1870 - Strachan, A. The Life of the Rev Samuel Leigh - CHAPTER XVI. DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKES...

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CHAPTER XVI.

ON the 14th of October, 1848, God spoke to the southern portion of the colony of New Zealand, with a voice that made the barbarian and European alike quail under such developements of His power and supremacy as they had never before witnessed. On that day they were visited with rather a severe shock of an earthquake. Many of the buildings in Wellington were thrown down, but no lives were lost. On the 15th, the earth was in motion all day; but in the afternoon a shock much more violent than the former one was experienced. Nearly every brick chimney in the town was thrown down; and the buildings which had survived the former shock were shattered and rendered untenantable. "I was never so impressed," said an eye-witness, "with the almighty power of God, as when standing in the streets, and beholding the large massive brick buildings toppling over in every direction." A class was being met in the mission-house at the time; and while the people assembled thought themselves secure, the east gable of the large chapel was vibrating over their heads in the most frightful manner. Through God's mercy it did not fall, or they must have been all crushed to death under the ponderous mass. One of the local preachers, and two of his children, who were passing a store-house at the time it fell, were buried in the falling materials. They were devoted to Christ, and fully prepared by Divine grace to meet the Bridegroom. A still more alarming shock took place on the 19th, which laid the whole town in ruins. If the houses had been brick or stone, two or three stories high, the loss of life would have been immense. The mission families, being driven from their houses, erected a large tent, which afforded some shelter from the wind and rain that descended upon them with great violence. One thousand pounds' worth of mission property was destroyed by these successive shocks.

The governor issued a proclamation, appointing the 20th to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer to

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NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN, NEAR BOILING SPRINGS.

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Almighty God, that He would avert the recurrence of any similar visitation. The day was observed with profound reverence by all classes; and hundreds were led to reflection and prayer, who, previously to these earthquakes, had "cared for none of these things." Nor were these transient emotions: they ripened, in many instances, into religious principles, and issued in practical amendment. The native mind, just awoke from the slumber of centuries, discovered its ignorance and cupidity; and applied with earnestness to every source for information relative to the duties of life and the obligations of religion.

An ardent thirst for knowledge had been awakened in the minds of the young of both sexes throughout the country; and neither the efforts of the missionary, nor the liberality of the colonial government, could multiply means and agencies commensurate with the demand. It had long been observed with regret, that the senior boys in the day and Sunday schools suffered much from a promiscuous intercourse with their heathen families and relatives; but the application of a remedy seemed encumbered with a multitude of difficulties. It was at last suggested, that if an educational institution could be set up, in such a situation as would isolate those youths from their early associations, there was reason to believe that a considerable body of teachers might be raised up, competent to conduct the educational department of the mission amongst the natives. After due consideration, Manawa Tawi, or The Three Kings' Islands, were fixed upon as likely to afford all the requisite advantages for such an establishment. These islands lie about forty miles from the main-land, to the north-west of the North Cape. The inhabitants fled from New Zealand in the time of war, and subsisted for years upon roots and fish, which are abundantly prolific upon their shores. The governor heartily approved of this academy for the natives, and offered the brethren every facility in his power for the accomplishment of their object. Suitable buildings and accommodations being provided for a considerable number of boys, Mr. and Mrs. Reid were placed over the establishment.

The depraved habits of many of the colonists exerted an injurious influence upon the natives, and secularized numbers who professed Christianity; but the great body of the Christian converts continued to advance both in knowledge and piety. This was much owing to their conscientious observance of family worship. We select a few passages, and but a few, from the journals of the brethren; not only because they are full of instructive sentiment, but because they present to the reader a correct specimen of the every-day exercises and occupations of the missionary.

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The first is dated "Taranaki South, May 31st." "On the 28th of February I preached three times, held a public prayer-meeting, conducted the school with one of the teachers, and administered the Lord's supper to about one hundred persons in the evening. I held service on the evening of the 3Oth with the Europeans and natives at Petre, in Wanganui, in a place of worship lately built by subscription. During my journey to and from the south, I had three falls, twice from my horse, and once out of a canoe into the Patea river, but escaped each time unhurt. I enjoyed much of the Divine presence in the solitariness of the way.

"March 12th.--This day I preached to my own and the Church natives at Waiheke. The people do not, as they should, feel their obligations to support the institutions of religion.

"17th.--I again held service with my own and the Church people at Ketemarae. I also catechized them in the school, and was much pleased with their answers to my questions. The questions were taken from the Conference Catechisms, on 'death and judgment, heaven and hell.' One of the teachers prayed most affectingly in Maori at the close of the service. I had told them, in my remarks, that as all the rivers were running into the sea, so we were all tending to eternity, where we must 'stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.' The teacher caught the idea, and took it up most touchingly in prayer. Several wept, and breathed out their desires to the Friend of sinners. I met the classes in the afternoon. The people have been favoured with a prosperous harvest, and food of all kinds is abundant.

"27th.--I returned last evening from Turangarere, where I had held various services with the natives. They are building a large and commodious chapel in the settlement. I found several fine young men sinking under consumption. The road to this place is very dangerous, and the traveller must be very cautious, as a slip may cost him his life, in ascending and descending the precipices. Nature here, in time past, has been dreadfully convulsed. There are large rents, chasms, and pits, from earthquakes and other causes. I read to the people the dying experience of Mrs. Sherman, of Surrey Chapel, London, from the funeral sermon preached by the Rev. John A. James, of Birmingham. I related the dying saint's experience, and they begged me to write it out for their edification. O blessed religion! It has the same influence on the civilized and the savage. The infidel may laugh and scorn; but here are evidences of its saving power. The consolation it affords to God's people at home, it affords also to the dying New-Zealander abroad. The other day one of our people exclaimed in his last moments, 'My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.'

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"March 6th.--One of our members died at Manawapou on the 4th. I visited him the day before. I found him in a small hut, resembling a dog-kennel, with a very small entrance. I could not get into it. The heat was oppressive, and the effluvia most offensive. He recognised me as I stood outside. I asked him if he knew me. He replied, in broken accents, 'Yes, you are my minister.' I asked the state of his mind. He said, 'It is dark, on account of my great pain.' I directed him to the good Physician. Next morning he died. His class-leader told me that when he was dying, he seemed to feel himself near to the invisible world, saying, over and over again, Tangohia ahau, tangohia ahau, 'Take away me, take away me,' and then expired.

"12th.--I went yesterday to Katotauru, and opened a new chapel, which the people have lately put up at their own expense, with the exception of my supplying a door and a bell. I was much pleased to witness their love to the public worship of God. The natives assembled from different places, and I dedicated the house to the Lord of hosts. The garments of some were poor and ragged; but they were all clean in their persons.

