[Pages 5-50]
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LIFE AND TIMES OF PATUONE.
ERUERA MAIHI PATUONE, the late venerable and deservedly respected Chieftain of the Ngatihao tribe, Hokianga, whose demise took place at his residence, Waiwharariki, North Shore, Auckland, at the advanced age, it is believed, of 108 years, sprang from a noble line of ancestors, whose names, though engraven on the memory of their descendants, need not be recorded here.
Patuone's father, Tapua, was a renowned warrior Chieftain of capacious mind, and the priest of his tribe. The civil and religious dictatorship being entrusted to Tapua, he must have been on the pinnacle of Maori greatness, and hence it is that we find a large space allotted to himself and family in the annals of Maori history. The wife of Tapua was a woman of some celebrity, by name, Te Kawehau. Their children were: Tari, a daughter, who became the wife of the great Bay of Islands Chief, Te Wharerahi; and four sons. Two of these, Te Anga, and Te Ruanui, fell in battle while fighting by their father's side;
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the others were Patuone, the subject of this memoir; and the famous Tamati Waka Nene, of whom honorable mention, on various occasions, was made by the Imperial Parliament, the Colonial Legislature, and the Press. Of this latter, the Church Missionary Intelligencer for 1850 says:--"This Christian Chief has been, for many years, one of the foremost friends of the British, as he abundantly evidenced in the war with Heke and Kawiti. For his services on this and other occasions he has been rewarded by Government with a pension of £100 a year, the first payment of which he generously devoted to building a mill for the benefit of his former enemies, as a peace offering, and compensation for their losses." 1
Perhaps it should be stated here that the only means we have of ascertaining the probable ages of the old Maori Chiefs, who are rapidly passing away from our midst, leaving their places to be filled by their degenerate offspring unworthily, is to fix upon some well known event, the date of which is certain, and base our calculations on it, a plan we are necessitated to adopt in the present instance. In conversation with his old friend, Mr. Thomas Poynton, of lake Te Pupuke, known
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as Takapuna, and the writer, Patuone affirmed that he was at the Bay of Islands when the great navigator, Cook, visited that port, in 1769. Patuone's words translated are:--"My father, Tapua, and many others were fishing with their nets on the coast near Matauri, when Cook's vessel was observed near Motukokako (Cape Brett). The people immediately abandoned their fishing, and, paddling away, went alongside the ship, and presented fish to the strangers, then called maitai, i.e., from the sea." Referring to Cook's voyages, I find it recorded:--"On the 27th of November, the Endeavour was among a number of small islands from which several canoes came off * * * The Indians threw their fish into the ship by handfuls without demanding any thing by way of barter. * * * Among the fish obtained from these canoes were cavalles in great plenty; for this reason the Captain called these islands by the same name." Again, the veteran Chieftain says:--"I saw Cook's vessel. To meet it went the people in four large canoes. No. 1 was named Te Tumuaki, commanded by my father, Tapua, manned by 80 men. No. 2, Te Harotu, commanded by Tuwhera, with 40 men. No. 3, Te Homai, commanded by Taha-
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pirau, with 40 men, and No. 4 named Te Tikitiki, commanded by Ne, with 60 men. The canoes were paddled to the vessel, the Chiefs went on board, and my father received presents of garments, and brought with him to the shore a cooked joint of pork, which was eaten by myself and sister Tari. This was the first time we Maoris had seen the flesh of a pig. Cook's vessel was piloted to a place named Te Puna, and the land in that neighbourhood was given up to Cook. When the Europeans landed, the Hokianga tribes were in great alarm. I looked into the faces of these strange people greatly wondering." The English record is as follows:-- "Having weathered Cape Brett, we bore away to leeward, and got into a large Bay on the South-West side of several islands, and anchored; after which we were surrounded by 33 large canoes, containing near 300 Indians, all armed. Some of them were admitted on board, and Captain Cook gave a piece of broadcloth to one of the Chiefs, and some small presents to the others."
The statements made by Patuone in relation to the anchoring of the "Endeavour" at the Bay of Islands, the presentation of cloth to the Chiefs, and other incidents minutely detailed from mem-
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ory at this remote time from the actual occurrences cannot fail to heighten our interest in the departed truth-loving Chieftain, who was thus early associated with British worthies of whom we are so justly proud; and, for the honour of Patuone, be it chronicled that, from that time till the close of his earthly career, he never ceased to consider himself bound by the strongest ties to serve and befriend, in every possible manner, the European race; nor was the affectionate appellation by which he was known to the early settlers of the North wrongly bestowed, namely, "Father of the Pakeha."
Three years after Cook's visit, Marion du Fresne landed at the Bay of Islands, and, unfortunately, was massacred with many others by the Maoris, who were in turn decimated by the French. Volley after volley of musketry was fired among the whole body of Now Zealanders on the beach, who, stupefied by terror, stood like sheep to be slaughtered. No mention being made of Patuone in the reports of Marion's death, he was most probably at his settlements on the Hokianga.
