THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES WORKS BY THE. REV. T. LOWE. r^y THE HEAVENLY PILOT. Beautifully lUustraled. The Tenth Thousand. Revised by the Rev. W. Thoseby. Dedicated to J. Riches, Esq., of Catfield, Norfolk. This work has been honoured with Royal Patronage. Cloth, plain, Is. ; cloth, extra gilt, very fine. Is. 6d. A book for the masses and the times. THE PEERLESS GLORY OF THE CROSS. Second Edition. Paper cover, 4d. ; cloth, lettered, 8d. FOR CHRIST AND WITH CHRIST. Neat stiff paper cover. Is. ; limp clotLi, lettered, Is. Gd. THE CHRISTIAN ORATOR ; Or, Practical and Popular Sketches for the Pulpit, the Platform, and the People. Parts I., 11., III., IV., v., and VI., sixpence each. Cloth, gilt lettered, very neat. Vol. I., 4s. " This work, which is being issued in sixpenny nuu-bers, consists of ser- mons, sketches of sermons, speeches on rel.gion and politics and poetry, original and selected. 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Or, Gleanings from Classic ITistory I'oi" Young Persons. Witli Engraving. Limp cloth, 9d. ; cloth extra, Is. ; Fourth Thousand. INTERESTING DIALOGUES. Enamelled Paper, (kl. TALES FOR CHILDREN. Enamelled Paper, od. First-Class Eewards and Presents for Young People. WORKS BY THE REV. GEORGE SHAW. OUR FILEY FISHERMEN. Second Thousand, Price 2s., and Is. 'Jd. EY AND ITS FISHERMEN. Price 3s. 6d. Nearly all sold. GEMS AND PEARLS. Second Thousand. Price 2s. ; gilt sides, 2s. 6d. " A gem inside and out.'' — Primitive Methodist Magazine. SCENES ON THE SEA. Price Gd. and Is. ' It needs but to be known to secure a wide circulation." PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. Bj Rev. T. Whittaker. Cloth, Is., and is. 4d. FISH, TIN, AND COPPER. By Rev. C. G. Honor. Cloth, 9d. FOOTPRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME. By Rev. W. Thoseby. Cloth, 9d. IjOndon : G. LAMB, Primitive Methodist Book Room, Sutton-street, Commercial-road, E., and all Booksellers. <^^^^'^^^*^^'*'^B.■' TJ3^' MAJOR XEPA MEMBER OF THE COLONIAL PARUAMENT. LIFE AMONG THE MAORIES OF NEW ZEALAND. BEING A DESCRIPTION OF MISSIONARY, COLONIAL, AND MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS. BY THE ; REY. ROBERT WARD, Twenty-six Years a Resident in the North Island. EDITED BY REV. THOMAS LOWE AND REV. WILLIAM WHITBY. " JJirtttti non armis fibo.' ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. LONDON : G. LAMB, SUTTON STREET. COMMERCIAL ROAD, E. CANADA: W. ROWE, TORONTO. AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1872. T. Danks, Printer, 4 & 9, Crane Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C. RL CONTENTS. Chapter I. The Discovery. Chapter II. The Country. Chapter III. Natural Productions. Chapter IV. The Maoeies in their Heathen State. Chapter V. Missionary Trials, Chapter VL Missionary Success, Cliapter VII. The ' Commbncement op the Colont, Chapter VIII. Early Struggles. Chapter IX. Growth of the Colony. Chapter X. Country Life. Chapter XI. Town Life. Chapter XII. Religious Aspect. contents; Chapter XIII. Native Suspicions. Chapter XIV. As-POINTMENr OJ A KiNG. Chapter XV. Takanaki War. Chapter XVI. A liViA, IN THE War Storm. Chapter XVII. Cessation op Hostilities, Chapter XVIII. Rb-Commencement of the Wab. Chapter XIX. The War in Waikato. Chapter XX. Thb Tauranga Campaign. Chapter XXI. The West Coast Hostilities. Chapter XXII. Thb Pai Marire Deltjsioic. Chapter XXIII. War with the Hau Hatjs. Chapter XXIV. Military Settlements. Chapter XXV. A Fresh Outbreak. Chapter XXVL Concluding Remarks. PEEFACE. CUPPOSING that the British public must be more ^ than ordinarily interested in the events of New Zealand, where so many brave men of all ranks have found a soldier's grave, where so many representatives of every county in Great Britain and Ireland have fixed their home, and where the hopes and fears of the friends of Christian missions have been so strongly excited, — the author has prepared the following pages for the press. In doing so he has endeavoured to place the Mission to the Native people in a fair and honourable point of view ; and the trying circumstances to which the Maori race were exposed by being brought into con- tact with colonization, the hopes which they raised and the reverses of their subsequent history, will be found truthfully described. The remarks on the fitness of the country for British colonization, the various features of colonial life, including its religious characteristics, with suggestions for intending emigrants, will he hopes be accepted as satisfactory and useful. In writing on the war he has had no object beyond j)lacing this unhappy subject fairly before the public — a subject the im- j)ortance of which will be admitted, when it is remem- bered that the insurrection will always form a necessary chapter, although a melancholy one, in the history of New Zealand. No pains have been spared to obtain correct informa- tion for this work. The long residence of the author in VI. PREFACE. the colony, the post of observation he has occupied throughout the war, the more valuable from the fact that he was a non-combatant, and his freedom from partisan- ship of any kind, are considerations which entitle his pages to respect and authority. Some discrepancies may possibly be found in the military department, between the statements here given and the reports of the News- paper press. This need not cause surprise ; for the excitements of the battle-field are not favourable to cor- rect information. Nor have official dispatches been al- ways the most reliable, as subsequent information has sometimes modified their statements. If this volume exhibits an intelligent view of the "New Zealand Question," if it presents such a picture of colonial life as may be distinctly understood in England, if it be found serviceable to the intending emigrant, and if it places fairly before the friends of Christian Mis- sions the work which has been done, and the work which remains to be done, — the object of the author will be accomplished. E. W. INTEODUCTIOX. THIS splendid volume is almost exhaustive on New Zealand Life. The author makes no pretensions to high literary culture and finished style; but these deeply interesting sketches are chastely, tersely, graphically, and eloquently written. This book is not a mere mis- sionary journal of denominational enterprise. The author's broad Christian sympathies are unfettered and unconfined by any sectarian peculiarities, characteristics, and ecclesiastical lines of demarcation. He is a true Christian gentleman, one of the " highest style of men," a truly apostolic missionary, of whom any Church in Christendom might be justly proud. For more than a quarter of a century he has been the faithful and able representative of the Primitive Methodist Missionary Society in New Zealand. In the spring of 1871, he visited his native land for a short time, to relate the story of his glorious missionary apostleship at the antipodes. This book will be found to possess more than mis- sionary interest. The geographer, the ethnographer, the philologist, the linguist, the botanist, the mineral- ogist, the geologist, the ornithologist, the naturalist, in fine, the most profoundly learned savant, may peruse and study its pages with great advantage. From the ample and varied MSS.in our possession, we might have added considerably to the sketches and data of this work, but its pages are, we opine, sufficiently bulky, copious, Vm INTRODUCTION. and multifarious. If this volume meets with the appre- ciation and patronage which it merits, a second will be published, at the earliest possible convenience, of equal interest. Many works of travel and adventure, are light, superficial, desultory, and ephemeral. In this work we have indications of thoroughness, intelligent observation, careful research, calmness, and soundness of judgment, and a masterly grouping of character, fact, and incident, from sources the most reliable. In the chapters that relate to the Maori war, the author often rises to the true dignity of history. We have the clearness and comprehensiveness of Livy, the burning force of Tacitus, and we have a naturalness, a chasteness, a picturesqueness of descriptive power, re- minding us occasionally of the splendid sketching of Macaulay and Bancroft, so far, at least, as this volume claims to be historical. It will be seen that its records and details are brought down to the latest possible date, A.D. 1870, a short time prior to the author's visit to his native shores, for the last time. Since the completion of this work for the press, during the past two years, several events worthy of note have transpired in relation to New Zealand pacification, progress, and prosperity. One of the most notable is the submission of the Maori king, Wiremu Kingi, who, twelve years ago bearded Go- vernor Browne, and raised the standard of revolt at Waitara, near New Plymouth, and thus became the typical embodiment of Maori discontent. The ferocious Kereopa has been arrested, dragged to justice, and expiated his horrible crimes on'the scaffold. It is a pleasing fact that some hundreds of the Maories who about four years ago were burning villages, and murdering the out-settlers, are now helping to make INTRODUCTION. IX roads into their very fortresses for Government wages, and working as railway navvies. There are four Maori members of the House of Repre- sentatives, men of high ability, so popular that it is now proposed to admit native members to the Legislative Council, and also to the Executive Council. According to the recent census, the total population of the various provinces of New Zealand is, 256,393 : males, 150,356, females. 106,037. This is exclusive of aborigines. Live stock, sheep, 9,700,629 ; head of cattle, 436,592 ; horses, 81,028; pigs, 151,460; noultry, 872,174. Dairy pro- duce, in 1871, 5,199,072' pounds of butter; 2,547,507 pounds of cheese. The Taranaki iron sand has been proved by Govern- ment experiments to be extremely useful, and is capable of yielding the finest steel. Among the isles of the vast Pacific that "wait for God's law," not the least in im- portance and moral glory, are, Eaheianowmawe and Tavia Poenamoo, the rudely euphonious names by which the splendid islands of New Zealand were first known to the Maories. We have given the MSS. and printed proofs the most careful revision ; but such is the range of the matter forming the twenty-six chapters, so varied and amj)le the data and details relating to persons, places, and historical dates, and so frequent and nume- rous the recurrence of Maori names and phrases, that we fear that some inaccuracies may be discovered un- detected by us. We therefore solicit the intelligent reader's kind indulgence. An imperative sense of duty to — in many respects — a great man, and a great work, influenced us to undertake the risk of this publication. We have expended considerably more than we contem- X INTRODUCTION. plated in the first instance, in order to do full justice to the talented author, and his splendid book — one of the best books extant — on that once most barbarous and interesting people, among the ashes of whose horrid cannibal fires our holy Christianity has built its altars and fanes, blunted the points of their battle-si)ears, split their murderous clubs, and tamed their savage, hostile passions. Thomas Lowe, Primitive Cottage, Alford, Lincolnshire, William Whitby, 19, Grove Street, Retford, Notts, Editors. August 21st, 1872. LIFE AMONG THE MAORIES OF NEW ZEALAND. CHAPTER I. THE DISCOVERY. *' Then slowly peer'd the rising moon, Above the forest-height, And bathed each cocoa's leafy crown In tides of living light ; To every cabin's grassy thatch A gift of beauty gave, And with a crest of silver cheer'd Pacific's sullen wave." NEW ZEALAND has engaged the attention of tlie British pubhc, not only as a field for scientific research, and as an appropriate sphere for Christian Missions, but on account of its flourishing colony. In addition to immigration from Great Britain and Ireland, hundreds of families from the continent of Europe and the northern parts of America have found a home on its B 2 NEW . ZEALAND. shores, and have been naturalized as the subjects of our Queen. Additional interest has been felt in the colony through the war, occasioned by the efforts of several native tribes to throw off their allegiance to the Queen, and to form themselves into an independent kingdom. The evils of the war have fallen most heavily uj)on the Maori race ; but the colony has suffered the loss of life and property to a fearful extent. Yet the energy of the settlers has risen with the trial to which they have been exposed, and instead of folding their arms in despair, they are encouraging hopes of a bright and prosperous future. Much has been written about New Zealand by men who have spent only a few months in the country. Some of these works are respectable publications, and we know of some which are worthy of all confidence ; but many of them fail in the attempt to portray real colonial life — its trials and hopes, its joys and sorrows. Such persons are obliged to collect their information from whatever sources may be within their reach, whether reliable or otherwise ; and from books, the value of which they are not always prepared to determine. They may have walked a few miles into the dense forest, and ridden over a few thousands of acres of open land ; they may have conversed with the farmer in the country, and mingled with society for a few weeks in the town ; the native people may have attracted their attention, as they disposed of their produce to the settlers ; and, possibly, they may have entered a Maori pah, and slept in a rnupo whare ; but their experience and observations are too crude, with rare exceptions, to enable them to give a fair view of New Zealand and its inhabitants. Other books on the same subject have been compiled by THE DISCOVERY. " 3 persons wLo never left the shores of Great Britain. Many of these are open to many objections ; for while much valuable information is embodied, a good deal will be found calculated to mislead. We do not insinuate that a false impression is intended to be made ; but such an impression is certainly the natural consequence of loose, defective, and one-sided information. But other books, altogether trustworthy, and replete with intelli- gence on the subjects discussed by their respective authors, have been published. Of these the present writer has endeavoured to make a proper use, so far as they have been within his reach. And a residence of twentj'-six years in the colony — in a suitable post for observation, especially during the late native insurrec- tion — has secured advantages which it is hoped will prevent him from presenting fiction for facts, and from misleading the public mind in its estimate of New Zea- land, past and present. The object which we propose is to present such a view of New Zealand as may illustrate the grace and provi- dence of God towards both its aboriginal peoj^le and the race which is destined to shed the blessings of civilization and Christianity from the North Cape to Stewart's Island. The Missionary enterprise, conducted in its early stages amidst hea\^^ trials and fearful risks, and followed in numerous instances by decisive and satisfactory results, shall be properly exhibited. The colony, in its formation, growth, and prospects, together with its claims upon the attention of intending emigrants, shall be described. The native race, as they were made known to the world by the early circumnavigators of . the globe ; their j)ro- gress in the appropriation of useful arts ; their connexion with the colonists, and their recent unhappy attempt to 4 NEW ZEALAND. •maintain their nationality by an appeal to arms, and the war to which this attempt has given rise — shall be fairly treated. And the whole will be considered as a part of the plan by which God intends the waste places of the earth to be cultivated, and by which those tribes of mankind who have, till a recent period, been living beyond the reach of the Churches of Christ, are to be gathered into the fold of the Great Shepherd. At the time the Old Testament was completed, the civilized world lay within a comparatively narrow com- pass. The Mediterranean was the only " gi'eat sea " with which they were familiar ; the Atlantic ocean was scarcely known, and the wider Pacific was to them a total blank. There was total ignorance of the great American continent, extending from the North Polar Sea to Cape Horn, which faces the wintry blasts from the Antarctic Circle ; and of the numerous groups of islands which beautifully studded the bosom of the South Sea, and perhaps at that time supported a numerous popu- lation. Geographical knowledge was improved at the time the events transjDired which are recorded in the New Testament ; but even then, Britain was spoken of as being separated from the whole world, and more remote countries were little more than terrce Incognitce. But nearly three thousand years ago the veil was occa- sionally lifted by the hand of inspiration, and glances of the future history of distant lands were obtained. The prophets taught that the "ends of the earth " were to "see the salvation of our God;" the isles were to "wait for His law;" and all nations were to serve Him. The commission which Christ gave to His Apostles em- braced the whole world ; and the effects which have been produced by the Gospel in every part of the earth, THE DISCOVERY. 5 among men crushed beneath the heaviest curses, and groaning under the most cruel and revolting forms of heathenism, show that the provisions of Divine grace were calculated to meet the wants of all mankind. The Divine Sovereignty is distinctly seen in the history of our race. Several thousand years passed away before man was able to make an intelligent survey of the earth which he was commanded to subdue and replenish. During that time extensive countries, full of inhabitants, held no intercourse with the known world. Their wants were comparatively few ; they roamed in the primeval forests, drank the water from the unbridged rivers and brooks, procured food either by rudely cultivating the ground, or by the chase of the wild animals which came within their reach, and died without knowing whence they came, or whither they were going. Why was it that so many centuries elapsed, after the Christian Church had received her commission to go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, before many of the lands which have recently been the scene of Gospel triumphs, remarkable for their grandeur and extent, were discovered? We can only replj- — "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight." But when the period arrived in which the Church was to enlarge her boundaries, according to her great com- mission, both the agents and the instruments w^ere prepared. The discovery of the magnet, the construc- tion of the chronometer, the invention of printing, the desire to search unkno\vn seas, and the anxiety of the Christian Church to carry the Gospel into distant countries, were the signs of the times — tokens that God was about to pour upon all nations the blessings of saving grace. The first voyage round the earth was 6 NEW ZEALAND. a great event, not only as a demonstration of science, and as a novel and dangerous enterprise, but because of the blessings which were designed to follow in its wake. Commerce, with its well-appointed fleets; the Christian missionary, with the glad tidings of salvation ; and the adventurous colonist, with the seeds of a civilized state — owe a debt of gi-atitude to the early circumnavigators of the globe, as pioneers in their path. The honour of fitting out a ship for the first voyage of discovery in modern times, belongs to Portugal. This occurred in 1412, under the auspices of Don Henry, Duke of Viseo, son of John I. In the course of the next seventy-four years the Madeiras were discovered and colonized, and settlements were formed along the coast of Africa. Under the direction of John II., an expedi- tion, consisting of three ships, was prepared for a voyage of discovery in the South. The command was given to Commodore Diaz, who sailed in August, 1486. He doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed several hundred miles along the Eastern coast of Africa. The stormy weather which Diaz encountered ofl:' that great l^romontory, led him to call it "II Cabo dos Tormentos " — the Cape of Storms ; bat on his return to Portugal, the King was so delighted with the grandeur of the discovery, and the i>rospect of reaching India by that route, that he called it, " II Cabo del BuenoEsperanza" — the Cape of Good Hope. About six years afterwards the indomitable energy and plodding perseverance of Columbus were rewarded by the discovery of the West Indian Islands, and then of America, along whose coast he sailed as far as the Isthmus of Darien. A southern ocean occupied the thoughts of Columbus ; its existence appeared extremely probable, but he was not permitted to gaze upon its waters. THE DISCOVERY. / The foilowing lines, illustrative of the growing intel- ligence of this period, may be quoted from a poet of Florence, who flourished in the latter part of the fifteenth century. The general idea that had been entertained was, that the Pillars of Hercules —Gibraltar — were the utmost limits of the world, and to this the poet thus refers : — "Know that this theory is false; his bark The daring manager shall urge far o'er The western wave — a smooth and level plain, Albeit the earth is fashioned like a wheel. Man was, in ancient days, of grosser mould ; And Hercules might blush to learn how far Beyond the limits he had vainly set, The dullest sea-boat soon shall wing her way ! Men shall descry another hemisphere : Since to one common centre all things tend, So earth, by curious mystery divine, Well balanced, hangs amid the starry spheres. At our antipodes are cities, states. And thronged empires, ne'er divined of yore ; But see, the sun speeds on his western path, To glad the nations with expected light !" In those days Spain was a great maritime nation, and attracted by the report of gold being found in abundance in America, she planted colonies there. Adventurous persons, from the highest rank to the lowest plebeian, sought the land of gold. A man of good family and cultivated mind, but of profligate habits, was appointed Governor. This was Vasco Nunez do Balboa, to whom the honour was given of making known to the world the Pacific Ocean. The existence of this ocean was related to him by the natives of the country, and taking some of them as guides, he prepared for a journey across 8" NEW ZEALAND. the Isthmus of Darien, for the purpose of verifying the Indians' report. A powerful chief opposed his progress, but having a strong escort, the effect of his fire-arms was seen in the destruction of several hundreds of natives. It is painful to reflect on the fact, that, in numerous instances, the advancement of science and civilization have been attended with a great loss of human life. His heart throbbing with excitement, Balboa climbed the mountains of the Isthmus, and on the 26th of September, 1513, the great Southern ocean opened before him. "He fell on his knees, and amid floods of joyful tears, extending his arms to the ocean, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Most High, that on him, of all Europeans, had been conferred the signal honour of first beholding the Great Pacific. He then beckoned the approach of his attendants, who advanced, and, on beholding the wondrous sight, a priest of the company struck up the Te Deum, in which the whole united on their bended knees."* With buoyant step Balboa hastened to the beach, and, while the tide laved his feet, took possession of the newly-discovered ocean, and of all the lands washed by its waters, in the name of the King of Spain. Six years later, a fleet, consisting of five ships and two hundred and thirty- six men, left Spain on the first voyage round the globe. Magellan, a Portuguese by birth, offered his services for this hazardous undertaking to Charles V., and was appointed the commander. The horrors which the crews sustained from disease and want of provisions, cannot be described. Insubordination contributed to the general distress. But Magellan was * " Maxitime Discovery, " &c., by Dr. Campbell. THE DISCOVEKY. 9 equal to the emergency ;, and had his conduct towards the natives whose lands he visited been governed by the proper feelings of humanity, he would not only have deserved a place among the greatest benefactors of mankind, but, probably, would have returned to Europe to reap the honours which he had so nobly earned. He passed through the strait which bears his name, lying between the most southern part of the American con- tinent and Tierra del Fuego, in October, 1520, and entered into the Great South Sea. Months of suffering were yet before him and his brave companions ; but in the following March they reached the Ladrone Islands, where they met with abundance of provisions. The thievish propensity of the natives determined the name by wliich that group of islands is still known, and was the occasion of a severe punishment which was inflicted on them by the crews of Magellan. The Philippines were soon after discovered. The number of inhabitants, their tattooed decorations, their well-finished and strange instruments of war, and their loquacious and easy habits, made a favourable impression on the Commander, which was increased by the beautiful scenery, abundant provisions, and delightful climate, peculiarly refreshing to men who had been so many months upon the bosom of unknown seas. This led to a so-called Christian exhibition, in which a company from the ships went on shore, for the purpose of saying Mass, and erecting a cross, which was "garnished with nails, and mounted by a crown of thorns." When Mass was said, a volley of musketry was fired, and the cross was offered to the bewildered natives as an object of worship, with a promise of immunity from all extraordinary evils ^so long as they continued to 10 NEW ZEALAND. adore it ! This was the first time that the attention of the South Sea Islanders was drawn towards Chris- tianity ; but it was nothing better than an endeavour to substitute one form of idolatry for another. An attempt to christianize the natives of another island was made a few days afterwards. A temporary chapel was built, Mass was said, and guns were fired, and many of the natives, without understanding the object, submitted to baptism. The influence of Magellan appears to have been immense, for a little time. Then a reaction took place ; his demands on the people brought him into collision with their warriors, when he fell a prey to their ferocity. Eight men fell dead with him, and twenty-two more were wounded. It is to be deeply regretted that a man who had done so much for the advancement of science, and the progress of society, in opening the way for colonizing those remote parts of the earth, and introducing the religion of Christ (but not by the efforts which he made in erecting crosses, as so many idols) in its purity and power, should come to such an untimely end. Several captains and chief officers also were killed ; but the ships, notwithstanding, proceeded on their course of discovery. Other countries were visited, and other dangers befell them. Five ships comprised the expedi- tion, but only one returned to Spain ; and of two hundred and thirty-six j)ersons who sailed on this dangerous enterprise, not more than sixteen saw their native coun- try again. " This handful of survivors, on reaching Seville, walked to Church in their shirts, barefooted, with burning tapers in their hands, to return thanks to the Most High for their wondrous preservation."* They sailed from San Lucar September 20th, 1519, and * '"Maritiiije Discovery," &c., by Dr. Campbell. THE DISCOVERY. 11 returned September 6th, 1£22, after sailing, in the course of these three years, about forty thousand miles. Within the thirty-six years preceding the conclusion of this voyage, an immense addition was made to geo- graphical knowledge. The whole of the Western coast of Africa was traced ; the much-dreaded Cape was doubled, and the eastern coast was visited. Vasco de Gama sailed in command of a fleet htted out by Emmanuel of Portugal, for the purpose of finding a passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope. With the usual amount of suffering incident to long voyages in those days, arising from scurvy and the want of whole- some provisions, this intrepid commander reached Calicut, on the Malabar coast, on the 20th May, 1498, and returning by the same course, arrived in Portugal after an absence of more than two years. But of the one hundred and eight men who left their home under his command, only fifty were permitted to return to enjoy the honours, and still more substantial favours, of their king and country, in return for the advantages which were expected in consequence of their successful voyage. The southern extremity of America had then been explored, and a passage found into the vast ocean which washed the eastern coast of that continent. The sails had been freely spread, and the shix)'s course directed into the heart of the great Pacific, where group after group of beautiful islands, full of inhabitants, were discovered. During the same period, the great disco- veries of Columbus had been made, and settlements formed, not only on some of the West Indian islands, but also on the continent of America. We see much to deplore in the hardships which were endured by those adventurous sons of the ocean, and in the cruelties which 12 NEW ZEALAND. were sometimes inflicted upon the astonished people whom they visited ; hut we must never forget the debt of gratitude which all succeeding generations owe to them, and the high honour which God has put upon them, in appointing them to be His agents to prepare His way, that the ends of the earth may rejoice in His salvation. While thus God was preparing a highway across the oceans, to the most distant parts of the earth. His pro- vidence at the same time was raising up agents, through whose instrumentality the sacred Scriptures were to be freed from the fables and superstitions, which had long perverted and corrupted them. Martin Luther was a little child when Bartholomew Diaz first saw the Cape of Good Hope ; and no connexion could then be traced between that great discovery, and the little German child. While De Gama was rejoicing at the success which attended his efforts to reach India by doubling the African Cape, and partaking of the hospitality of eastern monarchs, Luther was a student, so poor that he was often seen in the streets of Isenach singing in front of the houses, for a morsel of bread to appease his hunger. No connexion was then discernible between the heroic navigator, and the hunger-bitten student. Just as Columbus, rich in real honours, but crushed beneath a nation's neglect, and the foul tongue of obloquy, was approaching the grave, Luther found a Bible. It was the first he ever saw ; its contents aroused his whole soul, and throbbings of a great purpose were soon felt. It is not difficult now to see a close connexion between the discoveries of the great seamen, and that of the student of Erfurt ; theirs, exhibited the works of God spread out on the broad bosom of nature, his displayed THE DISCOVERY. 13 the grace of God spread out in a divine revelation ; the records of one revealed extensive countries, which were destined to be covered with the arts and comforts of civilization, while those of the other proclaimed the doctrines of grace, through which the earth is to be covered with the beauty of holiness. While Magellan was recruiting the health of his crews at the Philippine Islands, where he iugloriously fell, Martin Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms, to answer the charge of writing books of heresy. There stood Luther before Charles, "whose dominion embraced two worlds, surrounded by six electors of the Emj)ire, eighty dukes, eight margraves, thirty prelates of various rank, seven ambassadors, the deputies of five cities, a number of princes and sovereigns, counts and barons, with the Pope's nuncios and a few others." The question sub- mitted to Luther was, " Will you, or will you not retract '? " His noble reply can never be forgotten : " Since your most Serene Majesty, and your High Mightinesses, demand a simple, ^lear, and explicit answer of me, I will give it. I cannot submit my faith either to pope or councils, since it is as clear as the day, that they have often fallen into error, and even into great contradictions with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by testimonies from Scripture or by evident reasons, if I am not persuaded by the very pas- sages I have cited, and if my conscience be not thus made captive by the Word of Ood, I can and will retract nothing ; for it is not safe for the Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I am ; I cannot do other- wise ; God help me. Amen ! " * The voyages we have already described were followed * " The Penalties of Greatness,'' by Dr. Furguson. 14 NEW ZEALAND. by several others, in which further discoveries of import- ance were made ; but it is remarkable that the Ishinds of New Zealand were not known till 1G42 ; except the country visited by Juan Fernandez, in 1575, was, as some suppose, a part of the New Zealand coast. He describes the country which he saw as being fertile and well cultivated, and the inhabitants as being of a brown colour, and wearing fine clothing ; but the identity of the island cannot now be satisfactorily determined. As the dog and pig were found in New Zealand at the time when the earliest accounts of it were penned, it is not improbable that the land in question was some part of its coast, and that a few animals of these kinds were put ashore at that time. This accords with a tradition which is held by the Maories, that their ancestors did not bring the dog and j)ig from the country whence they emigrated, but that they came from a ship which visited their coast a very long time ago. The first reliable account which we have of this country is given by the Dutch navigator, Abel Jansen Tasman. Two ships, the Heemskirk and the Zeehaan, were placed under his command in 1642, and from his account of the voyage, the special object which he had in view may be perceived. It commences as follows : — " Journal or Description by me, Abel J. Tasman, of a voyage from Batavia, for making discoveries of the unkno\\n south land, in the year 1642. May God Almighty be pleased to give His blessing to this voyage. Amen." The pious and manly manner in which he commenced his voyage is very commendable, and that the blessing sought was obtained is what all Christian minds will fully credit. He gave the name to the New Zealand THE DISCOVEEY. 15 Islands, by which they ■will probably always be known ; and from his own name, the large and beautiful island, formerly known as Van Dieman's Land, with its flourish- ing colony, is now called Tasmania. Tasman reached New Zealand, but supposed that it was part of the great southern Continent. His descrip- tion of the natives is peculiarly interesting, as being the first account which we have of them. He anchored in a small bay and wrote as follows : — " We found here abundance of inhabitants ; they had hoarse voices, and were very large made people. They durst not approach the ships nearer than a stone's throw; and we often observed them playing on a kind of trumpet, to which we answered with the instruments that were on board our vessel. These people were of a colour between brown and yellow, their hair long and black, and almost as thick as the Japanese, combed up and fixed on the top of their heads with a quill, or some such thing, that was thickest in the middle, and with a white feather stuck upright in the knot. These people cover the mid- dle of their bodies, some with a kind of mat, others with a sort of woollen cloth ; but as for their upper and lower parts, they leave them altogether naked." The natives came alongside the ships in double canoes, from which Tasman was apprehensive of danger. Being on board the Zeehaan, and seeing several of those canoes full of men approach the Heemskirk, and some natives go on board, he sent a quartermaster and six men in a shallop to apprise the crew of that vessel of their dan- ger, with orders not to let many canoes go alongside. But as soon as the boat got clear of the ship, an attack was made by the natives ; the quartermaster and three of the men were killed, and another mortally wounded. 16 NEW ZEALAND. and one of the bodies was taken ashore by the natives. From this painful occurrence the place was called Massacre Bay.* In Tasman's Journal a drawing is given of this attack, with the two ships lying at anchor. This unhappy event determined him to leave the bay, and though he afterwards saw different parts of the coast, he says in his Journal — " As for New Zealand, we never set foot on it." Painfully interesting as the foregoing account is, it supplies but little information, besides the fact that New Zealand was inhabited by a robust and fierce people ; and one hundred and twenty-seven j^ears passed away before we have any further reliable information concern- ing it. There is a tradition among the Maories, that a large ship visited the southern part of the North Island about the year 1740, and that the natives killed the crew, and plundered the ship ; but we know not what credit is to be given to this story. A singular fact is related by the Eev. E. Taylor, of the Church of England Mission, concerning a bell which was found by some natives under the roots of a large tree, which was blown down in a storm. Mr. Taylor saw the bell. It had a legend around it in square characters, which he supposed to be Japanese. The bell was used by the natives to boil their potatoes ; but on account of its singular his- tory, it was purchased by a gentleman belonging to the Church Mission. Has this bell any connection with the ship, said to have been plundered by the natives more than a century ago ? f * This is now called Golden Bay, from the fact that the first New Zealand gold-field was discovered on its shores. + Since the above was written, it has been ascertained that the characters on this bell are Tamil, and that the translation of them THE DISCOVERY. 17 The man to whom we are indebted for the first intel- ligent account of New Zealand, is Captain James Cook ; and owing to the valuable information which he collected, the familiar terms on which he and his crew lived among the natives, the animals which he landed, the wholesome vegetables which he introduced, and the consequences which flowed from his voyages, the following historical remarks will be found interesting. He was born at Marton in Yorkshire, on the 27th of October, 1728, his father being a village labourer. His youth was spent on board vessels engaged in the coal trade ; but in 1755 he entered on the service of a man- of-war. His devotedness to his profession led to an appointment, four years after, as master of the Mercury, which was engaged within a little time at the siege of Quebec. His next employment was to survey the river St. Lawrence and the coast of Newfoundland, About this time he appears to have entered very earnestly upon the study of mathematics, astronomy, and other branches of science ; and a paper, describing some observations which he made on an eclipse of the sun, August 5th, 1766, was approved by the Eoyal Society, made him known as an able astronomer,, and led to the appointment which was followed by such splendid re- sults. In 1768 he was made a Lieutenant in the Eoyal Navy, and appointed to the command of an expedition to Tahiti, for the purpose of observing the transit of the is as follows: " The Bell belonging to the Moheideu Box." As it appears that '' Moheiden Box " is a common name of vessels plying between Ceylon and Southern India, it is probable that, by some means, such a ship found her way into the Pacific Ocean, and was wrecked ou the New Zealand coast ; but the time when, and the circumstances under which this may have taken place, we have no means of ascertainiuy. C 18 NEW ZEALAND. planet Venus over the sun's disc. Mr. Green, Mr. Banks (afterwards Sir Joseph Banks), Dr. Solander, and other scientific gentlemen, fonned part of the expedition. The voyage was made in the Endeavour, four hundred and fifty tons measurement, and carrying altogether seventy-two persons. After staying at Tahiti three months, during which time their astronomical observa- tions were satisfactorily made, they left Matavai Bay in search of other lands. On October 7th, 1769, the expedition reached the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, The Captain mentions the country as being agreeable beyond descrip- tion, and the streams of water as being extremely good. The attention of the gentlemen was attracted by beautiful parrots, and by a bird whose note resembled the English blackbird. Pahs, with fences round them ; houses built of reeds, and covered with thatch ; stages for drying fish ; crops in regular plantations ; and ugly dogs, with long, tapering ears^ — formed the picture of the Maori homesteads of that time. A canoe, sixty-seven feet long, six feet wide, and four feet deep, with its sides and head curiously carved, lay on the beach. Tattoed men and women, anointed with red ochre and fish oil, were numerous — the former carrying wooden spears, and weapons formed of stone, with a string through the handle. Several canoes came alongside the Endeavour, bringing abundance of fish and other articles for the purpose of barter. Some of the natives tried to cheat while trading, and others were detected while in the act of stealing, which led to the discharge of muskets ; but as the Maories were not sufficiently intimidated by this course, some of the men were fired at with small shot. Several attempts were made to attack the ship's crew ; THE DISCOVERY. 19 but by the discharge of a four-pounder, loaded with grape-shot, and the firing of muskets, by which some were killed, their design was frustrated. After about a month's cruising off the coast, Captain Cook, on the 15th November, took formal possession of the newly- discovered country in the name of George III., weighed anchor, and again stood out to sea. The account which the Maories have preserved of this visit, which will be read with interest, is as follows : — " They saw, with wonder and fear, first a white speck on the horizon, which, rapidly increasing in size, seemed to glide as a cloud, silently but rapidly, into the bay. Anon, the phenomenon became stationary ; by degrees it folded its snowy wings. Their wonder grew with every change in its appearance, and reached its climax when they discerned forms resembling human beings, now rapidly mounting upwards, and again, to all appearance, swinging in mid-air. Soon a bark, not unlike their own canoes, was seen approaching the shore, followed by another, and yet another. Consternation reigned throughout the pah. With trembling eagerness the warriors snatched up their rude weapons, and prepared for the defence of their homes ; matrons raised their discordant cry above the din and hubbub of voices, as they gathered their respective offsjDring ready for flight, while yet; impelled by womanly curiosity, they lingered to gaze upon the novel danger ; maidens and children rushed hither and thither, now clinging to lover, to bro- ther, or parent, now rending the air with their ' aue ! ' — that thrilling, piercing cry of mental agony and despair which none who have once heard can ever forget. Suddenly, amidst the uproar, the startling blast of the Pittata — conch-shell trumpet — was heard, as the signal 20 NEW ZEALAND. for deadly strife. In stentorian tones their leader shouted a war-cry, too often heard in those troublous times, * He whakaariki ! He whakaar'ikl ! ' The spell was broken. The courage of one man inspired the rest, and with headlong speed they rushed out to meet the foe. Nearer and nearer the strangers drew, their barks impelled onwards by rowers who, strange to relate, sat with their backs to the prow. A form rose in the stern of the fore- most one ; he waved his hand ; yes, unmistakeably, he was a man ; but with what a complexion ! Verily he was a korako (albino), perchance one of the patupaiareJie whom Maori fable represented as rivalling the snows of Hikurangi in whiteness. By his side stood another, not unlike a Maori, but fairer — fair as the far-famed Hlnekikoia. Waving his hand gracefully, he addressed them : Taiao ! (friends ; the customary Tahitian salu- tation). No response was heard from the savage band who, their awe and anticipation of a supernatural visi- tation being overcome, glared with hideous ferocity upon him and his companions When the foreigners attempted a landing, they showed so bold a front that the intruders were compelled to retire. . . One warrior in particular strove to out-rival his fellows in shewing his contempt for the enemy. A weapon was levelled at him. Supposing that his antagonist was about to hurl a spear, he threw up his left arm, covered with a heavy mat, to parry the stroke. A jet of flame burst from the weapon, followed by a loud ringing re- port, and he felt through the garment a concussion like that occasioned by a handful of gravel thrown with great force. For an instant he was paralyzed ; wonder and fear by turns took possession of his mind ; but finding himself unhurt, he became still more insolent. Again THE DISCOVERY. 21 the weapon was levelled at him ; again he threw up his heavy mat ; again the flash ; again the report — but not again was he scatheless. With a wild, piercing cry he bounded in the air, and, with a heavy plash, fell writhing in the waters which laved the rock on which he had stood. His comrades gathered round him. The weapon itself had not been projected ; no, the stranger still held it in his hand; but from a small orifice the warrior's life-blood was pouring forth, dyeing the waters around him. Eevenge, the darling passion of the savage mind in all countries, overcame fear. Again they rushed on the intruders ; and the foremost fell with a heavy groan. Fear fell upon them, and with even greater speed than they had sallied forth, the panic-stricken warriors retired within their pah. The strangers also withdrew, and ere long the discomfited Maories saw a cloud of smoke issue from the strange object — the motu taivhiti (foreign island) — then a sound like the roar of whatitiri, followed by a heavy crash, and large splinters of rock, from an island near their pah, were hurled into the air. To their great satisfaction, they soon perceived a movement in the motu taivhiti. It sjjread its wings abroad, and was wafted out of their sight."