DOMETT, ALFRED (1811-87) was born at Camberwell Grove, Surrey, the son of Nathaniel Domett, a naval officer. He received his education at a public school at Stockwell and proceeded to St John's College, Cambridge (1829). Much interested in literature, he made many literary friends, wrote verse and prose, travelled a good deal and left the University in 1833 without taking a degree. In the same year he published his first small volume of verse. Domett spent the next two years travelling in North America and the West Indies, and on returning to England entered at the Middle Temple (Nov 1835). His law studies did not hold him very closely and he passed most of this period of his life in a dilettante manner, literary interests being predominant. He had many poems in Blackwood's in the period 1837-39, of which A Christmas Hymn attracted attention. His life for the most part was one of aimless leisure, diversified by tours on the continent, in the course of which he did a certain amount of sketching. In 1839 his second volume of verse appeared, a long poem on Venice. In 1840, if not before, he met Robert Browning, to whom he became closely attached and with whom he made some of his tours. Having been called at the Middle Temple on 13 Nov 1841, he shared chambers for a while with Joseph Arnould (afterwards chief justice of Bombay), but he never took seriously to law. In May 1842 Domett purchased land in the Nelson settlement of the New Zealand Company, and sailed in the Sir Charles Forbes, arriving in Nelson in Aug 1842. He soon took a leading position in the settlement. Within a year of his arrival a fatal clash occurred with the Maori owners of the Wairau plain (Jun 1843). Every man in the settlement was involved either in the tragedy itself or in the measures taken immediately after it to protect the settlement. Domett shouldered a rifle in the mobilisation of the Nelson militia. Almost from the time of his arrival in the colony he was a contributor to the Nelson Examiner. He wrote vigorously in defence of the colonists, demanding that the government should take firm measures to punish the natives and ensure that there should be no recurrence of such incidents. He compiled from the depositions taken a careful and effective narrative of the Wairau tragedy and was deputed (with Dr Monro) to proceed to Auckland to lay the case of the settlers before the government. He had the principal part in the correspondence with the Administrator (Shortland) and found himself in strong opposition to the policy of both Shortland and FitzRoy, which he considered pusillanimous in the extreme.

In Feb 1845 he was chosen by the leaders of the settlement, and strongly importuned by C. A. Dillon and E. W. Stafford, to accept a seat in the Legislative Council, but declined firmly on public grounds. As editor of the Examiner (1844-46) Domett was now the recognised protagonist of the settlers and the Company's land purchasers and of the demand for self-government. He was practically the sole author of the petition drawn up in Nov 1845 demanding the recall of the Governor. This masterful document gained the warm approval of the directors of the New Zealand Company, who recommended Colonel Wakefield to find Domett employment, possibly as resident agent at New Plymouth (20 May 1846). Domett's "utter and perfect straightforwardness and fearlessness" appealed to his fellow settlers, who at a public dinner on 11 Dec 1845 thanked him for his services to the settlements. He acted as arbitrator on behalf of the Company in deciding the claims of the disappointed land purchasers, a duty in which he showed firmness and discretion. In 1846 he accepted from Governor Grey a seat in the Legislative Council, and on the inauguration of Grey's constitution he was appointed Colonial Secretary for New Munster (14 Feb 1848). Three months later (11 Nov 1851) he was made Civil Secretary for the colony, holding these two posts together. Grey was much impressed by his zealous administration, which included the correspondence with the Otago and Canterbury Associations in connection with the new settlements at Otago and Canterbury.

In 1850 Domett published a useful classified compilation of the ordinances of New Zealand and New Munster. Having assisted in devising the new constitution and fixing the proposed boundaries of Nelson, Canterbury and Otago, he resigned to make way for the inauguration of the new machinery of government (Jan 1854). He accepted the office of commissioner of crown lands for Hawkes Bay, with which were combined the duties of resident magistrate. From that date, till the middle of 1856 he was the sole official of any standing in the Ahuriri district. He established the machinery of government, which he worked himself, controlling the surveys, the making of roads and the laying out of towns. The street names of Napier bear witness to his devotion to the muse of poetry. In Hawkes Bay Domett had no difficulty with the Maori, possibly because white settlers were not yet clamouring for the acquisition of land.

While there he was elected to represent Nelson in Parliament (1855). He returned to Nelson as commissioner of crown lands in 1856 and he was chairman of the waste lands committee for the period 1856-71. In 1857 he was elected to the Provincial Council for Nelson, which he represented till 1863. During the whole of that time he was provincial secretary and a member of the executive. He reformed the survey maps of the province and devoted much attention to public works and to education. He was one of the governors of Nelson College under the act of 1858. At the parliamentary election of 1860 Domett was again returned for Nelson City (defeating J. P. Robinson). During this Parliament native affairs came to a crisis. Sir George Grey, who had succeeded Browne as governor, was working in reasonable harmony with Fox (who became premier in 1861), when a no-confidence motion was carried against the government by the casting vote of the Speaker (Monro). Stafford was sent for, but declined to form a government and in turn proposed FitzGerald, as one with a strong sympathy for the natives and not too prominently associated with recent party disputes. FitzGerald also declined, but took the liberty of proposing Domett in the belief, he said, that it would not be difficult to form a ministry which would include both Domett and Fox. Domett accepted the task without consulting Fox, who declined thereafter to accept office.