As the brothers, Patuone and Nene, grew in years, the father discovered probably the difference in their dispositions; and though ignorant of
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the solemn and touching summons of the Hebrew Patriarch to his children--"Gather yourselves together, ye sons of Jacob, that I may tell you that which shall befal you in the last days;" ignorant of Jacob's appeal to his children, yet Tapua, patriarch like, called his sons to hear his prediction. To Nene, the younger brother, he said:--"Hei tangata kino koe; mau e hapai te pakanga," i.e., "Thou wilt be an evil man, an upholder of war;" and to Patuone, the elder brother, he said:--"Hei tangata pai koe, mau e hohou te rongo," i.e., "Thou wilt be a good man--a peace-maker," which characteristic, during Patuone's lengthened sojourn in the world, has been eminently exemplified, his presence among belligerent tribes being almost always looked upon as the harbinger of peace;--and certainly it would be most difficult to find a more amiable, peace-loving, disinterested person among the Maori tribes than was the late Patuone,--the last representative of the illustrious Tapua family. Like most of his countrymen, however, he was trained to the use of the spear and club;--and we find him, when quite a youth, on the battle field at Kaipara, where a goodly number of his people fell, and from which scene of slaughter he made his es-
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cape after a personal combat with the Chief Tatakahuanui, whom he slew with a green-stone axe, and who, says Patuone, "rushed on me striking me down. We rose together, when my assailant aimed another blow at me which I warded off. After a short struggle, I felled him to the ground, and calling to my companions, three in number, who were flying before the enemy, they gave me a tomahawk with which I cut off my man's head and carried it away in one of my garments. Some time afterwards, I overtook the main army, and Hongi, the leader, seeing my garments besmeared with blood, said,--'What stains are these on your garments?' I replied, 'I have something here,' alluding to the head of the slain man I carried in my vestments." Patuone further observes, "There was fighting at Kuratope, in the Bay of Islands district, but, before it commenced, I asked this question,--'Surely you do not intend to fight?' The opposing party replied, 'Indeed we do.' Firing continued for some time and I was wounded in the arm and in the leg. This was the first time your weapon, the gun, had been used by me. I fired, killed one man, and threw down my gun; and while my wounds were smarting, a man rushed upon me
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with a club; we closed, and wresting the weapon from him, I despatched him with it. Our party numbered sixty, none of whom were killed, and as the enemy left us in possession of the battlefield, we carried off the bodies, which, in accordance with the customs of those days, were consumed by us, but when the law of Christianity came," adds Patuone with characteristic thoughtfulness, "all such evil deeds were abandoned."
We shall presently refer to a singular story in connection with the Tapua family, which no doubt will be dismissed by many as a wild superstition and unworthy of notice; but whatever opinion may be formed respecting it, the relation is valuable, because it discloses to us the belief of the old Maori in a future state, and in the immortality of the soul. It may be allowed me to observe here, that the ancient Maoris, as far as can be gathered from their traditions, apprehended a Supreme Being known under various designations, as Ranginui, i.e., the Heavenly Great, &c. Direct communication with the inhabitants of the first and up to the twentieth heaven was also an article of faith, the heavenly visitants occasionally descending to communicate messages to men. There were gods and goddesses too, residing in the air,
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on the earth, and in the sea, to whom prayers and propitiatory offerings were made, both in the time of peace and war. It was believed, likewise, that some act of disobedience, committed in the presence of Hinenuitepo, i.e., the Great Lady of Night, brought death into our world, but that, man, having two natures, one only died,--the body, and that the "manawa ora," i.e., the "living principle," mounted to Heaven, or descended to Hades, or took possession of some bird, reptile, or fish, in which form the departed spirit visited the friends still dwelling on the earth; manifesting sometimes extreme friendliness of manner towards the living, and, at other times, scaring them on account of some transgression of known and sacred law.
Let me further trespass upon the patience of the reader by stating that, while travelling with a distinguished Maori Chieftain some years ago, he inadvertently revealed the fact that the Maoris, in the olden times, worshipped a Supreme Being whose name was held to be so sacred that none but the Priest might utter it at certain times and places. The name was Io, perhaps an abbreviation of Iouru. 2 Witnessing my anxiety to
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obtain further information on the subject, he refused to disclose any more Maori secrets as he called them, and politely referred me to an old Priest who resided about one hundred miles off. Patuone acted in precisely the same manner when an attempt was made by myself to procure from him some particulars regarding certain ancient Maori rites. It would appear that the sacred trust committed to the Priesthood was viewed with religious awe, and no one could trifle with it, and come off unscathed, its honour being guarded by a host of deities. Formerly, these secrets were transmitted by the "Pukenga," i.e., Fountain Head, to the "tauira," i.e., disciples, the buildings where these matters were repeated being sacred, and all those present were made partakers, by the Priest, of the same sacredness. Hence, perhaps, the difficulty of obtaining particulars relative to their ancient faith and practice--a religious dread which still clings to them. It should be borne in mind, too, that, since the introduction of Christianity, Maori traditional lore and Maori religious sayings have been discouraged, and the knowledge that each venerable Chief or Priest
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possessed on these singularly attractive subjects has passed away with him. That the old Maori possessed considerable true religious knowledge shrouded in the drapery of tradition and legend is, I think, abundantly evidenced. What for instance can be more touchingly practical than the adoration of the miracle-working god-man, Tawhaki, the glitter of whose body is the lightning's flash, whose breath is the thunder's peal, who, after he descended to earth, was murdered, and rising from the dead by his own innate power, ascended to heaven again on the thread of a spider's web, uttering as he triumphantly left the world,--"Pike ake Tawhaki ki te rangi tuatahi," &c., i.e., "Mount up, Tawhaki, to the first heaven," &c.! One is forcibly reminded here of the sublime exultation of the Psalmist when he exclaims:--"Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in."