"19th.--I returned last night from Keeteeonetea, where I had met the people of the surrounding settlements. I preached to them, and catechized in the school. It was interesting and encouraging to see men, women, and children, seated on the ground, reading the scriptures, and repeating the catechism. I also met the class: the experience of some was sound and hopeful; of others very superficial. On my way, I called at the Orakowai, where a flour-mill has been going for several weeks, under the superintendence of a European. It has ground between five and six hundred bushels of flour, which belonged to different parties. The wheat is very fine and abundant. They bake their bread in the native ovens. Some boil the flour, and make a dish they call'white pot.' This preparation they enjoy with great relish, scooping it out to eat with their fingers.

"22nd.--I went to Katotauru again, and preached to the people, who are busily employed in getting-in the last of their crops. Providence has dealt bountifully with them in sending them a plentiful supply of food. O that they more fully appreciated the loving-kindness of the Lord!

"On the 27th instant I preached to the Europeans at Petre. The weather was severe. The rain fell in torrents; the wind blew the sand into my face like shot, and I was stiff with cold. I found the natives much excited by the trade and commerce going on in Petre and Wellington: they are in great danger of 'neglecting the one thing needful.' The young people, in particular, are most exposed: indeed, some have been already carried away by the seductions of the world. I ran some risk in crossing

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one of the rivers, which was flooded; but the Lord preserved me. The children are very troublesome; the young savages despise restraint. I am at a loss to know what plan to adopt, to awaken attention to education. Many are employed in making public roads near New Plymouth and Wellington: and, as they are paid in money, they are exposed to great temptations.

"On the 6th of April, Good Friday, I preached on the crucifixion, and described the events of Calvary. In the after parts of the day I continued the subject, and administered the Lord's supper to the people collected from different parts of the settlement. It was a solemn and profitable time. They were generally respectably clad, and clean in their persons. No one here rushes carelessly to this ordinance. While it is in hand, everything is still as death. One woman appeared in a rich gown, a red silk bonnet, and white veil, which gave her a singular appearance. She removed the bonnet and veil on approaching the ordinance. Her appearance formed a perfect contrast to the mats with which the greater part were clad, with their dark tattooed faces. All had agreed to fast, and no food was eaten till the close of the day. This practice is observed throughout this circuit. The people have clear and correct views of the atonement.

"On the 7th, I preached at Ohangi and Wareroa, on the resurrection. They seemed much interested while I proved that the resurrection of Christ is a pledge that the bodies of His people shall rise again,

"I went to Ketemarae on the 23rd, and preached to the Wesleyans and Church people. I started early in the morning, but was mistaken in the time of the tide. I was hemmed in, with my horse, among some rocks, and the sea dashed over us; but we got out without any accident. There is much sickness at present among the natives. Many have died, and others are in dying circumstances. They have so few comforts, that when sickness seizes them they seldom recover.

"On the 26th, I went to Patea, where I remained; preached five times, met the classes, and examined the children. I was gratified to find that two rebellious sons, who had run away to Kapiti, had returned to their parents and expressed contrition. The natives cannot bear to think of their former deeds of blood, nor to hear them mentioned. They have frequently declared, that they would all have been cut off, but for the saving influence of the gospel. They have often asked me, 'Why did you not come before? Had you come sooner, our parents, brothers, and sisters would have been alive. But they were cut off in their ignorance; and we weep for their souls.'"

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The resident missionary of Kaipara wrote on the 2nd of August: "It has been my privilege to admit many into the visible church by baptism, within the last few months. I wish I could say that I believed those individuals generally to have experienced the great change implied in the term 'conversion;' but, inasmuch as they appear to have been sincere in taking upon themselves a profession of Christianity, there is reason to rejoice on that account: and it is not too much to expect that, by a diligent use of the appointed means, many of them will receive grace to enable them to make their 'calling and election sure.' I preach at a place called Mareikura, about four miles distant overland; but the narrow pathway through the deep wood is so muddy, and the rivulets by which it is intersected are so swollen at this season, that I am daubed with dirt and soaked in water by turns. The last Sunday and the two preceding days I spent at Kaihu; but such was the state of the road, that I was afraid I should be seriously ill, from the utter impossibility of maintaining physical warmth in walking, and by having continually to wade through very cold water. Much of the road, for considerable distances, was under water from one to three feet in depth; and one wood could be traversed only by paddling in a small canoe between the thick and lofty trees. Such is generally the character of this journey; and, on one occasion, I was immersed to my chin in water, in wading through one of the inundated forests. I found the people, in general, attentive to their religious duties; such as public worship, the daily reading of the scriptures, class-meetings, prayer-meetings, and Sunday-schools. I found it necessary to interpose, for the purpose of reconciling little differences which had arisen between them. This is generally the case; and without pastoral oversight, the little disputes which so frequently take place, often from very trivial causes, would prove fatal to their Christian profession. The visit of their missionary is the time of general and public confession of the wrong-doings which may have occurred during his absence; and this is done with much candour. After a fatiguing journey, I am often kept up to a late hour, in hearing mutual confessions, explanations, or recriminations, and in listening to a variety of matters that have been reserved for decision. Such matters must be regarded as coming within the duty of a missionary, who labours amongst a people of very limited knowledge and of superficial piety. I have given authority to the only son of Parore, the chief of the tribe, to read the scriptures and exhort in the public services. It is a great advantage, when we can thus employ the young Christian chiefs; and I hope the educational means now in operation will, in a few years, raise up a much-improved class of young men for our assistance."

The information from Waima, under the same date, is equally

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interesting. "Our congregations," says the missionary, "continue good, and the people generally hear the word with great attention; and although of many it is evident, that 'the word preached does not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who hear it,' yet many do receive it in the love thereof, and find it to be the power of God and the wisdom of God. It is truly refreshing to witness the influence of Christianity on the sick and dying. The New-Zealander has not many temporal comforts on a sick-bed, and in a dying hour. We often find him stretched on the ground, with little to cover him, no attention from his heathen relatives, and nothing within his reach that he can eat. In these circumstances he finds the blessed book of God a companion indeed, and is enabled joyfully to contemplate the hour which shall set him free from this world of suffering and woe, and admit him into the rest which remains for the people of God. The rising generation continue to give much satisfaction, by the general desire they manifest for knowledge, and the great attention with which they receive instruction. The government affords us every encouragement in our endeavours to educate the natives. His Excellency has just granted £120 to assist in building a school-house at Waima. The building, which is in progress, is sixty feet by twenty, and is very substantial. It will be capable of boarding and lodging thirty children, and will be an ornament to the station. I have twelve lads living with me for the last four months, whom I have fed, clothed, and educated. I have spent at least three hours with them every day, when at home; and have been highly gratified with their attention to all my rules and regulations, and with the very encouraging progress they have made. They can all now read the scriptures in their own language, and are well acquainted with the first part of the Conference Catechism; in addition to which, they have made considerable progress in writing and figures, and are making great efforts to acquire the English language. Some of them are already reading in the English Testament, and are rapidly mastering the difficulties of the pronunciation. To all the means of grace they attend with great punctuality, and their behaviour during public worship is all that we can wish. Thank God, I have no other object in life than to please Him, and advance His cause."

