1852 - Barrett, A. The Life of the Rev. John Hewgill Bumby - CHAPTER IV. NEW-ZEALAND--HIS DESTINATION.

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CHAPTER IV.

NEW-ZEALAND,--HIS DESTINATION.

NEW-ZEALAND, the scene of labour to which our attention must now be directed, consists of two principal islands, and a small one to the south, called Stewart's Island: they lie between 34 deg. 30' and 47 deg. 20' S. lat. The total area has been estimated at 62,160 square miles, or 39,782,400 acres. The northern island is called by the natives Ea-heino Mawe, "The Child of Mawe;" and the southern island, T'avai-poenamoo, "The Land of Green Stone," from the green talc-stone found there, of which the inhabitants made their battle-axes, hatchets, and chisels, before they became possessed of iron. The northern island has the finest soil, and is marked by natural features of the grandest description. A high mountain-chain runs through the principal extent of both islands, which to the north rises to the height of 12,000 or 14,000 feet above the sea-level,

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covered with perpetual snow, and presenting on a large scale all the phenomena of Alpine scenery. In these regions are the sources of numerous streams, which flow into the most fertile and enchanting valleys, watering with their tributaries the productive tracts that lie in their course. The huge glaciers of the summit, gleaming in faint blue and white; the rapid floods which pour from them in stream and cataract, the lofty woods which mantle the mountain-sides, the undulating lands around their base covered with richest vegetation; the bold cliffs and promontories which breast the billows of the great Southern Ocean; the beautiful bays and harbours, skirted with villages, and spotted on the waters with native canoes; all together form a noble and glorious scene, which the eye cannot rest upon without rapt admiration. The soil in the valleys and plains, with proper cultivation, is calculated to yield grain in abundance: indeed, spontaneously and plentifully, it produces roots adapted for human food, particularly that of a species of fern, which, with more or less profusion, covers the whole country.

Maize, yams, and kumeras, or sweet potatoes, have been raised in great quantities by the most imperfect native culture; a very strong flax also, serving for cordage, fishing-lines, and clothing. The timber-trees, especially the firs,

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which are of a species peculiar to the country, rise to a magnificent height, and are admirably suited for the hulls and masts of shipping. There are indications, too, of mineral wealth; and in every point of view the physical resources of the country are confessedly great, and capable of nourishing an enterprising and noble race.

When we come, however, to contemplate the human being for whom this fair earthly dwelling was prepared, a sorrowful scene presents itself. The natives are a different race from those of New-Holland, and are supposed to be rather of the Papuan or New-Guinea type, tall, well formed, with large black eyes, with quick and lively intelligence; but at the time the Wesleyan Mission was commenced amongst them, their moral as well as physical degradation was extreme. The upper or chieftain classes were turbulent, jealous, and delighting in war; while the enslaved portion of the tribes was sunk in all the despair and wretchedness which ill-treatment and superstition were likely to maintain. The native dress was little more than a mat, or, in more recent times, when traffic with the settlers began, a blanket; the body was often smeared over with red ochre mixed with whale-oil, and the face and chest elaborately tattooed: the habits of all were most uncleanly and repelling; and when

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these people were excited by warlike or revengeful passions, their ferocity was terrible in the extreme. Their huts were very poor; their pahs, or "fortified villages," were simply collections of these huts surrounded by a rude timber fence, which was ornamented with various superstitious images and devices. The tribes were independent of each other, and claimed each their peculiar territory; but there were so many causes of jealousy, crimination, and recrimination among them, that they were almost perpetually in a state of conflict; and the horrors of mere war were augmented by the fearful and worse horrors of cannibalism. Hundreds of slain have been cut up, cooked, and eaten, upon the plain on which they fell, by the exulting victors; and those who were taken prisoners and made slaves have been reserved to a liability at least of sharing the same fate whenever the caprice or the sacra fames of the tyrant Chief might afterwards dictate. The destruction of infant children by the mothers was very common, especially where the care of them was likely to be burdensome; and from this cause, joined to the causes mentioned above, a fine race of people was rather decreasing than increasing in the earth, perishing under the weight and retribution of its own crimes. Their religion, if it might be called such, was a kind of polythe-

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ism. Their atuas, or "gods," were either imaginary powers of evil, to be propitiated by acts of sacrificial cruelty, or the spirits of departed Chiefs, whose quarrels had to be avenged, and whose daring courage and prowess had to be imitated: any person or thing separated and consigned to their protection was tapu, or "sacred:" but charity, goodness, love, and hope were unknown; and no such high conception was formed as that of the all-infinite, wise, just, and good Jehovah.