We come now to the story which has given rise to the above remarks, and may be briefly stated as follows: Patuone's grandmother, Ripia, had a child still-born to whom was given the name of Te Tuhi. He frequently troubled his parents and other members of the tribe, appearing to them
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sometimes in the form of an apparition, and sometimes transforming himself into a lizard. He came clothed with the marvellous influence which beings in the world of spirits are supposed to possess. His visitations caused great dismay, and many members of the tribe fell victims to his power. This appearance of Te Tuhi to the Tapua family created much uneasiness, as did the strange appearance to the Wesley family, recorded by their biographers, 3 which some suggested was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet John Wesley's father. Tapua, in his priestly capacity, offered prayers, and various incantations and divinations were resorted to in the hope of laying the troublesome spirit. It is averred that Patuone was urged again and again by the restless spirit, to become the medium of communication between the beings of the two worlds, and though the modern spiritualists would doubtless have yielded with avidity to the solicitations of the persistent medium seeker, no amount of persuasion could induce Patuone to accept the honour,--if it be an honour,--of holding converse with departed spirits, and, in process of time Te Tuhi dis-
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continued his troublesome propensity of visiting earthly friends.
The Maoris, it may he observed, are still firm believers in what we call spiritism, and in the presence of te Turehu, i.e., Fairies, in certain localities. In corroboration of this statement as regards the last named class of imaginary beings, I would remark that a Native Chief at the Thames, in securing the services of a gentleman to survey a block of land at Cape Colville, said to him through myself:--"Let me warn you of a danger that may come to you while engaged on the survey. The mountain abounds with fairies, their habitations are on the summit, their pas are interlaced with supple-jack. Their plantations are there also. They grow very large gourds, but if any attempt is made by men to procure one of them for seed, when the human hand touches it, the gourd is immediately turned into a stone and becomes so weighty that it cannot be lifted by men's hands. They play on musical instruments, and the soft airs are wafted down the sides of the ranges till they reach the ears of mortals. When you get within a certain distance of the hill cones, cease cutting lines, and use your instruments only. Now take heed to these my
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injunctions lest evil overtake you, and I be blamed for sending you thither to face certain death."
In 1814, when the first New Zealand Mission was established near Rangihoua, Bay of Islands, under the auspices of that indefatigable ambassador of the Cross, the Rev. Samuel Marsden, otherwise known as the father of the New Zealand missions, Patuone and his brother Nene took a lively interest in the good work; and in 1827 when the Wesleyan Missionaries, Messrs. N. Turner, J. Hobbs, and J. Stack were plundered at Whangaroa and driven from their homes by the savage tribes of that locality, Patuone, Waka Nene, and their brother-in-law Te Wharerahi, raised a force to rescue them, and they with their families were placed in safety by the Chiefs at Mangungu, on the Hokianga, where the triumphs of the gospel among the Maori tribes of that beautiful river were palpably manifested to all who had eyes to see and ears to hear.
On the subject of our departed friend's goodwill to the Missionaries, the Rev. John Hobbs--a man distinguished for his disinterestedness and heroic spirit, often called into exercise during the early barbaric times, when the pioneer Missionaries raised the standard of the Cross--says:--
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"The Mission party have always considered themselves indebted to Patuone, Waka Nene, and Te Wharerahi of the Bay of Islands for protecting them from imminent danger from an armed party of two or three hundred men, among whom the question was discussed whether we should be killed or not." The account of the meeting of the two belligerent tribes on the occasion of the rescue of Mr. Hobbs and companions, is strikingly affecting, and shows how loyal were the hearts of those noble Chiefs to the excellent Missionaries. On the near approach of the hostile army, with their guns, tomahawks, and spears, Patuone and his people requested the European families to kneel on the ground, a command which was immediately obeyed. Patuone and a band of his noble-hearted warriors, in the mean time, surrounded the Missionaries, stretching forth their arms over the heads of the messengers of peace to guard them from danger, on the discovery of which touching act, the enemy moved on, allowing them and their protectors to proceed on their journey unmolested.
In later years we find Patuone and Nene his brother at Kororareka with 800 followers, in consequence of a sanguinary battle between
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the local tribes in which 100 were slain. As usual, Patuone was busy in the good work of peace-making. His exertions in this respect, together with those of his famous brother-in-law, Te Wharerahi, were crowned with success. In the same year, Patuone was accompanied by his brother, Waka Nene, and other Ngapuhi celebrities, to Matamata in conjunction with the Thames tribes, who were at this time at war with the famous William Thompson's father, Te Waharoa, whose country they scoured and whose pa they invested. Te Waharoa and his tribes, feeling indisposed to risk an engagement in the open, the formidable Thames tribes, together with their allies the Ngapuhis, retired after consuming all available crops. Patuone, on his return to the Thames, settled for a time among the Ngatipaoa, and took to wife a Chieftainess of that people, named Riria Takarangi.
Some time after this, Patuone undertook a voyage to Australia, transacting business with Gordon Brown and other Sydney merchants, and returning to New Zealand in the Brig "Tranmere." Then we find him on the East Coast again associated with the powerful Chief, Titore, carrying on a brisk trade in flax and spars,
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at Mahurangi and other places. Titore's letter to King William of England is so graphic and honourable to the writer, that I am tempted to insert it here, hoping it will prove interesting to the reader. It should be remarked, that the naval authorities in England, being desirous to obtain a cargo of New Zealand spars, a man-of-war named the "Buffalo," -- afterwards wrecked at Mercury Bay,--was despatched to the shores of New Zealand, and the Commander having put himself in communication with the Chief Titore, the latter undertook to supply the required cargo of spars. The following is the novel letter referred to:--
"To the King of England, King William.-- Here am I, the friend of Captain Saddler. The ship is full and now about to sail. I have heard that you aforetime were the Captain of a ship. Do you, therefore, examine the spars, whether they are good, or whether they are bad. Should you and the French quarrel, here are some trees for your battle ships. I have put on board the 'Buffalo' a green-stone battle axe, and two garments. These are all the things which the New Zealanders possess. If I had any thing better, I would give it to Captain Saddler for you. This
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is all mine to you. Mine. (Signed,) TITORE."