* The rock which was struck is still pointed out to the traveller as a memorial of the first visit of the white man to the coun- try of the Maori. It is probable that there is now no native living who witnessed the first contact of the white man and the Maori; but its history is written, and will never be forgotten. Events such as no man then living could foresee have taken place in the country, and given increasing interest to the incidents of the discovery. * Mr. W. Baker. 22 NEW ZEALAND. Some of the old men delight to talk on this snhject. Taniwha, a very old chief, who died near Auckland a few years ago, took a pleasure in relating the circum- stances of Captain Cook's first visit to Mercury Bay. The chief says, that when they saw the boats approach- ing the shore, they thought the men had eyes behind their heads, as they paddled with their backs in the direction of their course. The natives received from the ships, as articles of barter, nails, pieces of iron, axes, knives, and calico. Two handfuls of potatoes were given them for seed. Some of these were planted by Taniwha' s father, and after tapuing them for three years, . they had a feast, at which the first potatoes were eaten. A spike nail was given to Taniwha — then a boy of twelve years — who wore it round his neck for several years, and found it very useful as a carving instrument. A native, called Marutu-ahu, endeavoured to steal a piece of calico ; but while he was paddling away with it, a gun was fired, and killed him. The death of Marutu-ahu caused a great consternation, and a public meeting was convened. The facts of the case being ascertained, the theft was acknowledged by the friends of the delinquent, and the punishment inflicted was considered as an act of justice. The stolen calico was, of course, tapued, and became the winding sheet of the corpse. This unpleasantness soon passed away, and the white men landed, and spent some time on friendly terms with the natives. At the request of the Captain, the natives drew a chart of the coast with a piece of charcoal ; and a copy of the chart, with the names of the principal places, were written in a book. Supposing Taniwha' s story to be correct — and we know no reason why we should doubt it — Captain Cook and THE DISCOVERY. 23 the gentlemen who sailed with him little thought of the altered state of the country, in which an account of their visit %Yould be narrated by one who then, aa a little boy, stood looking on in fear and wonder. Captain Cook continued to cruise along the New Zea- land coast, naming its principal bays and headlands, till he had sailed round the two large islands. And after a long time spent in unknown waters, and having passed through dangers both seen and unseen, this remarkable voyage was brought to a close on June 13th, 1771, having been conducted through the space of nearly three years. His second great voj^age was commenced July 13th, 1772, with two ships, the Eesolution and the Adventure — the latter being commanded by Captain Furneaux, Several gentlemen of great scientific attainments, with instruments of all kinds for their use, were on board, and no expense was spared by George III. to make the voyage beneficial to the maritime interests of the world. The principal object of this expedition was to determine the existence of a southern continent — the grand problem which previous voj'^ages had failed to solve. Captain Cook spent some time on different parts of the New Zealand coast, landed sheep, goats, pigs, and fowls, and supplied the natives with various kinds of valuable seeds, among which were potatoes, wheat, beans, peas, cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, and parsnips. In Queen Charlotte's Sound, Ca^Dtain Furneaux lost a boat's crew of ten men, who were killed and eaten by the Maories. Having ascertained that there is no southern continent, except too near the j)ole to be of any service to mankind, the Eesolution returned to England ; and such were the inttilligent measures made 24 NEW ZEALAND. use of by Captain Cook for the preservation of his cre'^, tliat in the course of a voyage which extended from fifty-two degrees north to seventy-one degrees south, and which was continued more than three years, only one man died through disease. On July 12th, 1770, the last voyage of this great navigator was commenced, in command of two ships, the Eesolution and the Discovery. A distinguished officer in the previous voyage, Mr. Clarke, vfas appointed Master of the Discovery. The principal object of this equipment was to find a north-west passage out of the Pacific into the Atlantic ocean. This enterprise has been long pursued, at a great cost of life and property. It is now, we suppose, set at rest for ever ; but not until the loss of Sir John Franklin and his noble crews has added painful interest to its history. That there is a water-passage from the Pacific into the Atlantic ocean, is now placed beyond a doubt ; but being in such high latitudes, it is of no use for the purposes of traffic. Cap- tain Cook again visited New Zealand, and put ashore pigs and goats, and received, to his enjoyment, the produce of the garden seeds which were sown on his previous visit to Queen Charlotte's Sound. This renowned navigator subsequently fell a victim to the turbulence of the natives of Hawaii, one of the group of islands which he had discovered a little time before, and named the Sandwich Islands, in honour of the Earl of Sandwich. The circumstances — those preceding his death, and those immediately connected therewith — are of such a painfully interesting character, and teach us lessons of so much importance, that we will briefly relate them. When the ships anchored in a pleasant bay, on the west side of the island called Hawaii — written THE DISCOVERY^ 25 in Cook's voyages, Owhyhee — the people were wild with excitement and joy. They covered the ships' sides, decks, and rigging ; large numbers swam around the vessels, and the beach was lined with spectators. The voyagers were surprised, as they had seen nothmg like it before. But an explanation may be found in a tradition which the natives had long preserved — that their god Bono, who had left the country, gave a promise that he would return on a floating island, and bring with him every- thing necessary for their hai3piness and grandeur. The fulfilment of this promise had been long and anxiously expected, and when the ships sailed into the bay, the people concluded that the floating island — • the object of promise — was before them, and that Captain Cook was their God Eono, and by this name he was generally called. The idols of this people were carved wooden images, with distorted features, and wrapped round with pieces of red cloth. Soon after the Eesolution was anchored, an old native priest approached Captain Cook in the cabin with great veneration, covered the Captain's shoulders with a piece of red cloth, presented the offering of a small pig, and delivered a long address. On going ashore with some of his officers, the Captain was con- ducted to a morai — a sacred inclosure, containing idols, which were covered partly with red cloth, and a number of human skulls. He was then placed on a high stage, with red cloth wrapped around him, and a baked pig was presented to him, the men who brought it prostrating themselves with all reverence. After this he was led to the chief image, and at the priest's request, prostrated himself and kissed it ! Offerings of fruit and a baked hog were presented by other companies of natives, 26 NEW ZEALAND. accompanied by chants in regular responses, the burden of which seemed to be the praise of Eono ; and groups of worshippers prostrated themselves as he and his companions left the moral to return to the ship. This is the great blot on the memory of this truly great man. Nothing can be said to justify those proceedings, and but little in palliation of them. It is a subject of deep regret ; but it need not excite our astonishment, that the people whose worship he received should be permitted to become his murderers. On Sunday, Feb. 14th, 1779, in less than a month from his first arrival in the fatal bay, Captain James Cook, the chief of British navigators, fell at Hawaii beneath the blows of the infuriated natives. The name of Captain Cook will always be associated with that of New Zealand. His ship was the first which sailed round its coasts ; he introduced useful animals and vegetables into the country, presented to the world a clear and faithful description of its inhabitants, and was the pioneer of Christian missions and British colo- nization, through which the whole country of these splendid islands will, we trust, be covered with the blessings of civilization and true religion. CHAPTER II. THE COUNTRY. ** The mountain wooded to the peak, the lawns And winding glades high up, like ways to Heaven, The slender coco's drooping crown of plumes, The lightning flash of insect and of bird, The lustre of the long convolvuluses That coil'd around the stately stems." — Tennyson. TWO large islands, called the North Island and the Middle Island, separated by Cook's Strait ; and a small one, called Stewart's Island, separated from the Middle Island by Foveaux Strait, compose the country of New Zealand. Scores of islets are found within a few miles of the coast. Some of these are covered with trees, and are occasionally inhabited by Sawyers. From others a considerable quantity of cox)per has been ex- ported ; but many of them are only barren rocks, on which numerous sea birds find a home. Lying between the parallels of thirty-four and forty- eight degrees of south latitude, and between one hundred and sixty-six and one hundred and seventy-nine degrees of east longitude, its situation is favourable for com- merce. The important colonies of Australia and Tas- mania lie within about a week's sail from any of its ports, and several interesting groups of the South Sea Islands may be reached in little more than the same time. As the country extends nearly a thousand miles from north to south, it embraces a considerable variety of climate. In the Auckland province, snow is perhaps never seen — mountains excepted ; certainly it never falls 28 NEW ZEALAND. at the North Cape ; but in the provinces of Otago and Southland it is very common, and sometimes forms avalanches, which roll down the sides of mountains with great force, and bury unconscious sleepers under a mass which forms their grave. A few hundred miles eastward of New Zealand, and under its government, are a cluster of islands known as the Chatham Islands, which were inhabited by a people inferior to the Maori race. " They went naked, and their houses, if they might be called such, were made with a few poles set up together, over a circular pit two or three feet deep, with toe-toe or sods on the outside, thus forming a cone-shaped hut ; in these miserable places they sat huddled together, with their children squatting between their legs for warmth. It is remark- able that this miserable people could make canoes in a most ingenious way, of a large kind of broad-leaved sea- weed, which they converted into air tubes, by making a small orifice through the outer skin and then inflating it, when one skin separated from the other ; this being done the hole soon closed, and they were placed in the sun to dry, and always afterwards retained their form. A light framework of flax stalks was then made, with a double keel, and the air tubes were lashed in. parallel rows, and the interstices filled with moss ; so that the whole was watertight, and so buoyant that it could not sink — thus forming a regular lifeboat. The air tubes thus dried were always used as jars, to contain water or oil, and also their reserves of potted birds for winter use."* Nearly forty years ago a number of adventurous Maories emigrated from New Zealand to the Chatham * Rev. M. Stack. THE COUNTRY. 29 Islands, killed many of the aborigines, and made slaves of the remainder. These poor creatures, called Moriories, are still held in slavery by their Maori conquerors ; but within the last few years their circumstances have been substantially improved. The islands were visited by a gentleman belonging to the Wellington Provincial Go- vernment in 1861, from whose report the following facts have been gathered. The population then consisted of only one hundred and sixty aborigines, four hundred and thirty Maories, seventeen half-castes, and a few Europeans, There are horses, cattle, and sheep, which with proper care would soon become numerous. A large quantity of potatoes has been exported, and gi-ain crops ought to be raised in abundance. Fruit trees and gar- den vegetables thrive well. It has been for some time a victualling place for the south-sea whaling ships, and has been recommended as suitable for a penal settlement. The Chatham Islands have recently received an un- looked-for accession to their inhabitants. The prisoners of war taken on the East Coast of New Zealand, have been transported thither. This is of course a cheaper plan than keeping them on board a hulk in the New Zealand harbours, and it is thought that they are not so likely now to effect their escape, but this is of course un- certain.* As their wives and children are with them they * Our surmise has proved correct. In July, 1868, the Maori prisoners, with their families, seized a schooner, killing one man who resisted them and binding others, and covering the captain and crew with firearms, compelled them to take the vessel to New Zealand, where they landed in safety not far from their former homes. This spirited enterprise was conducted by Te Kooti, a man who was little known up to that time, but who has since made himself infamous, by the massacres of men, women, and children of both races perpetrated by his orders. 80 NEW ZEALAND. may possibly stay, and as they will find abundant provi- sions with their usual industry, the punishment may possibly be easily borne. But what effects the Pai Marire faith may have upon the people there we do not know. The writer saw a number of men and women from the Chatham Islands in Taranald in 1865, claimants of some of the confiscated land. Their healthy appear- ance, European clothing, orderly conduct, and respect- able conversation, made a decided impression in their favour ; and give us hope that the Maories lately trans- ported thither will not deteriorate. They met with a hearty welcome ; the fact that they had faced the Pakeha in the battle field would not lessen their influence ; while their defeat would probably be attributed to the superior equipment of the white man. We have made this di- gression supposing that the information given would be interesting, and will now return to our proper subject. New Zealand possesses a few good harbours, in which a large fleet might ride in safety ; there are others of less value on account of the bar at their entrance, requiring much caution in reference both to the tide and to the wind. Much might be done to remedy the defects of our harbours, and lessen the number of wrecks which take place. The most melancholy loss of this kind occurred on the 7th of February, 1863, when H.M. Steam Coi-vette Orpheus, 21 guns, 1,700 tons, and 400 horse power — having on board Commodore Burnett, with 259 officers and men — was wrecked in an attempt to enter the Manakau in the middle of the day, and with smooth water. The cause of the terrible disaster lay in mistaking the proper channel. Commodore Burnett and 189 other persons, including 22 officers, were drowned ; and within a few hours from the time when THE COUNTRY. 31 the ship struck, nothmg remained as a memorial of the spot where so many souls were hurried into the eternal world. Lofty mountains lift their heads above the snow line in both of the larger islands. The cone of Mount Egmont is 8,270 feet above the level of the sea ; Tonga- riso, an active volcano in the centre of the Northern Island, is 6,500 feet above the sea level, and Ruapeha, only ten miles distant, rises to nearly 10,000 feet. But the highest mountain ranges are found in the Middle Island, rising from 11,000 to 13,000 feet. These are the New Zealand Alps. On their massive sides lie some of the largest glaciers in the world. One — the Tasman glacier — is eighteen miles long, and nearly two miles broad. On the west coast the glaciers descend within 705 feet of the sea level, while on the east side they keep at the respectful height of 2,774 feet. From these masses of ice and snow innumerable streams take their rise. The energy of the colonists must command res- pect when it is known that a coach-road has been made across these mountains, from Christchurch to Hokotiki. About one hundred miles of it cost nearly £1,500 per mile, or ^£145, 000. On this road — extending 150 miles — coaches regularly run. Taking advantage of breaks in the mountains, the highest part of the road is only 3,038 feet above the sea. The engineering difficulties were great, but skill and perseverance overcame them. The mountain scenery is attractive to the traveller from the deck of a coasting vessel. In one direction the snow-clad peaks pierce the clear blue sky, or are lost in the clouds ; while in others the snow sheet pre- sents a pleasing contrast against the dark green foliage of the forests which lie beneath. Very beautiful is the 32 NEW ZEALAND. mountain scenery, and pleasingly varied, as the morn- ing sun lights up the snow-clad summits, before a ray is seen elsewhere ; or as the last beams of the setting sun linger upon their lofty pinnacles, after he is hidden beneath the western waves. At other times the snowy tops are seen in solitary grandeur while masses of rolling clouds hang midway down the bulky slopes. Adventurous persons — ladies not entirely excepted — occasionally climb to the highest peaks of some of them, and if the weather be suitable enjoy an atmosphere peculiarly bracing, and gaze upon a panorama painted by the Divine hand, in which mountain, plains, and rivers are delightfully intermingled, while beyond the line of coast the sea appears like a vast plain, till it sinks below the distant horizon. Many advantages are secured by the means of these mountain ranges ; they are the source of a great number of streams, some of them small and rapid, and others comparatively large, which pour their blessings upon the surrounding coun- try, producing in the fertile waste lands an exuberant vegetation, and considerably increasing the value of the plains through which they run for the purposes of the farmer, especially in grazing districts. Although the country is intersected by water-courses, there are but few rivers on which an inland navigation can be conducted to any extent with ordinary vessels ; this is owing partly to the shallows and rapids, which are not likely to be remedied, and to the trees and other substances which are embedded in the stream, but which might be removed by well-directed labour. But as the Maories conduct their canoes along these rivers, it is probable that when the country is fully opened for the traffic of both races, a class of boats will be constructel THE COUNTRY. 33 to suit the navigation of the interior part of the country, carrying up the rivers the articles of comfort and con- venience imported from Great Britain, and returning laden with the rich productions of th€ soil, to be exported to dist^mt lands. Many streams in different parts of the country are capable of supplying a power to machinery to almost any extent. Advantage has already been taken of them to work flour-mills and saw- mills, but colonial enterprise in this direction is at present only in its infancy. Several kinds of metals abound. A considerable quantity of copper was exported some years ago from the Kauwau, an islet near Auckland : it is found in other places also, and will probably become a source of colonial wealth. The sea beach at Taranaki is lined with a very rich iron sand : specimens have been analysed and smelted, and several kinds of edge tools made of it with complete success ; it will, in the course of time, secure the attention which it deserves : but hitherto the plans which have been formed for smelting the sand on a large scale have failed, owing partly to the disturbed state of the natives, and partly to a course of mismanage- ment, which will not be much longer continued. As iron is found in many parts of both the Northern and Middle islands, it will joossibly become at no very distant period, a valuable article of export. Gold is the most exciting deposit of the present day — the means by which a numerous population has been drawn to cover extensive tracks of land that lately formed a mere wilderness, with the j)leasant scenes of industry — the smiling country homestead and the crowded city — where the young may be instructed in various kinds of knowledge, and institutions are D 34 NEW ZEALAND. formed to relieve the miseries of mankind, and churches planted whose influence will extend to distant lands. California startled the world at the discovery of its hidden wealth ; Australia became its rival ; and New Zealand opened her treasures with an unsparing hand. Some idea of the value of our gold-fields may be formed from the fact, that the quantity of gold exported, according to the Government statistics, to the 31st of December, 1864, amounted to 1,749,859 ounces, most of which was sold at £3 17s. 6d. per ounce ; the total value of which was iJ6,771,730. Of that amount, only i;29,875 was sent from the Northern Island ; but this proved to be the first fruits of the Thames gold-field, and has been followed by an abundant harvest. While we write, the Wellington Independent announces the following as the quantity and value of gold exported from New Zealand from April 1st, 1857, to June 30th, 1870 :— Ounces. Value. Auckland 266.831 . .. £877,538 Picton 35,667 . 137,470 West Coast (including Nelson, Hokotiki, &c.) 2,349,960 .. . 9,258,575 Otago 2,597,288 .. . 10,121,886 Southland 28,234 ., 111,638 The above includes 30 ounces, value <£120, exported from Wellington during the first half of the year 1870, shewing that there is gold in this province, but not in payable quantities, so far as present researches have been extended. The colony of Victoria sent to the International Exhi- bition in London, in 1862, a gilded obelisk of ten feet square at the base, and forty-five feet high. Had it been a solid mass of gold, it would have weighed eight hun- THE COUNTRY. 35 dred tons. It represented the volume of gold produced by the colony from October 1st, 1851, to October 1st, 1861, whose value was £104,000,000. And another obelisk was exhibited at Paris in 1867, by the Commis- sioners of Victoria, ten feet square at the base, and sixty-two feet five inches and a half high, representing the enormous sum of i;i46,057,444, the golden produce of that colony, and from ground which had furnished but a scanty provision for a few native wanderers, or herbage for a few thousand sheep. Within the last quarter of a century, and princii^ally tlirough the gold discoveries, towns and cities have sprung up as if they had been produced by a magic wand. Among the masses who find their way to the colonies under such an excitement, are many persons whose principles and practices are dangerous to society ; but a much larger class of industrious and respectable immigrants seek their home in these distant lands, and lay the foundation of an honoured and thriving com- munity. The vicious soon seek new fields for their adventures, or are weeded out by the officers of justice, while the really valuable reap the reward of their toil. The value of our forests is a noticeable feature. In the year 1853, the quantity of timber exported realized £92,984 ; and although this export did not reach such a height in any other year, it continued for some time among our chief articles of native produce. The value of timber exported during twelve years ending December 31st, 1864, amounted to £328,231. When it is remem- bered that various kinds of furniture-wood, that timber suitable for building purposes, not to mention those of the shipwright, and that spars adapted for the navy, may be obtained in almost any quantity, we trust that the claims of ov.v forests will be admitted. 36 NEW ZEALAND. Among the natural products of the country, and an article, so far as we know, peculiar to New Zealand, is the Kauri Gum. This is found only in the province of Auckland, and as a branch of industry it is confined almost entirely to the Maori people. In the year 18G4, the quantity exported was two thousand two hundred and tw^enty-eight tons ; the value of which was sixty thousand five hundred and ninet}^ pounds sterling. The value of Kauri Gum exported from the colony, according to the Government returns, from January 1st, 1853, to December 31st, 1864, amounted to two hundred and sixty-tM'O thousand four hundred and sixty-four j)Ounds sterling. We know no reason why this branch of industry — the labour consisting only in digging it out of the ground, removing any soil which may adhere to it, and carrying it to market, which is done with canoes — should fall off, but could suggest several reasons, were it neces- sary, why it may be expected that Kauri Gum will continue to be a valuable article of export. It was thought for some years that, valuable as the land is for producing grain, it was not adapted for sheep farming on an extensive scale. This is probably the case in the Auckland and Taranaki provinces ; but in the Southern provinces, both the plains and hilly country, covered with native herbage, have answered admirably as sheep-runs. Those w^ho made the experiment of sheep farming in New Zealand, were encouraged, in 1853, by an exportation of wool, to the value of sixty- six thousand five hundred and seven pounds sterling. Eleven years later, viz., in 1864, the quantity of wool exported from the colony was sixteen million six hundred and ninety-one thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds ; the value of which was one million and seventy thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven pounds sterling. THE COUNTRY. 37 Petroleum has been discovered in different parts of both the principal islands ; and in Taranaki, near the Sugar Loaves, within two miles of New Plymouth, the indications were so satisfactory, that three companies were formed to sink wells. It Avould be premature at the present stage of their operations to say more on this subject than that the expectation of intelligent men runs high, as the boring machine works its way through the hard rock, which comes up ground to sand and saturated with oil.* Suitable materials for building purposes may be found in abundance, the extensive forests supplying timber to any extent, and the rocks, from which different kinds of stone may be quarried, lying in large masses in various directions. Up to the present time houses are generally constructed of wood, except in the heart of some of the principal towns ; and as buildings of this kind can be erected at a smaller expenditure than would be required for more durable edifices, it will probably continue to be the chief building material for many years to come. One kind of granite has been wrought into mill-stones, and other kinds of stone have been used in the erection of large and beautiful buildings. In some of the provinces excellent bricks may be made in any number ; but in other places, as in Taranaki, the clay is not found suit- able for the purposes of the brick-maker. Shells are found in such quantities in some districts that they are used for making lime ; but a better material for this invaluable article may be found in extensive lime -stone rocks. And when the resources of the country are * Since the above was written, the Petroleum Companies have been wound up, without obtaining a sufficient ij[uautity of oil to meet the amount of money expended in boring. 38 'new ZEALAND. properly developed, materials for different kinds of pottery will probably be found. Coal is widely distributed ; it may be seen jutting out on the face of the cliffs in some places, and in others it lies so near the surface that the soil is washed off it by heavy rain. When proper means shall be used to secure the best kinds, the steam-furnaces of the colony will doubtless be supplied with its own coal ; it will also be used in the forge of the smithy, and will form a general article of domestic consumption. The fertility of the soil varies very much ; some being exceeding rich, capable of producing any of the cereals, grasses, and edible roots in abundance, with proper management ; and in other places it is so barren that a fair return for the labour bestowed on it cannot be ex- pected. The Middle Island presents many tracts of hilly country, quite unfit for agriculture ; and in the North Island, especially in the province of Auckland, there are wide plains, whose barrenness is proverbial. The reason of this is stated to be the intense heat of the destructive fires which swept the Kauri forests once covering them entirely away, by which the quality of the ground was so much injured as to cause its sterility. Yet these plains are the source of that considerable article of export, which we have described as Kauri Gum. As a rule, it may be said that the soil of New Zealand will be found rich in the qualities that constitute a fertile country, and when it can be generally cultivated, will yield abundance for millions of inhabitants. Volcanic action was, no doubt, carried on with terrible effect in both the islands at no very remote period. This was probably the cause of the numerous gullies that are met with, some of which are so deep and precipitous THE COUNTRY. S9 that large trees growing at the bottom do not reach the ordinary levej land ; so that the spectator, standing on the edge of those gullies, looks down upon the tops of a number of gigantic forest trees ; forming a picture truly unique and beautiful. Earthquakes are still felt with some violence in the neighbourhood of Cook's Strait, and also, though less severely, many hundred miles both north and south. The Kev. R. Taylor, a gentleman of extensive geological knowledge, and well acquainted with New Zealand, con- tributes interesting information on the volcanic action of the country. Referring to Otaua, near the Bay of Islands, he says — "An immense crater rises above the level of the surrounding country, with steep precipitous cliffs of pipe-clay, which, on the summit, incline inwards, so as to form a vast bowl several miles in diameter. This appears to have been formerly one huge crater, but when that became exhausted, a series of smaller ones broke out on the sides, which are still more or less in operation, and are chiefly filled with water of great depth, from which streams of sulphurous hydrogen gas escape in every part. One of these crater lakes contains white mud, which bubbles up in all directions ; in another the heated gas is emitted from innumerable pores, the highest degree of temperature being 196 Fahr. . Near Pa Karaka there is a remarkable volcanic cone, upwards of four hundred feet high. The mountain is hollow, and may be descended full three hundred feet. . . . But the grand centre of volcanic action in this (the North) Island is at Roturoa. This, indeed, may be considered as the chief focus of action ; for it extends over a distance of full seventy miles in length, as far as Tongariro. The number of boiling gulfs, solfatara, and 40 KEVC ZEALA^'D. boiling mnd pools^ is extraordinary. They are seen in every direction — in the forest, in the plain, and in the water. A large number of them are concentrated at a place called Tikitere, and a most extraordinary assemblage of them is fomid at Ohinemato, which renders that place one of tlie most remarkable in New Zealand. Eotoma- hana, a warm water lake of considerable size, is sur- rounded with innumerable boiling gulfs ; in fact, it is itself nothing but a crater, the sides of which are full of action. It is, perhaps, one of the most remarkable places in the world ; its boiling gulfs and natural snow- white terraces, formed from silicious deposits, are most wonderful. Thence to Hohake and Eotokawa there ii5 nothing to be seen but jets of vapour ; and so on to Taupo, where fearful boiling gulfs abound at the two extremities of that noble lake : at Eangatira and Tokahua. Again at Eoto-aira, a beautiful lake at the base of the Tongariro range, boiling springs abound. Tongariro itself attains an elevation of perhaps sixteen thousand feet,* and from its lofty cone constantly belches forth a volume of smoke, and occasionally flame, which has been distinctly seen at a distance of one hundred and fift}' miles. . . . One spring at Taupo possesses the power of turning whatever substance is immersed in it into stone, preserving all the original characteristics of its nature, but completely converting it into a beautiful silicious stone."t Another scientific gentleman, Dr. Thomson, who re- sided in the colony many years, says, — "New Zealand is an admirable geological school ; there travellers may * This altitude is over-rated ; the height is 6,500 feet. t " New Zealand and its Inhabitants," by Rev. R. Taylor, M.A., F.G.S. THE COUNTRY. 41 see the form of Vesuvius, the dome-shaped summits of Auvergne, the elevated craters of the Caraccas, and the Geysers of Iceland. Taupo, Tongariro, Eotomahana, Eotoroa, and White Island are almost unrivalled geolo- gical curiosities. Above the entombed village of Te Eapa, on the border of the Taupo lake, basaltic rocks may be seen in the process of conversion into soft clay by heat and chemical action ; where the Tongariro river falls into the lake travellers may observe how rapidly pumice stone and other deposits are lessening the size of this inland sea. Grand and beautiful geysers, ejecting water two degrees above the boiling point of pure water, and holding various silicates in solution, are found around the lakes of Eotomahana and Eotoroa. This water on cooling encrusts every substance it comes in contact with, and birds thrown into it are brought out like pieces of flint. On looking down through the clear smooth water of the Te Tarata geyser on lake Eotoma- hana, the silicious matter is observed deposited at the bottom like the hills on the eastern side of lake Taupo, a formation which, when seen from a canoe on the lake, suggests to the eye waves of lava suddenly cooled. Near the geysers at Eotomahana a noise is heard similar to the sound in a large steam-engine room. Adventurous travellers may sail on the lake on hot water, and luxurious ones swim in baths of various temperatures, the sides of which are lined with Hint, white as snow and smooth as glass."* The natives cook their food in those boiling springs ; and resort to the ponds of warm water as a means of enjoyment, when the toils of the day are past ; and there, while the young people indulge in all kinds of aquatic sports, their seniors sit down quietly relating tales * The Story of New Zealand, by A. S. Thomson, Esq., M.D. 42 NKW ZEALAND. of past days, and discussing the events which are now taking place around them. The mineral waters are said to produce disease among the Maories who generatly use them ; but when they shall be used according to the instructions of competent medical skill, they will probably be found of great value in a variety of cases. x\nd Ave may indulge the hope that the time will come when a journey to the hot springs will be easily accomplished, instead of being, as it has been, a dangerous and expensive undertaking ; and so bring the benefits which these singular waters may afford within the reach of all classes of the community. When the adaptation of the climate and country to the constitution and habits of British emigrants is fairly considered ; the crops of corn and abundance of fruit which may be obtained ; its rivers and small mountain streams ; its beds of coal and glittering metals, lying exposed to the eye of the traveller ; its long line of coast and goodly harbours ; its herds and flocks, fattening in some places on the uncultivated grassy plains, and in others on the rich pastures produced from English seeds ; no doubt can be entertained concerning the fitness of New Zealand for the general purposes of a flourishing and important colony. The language which Moses used when describing the Land of Promise to the ancient Israelites may be applied to the New Zealand emigrant : " The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills ; a land of wheat and barley . . . and honey ; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it ; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou may'st dig brass."* J)eut. viii. 7—9. THE COUNTEY. 43 It is not likely that the native people, without any foreign assistance, could ever appreciate the natural advantages which their country possesses. In their former state they were conscious of comparatively few wants, which were easily supplied. God had prepared the land for another race — a race which is destined, we trust, to lift up the Maori people to the enjoyment and usefulness of civilization, and to contribute to the ad- vancement of the moral and religious welfare of the southern hemisphere. T CHAPTEE III. NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. "Verdurous glooms, and winding, mossy ways — Glory in the grass, and splendour in the flower." HE Eev. K. Taylor states that this prolific and lovely number of plants already known is six hundred and thirty-two, and of these three hundred and fourteen are dicotyledonous or exogenous plants, while the other three hundred and eighteen are monocotyledonous and cellular plants ; that while England does not produce more than thirty-five native trees out of one thousand four hundred species, New Zealand produces trees and shrubs, above twenty feet high, to the number of one hundred and thirteen, besides one hundred and fifty-six shrubs and plants having woody stems. The botanical researches of Mr. Banks — afterwards Sir Joseph Banks — who accompanied Captain Cook on bis first voyage to these shores, were rewarded by a number of new specimens. Several gentlemen, acquainted with this branch of knowledge, have added others ; and all agree that both the forest and open lands are deeply interesting fields for study. The only object contem- plated is, to give the reader an intelligent account of the natural productions of this country, not for scientific examination, but to enable him to form a general estimate of the subject. Some parts of the country present extensive plains, covered naturally with coarse kinds of grass, on which both sheep and cattle thrive well. Other portions of the NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 45 open country, and these the most extensive, are covered with fern, or a small shrub which the natives call ti. The species of fern are very numerous. Some are trees, with clean straight stems, twenty feet high, and from six to twelve inches in diameter, headed with a beautiful tuft of long branching leaves, bending gracefully down on all sides. The trunks are often used b}' the settlers as posts for their rural houses, on account of their dura- bility. Other kinds of fern are so fragile and beautiful, being finer than the finest muslin, that they are always admired. Some of the ferns are creeping plants, and find their way up to the top of the trees, their beautiful fronds, of various shape, hanging from their thread-like stems, fluttering in the breeze. A common kind yields an edible root, on which the Maories used to subsist largely in seasons of scarcity. The root was roasted on hot stones, and then beaten till its fibres became soft. It is said to be nutritious ; many of the natives' pigs feed principally upon it. In fertile ground the common fern grows eight or ten feet high, but in poor soil it does not much exceed eighteen inches ; and the same remark may be made in reference to the ti plant. The grasses and rushes, including the large coarse kinds which the natives use to thatch their houses, and others which grow up into a kind of tree, are numerous. Of these the Eaupo — Typha AufiustJfoUa — is commonly met with in swamps, and forms the principal material used by the natives in constructing the walls of their houses. There are some plants which remind the Englishman of the wild flowers of his native land. It is true that he does not see the banks covered with primroses and violets, nor the hedges white with flowering hawthorn, 46 NEW ZEALAND. except in select spots where these imported treasures have been planted ; but he looks with pleasure upon a little modest flower, not much unlike the far-famed daisy, and the butter-cup, with its yellow head, chal- lenges his observation. The common sow-thistle abounds, and affords food for cattle and other animals. The natives also eat its tender shoots when boiled. Water-cress is often seen growing on the margin of streams. The farmer complains of the Bur of his sheep- runs, on account of the injury which it does to the wool. Dandelion has spread so rapidly, that many of the meadows are covered with it, causing the quantity of grass which they produce to be much reduced. Care is needed to prevent the dock from spreading widely. Sorrel is one of the plagues of which the farmer and the gar- dener loudly complain ; but the large prickly thistle, known among the settlers as the Scotch thistle, causes the most trouble. In some places it has been sufiered to shed its seeds so abundantly, and these seeds have been wafted by the winds to distant spots, that large tracts of ground have been covered with them. It is diflicult to decide, in some cases, whether the plants which are so familiar to an English eye be indigenous or not, as they are not only found growing wild in the neighbourhood of the colonial settlements, but are found also in places whither it seems unlikely that seeds should be carried. But it is in the forest that vegetation is most luxu- riant and interesting. A scramble into the dense shade of the bush is peculiarly exciting. It cannot be called a walk, unless a pathway has been cut ; for the tangled undergrowth arrests the progress of the traveller at almost every step. There are trees of various ages and sizes, from NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 4 the tender seedling, rising only a few inches from the sur- face, to the giant parent tree, lifting its proud and noble head a hundred and fifty feet above the ground. Parasites grow upon the lofty and spreading branches, and climb- ing plants — some with a stem so fine that it is used by the natives to make the meshes of their fishing nets, and others so thick that it resembles a ship's cable — cling to the massive trunks and spread themselves among the topmost branches. The atmosphere is always humid, for the sun's rays cannot pierce through the thick shade. The flap of the wood pigeon's wings is perhaps the only sound which is heard, or, possibly, a few other birds may strike up the note of wonder at the intrusion which has been made upon their quiet domain. It is a suggestive situation, favourable for devout meditation. " Lo, God is here!" The noble intertwining forms of life and beauty which display the forest splendour, proclaim His wisdom, goodness, and glory. He who has clothed the solitary places with so much varied beauty, will not be unmindful of the souls which He has redeemed by the precious blood of Christ ; and as He lavishes His* riches upon places scarcely ever trodden by the foot of man, may it not be inferred that the everlasting dwelling place of His people is garnished with indescribable glory ? The climbing plants meet the traveller in every direc- tion, and so obstruct his way that the application of a small axe is often necessary. The supple-jack — Ripo- goniim 'parviflorum — the Kareau of the natives — is the most common. It is a useful article in all kinds of coarse basket work, in thatching, and in hurdle making. Some kinds, with a very small strong stem, and others several inches iu diameter, reach the tops of the trees, 48 NEW ZEALAND. and when cut tlirough near the ground, are often seen hanging from them, hke so many cords of different sizes. They furnish berries on which the wood pigeon and other birds fatten. The hirgest tree of the forest is the Kauri — Dammara Australis. Its trunk is sometimes found witliout a limb to the heiglit of nearly one hundred feet, and often measures thirty feet in circumference. Kauri spars have for many years been shipped to England, for the use of the Royal Navy. In the province of Auckland, it forms the timber which is in general use for carpenters' work. Posts cut from the heart of the tree resist the influences of the soil and weather for a long time, and they are consequently much used in fencing, and as piles on which wooden houses are built. It is also split into shingles, with which the houses are generally covered, instead of tiles or slates. Ship carpenters use it in constructing coasting vessels, and cabinetmakers work it up into useful furniture. One kind, having a mottled appearance, caused, perhaps, by some disease in the tree, looks very beautiful when well finished and polished. But the Kauri timber is not in such repute in the southern parts of the colony, each province being partial to the kinds of wood which are found in its own locality ; and the Kauri is not found growing south of Kawhia, while further north it is one of the most common of the forest trees. The Kauri belongs to a family of pines, which constitute a large portion of the New Zea- land bush, and it is the only one which produces a cone. A resin exudes from this tree in considerable quantities, and is exported from Auckland under the name of Kauri Gum. Many of the natives are employed in searching for it in plains which were once covered with bush, with NATUBAL PKODUCTIONS. 