun.

Employees of the Twin Company and Catholic missionaries oversaw over a thousand Māori workers clearing and leveling land after burning vegetation. Nearby, neatly stacked timber awaited use in building houses.

These Māori workers were not hired laborers but volunteers sent by tribal chiefs out of goodwill toward their French guests.

Over a month later, Dufresne returned to New Marseille with contracts for nearly 300,000 acres of land. From a distance, he could already see the copper bell atop the newly built chapel.

Three wide, compacted dirt roads connected the port to the inland. Alongside the roads, over a dozen houses had been erected, while workers and company staff were constructing additional buildings.

Smiling with satisfaction, he envisioned the bustling town that would emerge once the company shipped in thousands of laborers.

Of course, there would also be sheep. Ships would soon arrive with large numbers of them—the true rulers of this island.

...

Southeastern France.

Toulon Port.

Joseph had just disembarked when a military officer handed him documents from the General Staff.

After dismissing the welcoming officials at the port, Joseph boarded a carriage and opened the documents.

The first item stated that the General Staff, after evaluation, had decided to dispatch 10,000 troops from Montpellier and Provence to Tunisia to support the Moulin Corps in stabilizing the situation there.

Nearly half of this force would come from the recently reorganized Montcalm Corps, now renamed the Montpellier Corps, while the remainder would be drawn from the garrisons in Provence.

This initial deployment was based on proximity to Toulon, but the General Staff planned to send an additional 10,000 troops to Tunisia in subsequent phases.

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