As early as 1795, the Maoris were in the habit of visiting Australia. On this subject, Collins, in his History of New South Wales, says of a Maori Chief:--"He delineated his sketch of New Zealand, with chalk, on the floor of a room set apart for that purpose." "Among the different New Zealanders brought to Port Jackson, was a remarkable Chief named Te Pahi, who came to the Colony during the time of Governor King, from the Bay of Islands. Both the Governor and the gentlemen of the Colony were particularly attentive to him, nor were they a little surprised to find in a man totally unacquainted with any one rule of civilised comportment, an acute shrewdness of remark, and nicety of discrimination, which they had never before thought compatible with a state of rude barbarism. The Colonists still hold in remembrance many of his remarks which equally shew the solidity of his understanding and the justness of his conceptions."
At Otuihu, Bay of Islands, when the Waima Chiefs Pi, Te Nana, Te Koukou, and others fell, it is recorded, that Patuone found his way into the company of the belligerents, for the purpose of restoring peaceful relations between the
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contending parties, the leaders being Pomare and Kawiti. "On an eminence near the pa," Timoti, a relative of our deceased friend, says, "Patuone stood and cried with a loud voice, while the parties were fiercely firing at each other,--'O Kawiti desist from further blood-shedding.'" The well-known voice was at once recognised, and the people commanded by Kawiti were at once withdrawn by their leader from the assault of the pa. This intervention and prudent course of action on the part of Patuone, brought about the cessation of hostilities, and the full establishment of peace.
Towards the merchants of Sydney, and towards the commanders of all vessels trading to Hokianga, Patuone conducted himself with that true honesty of purpose and urbanity of manner, that invariably insured respect. On this point, the Rev. John Hobbs says:--"Captain Delaite and, afterwards, Raine and Ramsay, and Gordon Brown kept up a trading establishment at Te Horeke under the protection of Patuone, Tamati Waka Nene, Muriwai, and other friendly natives, which establishment was never seriously injured, and remains to this day." Nor was Patuone backward in using his large influence for the
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protection, at all times, of the European settlers. Mr. Hobbs informs us that, of the company organised by Captain Hurd to occupy Hokianga, four persons, "McLain, Nimmo, Nesbet and Gillis ventured to remain and went up the river to Patuone's place, where they resided for nine years." Speaking of these early times, Mr. Nicholas, the historian, says of the Maoris, "Wherever I mixed among them, I always found the strongest proofs of their friendliness and hospitality; they always presented me with something to eat, and nowhere did I meet with any thing like selfishness, in this respect." The same spirit of friendship was manifested by Patuone towards the late Baron de Thierry, when that gentleman found to his dismay, that the land he claimed by virtue of a deed signed by certain Chiefs, had not been purchased, but that the axes given were merely a deposit;" To meet this disappointment, Patuone and Nene placed the Baron and his family on lands named Tarawana, at the head of the river Hokianga, free of all charge, of which lands the de Thierrys remained in peaceful possession, for many years.
Patuone, I may here state, had four wives. By Te Wheke, his first wife, he had four sons and
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two daughters; by Te Hoia, three sons and one daughter; by Riria Takarangi of Ngatipaoa, Thames, previously mentioned, one son; and by Rutu, one son. The sole survivor of these twelve is a son named Hohaia. There is no living representative of Tamati Waka Nene's family, nor of their youngest brother, Wi Waka Turau, who lived and died at the old tribal settlement, Hokianga. The children of Patuone's sister, Tari, whose husband was the chief Te Wharerahi, mentioned frequently in preceding pages, were Tupanapana, Tarapata, and Te Tane. Two of Tarapata's children, namely Wi Pani, and Harata, wife of the notable chief Paora Tuhaere of Orakei, late member of the Provincial executive, attended their grandfather, Patuone, during his last illness, administering to his wants, together with another member of his household named Timoti, and were present on the occasion of his decease. Patuone's firstborn, Toa, when quite a young man, sickened and died. The Rev. John Hobbs visited the bereaved parents, on which occasion he saw the deceased in a sitting posture, decorated with feathers and other Maori ornaments, and his two wives in a like posture by his side, they having strangled themselves, in accordance with the Maori
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usages of those days, to accompany their husband in order to prepare the food supposed to be necessary to sustain him on his journey to Te Reinga, i.e., Hades. In 1828, Te Wheke, Patuone's first wife, was taken ill. At this juncture, the tribal priest was solicited to use his prayers and spells, to avert, if possible, the fatal consequences that were apprehended by Patuone and his household. The priest entered upon his mission with unwonted vigour, claiming for himself marvellous influence with the gods and goddesses said to be ruling the destinies of men, some of whom, it was averred by him, had stricken Te Wheke with a fatal malady. After sundry gesticulations, and rapid chanting of many Maori prayers, the soothsayer exhibited a large stone, a tin pot, a paper of fish hooks and a piece of a red shirt, which he assured the tribe, with great pertinacity, he had succeeded, by his charms, in removing from her body, adding that, in consequence of his having appeased certain wrathful deities, the invalid would immediately recover. Patuone and others gave full credence to the asseverations of the pretender, and, doubtless, liberally rewarded him for his services, but Te Wheke shortly afterwards, breathed her last.