49 pointed iron rods. It is dug up in lumps, washed, and brought to market in flat baskets. The'Rivun—DacrydiumCupressimum — is an elegant and beautiful tree, and in some parts of the colony it sup- plies timber for general purposes. It is more durable than the Kauri, but is wrought with more difficulty. As a material for elegant cabinet-work, the following description of Eimu maybe accepted: — "It varies in colour and shade from a bright rich light brown, tinged with yellow, and thickly marked or veined with dark reddish brown, shaded with a still darker and deeper colour, and marked with chocolate colour, or reddish black. It is very close grained, rather hard and brittle, inclined to split, and difficult to work. The Eimu takes polish very quickly, and leaves a good face." The Totara — Podocai'piis totara — is a noble tree, and grows to the height of one hundred feet. It is a very durable wood. The Maories sometimes make canoes, seventy feet long and five feet wide, of a single tree. " The lower parts of the tree near the roots, and the top parts near and in the forks, are beautifully grained, varying in shade and depth of colour so suitable for the cabinet-maker." A very handsome sideboard was made of this wood for the King of Prussia. " It is of a pecu- liar knotted grain, of singular beauty, and varied in its character in a manner that is truly remarkable. The colour is not less rich and effective than the grain, and the texture of the wood is such as to ensure its durability. The new wood requires but to be known to come into great demand, and to ensure that practical recognition shown by the King of Prussia." The Kahikatea — Podocarjms dacrydloidcs — called by the settlers white pine — grows to the height of nearly E 50 NEW ZEALAND. one hundred and fifty feet, with a trunk seventy or eighty feet without a limb. The timber is not of much value, at least in the Northern part of the colony, except for inside work. Several species of the laurel family are found here. Of these the most prized is Korbiocaijms, called by the natives the Karaka, which, according to their tradition, they brought with them when they first came to New Zealand. The timber is useless, but the beautiful leaves, of a rich green colour, are excellent food for cattle. It produces a berry, the stone of which is as large as an acorn. The pulpy substance which surrounds the stone was palatable to the early settlers, before European fruit could be produced. If proper pains were taken with it, the Karaka fruit might probably be improved, and in the course of time might form a wholesome and well- favoured desert. One of the most hard and durable kinds of wood is the Puriri — V'dex Uttoralis — generally called by the settlers Ironwood. It grows about fifty feet high, and five or six feet in diameter. As piles for bridges, the foundation of wooden houses, posts for fencing, or for any other purpose in which there is much exposure to the weather, the Puriri is in great repute. But it is prized chiefly in the northern part of the colon}^, as it does not grow in the south. The Eata — Metrosideros rohusta — is a singular tree. It is first a climbing plant, and clings to a tree for support. This course is continued till the Eata becomes so large and strong, that the arms by which it clung to the tree grasp it so tightly as to kill it. The Eata then continues to grow till it becomes a large tree, and may sometimes be seen holding in its giant arms the dead trunk on NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 51 which it- hung in the days of its helplessness ; and at other times it may he seen hollow, the crushed tree which had supported it having rotted away. This sin- gular tree reminds us of persons who, after heing the chief support of the young and helpless, fall a prey to their withering influence. The Kata furnishes very useful wood for shipbuilding. Some of the smaller kinds of trees are deserving our attention. The Nikau — Arcca Sajyida — oftenfcalled the New Zealand palm, is a very handsome object. It has a straight trunk, from twenty to thirty feet high, and is headed with a tuft of leaves, six feet long, hanging • gracefully down on all sides. This is the only repre- sentative of tropical vegetation. A species of fuschia grows to the height of thirty feet, and looks beautiful when it is covered with blossoms. It produces a fruit which is eaten by children. The fuschia is almost the only tree which sheds its leaves, and looks bare during winter. The Tutu — Coriaria sarmentosa — is a dangerous shrub, and is very common in some districts. It bears fruit in large bunches, which are black when they are ripe. The berry contains a stone which is poisonous ; but if the stones be carefully removed, the fruit may be safely eaten, and is eaten in large quantities by the natives. Several accidents have occurred among the children of thesettlers through eating Tutu berries. The leaves and young shoots are good food for cattle, ivhen they become accustomed to it — care being taken that they do not eat them when they are very hungry. Many head of cattle have been poisoned by eating the young vigorous shoots of the Tutu bush ; and other animals* also are * An elephant was imported not long since for exhibition, but was killed through eating freely of the Tutu as it was led along the 52 NEW ZEALAND. endangered by it, notwithstanding the efforts which the settlers make to prevent it. The most useful plant grooving in the open lands is the New Zealand flax — Phormium Tenax. It grows in almost every kind of soil — on hills and in swamps, on the sand hills by the sea-shore and on the rich soil of the interior pai-ts of the country. It grows in large tufts, and in the centre a stalk rises eight or ten feet high, and is crowned with flowers and seeds. The leaves of the flax are from three to six feet long, thick, and of a dark green colour. They are very strong, but may be divided lengthways into fine threads. This plant was in general use before the country was visited by Euro- jjeans. Mats were made of it, some of which were very beautiful ; others were coarse, and served for general purposes. In the early days of the colony, these mats were commonly used by the settlers instead of carpets, and the finer kinds were bought for table covers. The Maori baskets, still in general use among both races, are made of flax, and are called Kets. Some of the finer kinds are very pretty and marked with different colours, and the larger kinds often supply the place of sacks. The Phormium Tenax is indigenous also in Norfolk Island and the Chatham Islands ; but it is not found, as a native plant, anywhere else. The value of it is acknowledged for all kinds of cordage, a considerable quantity having been used for these purposes both in the colonies and in Europe, and efforts have repeatedly been made, both by individuals and by companies, to bring it fairly into the market, but, from various causes, without complete success. As there is not a little differ- coast of the Middle Island. Its skeleton may be seen in the Wellington Museum. NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 53 ence between the fibre in different kinds of flax, not only in its length, but particularly in the silky gloss and extreme fineness which are sometimes met with, the time will probably come when plantations of flax will be carefully made, the different kinds assorted, and in addition to cordage, the superior material will be wrought into elegant fabrics. While we write, the flax trade is receiving much more attention than it did in former years. Steam mills are engaged in different parts of the country, and the amount of fibre prepared for the American and the European markets has given it an important place among our principal exports. A species of gourd, called by the natiyes Hue — Lagenaria Vulgaris — is cultivated by the Maories. It is said that they introduced it on their arrival in New Zealand. The fruit, if it be eaten young, is esteemed as a delicacy ; but it is in the form of the calabash that its usefulness chiefly appears. The calabash is made by scooping out the inside of the ripe fruit, through a small hole which is cut at the top, and which afterwards forms the mouth of the vessel. The calabash was alm.ost the only vessel for carrying and holding water among the natives before their acquaintance with the white race. It was also used as a common drinking cup, and for containing oil, or any other liquid, and was occasionally marked with approved forms of the tattoo. The Taro — Arum esculen- tum — a species of yam, is highly prized by the Maories, Their tradition states that this plant was introduced on their first coming to New Zealand. Much care, a sandy soil, and a warm situation, are necessary in its cultiva- tion. The Kumara — Convolvolus Batatus — often called the sweet potato, was widely cultivated some years ago by the natives, and formed a wholesome article of food. 54 NEW ZEALAND. The Bulrnsli-Catei-pillar — Spharria Rohertsia — is a 'very remarkable little plant. It grows from the nape of the neck of a caterpillar, rising from six to ten inches above the ground ; and if the stem be broken off, a fresh one grows from the same spot. The growth of the plant commences during the life of the insect, probably from seeds which adhere to the latter. When taken out of the ground entire, it presents a singular appearance — a living plant, with its stem and branches, and a dead caterpillar forming its root. New Zealand was singularly free from quadrupeds, before the ships from Europe visited its shores, the only three kinds being the Kiori, a small rat, and the A'wri, a poor degenerate kind of dog, besides the pig. It is said that the two former animals are now become extinct ; the Kiori having been destroyed by the common rat, brought to different parts of the country in our ships ; and the Kuri has been superseded by several breeds of the English dog. The colonists of New Zealand are favoured above those of many other countries in their freedom from wild animals. Insects are numerous, some of them are troublesome, but none which we have met with are dangerous. The most troublesome kinds are the mosquito, and the namu, or sand fly. The former is very annoying by night in " clearings" which are made in the bush, and the latter is a savage little creature, found in countless numbers in the hot days of summer. Among the birds found in the country, the most ex- traordinary was the Moa, which is now nearly, if not entirely, extinct. Dr. Hochstetter, who belonged to the Austrian Scientific Expedition which visited New Zea- land in 1859, obtained a considerable quantity of fossil remains of this remarkable bird. He observes, — " These NATUBAL PRODUCTIONS. 55 gigantic birds belong to an era prior to the human race, to a post-tertiary period, and it is a remarkably incom- prehensible fact of the creation that, whilst at the very same period in the old world, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippotami ; in South America, gigantic sloths and ar- madilloes ; in Australia, gigantic kangaroos, wombats, and dasyurus were living ; the colossal forms of animal life were represented in New Zealand by gigantic birds, which walked the shores then untrod by the foot of any quadruped." A writer in the New Zealand Magazine states, con- cerning the Moa, that "the remains of eight species have been found, all of which have had a very recent existence : — 1. The Dinornis Gyganteus, in size and height rivalling the camelopard, and probably resembling it in its habits, feeding on the tops of the young cabbage palms. 2. The Dinornis Elephantojms, whose thick frame nearly approached in size that of the elephant. 3. The Dinornis Eobushis. 4. The Dinornis Crassus. 5. The Dinornis Ingeus, which must have been fairly nine feet high. 6. The Dinornis Didifornis, a bird four feet high. 7. The Pataptcria Ingeus ; and the ^jjtoniis," Moa bones are often found in caves, and generally small heaps of pebbles are found near them ; it is supposed that the small stones were swallowed to assist the bird in digest- ing its food. Bones and egg-shells of the Moa are also found occasionally in old Maori ovens. An egg has been seen measuring nine inches in diameter, twenty- seven inches in circumference, and twelve inches long ; but of course the egg varied in size according to the species of the bird. The Nelson Examiner, June 21, 1861, reported that some gentlemen belonging to the survey department. 56 NEW ZEALAND. between the Eiwaka and Takaka valleys, obsei'ved the foot-in-ints of a very large bird. The size of the foot- prints was fourteen inches in length, with a spread of eleven inches, the distance between them being about thirty inches. Supposing this report to be correct, and allowing these foot-prints to correspond with those of the Moa, it is probable that a remnant may be left in the unfrequented parts of the Middle Island ; and if it be so, the Moa is midoubtedly the largest bird now in existence on the earth. An interesting Moa relic has just been discovered. A workman engaged at the Kaikoras in excavating for the foundation of a house, came into contact with a Maori burial place. On carefully removing the earth, a human skeleton was found, in a sitting posture, with the elbows resting on the knees and the hands grasping a Moa's egg. The egg is described as being of a dirty white colour, slightly pencilled, and resembling that of a goose ; it is about ten inches in length and seven inches in diameter, and the shell is about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The Kiwi, Apterix Australis — another singular bird allied to the Moa though much smaller — was recently common in some parts of the country ; but it is now rarely seen, and within a short time it will probably become extinct. Having only the rudiments of wings, it cannot fly. It has a long beak, with the nostrils at the end ; enabling the bird to find its food in the earth by the sense of smell, which is supposed to be very strong. The legs and claws are formed for strength, to enable it to tear open the ground in search of worms. Its colour is a dark brown, and the head and eye have a savage expression. The egg of the Kiwi is remarkably NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 57 large, and the feathers resemble coarse hair. It is rarely seen in its wild state by day, the construction of its form and the peculiarity of its senses leading it to seek its food by night, and it is not easily caught as it runs very fast. The Kiwi is not a handsome bird, but its appearance is so singular, and it is met with so rarely, that it is always esteemed as an interesting creature. Birds of passage visit New Zealand, but not in large numbers. There is a small species of Owl, and numbers of small Bats make their graceful evolutions in the summer evening twilight. Several kinds of sea-shore birds frequent every part of the coast. It is amusing to see some standing on the top of a rock upon one leg, undisturbed by the surf which dashes against the rocks around them. Others are seen in flocks, flying from one fishing place to another. A species of Hawk is the terror of the domestic fowls, having their chickens around them. Several kinds of small birds are very pretty, especially the Fan-tailed Fly Catcher. In the open land a bird not much unlike the English Lark, but without its song, is common ; and at the edge of the forest, the beautiful little green Parrot is found in large numbers, and is a serious enemy to the bush farmer, when his crops of corn are nearly ripe. The Tui is most noted as a singing l)ird, and is often caged, on account of its melodious notes, in the cottages of the settlers. Its colour is black, with a few long white feathers hanging from its breast, which causes it to be often called the Parson bird ; its size is about that of the Thrush, A species of Pigeon is found in the forest, and at the autumn season it becomes very fat, and is good for food. Water Fowls, of several kinds, are 58 NEW ZEALAND. common in large swamps, and along unfrequented parts of rivers. Many of the insects which are very destructive to the field crops and the gardens, have been unhappily in- troduced by the colonists, but of course unintentionally, and other kinds belong naturally to the country. The number of grasshoppers is immense ; and the destruc- tion which they cause is sometimes very great ; some are small, and others are large and winged. The New Zealand waters produce an abundance of fish which are good for food ; but we have not met with any of so rich a flavour as the salmon, mackerel, and some other kinds, which are so well known in Great Britain. The Kawai is something like the English mackerel in appearance, and is often described, but improperly, as being equal to it. The fisheries of New Zealand were in a more flourishing state some j^ears ago than they are now. Seals were numerous, especially on the coast of the Middle Island, and many of the white men who came to the country forty years ago were engaged as sealers. Several whaling companies were established in different parts of both the islands, and whalebone and oil formed important articles of export. The sperm, the hump-back, the fin-back, the pike- headed, the large-lipped, and the black whale, were found around the coast. From May to October was the whaling season, this being the time when the cow whales visit the coasts with their young calves. It was very interesting to see the whale throw up the water, with all the gracefulness of a fountain, in the act of breathing ; and more interesting still to witness from the shore, as was sometimes done, the capture of this noble fish. Not many kinds of employment require more caution, more NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 59. energy, more skill of a certain character, nor more perfect command of the nerves than whaling. We have stood upon the heach watching with intense anxiety this dangerous work, and have seen the ponderous black mass, a little while before so instinct with life, and threatening destruction to any boat which might have the temerity to approach it, succumb to the harpoon, and then towed ashore to be cut up secundum artcm. The whalebone of commerce was taken from its mon- strous jaws, its flesh, resembling beef in appearance, was hung up by the natives to dry as food for future use, and its fat or blubber was "tried down " for oil ; a whaling station at such a time was a busy scene, but it is seldom witnessed in the present day. Several species of Sharks are common, not only along the coast, but also in the harbours, which makes sea bathing sometimes a hazardous exercise ; and in more than one instance persons have been drawn down by these savage creatures. A species, called by the natives Mako, and which is said to be found nowhere but in the latitude of New Zealand, is much prized by them on account of its teeth, which are used by the Maories as ear ornaments. Shell fish of different kinds are abundant. Craw fish are large and good, cockles and mussels abound. A small kind of crab is plentiful, but is of little or no use. Oysters are good, and adhere to the rocks in some places in immense quantities. Shrimps are numerous, and eels are caught in large numbers both in the swamps and in the streams. No kind of reptile is found but the lizard, and that is harmless. From the brief and imperfect account which we have given of the country and its natural productions, it will 60 NEW ZEALAND. be readily admitted that, as a field for British enterprise, New Zealand possesses important advantages. Not locked up by the frosts of a Canadian winter, nor swelt- ering under the heat of a tropical sun, but supplied by abundant rain from heaven, falling upon a generous soil, and fanned by the bracing breezes of the vast Pacific ; and instead of breathing a deadly malaria, which no expense and caution could prevent, a salubrious atmosphere being graciously provided for their health and happiness, the people of such a country have more than common cause for gratitude to Him, who giveth them all things richly to enjoy. iJM^^'"^ ROWERA. A FAIR SPECIMEN Of A LARGE Cl^SS OF NATIVE WOMtN. CHAPTER IV. THE MAOKIES IN THEIR HEATHEN STATE. ** When wild in woods the untutored savage ran." WHATEVER interest may be felt in the examination of the earth — its great divisions, diversified features, hidden treasures, and various fonns of animal and vegetable life — much more interest must be taken in the careful study of mankind. The general history of the most influential kingdoms, which have acted their part and passed away, has been written. The stejjs by which several of them rose to power and extensive dominion ; the luxury and ease which followed their successful military campaigns ; and their consequent decline and fall ; are familiar subjects. But there were large portions of the human race living beyond the descriptive pen of the historian, whether sacred or pro- fane. Some of these were in very early ages formed into a compact people, and others became scattered tribes, entirely cut off from the sympathies and know- ledge of the rest of mankind. At what time their migra- tions took place, and under what circumstances ; by what means, and in what numbers they removed; by what route they reached the countries which lie far from the scene of the general dispersion of mankind ; and from what portions of the longer settled countries the present inhabitants of many islands of the ocean emi- grated ; are questions which cannot be satisfactorily answered, except in a few instances. Nor do we know the steps by which the numerous tribes that inhabited +he great continents of Africa and America, and others 62 NEW ZEALAND. who had spread themselves over the islands of the Pacific Ocean, left the usages and comforts of civilization. So completely were they sunk when the world was first apprized of their existence that no idea of letters re- mained, nor had they any knowledge of countries beyond their own, only as a dim tradition ; and the metals which were spread around them, and which would have saved them much labour if they had known their worth, lay untouched, except in the case of a few tribes. In the early ages of the world it appears that much attention was given to the art of building ; this is sufficiently shown in sacred history ; and the substantial manner in which some of their public edifices were erected may be inferred from the remains which are in existence at the present day. We might have reasoned, a priori, that as the early colonists went out into the wide world they would take with them the bailder's art; and that in whatever countries they might find a home, substantial works would be erected, modified to suit their change of climate and circumstances. It is possible that to such a cause the extensive remains of masonry found in the heart of the American Continent, and in some other countries may be traced. But in the course of time they lost their interest in these things ; indolence succeeded industry, mere animal enjoyment was pre- ferred to the nobler exercises of the mind, generation after generation went lower down the scale, till the type of wretchedness was compare, in which the people were found by the early circumnavigators of the globe. But all the people whom the voyages of discover}^ made known to us were not sunk to the same level. Among some the cultivation of grain and edible roots was attended to with success ; canoes were constructed, in THE MAORIES. 63 which they made considerable voyages ; their weapons of war were finished with much skill ; and although they had entirely lost the knowledge of stone, bricks, and mortar in the construction of houses, they made dwelling- places of frail materials, which were proof against the wind and rain ; and, either from the bark of their trees, or from the leaves of plants growing around them, they formed garments for use and ornament. But there were other races discovered so low sunk that the idea of cultivating the soil, or building even temporary houses sufficient to keep out the winter storm, seems never to have entered their minds. We need not wonder at the prevalence of idolatry among such people ; but the in- telligent, enterprising nations from whom they sprung may well excite our astonishment when we read of tJieir unblushing idolatry. For about one hundred years after the flood "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." The command which was given to Adam, to be " fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth," was repeated to Noah and his family when they left the ark. But ap- parently w^itli a resolution not to obey this command, and probably with an idolatrous purpose in view also, a tower was j)lanned in the land of Shinar — the site of Babylon — whose "top was to reach unto heaven," lest, they said, "we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." But God prevented them from accom- plishing their purpose bji^^iKrounding their language, and led them to form settlements in different countries, " every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."* Within a short time of this general dis- persion, influential nations sprang into existence. Egypt * Gen. X. 5. 64 NEtV ZEALAND. rose into power, and was marked by superior intelligence; the foundation of the great Assyrian empire was laid ; India teemed with inhabitants, and assumed its national character ; and China, the strange, reserved, and popu- lous China, commenced its singular course. Streams of emigration flowed in other directions ; we have no means of tracing them, but some centuries after their results are seen in the people who were settled in different and distant countries. It is remarkable to see some portions of our race, only a few centuries after the confusion of Shinar, sunk to the condition of "savages," w^hile other portions rise in every thing which constituted a great people. Europe was a long time inhabited by uncivilized tribes ; the aborigines of Italy are described as hordes of savages, without laws, and living upon the natural production of the forest, and the animals which they could capture. Homer speaks of Sicily as being in- habited by savages and monsters : — " The land of Cyclops first ; a savage kind, Nor tamed by manners, nor by laws confined. Untaught to plant, to turn the glebe, and sow, They all their j)roducts to free nature owe. By these no statutes and no rights are known, No council held, no monarch fills the throne ; But high on hills or airy cliffs they dwell, Or deep in caves, whose entrance leads to hell. Eacirrurss*-lit« raB^4i^p||gighbour not his care, Heedless of others, to his own severe." The distinctions of the races into which mankind have long been divided, is a deeply interesting study. The colour of the negro's skin, and the peculiarity of his hair, were the same three thousand years ago as they are in THE MAORIES. 65 the present day. The peculiar features of the Jews, the Hindus, and other races, are seen in the ancient por- traits which have been preserved to our time. Negroes are seen portrayed on some of the Egyptian monuments, and their skulls are found among the mummies of that remarkable country. Six hundred years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah asks — " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ?" shewing that the colour of the different races was then as distinct and fixed as it is now. " Microscopic anatomy has recently shown very satisfactorily that the colour of the skin exists in the epidermis only, and that it is the result of the admixture of pigment cells with the ordinary epider- mic cells. The office of these pigment cells appears to be the withdrawing from the blood, and elaborating in their own cavities, colouring matters of various shades ; and all the different hues which are exhibited by the eleven races of mankind, depend on the relative quantity of those cells, and the colour of the pigment deposited in them." The divine intention has been remarkably fulfilled in the numerous migrations which have been continued, till there is no uninhabited country now known of any considerable extent. From the regions near the North Pole to Cape Horn, and in every degree of longitude where he could -find a home, man has long been found. He flourishes in countries which tuee so cold'tliat mercury freezes, and hundreds of thousands enjoy the heat of a vertical sun. The very heart of the continent is his home, and his dwelling-place is also in the isles of the ocean. When the enterprising seamen touched the unknown groups of islands, in parts of the great Pacific far distant from any other land, they found inhabitants F 66 NEW ZEALAND. both numerous and healthy. Two distinct races were met with, differing in colour, formation, hair, and lan- guage ; and it is not a little remarkable^ that each race is not found in the groups of islands which lay nearest to each other ; but, in some cases, in islands as far distant as seven thousand miles. One of these races, often called the Papuan race, is assimilated somewhat to the Negro, but the other race is lighter in colour, and has straight hair. To this race the Maories — the natives of New Zealand — belong. The question has often been asked, " To which of the great divisions into which the human family is thrown does the Maori people belong ? and from what country did they emigrate, when they reached New Zealand ? " In the present day, so long after the islands have been peopled, and in the absence of any written history, it is impossible to answer .these enquiries satisfactorily. It is very probable that the Maori race have not inhabited New Zealand more than six hundred years ; their traditions, and the enumeration of their principal chiefs, lead to this conclusion. They generally speak of Hatvaiki as the island whence they came, and describe it as lying a very long way off, and in a north eastern direction. The general opinion is that Hawaii in the Sandwich Islands, is the Hawaiki of the Maories. The objection which strikes the attention of every one is, that the native canoes were ill-fitted to traverse such an extent of the ocean. But to this it may be replied, that canoes have been met with by ships many hundred miles from any land, after they had been blown about the sea for several months ; and it is no uncommon thing for natives to be driven by the force of the winds and currents to the coasts of islands, distant from the land THE MAORIES. 67 ■which they wished to reach. The difference between the language spoken at the Sandwich Islands and in New Zealand is not much, the names of headlands, hays and rivers, are the same in both countries. Some of their traditions further state, that they stayed for some time at an island called Rarotonga, and that when their numbers so much increased that there was not room for them, large canoes were built, and they, sailing in search of another home, reached New Zealand. The langviage of Rarotonga, one of tlie Hervey group, and New Zealand, is very similar. From whatever country they came, their canoes must traverse many hundreds of miles of sea ; it is impossible to suppose that tbey could come by any intel^gible course, but having committed them- selves to the winds and the waves, with a stock of provisions, in search of a home, were guided by divine providence to the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The Eev. John Williams found some people at Manua, one of the Navigators Islands, who had been drifted about the sea for three months, during which time twenty persons died, and the survivors at last landed nearly two thousand miles from their native island. Mr. Williams mentions a native teacher who, with his family, was drifted from Eurutu to Keppel's Island, a distance of nearly two thousand miles, B}' such means there is no doubt that the isles of the vast Pacific were peopled ; what may appear to us as acci- dental is no doubt a part of the divine purpose, the restless waves and " stormy wind fulfilling His wOrd. " The traditions of the migration from Hawaiki are very particular. The cause of their leaving is said to have been quarrels and war. Thirteen canoes are named : the chiefs who came in each, the articles brought in G8 NEW ZEALAND. each, and the tribes which sprang from the crew of each canoe, are distinctly remembered. On leaving Hawaiki an old chief is said to have addressed the emigrants as follows: — " Now do you, my children, depart in peace; and when you reach the land you are going to, do not follow after the deeds of Tu, the god of war, for if you do you will perish, as if swept away by the winds. Follow rather quiet and peaceful occupations, then you will die quietly a natural death. Go, then, and live in peace with all men, and leave war and strife behind you. Deppa't and dwell in peace. War and its evils are driving you from your father-land ; live then in peace where you are going to. Conduct yourselves like men ; let there be no quarrellings amongst you ; but build up a great and powerful people." * New Zealand appears to have been inhabited by an inferior race when the Maories landed on its shores. On this subject the following quotation from a lecture delivered in Auckland by the Eev. Mr. Stack, may be accepted : — " The real aborigines of these islands is not the Maori, but a Nigretto, more nearly allied to the African than to the Asiatic in colour, feature, and hair ; much inferior to the Maori in stature and intellect, and occupying a far lower station in the scale of civilization, and most probably identical with the natives of Australia and Tasmania. "From Maori traditions it appears highly probable that, when their canoes arrived from Hawaiki, this ancient race was thinly scattered over the entire group of the New Zealand isles ; that being inferior to the new comers they were subdued, and either reduced to slavery or destroyed ; and from the admixture of race seen in * W. Swainson, Esq., "New Zealand and its Colonization." THE MAORIES. 69 the Maori, they may still be traced in the woolly hair, short stature, and chocolate colour, which is not un- frequently met with, especially amongst the Ngatikahua, and to which the derisive name of Pokorekahu — black Kumara — is applied. ■* Some portions of this aboriginal race may have long survived in the Northern Island, and maintained its independence amongst the mountain ranges, where they are still remembered as the Maero, or wild men of the mountains ; they are supposed even yet to survive on the Tararua range, but their existence is imaginary. It is in the Middle Island that the remnants of this people are to be looked for, amidst the natural fastnesses of the Maori Alps, where they were known as the Ngatimamoe. In former j^ears, such was the dread which this degraded race had of the fierce Maori, that immediately they beheld them approach they fled ; they were, however, occasionally captured and made slaves, for which purpose they were much prized. The Ngatimamoe do not appear to have cultivated the ground, or to have had any means of support beyond that of hunting and fishing, and the indigenous fruits and roots of the forest." But our opinion, however, is that the wild tribes mentioned in these extracts were degenerate Maories, rather than remains of an aboriginal people. No idea of a Supreme Being appears to have entered into the Maori mind. The word Atua, which is now used for God, was applied to the several gods who were supposed to control particular events. According to their teaching " Eangi, the heavens, and Papa, the earth, had six children : Tumatauenga, the god and father of men and war ; Haumiatikitiki, the god and father of the food of men which springs without cultiva- 70 ■ NEW ZEALAND. tion ; Tangaroa, the god and father of fish and reptiles ; Tawhm-ma-tea, the god of winds and storms ; Rango- roatane, the god and father of the cultivated food of men ; and Tane Mahuta, the god of forests and birds." * Other gods were added, among whom were the ancestors of the tribes, and particularly those who were remarkable for valour. New Zealand native religion had its priesthood, to which considerable influence was attached. The Tohunga, or priest, was probably the most intelligent man of his tribe, the supposed duties belonging to his office making it necessary to examine the subjects which were brought before him very carefully, in order to support the honour of his profession. The Maori oracle was in much re- pute, and the Tohunga was the medium through which it was consulted. The following specimens of appeals made to the oracle are given from a work recently pub- lished in the colony.f A man left his home for a con- siderable time, in consequence of a domestic quarrel, and his family not knowing whether he intended to return, consulted the oracle to ascertain his purpose, and re- ceived the following answer : — ' ' He will return ; but yet will not return.'^ As several months passed after re- ceiving this answer without witnessing the return of the wanderer, some of his friends visited him with terms of reconciliation ; they found him dying, stayed till he had breathed his last, and then conveyed his corpse to his former home ; the honour of the oracle was therefore preserved. The captain of a large vessel, bound for a distant country, having completed his cargo, sailed with a Maori girl on board. The Tohunga was consulted as * Dr. Thomson, '' Story of New Zealand." t " Old New Zealand." By a Pakeha Maori. THE MAORIES. 71 being the only assistance within the reach of the excited and aggrieved neighbours, and the following announce- ment was given by the oracle : — " The ship's nose (bows) I will batter out on the great sea." Nothing was heard of the ship for about ten days, but at the expiration of that time she returned, having sprung a leak in her bows, two hundred miles from land.* This event of course contributed not a little to support the influence of the Tohunga. The Tohunga, or priest, was employed in any extra- ordinary undertaking, as in the naming of a child, par- ticularly the child of a chief, and at the interment of a corpse. Connected with the naming of a child a re- markable ceremony was performed, called Iriiri or Eohi. Before the infant was a month old he was taken to the side of a stream, named, dipped in the water, or sprinkled with water from a branch broken off a tree, and the fol- lowing chant was sung : — CHANT SUNG AT THE NAMING OF A MALE CHILD. " Let this child be strong to grasp the battle axe, To grasp the spear. Strong in strife, Foremost in the charge, First in the breach, Strong to grapple with the foe, To climb lofty mountains, To contend with raging waves. May he be industrous in cultivating the ground, In building large houses, In constructing canoes suitable for war, In netting nets." Similar ceremonies were performed at the namiiifr of a • "Old New Zealand," By a Pakeha Maori. 72 NEW ZEALAND. female child, but the chant sung was varied so as to suit her future duties, — CHANT SUNG AT THE NAMING OF A FEMALE CHILD. " May she be industrious in cultivating the ground, In searching for shell-fish, In weaving garments, In weaving ornamental mats, May she be strong to carry burdens." How melancholy to see a whole people dedicating their infant charge to the things of this world only ; and but two objects, even of a worldly kind, did they place before them as being worthy of their attention — work and war. Not a moral idea seems to have entered into their mind. Success in the battle-field was the highest aim of the men, and industry around their homesteads was the highest aim of the women — they were really ** without God and without hope in the world." The ceremonies connected with death were still more dark and sad. Not a ray of light illumined the tomb. Natural affection was sometimes strong, and was shown in shocking expressions of blood and anguish ; but no hope was entertained of a reunion in a world of perfec- tion and glory. The heathen mother little thought as she wept over the lovely form of her departed babe, that her child was already in the paradise of God. But sad and gloomy as this was for the mother to meet, the thick darkness which hung over the country hindered not the departed babe of the rich inheritance which Christ had prepared. " Sufl'er little children to come unto me," even from heathen lands, from the thick darkness, " where Satan's seat is ;" " let them come, and forbid them not," is the language of Jesus. It is a pleasing reflection that all the infant class, who die in THE MAORIES. 73 the dark and cruel places of the earth, inherit celestial glory. The corpse was often interred by the side of a stream, in which a staff was fixed. If the departed per- son was a man of note, the number of persons who attended the funeral was great, and the contortions of the body expressive of grief were remarkable. It is scarcely possible to form a correct conception of the sad- ness expressed in the following WAIL FOR THE DEAD. " Toko kai i te po. Place the staflf for the night (of death). Te po nui ! The great night ! Te po roa ! The long night ! Te po uri uri ! The dark night ! Te po tango tango ! The gloomy night ! Te po wawa ! The intense night ! Te po te kitea ! The unseen night ! Te po te waia ! The unsearchable night ! Te na toko ka tu, Behold the staff stands Ko toko o The staff of Tane rua nuku. Tane rua nviku."* Not a gleam of light penetrated the thick darkness of the tomb ; it was night, night to be followed by no day. And yet the idea was entertained that the soul of man survived ; but in Po, night, a place of misery was her abode. They believed in different degrees of misery, one under the other, the lowest being the worst, and that in these places the departed spirit was confined without food or light, till she pined away into annihila- tion. They had therefore cause for grief at the death of their loved ones ; for they had never heard of the resur- rection of the body ; reason, had they been accustomed *_Rev. R. Taylor. 74 NEW ZEALAND. to exercise that faculty on the subject, could have afforded them no real consolation ; life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel, but the gospel had not yet disturbed their slumbers ; they were sitting in the valley and the shadow of death, and hence arose the long, dismal, startling wail uttered at the grave. Nor was their case singular : the whole heathen world was in similar delusion and distress. Their general sentiment was expressed in the following lines : — " The meanest herb we trample in the field, Or in the garden nurture, when its leaf At winter's touch is blasted, and its place Forgotten, soon its vernal bud renews, And from short slumber wakes to life again. Man wakes no more ! Man, valiant, glorious, wise. When death once chills him, sinks in sleep profound — A long, unconscioiis, never-ending sleep." From a poem describing the adventures of Beowulf, who was supposed to have killed a dragon, and taken possession of a hoard of treasures which the dragon guarded, and belonging, no doubt, to the time when the Anglo-Saxon paganism prevailed in England, "v\e learn that the same dark, sad sentiment then hung around the subject of death. England, now so highly favoured, then sat in the valley of the shadow of death, without being able to pierce its thick darkness, and see the gleams of the Sun of Kighteousness which were soon to burst upon the British isles with immortal glory. Beowulf died, and his body was burnt, according to the custom of the age, with all possible honours. The place of his funeral pile was — " Hung round with helmets, with boards of war [shields], and with bright byrnies [coats of mail], as he had requested. THE MAORIES. 75 Then the heroes, weeping, laid down in the midst the famous chieftain, their dear lord. Then began on the hill, the warriors to awake the mightiest of funeral fires ; the wood-smoke rose aloft, dark from the fire ; noisily it went, mingled with weeping." When the body was consumed, the people proceeded to raise the memorial barrow, which the poem describes as being — " A mound over the sea ; it was high and broad, by the sailors over the waves to be seen afar. And they built up, during ten days, the beacon of the war-renowned. They surrounded it with a wall in the most honourable manner, that wise men could desire. They put into the mound rings and bright gems, all such ornaments as before from the hoard the fierce-minded men had taken ; they suS'ered the earth to hold the treasure of warriors, gold on the sand, where it yet remains as useless to men as it was of old." 76 NEW ZEALAND. In all those ceremonies, not a hope of immortality is expressed. Earth — the hero of earth, the treasures of earth — bounded their vision. In the inscriptions on the sepulchral slabs found in various parts of Great Britain, the same absence of hope strikes our attention. In some instances touching expressions of natural affection are inscribed : — " To the gods of the shades. To Simplicia Florentina, a most innocent thing, who lived ten months. Her father, of the sixth legion, the victorious, made this." * A slab found in Northumberland appears to have been the monument of a superior woman. The inscription is as foUows : — " To the gods of the shades. To Aurelia Faia, a native of Salona, Aur alius Marcus, a centurion, out of affection for his most holy wife, who lived thirty-three years without any stain, "t These inscriptions, commending their loved ones to " the gods of the shades," shew us a people desirous to penetrate "that land of deepest shade, unpierced by human thought" — panting after immortality, but not knowing where to find it. On another monumental stone, belonging to the time when the Koman power * " The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon," p. 321. t Ibid, p. 323. THE MAORIES. 77 prevailed in England, and before the introduction of the Gospel, the following plaintive inscrijition is met with : — " Adieu, Septimia, May the earth be light upon you ! Whoever on this tomb places a burning lamp, May his ashes a golden soil cover."