The Rev. Samuel Marsden, of the Church of England, who was Chaplain in the colony of New South Wales, had the honour given him of being permitted to introduce the Gospel among these lost beings, and founded a Mission in the Bay of Islands in the year 1814.

In the year 1819, the Wesleyan Missionary Society had a young man stationed at New South Wales, Mr. Samuel Leigh; and, having suffered in his health, he was recommended by Mr. Marsden to visit New-Zealand, with a view to his restoration. He complied with the recommendation: he saw the country; held converse with the Missionaries, who had been introduced by Mr. Marsden; witnessed many awful scenes, especially the roasting of a boy; and was so affected with the appearance of things altogether, as to cherish an ardent desire to commence a Wesleyan Mission in the country. The

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excellent Church brethren who had preceded, supported and encouraged him in his project. He returned home to England, obtained the sanction and authority of the executive Committee, and in 1821 once more left home, with Mrs. Leigh, for New-Zealand, by way of Sydney, to found a station which should be sufficiently remote from the settlements of the Church Missionary Society, to prevent his interfering with their operations.

A little before this, a powerful and leading New-Zealand Chief, Shungee, had visited England, and been introduced to His Majesty King George IV. On returning to his country, likewise by Sydney, he met in the colony with several of his countrymen, and told them the intelligence which he had gained,--namely, that Mr. and Mrs. Leigh were appointed to reside among them, and that other Missionaries were to follow in course of time. All parties seemed pleased, and agreed that the new comers should reside at Mercury-Bay, near the river Thames. But this design was prevented by the outbreak of a war, the rumour of which Mr. Leigh had heard before he left the colony; and therefore he and his excellent wife took up their residence, for a while, at the Church Missionary settlement.

The facts were, that when Shungee arrived at home, he was informed that one of his relations had been slain by some of the Mercury-

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Bay people, who also were among his more distant kindred. The report was true; and as nothing then could satisfy a New-Zealand Chief but retributive vengeance, he declared war against the tribe. The Chief of Mercury-Bay earnestly desired reconciliation; but Shungee would listen to no terms. He had recently left the fair scenes of social elevation and of Christian peace in England; but the example of civilisation, or a simple view of its effects, failed to civilise him: all the pride and ferocity of the savage returned, as he scoured over his native plains, marshalling his fighting-men; and, after he had collected three thousand of them, he commenced his march from the more northern parts, which were then under his protection, and went at once into the shock of battle. The unfortunate adverse Chief fell by a shot from Shungee. The victor, half maddened by excitement, cut off the head of his prostrate victim, caught the streaming blood in his hands, and drank it with the utmost eagerness. Shungee and his party slew upwards of a thousand men; and three hundred of these they roasted and ate before they left the field of battle. The forsaken ovens, or holes dug in the earth, and the ghastly remains which were spread over the entire tract of the struggle, after all was quiet, told an eloquent tale as to the terrible orgies which had been celebrated

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there,--a scene over which the old murderer, Satan, might gloat, and hardly be able to wish for more. The hapless women and children of the adverse party were taken by the conquerors to their villages as slaves, where the poor creatures wept and bemoaned their captivity and losses, and cut themselves, but without the least prospect of relief; and even twenty of these were killed and eaten after the war was over, and Shungee and his party had returned to the Bay of Islands in triumph.

All this had been transpiring while the messengers of the Prince of Peace were preparing to enter upon their arduous enterprise. Mr. Leigh introduced himself to the formidable warrior, who expressed his willingness to receive a Missionary, as also did other Chiefs; but as Shungee uttered further threats in reference to the Mercury-Bay people and villages adjacent, all thoughts of commencing there were at an end. Mr. and Mrs. Leigh therefore remained at the Church settlement, until they were joined by Messrs. N. Turner and White, who were sent out to assist them; in the mean time improving all their opportunities of acquiring the language, and instructing such natives and their children as they could find on the beach and elsewhere, in the great primary truths of the Gospel. Mr. Leigh's simplicity, courage, and hardihood eminently fitted him for the