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Soon after the establishment of the Christian Mission at Hokianga, the work extended to Waihou, Mangamuka, Waipa, and other places of the Hokianga. Native itinerant teachers carried the word of peace to Taranaki, and its neighbourhood, while others laboured in the more immediate localities of the Mangungu mission station. Among these were, Wiremu Patene, Rihimona, and Matiu, who, on the occasion of their holding a religious meeting at Mangamuka, were fired upon by the Chief Kaitoke and his adherents, who were under the influence of a noted Maori ventriloquist named Papahurihia, who held nightly meetings, at which a large concourse of Maoris attended for the purpose, it was alleged, of holding intercourse with their departed friends, the ventriloquist being the medium of communication. This Maori necromancer had sent to his Mangamuka disciples a gun with certain hieroglyphics marked on it, the sanguinary meaning of which, if not fully understood by Kaitoke, was to be explained by the bearer of the weapon. While divine service was being proceeded with, the three bullets intended for Wi Patene, passed through his garments, Rihimona was mortally wounded, and Matiu killed, while holding the
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word of life in his hands. The unprovoked attack upon these excellent teachers created intense sensation amongst the Christianised portion of the community, many of whom were bound on blood revenge. An army immediately proceeded to Mangamuka, under the leadership of Patuone, Waka Nene, and other distinguished Chiefs. On the arrival of the Christians in sight of the Pa, "they received," says Mr. Turner, "a succession of musket balls, one Chief fell dead, and another seriously wounded; after the third shot the Christian natives fired, then the balls flew thick, some whizzing close by the Missionaries, who had followed to restrain them, if possible, from violence." The Christian party stormed the Pa, and put to death twelve of the inmates, taking the remainder prisoners, including the leader, Kaitoke, who was wounded in the fight. The victorious chiefs held a council, and some of them loudly advocated the killing of Kaitoke, but Patuone's customary course for mercy prevailed. The heathen party were accordingly liberated with the understanding that they should abandon their settlement at Mangamuka, and seek a new home.
Another heathen posse of the Ihutai tribe,
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under the leadership of Tohukakahi, had provoked the ire of certain European settlers, some of their number having been illtreated by the above Chief. The settlers, numbering upwards of forty, determined to visit the offenders with summary chastisement. An expedition, fully armed, repaired to Mangamuka by boat, but, prior to its arrival at the native Pa, one of the Missionaries, the Rev. W. White, preceded the armed settlers, and prevailed upon Tohukakahi and his tribe, to vacate their Pa, and to seek refuge in the woods, in the hope of evading the expected attack. The settlers, leaving their boats near the bank of the river, marched in martial order, with tomahawk, sword, and gun in hand, and made a furious assault upon the Pa; but finding it deserted, the army contented itself by seizing Maori goods within the fortress, and slaughtering a large number of pigs, carrying away in triumph the carcasses to their flotilla, an achievement which secured for this singular adventure the appellation of the "Battle of Pork." It is stated, that Patuone accompanied the settlers, he being the recognised friend of the pakeha, and known by his own countrymen to be a man of peace. As no human blood was
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shed by the settlers, Patuone would be likely to approve of the appropriation of Maori goods, and the heroic onslaught on the herd of swine.
The next occurrence that brought Patuone, Waka Nene, and other prominent Chiefs into special notice, was the alleged murder, by drowning, of a European settler named Henry Biddell, who had taken a passage on board a Maori canoe, manned by two natives, the destination of which was Whirinaki, a branch of the Hokianga river. The unfortunate man embarked, it is stated, at the Whaiti, near Hurd's point; his body was found on the Kakaho beach, about twenty miles distant from the point of starting. The corpse was conveyed to Mangungu, where a meeting was convened, and a jury, composed of settlers and Chiefs, formed to deliberate upon the guilt or innocence of the accused natives; the late James Busby, then British Consul, being president. The two Maoris who had paddled the canoe were arraigned before the tribunal, a decision was arrived at, although the evidence was conflicting, that the European had met his death owing to certain violent acts perpetrated by the two Maoris; one of them being a mere stripling. It was subsequently determined, that the Maori boy should be
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spared, and that the man should suffer the extreme penalty of human law. Accordingly, certain persons were instructed to prepare a place of interment, on a small island called Ruapapaka, near the estate of the late Captain McDonnell, R.N. A considerable number of settlers and native Chiefs repaired to the island, the condemned was placed on the margin of the newly dug grave, and was speedily despatched by Pangari, a relative of Patuone. The body being deposited in its resting place, the proceedings terminated; and the various parties who had interested themselves in this sad scene returned to their respective homes.
From the establishment of the New Zealand Missions up to the year 1840, there was a general disinclination on the part of the Maori tribes, to indulge in the use of intoxicating drinks; but the early Hokianga settlers had, from the first, accustomed themselves to the drinking usages of the day. As some few of the Maori Chiefs had been led by their example to imbibe occasionally, and thereby relinquish their self-respect, and as drunkenness increased among the settlers, it was deemed advisable by the Missionaries to elicit a discussion on the subject of Temperance. A
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meeting was held at the Mangungu Wesleyan chapel, about five hundred Maoris being present, and a few of the colonists. The nature of the proposed business having been explained by the Missionaries, the moot points were answered by Patuone, Waka Nene, Mohi Tawhai, Taonui, and other notable Chieftains. A resolution was passed unanimously, to the effect, that no more spirituous liquors should be landed at Hokianga, and that all spirits found on board vessels entering the port, were to be poured into the sea. This resolution highly offended numbers of the settlers resident in various localities, and they determined to resist it, if possible, but Patuone, Waka Nene, and their noble coadjutors, were intent upon carrying into practice, the scheme proposed. A deputation was at once formed, consisting of Maori Chiefs and two European gentlemen, namely, Captain Clendon, and Mr. George Stevenson. The deputation then proceeded to a vessel shipping timber for Australia, and, making known the decision of the recent temperance meeting, the delivery of the grog on board was demanded by the Chiefs. The master, finding there was no alternative, reluctantly complied, making this observation: "Matters have come to a pretty pass
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now, that we are compelled to go on our voyage without our supply of grog." The captain ordered the puncheon of rum to be hoisted on deck, it was taken by the natives to the gangway, the bung drawn, the sailors' coveted treasure emptied into the sea, and the cask politely handed back to the captain, who remarked: "I have no more spirits on board." The other vessels in harbour were visited, and information sent to them of the temperance law of the confederate Chiefs. It was unnecessary to board the brig Draco, loading with timber at the time, as she sailed under total abstinence principles. Some of the settlers, in defiance of the wishes of both Missionaries and Maori Chiefs, renewed their excesses, and some few went so far as to visit the Mission Chapel at Mangungu, dancing round it with cheers, holding bottles of rum in their hands. In a drunken brawl, one of them named Thomas Styles, received a blow, which, together with the poisonous effect of his excesses, brought him to the margin of that great precipice that divides time from eternity. When in this mournful condition, he sent for the Missionaries, expressed his sorrow on account of his determined opposition to them, and to the confederate
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Chiefs, on the subject of temperance; and, as a proof of his compunction, he ordered all his rum puncheons to be taken from his store, and their contents to be poured on the ground, in the presence of his assembled associates. The poor fellow bade farewell to earthly scenes, twenty-four hours after he received the fatal blow, in the drunken bout, which sent him to a premature grave.