* When we reflect upon the heathen ages through which our race has been led — when we approach the sepulchres of 0U7' forefathers, and hear their tremulous voices inquiring the way to eternal life — when we read the very- words with which they laid their beloved ones in the dust, not daring to hope to see them again — we find ourselves standing upon the same low level with the Maories at the begmning of the present century. Both races can now, however, look through the gloom which surrounds the grave, and see a glorious world, peopled with innumerable inhabitants, who have " washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Some of the Maori customs connected with death were very shocking. In many cases, the wives of a chief strangled themselves, to accompany their husband into the unknown world ; and slaves were killed to be his attendants. Survi\'ing relatives inflicted long and deep wounds in the paroxysms of their grief. Captain Cook tells us that he met with many women, whose husbands had been killed by their enemies, cutting themselves fearfully with shells and sharp stones, and making great lamentation. An eye witness gives the following revolting description of such a scene. A young man had been killed, and his head was brought and laid down among his friends, who gave expression to * "The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon," p. 310. 78 NEW ZEALAND. their grief in the most shocking manner. " One old woman, the mother of the murdered man, was a clot of olood from head to foot, and large clots of coagulated blood lay on the ground where she stood. She was uttering a dirge-like wail. In her right hand she held a piece of volcanic glass, as sharp as a razor. This she placed deliberately to her left wrist, drawing it slowly upwards to her left shoulder, the spouting blood follow- ing as it went ; then from the shoulder downwards, across the breast, to the short ribs on the right side. Then, taking the rude weapon in the left hand, she proceeded to cut the other side in a similar manner. Her forehead and cheeks had been scored also." "When the Eev. J. Williams was leaving the island of Aitutaki, he saw some women who had cut themselves so that the blood was streaming from their heads, faces, breasts, arms, and legs, while their cries and shrieks were dreadful. In this manner they expressed their grief at the departure of their friends. Having glanced at some of the customs which were observed at their entrance into life, and those, more shocking still, which were connected with their departure from this world, we will proceed to a description of the various and general features of Maori society. The Maories were, in a certain sense, a religious people ; for they never engaged in any important under- taking without first uttering a karakia — some sort of prayer or incantation ; and it was never forgotten when they were preparing to start on a journey, or to engage in fishing, planting, or war. At the return of a war party, the tohunga, or priest, was again engaged, and various ceremonies were performed. But their religion afforded them no comfort when their heart was wrung THE MAORIES. 79 with anguish ; it provided them with no day of rest ; it tormented them with witchcraft, and a thousand other fears, during life, and suggested nothing better, as we have ah-eady seen, than darkness and misery after death. The observance of the Tapu had a very strong influence upon all classes. Sacredness was its general character- istic. A person or thing made Tapu was set apart for sacred or special purposes, which could not be violated on any account. The benefits of this singular custom were in many cases very great. A plantation of Kumaras, or any other property, was rendered safe from the hands of the dishonest if it had been made Tapu ; the most daring spirits trembled at the idea of touching it. By the Tapu the sanctity of marriage was maintained, and its violation was sometimes the cause of exterminating wars. But if the Tapu was helpful in some respects, in the absence of law and order properly understood, it was an inconvenient institution in other cases. As a great chief was a tapued person, if he carried anything on his back, or if anything touched his head, it was immediately tapued — i.e., made sacred for his own use. If he went into a cooking house, all the things contained in it were rendered useless ; if he blew the j&re with his own breath, no food could be cooked at it ; and an inferior person was not permitted to light a pipe at such a sacred flame. After a long journey on a wet day, persons would weary themselves in efforts to procure a fire by rubbing two sticks together, while a large fire was burn- ing close by them, but could not be touched, because it had been kindled by a chief. A tapued person, in many cases, could not touch food with his hands, but submitted to the ludicrous, yet necessary inconvenience, of being fed by others ; and the only way by which he could slake 80 NEW ZEALAND. his thirst, was by turning up his face, while an attendant poured water into his mouth out of a calabash. Those who handled a dead body were tapued, and could not touch food with their hands. In a large pah, a person was set apart for the interment of the dead ; and to a more wretched office he could not be appointed. "Old, withered, haggard,, clothed in the most miserable rags, daubed all over from head to foot with red paint — the funeral colour — made of offensive shark oil and red ochre mixed, keeping always at a distance, silent and solitary, often half insane, he might be seen sitting mo- tionless all day at a distance, forty or fifty yards from the common path or thoroughfare of the village. . . Twice a day some food would be thrown on the ground before him, to gnaw as he best might, without the use of hands ; and at night, tightening his greasy rags around him, he would crawl into some miserable lair of leaves and rubbish, there, cold, half-starved, miserable, and dirty, to pass, in fitful ghost-haunted slumbers, a wretched night, as a prelude to another wretched day."* The inconvenience of the Tapu was felt in the com- mencement of the Missions, as the road between the stations was occasionally tapued, and consequently the mission families were then prevented from visiting each other. And we have known Government officers of high standing walk hundreds of miles without reaching the place whither they wished to go, on account of a portion of the country through which they wanted to pass being tapued. Such a sacred spot must not be trodden, and no inducement was sufficient to permit the Pakeha to proceed. The Tapu was fixed by a tohunga or • " Old New Zealand." By a Pakeha Maori. THE MAORIES. 81 a great chief, and it could not be removed but by a per- son belonging to one of those classes. Many ludicrous and unpleasant circumstances occurred among the early settlers through unintentional violation of the tapu. The singular and serious charge of "roasting his grandfather," was once preferred by a native against a j)akeha, and payment was demanded. The explanation of this allegation brought out the fol- lowing facts; that the bones of the "grandfather" had been deposited upon a certain tree, that they had been removed from it ten years, that the pakeha had kindled a fire at the foot of this tree, while he was on a journey, and that the tree had caught fire and was burnt down ; and thus, by a convenient figure of speech, the " grand- father" had been roasted, and paj^ment must be made ; and the matter was not settled till two bags of shot, two blankets, some fishhooks and tobacco, had been given to the aggrieved grandson.* But the violation of the tapu, although unintentional, sometimes led to more serious consequences. In 1772, the French navigator, Marion du Fresne, anchored his two ships in the Bay of Islands, and spent a month on the most friendly terms with the natives. The friend- ship was suddenly closed, and without any cause which the Frenchmen could understand. An ominous silence was kept by the natives, until their plans were prepared, when the foreigners were invited to go ashore, where Marion, several of his officers, and many of his men were murdered. This sudden and shocking massacre was caused, as it has since been discovered, by some of the ship's crew having taken firewood from tapued places. Could the dark history of ships plundered, crews massa- * See " Old New Zealand." By a Pakeha Maori. Q 82 NEW ZEALAND. cred, and the horrid orgies which followed, in different parts of New Zealand, be known, it would probably be found that the violation of the tapu was the general cause of complaint. An instance in which the influence of the tapu operated favourably occurred recently. When the Taranaki war was commenced, several families, including the Rev. H. H. Brown and his family, chose to stay in their homes at Omata, under the impression that they were safe. But when danger became imminent, and the means of escape were cut off, all the families sought refuge in Mr. Brown's house, which was tapued, as the residence of a clergyman, and were preserved ; while their neigh- bours were deliberately murdered, and the battle of Waireka was fought within a few hundred yards of their •fsylum. The New Zealander carried the process of tattooing the face and other parts of the body as far, perhaps, as any other people in the South Sea. This kind of orna- ment was considered appropriate to a powerful chief, who was more profusely marked than ordinary persons. In New Zealand, as well as in other countries, pride de- manded its terms of suffering. The tattooing process was so slow and painful that but little could be done at one time. The pigment prepared for this purpose was burnt Kauri gum, or the rosin of the rimu, pounded into a fine powder. The instruments used were a sharp chisel, made of bone, and a little mallet. The lines were traced with a piece of charcoal, after which the chisel was driven into the skin, and a piece of scraped flax, dipped into the pigment, was drawn over the incision. The life of the patient would have been endangered if much were attempted at one time ; therefore a considerable time THE MAORIES. 83 elapsed before the decorations were completed. The face was the principal part on which the artist displayed his skill. Beautifully curved lines were chiselled there, on the cheeks, the nose, and the chin, and care was taken to make both sides of the face alike. The thighs and other parts were ornamented also, but not so commonly as the face. The tattoo, in the case of females, was confined to the lips and chin, with a few straight lines on the chest and arms.- The men plucked out their beard with muscle shells, lest it should hide the tattoo. But this custom of savage life is likely to be entirely discontinued. It is not often that a young man now submits to it ; though, as a freak of fancy, he sometimes appears with his face marked with charcoal, so as to represent the tattoo. This, however, is continued only for a few hours, and many a New Zealander is seen proud of his clean-shaven face and bushy whiskers. The early visitors to this land of the Maories invariably noticed a short, flat, stone weapon, which the natives carried everywhere, and seemed to prize very highly. Of the same material was a little uncouth ornament, representing the human figure, but greatly distorted. This was the Hei tiki. It was worn carefull}^ round the neck, and probably represented one of their ancestors. Both the stone weapon, called Meri, and the Hei tiki were precious heir-looms. To obtain a new one, journeys of many hundreds of miles were undertaken. This was probably the chief reason why they were preserved with so much care. The following interesting account of the Poenamu — the green stone of which those heir-looms were made — is taken from the report of Charles Heaphy, Esq., who, accompanied by another gentleman, made a long and toilsome exploring tour on the west coast of 84 NEW ZEALAND. the Middle Island, in the year 1846. The small settle- ment of natives, where the green-stone ornaments were made, was several hundred miles distant from any other tribe. None of them, except a very few persons, had then seen a white man ; pigs and horses they were equally unacquainted with. No European clothing was found among them, nor any imjDorted articles, besides an axe and two iron pots. But many of their mats were of the most beautiful and silk-like material, and of elegant workmanship). Their chief employment was in making Poenamu articles. The kind of stone most valued was the Inanga — which is rather opaque, and traversed with Creamy-coloured veins ; and of this kind the best Meris were usually made. The Kauairangi is of a bright green colour, with darker shades, or mottled, and is the most translucent. Ear ornaments were made of this kind. The Kawakawa is of a dark olive green, and is rather dull and opaque. Hei tikis and ear-pendants are made of this. The Maka tangi wai is the most beautiful, being of a clear pale green, and very transparent ; but it is the least esteemed among the natives. The Meri was a terrible weapon in battle — one blow with it, when the antagonist was seized by the hair, being sufiicient to cause death. As the stone is very hard, the labour of two or three months was bestowed on one article. In the absence of European tools, the most difficult part of the work was to drill the hole through the handle. To accomplish this, a piece of sharp flint was lashed neatly in the end of a split stick, about six- teen inches long, and which formed the spindle to a large teetotum drill. For the circular plate of this instrument, the hardened intervertebral cartilage of a whale was THE MAORIES. 85 taken, a hole made through, and the stick firmly and accurately fixed in it. Two strings are then attached to the upper end of the stick, and by pulling them a rapid rotatory motion was given. This was continued till one piece of flint was blunted, when a fresh one was fixed in its place. It is pleasing to add that these ingenious and industrious people treated the gentlemen who visited them with the utmost kindness. The Maories, compared with many of the Polynesians, are an industrious people. The neat and orderly state of their plantations of taro and kumaras attracted the attention of Captain Cook. Not only were they free from weeds, but every root was carefully surrounded with a hillock of mould or sand. Many of their gardens are perfect models of neatness in the present day, and by the care given in the selection of a properly sheltered situation, suitable soil, careful weeding, and loosening of the ground, they often secure heavier crops of maize, and some other things, than their Pakeha neighbours. The excellence of industry was j)roverbial, of which the following may be given as a specimen : — " He kai tangata he kai titonga, koke mahia e tona ringa ringa,tino kai tino makona" — " whosoever trusts to another man's labour for his food, will be disappointed ; but he who labours with his own hands, will have enough and to spare." The patience with which they continued their labo- rious occupations before the introduction of iron tools was remarkable. Their delving implement was a stake sharpened at one end, with a piece of wood, about six inches long, lashed firmly on horizontally, about twelve inches from the point. On this piece the foot rested when the stake was forced into the ground, and by bringing the top of the stake towards the earth, the soil 86 NEW ZEALAND. was loosened. We have stated in a former chapter, that some of their canoes were seventy feet long and about six feet wide ; the labour expended upon a canoe of this size must have been very great. Their canoes in the North were made of the Kauri, in the South of the Totara. The principal tool used in making them was a sharp stone, strongly fastened to the end of a stick in the form of an adze. With this tool, and the careful application of fire, they felled the giant tree, cut it to its proper length, reduced it to the desired form, and hollowed out the immense log. By the same process planks were prepared, which were firmly lashed to the solid log, so as to raise the sides of the canoe. The figure-head required much labour. It was seen rising ses^eral feet above the body of the canoe, elaborately carved, and exhibiting a repulsive caricature of the human form. Two of these canoes were lashed together, and formed the celebrated double canoe. They were propelled by paddles, which were models of excellence, both in form and workmanship. The number of men and quantity of provisions which they could contain were considerable, while they were propelled with ease and rapidity. Smaller canoes, without ornament, were often made for fishing purposes, and for carrying fire-wood ; these of com-se required much less labour. Much ingenuity was displayed in constructing hooks and nets for catching fish. Some of these were so strong that the savage shark, and other large fishes, were secured. From these fishes they i>roeured not only an article of food, but abundance of oil, with which they were fond of anointing their bodies. Not a little skill was shewn in building their best houses. The frame- work was made of poles firmly fixed in the ground, with THE MAORIES. 87 cross-pieces and rafters carefully fitted, and fastened with flax. Layers of Kaupo were then neatly tied on the outside of the frame-work ; and on the inside, pro- perly selected reeds and carefully trimmed fern-stalks were nicely arranged, and fastened to the frame-work with flax. The roof was thatched with a thick coating of rough grass. A small opening was left at the end to admit the light, and the door- way was low; but the interior appearance of a good house, when new, was clean and prepossessing. A neat verandah was often made to form the front ; a few large stones in the centre of the house constituted the fire-place, and as there was no chimney, the smoke soon marred its beauty, and gave it a dirty appearance. Another kind of house was constructed of similar materials, but it was small, low, with no opening for the admission of light, and with a door-way only about two feet by eighteen inches in size, through which a person must creep, and admitting scarcely any circulation of air. In such a house several persons would lie down on mats, discussing topics of interest, and perspiring profusely. A fire was often burning in the centre, which fearfully increased the temperature, and so filled the house with smoke that it became scarcely supportable. This class of houses must tend to produce disease, not only from the unwholesome air which is breathed in them, but from the habit of the natives to leave them nearly, or quite naked, for the purpose of enjoying for a little time the cool fresh air of the evening. • Near their houses, sheds were built, where fire-wood was laid up in admirable order, and where their food was prepared and cooked in wet weather. The native ovens were made by scooping out the earth according to 88 NEW ZEALAND. the size required ; a fire was then kindled in the hole, and some stones were laid upon the fire, and made very hot ; after this the fire was removed, and water was poured upon the stones to produce steam. Baskets of fish, potatoes, and other food were then placed upon the stones, and covered very carefully with kets and other things to preserve the food from dirt ; more water was then poured upon the stones, and the whole was covered with earth, so as to prevent the steam from escaping. In about half an hour the earth was removed, and the food was admirably cooked. The ovens were made of whatever size was required ; some of them were small enough for the use of a family, and others suffi- ciently large to supply a considerable number of persons. We cannot forget that in this kind of ovens human bodies have often been cooked. The remains of many of our countrymen have shared this fate ; but these horrible usages have passed away in New Zealand, except under the savage excitement of war, and w^e trust will never be revived. Fish and birds were often roasted, by fixing them on one end of a stick before a fire, the other end being driven into the ground. Fish were dried for future use. Stages were erected on which food was kept from the rats. And notwithstanding their habit of besmearing themselves with rancid fish oil, which rendered their persons, garments, and houses offensive to a European, not a little care was taken to keep their homesteads clean and orderly. Maori names, as suggested by any particular event, were often given to children, or appropriated in adult age. This was the case with the Hebrews, and other ancient nations, and continues to be practised in several islands of the Pacific Ocean. The original name of Pomare I., THE MAORIES. 89 the King of Tahiti, was Vairaatoa ; " but travelling on one occasion among the mountains, and sleeping in an exposed situation, he felt cold, and was affected with coughing. One of his companions remarked in the morning, that it had been a night of cough — Po mare ; Po, night, and mare, cough. The chief was pleased with the combina- tion, and adopted it as his name."* The Rev. R. Taylor observes, that Heu Heu implies, " Surprising an enemy from the brushwood;" Tinirau, "Slew many hundreds with his own hand;" Puimjlhaeata, " The first ray of the morning;" Te Thl, " The sunbeam." When Te Heu Heu was killed by a land-slip, his son assumed the name of Horonguku, " The sliding landslip." The Christian names of England are now commonly adopted, and others, taken from persons, offices, and things, are singularly appropriated. Hence King}, King; Kuini, Queen ; Kawana, Governor ; Pihopa, Bishop ; Kanara, Colonel ; Wikltoria te Kuinl, Victoria the Queen ; Tikera, Tea-kettle; Tupeka, Tobacco; Kaweua, Coffin — are among the names in vogue at the present time.t Polygamy prevailed, especially among the chiefs, and produced its natural results in the form of jealousy, quarrels, suicide, and murder. The first-born son of a chief was his successor, although the mother might be a slave. As is the case generally in heathen countries, the Maori women were much oppressed. They per- formed most of the field-work, as well as the more appropriate duties of cooking and making mats ; they procured firewood, fetched water from the brook, and carried provisions when on a journey. These things, together with the early age at which they were often * Ellis's ' ' History of the London Missionary Society. " t " New Zealand and its Inhabitants." By Rev. R. Taylor. 90 NEW ZEALAND. married, contributed to rob them of their bloom before half their days were spent, While young, the native women are generally pleasing in appearance, and often good looking ; but they become haggard and repulsive at an age when the men retain their freshness and vigour. The shocking sin of infanticide was often practised. Mothers stopped the breath of their own children, by closing their mouth and nostrils with the hand, or by laying a wetted cloth upon their face ! The reasons assigned for this abominable custom included jealousy, the inconvenience of nursing when engaged in field work, and the importance of being ready to flee without in- cumbrances if they were surprised by an enemy. These, and others like them, were the considerations which dried up the stream of a mother's love, and by so rob- bing her of natural affection, placed her below the monsters of the deep, and the wild beasts of the desert. To such a state of degradation thousands of mothers, scattered over the wide bosom of the Pacific, were reduced. This practice has been swept away from New Zealand, and other islands where the Gospel has been accepted, but it is still continued in many heathen countries. But it must not be inferred from the preceding para- graph that the Maories were incapable of affection. Children were generally treated with much kindness if they survived the state of infancy. The tangi had the appearance of warm friendship ; and no doubt, in many cases, it was sincere. This custom, so strange to Euro- peans, was an expression of affection between friends who had been for some time separated, in which they touched each other's nose, told the events which they had met with since they parted in a sad, whining chant, THE MAOBIES. 91 and wept tears in abundance. This was often continued about half an hour. At a great assembly, where numer- ous parties from a distance met, many exhibitions of the tangi were seen at one time, and formed a strange and melancholy picture in the eyes of every one except a native. The Maories are fond of public speaking, and oppor- tunities for such an exercise often occurred. To consider an affront given by another tribe, to determine on war, to make arrangements of peace, and to discuss any other affair of general interest, a numerous meeting was convened, and their oratorical powers were freely dis- played. The speaker generally roused himself into a strong passion, as he walked backwards and forwards before the audience, brandishing his weapon of war, striking his sides, and assuming a countenance so agitated and fierce, that a stranger from England would tremble for the consequences. " On these occa- sions," observes Sir George Grey, " according to the custom of the nation, the most effective speeches were invariablj^ principally made up from recitations of por- tions of ancient poems. In this way the art of the orator was shewn by his selecting a quotation from an ancient poem, which figuratively, but dimly, shadowed forth his intentions and oj)inions. As he spoke, the people were pleased at the beauty of the poetry, and at his knowledge of their ancient poets, whilst their ingenuity was excited to endeavour to detect, from his figurative language, what were his intentions and designs. Quotation after quotation were rapidly and forcibly chanted, and made his meaning clearer and clearer ; curiosity and attention were by degrees rivetted upon the speaker, and if his sentiments were in unison with 92 NEW ZEALAND. the great mass of the assembly, and he were a man of influence, as each succeeding quotation gradually re- moved the doubts from the minds of the attentive group who were seated upon the ground around him, murmur of applause rose after murmur of applause, until, at some closing quotation, which left no doubt as to his real meaning, the whole assembly gave way to tumults of delight, and applauded equally the determination he had formed, his poetic knowledge, and his oratorical art, by which, under images beautiful to them, he had, for so long a time, and at last so perfectly, manifested his real opinion." The cannibal propensity of the New Zealanders was very strong, and was frequently gratified ; but we have no proof that they ate human flesh as common food, nor that they were induced to do so through a scarcity of provisions. Persons who were the objects of revenge, slaves who fell under the displeasure of their owners, and captives taken in war, were often killed and eaten. When a small party was surprised and killed, one or more of the bodies was devoured. The first person killed in a battle was considered sacred to the gods, and, if the body could be procured, it was baked in a separate oven, as a religious oflering. Large numbers of bodies were cooked in extensive ovens at the conclusion of a battle, and the victorious party gorged themselves with the horrible repast ; the remainder was then packed in baskets and carried with them on their journey, or sent as a present to their friends, and in some cases it was kept till it became putrid, and was then eaten ! Females were not generally supposed to eat human flesh ; but they often accompanied the war party, carried their provisions, and prepared their food. THE MAORIES- 93 Of the same shocking character was their custom of preserving human heads. This was done by cleaning them, and then drying them thoroughly in ovens, care- fully preserving the face and scalp from being torn, so that the lines of the tattoo were distinctly retained. The heads of persons slain in battle, especially if fully tattooed, were preserved as trophies of war, and exhibited on the top of poles along the fences of a pah. It is said that this custom was in some cases the result of affec- tion ; and that if the chief wife did not die with her husband, she would sometimes have his head dried, and sleep with it by her side ! Preserved heads were offered for sale to Captain Cook in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and a human skull was used to bail water out of a canoe. It is painful to write that, after a communication was opened between New Zealand and New South Wales, a considerable traffic was carried on in preserved heads, which commanded a high price in the Sydney market. To such a fearful extent was this horrible practice car- ried, that slaves were sometimes killed to complete the number of heads for which a bargain had been made with the Captain of a ship ! We blush for our country- men ! To what a shocking state may even an Englishman fall, when he is free from the restraints of law, and is urged along in a vicious career by the demon of avarice ! This abominable traffic was continued till the Govern- ment of New South Wales put a stop to it. The Maori was a man of war. At his birth a Karakia was offered that he might be foremost in the battle-field, and at his death his prowess while engaged in deadly strife was chanted in mournful strains. Scarcely any article was prized so highly as weapons of war. As a warrior, the darkest and basest passions were let loose, 94 NEW ZEALAND. and he performed deeds of cruelty which could be hardly equalled by the fiercest beasts of prey. The perpetration of a murder, an act of adultery, the absconding of a woman to another tribe, planting upon disputed ground, or a curse denounced against an influential chief, were among the common causes of war. A young man seeing the perspiration dropj)ing from the cheek of a chief as he was running, in great haste, remarked that "the vapour rose from his head like the steam of an oven." This expression was regarded as a great curse, and caused a war which exterminated the tribe to which the young man belonged.* Their pahs or villages were often built upon hills, so that the approach of an enemy might be more easily perceived. A high cliff, overhanging a river or the sea, and accessible on one side only, was a favourite position, as it could be easily defended. Very strong fences, about ten feet high, in double rows, about three feet apart, were erected round the pah ; and in cases of great danger, embankments were raised, trenches were dug, and underground houses were made and stored with provisions. The war-dance was an exhibition of terror, and was performed naked. It is thus described in Cook's voy- ages : — " The contortions are numerous ; their limbs are distorted and their faces agitated with strange, con- vulsive motions. Their tongues hang out of their mouth to an amazing length, and their eyelids are drawn so as to form a circle round the eye. At the same time they shake their darts, brandish their spears, and wave their patoo-patoos to and fro in the air. There is an admirable vigour and activity in their dancing, and in * See Taylor's *' New Zealand and its Inhabitants." THE MAORIES. 95 their song they keep time with such exactness that sixty or a hundred paddles, when struck against the sides of their boats at once, make only a single report." The demonstration which Captain Cook witnessed was upon the water, and although it was sufficiently energetic, full scope was not given for a complete display. We supply the following description of the war-dance as it was commonly performed : — " The whole army, after running about twenty yards, arranged itself in lines, five, ten, twenty, or even forty deep, and then all squatted down in a sitting posture. Suddenly, at a signal given by the leader, all started to their feet, having weapons in their right hands. With the regularity of a regiment at drill, each man elevated the right leg and right side of the body, then the left leg and left side, and then, like a flash of lightning, jumped two feet from the ground, brandishing and cleaving the air with his weapon, and yelling a loud chorus, which terminated with a long, deep, expressive sigh, and was accompanied with gaping mouths, inflated nostrils, distorted faces, out-hanging tongues, and fixed, starting eyes, in which nothing was seen but the dark pupil surrounded with white. Every muscle quivered. Again and again these movements were enacted, and time was marked by striking their thighs with their open left hands, so as to produce one sound." The introduction of fire-arms followed soon after trading vessels ventm-ed to approach their shores, and gave an unhappy impetus to their warlike movements. It is impossible to convey a correct idea of the firm grasp with which the demon of destruction held fast the soul of an old warrior. The following description of the death of an old chief of this class is given from the pen 96 NEW ZEALAND. of a gentleman on whose premises the chief spent the last years of his life : — " The old man, I saw at once, was at his last hour. He had dwindled to a mere skeleton. No food of any kind had been prepared for, or offered to him, for three days : as he was dying, it was of course considered unnecessary. At his right hand lay his spear, tomahawk, and musket ; over him was hanging his green-stone Mere ; and at his left side, close, and touching him, sat a stout, athletic savage, with a countenance disgustingly expressive of cunning and ferocity, and who, as he stealthily marked me from the corner of his eye, I recognized as one of those limbs of Satan, a Maori tohunga. The old man was propped up in a reclining position, his face toward the assembled tribe, who were all there waiting to catch his last words. I stood before him, and I thought I perceived he recog- nized me. Still, all was silence, and for a full half hour we all stood there waiting patiently for the closing scene. The silence was suddenly broken, when the dying man said, ' Hide my bones quickly where the enemy may not find them — hide them at once. my tribe, be brave, be brave ! . . . I give my mere to my pakeha. My two old wives will hang themselves.' Delirium came on, when he imagined himself in the battle-field, and gave orders for the 'charge, and then for the rescue.' He fell back evidently dying, and murmured, ' How sweet is man's flesh ! ' and died. Just then the tohunga shook his shoulder roughly, and shouted in his ear, ' Kia kotahi ki te ao ! Kia kotahi ki te po ! ' At a signal from the tohunga a roar of musketry burst forth. Thus in a din like Pandemonium, guns firing, women scream- ing, and the accursed tohunga shouting in his ear, died Lizard-skin, as good a fighting-man as ever worshipped THE MAORIES. 97 force or trusted in the spear. During the following night his body was carried away, and laid in a cave, with his spear and tomahawk beside it, and before the next morning his two old wives hanged themselves ! " Such was the unsophisticated nature and character of people, whom the contaminating influences of civiliza- tion had not touched, according to the teachers of philosophy in the latter part of the ]ast century, that every virtue which is pure and ennobling could be found among them. But what was their real condition ? The preceding pages reveal a scene of evil, at which reason, benevolence, and honour are opposed and insulted, and from which humanity may turn away and weep on ac- count of the degradation of our species. Yet we have not laid bare the darkest practices of their sin and wretchedness ; for it is 'a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.' " The inhabitants of other islands in the South Sea were sunk as low, and many of their most cruel and revolting customs were similar to those of the Maories. Infanticide was practised to such a shocking extent at Tahiti that "few, if any, females could be found in the entire community who had been mothers, and had not been guilty of it. By the majority of those who had been mothers it had been perpetrated more frequently than avoided ; and by many to an extent which, but for the most unequivocal evidence, that of the perpetrators themselves, would be deemed incredible." It does not appear that the Tahitians were cannibals, but their savage cruelty when engaged in war led them to delight in thrusting their spears through the bodies of children, and stringing a number of infants together on a cord, and dragging them after them in triumph to their H 98 NEW ZEALAND. encampment. Human sacrifices were frequently offered to their gods; and "the foundations of the temples were sometimes laid on the bodies of men who had been killed and offered in sacrifice to the idol for whose worship the building was reared."* The people of the Fiji Islands were notorious cannibals. On some occasions large numbers of persons were killed, and their bodies cooked and salted for future use. In other cases the remains of a cannibal feast were kept in the ground till they became putrid, and were then exhumed and eaten with delight. More horrible still is it to relate that some instances occurred in which limbs were cut off' one by one, as they were wanted for food, from a living man ; and the poor mutilated wretch was compelled to be a spectator while his own limbs were cooked and roasted. These statements are made by the Kev. Walter Lawry, the late General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Missions in Polynesia, who observes that there were some circumstances in connexion with those facts which he was not able to set down: "they are before me," says he, " but a veil must cover them."t We cannot conclude this chapter in more appropriate language than that used by the apostle Paul in describing the effects of heathenism eighteen centuries ago ; only remarking that the inspired expressions were applicable to the people of New Zealand, and of Polynesia in general, in an intenser degree than they were probably applied, at least, in some respects, to the heathen of ancient times : — " God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves ... to vile affections * Ellis' History of the London Missionary Society. t Wesleyan Missionary Notices, 1848. THE MAOEIES. 99 . . . to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient ; being filled with all unrighteousness^ fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness ; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural aifec- tions, implacable, unmercifuL" ' CHAPTER V. MISBIONARY TRIALS. ** There he stands ; ; The mark of foreign climes is on his brow ; He hath no power, no costly gifts to deal Among the people, and his lore perchance The earth-bowed worldling with his scales of gold, Accounted folly. Yet to him is raised Each straining eye-ball, *' Tell us of the Christ." '^PHE establishment and progress of Christian Missions I in heathen countries, form one of the most interest- ing features of Protestant religion in the present day. In them many of the brightest utterances of inspired men have been partly fulfilled, and an intelligent hope is given, in the success which has attended them, of the world's salvation. Not that there is anything novel in Christian missions, for the very nature of our religion is expansive, and the commission with which we are entrusted enjoins us to " go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." This was properly understood by the early Christians, who " went every- where preaching the word." Some attempts w^ere made, even in the dark ages, to spread the truth as it is in Jesus ; and though bonds and torture and death were the penalty which a wicked world inflicted upon those devoted servants of Christ, they were not entirely pre- vented from pursuing their work of love and faith. Nor iid they labour in vain, for the churches of the present day are their debtors, not only in the vigour and sted- fastness which their example has inspired, but for the MISSIONAEY TRIALS, 101 dissemination of the sacred Scriptures, whose glorious truths are the foundation of our hope and the guide of our life. The Eoman Catholic Church has set us some praiseworthy examples of missionary zeal ; the errors of their system we deeply deplore, the substitution of the saints for the Saviour, the crucifix for the cross, and the traditions of the chui'ch for the teaching of the word of God result, we fear, in the loss of multitudes of souls ; nor can we look upon their efforts to overturn the labours of successful propagators of a purer faith, and so to blight the prospects of some of the fairest fields of Christian labour, without much regret ; yet we cannot but admire their missionary zeal, self-denial, and inces- sant labours. The earliest attempt to form a Protestant mission was made by the Church of Geneva, in the middle of the sixteenth century, when some agents were sent to America, but it does not appear to have prospered. More decisive efforts were made by the Dutch in Ceylon and Java in the early part of the next century ; and a great number of nominal Christians were the result of their labours. The first British organization for mis- sionary purposes apj)ears to have been mada in lG-i9, when the "the President and Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel in New England " received the sanction of Parliament- In the first year of the eighteenth century the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts " was incorporated by a charter, and included several of the most eminent persons both in the Church and in the State. Seven years after the Danish Mission in India was establishei on the Malabar coast. In 1731 the Moravian Brethren commenced their missionary work, and continued it in the face of trials 102 NEW ZEALA?n>. and disappointments of no ordinary kind ; tlieir consis- tent devotion and extensive labours entitle them to a high place among those whose aim is to enlighten the dark places of the earth, "The Baptist Missionary- Society " struggled into existence in the latter pai't of the last century, under the frown of some good but mis- taken men, chiefly through the indomitable energy and entire devotedness of Messrs. Carey and Thomas and a few other persons, who now enjoy the reward of their labours. Three years after the departure of Carey and Thomas to the East, the "Duff" sailed with tlmiy mis- sionaries, some of whom were married, to commence their work of faith and love among the uncivilized islanders of the Pacific Ocean. This was the commence- ment of the "London Missionary Society." The churches of America originated the American Board of Commis- sioners for Foreign Missions in the early part of the present century, and other similar institutions soon after sprang up in the United States, At this time the missionary spirit largely pervaded the churches, shedding a happy influence over their immediate labours, and preparing them to take up a position in the high places of the field. In the first year of this century the atten- tion of the Established Chu:rch of England was directed i o missionary work, and soon after resulted in the forma- tion of "the Church Missionary Society." After con- ducting missionary labours in the American colonies and the West Indies with success, the " Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society" was properly organized in the year 1817, and is at present, through the characteristic energy of Methodism, one of the most influential missionary societies now in the field. So copiously has the mis- sionary spirit been poured out upon the Protestant MISSIONARY TRIALS. 103 churches in Great Britain and Ireland, in the European Continent, in America, and in the British Colonies, that many other institutions, having the same object in view, have been formed, and are conducted with much success in various parts of the earth. More than twenty-five thousand agents, including ordained missionaries, native assistants, physicians, schoolmasters, and printers, are now engaged ; all classes of talents are employed, the gospel is preached in many languages, and a sacred literature, including the translation of the Scriptures, is circulated in many lands, where till lately Pagan dark- ness was really felt. In the support of this extensive work about nine hundred thousand pounds sterling are annually spent ; and this goodly sum is raised, with a few trifling exceptions, as the voluntary offerings of the friends of missions. The effects of missionary labour are apparent to all. More than a million of persons now sit down to the Lord's table who have been rescued from heathen darkness ; and a million and a half of scholars are receiving instruction in mission schools. The temporal advantages of Christian missions are many and great. The mariner does not tremble for the safety of his ship as she lies in the harbour, where the church and school-house are the most conspicuous objects ; nor are human sacrifices and cannibal feasts enacted among a people who have jolaced themselves under missionary instruction- It is an argument strongly in favour of the divine origin of Christianity, that it meets the social, moral, and religious wants of all nations ; none are so refined that their habits of thought and feeling are cultivated beyond the provision which the gospel makes for their comfort and guidance, nor are any sunk so low in their 104 NEW ZEALAND. brutalizing customs and fierce and revengeful spirit as to render them of necessity incapable of receiving impres- sions of saving truth, and of becoming a part of the church of God. Several fields of missionary toil have been entered upon, with no other prospect of success than that which an unwavering confidence in God's word inspired, and in the face of the most formidable difficulties and opposition; and yet even there signal triumphs have been awarded to the faithful servants of the Most High God ; illustrating the saying of the Saviour — "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." When the mission to New Zealand w^as undertaken, it was justly considered a? being a very dangerous enter- prise. Such were the savage customs and cannibal pro- pensities of the people, that they afforded the fullest opportunity to illustrate the saying of the Apostle Paul, that the Gospel is " the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth." There was nothing in favour of the Gospel, but everything against it ; if success could be found in this field, then we might hopefully sow the earth with Gospel seed. Many of the Maori customs were most revolting. Murder was common, infanticide prevailed to a great extent, and cannibalism had fearfully increased during the last few years. There was no law for the protection of either property or life but that of might, except the superstitious aj^pointment of the tajju. The people were ignorant of the customs of civilized life, and being con- fined to their own islands, with scarcely any intercourse with another race, they were prevented from rising much in the social scale. Stone, wood, the bones of fishes, and the leaves of the rauiJo and other coarse grasses, with the flax plant, formed the chief materials of which MISSIONARY TRIALS. 