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work to which he was called; but mere natural resources would utterly have failed in such scenes: he had faith in his Divine Master, and in His gracious declaration, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world;" and this was his strength and stay when human fortitude and endurance would have sunk utterly. He dared their pointed muskets, stood undaunted while clubs were sometimes whirled around his head, and while spears were thrust close by his side, and felt that he only lived from hour to hour, as sustained by the invisible power of the Lord of hosts. They were amazed at the stranger; and though they were little disposed to attend to his message, they felt in some degree the power that his presence had over them. He mingled with the people in their villages and huts; bartered with them for animal food, having been four months without any; conversed with them in the most familiar manner; and endeavoured to win their confidence, as well as sound the depth of their superstitions. Their principal idea of sickness and pain was, that it was the atua of New-Zealand eating them: thus showing how their own crime of cannibalism reflected itself back upon their tortured imagination, and gave a colour to their dark polytheism.

At length Mr. Leigh was joined by the brethren Turner and White, and the whole Mission-

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party proceeded to Wangaroa, on the north-east coast, and north of the Bay of Islands, with a view to the establishment of a Mission there; and they were received with apparent kindness by the Chief George. This George was a very notorious person. In the year 1809 he had cut off the crew and passengers of the "Boyd," a fine ship of five hundred tons' burden; on which occasion, at least seventy, or perhaps ninety, individuals were cruelly murdered and feasted upon by the bloodthirsty savages, and the ship was burnt down to the water's edge. From this time George had a lurking fear of Europeans, though for selfish purposes he wished to have traffic with them, even to the extent of encouraging, in some degree, their settlement in the country. But the vague idea of a possible retribution overtaking him, (retribution for injury being almost the only recognised law in New-Zealand,) made him distrustful, overbearing, and violent; and the Missionaries, while endeavouring to erect their temporary dwelling by the aid of hired native labour, were subjected to endless trouble and annoyance by this man. He came and drove the natives away, used ill language to Mr. Turner, threatened to level the house to the ground, and said it was his; but all this turbulence was to obtain some gift or gratuity. Afterwards, three spades were forcibly taken away by some of his people; and others

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came in canoes with fencing-timber for sale, which Mr. Turner bought of them, making payment in various articles of hardware, though almost bewildered by their violence and vociferation. Another of the Chiefs brought a pig, for which he had previously received payment; but he demanded to be paid again. Mr. Turner did not yield at first; but after a while gave him an iron pot which he coveted, when he then claimed another article also: this was refused, and he fell into a perilous passion, dashed the pot to pieces, followed Mr. Turner (who was leaving him) with all the rage of a fiend, pointed his musket (for many of them had obtained fire-arms) twice to shoot him, but was restrained by an invisible hand. However, he pushed Mr. Turner very roughly about, until Mr. Hobbs and the Assistant-Missionary came up. He charged them all with the design of making the New-Zealanders slaves; and said, the only thing they gave them was karakia, "prayers," upon which he poured the greatest contempt: he did not want to hear about Christ; he wanted muskets, powder, tomahawks, tobacco, and the like. He then went back to the house, and threatened to kill Mrs. Turner and the servant; saying, he would serve the whole Mission-family as his people had served the crew of the "Boyd." The maid screamed with terror; but Mrs. Turner pre-

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served her composure; and when the excited savage had taken several articles from the Mission-store, she took them back from him with calm resolution, and felt her mind to be kept in peace through being humbly stayed on God. After a little while the storm ceased; but such scenes often occurred during the first months of residence at Wangaroa.

One morning the Missionaries heard that the heads of an adjacent tribe had killed one of their slaves, and were preparing to eat the body. Mr. Turner immediately went down to the place, and found the Chiefs sitting around the fire, and apparently glad to see him. After the usual salute, he went towards the fire, and found, to his horror, a human being laid at length, and roasting between two logs. He told them, that his heart was very sore at such a sight; and, as guilt and shame were evidently depicted upon their countenances, he made use of the opportunity of awfully rebuking this enormity, and warning them of the just judgments of Almighty God.