Long before the colonization of New Zealand by the British crown, there was a brisk trade between Australia and Hokianga, it being celebrated for its magnificent Kauri spars. As a general rule, the Maori population evinced the greatest friendship towards the captains and crews of the vessels, entering the port, and rendered valuable assistance in the preparation of the cargoes required. A schooner named the Fortitude, when about to sail for Sydney laden with sawn timber, stranded at Motukauri, near the Whirinaki river; some of the natives, Whirinaki and Rarawa, in accordance, perhaps, with their ancient law, that all vessels, fish, birds, &c. cast on shore, within their tribal territory, should become the property of their tribe, boarded the Fortitude, and appropriated to themselves sundry articles
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found on board, including the ship's papers. I have no hesitancy in saying, that, if prudent steps had been taken, the purloined articles would have been restored to the owners, and the difficulty amicably settled. Moral suasion, however, was not the mode often resorted to in those days, but the spirit of retaliation was preferred, by both settlers and Maoris. Quickly, therefore, after the Fortitude's capture, an army was raised by the Chiefs Moetara, Rangatira, Te Kakahi, and others, whose country extended from Maunganui on the coast, to One Tree Point, seven miles from the Hokianga Heads. The armed tribes, in a fleet of canoes, paddled on to Motukauri, where they landed in battle array, a circumstance, it would appear, that greatly exasperated the Whirinakis and Rarawas, as they fired into Moetara's army, immediately upon its landing, killing one man, which was the signal for attack, a general fight, therefore, ensued. On Moetara's side, some distinguished chiefs were killed: Te Kakahi, Pahau, Paura, Taungahuru, and others. On the side of the aggressors, two great Chiefs, Mariao, and Taku were killed. It is estimated that the killed and wounded numbered twenty-two.
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Fearing a general war amongst the Hokianga tribes, and as each settler was under the special protection of a Chief, Moetara, on his return from Motukauri with his dead and wounded, landed at the late Captain Young's station, One Tree Point, and built there a large Pa, enclosing the houses, and formed an encampment as a precautionary measure, fearing that the exasperated tribes would make a descent upon the station, rob the stores, and ill use the family. Munitions of war were poured in from various localities, and, while warlike preparations were being proceeded with under the supervision of a warrior Chieftain named Te Waenga, by an act of carelessness a barrel of gunpowder ignited, scorching him severely, from the effects of which he soon expired. Patuone and his brother Waka Nene joined Moetara at One Tree Point, with three hundred followers, including a European named John Marmon, who had been in the habit of shouldering his musket, and fighting side by side with Patuone's people against the foes of the tribe, whether at Hokianga, Taranaki, or elsewhere. Marmon and about thirty of Waka Nene's army crossed the river from One Tree Point, and fired into the Orongotea Pa, occupied
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by a section of the Rarawa; a series of skirmishes ensued, with little harm to either party.
The allies at One Tree Point demanded the delivery of the Fortitude's papers, which happily was acceded to, a circumstance that brought about the establishment of peace between the belligerents. All matters being satisfactorily settled, Moetara and Rangatira returned to their settlements, and the allies, with their spirited and noble minded leaders, went to their homes about thirty miles from One Tree Point. Thus, by the friendly intervention of the two celebrated brothers, Patuone and Nene, was further blood shedding prevented, and cordial relations established between the exasperated settlers and hostile Maori tribes.
Now come sundry remarkable events, recorded in the annals of Hokianga, which threatened to bring about a settlers' war, with Maori allies assisting both on the part of the aggressors and defenders. The quarrel originated with certain sawyers, who had been employed by a Mr. Crowe, who was both captain and owner of the brig Brazil Packet. The Kauri forest in which the sawyers had been placed, was the property of Captain Crowe; a large quantity of timber had
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been prepared for shipment, when some misunderstanding arose as to the agreement previously entered into by the men and their employer; the former prohibiting the rafting of the timber till a full understanding was arrived at in relation to payment. Captain Crowe, on the other hand, avowed his intention of removing the timber, irrespective of the working men's protests. The sawyers thereupon made known their grievance to the settlers residing along the banks of the Hokianga river, who at once responded to their call for aid. About one hundred settlers, armed with guns, swords, and other deadly weapons, came in their boats to One Tree Point. After landing, they drew up in military order, the officers having distinguished themselves by wearing scarlet scarfs and other martial habiliments. The army marched in rank and file to Crowe's sawing station, and halted near the stacks of timber, where a serious altercation took place; and, more than once, the life of the captain was in imminent peril. Crowe's Maori allies lingered with their arms in the immediate neighbourhood, refusing to interfere, unless Crowe or some of his party were fired upon. Having minutely observed the various phases of the hostile movement,
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I was led to believe, that the armed settlers were overawed by the presence of Crowe's Maori allies. After the destruction of the sawn timber by fire, the European braves returned from this singular affray in their fleet of boats to their distant homes. Be it remembered, that these unique soldiers, made conspicuous by the formidable array of their rusty flint muskets, were under the guardianship of the two distinguished brothers, Patuone, and Waka Nene; and Captain Crowe under the protection of the two Chieftain brothers, Moetara, and Rangatira, men of singular distinction. Thus it will be observed, that should any of the aggressors, or defenders, in the conflict described as "The battle of plank," have been killed, internecine war would in all probability have resulted therefrom, affecting alike both Europeans and Maoris. It is a matter for congratulation that the lives were saved, and the timber only lost.