Thus Domett became on 6 Aug 1862 the leader of a government comprising T. B. Gillies (Attorney-general), Bell (Native Minister), Mantell (Lands), and Tancred and T. Russell (both without portfolio). The prospect for peace became somewhat gloomy. As Thomas Arnold divined, Domett looked upon the natives of New Zealand with Roman rather than with Christian eyes. With Russell as a colleague his attitude was not likely to be any less Roman. Gillies retired a week or two later and Domett invited into his team Reader Wood (as Treasurer), Crosbie Ward (Postmaster-general) and Sewell (Attorney-general). It was soon clear that the ministry was still not well disposed towards the natives. It cold-shouldered FitzGerald's suggestion that the Maori should have representation in Parliament, and only with the greatest reluctance accepted Grey's proposal that the Waitara purchase should be abandoned. The necessary proclamation (gazetted on 11 May 1863) was unfortunately preceded by the occupation of the Tataraimaka block, thereby making the renewal of war in Taranaki and Waikato certain. Domett's premiership was never very real. Compelled by certain sinister influences to take Russell into his cabinet, he had not the strength to accept Grey's suggestion and assume full responsibility for native affairs, which the Home government now insisted should be borne by the colonial ministers. The government, obviously tottering to its fall, insisted that Grey should entirely manage native affairs. War being inevitable, Russell became Minister of Defence (22 Jul 1863). On the meeting of Parliament in Oct Domett did at length recommend the assumption of responsibility by the cabinet, and put forward a policy which was generally attributed to Russell and Whitaker, of hard war and confiscation. Without waiting to be defeated the ministry adjourned Parliament for a short time and then resigned office (30 Oct 1863).

Grey consulted Fox and a species of coalition was formed under Whitaker, with Fox as Colonial Secretary, Wood as Treasurer, Gillies as Postmaster-general and Secretary for Crown Lands, and Russell again as Minister of Defence. Though Domett's premiership was little more than nominal, he did during his term of office make proposals of a constructive character which originated entirely with himself. In the schemes of Vogel some years later are evident the broad outlines of Domett's programme of settlement and self-defence, involving the introduction of 20,000 immigrants and the borrowing of £4,000,000 to settle them in frontier districts and provide access. He also proposed the establishment of land courts to fulfil the promises that had been made of grants of land for the natives.

On the resignation of his ministry Domett, having retired from provincial politics (Feb 1863), was appointed Secretary for Lands (24 Dec). On 13 Jan 1864, when the post was provided for in the civil service estimates, he was confirmed in it. He acted as a commissioner of land claims (1863-70); was appointed in addition Registrar-general of lands (1865), and in 1870 undertook the administration of the confiscated lands. He retired on pension on 1 Sep 1871. Meanwhile he had been for some years a member of the Legislative Council, to which he was called on 19 Jun 1866. Owing to his unique qualifications for official duty he was specially excepted in the disqualification act of 1870, which allowed him to remain in Parliament, and he was a member of the Council till 1874.

In 1871 Domett returned to live in England, where for the remainder of his life he quietly devoted himself to his interrupted muse. In 1872 he published his classic, Ranolf and Amohia; in 1873 Flotsam and Jetsam: Rhymes Old and New; and in 1877 Roots, a plea for Tolerance. His interests were always literary, and he had throughout life a definite disinclination for public affairs. Gisborne's appraisement of Domett is searching and discriminating: "He abounded in imaginative and creative power, in tender sensibility, in fine taste, in great aims and in affluence of expression.... He was a hero-worshipper and admired splendid autocracy.... The seamy side of political life was not congenial to his taste, and he was not fitted to work out what he regarded as a lower level of public service.... Left to himself he did great and good work.... As prime minister in 1863 he devised and embodied, alone and unassisted, a large scheme for the settlement and self-defence of New Zealand. Its statesmanlike character is unimpeachable." His mind was one of great intellectual capacity and high culture, and imbued with poetic genius. His nature was thoroughly genuine and had a refreshing ring which proclaimed the sterling coin. But in political life Domett was never a leader of men. "He conceived great ideas but loved to brood over them in poetic solitude until his mind bodied them forth and launched them living into the world, but he had not the faculty of equally inspiring other men. He was in, but not of, the world of politics." Gisborne's contribution on Domett to The Poets and The Poetry of the Century (edited by A. N. Miles) is also noteworthy. Longfellow used some of Domett's verse in his Poems of Places and regretted that it was too late to make use of others. Domett translated into excellent verse some Maori songs which appear in Grey's Polynesian Mythology.

One of Domett's monuments in New Zealand is the General Assembly Library. He was on the committee which established it in 1858 and took a delight in laying the foundations of the fine classical collection which that institution possesses. For some years he acted as librarian (1866) and he was chairman in (1868-69). He refers to that episode as "an amusement and an occupation which I relinquished with great regret." Domett received the C.M.G. in 1880. He died on 2 Nov 1887. He married (1856) Mrs Mary George, a widow, who with her husband had kept a small school in Wellington. (See F. N. GEORGE and JOHN C. ST GEORGE)

Parlty Record, Nelson P.C. Proc. and Gaz; N.Z. Gaz; New Munster Gaz; N.Z. Archives; N.Z.C.; G.B.O.P. 1844; N.Z.P.D., 1864-70 and 8 Nov 1887; Sinclair papers; D.N.B.; thesis by V. M. Thomson, M.A.; unpublished MS by C. Stuart Perry; Arnold; Hocken; Ward; Macmorran; Gisborne (p); Saunders; Rusden; Domett, op. cit.; Nelson Examiner, pass; N.Z. Times, 7 Nov 1887; N.Z. Herald do; The Times (London), 28 Jul 1934; Otago Daily Times, 11 Jan 1900, 28 May 1931. Portrait: Parliament House.

Reference: Volume 1, page 125

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