Writing from Waimate, September 24th, the missionary remarks, "This day, May 24th, I left home to open the new chapel, and administer the Lord's supper to our people at Turangarere. On my way I stopped at Wareroa, and preached to a large congregation out of doors; but it was a noisy assembly: children yelling, dogs barking, and parties cooking food, all in the open air, made it difficult to engage the attention of the

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people with effect. After climbing precipices, and crossing rivers, I arrived at Turangarere on the following day, with my faithful guide and companion, a native local preacher. The rain fell heavily during the journey, and we were wet to the skin. I preached to a large congregation of Wesleyans and Churchmen in the evening. After the public service my attention was engaged till a late hour answering questions. It is impossible to describe the excitement which prevails on these occasions. On the following day we held a missionary meeting, which was a very crowded and peculiar one, on account of the singular addresses of the speakers. Some related their former degradation, their conversion, and present experience; but all urged the propriety of sending the gospel to the dark places of the earth. One chief from Patea was powerfully affected on the occasion. He was clad in a large dog-skin, and carried a native weapon in his hand. He jumped from the floor, flourished the weapon, shook his hair, and rolled his eyes, shouting in a screaming tone of voice, 'Send the gospel! send the gospel! O, it is good to send the gospel!' The collection amounted to £8. 0s. 6 1/4d.

"27th.--To-day the congregations at the schools and public services were overwhelming. Being Whit-Sunday, I dwelt upon the operations of the Holy Spirit, and exhorted all to seek His saving and sanctifying influences. After the sermon ten children were baptized. In the evening I administered the Lord's supper to the members; it was a solemn and profitable time. On the 28th, a meeting of the chiefs took place respecting the sale of their lands. Nearly all present were opposed to sell. There was much innocent amusement in the speeches delivered. The chief of Whanganui said, 'I have sold my land, as I hungered for white men.' I preached again in the evening, and afterwards met the leaders and exhorters. I left the people on the following day, and commenced my journey homewards. The river was much swollen; but five of the natives stripped, and swam across, taking me with them. I had to ascend and descend deep ravines, extraordinary fissures from some convulsions of nature, and was liable to accident every moment; but I got out of danger, by the help of the natives and the blessing of God. I found my wife in deep distress, fearing lest something had befallen me.

"June 19th.--I left for Manawapou and Taumaha. I preached three times, and returned in dreadful weather,--wind, rain, and hail. The roads on the coast are broken and dangerous. I often wonder at my escapes. No one will repair the path without being paid for it. The greatest danger, however, is in crossing rivers near the sea. They are much swollen at this season by heavy rains. The solitariness of my journeys, too, is indescribable.

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I travel sometimes twelve or fifteen miles, and do not see a human being; yet oftentimes, 'in the multitude of my thoughts within me, His comforts delight my soul;' and in the solitude of the bush, I feel it good to pour out my soul to God. How precious is a throne of grace in the desert!

and to lead the New-Zealander to Him is my happiest employment. May I be faithful!

"July 2nd.--I returned last night from Katotauru, having spent a profitable and interesting sabbath with the people. The services of the day commenced with the usual prayer-meeting. After breakfast I visited the school. It was superintended by Isaiah. The eighth section of the Conference Catechism, on prayer, was the part which engaged their attention. The remarks of Isaiah, in the course of catechizing, were both judicious and scriptural. At the close of these exercises I delivered an address. In the morning and evening I expounded 1 Thess. iii., and all listened with interested attention, excepting a few reckless young chiefs, whom I earnestly exhorted to 'flee from the wrath to come.'

"Hearing that the people of Manawapou and the neighbourhood were to assemble on the 6th, to make arrangements for the erection of a mill, I embraced the opportunity to spend a little time with them for religious purposes. I held several public services, conducted the school on the Sunday, met the teachers, and felt deeply impressed with the necessity of being 'instant in season and out of season,' in order to lead them in the way to heaven. Here the mortality has been great. What need to work while it is day! 'The night cometh, when no man can work!'

"On the 15th, I held services with the Wesleyan and Church people at Ketemarae. I expounded portions of the ninth and eleventh chapters of St. John's Gospel, and enforced the solemn doctrines of repentance, prayer, salvation by faith, and the resurrection of the dead, upon their attention. I found the minds of some, connected with the Church of England, imbued with the Popish notion, that the souls of the departed are confined somewhere after death. They had been told this by a Romanizing clergyman who occasionally visited them. One of our most sensible native teachers encountered this traditional error, and completely subverted it. On returning home in the dark, the waves of the rising tide dashed against myself and horse; but we got through without any serious accident.

"Last week the chief of Patea died in the Lord. The people of the surrounding settlements met at Katotauru on the 25th, to receive the Lord's supper. After a pensive journey on the

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mission-horse, I arrived, and found a large assembly collected under some trees, and the natives bringing food. This consisted of whole and cut-up pigs, potatoes, flour baked into large flat cakes, almost as hard as brickbats, with other food, which was distributed to the different parties who sat in groups, and all seemed to make a substantial meal. In the evening a meeting was held in the chapel, when I addressed them from the eighth Psalm, and afterwards met the leaders. On the Lord's day, as soon as the light appeared, they were all in motion. The first thing was to hold a prayer-meeting, then to breakfast, and afterwards attend the school. This was a most interesting service, especially the catechizing. The subject was the institution and design of the Lord's supper. After going through the usual questions, one of the teachers addressed them on their obligations to 'do this in remembrance of Christ,' in a feeling and eloquent style. After the school followed public worship. The chapel was crowded to excess. I preached from 1 Peter i. 16: 'Be ye holy: for I am holy,' and baptized a child. In the after part of the day I administered the Lord's supper to the members. Several were kept back by the leaders, for uttering improper language; others for family quarrels. This was a solemn and interesting season. They have clear views of the atonement, and of their obligations to observe this ordinance; and are most scrupulous in keeping back any who may have walked disorderly. Not a sound was heard during the administration of the elements, and all separated in the evening in peace. I was much interested between the services, by a discussion between two of our teachers, on the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul. Job and Paul were adduced, and 1 Cor. xv. expounded. The change from the worm to the butterfly was described in the most glowing terms. I was surprised and delighted with the manner in which the argument was conducted."