Patuone's decision of character, when in the prime of life, and his large influence with his people were well known. On this subject, an eyewitness observes, "Turning the bend of the river, we suddenly met a war party. They were all armed, and presented a most formidable appear-
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ance as they marched in a compact body, ready for action. They were headed by several chiefs, the principal of whom was Patuone of Hokianga, a friend to Europeans. On seeing us, [i.e. a party of Missionaries in the bend of the river,] he instantly turned round upon his army, and commanded them to halt. Never before had I seen in New Zealand such an exhibition of authority and obedience. Having secured a halt, Patuone and other Chiefs came and rubbed noses with us in token of sympathy."
Relative to some of our late friend's war expeditions in the earlier days, when Maori feuds were of yearly occurrence, we are informed that an army of eight hundred men, under the leadership of Patuone, left the north in war canoes, landed at the river Tamaki, dragged their canoes thence into the Manukau, and passed to Whaingaroa, where the northern army was joined by the celebrated Rauparaha, and Te Ao o Te Rangi. The force, now numbering fourteen hundred men, during its passage through the Maniapoto country, as far as Mokau, refrained from committing any act of violence; but when it had crossed the border, "Many" says Timoti, "commenced the work of killing men. On went the army to
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Taranaki, and this brave leader, and that, dashed forward in the fight. The Taranaki tribes were unable to hold their ground against our rush. The other side had no strength left to remove their dead and wounded, so they left in the hands of the victors the bodies, and the living who were made prisoners. After the eating, drinking, and dancing, Patuone and Rauparaha pushed on to Whanganui. At that place, a thousand met a thousand. They fought with the Taiaha, 4 Tewhatewha, Merepounamu, and other Maori weapons. We had a few guns, which greatly scared them. Patuone shot the Chief of the Whanganui tribe, who was known by the head dress he wore, 5 and, when the people saw their chief fall, they fled. Our fighting party
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now pursued, and numbers were stretched dead on the ground, and many taken prisoners. Patuone then made peace with Whanganui and gave the leading men a quantity of powder. They composed a poem, and sang it in remembrance of the event; then Patuone returned to Hokianga, and Rauparaha to Whaingaroa."
The spirit of friendship, previously intimated, between Patuone and Hongi, is noticed by Mr. Stack, in his journal, under date March 12th, 1828. He says:--"Patuone, who has just returned from Whangaroa, called this evening. I asked about Hongi. He told me several things, all of which I felt interested in listening to, as connected with the end of this extraordinary Chief. I perceived that Patuone spoke of him in the most affectionate manner. When he and his party arrived at Pinia, where Hongi was, they found him so emaciated that they were much affected, and, as is usual, wept together." 6 Patuone and Hongi met each other at Whangaroa, some time after a brother of the former had been killed at a Pa in that locality, and the latter Chief advised his friend, Patuone, to avenge the death of his brother. The counsel of Hongi was acce-
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ded to, the Whangaroa Pa taken, and the Chief of the fortress, named Motukiwi, was slain.