105 they constructed their tools, procured their food, and built their canoes and houses. They had no knowledge of metals, no means of boiling water, nor had they any vessels for holding water besides the calabash. Tliey had no idea of any quadruped besides the rat, dog, and pig, and the last had been but recently introduced. Some sheep and goats had been landed by Captain Cook, but it does not appear that they lived. Of wholesome animal food they had none, but they had Jish in abund- ance, and a few birds. Their clothing was made prin- cipally of flax ; no covering was provided for either their feet or head, and their mats were often thrown off, so that they went about nearly nude. The glorious works of God, as they are displayed in the southern heavens, in the restless ocean, and in the rich and varied scenery of their country, had not aroused their soul to inquiry. Although conscious of a sense of restlessness, they could define only a few wants, and were desirous of nothing more than to satisfy them. The name which they gave to the North Island — Te ika o Maui, the fish of Maui — and the story which they told about Maui pulling up the island with his hook, when engaged on a fishing excursion, denoted their ignorance of natural science. Nor had their language been reduced to a written form, of letters and figures they were entirely ignorant. Yet their language as spoken was copious and euphonious, but before it could be made the vehicle of communication by means of the press, its sounds had to be caught, named and classified. And this was but a small part of the work to be done ; for when the language was so far acquired as to enable the missionaries to converse intel- ligibly with the natives, and print elementary lessons, they had to commuuicate new ideas couceming God and 106 NEW ZEALAND. man, the present life and the future state — ideas totally different from any which they had previously conceived. Their history as told by the toJmnga, consisted chiefly of traditions and songs. Some of their customs were particularly dangerous to strangers ; the tajm, for instance, might be violated by mistake or in ignorance, and lead to the most melancholy consequences. War had so raged among them during the thirty years which preceded the introduction of the Gospel, that a large part of the population was cut off ; some tribes, or large divisions of tribes, had been nearly exterminated, and the survivors cherished deadly feuds. Their basest passions had been fanned into a flame, and raged with almost uncontrollable fury. Ships had approached their coasts, and the unsightly hull remained as a warning to others, while the bleached bones of the crews and passengers lay strewn around the loathsome ovens. Nor must it be forgotten that the nearest port of civiliza- tion was in New South Wales, itself a penal settlement, and more than a thousand miles distant. Dark as this picture may appear, it is a true sketch— and it is only a sketch — of New Zealand as a projected mission field. The idea will at once suggest itself that the men who would undertake such a mission should not be common men ; that a good deal of tact to make circumstances bend to their high and holy purpose, and a determina- tion to conduct themselves so as to win the confidence of savage men, was necessary. Undaunted courage was needed also ; for dangers and death surrounded them. To be happy in their work, such men must rely upon their own efforts to a great extent for the means of do- mestic comfort, and conscious of their disinterested motives, must be content for a while to be misunder- MISSIONARY TRIALS. 107 stood, and instead of expecting their full reward in the present world, must expect it in the world which is to come. Nor must they be cast down at the apparent want of success, for this is sometimes more apparent than real ; but trusting in the promises of God, the operations of the Holy Ghost, and the efficacy of Christ's atoning blood, they must anticipate the time when the savage tribes around them shall be clothed and in their right mind, and " sitting at the feet of Jesus." The person to whom the New Zealand Mission is most indebted is the Eev. Samuel Marsden, Senior Chaplain of New South Wales. He was born in Yorkshire, of poor parentage, and was apprenticed to learn a common trade. His earliest religious impressions were received among the Wesleyan Methodists. By means of the Elland Society, he was placed at St. John's College, Cambridge, studied for the ministry, and was ordained in the year 1793. In the same year he was appointed Chaplain to the convict settlement of New South Wales, which had been formed only five years before. He took a great interest in the enterprise of the London Mission- ary Society to the South Sea Islands, contributed not a little to its support, mourned in its days of adversity, and rejoiced in its success. The first vessel intended for missionary purposes was purchased by Mr. Marsden — the Active, a brig of a hundred tons burden — and was the means of communication between the colony and the mission stations. Seven times he visited New Zea- land, and clung to this mission with characteristic ardour till his death. He conducted the first Cinistian worship and preached the first sermon among the Maories, and was permitted to see the commencement of a work of grace, on which the angels of God looked down with 108 NEW ZEALAND. delight, among that peoj^le. His trials were neither few nor small ; calumniated by men high in office, whose conduct he reproved, and hated by convicts, whom he had punished from the magistrates' bench — for he had served many years as a Justice of the Peace — he occasionally appealed to the courts of law for the defence of his character. He availed himself of the opportunity which those times afforded of winning extensive farms from the waste lands, by means of convict labour, and became rich ; but he dispensed his wealth with a liberal hand, both in religious and benevolent channels. His name will live among the chief benefactors of the country in which most of his life was spent, and in New Zealand it will be cherished in remembrance of the first efforts which were made to introduce the blessings of civilisation and religion among a race whose deeds of cruelty and death had struck terror into the minds of hardy and adventurous seamen, who wished to approach their coast. On the 12th May, 183B, hfty-four years after his first arrival in New South Wales, this pioneer of Missionary work in New Zealand, departed to his everlasting reward, Mr. Marsden fell into the error which affected many other good men, of supposing that an uncivilized people is not prepared to receive the Gospel, and, consequently that a course of preparatory labour, for the purpose of awakening their minds and restraining their grossest habits, must be conducted. His own words were : " The heathens in these islands are, in the strictest sense, in a state of nature. Hence it becomes the indispensable duty of the missionaries to use every means for their civilization, and not to imagine that they are already prepared to receive the blessings of divine revelation. . . MISSIONARY TRIALS. 109 Nothing in my opinion can pave the way for the intro- duction of the gospel but civilization."* As the New Zealand Mission was commenced by laymen, the idea has become general that the conductors of the Church Missionary Society, fifty years ago, adopted the same sentiment, but this is perhaps not correct. If they were of opinion that the peculiar state of New Zealand re- quired some preparatory measures, they were certainly very anxious to introduce the gospel as early as possible. Soon after the commencement of the mission, the direc- tors wrote as follows ; — " The agents employed in es- tablishing the mission were laymen, because clergymen could not be had ; and the instructions given to them necessarily correspond with their lay character. The foremost object of the mission has, from the first, been to bring the natives, by the use of all suitable means, under the saving influences of the grace of the gospel, adding indeed the communication to them of such useful arts and knowledge as might improve their social con- dition."! No one can dispute the importance of civilization to a people, the error lies in making it necessary, or nearly so, to a saving appreciation of the gospel. From this error the foregoing extract rescues the Church Mission- ary Society. The most cultivated minds do not appear more ready to receive the gospel than the unlearned ; the truth of God — the faithful saying, that " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" — is placed within the reach of all classes, and the " wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err," It is an appeal to the heart as well as to the mind, for "with the heart man be- lieveth unto righteousness." Civilization, however de- * " Life of Rev. S. Marsden." t Ibid, p. 57. 110 NEW ZEALAND. sirable, is of slow growth ; in many of the islands, where tens of thousands of persons, whose moral conduct and religious efforts are satisfactory, the general advance- ment towards civilized life is very slow ; and is a source of trial to the excellent men whose best days are devoted to their temporal and spiritual welfare. But while this is a subject of regret, we should not forget that the tendency of the gospel is to raise a people in the social scale, to extend the sphere of their vision, to develope latent powers of mind, to make them conscious of new wants, and to make them willing to use proper means to secure both their temporal and eternal welfare. The honoured men who were appointed to commence the New Zealand Church Mission, Messrs. Hall, King, and Kendall, left England in 1810; but on their arrival at New South Wales, the intelligence which had just been received from the country of the Maories, was of such a cruel and shocking kind, that the Governor of the colony positively refused the Eev. S. Marsden per- mission to visit the New Zealand coast ; and it was deemed prudent to suspend the missionary attempt till the general excitement in both countries should subside. This excitement was occasioned by the massacre of the crew and passengers of the ship Boyd, which ill-fated vessel sailed from Sydney, and was bound for England, having on board a number of passengers, some of whom were children of respectable parents, who adopted this course to secure their children a good education in the fatherland. The Boyd called at New Zealand for the purpose of shipping some spars, not supposing that she was going into the jaws of destruction. The immediate cause of the massacre lay in the improper conduct of the captain towards a chief, who was returning to New MISSIONARY TRIALS. Ill Zealand as a passenger ; the chief refused to work on board, and was flogged as a punishment for his refusal ; and as utu or payment for the insult inflicted upon their chief, the tribe to which he belonged formed a plan to seize the ship, and murder the crew and passengers. The captain and two boat's crews were killed in the forest where they were selecting spars, and all the jDersons who remained on board were murdered and eaten, except one woman and three children. "About the same time the brig Agnes, with six guns and fourteen men on board was wrecked in Poverty Bay, and all on board, save John Piutherford, were murdered and eaten. A little after this, a whale-ship was cast ashore at Whanga-nui ; all the crew were immediately killed and eaten, except one European and a negro."* It is not a subject of wonder that some diflficulty was found, under such circumstances, in the attemptto convey the first missionaries to the New Zealand coast. For the accomplishment of this purpose the Active was pur- chased by Mr. Marsden, at the cost of two thousand pounds sterling, and a preparatory voyage was made before the families of the missionaries were committed to such a hazardous enterprise. As this voyage proved satisfactory, and the natives seemed to be favourably disposed, notime w^as lost in preparing for the departure of the noble-minded band, who, committing themselves and their children to the protection of God, were to lay the foundation of the future civilization and evangeliza- tion of the New Zealand Islands. During the time the mission was suspended, several natives from New Zea- land found their way to Sydney ; they were objects of peculiar interest to those who were anxious to devote the » Lecture by Rev. J Warren. 112 NEW ZEALAND. remainder of their life to the temporal and spiritual welfare of the race which they represented ; accordingly every means was used to secure their favour, and explain to them the object of the missionary enterprise. The company of pioneers — for such they ma}^ justly be termed — embarked on the 19tli of November, 1814. In writing an account of the expedition to a friend, Mr. Marsden says : — " The number of persons on board the Active, including women and children, was thirty-five ; the master, his wife and son, Messrs. Kendall, Hall, and King, with their wives and children, eight New Zea- landers, two Otaheitans, and four Europeans belonging to the vessel, besides Mr. -John Lydiand Nicholas and myself ; there were also two sawyers, one smith, and a runaway convict, whom we afterwards found on board ; a horse and two mares, one bull and two cows, with a few gheep and poultry. The bull and cows have been presented by Governor Macquarie, from his Majesty's herd." Some narrow-minded people, whose interest in the welfare of a distant and savage race had never been developed, no doubt curled the lip in contempt as the Active spread her canvas to the breeze, and pronounced the enterprise as the outgrowth of a weak though well- meant enthusiasm. But those on board were full of hope, visions of success floated before their eye ; and yet we cannot suppose that scenes of future comfort, of civilization in its various branches, of churches of var- ious orders, of schools for the instruction of children, of colleges for the training of youth, were imagined so varied and rich as are now witnessed in different parts of both the islands. The seeds of the future colony were on board that ship. The goodly, towns and lovely home- MISSIONARY TRIALS. 113 steads which excite the admiration of the visitor in our day, are but the expansion and life-growth of the humble efforts then put forth. Nor are the results of their labours and self-denial confined to these colonial scenes, the benefits which have been conferred upon the native race are very great ; their worst customs are no longer observed, they are rising in the scale of civilization, and many of them have been formed into Christian churches. How different must be the feelings with which those good men watched the coast, as the Active was steered into the harbour, from those with which they traversed the country, finding a Christian welcome everywhere, a few years afterwards — such feelings are rarely permitted to mortals. On their arrival they found that the tribes of the Bay of Islands were at war with the people of Wangaroa, where the Boyd was plundered. The first work which Mr. Marsden attempted was to reconcile the contending parties, and the favours which he had shown to the Maories when they were in New South Wales having prepared his way, the belligerents were disposed to listen to his advice. As he approached the warriors of Wan- garoa, a woman advanced waving a mat as a demonstra- tion of welcome, and shouting, Haere mal ! Haere mai ! " The chiefs were seated on the ground, surrounded by their fighting men, leaning on their formidable spears. The warriors were dressed in their handsome native mats, and their hair was tied in a knot at the top of their heads, decorated with the long white feathers of the gannet. Some wore round their necks ornaments of green jade, some the teeth of their slaughtered enemies, while others, as if proud of their atrocious exploits, were adorned with the dollars taken from the ill-fated Boyd. I 114 NEW ZEALAND. But what must have been the amazement and dread inspired in the mind of the European strangers, by the sights and sounds that followed. The warriors, seizing their spears, brandished them, as if in fury, against one another ; yells, shrieks, and roars rent the air, while the frightful gesticulations and horrible contortions of face and limb were suggestive of the writhing of fiends. Yet this terrifying demonstration was their war-dance of welcome."* The manner in which the night was spent at Wan- garoa will be best described by Mr. Marsden's own pen : " About eleven o'clock Mr. Nicholas and I wrapped our- selves in our great coats and prepared for rest. George directed me to lie by his side. His wife and child lay on the right hand and Mr. Nicholas close by. The night was clear ; the stars shone bright and the sea in our front was smooth ; around us were innumerable spears stuck upright in the ground, and groups of natives lying in all directions, like a flock of sheep upon the grass, as there were neither tents nor huts to cover them. I viewed our present situation with sensations and feelings that I cannot express, surrounded by cannibals who had massacred and devoured our countrymen. I wondered much at the mysteries of Providence, and how these things could be. Never did I behold the blessed advan- tage of civilisation in a more grateful light than now. I did not sleep much during the night. My mind was too seriously occupied with the present scene, and the new and strange ideas it naturally excited. About three in the morning I rose and walked about the camp, sur- veying the different groups of natives. When the morn- * " Sunday at Home," 1857. MISSIONARY TRIALS. 115 ing light returned we beheld men, women, and children asleep in all directions, like the beasts of the field."* Sunday, December 25th, 1814, was an eventful day ; not only as it was set apart to commemorate the advent of Him, who was " Born to redeem, and strong to save," but because it was the first Sabbath observed in New Zealand. Being in the midst of summer, nature was spread out before the Missionary company in her beau- tiful forms. A flag which they had brought with them floated in the breeze ; and displayed a cross, a dove, an OLIVE BRANCH, and the word rongopai, good tidings ; con- tributing not a little to the interest and cheerfulness of the scene. All the ship's crew, except the master and one man, went ashore to attend divine service, which was conducted by Mr. Marsden. The worship was com- menced by singing the Old Hundredth Psalm, and after the beautiful service of the Church of England had been read, the appropriate text was announced, Lukeii., 10 — ■ "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy," and a ser- mon adapted to the peculiar circumstances of the assembly was preached. The dayspring from on high had now visited the country, it was the earnest of a bright and glorious scene, in which Christ, now first named, is to fill the field of vision as the Lord of all. The poor won- dering natives sat mute, being unable to comprehend the meaning of the strange scene. The angels of God looked on with delight, and the promise of the Father, — "Ask of Me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheri- tance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession," was fulfilled. » " Life of Rev. S. Maraden." 116 NEW ZEALAND. The time came when the Active must direct her course across the sea ; it was no doubt a heavy trial to the feel- ings of all, hut especially to them who were to be left to the mercy of a savage people, with no means humanly speaking of escape from their ferocity. There was cer- tainly room for fears unless their faith were unshaken in the divine protection. War was soon after renewed. "For months together the affrighted band kept watch night and day ; their children were laid to sleep in their cots dressed, to be ready for instant flight, and the boat was always kept afloat, with its oars and sails in readi- ness."* In the course of time these unhappy circum- stances passed away, and industrial pursuits enlivened the scene. Seeds of grain and garden vegetables were sown on a rich and virgin soil, Mr. Marsden having purchased about two hundred acres of ground for the use of the mission from a chief, who copied the tattoo of his face as his signature to the deed of sale. The natives looked on with curiosity, as different branches of industry were for the first time introduced to them. The Mission settlement soon exhibited an interesting picture ; but its secular features, as might have been foreseen, were the most prominent. But it is difficult to ascertain the anxieties w^hich were hidden in the bosoms of the more spiritual part of the little community, and to describe the efforts they made to acquire the native language, that they might tell them of the " Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." What would they not have given for a good grammar, showing the construction of the Maori tongue, and for a dictionary in which the sounds they were • " Life of Rev. S. Marsden." MISSIONARY TRIALS. 117 trying to imitate, and whose meaning they were anxious to ascertain, might be exhibited in goodly columns. The honour of introducing the gospel to New Zealand, and not the gospel only, but the nucleus of civilization, belongs to the Church Missionary Society. As the Church of England was first in the New Zealand field, has sent out the largest number of agents, and spent the most money in the enterprise, it is, and is likely to be, the most numerous and influential body of Christians in the country. This remark applies both to the colonists and to the natives ; and we cheerfully give honour to whom honour is due. Next to tlie Church of England, the Wesleyan Mis- sionary Society has been most honoured in the work of grace which has been wrought in New Zealand. As early as the year 1818, the Eev. Samuel Leigh, who a little time before had commenced a successful mission in New South Wales, and whose excessive labours had seriously injured his health, was induced by the Eev. S. Marsden to visit New Zealand in the Active, which was about to sail with provisions for the mission settlement. This visit was beneficial to the infant mission, and led the way to the establishment of a Wesleyan Church. To a man of Mr. Leigh's ardent temperament and spiri- tual views, the scene which opened before him produced an effect which cannot be easily described. He found himself to be in the valley of the shadow of death ; Satan's seat was there ; few were the gleams of light which had penetrated that thick darkness. Li one pah he saw twelve dried human heads exposed for sale, sup- posing that he would purchase them as curiosities. His whole soul was aroused to deepest sympathy, and he 118 NEW ZEALAND. determined not to rest till he should see a Wesleyan mission fairly established in the country. Mr. Leigh returned to New Zealand on February 22nd, 1822, between three and four years after his j&rst visit. In the meantime he had sailed to England, and in the face of considerable difficulties, had succeeded in per- suading the Wesleyan Missionary Society to commence a mission among the Maories, and was himself appointed to begin the work. During this visit he married a lady of suitable qualifications, with whom he soon after tra- versed the ocean, to the scene of his future labours. The feelings of Mr. and Mrs. Leigh, when the New Zealand coast rose above the horizon, cannot be fully described. Hope and fear alternately took hold of their soul. What recejDtion would they meet with from the native people ? Had any exciting wars been commenced afresh, which would increase their danger, and add fresh difficulties to their work ? They must commence a mission at a distance, necessarily, from their Church brethren, and Mrs. Leigh would be a lonely English- woman among an uncivilized people. Would the natives accept the glad tidings which they went to declare ? Would they give their hearts to the Saviour? These were serious questions, which it were quite natural for them to indulge in the still moments of deep and anxious feeling. And then hope kindled a lamp which shed its beams through the thick darkness, and presented, in imagination, a Church gathered from the wilderness, and the people whose name was synonymous with confusion and ferocity, transformed into intelligent men, and using means to spread among others the religion which had ennobled them. " When I stepped upon deck," said Mr. Leigh, " and looked towards the shore, and then at MISSIONARY TRIALS. Ill) my wife, and reflected upon the probable consequences of our landing, I felt as if divested of all spiritual strength. We were running upon a nation of ferocious and blood- thirsty heathens, where there was no power to protect, and while the country was convulsed by war. Never shall I forget the agony of mind I endured, until reflec- tion brought me to feel that I was surrounded by the Divine perfections, and that a hair could not fall from our heads without the concurrence of God."* The Wesleyan mission was commenced at Wangaroa, at a convenient distance from the Church Mission, so that, while they did not interfere with each others' labour, a friendly and helpful correspondence could be maintained. Not a little time was occupied in manual labour ; for their domestic comfort and their health demanded it ; but the utmost efforts were made to learn the Maori language, and adapt their teaching to the modes of thought to which the natives were accustomed. Had they possessed a perfect acquaintance with the native tongue, the difficulties lying in their way would have been formidable ; for the native mind had not been trained to perceive, nor had they words to express, the holiness and honour of the Divine law. Additional labourers arrived ; the fallow ground was broken up, and the Gospel seed was sow^n in hope ; but some time elapsed before decisive proofs of success became ap- parent. The perilous circumstances in which the mission families at Wangaroa were placed, may be inferred from the episode narrated in the voyages of the Eev. Daniel Tyerman and George Bennett, Esq., who visited the South Sea Islands as a deputation of the London Mis- • "Life of Rev. Samuel Leigh." 120 NEW ZEALAND. Rionary Society. On their way to Sydney from Tahiti, they entered the harbour of Wangaroa, in July, 1824, when the follo^ang occurrences took place : — " The ship was soon surrounded by canoes, and filled with native men, women, and children. On the following morning, so many natives crowded on board, that, to prevent confusion, the captain ordered a bar to be placed across the quarter-deck. The natives beginning to practise their pilfering habits, the captain became angry, and whilst he was endeavouring to clear the deck of the intruders, one of them, a chief, on being jostled by him, fell into the sea. This was seized instantaneously as a pretext for commencing hostilities. The natives took possession of the ship, and made the officers and the crew prisoners. Tremendous were the bowlings and the screeches of the barbarians, while they stamped, and brandished their clubs and spears. The captain was surrounded with spears. Mr. Bennett's arms were pinioned to his sides, while Messrs. Tyerman and Threlkeld were in custody in another part of the ship. One of the cookies pushed off Mr. Bennett's cap, and stood with his axe, which he had sharpened on board, gleaming over him. They had handled the arms, sides, and thighs of Mr. Tyerman, who understood the meaning of those familiarities. In this condition they had re- mained nearly two hours, when they heard the cry, ' A boat ! a boat I ' The boat contained one of the Wesleyan missionaries, and the chief George, who had come to invite the gentlemen of the deputation to Wesleydale. When the natives saw who were in the boat, they liber- ated the prisoners, and quitted the ship."* It is proper " " Tyerman and Bennett's Voyages," pp. 183, 184, quoted in "Life of Rev. S. hemh." MISSIONAEY TRIALS. 121 to add that in a conversation which the author had with the missionary who accompanied the chief George so opportunely to the ship, many years after the occur- rence, the opinion was expressed that the danger was more apparent than real, as the scene was intended to intimidate the ship's crew, and to show how completely the vessel was at the mercy of the natives. Whether the natives were in earnest or not, the foregoing account sufficiently shews the perils to which the missionaries were exj)osed, and their continued safety can be accounted for on no other ground than that of the divine protection. Mr. Leigh was permitted to do little more than com- mence the Wesleyan mission, as his health failed after he had laboured there one year and nine months. He returned with the Eev. S. Marsden, who had again visited the country, to Sydney ; but they had scarcely left the New Zealand waters before the ship in which they sailed ran upon some rocks, and became a total wreck. After suffering much through sickness, want of provisions, and exposure to the weather, the shipwrecked missionaries were landed in New South Wales, where Mr. Leigh spent the eight following years, and where he buried his devoted wife, in 1831. His next twenty years were devoted to the work of the ministry in Eng- land, as far as his strength would permit. Communica- tions from the brethren who succeeded him in the mission field cheered his spirit. He sowed the seed "in weakness and fear and in much trembling," and he rejoiced in the harvest which has since been reaped. On the 2nd day of May, 1852, he closed his eyes upon all earthly things, and went to his reward. " The memory of the just is blessed." The dangers to which the Church missionaries were 122 NEW ZEALAND. exposed were very great. The Rev. John WilliamB, whose praise is in all the Churches, entered the Bay of Islands in 1822, on his return from a voyage to the colony, and wrote a fearful account of the savage ferocity with which the natives were then carrying out their purposes of war. He observes : — " The large canoes are now returning from the war, some of them with human heads fixed at the head and stern. One of our seamen, when on shore, saw ten of these heads preserved, either as spoils of victory, or to sell to Christians, for muskets and powder, to enable them the more effectually to execute their deeds of blood." When they made the North Cape, the captain stood in for the shore for the purpose of purchasing provisions ; but such were the suspicious appearances, that guns were loaded, and every precaution taken, to prevent the ship from falling into the hands of the natives, and Mr. Williams adds — " While in this state of anxiety, expecting every moment to be attacked, I retired to my berth, and looked up to our ' present help in time of trouble.' When I returned from my berth to the cabin, to my great joy, Mr. Henry came down, and said a breeze was springing up. And so it proved ; for in less than half an hour our anxious fears were turned into songs of deliverance."* Eleven years passed after the mission at the Bay of Islands was commenced, before any native of New Zealand made a public profession of Christianity. The first convert was an old chief, who was baptised in 1825, by the name of Christian Rangi. An improper use has been made of the fact, that so many years were spent before the Maories began to stretch out their hands towards God. The first profession of the Christian faith * " Life of Rev. J. Williama.'' MISSIONARY TRIALS. 123 was made under peculiar circumstances, a strong effort being needed to throw off the superstition which had affected their mode of thinking and the revolting customs in which their character had been formed, and not a little moral courage was involved in the profession of a new faith — a religion introduced to them by a strange race — and in the risk which the consequences of such a profession might threaten. Before the productions of spring, there is an underground movement, intensely alive and important, though unseen at the time, and whose effects are confessed in the innumerable plants and flowers with which the spring and summer perfume the air, and clothe the fields with beauty ; so, before the public acknowledgment of Christ by a native of New Zealand, for the first time, there must be deep searching of the heart, a revolving of momentous thoughts, and a fierce battle would probably be fought, to overcome the inclinations of heathenism, and to determine upon a more excellent way. Nor must we forget the civilizing influences which were in operation in the country. Although civilization is not the chief object of the Christian missionary, it certainly is more or less the result of his labours. Proofs of this are found in Africa, in various groups of Poly- nesia, and in every place where the Gospel has been preached for a few years. God, in His mercy to the uncivilized portions of our race, is using both means — planting colonies as well as missions ; although, as it was in New Zealand, the missionary often precedes the mere colonist, and in addition to his spiritual labours, commences the work which the colonist successfully continues. They who still contend that the colonist should precede the missionary, and do half his work. 124 NEW ZEALAND. may stand rebuked by the eloquent language of Chal- mers : — " Nor are the labours of these illustrious men confined to the business of Christianizing. They are at this moment giving the arts, and industry, and civiliza- tion to the natives ; they are raising a beautiful spectacle to the moral eye amid the wilderness around them ; they are giving piety, and virtue, and intelligence to prowling savages, . . . and extending among the wildest of nature's children the comforts and the decen- cies of humanized life. ye orators and philosophers, who make the civilization of the species your dream, look to Christian missionaries if you want to see the men who will realize it. You may deck the theme with the praises of your unsubstantial eloquence ; but there are the men who are to accomplish the business ! They are now risking every earthly comfort of exist- ence in the cause ; while you sit in silken security, and pour upon their holy undertaking the cruelty of your scorn." The peculiar difficulties of the early missionaries should not be forgotten; for their meekness under insults, their constant efforts to do good, and their intense disaj)proval of many of the native customs, were points which the Maories could not understand. The idea that the missionaries had come from the ends of the earth to bless them was something new; they could scarcely comprehend it, as it was so contrary to every feeling of their own bosom. To root out their cruel selfishness and inspire the sentiment of gratitude among a people whose language did not contain one word expressive of such an emotion, was a great work. There was so much to imdo, that instead of making it a subject of wonder that many years passed away MISSIONARY TRIALS. 125 before the natives were gathered into Christian churches, and could be described as " hving epistles, written not with ink, but with the finger of the living God," we should present an ofi'ering of thanksgiving to God and His servants, for the work which has been done, and the blessing which has been bestowed. The greatest hindrances which j^revented missionary success may be traced to the wars, which were renewed with unprecedented violence and destruction. The man who made himself most notorious in those exterminating expeditions, was Hongi Hika, a chief of the Ngapuhi tribe. He visited England in the year 1820, and as a New Zealand chief, was a great novelty there in those times. His presence excited a good deal of attention. His Majesty George IV. invited him to his palace, and presented him with a suit of armour, and several stands of arms. Nothing attracted his attention so much as the discipline of the army and the military stores, and his ardour was kindled by the recital of the victo- rious campaigns of Napoleon I. He resided for some time near the celebrated Professor Lee, of Cambridge, to enable that distinguished linguist to assist in arrang- ing the grammar and fixing the orthography of the Maori language, for the use of the rdissionaries. He returned loaded with presents, and' determined on war. To increase his stock of fire-arms was his great object while he stayed in Sydney, on the way to his own country ; and the valuable presents of his English friends were exchanged there for muskets and ammunition. The possession of fire-arms gave Hongi an immense advantage over other tribes. Stories, shocking to every feeling of humanity are related of his sanguinary career. As an illustration of his course of cruelty and 126 NEW ZEALAND. blood, the following instance, taken from the work of the Piev. R. Taylor, may be accepted. Soon after his return to New Zealand, he formed an army of three thousand men, and attacked the pah of Hinaki. This chief received four balls, and on seeing him fall, Hongi ran up to him, and with the knife that was given to him in England, scooped out one of his eyes, and swal- lowed it. He then stabbed him in the neck, and drank the blood as it flowed warm from the wound. One thousand persons were killed, and three hundred bodies were cooked and eaten. The ground, which was soaked with blood — the site of this horrible carnival — now be- longs to St, John's College, and forms a part of its endowment. Hongi returned to the Bay of Islands covered with savage glory, carrying with him a number of prisoners, with the stem and stern of his canoe orna- mented with the heads of men whom he had slain in battle. His daughter met him at the water's edge on his arrival, and learning that her husband had been killed in the fight, she demanded utu. The prisoners, intended to be made slaves, were given to her, and seizing the sword which his Majesty George IV. had presented to her father, she — in the presence of a catechist of the Church mission — cut off the heads of sixteen men, who were ordered to lay their heads on the side of the canoe for this terrible purpose. Twenty other persons were also killed and eaten, and then, to complete the lUu for her husband's death, she took a loaded musket into the bush, and shot herself ; but as the bullet only wounded her, she ended her wretched life by strangling herself. For seven long years Hongi pursued his course of blood and terror, but at length he received a bullet wound at Wangaroa, and after lingering some time, he closed his eyes in death. MISSIONARY TRIALS. 127 During these troubles, all the mission families were kept in a state of great alarm ; their property was stolen, and their lives were threatened. But the blow fell most heavily upon the Wesleyan mission. The brig Mercury was seized and plundered at Wangaroa, and the natives seemed to be ready for every evil work. It was deemed prudent to remove the women and children to one of the Church mission stations, which was then comparatively quiet. In the course of time tranquillity was restored, the separated families again met, and gave expression to their feelings by singing the following appropriate verses : — " And are we yet alive, And see each others' face ? Glory and praise to Jesus give For His redeeming grace. " What troubles have we seen, What conflicts have we passed ! Fightings without, and fears within, Since we assembled last ! '' But out of all the Lord Hath brought us by His love ; And still He does His help afford, And hides our life above." But though their lives were preserved, and the excite- ment for a time subsided, they were not permitted to follow their missionary work undisturbed. Battles were arranged to be fought in the immediate vicinity of the mission premises. Children were laid in bed with their clothes on, as their parents supposed that an attack would be made before the next morning. They were " in watchings oft." One of the brethren wrote in his journal: "How little do our friends in England know 128 NEW ZEALAND. of the insecurity of our condition ! Before daybreak we may be plundered, murdered, and eaten ! that, with the Psalmist, we may be always enabled to say : ' God is our refuge and strength, a very f)resent help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. The Lord of Hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge.' "* Again the storm passed over them, and left them unhurt. Their work was resumed with renewed vigour ; many repairs were necessary to be made in the mission premises, as considerable damage had been done by the excited natives ; and more serious injury had, no doubt, been sustained by those of whom the missionaries began to entertain a hope that they might be presented as the first-fruits of the New Zealand har- vest. But their peaceful labours were again disturbed. The dark cloud was soon seen looming in the distance ; onward it rolled ; the storm of war shot its lightning darts, as the precursor of the terrible outbreak, and on the 10th of January, 1827, it burst upon the mission at Wangaroa in all its fury. Very narrow was the escape of the mission family from the vengeance of the savage war-party. " While the assailants were forcing their way through the back door and windows, the family escaped through the front door. They ran down the garden, made an opening in the fence, and passed over the wheat field. The party consisted of Messrs. Turner and Hobbs ; Mrs. Turner, who had been confined only five weeks ; Miss Davies, who tvas on a visit ; a European servant and his wife ; fi^e native boys, and two native girls. They had before them a journey of twenty miles, over a mountainous country, and under a heavy rain. * " Life of Rev. S. Leigh." MISSIONARY TRIALS. 129 On their way they met a war party from Hokianga, about two hundred strong, who ordered the mission family to move to the side of the road, and go down upon their knees. They did so, and expected to be killed in a moment. Totheir inexpressible joy, the chiefs assembled around them, and then ordered the warriors to pass on."* We well remember the venerable J, Hobbs refer to this painful and jei joyful event a few years ago, at a mis- sionary meeting in Auckland, and contrast their condition when they knelt down, as did Stephen, the first martyr for Christ, expecting to die ; and then, when their deliverance came, rising from their knees, saying : " Surely the bitterness of death is past." Here was a scene of moral grandeur, far surpassing in interest, in the estimation of the angels of God, the great points in the career of the conquerors of the world, and worthy to be represented on canvas in the best style the artist can command. Not more affectionate was the meeting of Jacob and Esau, after their long separation, than was the meeting between the brethren of the Church mission and the war-spoiled and weary company whose escape from destruction was so remarkable. Hearing a/ij the Kiri Kiri Church Missionary station of the danger to which the Wesleyan mission was exposed, the brethren immediately started to their assistance, taking with them twenty natives to convey the children, and render other help ; and meeting them twelve miles from the Kiri Kiri, they retraced their steps, and at seven o'clock in the evening all arrived safe at the station of the Church mission. The mission premises at Wangaroa, including supplies for twelve months, were entirely destroyed, and a horrible * " Life of Rev. S. Leigh," p. 279. E 130 NEW ZEALAND. earnival was held in the neighbourhood. Thus to all appearance the Wesleyan mission was brought to a close. Men who counted not their life dear had laboured for five years, considerable sums of money had been spent in the enterprise, thousands of prayers had been offered up at the throne of grace ; and all that was now to be seen as the results of their efforts was a solitary chimney, of rough workmanship, surrounded by the charred re- mains of the mission station ; and a company of fugitive men, women, and children seeking a shelter under the roof of a distant mission-house. If anyone could adopt the prophet's lament — " I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain ; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God " ; it no doubt expressed the feelings of the per- plexed and injured missionaries from Wangaroa. But was it so in reality ? Was every effort of these five years' labour destroyed when the premises were burned, and the agents were driven away ? No, verily, the seed was deposited in the earth, and was germina- ting there, though unseen. A stranger to the operations of nature would pronounce the seed lost which is sown in the soil, but in due time it springs up a tiny tender leaflet, and rapidly rises in strength and beauty. And so was it with the gospel seed in New Zealand. But the suspension of the mission was complete; and the Wesleyan brethren, with their families, sailed for New South Wales on the last day of January, 1827 ; and so threatening were the appearances, that the church missionaries — although their stations were not immediately menaced — sent their goods to Sydney by the same ships, sup- posing that within a short time all the missionaries would be compelled to leave the country. MISSIONARY TRIALS. 