These extracts being sufficient for our purpose, we now direct the attention of the reader to an incident which occurred in March, 1850. But for the vigilance of Divine Providence, the Society would have sustained a severe loss, at this period, in the seizure of the missionary brig "John Wesley," off the North Cape, by a body of pirates. The particulars were published in the "Sydney Herald." The editor observes, "We have seen the legal depositions of the passengers landed from the ship 'Helen,' at the North Cape, New Zealand; and Captain Griffiths has furnished us with the following additional information: As soon as the pirates had obtained secure possession of the. ship 'Helen,' they commenced disfiguring her as much as possible, by re-painting her and changing the colour from white to black. Her name on the stern was also obliterated, and the

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greatest care was taken to file it from the telescope, wheel, and other parts of the vessel where it appeared. After being confined in the forecastle for some time, the captain managed to creep through the hold to the cabin bulk-head, and overheard, from the conversation of the mutineers, that they had stood off the North Cape of New Zealand some time, with the intention of capturing the missionary brig 'John Wesley,' for which they were fully prepared, having swivels and muskets stowed away in their chests, with an ample supply of ammunition: but fortunately she passed them unobserved. On the 26th of December, the whaling barque 'Eliza,' and the brig 'Sabine,' from Sydney to California, anchored off the bay, where Captain Griffiths, and such of his crew as had refused to join the pirates, had been landed; and by the former they obtained a passage to Manganui, from whence they proceeded to Auckland. The plot must have been concocted before the 'Helen' left Sydney, as Wilson avowed his intention, that, in the event of his not being able to take the vessel with arms, he would have resorted to poisoning those who were averse to joining him, having provided himself with the necessary ingredients for that purpose. They had a well-organized band ready to join them on the coast of California. Their principal occupation on board was making cartridges, casting bullets, and forming dirks, using the brass diamonds off the wheels as guards for the same. The head mutineer, Wilson, intended to capture, if possible, a larger vessel; but if he could not succeed in that, he would take the schooner on to Columbia river, to see if the coast was clear at San Francisco."

In 1850, His Excellency the governor made a short tour through several districts of the colony, and every where evinced a becoming interest in the welfare of the natives. His Excellency and suite spent the Lord's day with the mission family at Waipa, and attended the native services. The people assembled in great numbers to see the governor, and were delighted with his polite and affable manner, and condescending inquiries respecting them. He spoke in strong terms of commendation of the Society's missions, seemed to be well acquainted with the labours of the brethren in Auckland, and considered the college for the education of the children of the missionaries as being a most important and valuable institution. That establishment was now in full operation, and enjoying a large measure of public patronage and support. The head master was conducting the educational department with zeal and ability. Several of the youthful students had been converted, and added to the church. The governor frequently visited the Institution, supplied funds for finishing the premises, and continued to take a lively interest in its prosperity.

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The seminary for the training of native teachers at the Three Kings was also satisfactorily established. The prudent and efficient management of Mr. and Mrs. Reid commanded the respect and confidence of the public. They had under their care one hundred and fifty of the most intelligent and promising youths that could be selected from the different mission-stations. Though the school had not been long in existence, yet a public examination of the pupils had been conducted this year, 1851, to a very satisfactory result. The report is highly gratifying: "The academy for native youths, at the Three Kings, is one of the most interesting and encouraging institutions connected with the mission in this country. Mr. Reid is admirably qualified for his situation, and has been greatly blessed in the discharge of his duties; but he labours beyond his strength. Besides the scholastic exercises devolving upon him, he has a large farm to superintend, and keep the pupils at their industrial employments. During the year they have fenced in one hundred and six acres of land, and have now under crop, potatoes, thirty acres; wheat, twenty-five; maize, twelve; pasturage, fourteen. Several of the elder youths can plough and harrow, and ditch and fence; and others are learning carpentry under the instruction of an experienced carpenter: they have erected the necessary buildings. The girls make and mend and wash both for the boys and themselves, under Mrs. Reid's direction. She is devoted to the Institution: it is much to be regretted that her health is not equal to her zeal. The fame of the seminary spreads. Many respectable visitors have declared that, in their opinion, it is the most interesting object in New Zealand. Many civil and moral changes have taken place amongst the aborigines; but certainly this is one of the most delightful places in the land. To His Excellency the governor we are greatly indebted: he has ever manifested the most lively interest in this school, and largely helped us with funds. Having expressed a wish that some additional buildings might be erected, plans and specifications, of what was deemed necessary, were forwarded to him. His reply, addressed to the superintendent at Auckland, deserves to be permanently recorded. It was as follows:--

"'Government-House, Wellington, August 29th, 1851.
"'MY DEAR SIR,--I this morning received your letter of the 7th, enclosing the plans for the girls' and boys' school at the Three Kings. I have approved the plans, and written to the lieutenant-governor, authorizing the advance of the estimated amount, £600, in such sums as you may require for the purpose of erecting the buildings. I hope, therefore, that you will have the girls' school commenced without a day's delay. Both build-

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ings might, I think, be completed before next winter fairly sets in. I hope, therefore, by the time I return, I shall find the school completed. Your account of the progress of the Institution is very satisfactory: pray give my thanks to its excellent master and his wife. I shall always feel grateful to them for what they have done. I often think of the school, and hope that God will grant me the pleasure of re-visiting it, and of finding it, as I expect, an institution of vast usefulness.'"

Wellington and other places have since applied for permission and assistance to enable them to form similar establishments to that at the Three Kings; and no doubt this will be adopted as the model school. Three additional places of worship had been opened in Auckland, and three additional clergymen of different denominations had been settled in these churches, during the preceding two years; yet the Wesleyan congregation was undiminished, and their church members increased. Six years since, they occupied a small weather-boarded house, that seated about two hundred hearers, and had twenty-eight persons meeting in class. Now, in 1851, they have a substantial brick building that will seat five hundred hearers, with exactly two hundred individuals in church fellowship. Nor were they indebted, as some have affirmed, to any extent, to emigration for this accession of numbers. "But few," they observe, "have come to us from a distance: the greater portion of our members have been raised up on the spot. God has blessed His own word, and caused it to bear fruit to His glory. As villages arise around us, we endeavour to spread His work. The Lord has raised up a few zealous young men as local preachers, so that we are able to get our entire system into operation. That system is, in our opinion, better adapted than any other to convert the world. It seems peculiarly adapted to meet the spiritual wants of a new country; for it supplies agencies that no other system adopts, makes available every modification of talent that a church may possess, and with the greatest facility strikes forth its roots in all soils."