Relative to the bloodthirstiness and savage propensities of the Whangaroa tribes, many records of their cruelty have been handed down to us. Among others, the slaughter of the crew and passengers of the Boyd, about seventy persons; a terrible catastrophe, not likely to be soon effaced from memory, of which Mr. Nicholas says:--"The Captain, never once reflecting on the character of the savage, whose favorite passion is revenge, and not considering that his own tyranny 7 had provoked the most signal retaliation that could be taken, had the rashness to leave the ship unprotected, and, taking a boat's crew with him, proceeded to the shore, where a horde of outrageous cannibals stood prepared for his destruction. The duration of this dreadful tragedy was short; he had scarcely landed when he was knocked down and murdered, and the sailors, unhappily sharing the same fate, were all stripped by the barbarians, who immediately appeared dressed in the clothes of their victims, and went on to the ship to complete the carnage. Arriving
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at the ship with their revenge unsatiated, and still raging for blood, a general massacre of the remaining part of the crew, together with all the passengers on board, immediately ensued, and, with the exception of four individuals, neither man, woman, nor child of all that left Port Jackson, escaped the cruel vengeance of their merciless enemies." 8
The same cruel spirit of barbarism was manifested by the Whangaroa tribes in later times, even when the messengers of peace had the courage to reside amongst them, in the hope of emancipating these merciless people from the thraldom and power of heathenism. On this point, the late Rev. N. Turner remarks:--"About day break, Luke knocked me up, in haste, for the natives were coming up to the house. Mr. Hobbs, Luke, and I met them outside. They said: 'We have come to take away your property, and you must be gone.' They went into the outer kitchen, and into the store, and carried, with all speed, their contents to the canoes. Being now satisfied that nothing short of an entire clearance of all we possessed was intended,
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we made all possible haste and equipped ourselves for flight. Four of our schoolboys came to the door, saw our situation, and offered to go with us. We thankfully accepted their aid, which indeed we regarded as essential to our safe escape. The plunderers, now, smashed all the windows to pieces, broke open the back door, and began, in earnest, to spoil the house. Still we lingered till we saw them carrying away the beds from which we had just arisen. Being now fully satisfied that all we possessed would be taken from us, we were glad to escape with our lives. While most of the natives were at the back of the house, we passed through the front door. At this moment the special providence of God saved Mrs. Turner from a violent death. During the excitement of the last few minutes, the wildness of the furious savages had become uncontrollable. Life or death was in every moment. Mrs. Turner was escaping through the doorway. A Chief had raised his weapon to cleave her to the ground, when a shower of nails fell upon his head, which so surprised and confounded him and those near, as to arrest the bloody stroke and save a valuable life." 9
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Patuone, we are told, requested the Missionaries, Messrs. Turner and Hobbs, to return to their Whangaroa station under his protection, but they declined making Whangaroa their home a second time, having escaped the recent fury of the savages, and previous personal dangers. The Hokianga army, which visited Whangaroa at that time, secured some of the spoils taken from the Mission premises, having driven away the first plunderers who belonged to Hongi's tribe. The dwelling houses and stores were burnt to ashes, and as is usual with Maoris bent on rapine and slaughter, the heads of goats and other domestic animals found on the Mission Station, were displayed on poles as trophies of the victorious crusade made against the ambassadors of the cross. "Not content with what they had found above ground, the ruthless barbarians had dug up the coffin of a dear child, merely for the sake of the blanket in which they supposed it had been wrapped, and had left the remains to moulder on the surface of the earth."
There is no reliable evidence to convince us that the renowned warrior Chieftain, Hongi, whose reckless deeds of blood practised upon his own countrymen made him the terror
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of all, encouraged, or even countenanced the furious onslaught upon the Whangaroa Missionaries by his tribe; he was friendly towards all classes of Europeans, including the Missionaries, who paved the way for the colonisation of New Zealand by the British Crown. Certainly Hongi had no complaints to make against our race; he was treated with great consideration in England, by King George the Fourth, by the estimable Samuel Marsden in New South Wales, and by Governor Macquarie, and the gentry of Sydney.
Mr. Marsden informs us how he passed the first night with Hongi and his followers at Whangaroa. "Mr. Nicholas and I wrapped ourselves in our great coats and prepared for rest. The night was clear, the stars shone bright, and the sea on 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 reviewed our present situation with sensation and feelings that I cannot express, surrounded by cannibals who had massacred and devoured our countrymen. About three in the morning, I rose and walked
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about the camp, surveying the different groups of natives. When the morning light came we beheld men, women, and children asleep in all directions, like the beasts of the field." Hongi and other Whangaroa Chiefs, were invited to breakfast, on board the brig "Active"; at the conclusion of the meal they were presented with prints, axes, bill hooks, and other articles. The Chiefs having seated themselves in the cabin in great form, to receive the presents. Messrs Kendall, Hall, and King were introduced to them by Mr. Marsden, after which ceremony, he expressed a hope that there would be a cessation in New Zealand to all war. Under date December 25, 1815, in reference to his reception as a preacher of righteousness by the famous Hongi, Tuatara, and many others of the Maori race, Mr. Marsden pathetically remarks:--"Tuatara passed the remaining part of the previous day in preparing for the sabbath. He enclosed about half an acre of land with a fence, erected a pulpit and reading desk in the centre, and covered the whole either with black native cloth, or some duck which he had brought with him from Port Jackson. He also procured some bottoms of old canoes, and fixed them up as seats on each side of
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the pulpit, for the Europeans so sit upon; intending to have divine service performed there the next day. These preparations he made of his own accord. I was much pleased with this singular mark of his attention. The reading desk was about three feet from the ground, and the pulpit about six feet. The black cloth covered the top of the pulpit, and hung over the sides. The bottom of the pulpit as well as the reading desk was part of a canoe. The whole was becoming, and had a solemn appearance. About ten o'clock, we prepared to go on shore, to publish for the first time the glad tidings of the gospel. I ordered all on board to go on shore, except the mate and one man. When we landed we found Korokoro, Tuatara, and Hongi dressed in regimentals, which Governor Macquarie had given them, with their men drawn up, ready to be marched into the enclosure to attend divine service. They had their swords by their side and switches in their hands. We entered the enclosure and were placed on the seats on each side of the pulpit. Korokoro marched his men and placed them on my right hand in the rear of the Europeans. Tuatara placed his men on the left. The inhabitants of the town with wo-
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men and children, and a number of other Chiefs formed a circle round the whole. A very solemn silence prevailed. The sight was truly impressive. After reading the service, during which the natives stood up and sat down at the signals given by Korokoro's switch which was regulated by the movements of the Europeans, I preached from second chapter of Luke and tenth verse:--
'Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy'
In this manner the gospel has been introduced into New Zealand, and I fervently pray that the glory of it may never depart from its inhabitants." 10
Although the subject of the present memoir is not named in the above extracts, the prominent Maori actors chronicled in the memorials of the excellent Marsden and others, were Patuone's particular associates; I assume, therefore, that my readers will pardon the seeming digression.
Mr. Marsden and his colleagues, who devoted themselves so nobly to achieve the Christianization of the cannibal tribes of Ngapuhi, deemed it advisable to purchase from the Maoris a plot of ground, to ensure the stability of the Mission work. The land selected was at Rangihoua, Bay of Islands, the quantity two hundred