131 To human appearance the work of twelve years was lost ; the result seemed to confirm the prudential maxims of the men of this world ; and Christian men in their disappointment cried, " Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? " The Maories seemed to be given up to the hardness of their impenitent hearts ; and the sceptre of the Prince of Darkness was not likely to be met by the strong arm of the Prince of Peace. But there were a few persons who steadily believed God, and looked forward to a brighter and a better day ; and the follow- ing chapter will shew that they were not mistaken. CHAPTER VI. MISSIONAKY SUCCESS. " Onward ! onward ! men of heaven, Rear the Gospel's banner high ; Kest not, till its light is given, Star of every pagan sky." THE gracious work which we have now to describe is connected, by way of sequence, with the labours and sufferings already described ; for " they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy." It presents no new phase of human conduct and Christian effort. To a warm hearted Christian, who is ready to use every means within his reach to win the heathen to Christ, it is painful to wait for success ; especially as the advantages which true religion promises are so plain, so many, and so enduring. But it must not be concluded that the slow process by which a heathen people are sometimes led to the cross of Christ is the result of a want of earnestness or tact on the part of their instructors ; for many of the most flourishing missions passed through many days of des- pondency, and some of the men whose successful labours have filled the world with their praises, spent a large portion of their missionary life in laying the foundation of the goodly edifice which ultimately they were honoured to erect. Dr. Judson laboured arduously for about six years before even a single native of Burmah became a Christian. The mission at Tonga, in the Friendly Islands, was brought to a speedy close ; three of the missionaries being murdered, and the remainder barely escaping with their lives; yet the Wesleyans are now MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 133 conducting a flourishing mission among the same people. Nearly thirteen years after the mission to Tahiti was commenced, the discouragements were so serious, and the violence of the natives was so alarming, that all the missionaries fled to New South Wales, except two, and the mission seemed to be on the point of being abandoned. More than sixteen years passed away before a convert was made ; and when a single voice was heard in a lonely place engaged in prayer to the only true God, it cheered the hearts of the faithful men, who had long looked for a token from heaven ; and was accepted as a few drops preceding the wide-spread and gracious showers which have since fallen upon those interesting fields of Christian labour. Contrary to their fears, the Church mission in New Zealand was not broken up ; but, although the dark and threatening clouds still hung over the land, circumstances rendered it probable that the mission station would not be molested. At the same time, a desire was expressed by some of the natives for the return of the Wesleyan missionaries, and before the expiration of the year in which they were driven from the country, they found themselves again in New Zealand, ready to commence their work anew. The men who remained at their post in the midst of such dangers, and they who returned to risk a repetition of the evils through which they had already passed, for the accomplishment of their noble purpose, were worthy of the confidence reposed in them. " For if a duty were to be performed, Straight to the mark, like arrow from a bow, They darted ; passing crowds of busy men, Who turned and wondered why they went so fast, And why they went at all. But on they went • 134 NEW ZEALAND. Mountains and rivers never checked their course; Nothing could daunt them. 'Ah ! bnt I have seen The swiftest arrow blunted at the point, By the hard rock on which it struck.' ' You have ? And I have seen the blunted arrow sharpened. The metal newly tempered, and the weight So nicely balanced, it went whizzing by With piercing certainty, and in the mark It quivered.' Yes ! give me the dauntless man Who flinches not from labour or fatigue, But moves ri^ht on, upon the path of duty. God will stand by the man who boldly stands By God's command ; will give him energy And courage now, and aftek wards success." In re-commencing their work, the Wesleyan MiBsion- aries were sent to Mangungu, not far from the Hokianga, a beautiful spot, where the Kauri grows in all its glory, and where the rich soil is capable of producing abund- ance of provisions. The river is navigable for vessels of large size, and considerable numbers of natives resided within a short distance ; this was the spot where the first showers of blessings fell upon the Wesleyan Mission, and though now deserted by the native people, and con- sequently not continued as a distinct Mission station, it will be held in remembrance as the site of some sigpal displays of divine grace. Much valuable time was neces- sarily spent in erecting houses and other buildings suitable for Mission premises ; gardens had to be fenced and planted ; fruit trees were introduced ; and every thing which was likely to contribute to their health and comfort was arranged. This is a pleasing recollection, and the faith of the men who were preparing for their MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 135 future comfort and work, while the demon of war was still marshalling the tribes for battle, should not be over- looked. The missionaries belonging to the different stations witnessed many a tana, fighting party, depart determined on revenge ; and saw it return flushed with victory and cruelty, or broken by defeat, ashamed and irritable. Exports still reached them of ships being seized and plundered, but strong in the promises of God, and firmly believing in the efficacy of the gospel, they fainted not. The utility of a printing press, which was soon after set up in each mission, was very great. Before the people could be expected to learn to read, lessons in their own tongue must be prepared. Considerable attention appears to have been paid to this important point, and the results were soon seen in a general desire to acquire the art of reading. The first printed page in the Maori language was an era in their national character ; the natives looked at it with pride and pleasure, and the men who had risked so much for their welfare, saw in it the precursor of a useful and sacred literature. The orthography then adopted was cumbrous and defective, and compared with the principles of spelling the native language now in general use, can be in some instances scarcely understood. General attention was aroused, thought was awakened, and a new course of influences, both attracting and reclaiming, was operating among them. Many persons among both old and young began to learn to read. The raupo iciiare often presented a scene of interest ; there sat the warrior, whose hands had often been dyed in blood, there lay the old man who had watched with trembling limbs the approach of the first British ship to his shores, the youth and the child 13G NEW ZEALAND. were there, all engaged in one pursuit ; and the object which had drawn together the old and the young, and which so completely absorbed their attention was the effort to pnt vowels and consonants together, in the form of intelligible words. In another place might be seen the mother who had with her ovna. hands stopped the breath of her infant children, regretting the course which she had taken, and wishing she could restore them to life, to partake of the blessings which began to fall upon her people. These were to a certain extent decisive results, and were accepted as the commencement of a greater work. But the missionaries were not satisfied, results of a more spiritual kind were earnestly desired, and formed the burden of their prayers ; and with some- thing of sadness they wrote about this time, — " The higher objects of this mission are, as yet, but imperfectly understood," But before the missionaries were distinctly aware of it, the Holy Spirit was awakening the conscience, and softening the heart of these children of superstition and cruelty. They began to see more clearly the difference between a course of rectitude and a course of sin, the reasonableness of divine law became more apparent, and the fruits of sin in their unhappy experience was quite in accordance with the teaching to which they had lately listened with attention. The work of grace is often begun before those who are the most interested in it are aware ; 80 it was in the commencement of native conversions. The death of some, before a profession was publicly made by the people who had received spiritual good, was not without hope that they exchanged a scene of trouble and sin, for a place of holiness and joy ; and their re- mains were interred in the hope of the resurrection to MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 137 eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; instead of the long dismal wail of te po roa, the long night, to which they had become accustomed to commit their departed ones. Unmistakable signs of prosperity were perceived about the year 1831. Distant tribes were desirous that a mis- sionary should reside in their midst ; they became dis- satisfied with the customs in which their fathers lived and died, and a new moral and mental world was opening before them, causing their instructors to say, " This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." The churches in Great Britain being aware that these tokens of spiritual success called upon them for increased help, sent out a reinforcement of labourers, strong in health, devoted in spirit, and joyous in anticipation of winning to Christ the tribes that had so long resisted the offers of divine mercy, and had filled the world with the report of their atrocious deeds. New fields of labour were en- tered, remote parts of the country were visited, and houses were erected in the best native style for the worship of God. The first Wesleyan class meeting com- posed of Maories was held in 1831 ; it comprised five members, one of whom, having received the Spirit of adoption, enjoyed the peace which passetb understand- ing, and the others were striving to enter in at the strait gate. Then the devoted missionaries and their equally devoted wives, who had submitted to a home in the wilderness, and had laboured so many years without seeing the fruit of their toils, could joyfully sing : — " When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, We were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing : 138 NEW ZEALAND. Then said they among the heathen, — ' The Lord hath done great things for them,' The Lord hath done great things for us ; Whereof we are glad."* The attention of the brethren was seriously directed to the translation of the New Testament into the native language ; but in making the attempt, it was found to be a work of no little difficulty, as the Maories had no words which could convey many of the ideas expressed in the sacred Scriptures. The Divine character, the Atonement, the operations of the Holy Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, Scriptural worship, and the purity of heaven, were among the subjects with which the native mind had never, till lately, come in contact. The habits of animals of which the Maories had never heard, geographical descriptions to which they were entire strangers, and the records of ancient nations, increased the difficulties of the translation. To those already named, must be added the arts and sciences of the civilized world, with the manners and customs of the East ; the schools of heathen philosophers, and the sectaries of Jewish worship ; the working of miracles, and the errors of some of the early Christians. All things considered, the work of translating the sacred Scriptures into the Maori tongue was an extraordinary undertaking, even in these days of translations, requiring much thought, and the special assistance of the Divine Spirit. In executing the translation, it was deemed best, after much deliberation, to use as many of the native words to express Christian ideas as was possible, although for a time many persons might be in danger of attaching * Psalm cxxvi. MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 139 a mistaken meaning to them ; but this danger was expected gradually to become less, and after a few years to be entirely removed. Thus, Atua, a god, was used for God ; Karakia, an incantation, was retained for prayer, divine ivorship ; tapu, a superstitious sacredness, was used for holy. Thus, te ra tapu, the holy day, i.e., the Sabbath ; te Wairua Tapu, the Holy Spirit. Many words were transferred from other languages : as repeneta, being the English word repent ; and nakahii is the He- brew word for nachish, a serpent. Difficulties were found also arising from the various dialects which prevailed among different tribes, not only in a singular pronun- ciation, but, in some cases, words were in use among certain tribes which were unknown in other parts of the country ; and in other cases, where the same words were used, different meanings were attached to them. Before the language was reduced to a written form, these variations were seldom of much consequence, as the tone of voice, or an explanatory clause, was sufficient to indicate the speaker's meaning, when a word of this kind was used ; but the printed page required precision, and especially so when that page was employed to ex- press a portion of the oracles of God. The event towards which many persons in New Zealand looked with ardent feelings — the printing of the New Testament — took place in the year 1835, when an edition was issued by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and divided for distribution between the Church of England and the Wesleyan missions. The importance of the sacred Scriptures to the well- being of society in general, as well as constituting a religious guide, and an object of undoubted appeal, makes it very desirable that all people among whom a 140 NEW ZKALAXD. Christian mission is established should read the sacred records in their own tongue. In many instances — as the Baj)tist brethren at Serampore ; Judson, in Burmah ; and Morrison, in China — the translation of the Bible was the chief object to which they directed their atten- tion during the hrst years of their missionary life ; and in other missions, where more active labours were re- quired, the necessity of the vernacular Bible was not only acknowledged, but deeply felt. This was the case with the New Zealand missionaries; and when this object was gained, although it was confined to the New Testament, except some detached portions of the Old Testament, they were placed in a new position, and an era of increased light and favour was realized by the native people. The large edition placed at the disposal of the mis- sionaries, was absorbed in a short time. To possess a copy of the Kawanata Hou — the New Testament — was the most desirable object in the estimation of many, and no toil was spared to accomplish it. " One thing only do I desire," said a native. "It is not a blanket ; it is not anything that will pass away ; but this, this is my great desire — the Word of God," In some instances, persons travelled to mission stations, two hundred and fifty miles distant from their home, and then cheerfully waited several months for the arrival of a ship with books, to secure a copy of the Scriptures. A missionary writing in the year 1840, says : '" The Scriptures are with us almost as scarce and as valuable as they were in England in the days of Henry VIII. The demand for them and Prayer Books is much greater than we can supply ; and many a person have we been obliged to send away disappointed, after he had spent a good part MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 141 of a day, and much importunity, in seeking for a copy." Nor was the mere possession of the Scriptures sufficient ; they attentively studied the Word of God, and became wise unto salvation. Kaitupeka, the wife of a chief, took her worn copy of the New Testament to her minister, tied up in a neat little bag, lamenting that it was so broken, and requesting to have it repaired. He could not, of course, repair the book, nor was he able to pro- cure her another copy. An edition of twenty thousand copies of the New Testament was issued by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and proved a great blessing, but was far from being sufficient to supply the demand. The mission presses were also fully engaged in print- ing the Book of Common Prayer, Hymns, Catechisms, and the Book of Psalms. The Rev. Mr. Williams (now Bishop of Waiapu) wrote, in 1840 : " A commencement was made to print four thousand copies of the Prayer Book entire ; but when it was advanced to the end of the Evening Service, it was deemed expedient to put into immediate circulation the four thousand copies, with the addition of the Hymns, and to strike off three thousand more for the entire work. But the three thousand were required as soon as printed. Then six thousand copies of the entire work were commenced ; but before the type of the first half-sheets is distributed, we have found it necessary to have twenty thousand more of the smaller book, which will make a total of thirty-three thousand." * Circumstances equally encouraging were witnessed in the Wesleyan mission. On the last Sunday of August, 1837, one hundred and twenty adults, who had been for some time under instruction, were publicly baptized * " Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1841," 142 NEW ZEALAND. at Mangungu ; and soon after, one hundred and thirty- eight adults, and forty-six children, were presented to Christ through the ordinance of Baptism ; and among the latter were several persons who took a part in ex- pelling the missionaries from Wangaroa, and destroying the mission premises. They were anxious to search the Scriptures, and looked forward to the time when they should possess so precious a treasure with great delight. Their language was : " Our hearts are sick for the Word of God ; we desire it more than axes, hatchets, or blankets." Nor were these the only expressions of success. Clear and scriptural statements were made by some who were deeply convinced of their low estate, and of their need of salvation, while others rejoiced in the overflowing feelings of their first love to Jesus.* The conversion of many persons among the Maories was remarkably clear and satisfactory ; and as an illus- tration, we quote the following instance from the pen of the Rev. John Warren, of the Wesleyan mission : — " I choose this example, because the man was immeasurably the worst native I ever knew ; and I assure you that is saying a great deal. He was such a compound of arro- gance and meanness, such an arrant liar, and such an incorrigible thief — such a tangata kino, wakaharahara — that even the natives did not respect him. He took the lead in a cannibal feast which was held near the place on which the station was formed, only a little time before I went there, and pointed out to me, with a horrid laugh of satisfaction, that would have well become the devil himself, the skulls of the persons they had eaten, sticking up on poles, and the teeth, which they had in derision driven into the trees. This man was for some * See " Life of Rev. S. Leigh." MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 143 time a most terrible nuisance to us — who then knew nothing of the language or customs of the people. He would march into the house, and take the butter from our table, and anoint his head with it, and appropriate anything which he desired to have, at the same time pretending to be our patron and friend. He attended Divine Worship — for some time, I think, because it gave him consequence to be considered the protector of the pakeha. By degrees, however, he came under the influence of Divine truth, became greatly distressed on account of his wickedness, and found the pardoning mercy of God in Christ. Though he could not be far from fifty years of age, he soon learned to read the Word of God. He was for several years a consistent Christian man ; endured his last affliction, which was severe and protracted, with the most exemplary patience ; and I saw him die full of peace and joy, and committed his remains to the grave in sure and certain hope of a glo- rious resurrection." * When the work of grace began to be displayed, there were many strange and inconsistent scenes, in which Christianity and heathenism were placed side by side, so as to show the true character of each very distinctly. In the description of a scene of this kind, which was witnessed by the Rev. S. Marsden, in 1830, the following statement was made : — " The contrast between the state of the east and west side of the bay was very striking. Though only two miles distant, the east shore was crowded with different tribes of fighting men in a wild, savage state, many of them nearly naked, and, when exercising, entirely naked ; nothing was to be heard but the firing of muskets, the noise, dm, and commotion of * Lecture by the Rev. J. Warren, delivered in New Zealand. 144 NEW ZEALAND. a savage military camp ; some mourning the death of their friends, others suffering from their wounds, and not one but whose mind was involved in heathen dark- ness, without one ray of Divine knowledge'. On the west side was the pleasant sound of the Church-going bell — the natives assembling together for Divine Worship, clean, orderly, and decently dressed, most of them in European clothing. They were carrying the Litany and the greatest part of the Church Service, written in their own language, in their hands with their hymns." * The Gospel gradually produced salutary restraints and changes among those who did not heartily receive it. Many were married according to acknowledged rites, and polygamy became less common. The last act of cannibalism was perpetrated in 1843. f Infanticide was no longer practised. The arts of reading and writing became commonly known, and after the establishment of the colony, the Post-office was the common medium of communication between distant friends. A few young men wrote a fluent hand, and were acquainted with the elements of arithmetic. An improvement was seen in their industrial habits, European clothing was in demand, and a desire was felt to place their children under in- struction. These, as fruits of missionarj'^ labour, were apparent to all, and formed a rich reward for the toil, self-denial, and money by which, among other means, this great change had been wrought. But a more spiritual work was in progress ; this often stood out in fair proportions, but at other times it was marred by their narrow and defective views of the Gos- pel, and the outbursts of their own nature. " A mis- *"Life of Rev. S. Marsden," p. 221. t It has been renewed under the excitement of war. MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 145 sionary in Waikato met with two large bodies of men, fully armed, fiercely contending over a piece of fencing, and using the most violent language to one another. At the ringing of the bell for evening prayers, both parties, each in their position of defence and attack, with their guns lying beside them, joined in worship, while the men of God addressed them from Ephesians iv., 26, and pointing to the setting sun urged the text, " Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Many persons became living witnesses of saving grace, and adorned their reli- gious profession by a holy life and a triumphant death. The number of churches increased, native labourers were employed in the Church Missions as catechists, and in the Wesleyan Missions as local preachers ; and within the last few years several promising young men have been ordained to the regular work of the Christian ministry. The Church Mission received a new impetus in 1842, by the arrival of the Eight Rev. Dr. Selwyn, as Bishop of New Zealand, with a strong staff of assistants ; and the enthusiasm with which his lordship entered into the native work was felt in all directions. In February of the following year, he wrote ; — "I held my first con- firmation, at which three hundred and twenty-five natives were confirmed ; and a more orderly, and, I hope, im- pressive ceremony, could not have been conducted in any Church in England : the natives coming up in parties to the communion table, and audibly repeating the answer, Ewakoatia ana e alum, I do confess. On the following Sunday, three hundred native communicants assembled at the Lord's table, though the rain was in- creasing, and some of them came two days' journey for this purpose." We regret to state that the Christian L 146 NEW ZEALAND. intimacy which had been so helpful to both the Church and Wesleyan Missionaries in the hour of danger, and which had been honourably maintained, was discontinued, except in particular cases, after the arrival of the Bishop ; as the narrow views — or High Church principles — of his lordship prevented him from recognizing in the labours of the Wesleyan Missionaries anything beyond the efforts of devoted laymen ; and, therefore, the Christian rites performed by them were improper and invalid, according to the teaching of those who adopted the Bishop's prin- ciples. As might have been expected, the controversy which this course of proceedings introduced among the natives produced, for a time, considerable injury, and is to be deeply regretted. The native converts were not ashamed of their Chris- tian profession ; but regularly observed the morning and evening worship, whether they were at home or abroad, whether they were journeying by land or by water. It was interesting to see them assemble upon deck, when they were passengers on board a coasting vessel, regardless of remarks which might be made by the crew or other pas- sengers, and go through the order of evening worship with reverence ; the chanting of a hymn of praise, the offering of a prayer, in which the ship's company were not forgotten, and the reading of a chapter of God's holy Word, while all listened with devout attention — a lovely scene — the very counterpart of the orgies which had been practised a few years before on the decks of British ships. Grace was always said before and after their meals. No little annoyance was sometimes given to gentlemen when engaged on a coasting tour, by finding their journey suddenly stopped on a Saturday evening ; the natives whom they had engaged as guides arid ser- MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 147 vants being determined to remember the Sabbatli day, and keep it holy ; in this manner a reproof was practi- cally administered to Englishmen, who, with all their superior privileges, would have desecrated the Sabbath by travelling, had they not been prevented by men who had recently been rescued from heathen darkness. The following anecdote places a chief of the Bay of Plenty in an interesting position : — " An Englishman was applied to by the captain of a vessel then lying at anchor, to use his influence with the chief and his tribe to permit the captain to put out to sea on a Sunday. Acoordingly^ when divine service was over, the chief was requested to allow the captain to avail himself of the fair breeze and leave the bay. In reply to this request the chief arose, and, looking steadily into the face of the Englishman, repeated slowly and emphatically the fourth command- ment, — ' Eemember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.' And when he came to the clause, 'nor the stranger that is within thy gates,' he repeated the words very slowly, and sat down." Another instance of this work of grace shall be given, as well for the glory of God as to show that it was not effected without some severe trials to the mission families. An old chief woman hired out her slave — a man who was imbruted by hardship — as a servant to the Eev. J. Warren for twelve months, but when the planting season came she wished for the services of the slave, which were refused by the missionary, at the urgent request of the poor man. A quarrel ensued, and a taiia, fighting party, was assembled to maintain the rights of the chieftess, who determined that the slave should be taken from the mission-house, and in all probability slain. " At sun- set a company of about thirty men came rushing up the 148 NEW ZEALAND. path in front of the house, like so many roaring lions, headed by the old woman, with her tongue protruded to the utmost extent, and her eyes as if they were standing upon her cheek-bones, calling the slave by name at the top of her voice." The excitement continued all night. Sometimes they procured firebrands for the purpose of burning down the house, at other times they shouted Murua, mwua, murua / plunder, plunder, plunder ! One man rushed into the house with his tomahawk uplifted, threatening to smash the bedroom door, but soon after said Ka he ahau, I am wrong ; and then addressing him- self to the old chieftess said, " You are the root of bitter- ness spoken of in the Scrij)ture8 as springing up to trouble the people. Ko Hatana pu Koe — you are Satan, the woman of the large mouth and unruly tongue. When you are dead we may hope for a little peace and quietude, but never before. Did we not all promise that if we could get a missionary we would give up all our Maori habits? And did we not especially promise that we would never shed blood on the mission station ? " A proposal was then made to redeem the life and liberty of the slave by paying about ;£10 in blankets, calico, print, and axes — a proposal which the old lady at first refused, saying, "Did I not run after him and catch him when he was not longer than my arm, when we killed and ate his father and mother on the Waikato ? Did I not bring him part of the way home on my own sacred back ? and ever since, whenever I fed my j)ig, did I not always throw him a potato at the same time '? " But at length the affair was settled, the payment was accepted, the slave was free, and the mission premises were safe.* The whole of the Old Testament was not translated * See Lecture by the Rev. John Warren, 1863. MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 149 and prepared for the press till a few years ago. The translator is the venerable Archdeacon Maunsell ; he laboured at this great work through severe domestic affliction and bereavement, and in the midst of active mis- sionary labours ; and his translation was finally revised by a committee of brethren, selected from the Church and the Wesleyan missions. The devout and grateful feelings with which a misssionary writes the last sentence of a translation of God's word cannot be described, " I could have died when I had finished the translation of the Bible," said Dr. Morrison, in reference to the first version of the Scriptures which was ra.adein the Chinese language. When Dr. Judson had completed his translation of the Old Testament into the Burman language he wrote as follows : — " Thanks be to God I can now say that I have attained, I have knelt down before him, with the last leaf in my hand, and imploring his forgiveness for all the sins which have polluted my labours in this depart- ment, and his aid in future efforts to remove the errors and imperfections which necessarily cleave to the work, I have commended it to his mercy and grace ; I have dedicated it to his glory. May he make his own inspired Word, now complete in the Burman tongue, the grand instrument of filhng all Burmah with songs of praise to our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." And though the translation of Archdeacon Maunsell will be read by a less number of persons than those which we have referred to, the effects which may be expected to flow from the Maori Bible, with God's blessing, are such that the translator may contemplate them with strong feelings cf joy and gratitude. Attempts were made about twenty years ago to estab- lish missions among the natives by other Christian de- 150 NEW ZEALAND. nominations without much success. Among the=5e was a Presbyterian mission, which was commenced at Mana- watu, and a Lutheran mission, which was conducted near Cape Egmont for some years, but was swept away by the unhajjpy collision which has taken place between the natives and the Government. It would not be diffi- cult to state the causes of failure which affected the lal)ours of the excellent men who were appointed to this work ; among other things, the excitement and novelty connected with colonization, and the unhappy, but un- founded jealousy of the intentions of the Government towards the native race may be mentioned; but they who were not permitted to share largely in the honour of preparing the Maories for the service of Christ bear their willing testimony to the work which others have been enabled to accomplish. In the year 1836, the Eight Eeverend Dr. Pompallier was appointed Koman Catholic Bishop of New Zealand, who accordingly arrived at the Bay of Islands, with a strong staff of priests, in 1838. With the usual zeal which that Church displays in Protestant countries, the labours of the priests were spread among several tribes ; in the course of a few years the results of their teaching were seen in the crucifix suspended from the neck, and the missal, translated into Maori, as the manual of their devotions, instead of the Prayer Book and Hymns and Catechism — not to mention the New Testament — which had been instrumental in their deliverance from heathen night. It is possible that some persons who may read these pages, and who have recently arrived in the colony, will suppose that the account which we have given of mis- sionary success in New Zealand is presented in too bright MISSIONARY SUCCESS. 151 a light. Associating in their own minds an advanced state of civilization with religious sincerity and growth, they are ready to suppose that because the former is not the case, the latter can have no existence in reality, or, at farthest, that their religion must he elementary and overstated. But this is not sound reasoning. The Eev. Walter Lawry observes in reference to the natives of PohTiesia, "Nations do not readily change their ways. Very little progress has hitherto been made in the civi- lization of the. South Sea Tribes, in the Friendly Isles, and Fiji ; nor are the signs at all encouraging in this matter. The expectations entertained in England are by no means realized on the spot, at least, not with the rapidity which hope had painted, but left experience to correct." But who has the temerity to assert that the Spirit of the Lord has not been copiously poured out in those islands ; or that the proofs of regenerating grace are not clear and scriptural in the conduct maintained by thousands of native Christians ? It is just the same in New Zealand ; with much that is revolting to the tastes and habits of a European, and with much that is earthly, sensual, and devilish among large numbers of the natives, a great and gracious change has passed over the race. A missionary writes in reference to the past, " Two mothers lived near our station, and each lost her only child. One mother was a Christian, the other was a heathen ; the Christian mother came to weep and pray with my wife, the heathen mother went and hanged herself." Numerous facts, pointing out in the clearest manner the change which has passed over the native people, and which must be acknowledged, might be stated. Nor should it be forgotten that the advantages of the 152 NEW ZEALAND. Maories are less than those with which the colonists are favoured. They have very few books beside the Bible, and this precious volume in its completeness has only lately been placed in their hands. Not a little injury is also done to their Christian character through ignorance of their customs and language ; many of their proceed- ings being condemned because they are misunderstood, and their motives suspected simply because they are not known. We say nothing here on the unhappy position in which many of the native tribes have placed them- selves in reference to the British Government, as this subject will be found discussed in a future jpart of this volume. Some persons may be disposed to raise objections to the character which we claim for the missionaries, who were the principal agents under God in accomplishing the work described in this chapter. We admit that some who filled the honourable position of a Christian missionary, both among the Church of England and the Wesleyans, proved unfaithful to their engagements ; and after a proper course of reproof, were removed from the cause which they had dishonoured. Others, fearing the effects of confining their children to native society, left the mission work, and entered upon the pursuits of secu- lar life. But many of those who entered into the mission work in its darkest days, and many also of those who are now in the field, belonging to both the Churches which God has so remarkably honoured in this country, are worthy of all confidence and esteem. During the unhappy war, which has dragged its slow length along for more than ten years, the missionaries have been the faithful servants of the churches ; their property has been made a prey, they have ventured Missionary success/ 153 among infuriated natives, where few white men could have gone, on messages of mercy ; and both the Church of England and the Wesleyan Church can point to their missionary martyr, whose blood has reddened the New Zealand soil, and whose faithfulness unto death — death in horrible forms — will long live in the religious history of the country. CHAPTEE VII. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. " Just then, within the thicket rude, A log-rear'd cabin's roof they view'd, And its low'shelter bless'd. On the rough floor, their simple bed, Tn weariness and haste they spread, And laid them down to rest." GOD intends, as we have attempted to show, the whole earth, so far as it is suitable, to become the dwell- ing place of man. Probably the tracts of land which lie at both the poles will never be trod by human feet, and there are comparatively extensive deserts covered with sand and bare of vegetation, which are incapable of affording either human accommodation or food, and mountain ranges, some of them being hard, bare rocks, and others the sites of glaziers and avalanches, having their altitudes above the line of perpetual snow, forbid the thought of making them our home. But with such exceptions, the earth is prepared for the human race. The abundant vegetation of ages long passed by is com- pressed and turned into coal ; myriads of living creatures built up the coral rocks from the bottom of the ocean, and others contributed to form the masses of limestone, which is found so useful in the advancement and comfort of our race. As the soil of many countries newly dis- covered is found rich in all the qualities required for the production of food, the climate suitable to preserve the health of body and vigour of mind, as streams of refresh- ing water, clear as crystal, flow musically along, and COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 155 larger streams, capable of bearing on their bosom richly- laden ships, may be traced far into the interior of their respective comitries, and as the coasts are indented with goodly harbours, it is impossible to deny that God has prepared these lands for the habitation of man. Nor are we to suppose that the Divine purpose is accom- plished in the peopling of such portions of the earth with a race that is incapable of appreciating its conveniences, and making use of its treasures. A hunting ground may cover an area of several thousands of square miles, and support only a few families ; and that support may be afforded in the crudest form ; while, in the hands of another race, the same area of country may furnish sites for populous towns and cities, where may be found the mart of commerce and the rewards of industry ; and other parts of the same tract may bloom with beautiful gardens, and wave with richly covered cornfields. None among us can determine the number of centuries through which human feet trod the plains of Australia, without having the smallest idea of the wealth which lay hidden in their soil ; nor is there any reason to conclude that 'the rich mines of gold would have been discovered by that race in any future time. The conclusion to which we are led, therefore, is that God intended to introduce another portion of the human family to those extensive countries — a race capable of discovering the treasures which He had laid up, and of using them in accordance with His purposes. A similar remark may be made concerning New Zea- land and the Maori race. Far superior to the people who roamed the Australian country, ingenious in con- verting bones into fish-hooks and tools for labour — in weaving the green leaves of the flax plant into baskets 156 NEW ZEALAND. and mats, and in constructing warm and comfortable liouses with the long grass of their swamps — yet they knew nothing of the metals laid up in their soil, nor could they cultivate the rich plains covered with fern or dense forests, except in a few small patches. Looking upon the future character of races which are sunk so low as are the tribes inhabiting the islands of the South Sea in the light of acknowledged history, and supposing that no influence reaches them from without, there is nothing to relieve the melancholy reflection that they will probably sink gradually lower, and still lower, until it is impossible to imagine a picture so dark and wretched as their condition might become. Instead of improving in comfort and number, the general testimony of their past history shews that the reverse is the fact ; for their wars — almost exterminating in their design and manage- ment — the abominable practices of infanticide and self- murder, not to mention many other things of fearful import, prevents us from supposing that the natives of the Pacific isles would have risen above the condition in which they were found when ships from the civilized world first visited their coasts. It is confessedly an important object, and agreeable to the will of God, that the natural beauties and trea- sures of countries lying, till recently, beyond the pale of the enterprising world, should be laid under contribution to the general welfare of mankind ; but it is a nobler object still to raise the races inhabiting those countries to a place in the civilized world, and to lead them to our common Saviour, and so to give them a glorious hope of everlasting life. The difiiculties lying in the way of the elevation of a people, so far and so long sunk, are many and great ; but they should not prevent the COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 157 enterprising and enlightened race, which seek a home in their country, from using patiently the means which are most likely to effect their improvement. There is not a little danger that, although some attempts may be made of this kind, the mass of aborigines may remain uncared for and unblest, while hundreds of thousands live in comfort and plenty on the soil "which was the dwelling place of the tribes who make the wilderness their home. A dark page may be written on this subject. The Spaniards are verily guilty, and the English colonists have not always been free from blame. A better sjpirit and more enlightened views of colonization have charac- terized our younger colonies ; and notwithstanding the cloud through which we are now* passing in New Zealand, and the obloquy which has been, in some instances, heaped upon us without hesitation, and without properly understanding our position and our doings, we hoj)e to prove to the world that the colonization of New Zealand was commenced on Christian principles, and that, while the British race are endeavouring to reproduce, on a small scale, their bright and beautiful native land, they are trying to elevate the Maori race to a participation of the advantages which they have received as their birth- right. The present is especially a colonizing age. Means have been contrived by which long voyages may be accomplished with comfort, safety, and despatch. Distant countries are now connected by telegraphic wires ; and such are the improvements made in the common arts and in commercial management, that the comforts of England may be enjoyed, to a great extent, at the ends of the earth. The extensive use of machinery is of great * In 1864. irS • NEW ZEALAND. importance to a new country, where labour is alwaj'S costly, and often, when most needed, hardly to be obtained at any price. Many branches of science are now so well understood, and are taught with bo much clearness, that an intelligent and influential nation may rapidly grow up in a country which, a little time before, was known only as the land of ignorance and cruelty. Christian missions, of the Protestant stamp, have de- veloped their power as a civilizing, as well as a religious institution, chiefly in the present century ; and the amount of influence which they have contributed, not only towards the mental, moral, and social improvement of uncivilized tribes, but in the formation of the character and in the prosperity of British colonies, cannot be easily calculated. The free circulation of the Word of God must have a great eflect upon colonial settlements ; for being issued at a price which places the sacred volume within the reach of all classes of persons, it finds its way into nearly every house, is appealed to as the highest authority of morality and religion, and is the source of consolation, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to thousands in the chamber of affliction and in the hour of death. The Bible also throws its restraints over the inclinations of the vicious ; its principles are respected in legislative enactments ; and the framework of colonial society is constructed, professedly, in accordance with its design. Keligious and political liberty was never so well under- stood, nor so freely conceded, as it is at the present time ; and from this advantage many benefits may be expe- rienced in the colonies which we are planting. Great Britain is appointed, in the providence of God, to take the lead in peopling the waste places of the earth with an enterprising and inteUigent race, and in raising COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. the uncivilized tribes to a place of respectability and usefulness. No other nation, perhaps, has equal oppor- tunities to confer these