It would be ungrateful were we not to pause, and shed a tear over a domestic calamity that occurred at Mangungu in June. Missionary Hobbs has furnished the narrative: "Mangungu," he says, "has lately been the scene of considerable excitement, in consequence of the death of Te Hira Tupanapana, son of the famous old peace-maker, Te Whare-rahi, of the Bay of Islands, who, in 1827, escorted, as a guard of safety, your then small mission-party from the scene of bloodshed and cannibalism, which ended in the demolition of our first station, and the death of the renowned 'Hongi. The worthy veteran Whare-rahi, since baptized Hori Kingi, 'George King,' had a family of sons, fine

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young men; most of whom lived on the banks of the Hokianga, and were members of the church of Christ. God saw fit to visit this family with consumption. Death first seized Te Runga, who had been named after that apostolic missionary, Nathaniel Turner; and next, Tarapata. He had been spared for years of usefulness, and his noble example had a happy effect on the less influential members of society. The third of these young men was baptized Wycliffe. Neither his faith nor his zeal faltered, from the commencement of his Christian profession, until his 'voice was lost in death.' What satisfaction would it not have afforded to the subscribers to the British and Foreign Bible Society, could they have seen the faithful wife of Wycliffe reading the words of consolation to her dying husband, from one of the Maori Testaments which their benevolence sent to this land! Te Hira, the first-born, was still spared, a chief about forty years of age, having two daughters grown up, and married to young chiefs on the Hokianga. After their marriage the hereditary-disease developed itself; and, notwithstanding the medical attention of Dr. Day, they speedily declined and died. Such a series of deaths in the family caused the father, Te Hira, to sorrow as one without hope. Would that his had been a godly sorrow! but it was not. He said they were well and prosperous until they embraced Christianity; and, with one of his young widowed sons-in-law, he publicly renounced the profession of religion. A party of relatives came from a distance to visit them; and a new house, built on an imperfectly-drained swamp, very damp, and open at one side, was the place assigned them for the night. Te Hira, who had gone in haste to meet them, found, when he retired to rest, that he was rather lightly clad. During the night he was cold and restless as he lay in the open shed, in the month of June, the depth of winter, little thinking that within nine days the cold here caught would close his eyes in death.

"Four days afterwards, I heard that Te Hira was very ill. I immediately went to his place, and found him in a small rush-house, about three miles from our dwelling, with a little grass under him, not very dry, upon the earthen floor, with a pulse at one hundred and thirty, and complaining of thirst and of a hard lump within the right side of his chest. I addressed him, prayed with him, and hastened home to acquaint Dr. Day with his serious indisposition. Inflammation of the lungs, in winter, in a hut with an aperture to serve as a door-way and to admit light and air, into which frequent squalls of wind whirled the rain, with no bed, and no nurse, left little hope in the mind of Dr. Day of poor Te Hira's recovery. With such want of personal accommodation do the greatest chiefs in the country still content themselves. The doctor did not wish to send him any

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medicine, unless he particularly requested it, lest, in case of a fatal termination, his death should be attributed, by his heathen relatives, to the effects of the medicine. When he was informed of this, he said, 'Let me have the medicine immediately.' But all our efforts and prayers could not save him. The next time I visited him, his pulse was too quick to be counted: and in the middle of the following night the discharge of musketry gave public notice of his death. I am afraid he died without faith in Christ. How can these people become civilized while they are continually changing their residences, to keep up their title to the numerous pieces of land where they build temporary houses, to serve them while they take two or three crops out of each newly burnt-off patch? Such a system leaves them no home."

This picture, of "one of the greatest chiefs in the country," was drawn by one of the first and most experienced missionaries in New Zealand. Let it be contrasted with the soft and graceful touches given to the moral and social landscape by Bishop Selwyn, and the points of difference will be obvious.

Towards the close of this year, New Zealand was favoured with general peace, and Christianity was not only spreading, but taking a deeper hold of the public mind. But the inhabitants were passing from Heathenism to semi-civilization; and the great influx of Europeans to their various settlements rendered the stability of the professing portion of the community questionable. Many of these Europeans, claiming the sacred name of Christian, were deeply sunk in the most abominable wickedness. "These men," say the missionaries, "reproved by the superior conduct of the native Christians, strive, in every possible way, to induce them to give up their religion, and live as they themselves are living. And not unfrequently the seductive glass is given as an additional motive to join them in profligacy. Nor is this a solitary case; for men of this class are now found in almost every native village throughout the country. Under such circumstances, too much must not be expected from a people who are only beginning to 'see men as trees walking.' Christianity has, indeed, accomplished wonders among this people: it has succeeded in subverting a complicated and powerful system of heathen worship. The sanguinary laws and practices of the cannibal have given place to mild and peaceful Christian usages. The musket and tomahawk have been laid aside for the spade and reaping-hook. The obscene and horrifying war-songs and war-dances have been succeeded by the songs of Zion, and assemblies for the purpose of worshipping the true Jehovah. The question is not, whether the gospel has already been successful, but whether the precious seed sown, the springing plant of grace, shall be destroyed by the evil influ-

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ences which now inundate almost every part of the land, particularly Otago. For many years, Waikowaiti was a centre from which whaling parties were supplied with the means of carrying on their business; and, at the close of the season, many Europeans would assemble for the purposes of drunkenness and revelling. It might with great propriety have been styled the place 'where Satan's seat was.' And since the whaling has been given up, the seeds of evil, so abundantly sown year after year, have not failed to spring up, to the great detriment of religion. Many of the young men have been, more or less, connected with the whalers, and have proved themselves to be apt imitators of the wicked practices of these degraded Europeans. Waikowaiti is now blessed with a resident missionary; but the circuit, which is above three hundred miles in length, runs along the whole eastern coast of the island, extending from the Kaikora mountains to Favoen's Straits, and is intersected by numerous rivers and harbours, which make it dangerous and difficult to supply the places with the means of grace. The difficulty is increased by the small amount of Maori assistance within the reach of the missionary. Many of the older men are unable to read; or, at least, read but imperfectly; consequently they cannot take charge of the public services. Many of the young men, who can read fluently, are unsteady; their moral character does not stand approved by the elder people. Under these circumstances, it is extremely difficult to carry out an efficient system of instruction. Had we labourers to enter the opening doors, and occupy the position already gained, Methodism would soon assume no mean standing in these districts. At present, it is rather like an advanced post of the army reconnoitring the country, or as a solitary herald, a precursor, 'a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.' It is the seed-time here; and herein is that saying true, 'One soweth.' O when may the reapers be expected in this part of the Lord's vineyard?"