advantages. The pre-eminent position of that famed island has been secured, and is maintained, to a very great extent, by its religion. This contributes not a little, together with the virtuous and admirable character of the present Eoyal Family, to maintain the throne on the firmest foundation — the love of all classes of the people. To this, also, we owe the extensive liberties which are the boast of the British subject, and the motives which affect the industry and honesty, tne morality and honour of the nation. The construction of her polity, by which the Crown enjoys its prerogatives, and the people their freedom — by which every man has an opportunity to rise in the social scale, and to exercise the talents with which he may be en- trusted, either in the mother country or in her distant dependencies — is of immense importance. The philan- thropic institutions which were begun by our fathers, as the expression of honourable sympathy towards the ignorant, afflicted, and unfortunate, and which have been continued with wisdom and experience, have not only conferred inestimable blessings on the classes whose welfare they were designed to meet, but have prepared the way for the establishment of similar institutions in the colonial settlements. The manufactures of Great Britain are known everywhere ; they supply garments to screen the hardy inhabitants from the piercing cold of a polar winter, and furnish the light dress worn in tropical countries ; and the tradesman of almost every country purchases the tools, and the farmer the implements of his industry, which were constructed in English work- shops. No nation possesses a richer or more varied IGO NEW ZEALAND. literature than our own, nor are we aware that any country places the choicest works on every branch of sound learning before the public at a lower price. The limited extent of their home territory indicates the colo- nizing work to which God has called the British race. A vast stream of emigration has been flowing out for many years, and yet the country is full of inhabitants. This stream will probably continue to flow on, to people other lands, and plant the virtues of England in the soil of far distant countries. Would that this could be done without planting her vices too ! The general improve- ment in the customs of society must not be forgotten. Many of the gross vices which belonged to former years — not to say ages — have given way to sober, refined, and decorous conversation and manners among all who are not lost to self-respect ; and this happy improvement is, perhaps, nowhere more plainly seen than in the respec- table portions of colonial life. The merest glance of the colonial course which our Anglo-Saxon race has run excites our wonder, and in many respects our admiration too. They laid the foun- dation of the United States of America, giving that mighty people their language, their literature, and their religion ; and the extensive tracts of rich soil and goodly forests lying northward of those states are still a part of our Empire. The West Indian Islands are British too. Large portions of Africa are the scenes of English habits and industry ; and the Queen of England rules many millions of the inhabitants of India. British influence does not now merely skirt the Chinese Empire, but is felt through the length and breadth of the land. The Southern world is undergoing the process of being moulded into British form. At the call of her industry COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 161 Australia is opening her treasures of gold, and promising a home for millions of her descendants. Tasmania and New Zealand are already English, and bid fair to reproduce many of the best and most interesting features of the fatherland. The work which she has done, and the peculiar qualifications for carrjdng on her colonial engagements, cause us to rejoice with trembling at the position of our native country. We rejoice that she is doing so much for the good of man, and the gracious purposes of God ; and we tremble at the amount of vice which is incidentally spread by her influence, and lest she should, in any case, lose sight of her great mission. The early colonization of New Zealand possesses some peculiar features. Captain Cook recommended these islands as a suitable site for a penal settlement ; but the Government did not entertain the idea of such a course, and it is probably well that they did not ; for a colony so commenced would likely have inflicted untold evils upon the native people. It has often been said, and with some justice, too, that the missions established here won the country for the British crown. But other influences, and some of them much to be deplored when considered by themselves, contributed not a little to the erection of the colony. Not a few of the first settlers, who ventured to live among the natives on different parts of the coast, were convicts who had escaped from New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land ; others were seamen, who had absconded from their ships ; and a few were young men of better principles, but of an adventurous spirit, and who wished to see life in some of its most strange and stirring forms. As might have been supposed, the immoral practices of many of those men had an injurious effect upon the M 162 NEW ZEALAND. natives, and tended to counteract the influences which the mission stations were calculated to effect. Yet they were, in some respects, beneficial ; for their habits, although rough, gave the natives some idea of civilized life, as their clothing was contrasted with the flax mat, and their cultivations enlarged the natives' acquaintance with different kinds of vegetables, and the manner of cultivating them. Some of them were industrious men, and took delight in securing a comfortable homestead, the effects of which were seen at least among the natives who lived with them. Many of those adventurers were engaged as sealers on several parts of the coast, and at other places whaling companies were established. The exciting and hazardous employment of the latter attracted the attention of the natives, many of whom were proud to take their place among the crews of the whale boats, and soon became efficient in that dangerous and profit- able enterprise. But while these civilizing proceedings were carried on, and the influence of the Pakeha was widel}^ felt, the rough, cruel, and ferocious spirit of the natives was shockingly displayed. The year 1827 was a crisis in the history of New Zealand. Events then trembled in the balance. Would the influence of the white man be for good or for evil, or would it be entirely swept away ? In that year, the agents of one missionary society left the country, and those of the other were prepared to go. But in that time of extreme danger, God stretched forth His arm of defence. Before the close of that eventful year, the missionary band returned, and tokens of hap- pier times were given. European intercourse increased, trade was encouraged, more white men arrived, and orderly settlements were deemed desirable. As early as COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 163 the year 1825, and again in 1828, efforts were made to form settlements in the North Island ; but without success. The exports shipped from New Zealand in those times of lawlessness, when every man did that which was right in his own e3^es, is truly astonishing. The exports of the year 1829, consisting of whale-oil, wood, flax, pigs, and potatoes, amounted to the large sum of one hundred and thirty-five thousand four hun- dred and eighty-six pounds sterling, and goods had been imported for the previous fourteen years averaging the annual value of thirty thousand pounds sterling, besides the trade carried on by many whalers, of which no account was kept.* Much of the payment which the Maories received for their labour and exports, consisted of fire-arms and ammunition ; and this contributed largely, no doubt, to the exterminating wars which raged so fiercely for some years. The chief Rauparaha — of unhappy notoriety, on account of his connection with the Wairau massacre in 1843, and still later as a prisoner on board H.M.S. Calliope — i3urchased a large stock of muskets, powder, and shot, and made his name terrible. In those days, some of the commanders of British vessels were guilty of the vilest practices for purposes of gain, as the fol- lowing narrative will show : — In the year 1829, Te Pahe, a chief, was murdered by the natives at Banks' Penin- sula, during a friendly visit to purchase green-stone.. Eauparaha and Eangihaeata,his nearest relations, deter- mined to avenge his death. For this purpose, Captain Stewart, of the brig Elizabeth, on the promise of a cargo of flax, conveyed Rauparaha and eighty warriors from Kapiti, in Cook's Strait, to Banks' Peninsula, in the Middle Island. Rauparaha's party hid themselves when Dr. Thomson, ''Story of New Zealand." 1G4 NEW ZEALAND. the ship dropped her anchor, and the unsuspecting natives came on board, to whom the captain represented himself as a purchaser of flax. When the chief, named Tamaiharanui, accompanied by his wife and children, with other persons belonging to the tribe, came on board, Eauparaha and his men left their hiding-place, and falling suddenly upon them, murdered every native, except Tamaiharanui, his wife, and daughter — the latter being about sixteen years of age — who were made pri- soners, and intended to honour their return to Kapiti. Eauparaha and his warriors then landed, and killed every native whom the}^ could reach. Ovens were pre- pared, and many human bodies were cooked, which were then packed in native baskets, and taken on board the brig. When their work was done, the anchor was weighed, and the ship stood out to sea on her return voyage. But who can describe the horrible orgies which were practised during that voyage on the deck of an English ship ! Obscene songs, the war-dance, and cannibal feasting were the type of their disgiisting enjoyment, and were conducted in the presence of their humbled prisoners, who were compelled to look on while the bodies of their friends were devoured. We cannot write this without blushing for the dishonour done to the name of our country, and of our race. The cool fortitude of Tamaiharanui, as he lay bound hand and foot, without shewing a sign of terror, was remarkable. By his order the mother strangled their daughter, to put an end to her disgi-ace. The loss of this girl so enraged Eauparaha, that he sucked the blood of Tamai- haranui as it flowed from a vein ; then, after heating a ramrod red hot, he thrust it through his bod}^, and endeavoured to aggravate his sufferings with bitter jests. The chief died in these tortures, but without disclosing COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 165 a sign of fear, and his wife some time afterwards was killed at Otaki.* It will be some relief to know that the captain of this dishonoured and blood-stained vessel could not obtain the cargo of flax which he expected, and that, on his arrival in Sydney, he was tried by the Supreme Court for the part which he had taken in these abominable affairs ; but, as a matter of course, almost, for want of sufficient evidence to convict him, the case could not be sustained, and he escaped punishment. Not long after, however, as the same ship was doubling Cape Horn, the wretched man, then in a state of drunk- enness, fell down dead, and was thrown overboard by his own crew.t The anxiety of the Maories to increase their commer- cial connexions with the traders of the neighbouring colonies, led them to sell large tracts of land at little more than a nominal price. It is not probable that they understood the importance of those transactions ; the idea of land being an article which might be bought and sold by persons who never trod their country, was not likely to be comprehended. But many persons in Sydney determined to avail themselves of this opportu- nity to become extensive landowners in New Zealand, To facilitate their intended purchases, deeds were drawn up in English, leaving blank spaces for the insertion of names, boundaries, and dates, according to the common form ; and with these preparations they sought to invest * Eighteen years afterwards, Tamihana, Rauparaha's son, with his cousin Matini Te VVhiwhi, and otlier Christian friends, intro- duced the Gospel, as the best reparation he could make for the wrongs which his father had done them, t Extracted from Dr. Thomson's " Story of New Zealand," pp. 2G4— 266. 166 NEW ZfJALAND, a small amount of merchandise — and some of it of a very questionable character — in large purchases of land. A few of the missionaries fell into the same temptation, which raised for a time an evil report of the whole mis- sionary band — some of whom purchased no land, and others secured only a moderate quantity for the use of their children, and at a fair price. These early purchases became a subject of careful enquiry after the colony was erected. Land Commissioners were appointed, by whom more than twelve hundred claims for land, said to have been bought before the commencement of the colony, not including the claims of the New Zealand Company, were examined. Some of these claims were very large ; three of them exceeded a million of acres each, more than half a million of acres each were claimed by three others, three more claims exceeded a quarter of a million of acres each, and upwards of thirty of the claims comprised more than twenty thousand acres each ;* and before the colony was formed, no less than twenty millions of acres were claimed by white men, as having been bought of the natives,! The reader will observe that, while such a flood of British influence was rolling in upon the country, espe- cially upon the North Island, no measures were used to prevent the evils which might be expected from such a course of things^ No one can imagine to what extent those evils might extend in such a country as New Zealand, and among such a susceptible and excitable people as the Maories. The happy influences which the mission stations had. produced were in danger of being superseded by others, in which the natives were likely to suffer much injur3^ It is not surprising, therefore, that * Swainson^ p. 90. t Thomson's "Story of New Zealand." COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 167 a letter was written by thirteen chiefs of the Bay of Islands to William IV., asking his protection. This was followed by the appointment of Mr. Busby as British Resident, who arrived at the Bay of Islands in 1833. In this ai)pointment the independency of the country was acknowledged, and a political position attributed to the chiefs who requested the protection of Great Britain which they did not really possess. At Mr. Busby's suggestion, a New Zealand flag was prepared, acknow- ledging the Maories as an independent nation ; and H.M.'s ship Alligator was disj)atched to inaugurate the flag by a Eoyal salute, and orders were issued by the Lords of the Admiralty, that the New Zealand flag should be respected. This very flag has recently been hoisted in the Waikato district, with the words " Potatau, King of New Zealand," inscribed upon it. It will be seen at once that this act of the British Government gave up their claim upon New Zealand — at least upon the North Island— founded upon the discoveries of Cap- tain Cook, and, without intending to do so, increased the difficulties connected with the colonization of the country. The appointment of a British Resident was not of much use. He was compared to a man-of-war without guns. He might issue orders, but had no power to enforce them. A small sum was placed at his dis- posal, to be distributed among the natives ; but it was sufiicient only to excite their cupidity, without doing them much good. We doubt whether this appointment was of any real value, except as it was a step — but contrary to the intentions of the British Government — in the providence of God, towards the erection of the colony. It is not easy to describe the state of things which 168 NEW ZEALAND. existed at the Bay of Islands at the time of which we write. More than a thousand persons are said to have been located there in the year 1838, and the number of vessels which entered the harbour in the preceding year is given as follows : — American, fifty-six ; English, twenty-three ; French, twenty-one ; Bremen, one ; New South Wales, twenty-four ; coasting vessels, six — shew- ing that, in the year 1837, no less than one hundred and thirty-one vessels, and many of them ships of large size, entered into the Bay of Islands for pm-poses of trade. Many were the evils and dangers to which such a people were exposed by ships' crews, at the end of long sea voyages, gathered together from different countries, and being without the restraints of wholesome laws. Numbers of native girls were kept by chiefs for the worst purposes, and were distributed temporarily among the seamen for gain. Neither property nor life was safe. Desperate efforts were sometimes made to preserve something like order. Persons who figured in that singular state of society, and who are now respec- tably settled in Auckland, speak of a company which was formed to preserve order, each member having to provide himself with a musket, bayonet, brace of pistols, cutlass, and twenty rounds of ammunition. Sometimes persons of more than ordinary trouble were visited with a ludicrous and inconvenient form of punishment, of which the following description may be accepted as a specimen : — " The culprit, a white man, already nearly suffocated from being secured all night in a sea-chest, was first denuded of his garments, then smeared thickly over with tar, and covered with the white feathery flowers of the raiipo plant, for want of true feathers. He was then marched along the beach, preceded by a COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 169 fife and drum playing the ' Kogue's March,' and accom- panied by drunken white men and astonished natives to its termination. Then the criminal was put into a canoe with the musicians, and lantled on the opposite side of the bay."* It is easy to see that this state of things could not continue long — a properly formed colony must be its result ; and if Great Britain determined not to colonize the country, some other nation would make the attempt. A French ship was fitted out for this purpose, and several families came from France to form a settlement in New Zealand, under the protection of their national flag ; and it was not until the emigrants from France were off the New Zealand coast, that the British flag was unfurled, and the right of Great Britain to these islands tacitly asserted. A delay of a few days only would have been followed by the loss of the colony to the English, and the establishment of French authority. The New Zealand Company, no doubt, contributed not a little to hasten the jurisdiction of England, by its zealous, and, in some respects, imprudent proceed- ings. This language will not be deemed too strong if we remember that, while the Government was re- fusing to erect these islands into a British colony, a preliminary expedition was sent by the Company to purchase land, and to determine the sites of the respective settlements ; and assuming that there would be no difficulty in procuring land, they proceeded to offer it for sale in England, with the right of selection when the purchasers, or their agents, should arrive in New Zealand. Purchases of this kind were made to the amount of a hundred thousand pounds sterling ; * Swainsou. 170 NEW ZEALAND. and several ships, full of emigrants, were sent off be- fore the Company heard of the proceedings and success of the preliminary expedition.* Being aware of the anomalous position in which they were placed before the establishment of British authority, the emigrants entered into an agreement among themselves, whereby a Council of Government was formed, and provisions were made by which any offender should be punished in the same manner as he would have been if the crime of which he might have been convicted had been com- mitted within the realm of England. We can hardly conceive how a body of emigrants could proceed to plant a colony in a distant land, where there was no legal appeal, without some provision of this kind ; and the cheerful manner in which they arranged for their com- mon safety and honour, under very singular circum- stances, shews their fitness for the arduous work which lay before them as the pioneers of a great colony. But it must not be forgotten that their Provisional Governmer.t was illegal; and that soon after their arrival in New Zealand they were officially warned that, if their self- imposed authority were exercised, they would be liable to a prosecution for usurping the functions of the Crown and Parliament, and that it was the intention of the Government to enforce the strict letter of the law.t The precipate purchases of land, and the immediate commencement of surveys, led to frequent misunder- standings with the natives, and prevented many of the best class of settlers from taking possession of the sections which they had paid for before they left England. But while those immature measures, and especially the suffer- ings and losses among the first settlers, are deeply re- * See Swainson, p. 77. t Idem, pp. 102, 103. COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 171 gretted, they were overruled for good. A better class of emigrants could not have been selected ; they were industrious and healthy, they possessed a good share of common sense, which is often invaluable to an emigrant, and many of them were fairly educated, and respected for a high-toned moral character. Such were the men who laid the foundation of the southern provinces of the North Island ; and, irregular as their proceedings, no doubt, were, they were perhaps necessary to induce Great Britain to commence the work of colonization in New Zealand — a work to which the providence of God had so plainly called her people. The position in which those early colonists were placed on their arrival in Cook's Strait was such as is seldom experienced. At the distance of sixteen thousand miles from their native country, and not knowing before their arrival that an acre of land had been purchased which they were to call their own, and on the coasts of a country whose native population were known till very lately as ferocious cannibals when excited, and whose natural susceptibility might any time kindle the flames of angry passions, they would naturally have feelings both peculiar and painful, as they looked upon the un- cultivated hills and plains from the deck of the ship. Nor was their condition very favourable when they landed. Mothers and helpless children looked around upon the barren hills of Wellington from the beach. Houses there were none. Crops could not be obtained for many months ; all the necessaries of life must be imported. Some were cast down for a while, and wished themselves in England again ; but this feeling soon passed away, temporary houses were erected, plots of ground were planted, and the blessing of the Most High 172 NEW ZEALAND. rested upon them. Many of those pioneers can now look back upon that season of trial without regret, they now enjoy the reward of their industry, and feel an honest pride in the thought that they were the founders of the goodly colony which they see growing up around them. These remarks may be applied with equal fitness to the first settlers of Nelson and New Plymouth, who commenced their colonial life under very serious diffi- culties, but many of whom, after a few years' labour, found their reward in a cheerful competence. It was on the 12th of May, 1839, that the first expedi- tion sailed, and on the 16th of the following September — four months after — three ships full of emigrants left Gravesend, and reached Wellington in the early part of 1840. The English Government now saw that decisive steps must be taken. Accordingly, Captain Hobson, E.N., was commissioned as Consul and Lieutenant- Governor on the 14th day of August, 1839, providing that he could obtain the cession of some part of the country to the British Crotvn. He arrived in the Bay of Islands early in the year 1840, with a staft' of officers, which he had obtained in New South Wales, of which colony New Zealand was to be a dependency. In the instructions furnished to Captain Hobson by the Most Honourable the Marquis of Normanby New Zealand was recognized as an Independent State. " We acknowledge New Zealand," says his lordship, " as a Sovereign and [ndependent State, so far, at least, as it is possible to make that acknowledgment in favour of a people composed of numerous, dispersed, and petty tribes, who possess few political relations to each other, and are incompetent to act, or even to deliberate in con- cert." On the cession of sovereignty by the natives, his COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 173 lordship says, "Her Majesty's Government have resolved to authorize you to treat with the aborigines of New Zealand for the recognition of her Majesty's sovereign authority over the whole or any part of those islands which they may be willing to place under her Majesty's dominion." And to prevent, as it was supposed, a wild and injurious land speculation, the document provides as follows : — " It is further necessary that the chiefs should be induced, if possible, to contract with j^ou, as representing her Majesty, that henceforward no lands shall be ceded, either gratuitously or otherwise, excejDt to the Crown of Great Britain." It should be observed that in an explanatory letter of the Marquis of Normanby, addressed to Captain Hobson, August 15th, the newly appointed Consul was informed that his instructions, so far as the independence of New Zealand was concerned, strictly applied only to the North Island, and that if the British sovereignty could not be established in the Middle Island by treaty, it might be done on the gi'ound of discovery. The trust reposed in Captain Hobson was a very im- portant affair, requiring great judgment, much forbear- ance, and considerable tact ; a false step might give rise to a thousand jealous feelings, and prevent a friendly and safe commencement of the colony. And who can imagine the dangers which hung over the settlers in the north, if the proceedings of the Lieutenant-Governor were not successful; and who can tell the difficulties lying in the way of the projected settlements in the southern part of the island, which might arise from the same cause ? It is not often that a man is placed in such delicate circumstances ; when such a case occurs an opportunity is afforded to lay unborn generations under 174 NEW ZEALAND. a tribute of gratitude ; such a debt is owing to Captain Hobson, and will be cheerfully acknowledged. His career in New Zealand was short, but the work which he accomplished was great. He wisely sought the assistance of the missionaries, who were almost the only white persons in the country that had acquired a knowledge of the Maori language and customs, and possessed their confidence. This course of procedure stamped a missionary character upon the early move- ments of the colony ; the natives looked at the subject through a missionary medium, and signed the treaty of cession more in confidence of the missionaries, whom they knew well, than of the British Government, of which they knew but little. The Bay of Islands was the first place where the native chiefs were invited to transfer the sovereignty of the country to the Crown of Great Britain. It was most desirable to establish the strong arm of the law there without delay, on account of the character and number of the people w^ho had made that neighbourhood their home. Only a few weeks passed after the arrival of the Consul and his staff before a meeting was convened at Waitangi, and the treaty of cession laid before the chiefs for their discussion and signature. As this treaty has been called the Magna Charta of the Maories, and was really the foundation upon which the colony was founded, and has been the object of appeal in our colonial history, we will give our readers an opportunity to examine it. TREATY OF WAITANGI. " Her Majesty, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, regarding with her royal favour the native chiefs and tribes of New Zealand, and COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 175 anxious to protect their just rights and property, and to se- cure to them the enjoyment of peace and good order, has deemed it necessary, in consequence of the great number of her Majesty's subjects who have already settled in New Zealand, and the rapid extension of emigration, both from Europe and Australia, which is still in pro- gress, to constitute and appoint a functionary properly authorized to treat with the aborigines of New Zealand for the recognition of her Majesty's sovereign authority over the whole or any part of those islands. Her Majesty, therefore, being desirous to establish a settled form of civil government, with a view to avert the evil conse- quences which must result from the absence of the neces- sary laws and institutions, alike to the native population and to her subjects, has been graciously pleased to em- power and authorize me, William Hobson, a captain in her Majesty's Royal Navy, Consul and Lieutenant- Governor over such parts of New Zealand as may be, or hereafter shall be, ceded to her Majesty, to invite the confederated and independent chiefs of New Zealand to concur in the following articles and conditions : — "Article the First. — The Chiefs of the Confedera- tion of the United Tribes of New Zealand, and the separate and independent chiefs who have not become members of the Confederation, cede to her Majesty the Queen of England absolutely, and without reserva- tion, all the rights and powers of sovereignty which the said confederation or individual chiefs respectively exercise or possess, or may be supposed to exercise or possess, over their respective territories, as the sole sovereigns thereof. "Article the Second. — Her Majesty the Queen of England confirms and guarantees to the chiefs and 176 NEW ZEALAND. tribes of New Zealand, and to the respective families and individuals thereof, the full, exclusive, and undis- turbed possession of their lands and estates, forests, fisheries, and other properties which they may collec- tively or individually possess, so long as it is their wish and desire to retain the same in their possession. But the chiefs of the united tribes, and the individual chiefs, yield to her Majesty the exclusive right of pre- emption over such lands as the proprietors thereof may be disposed to alienate, at such prices as may be agreed upon between the respective proprietors and persons appointed by her Majesty to treat with them on that behalf. " Article the Third. — In consideration thereof her Majesty the Queen of England extends her royal pro- tection, and imparts to them all the rights and privi- leges of British subjects. " (Signed) "W. Hobson. " Now, therefore, we, the chiefs of the Confederation of the United Tribes of New Zealand, being assembled in Congress, at Victoria, in Waitangi, and we, the separate and independent chiefs of New Zealand, claim- ing authority over the tribes and territories which are specified after our respective names, having been made fully to understand the provisions of the foregoing treaty, accept and enter into the same in the full spirit and meaning thereof. " In witness whereof we have attached our signa- tures or marks at the j)laces and dates respec- tively specified. * ' Done at Waitangi this 5th of February, in the year of our Lord 1840." COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 177 A careful examination of this Treaty, especially in the light which has been thrown upon it by a better knowledge of native customs, and by the unhappy events which have recently taken place, will enable us to point out several important defects. The words "We, the Chiefs of the Confederation of the United Tribes of New Zealand, being assembled in Congress," — suggest a political status which did not really exist. The idea no doubt grew out of the letter sent by thirteen chiefs to William IV., imploring protection from the lawlessness that threatened the peace and safety of the country. But allowing that this could be satisfactorily explained, so that no cause of jealousy was likely to be sown in the minds of neighbouring chiefs, a still greater mistake was made in ceding to the Crown the exclusive right of pre-emption over all lands which the natives might be disposed to alienate. This article constituted the Governor the great land purchaser, and no doubt, in many cases lessened his influence, and gave rise to jealousy concerning his in- tentions. If exorbitant prices were demanded for their land, it was the duty of the Governor to negociate through his agent till a fair price might be accepted ; and if a block of land was sold beneath the supposed value, the Governor was liable to be charged with dis- playing the low motives of a mercenary trader. In some places a track of land was of great importance to the neighbouring colony, and of little use to the native people, and it was quite natural that the Governor should be requested to purchase it ; and then his attempt to do so would perhaps lessen the respect of the natives, and make them suspicious of the designs of the Govern- ment. It were no easy task to point out all the evils N 178 NEW ZEALAND. which were likely to flow from this source, and which have really flowed from it. It is in one view probable, that much of the dissatisfaction which so unhappily prevails over large portions of this island, may be traced to this mistake. Yet the motives of the Govern- ment demand our respect ; a great evil lay before them, in the loose and extensive land purchases which had been made ; and in the innumerable purchases of a similar kind, with which different parts of the country were threatened; and this system of "pre-emption" appeared the best which could be devised, to put a stop to those dangerous proceedings. By this Treaty " all the rights and privileges of British subjects " were conferred upon the Maories. But much of this must in the nature of things be merely nominal. British law could not reach a large portion of the people ; robberies were committed and murders were perpetrated, without the possibility of bringing the criminals to justice ; and some of the native customs were directly contrary to both the letter and spirit of English law, and yet they could not be expected to be laid aside, except in a gradual manner. The peculiar circumstances of the Maories, which were the result of the lawlessness in which they were trained, made it difficult if not impossible to apply well known laws, or to prepare others which should meet their case. Some things, for instance, might be sold by the individual proprietor, others could not be alienated without the consent of the chief, and in some cases the consent of the whole tribe, or the division of the tribe to which the party belonged, was necessary to the validity of the sale. We mention these things to show the dangers and diffi- culties attending the colonization of this country ; but COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 179 while we point out some of the fundamental mistakes which were made, before that valuable article — experience — could be obtained, we would express our admiration of the honourable conduct of the British Government, and especially of the of&cers to whom the Government en- trusted these onerous transactions. The meeting which was convened at Waitangi, as has been related, was numerously attended, and a similar meeting was held at Hokianga five days afterwards. The Missionaries of both the Church of England and the Wesleyan Societies attended, and acted as inter- preters. To them the Maories applied for explanations and advice, and it was owing to their influence that the Treaty was accepted and numerously signed. It has been lately stated that the Maories were deceived, that they had no correct idea of conceding the sovereignty to the Crown, and, consequently, that they affixed their signature to a document which was not morally binding. But in reply to this it may be stated, that several of the missionaries now in the field, and whose love for the natives and anxiety, for their well- being no men doubt, assert that the Treaty was fully explained, and well understood by the numerous chiefs who signed it. On the 21st of May, a little more than three months after the meeting of Waitangi was held, and after the signatures of many chiefs residing in distant parts of the country had been obtained to the Treaty, the Queen's Sovereignty was proclaimed in the following form : — PROCLAMATION. " In the name of Her Majesty, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 180 NEW ZEALAND. By William Hobsoii, Esquire, a Captain in the Koyal Navy, Lieutenant-Governor of New Zea- land : — " Whekeas, by a Treaty, bearing date the 5th day of February, 1840, made and executed by me, William Hob- son, a Captain in the Eoyal Navy, Consul and Lieutenant- Governor in New Zealand, vested for this purpose with full powers by Her Britannic Majesty, of the one part, and the chiefs of the Confederation of the United Tribes of New Zealand, and the separate and independent chiefs of New Zealand, not members of the Confedera- tion, of the other, and further ratified and confirmed by the adherence of the principal chiefs of this island of New Zealand, commonly called 'The Northern Island,' all rights and powers of sovereignty over the said Northern Island, absolutely and without reservation : — "Now, therefore, I, William Hobson, Lieutenant- Governor of New Zealand, in the name and on the behalf of Her Majesty, do hereby proclaim and declare to all men, that from and after the date of the above- mentioned Treaty, the full Sovereignty of the Noi-thern Island of New Zealand vests in Her Majesty Queen Victoria, her heirs, and successors, for ever. " Given under my hand at Government-House, Eussell, Bay of Islands, this 21st day of May, in the year of our Lord, 1840. " (Signed,) " William Hobson, Lieutenant-Governor." On the same day. Governor Hobson proclaimed the Queen's sovereignty over the Middle and Southern Islands, principally on the ground of discovery. But Major Bunbury, of H.M. 80th Kegiment, who visited the COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONY. 181 chiefs of the Middle and Southern Islands and ob- tained their signatures to the Treaty of Waitangi, issued a proclamation with the usual ceremonies in the following June, on the ground of the sovereignty having been ceded by the principal chiefs. The colony was then fairly launched, although it remained for a little time as a dependency of New South Wales. The Sovereignty of the entire country was vested in the Crown of Great Britain, and ail classes looked forward hopefully. That a fierce and warlike people should transfer their mana, their sovereign right, to a foreign nation, was remarkable ; and when the manner in which it was done is considered, the influence of the Christian missions, — which had been established for twenty-six years in the country, among the tribes whose signatures were among the first affixed to the Treaty, whose agents, as we have seen, took an active part in the business, and whose word formed the princii^al ground of confidence among the native chiefs, — challenges our grateful acknowledg- ment and support. The land which was so lately polluted with blood, and the scene of the most horrible orgies, was now fairly opened to the influence of the Anglo-Saxon race ; hence- forward their language is to be heard from the North Cape to the Southern Coast of Stewart's Island, their arts are to be taught and their knowledge is to be spread over the plains of New Zealand, where the virtue and happiness of England are to find a home, and, we regret to add, where her vices and miseries will be found also. The hand of God may be fairly traced in the history which we have sketched. With a determination not to colo- nize New Zealand, an irresistible influence compelled 182 NEW ZEALAND. the Government of England to undertake the work ; and the experience of a quarter of a century, notwithstanding the interruptions of war, shows that her Majesty did not mistake her mission. Cities in embryo — ^towns of real importance — have grown up in different parts of both the jjrincipal islands, and smiling villages, with hundreds of happy homes, are found in various directions. Many and great are the advantages which the natives have reaped from the colonization of the country. Being well dressed in European clothing, and possessing considerable property, many of tliem are rejoicing in circumstances of comfort of which their race had no idea only half a century ago. The New Zealand Colonist may cherish an honest pride in the fair-dealing with which the Maori race has been treated, as being the counterpart of the general dealings of the white race towards the aborigines, whose lands they wished to appropriate to themselves. We have been particular in our remarks on this subject, on account of the misapprehensions which have been enter- tained, and, in some cases, the undeserved obloquy which has been Leaped upon the settlers. CHAPTEE VIII. EARLY STRUGGLES. IT is not easy to describe the disadvantages under which the first settlements in this country were formed ; for, in addition to the inconveniences arising from a wilderness, which produced no food for man, and but little for cattle, without cultivation, the number of aboriginal inhabitants, and the jealousy with which they regarded the influx of the white race — especially as many of the pahs and cultivations of the natives were either upon the land, or adjacent to the ground which the settlers expected to call their own — supplied causes of anxiety and alarm. The Maories at this time were the dominant race in respect of numbers and physical force, and the settlers felt that they were really under their power. Yet, while these things continued, the danger was not considered to be great ; for the natives were alive to the superior skill and industry of the Pakehas, and to the advantages which were supplied through them. In some instances, the plantations of the Maories sup- plied the newly- arrived settlers with food, at fair prices, till their own crops were ripe ; and in others, where their Pakeha neighbours were without money, in the commencement of their country life, the native chiefs have supplied them with the necessaries of life on credit, expecting to be paid when their crops should be ready for the market. But while such benefits were sometimes obtained from a neighbouring pah, the injuries which were done to the crops of the settlers by the pigs, and 184 NEW ZEALAND. to their fowls by the dogs of the pah, were numerous and irritating. The busy scene which a newly-formed settlement presented, was a strange and interesting object to the Maori people. Everything about the farai, the yarcl, and the house, was an object for examination, and a subject of conversation. Innumerable questions, prompted by curiosity, were asked, but answered with difficulty, on account of the little knowledge which each had of the language of the other. Not setting much value on their own time, they were regardless of the time of the settlers, to whom they gave no little incon- venience and discomfort by lounging in their houses and premises in considerable numbers. These annoyances, however, were not likely to continue long, except on the arrival of strangers, as their curiosity would be gradually satisfied, and the benefits of civilized life would excite among themselves the industry necessary to procure them. This was the case with many persons who, instead of being indolent, dirty, and troublesome, soon became industrious and respectable. Eut troubles of a serious kind awaited the infant colony, and fell heavily, and in a distinct form, upon each of the wide-spread settlements. A collision with the native people was most to be feared, both on their own account and on ours ; for it would militate against the benefits which the former might enjoy from the example and trade of the settlers, and, in the defenceless condition of the colony, it might inflict untold miseries upon the settlers. Yet such a collision was extremely probable. The naturally proud, suspicious, and defiant spirit of the Maori — the misunderstandings which were likely to occur through ignorance of each others' Ian- EAELY STRUGGLES. 185 guage and customs — the careless expressions, and, in some instances, the wanton treatment of which the white man had heen guilty towards the Maories — their want of patience during the slow process of English law — and, more than all others, the vexed land question, which had been a source of trouble among the native tribes from time immemorial — might at any time dis- turb the peace of the country. One of the greatest blessings which could be conferred upon the Maori people would be, without doubt, an appropriate code of laws ; but we know, from repeated failures, that this is beset with difficulties. Many of the principles of justice were so distorted in the native mind, that they demanded blood for blood, without regard to the guilt or innocency of the persons devoted to destruc- tion. Large numbers of their own race, in every part of the country, have fallen from this perversion of justice ; and they have sometimes been restrained with difficulty from inflicting similar punishment on innocent persons of the white race who have settled amongst them. An event, however, occurred in the early history of the colony, in which an appeal was made to the Maori sense of justice, under the extreme penalty of the law ; and their conduct through the heavy trial was worthy of all praise. As this was the first case of capital punishment executed in the colony, a further account of it may be narrated. Maketu, a native youth, seventeen years of age, mur- dered a family of five persons with whom he had been living at the Bay of Islands. From his own confession, and other evidence, his guilt was proved, and on the 7th March, 1842, he was hanged at Auckland. The natives gave him up to justice, watched with anxiety 186 NEW ZEALAND. the process of his trial, and saw him die upon the gal- lows. When more than three-quarters of a year had l^assed away, the father of this unhappy youth asked l^ermission to remove the bones of his child to the family burial place. This being granted, the bones were care- fully scraped, and removed to the Bay of Islands for interment. And the affection of the parent further manifested itself in the following pathetic lamentation, which was translated by Mr. CO. Davis : — * " O, my son ! I may ne'er forget thee. Thou art gone Far hence, for the deep springs of fatherly Affection are bubbling now, and the mind Seems all bewildered — o'ertaken by a storm. I fed thee with the fish which line the rocks Along the ocean shore, and taught thee how to meet the enemy. O, my son, I used to press thee to my breast. Yes, Maketu, that child whom priests Baptized in the fast flowing stream.t Stay, my son. It was a day of life When the people came in companies, "When the birds and other dainties were set out Before them. How now ? Ah ! do not look upon my bird with scorn ; Lo, it is newly-fledged, and comes from That noble one, Whara Whara the Great. And when its death is known, the grandsons Of famed Taingahue will come from Distant places. Here are thy lines, O'er those I weep, and then I place Thy hooks within a basket, as a memorial Of my lost one. My son, thy name was scarcely known. * " Maori Mementos,'' 1855. t A Heathen rite called Iriiri. EARLY STRUGGLES. 187 [ Thuu wert but a stripling, and yet Thy handa have touched another's treasures. Thy sires, Pehi and Te Ngatata, were great And wise ; then how hast thou become Acquainted with Whiro, the god of plunder ?" In the year 1844, about four years from the com- mencement of the colony, the town and neighbourhood of Eussell, at the Bay of Islands — the first town formed in the colony — became the scene of alarm and.disorder through the turbulent proceedings of armed natives. Two causes were assigned for this breach of the peace, by a chief named Hone Heke — abusive language, which had been uttered against him by a native woman, the wife of a settler, and the strangely mistaken design of the Government flag-staff, which was supposed to be used to prevent American vessels from coming into the harbour, and, consequently, to prevent the natives from enjoying the advantages of the American trade. In July of that year. Hone Heke assembled his fighting men, entered the town in a defiant manner, resolving to have compensation, according to native customs, for the insult ofi'ered to the chief, and to cut down the flag- staff. All that could be done by the Government officers and influential chiefs to appease their wrath, was attempted ; but without much effect ; for they danced the war-dance, threatened to violate some of the females, and plundered several houses ; and then, having cut down the flag-staff, they deliberately burnt some parts of it, and carried other parts away. Alarmed at the defenceless state of the infant colony amidst these pro- ceedings, his Excellency the Governor requested troops from the colonies of New South Wales and Hobart Town, and in the month of August a considerable body of 188 NEW ZEALAND. soldiers were landed. H.M.S. Hazard, with the Go- vernor on board, visited the Bay of Islands at the same time, and took the steps which were deemed most prudent to prevent the collision from spreading, and to point out the evils which were likely to flow from such a cause. At a meeting of the principal chiefs, on the 2nd of September, the Bishop of New Zealand and several missionaries being present, his Excellency spoke at length, and with precision, on the course which had been taken by Heke and his adherents. He reminded them that thirty years before they were " wild barbarians, utterly unlike Christians, utterly uncivilized ;" and that to reclaim them from that state the missionaries had denied themselves many of the comforts of life, and exposed themselves to many dangers. The probability that New Zealand would become a colony of some Euro- pean nation, which induced the British Government to protect him by its flag; the unhappy eflects which were produced at Tahiti and the Marquesan Islands ; the benefits which they might derive through their connexion with the English race ; and the large sums of money which were spent in support of the missions, whose object it was to raise them as a people in things both temporal and spiritual — were clearly pointed out. His Excellency further stated that Hone Heke had written him a letter, apologising for cutting down the flag-staff, and offering to put up another, and, conse- quently, all that he should insist on more was, that ten guns should be given us "as an atonement," and as marking the offence by a public acknowledgment. A number of tomahawks and twenty guns were immediately laid at the Governor's feet, and an offer was made to give up more, if his Excellency required them. The EARLY STRUGGLES. 189 object of the Governor having been secured, he returned the guns to their former owners, and the meeting ended. The services of the troops not being needed, and their presence being likely to produce suspicion, they returned to the neighbouring colonies without delay, in the same ships which conveyed them to New Zealand. The letter which was sent by Hone Heke to his Excellency may be deemed interesting. The following is a translation of it : — " Friend Governor, — " This is my speech to you. My disobedience and rudeness is no new thing. I inherit it from my parents, from my ancestors ; do not imagine that it is a new feature in my character. But I am thinking of leaving off my rude conduct to Europeans. Now I say that I will prepare another pole inland at Waimate, and I will erect it at its proper place at Kororarika, in order to put a stop to our quarrel ; let your soldiers remain beyond sea, and at Auckland ; do not send them here. The Pole that was cut down belonged to me ; I made it for the native flag, and it was never paid for by the Europeans. " From your Friend, " Hone Heke Pokai." Concerning the charge alleged against the Government, of not paying for the flag-staff, we can say nothing, only that it is not likely to be correct. Although the breach was repaired, and the settlers breathed freely again, the source of disaffection was not dried up. Before the end of the year, native customs again clashed with English law, and the property of 190 NEW ZEALAND. Europeans was taken as compensation for injuries said to have been inflicted upon the Maories ; but the persons from whom the property was taken had no connection with the individuals by whom the provocation had been given. And in the early part of the ensuing year, several cottages were plundered of all they contained, and personal violence was ofl'ered at Matakana, twenty- five miles from Auckland. These acts of violence were supposed to be committed in consequence of the dis- aft'ection which had been shewn at the Bay of Islands. This led the Governor to issue a proclamation, in which the sum of fifty pounds sterling was offered for the apprehension of each of the chiefs who were principally concerned in the robbery. At the same time the flames of rebellion burst out afresh at the Bay of Islands, and on the 10th of January, 1845, Hone Heke and his warriors again cut down the Government flag-staff at Eussell. A temporary flag-staff was soon after erected, but within two days Heke went and cut that down also, in the presence of the few friendly Maories who were placed there to guard it, A hundred pounds sterling were then offered for the apprehension of Hone Heke ; but with no other effect than to cause the roots of dis- affection to strike deeper. Kawiti, a chief of much influence, belonging to the Kawakawa tribe, having joined the insurgents with a great number of men, they were prepared for further demonstrations, to which they were excited still more by the presence of a small rein- forcement of troops. An attack upon the town was threatened ; consequently the fears of the inhabitants were aroused. In this state of things the Lord's Day was spent. On the Monday, the Kev. Mr. Williams assured the people that there was no immediate danger, EARLY STRUGGLES. 191 forming his opinion on the positive statements of the natives. But on Tuesday morning, March 11th, 1845, an attack was made in different directions, by strong bodies of natives. The women and children sought places of refuge. The small military force — consisting of a detachment of H.M.'s 69th Eegiment, about thirty men from H.M.S. Hazard, and the men who were resi- dents in the town — met the attack with much spirit, but could not prevent the advancement of such sujDerior numbers. The magazine exploded, and left us almost without ammunition. Nothing remained now but to flee, or to make a stand with the mere show of muskets. In this singular dilemma the British troops were placed, when it was determined to embark all the Europeans on board the ships lying in the harbour. This was done. The town was evacuated ; the Maories gained a complete victory ; and the prestige connected with the British name was completely fallen. In the evening, the insurgents deliberately plundered the houses, kindled fires, and reduced the town to ashes. The church and the houses of the missionaries, however, were respected, and remained as melancholy monuments of the fallen capital of New Zealand. Five days after, the inhabitants of the ill-fated town of Eussell arrived in Auckland har- bour, in H.M.S. Hazard, the U.S. corvette St. Louis, the Matilda whaler, the Government brig Victoria, and the Dolphin schooner. The Bay of Islands, has not gained its former influence, nor is it likely to do so. It remains as a part of the province of Auckland, to which port the general trade of the northern part of the colony is attracted, and the goodly harbour at the Bay — once the chief resort of ships visiting New Zealand — is consequently almost deserted. 192 NEW ZEALAND. The object of the insurgent Maories seemed to be gained, for the Europeans were really driven away ; but this dishonour the British name could not lie under long. In the latter part of April, a comparatively strong expe- dition, composed of troops and naval forces, arrived at the Bay of Islands ; the Union Jack was hoisted under a salute of twenty-one guns from H.M.S. North Star, and martial law was proclaimed. An attack was made upon several pahs ; much fatigue and suffering, by exposure to the weather and want of pro\dsions, were borne by the expedition, and severe losses from the fire of the enemy were exj)erienced. The officers in com- mand in the various attacks, were surprised at the extraordinary strength of some of the pahs. In a de- scription of one of Hone Heke's pahs, Colonel Despard, 99th Regiment, says : — " The strength of this place has struck me with astonishment, and I feel convinced that some European has had the direction of it. Independent of the double stockade, many of the timbers of wliich were twelve inches broad from from four to twelve inches thick, and sunk three feet in the ground — there was a ditch within the inner stockade, about five feet deep, and the same broad, which was crossed by tra- verses every five or six feet, with a narrow communica- tion between each, and would admit of only one man passing at a time. Deep holes were sunk in various parts of the interior of the place, thick embankments of earth were thrown up around them, and some of them were strongly blockaded besides with heavy timber, which enabled the garrison to remain in them without being endangered by our shot." It will not surprise the reader to learn that many a brave heart ceased to beat in an attempt to scale these strongholds, particularly as some EARLY STRUGGLES. 193 of the attacks were made without the aid of artillery, as it was a very difficult undertaking to convey field-pieces over many miles of rough country, where a foot-path constituted the only road. In the official despatches, describing an unsuccessful attack made upon Heke's pah on July 1st, 1845, a melancholy list of names is presented. Thirty-nine men, including two officers, were killed, and seventy-three were wounded, some of whom died soon after of their wounds. Thus fell one hundred and twelve men, all disabled for some time, and many of them to rise no more till the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God shall restore them to life, leaving the Maories in possession of their fortress, and strengthening the idea of their own superiority. But in the course of time, the British arms, in conjunction with Tamati Waka Nene, a faithful and valuable Maori ally, were successful. Heke, when wounded and threat- ened with increasing reverses, sued for peace, and'offered land as an atonement for his rebellion ; and Kawiti, when driven from his strongholds, and reduced to wretchedness for want of food, offered his unconditional submission to the Governor, and expressed his willing- ness to give up any land which his Excellency might demand, as a compensation for his hostility. But before the course of events had arrived at this point. Governor Fitzroy had been recalled, and Captain Grey* — the present Sir George Grey — had been appointed as his successor, and a different line of policy was adopted. Governor Fitzroy had pointed out several places to be ceded to the Crown, as a memorial that no man can take up arms against the Queen with impunity. But this course was turned aside, and Governor Grey, on receiv- * Governor Grey arrived in Auckland November 13th, 1845. O 104 NEW ZEALAND. ing Kawiti's submission, granted a free pardon to all who had joined in the rebellion, and immediately pro- claimed peace. The design was to secure the hearts of the native people by this act of clemency, and it furnishes us with an argument of some value against the charges which have been alleged against the New Zealand settlers, and against the Government also, by the press and the platform of Great Britain. But as recent events have thrown light upon that line of policy, we may venture to suggest that a different course would have been best. This was the opinion of many intelli- gent natives also, and was consistent with the general usages of the Maories. In an address to Governor Grey, a little before that time, Tamati Waka Nene said : — " There is no chance of making peace, unless Kawiti and Heke agree to give the land mentioned in the terms proposed by Governor Fitzroy. Unless they did so, peace would not remain. What I say are not my thoughts only, but the thoughts of all. There is no chance of peace until the lands are given up to the Queen." Considerable prosperity has marked the progi'ess of the colony in several parts of the country ; but, as we have before stated, the Bay of Islands never recovered its former position. It became for some years after a military post, and still possesses but a small number of settlers. The flag-staff, which had been the object of so much contention, was not erected again. A Wesleyan missionary, while passing it many years after, in com- pany with a native, was reminded of its humiliating position in these words: — "KoWikitoria tena, e moe ana i te puehu, i rote i te wahi i tura kina ai ia e Hone Heke" — ("There is Victoria sleeping in the dust. EARLY STRUGGLES. 195 in the place into which she was thrown by Hone Heke.") The unhappy struggle which has been described shed a considerable influence upon Auckland. This town had been made the seat of Government, and was rapidly increasing in trade and interest. But Heke's threatened attack produced a panic. Many persons sold valuable property in the principal streets of the city, for a very small sum, and left the country ; trade became dull, and workmen were engaged on the roads at one shilling and sixpence a day. The entire destruction of Russell, and the presence of its inhabitants — whose life had just been given them for a prey — were calculated to con- firm the terror which the threat of the insurgent chief had inspired. Heke was, no doubt, in earnest. Flushed with victory — having driven the white men, the military as well as the civilians, into the sea — in the north, he presumed on the same success at Auckland. Accordingly he applied to the Kaipara tribes for per- mission to go through their territory, and invited them to join the expedition; but his design was checked by the positive refusal of the Kaipara chief, Tirarau, to allow the war party to pass over his land. The militia force was called out, a commencement was made to throw up defences, the town and neighbourhood were guarded by night, and orders were issued for the safety of the women and children, and for the general defence of the town in case of a sudden attack. The loyalty and energy of Tamiti Waka Nene and his men contri- buted much to the safety of Auckland, and was acknow- ledged by the pension of £100 a year being settled upon this excellent chief during his life, and by the respect 196 NEW ZEALAND. with which he was always treated when he visited the city. In those days it was deemed the best pohcy to allay the native irritation by every possible means, and as the payment of the customs' duty for goods brought into the colony was a source of unpleasantness among the Maories, a bill was introduced by his Excel- lency Governor Fitzroy into the Legislative Council, in September, 1844, the object of which was to abolish the Customs throughout the colony. This bill was passed, although the colonial chest was empty, and all the settlements were proclaimed free ports. Instead of the usual way of raising the necessary revenue, a graduated Income-tax was instituted ; but it was ex- tremely unpopular, and in some parts of the colony the greatest difficulties were experienced in collecting it. Specie became very scarce, and debentures were issued, some of them as low as two shillings and sixpence, to the amount of ^£37,000. The Act by which these deben- tures were authorized was disallowed by the Queen, to the consternation of the settlers ; but, by a sj^ecial effort, the case was met, and the losses threatened were pre- vented. The public feeling against the debentures was very strong, especially as they were made legal tender. It was the cloudy and dark day through which the colony was destined to pass on its way to the sunshine of prosperity. The settlement of Nelson was seriously disturbed in the year 1843 by a collision with the natives of that neighbourhood, and originating in a land dispute. The position occupied by the Agents of the New Zealand Company was one which required extraordinary know- ledge and tact. Of this they were not, probably, aware ; EARLY STRUGGLES. 197 and hence the loose way in which their purchases of land were conducted. Their ignorance of the native land-tenure, customs, and language, led them into serious mistakes, which being published, and generally acted on, were followed by many evils. We look back, also, with regret upon some of the articles in which payment for the land was made, and see an unhappy connexion between them and the disasters which followed. We sowed the wind, and have reaped the whirlwind. The following is a list of the articles given to the natives at different places in the land purchases : — 300 Eed Blankets 2 Cases of Pipes 200 Muskets 10 Gross of Pipes 10 Single-barrelled Guns 72 Spades 8 Double-barrelled Guns 100 Steel Axes 2 Tierces Tobacco 20 Axes 15 Cwt. Tobacco 46 Adzes 148 Iron Pots 3200 Fish Hooks 6 Cases of Soap 24 BuUet Moulds 15 Fowling-pieces 1500 Flints 81 Kegs of Gunpowder 276 Shirts 2 Casks of Ball Cartridge 92 Jackets 4 Kegs of Lead Slates 92 Trousers 200 Cartouch Boxes 60 Red Night Caps 60 Tomahawks 300 Yards of Cotton Duck 200 Yards CaUco 12 Hair Umbrellas 300 Yards Check 100 Yards Eibbon 200 Yards Print 144 Jews' Harps 480 Pocket Handkerchiefs 36 Eazors 72 Writing Slates 180 Dressing Combs 600 Pencils 72 Hoes 204 Looking Glasses 2 Suits Superfine Clothes 198 NEW ZEALAND. 276 Pocket Knives 36 Shaving Boxes 204 Pairs Scissors 12 Shaving Brushes 12 Pairs Shoes 12 Sticks Sealing Wax 12 Hats 11 Quires Cartridge Paper 6 lbs. Beads 12 Flushing Coats 24 Combs.* It may seem to persons who have the history of the colony before them, very strange that a large portion of the articles forming the payments for land should con- sist in arms and ammunition — particularly as it might have been foreseen, by their eagerness to procure them, and the sad use to which they had been devoted in their inter-tribal quarrels, that the Maories might turn these very arms against the settlers. But while we condemn this as a serious mistake, we must not forget that the Sydney traders executed their payments in similar articles, and that, in some instances, the mis- sion stations had been dishonoured by the same traffic ; nor is it likely that other articles of equal cost would have commanded the same value in the eyes of the natives. But no explanation can justify the coui:se taken ; it was an error, and speedily brought forth its bitter fruits, as the following account will show. The Wairau plains, connected with the settlement of Nelson, were among the lands alleged to have been pur- chased of the natives. Accordingly, a company of surveyors were sent to lay out that block into sections, for farming purposes. When some raupo huts had been constructed for the convenience of the surveyors, and the natives saw what was intended, Eauparaha, who had distinguished himself by his cannibal ferocity at * Dr. Thomson, Vol. II., p. 16. EARLY STRUGGLES. 199 Banks' Peninsula, related in a former chapter, and Kangihaeata, who had married the daughter of Kaupa- raha: — the principal chiefs of their tribe, and the former owners of the soil — disputed the validity of the purchase, determined to prevent the survey, and, after removing to a place of safety the surveyor's instruments, burnt the huts. The argument in their defence is this : The land was not properly purchased, and the huts were constructed of raupo which was gathered from the swamps belonging to the natives. But the settlers con- sidered this to be an act which should be promptly met by the strong arm of the law; arguing that, if it were passed over, a precedent of rebellion would be formed, which might result in much injury to the infant settle- ments. A warrant was therefore issued by the bench of magistrates for the apprehension of Eauparaha, on a charge of robbery and arson. This was a bold and spirited stroke ; but the difficulty lay in executing the warrant. To accomplish this, nearly fifty men volun- teered their services, among whom were several of the principal gentlemen of the settlement, the whole force being led by the police magistrate. To send such an armed force to arrest a chief of high standing, and thus to risk a war with a numerous and well-armed foe, whose delight had always been in deeds of cruelty and blood, especially at a time when there was but a small force in the country to protect the newly-formed settlements, was a great mistake. It is easy to say that, had the Maories suffered the course of war to run smoothly, justice would have been done them, and that they might have learnt lessons of moderation and order, which would have been of advantage to them in after-life. But for this course they were not prepared ; all their habits 200 NEW ZEALAND, were contrary to it. To imprison a chief was to reduce liim to the position of a slave, and so to affix a brand of infamy to bis name till his dying day. The conse- quences of their mistake were written among the settlers in deeds of blood. The settlers and the Maories met on the disputed land, both parties being under arms. A recriminatory coDversation followed, and explanations were attempted, in the midst of which a shot was fired, — whether by design or accidentally is not known, but this was a signal for an attack on both sides, and several persons fell. Then an effort of reconciliation was made. A chief, named Puaha, appealed to the New Testament, which he sigi^ihcantly held up before them as the only gun which he sliould use, and urged its spirit and teaching as being contrary to war. Several persons of both parties advanced towards each otherwith oj)en arms, and the melancholy affair seemed to be near its close. But, unhappily, the eye of Kangihaeata just at that time fell upon his wife, who bad been shot ; and immediately after his voice was heard above the general confusion in the ominous words — "Eauparaha, remember your daughter !" This awoke every feehng of revenge in the native breast, and the fearful surge of battle swept over the contending parties with deadly effect. Several of the settlers submitted to Eauparaha, hoping that their lives would be spared ; but this being a refinement of war to which this infuriated chief was a stranger, they were al) brutally massacred. In this miserable struggle twenty-two men were killed and five were wounded. Among the former were several of the principal gentlemen of Nelson, in the prime of life, of good character, and deeply interested in the welfare of the colony. They were interred on the spot by the Kev. S. Ironside, a EARLY STRUGGLES. 201 Wesleyan minister, belonging to a neighbouring mission station. By their untimely death the Nelson settlement was thrown into mourning, many persons lamenting the loss of a husband or father, a son, a brother, or a friend. Nor could they tell how soon the natives might resolve on a further attack, under the excitement of their vic- tory ; for such they had cause to consider it, as their loss was much less than that of the settlers. This was a gloomy day for the Company's settlements, for in all of them there were serious disputes about the land, and at any time an appeal might be made to arms. Every eye was turned to the Government, anxious to know what course would be taken. Governor Fitzroy soon after visited the settlement of Nelson, and, instead of sympathizing with its stricken inhabitants, coolly laid the blame on them : then, crossing the straits, he talked with the sullen chiefs who had so fearfully massacred his countrymen, pointed out the wrong they had done, forgave them, and so healed the breach. Had his Excellency taken such a course as would have kindled afresh the flames of war, the con- sequences would have been most lamentable ; as it was, his policy indicated weakness in the eyes of the natives, who would have looked upon him with more respect had he taken the Wairau plain as utu for the white men who had fallen there, instead of giving them additional payment to conclude the purchase of the disputed land. But whatever opinion may be formed of the Governor's policy towards the natives, nothing can justify the cold- ness and pettishness with which it is alleged he treated the survivors of his mistaken and fallen countrymen. More than a quarter of a century has passed since this unhappy episode occurred; but it is still fresh in the 202 NEW ZEALAND. memory of many, and will always be considered as a dark page in our colonial history, and the graves of our countrymen, now surrounded by a rude fence, will be pointed out to coming generations as a sad memorial of a mistaken policy. The district of Taranaki, in which the New Plymouth settlement was planted, had been a very populous part of the country, and figures prominently in many of the most fierce and desolating wars recorded among the traditions of the native peoj)le. Numerous pahs meet the eye of the traveller, and in many of them may be seen the remains of defences, which were their chief protection against the invader, when every man did that which was right in his own eyes. The settlers are annoyed with the "Maori pits," choked up with fern, so that the unwary cattle sometimes fall into them and perish. These pits, we suppose, were used both as hiding-places and as storehouses during the native wars. The latest and most destructive of these wars occurred about the year 1830. It was conducted by Te Whero Whero — the same as Potatau, the first Maori King — in the most approved style of Maori warfare. Neither age nor sex was spared. At Puteerangiora, Te Whero Whero is said to have slain two hundred persons with his own hand. Horrible stories have been related to us by the persons who took their part in those orgies of death— cloven skulls, muti- lated bodies, and cannibal feasts being the common events in those times of heathen darkness, perpetrated within forty years of the present time, and near the spot on which we now write. During the struggle, many persons found shelter in the dense forest, and effected their escape by the east EARLY STRUGGLES. 208 side of Mount Egmontto the southern part of the island, where they were suffered to remain unmolested. Numbers were taken to Waikato as slaves, and a few persons were permitted to remain in the district. While the country along this coast was lying desolate, under the curse of the Waikato war, the agents of the New Zealand Com- pany made their purchases, and commenced the settle- ment of New Plymouth. Assuming that their purchases were valid, notwithstanding the small number of persons who appeared upon the soil, and not supposing that claimants would be found at a distance, the towEship of New Plymouth was surveyed, with suburban and rural sections ; then lines were cut, roads were made, bridges were thrown across streams, and houses were built. A map of the settlement was made, in which the beauty of both town and country sections was exhibited. Land being offered for sale in England, intending emigrants bought their farms in London, and paid for them there, with an arrangement that a right of selection should be given them on their arrival in New Zealand. The first settlers had scarcely broken up the virgin soil, and cast into it their first sowings, before ominous tokens were apparent. The Waikato people liberated their slaves, who immediately returned as freemen to inhabit the land of their birth. No sooner was this known, than the refugees from the south came back also. It was not surprising that the natives of the district should disallow the authority of the few persons with whom the agents of the Company effected their purchases, nor that they should make an effort to secure the entire district for ■ themselves. The case was a peculiar one. We can scarcely conceive of a more complicated and difiicult question in the history of the colony ; but it was made 204 NEW ZEALAND. much worse by the unhappy manner in which it was treated. When the unsatisfactory character of the Company's purchases was made known in England, Mr. Spain was sent to the colony by the Government as a Commissioner, to enquire into the alleged purchases, and report accord- ingly. In 1843 his report was rendered, stating that the quantity of land which he considered as having been fairly bought of the natives by the agents of the New Zealand Company, amounted to two hundred and eighty-two thousand acres — seventy- one thousand acres belonging to Wellington, one hundred and fifty-one thousand acres belonging to Nelson, and sixty thousand acres belonging to New Plymouth. Governor Fitzroy disallowed the award of the Commissioner, and declared that the quantity of land belonging to New Plymouth, as having been fairly purchased of the Maories, was no more than three thousand five hundred acres, comprising the town and immediate neighbourhood ! The Governor's declaration fell upon the settlers with paralysing effect. Many of them had been prevented from taking possession of the farms, which they had bought and paid for in England, until they had spent most of their remaining money ; and now that they had built houses and planted their crops, they found themselves on the land of the natives, and completely at their mercy. Under these circumstances, it was natural for the Maories to deter- mine on the settlers' removal as soon as their growing crops could be reaped. At the appointed time, the families were removed unto the land whose purchase his Excellency approved, and which, by a special arrangement, was given in compensation for the sections they formerly occupied. EARLY STRUGGLES. 205 By this course the foundation was laid, as we believe, for the native quarrels, the disputes with the settlers, and the war which afterwards followed. Had Mr. Spain's award been maintained, there would have been sufficient land for the colonial purposes of the time, the Maori people would have possessed large tracts which they could never cultivate, and which they would have been at liberty to sell or otherwise, at their pleasure, and the feuds, in which many lives have been lost — feuds origi- nating in the disputed land — would have been prevented. Wellington, the principal settlement planted by the Company, had its full share of early trials. Scarcely were the houses and stores completed, so as to give the appearance of a town, before a terrible fire swept away the property and the hopes of many. The noble-hearted pioneers soon recovered their spirits, and regained their position ; but upon a few persons the blow fell so un- expectedly and so heavily, that their heart sunk under it, and to this day they drag along a miserable and useless life. Such persons — we know of whom we write — are quite unfit for colonists, and should not have left their native land. Other difficulties, peculiar to those times, lay before the Wellington people, arising out of the vexed land question. The reported fertility of the Hutt Valley made it a desirable spot for agricultural purposes ; but the native owners contended that it had not been sold, and resolved that the Pakeha should not possess it. After much ill-feeling, the crisis came in 1846, and the Hutt became the scene of war. Men were murdered while they were at their work without arms ; military detachments were surprised with fatal eftects ; and the inhabitants in 206 NEW ZEALAND. general were alarmed. As a sufi&cient force was at that time in the colony, and prompt measures were taken to meet the insurgents, the town remained safe. The leader of this demonstration on the native side was Eangihaeata, of Wairau notoriety. His father-in-law. Rauparaha, still more notorious, ventured to play the dangerous game of siding with both parties. When this became sufficiently plain, his Excellency Captain Grey — the present Sir George Grey — who had a little time before succeeded Captain Fitzroy in the government of the colony, determined to surprise the chief, and send him on board a ship of war. This was certainly a bold undertaking. The friends of Eauparaha seemed to wince before the decisive spirit of the Governor, and instead of shewing his distress in a more objectionable form, Eangihaeata composed the following Lament for his friend Eauparaha : — " My brave canoe ! In lordly decoration lordliest far. My proud canoe ! Amid the fleet that fleetest flew ; How wert thou shattered by the surge of war ! 'Tis but the fragments of the wreck Of my renowned canoe That lie, all crushed, on yonder war-ship's deck. Raha ! my chief, my friend, Thy lonely journey wend — Stand with thy wrongs before the god of battle's face : Let him thy fate requite. Ah me ! Te Raukawa's foul desertion and disgrace I Ah me ! the English Ruler's might. Raha ! my chief of chiefs, Ascend with all thy grief Up to the land of peace ; there stand before his face : Let him thy fate requite. EARLY STRUGGLES. 207 Ah me ! Te Toa's sad defection and disgrace ; Ah me ! the English Ruler's might. One counsel more, the first I gave : ' Break np thy forces, comrade brave ; Scatter them all about the land, In many a predatory band.' But Porirua's forest dense— Ah ! thou would 'st never stir from thence. ' There,' saidst thou, 'lies my' best defence.' Now, now, of such design ill-starred. How grievously thou reap'st thy full reward ! Hence, vain lamentings — hence, away ! Hence all the brood of sorrow born ! There will be time enough to mourn Jn the long days of summer, ere the food Is cropped abundant for the work of blood. Now I must martial in compact array Great thoughts, that crowding come of an avenging day. "* After being kept on board Her Majesty's Ship Cal- liope many months, the war being over, and several influential chiefs being willing to answer for his future conduct, Kauparaha was set at liberty. He did not recover his wonted spirits, but sank down into a sullen gloom. After he had been at liberty about eighteen months, he died, at Otaki, in the midst of his friends. Fifteen hundred persons are said to have attended his funeral, the obsequies of which were composed of a mix- ture of Christian and heathen rites. Another calamity, differing from those which we have mentioned, awaited the town and neighbourhood of Wellington — one in which the power of God, and the impotence of man, are sufficiently apparent. A consi- derable portion of the brick buildings were thrown down » Thomson, Vol. II., pp. 135, 136. 208 NEW ZEALAND. by an earthquake. Of all the calamities to -which we are liable, none are more terrible than the earthquake. In war, force meets force, and something may be done to mitigate its horrors ; but the shaking of the earth is so sudden — the area over which the motion is felt is commonly so broad — the upheavings and depressions, the motions of other kinds, the chasms which suddenly open and sometimes as quickly close — the eruptions of gases, water, and other materials — are so completely beyond the control and calculations of man, that the most hardened sinner instinctively seeks for refuge at such a time under the shadow of Divine mercy. Many persons have gone down alive into the pit, both in ancient and modern times ; nor can we hope that these dreadful events will not occur again. Earthquakes are common among the islands of the Pacific ; but as the buildings are not often constructed of stone, we do not hear of much injury being done. It is probable that New Zealand has always been the scene of such con- vulsions. Many parts of the country are covered with the unmistakable proofs of volcanic agency of terrible magnitude.* But there are reasons for concluding that these occurrences are becoming fewer and less severe. The northern parts of the colony are nearly free from them already, and we believe that the same statement may be made of the extreme southern part ; for although the vibrations of the earth have been felt there, the motion was so slight that no damage was done. It * Dr. Hochstetter states that ivithin a radius of only ten miles from Auckland, not less than sixty-three separate points of erup- tion may be traced. These have long been extinct, but the lava which flowed from them remains, as an object of interest to the stranger, and an article of annoyance to the settler. EARLY STRUGGLES. 209 seems that the neighbourhoods of Cook's Strait are most liable to disturbances of this kind, and certainly the town of Wellington has been the greatest sufferer. The j&rst severe series of shocks took the colony by surprise ; the alarm excited was great, and the damage done was considerable. As descriptions of such events are cal- culated to teach us important lessons, we supply the following account : — It was on the 16th October, 1848, at two o'clock in the morning, that the j&rst severe shock occurred. The inhabitants were aroused from their sleep by the moving earth and falling chimneys ; an insjDection of the cracked and shaken walls which were yet standing increased their terror, for another shock might occur in a moment, and bury them in its ruins; The houses were, therefore, immediately abandoned, some persons taking refuge as they imagined in the neighbouring hills, and others remaining on the level ground, beyond the reach of the trembling buildings — and all wishing earnestly for the morning light. From a despatch written to the governor- in-chief by Lieutenant-Governor Eyre* — who was in Wellington at the time — we subjoin the following ex- tracts : — " During the whole of Monday shocks and tremblings of the earth were from time to time experienced, but of a slighter character than the first. On Tuesday, the 17th October, about four o'clock a.m., another rather smart shock was felt, and again at eight o'clock. Lighter ones continued at intervals during the day, until about twenty minutes to four o'clock in the afternoon, when a sudden and much more violent shock took place ; by this chimneys remaining up were, for .the most part, * The late Governor of Jamaica. 210 NEW ZEALAND. thrown clown. The native hospital, the gaols, many of the large brick stores, and the high brick walls were then cast down ; immense destruction of property took place, and, I regret to add, a melancholy loss of life. " Barrack Serjeant Lovell and two of his children were thrown down and buried by falling ruins. Upon being extricated, one of the children was found dead, and the other so seriously injured that it died in a few hours afterwards. The Serjeant himself was much hurt, and now lies in a precarious state. *' During the remainder of Tuesday and the succeed- ing night slight shocks only were felt ; but about five o'clock on Wednesday morning a stronger one occurred, and another about eight o'clock a.m. Minor shocks continued at intervals during the remainder of the day and evening, until the morning of Thursday, the 19th, at ten minutes past five o'clock, when a most violent and awful shock took place ; every building was rocked to and fro in a fearful manner, and, with the exception of the wooden buildings, most of the houses and stores were seriously shattered or fell in. The whole popula- tion were in the utmost consternation and alarm, and the destruction of property was immense ; but most providentially, up to the present time, no further loss of life has ensued. " Numbers of persons are, however, ruined ; many left houseless and homeless, excepting such temporary shelter as can be afl'orded by the new church, Te Aro, by Government House (where the hospital patients and some others are taken in), and by the wooden buildings of their friends. " Many persons are afraid of remaining in any of the houses at night, and return to the bush, among the hills, EARLY STRUGGLES. 211 in the hope of being more secure, notwithstanding the wild and inclement weather by which the earthquake has been accompanied. "A blow has been struck at the prosperity, almost at the very existence of the settlement, from which it may not readily recover. Terror and dismay reign every- where : for the last four days no business of any kind has been transacted. The energies of all seemed para- lyzed, and during that period no one has been able to feel for a moment that even life itself is secure. . . . " The sad ravages which have already occurred, and the terror which so frightful a visitation naturally pro- duces in most men's minds, will, I apprehend, drive from the colony all who can find means to get away. The few ships now in port waiting for moderate weather to sail are crowded with colonists abandoning the country, and numbers are unable to obtain passages. " Under this awful visitation I deemed it my duty at once to summon my executive council, and, with their approval, to proclaim a day of public and solemn fast, prayer, and humiliation, in order that supplication may be offered up to Almighty God to avert the recurrence of any similar visitation, and Friday, the 20th October, was appointed for this purpose." Wellington was visited by another earthquake in some respects more severely than in that which has been described. It was felt from Auckland to Otago. At Wanganui the shock was very heavy ; chimneys were thrown down in Nelson and New Plymouth ; eruptions of gas burst forth in various places, mounds several yards in height were thrown up, the ground was intersected with deep ravines, and the sea beach was raised several feet. This occurred in January, 1855 ; from which 212 NEW ZEALAND. time there have been no shocks sufficiently strong to do any damage, or to cause any serious alarm. The terror occasioned by these awful events soon passed away, and -with their fears the religious impressions to w4iicli the earthquake gave rise among many of the people were obliterated ; showing that while they " feared the Lord," like the ancient Samaritans, they " served their own gods." Damages were speedily repaired, houses were constructed upon principles which were more likely to resist the vibrations of the earth, and the current of business soon flowed along in its usual channel. As an expression of honourable sympathy subscriptions were raised in other parts of the colony and serlt to Wel- lington, to meet, in some measure, the losses which had been sustained ; this assistance was, however, respect- fully declined, the noble-minded sufferers choosing rather to depend on their o\\m energies, with God's blessing, than on assistance which might reach them from other sources. As future years pass over them, and substantial forms of prosperity increase, the inhabitants of Welling- ton will review the peculiar difficulties through which they have passed with gratitude to God, and derive from the retrospection fresh motives for thankfulness and perseverance. The promising settlement of Wanganui passed through a series of early struggles, the effects of which continued for many years. The threatening aspect of affairs led to the appointment of a detachment of troops, and their presence, no doubt, still further irritated the discontented natives. In the year 1847 the crisis came ; this was occasioned by the folly of a midshipman, who, pointing a loaded pistol at an old chief, playfully threatened to shoot him; unhappily the pistol went off, by accident, and wounded the chief in the face. The " accident " EARLY STRUGGLES. 21B was not admitted by the natives, but was made a cause of war. The campaign was opened in the barbarous style of the Maories, by the murder of a soldier and of an unoffending family of settlers, residing a few miles from the town. The immediate actors were five native youths, sent to th« work of destruction by their seniors. Through the efforts of influential Maories the murderers were soon after apprehended, and delivered up to the jurisdiction of a court martial, by which they were con- victed and sentenced to be hanged. Four were executed, and one, on account of his extreme youth, was pardoned. But it was more easy to