The general peace to which we have adverted, was interrupted in August, 1852, by the sudden incursion of a body of warriors into the neighbourhood of Kawia. They came from Waikato. For a number of years Kawia had enjoyed uninterrupted repose; the gospel had been producing its legitimate effects; and quietness, industry, and civilization had been the acknowledged characteristics of the rising population of the district. War was regarded as having gone out of fashion; and the people generally had sent their useless fire-arms to the government, who had cheerfully paid their full value in cash. The arrival of a war-party, consisting of some two hundred, or two hundred and fifty, men, all heavily armed and otherwise equipped for the field,

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threw the people into a state of great excitement. Some of the invaders called themselves soldiers, others policemen, and others contented themselves with their true designation of Maori warriors. One man had five cartridge-boxes buckled around him. Their professed object was to settle a land-dispute between two of the tribes of Kawia. They came to take the land from the one, and give possession of it to the other. "I heard of their having encamped," says the missionary, "at a place a few miles distant, and rode over on Sunday to meet them and hold a religious service. They received me with civility, and listened with marked attention, while I addressed them from our Lord's invitation, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' I returned to our people in the night, and made arrangements for the reception of the Waikato warriors. It was agreed that a feast and welcome should be given them on their arrival; that afterwards they should be allowed to dig the boundary, break down the fences, burn the houses, or destroy property, or whatever else they pleased, without opposition or molestation, so long as they abstained from personal violence. They arrived early on Monday morning in formidable array, and halted in front of one of the pas. Here the chiefs gave them a formal meeting, and addressed them in respectful speeches. I also addressed them from 2 Cor. v. 10: 'For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ: that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.' A feast of pigs and potatoes was prepared for them; after which, they marched off to the place appointed by their friends for their encampment. Here they remained until Saturday; and I considered it my duty to remain in the neighbourhood nearly the whole of the time, in order to prevent mischief, if possible. Both Europeans and natives were unarmed; for all were unprepared for such an invasion. The tribe to be attacked yielded to my advice, and remained at home; so that the excitement which would have been occasioned by discussion and altercation was prevented; and, at their own homes, they continued praying without ceasing for the protection of Heaven, and the salvation of their enemies. I have visited the camp regularly for morning and evening service; and have not failed to urge, upon the leading men, the impropriety of such an hostile and uncalled-for interference with other men's quarrels. I have reasoned with my own people on both sides; and endeavoured to show them the importance of arranging our own disputes, on Christian principles, amongst ourselves. The chiefs for whom the warriors had come to fight protested against all forcible interference; and thus, by the Lord's blessing upon our endeavours, the question has been at last settled more satis-

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factorily than I could have expected. Thursday was the great day of excitement and demonstration of Maori and savage wrath. The soldiers and policemen, as they called themselves, threw aside the assumed restraints of their novel profession; all merged in a regular exhibition of native savageism, and the New-Zealand war-dance was performed in the style of olden times. After the firing of muskets and the war-dance, followed the speeches, some of them very violent, very decided, very threatening, very alarming; but the tribe to be fought remained at home. Attempts had been made to bring them out into the field; but they utterly failed. After a long time spent in violent speechification, the matter was concluded by two of the Ngati-mahuta chiefs throwing their caps to a chief of another tribe, favourable to the other party, thus signifying that the land in dispute was given up to him for his friends, Ngatihikairo. This was the signal for the instant departure of the warriors, and of peaceful triumph to the Ngatihikairo. Truly, they have proved the truth of the passage, 'Their strength is to sit still;' and their hostile visitors, finding no foe to fight with, no opponent to confront, and no orator to contradict, have gone back to their homes in peace. 'Truly, God is good to Israel;' and 'if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.'"

The subjoined communication is valuable, because it is of recent date, and throws considerable light upon the present condition of the Maori population. It is from the pen of missionary Woon, and is dated "Waimate, October 4th, 1852:" "Yesterday, Lord's day, I walked to Katotauru, an inland settlement, wading through a river up to my middle, the old mission-horse being now worn out, and unable to carry me any longer to my appointments; and visited a young man dying, I am afraid, of inflammation of the chest. Of late the mortality has been great, occasioned chiefly by their exposing themselves to cold, after travelling or labour, and going out of hot-houses (for such I may call their huts, from so many nestling together, and no ventilation) into the open air. Yesterday, the young man referred to was prompted, by the burning fever which raged in his frame, to drink calabash after calabash of water, which so increased his pain, that I was led to pray to the good Physician to release him from his sufferings. Three chiefs have lately died at a settlement on the Taranaki range; and three others, at a settlement a little further off. From the nature of their illness, I have rarely found the natives able to speak, so as to relate their experience in prospect of dissolution; a circumstance I have regretted exceedingly, so different to the records in the obituary

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department of our Magazine, as furnished from month to month. I once heard an eminent Dissenting minister in London say, referring to the departure of Christians connected with our body, 'Your people generally die well.' There is a great disproportion of the sexes throughout this district: there are more men than women; and when a man loses his wife, he becomes unhappy and unsettled. One man who has lost both his wife and children during the last two years, has left the place, and gone to seek social comfort in another locality. A chief, speaking of the death of his wife the other day, told me that he had 'lost the prop of his house.' Another, referring to his partner, who was suddenly removed, said, 'My right hand is gone.' Another exclaimed, on the death of his wife, 'I am now an orphan!' When I arrived here in 1846, there were about eighteen hundred men, women, and children between Waimate and Patea. Now there are only twelve hundred, including Wesleyans and Episcopalians, as every one, great and small, is recognised as belonging to one or other of these denominations. The adults are familiar with the New-Testament scriptures, and quote them with great readiness. Popery has no footing in this district. Attempts have been made to prejudice the minds of the natives against the form of godliness taught by their missionaries, but without success. 'Thus it is written,' has repelled the attacks of the emissaries of the pope, who made a great mistake in expecting to bring the Protestant New-Zealander within their pale. To that noble institution, the Bible Society, we are greatly indebted for our success in this mission; and we earnestly pray that God's blessing may rest upon it. One of our tribes has been much agitated about their land; and for some time past meeting after meeting has been held to prevent its being sold to Europeans. This is uppermost in their minds, and forms the theme of their conversation. But thousands of acres lie waste, which they will never occupy. Their spiritual does not keep pace with, their temporal prosperity. They have not yet learned the scriptural lesson, that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.' They now eat the finest of the wheat; many are dressed with comfortable clothing, and ride on horses like gentlemen. While they ride, the missionary walks. A most objectionable custom has been lately introduced; which is, that if any one does wrong, payment in money or in property must be made by the transgressor! This is being carried to a most ridiculous extent, especially among the friends of the Church, whose minister originated the practice. A female of my own church told me yesterday, that she made a payment to her husband for a wrong-expression she had addressed to him. A man called another a slave: payment was instantly demanded and readily paid. In

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many things they are but children in understanding; and a large share of patience is necessary to bear with their waywardness and self-will. But in the midst of trials, privations, and solicitude, I have many enjoyments: as the venerable Wesley, in nature's final hour, felt the presence of Him whose he was, and whom he served, so we prove, 'The best of all is, God is with us.'

When I read of the funds of the Church Missionary Society being in advance of our own, I said to myself, Why should not the directors of that noble institution hand over a portion of their receipts to meet our deficiency? I have often helped the sick and the dying members of the Church here, preached to them, schooled them, supplied their wants in various ways to improve their social condition; and does not one good turn deserve another? Help, men of Israel, help! Show your gratitude to Wesley, for kindling the flame of zeal in the Church, by assisting his children to carry on the conversion of the world! Is Christ divided? Let the Evangelical Alliance answer!

The atmosphere here is remarkably clear, and heaven's hosts sparkle and twinkle with uncommon brightness,--

In a dispatch of the governor, presented last session to both Houses of Parliament, His Excellency, after describing the general state of the colony, observes, "It only remains for me to add, that the exertions of our most excellent bishop and his clergy, together with those of the numerous, and I may say admirable, body of missionaries of different denominations, have secured to the colony a greater amount of religious instruction than any other young country has ever enjoyed: and this circumstance cannot fail ultimately to produce a very powerful effect upon the future population of the country; while at present it secures to New Zealand advantages which enter into all the ramifications of the society of the country, and the domestic life both of the natives and Europeans. There can be no doubt that the present state of tranquillity and prosperity of this country, and the rapid advances which the native population is making, are

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in a very great degree to be attributed to the exertions of the various religious bodies in New Zealand."

As Mr. Leigh commenced this remarkable mission, and continued, after his return to this country, to advocate its claims to the sympathy and benevolence of the Christian public up to the time of his decease, which took place in 1852, we have judged it proper to continue our narrative to the close of that year.

We cannot but hope, that it will be gratifying to the subscribers of the Wesleyan Missionary Society to be informed as to the state and prospects of the country and of the missions at the above date. This, however, must be done in a very few particulars, and with the utmost brevity.

1. When you opened your mission in New Zealand, little was known in Europe of either the country or its population. After a voyage of nearly sixteen thousand miles, your missionary landed amongst a nation of savages. With the exception of an occasional mat, they were naked, having their bodies besmeared with red ochre and oil; their habitations were inferior to the English dog-kennel, and equally filthy; while their food was the fern-root, the kumara, and the flesh of men. The customs of their country were their only laws; and from the capricious decision of the chief there was no appeal. Polygamy embittered domestic society, and placed the life of the female in jeopardy "every hour:" while the casualties and wars to which the men were always exposed, were such that no man in the country expected to die a natural death. Now the laws of God and of Great Britain are recognised; the rights of property and of life are defined and held sacred; while many thousands have been brought to worship one God, marry one wife, and dedicate their offspring, in baptism, to one Mediator, "Christ Jesus."

2. When Mr. Leigh landed at Wangaroa, the natives were wholly unacquainted with the arts and habits of civilized life. It is true, they had seen with astonishment the European axe, and the ease and rapidity with which it brought the kauri-tree to the ground; but they knew nothing of the process by which the artizan worked it into shape and temper. They said, "Part of it belongs to Europe," referring to the head, "and part of it belongs to New Zealand," referring to the handle. Your missionary showed them how the axe, the chisel, and the saw might be successfully employed, not only in cutting timber, but also in manufacturing various articles of great domestic convenience. He made several agricultural instruments, a rude bedstead, sofa, and chairs, with his own hands. Now the natives can build houses, erect flax-, corn-, and saw-mills, and superintend the working of the steam-engine. Mrs. Leigh instructed the native females in the use of the needle and scissors; and now the blanket and

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mat are giving place to the more convenient and ornamental costume of civilized nations.

3. When missionary Leigh commenced his labours, he had to deal with a language as barbarous as the natives of the country. It had, up to that time, been employed in promoting strife, licentiousness, and bloodshed. It had neither felt the plastic hand of the schoolmaster, nor experienced the sanctifying influence of religion. There was no book in the Maori tongue, and the first visible symbols of the civilized man were written in the sand. The Grammar and Vocabulary of Professor Lee, of Cambridge, contained an outline, which has been successfully filled up by Archdeacon Williams, of 'Waiapu. That venerable man, alike distinguished as a Christian missionary and Maori scholar, has placed his successors under great obligations by the publication of his "Dictionary and concise Grammar of the New Zealand Language." Now, instead of there being but one schoolmaster and one elementary book in the country, there are innumerable Sunday and day schools, with several seminaries and colleges, in which the languages, the sciences, general literature, and Christian theology are being taught. From these seminaries will come forth a body of enlightened statesmen, divines, and artizans; who will influence the deliberations of the senate, give dignity and efficiency to the pulpit, and carry intelligence, industry, and sobriety into all the occupations of private life and departments of public business. They possess the word of God, and many thousands of volumes in the Maori language; have public reading-rooms, periodical publications, and political journals. If their educational establishments and colonial press be conducted with the ability and vigour that now distinguish them, the literature of Europe will, in a few years, be within their reach.

4. When Mr. Leigh purchased his five acres of land from Tepui and his confederates, a pig from Te Tara, and a dog-skin with which to make himself a pair of shoes, there did not exist any regular commercial intercourse between New Zealand and any other nation. It is true, that ships did occasionally arrive from New South Wales for timber and flax, while the French, American, and British whalers called to barter fire-arms and gunpowder for pigs and potatoes; but even these limited transactions were conducted with mutual jealousy, and frequently terminated in hostility and bloodshed. The Europeans then in the country were either runaway sailors, who had fled from the rope's-end at sea, or runaway convicts, who had escaped the gibbets of Great Britain and the colonies. At the above date, the European population alone amounted to 25,000 souls. The improvement that has taken place in the internal commerce and foreign trade of the country cannot be described within our

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limits. We may, however, adduce the settlement of Nelson as an illustration. From 1846 to December, 1848, the stock had increased,--horses, from 99 to 234; horned cattle, from 1,591 to 3,540; sheep, from 10,022 to 37,699; goats, from 1,029 to 5,353; pigs, from 2,866 to 8,739: 5,500 of these belonged to the natives. The improvement in trade is equally striking. From 1843 to 1846, the imports fell from £28,867 to £3,082; while the exports rose from £629 to £9,819. Advices have just been received in this country of the discovery of the precious metals at Coromandel Harbour, Auckland, and Canterbury settlement. Coal has also been found, and copper dug up, within eight miles of Nelson. The future can alone reveal the results of these discoveries.

5. When Mr. Leigh and the artizans of Marsden first revealed the true God to the natives of New Zealand, 1 explained the doctrine of man's responsibility, and brought that doctrine to bear upon the principles and habits of the people, they found them dishonest, turbulent, and cruel: in consequence of their feuds and wars, some portion of the soil was moistened daily with the blood of man. The present governor has borne a distinct testimony to the deep and almost universal change that has taken place in these respects. "The whole of these islands," he observes, "are now in a state of complete tranquillity; every settlement is in a prosperous condition: the native race are loyal, contented, and rapidly increasing in wealth, and the local government now possesses considerable influence over them." What, may we inquire, has tamed the ferocity of the "native race," produced on so extended a scale this feeling of "loyalty" to the crown of England, and "tranquillized " those roving masses who, for centuries, had been going about, like the legions of Satan, "seeking whom they might devour?"

These, we are told, are the legitimate results of science and industry, emanating from colonization. When it becomes necessary, we are prepared to show, that, but for the labours of Marsden's lay-settlers, and those of Leigh, Stack, Turner, Hobbs, and their successors, the country could not have been colonized when it was. Unless the colonists had arrived in greater numbers than Britain at any time supplied, the natives would have baked them in their ovens, and eaten them at a meal. Others, equally anxious to exclude Christianity from all claim to these lofty achievements, have ascribed them to the establishment of British authority, sustained by the British bayonet. When these reasons have been assigned to the Christian chiefs for the general "tranquillity" referred to in His Excellency's communication, they have indignantly denied their relevancy. They have said, in their own

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simple yet forcible mode of expression, "Do not think that New Zealand is quiet and in peace because we feared the muskets and the soldiers. No; we did not fear them, only the word of God. It was this we feared. It was this that chained New-Zealand hands, and bound them fast that they could not fight. By the word of God New Zealand is in peace." The truth of this must be obvious to any one at all acquainted with the relative strength and position of the two races. "The group of colonies," says Sir George Grey, "comprised in the New-Zealand islands, are composed at present of what may be termed nine principal European settlements, besides smaller dependencies of these. Their total European population may be stated at 26,000 souls. These settlements are scattered over a distance of nine hundred miles of latitude; they are separated from each other by wide intervals; and communication, even for persons on horseback, exists only between three of them. Their inhabitants have never been trained to the use of arms, and are so scattered that it would be found impossible to afford efficient protection. The wide intervals between these European colonies are occupied by a native race, estimated to consist of 120,000 souls, a very large proportion of whom are males capable of bearing arms. These natives are generally armed with rifles, or double-barrelled guns; they are addicted to war; have repeatedly, in encounters with our troops, been reported by our own officers to be equal to any European troops; are such good tacticians, that we have never yet succeeded in bringing them to a decisive battle. In fact, they are better equipped for warfare in this country than our own troops; and from the position they occupy between all the settlements, they can choose their own point of attack, and might even so mislead the most wary government as to their intended operations, as to render it extremely difficult to tell at what point they meant to strike a blow. They can move their forces with rapidity and secrecy; whilst, from the general absence of roads, the impassable nature of the country, and the utter want of supplies, it is impossible to move a European force more than a few miles into the interior from any settlement. In any thing like a national war, there can be little doubt that almost every village would pour forth its chiefs and its population. The centre of the northern island is occupied by a mountain range, the highest point of which is ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is covered with perpetual snow, having as one of its peaks a volcano of boiling water. The subsidiary mountain ridges or spurs, thrown off from the main range, are, for the most part, (where roads have not been constructed across them,) impassable even for horses: so that no overland communication, except for foot-passengers, can be considered as yet existing between several principal

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settlements. The European settlements are situated chiefly in the plains, whilst the Maori population inhabit the central mountain-range, or are scattered along the fertile banks of the rivers, or occupy the coast-line which intervenes between the several European settlements."

This is by far the most candid and important document ever published in this country on the relative strength and actual state of parties in New Zealand. Had the natives, at any period, broken out in one simultaneous insurrectionary movement, what would have been the consequences? And have there been no movements of embittered hostility? no conflicting interests? no national jealousies? no seasons of intense excitement? There have! What, then, gave cohesion to these heterogeneous materials, and afterwards consolidated the union? We say, frankly, The permeating influence of the word of God, and the missionary. Let the institutions of Christianity be vigorously sustained, and they will issue in the blending of the two races, the European and the Maori, until, in the feeling they entertain towards each other, they become as one people, strong for defensive purposes, if necessary; strong to repel unjust aggression, such as Tahiti has experienced; and strong for all benevolent and Christian enterprises. This state of society is fast setting in. Each European settlement has attracted to its vicinity, or contains mixed up with its white inhabitants, a considerable Maori population. In these cases both races already form one harmonious community, connected together by commercial and agricultural pursuits: they profess the same faith, resort to the same courts of justice, stand mutually and indifferently to each other in the relation of landlord and tenant, and are insensibly forming one people.

6. But "what is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord." What are these vast commercial and social advantages, compared with the spiritual and eternal benefits resulting from the labours of Leigh and his successors? We can only afford space for figures. Independently of those who have died in the Lord from year to year, the present number of communicants is 4,422; children in the day-schools, 3,500; in the sabbath-schools, above 7,000; 11,000 persons attend the public ministry on the Lord's day. This extended field is occupied by only twenty missionaries and their assistants. Alas! what a disparity between the number of agents and the momentous task assigned to them! We ask the friends of the Wesleyan missions, Do you intend your agents to penetrate and influence the entire mass of society in New Zealand? to subvert the "customs" of ages? to create a national sense of responsibility? to excite feelings, anxieties, and conduct becoming the Christian, in the various relations of life, and to

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promote habits of Christian zeal and liberality for the glory of Christ? Then we tell you frankly, that you must double their number!