The natives, who disliked toil, could not be induced, even in their most friendly moods, to build a school-house; and therefore our brethren were content, for a while, in their fine climate, to collect the people and their children in the open air, and there teach them letters, Catechisms, prayers, and hymns: nor were their

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efforts fruitless; for many New-Zealanders have dated their first impressions from these primitive exercises. Towards the end of 1824, the Mission-premises were pretty well completed: they stood upon a jutting point of land, on the south side of a beautiful vale, through which ran a fine serpentine river of fresh water, before emptying itself, six miles beyond, into a safe and commodious harbour. The vale was bounded by hills and mountains of almost every size and form, generally covered with excellent pines, many of which were from sixty to one hundred feet to the lowest branch, and from three to six feet in diameter. The soil of the valley-plain, too, was exceedingly rich. The Missionaries, having purchased the land, had built themselves a good wooden house, with brick chimney,--the bricks having been made on the premises, and the lime obtained by calcining cockle-shells. They cleared about three acres of ground, enclosed it with a log fence, sowed it with wheat and barley, and likewise set out a good garden with vegetables and fruit-trees: all these were for the use of the Mission-families. Besides this, the Missionaries had with their own hands, at two of the principal villages, raised buildings to the honour and service of God, and for the purposes of His worship: these places were not very elegant; but, after all, were amongst the best structures then in the land.

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By this time, too, the natives began to listen with attention; the children were getting on well with their reading in their own language; and Mrs. Turner's girls began to make progress in needle-work. The little settlement was visited by Messrs. Bennet and Tyerman, the Deputation then engaged in visiting the stations of the London Missionary Society; and the brethren were greatly cheered by their intercourse with these truly Christian persons. Indeed, our Missionaries had been instrumental in quelling an outbreak of jealousy on the part of the natives, in their ship, while she was lying off the shore, and thereby, no doubt, saving their lives. 1 Prospects of usefulness

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seemed to be opening out in a very pleasing manner, when, all at once, a dark cloud gather-

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ed around these laborious and self-denying servants of Christ, which seemed, for a while,

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to be impenetrable gloom. A fresh series of native outbreaks took place, which ended in

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the total destruction of the Mission premises and property; and the suspension, for a while, of the Mission itself.

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It must be observed, that about this time an English ship, the "Mercury," had been taken and plundered by the natives of the Bay of Islands; and although it was afterwards rescued and conducted out to sea by two of the Missionaries, yet there was an apprehension of further retribution from other English vessels, and, in consequence, a proportionate jealousy of the influence of the English religious teachers residing in the country. The Chief, George, too, was now dangerously ill, and likely to die. The father of this Chief had been killed in the fearful affair of the "Boyd;" and it was reported, that George had requested the natives of Hokianga, in case of his death, to come and strip the Wangaroa (Wesleyan) Missionaries of everything they possessed, if not to kill them, as utu, or "payment," for the death of his father, for which he said he had never received satisfaction.

The death of a Chief is the day of reckoning, when all the quarrels of his life have to be avenged. These sources of uneasiness made the more wicked natives very overbearing and annoying. They broke over the Mission-fence,

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and committed petty depredations on the property; and, on being reasoned with, proceeded to acts of violence against Mr. Turner and his assistants, assaulting them with spears, and the like, and would have killed them, no doubt, had not their lives been safe in the hands of their Divine Master. But the very hairs of their head were all numbered.

The Missionaries of the Church of England, hearing of these troubles, evinced the liveliest sympathy with their Wesleyan brethren; and, with true Christian love, the Rev. Messrs. Williams and Kemp came over, and urged that, at least, Mrs. Turner and the little ones should be removed to one of their settlements for a season. They were removed, accordingly, overland to Mr. Kemp's, at Kerikeri, where they received every kindness and attention; but nothing could induce Mr. Turner and his fellow-labourers to forsake their post. For a time their circumstances were most critical: they endured hardness as good soldiers, and repaid evil with good; till at length the old Chief George sank under his malady and died. The people upon whom had devolved the task of exacting satisfaction for the death of his father, according to his last will, assembled to deliberate, and for that purpose approached the Mission-premises; but after they had spent some time in mutual conference, they agreed to

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accept the blood of a bird as a sufficient compensation. One of the party then jumped over the Mission-premises, bore off a duck, killed it, and so far all was over in respect of this matter. Mrs. Turner and the children returned to Wangaroa, and it was hoped all would be well: but very soon far worse troubles arose.

The redoubtable Shungee, who had recently been driven to desperation by some peculiar domestic circumstances, was suddenly prompted to invade the valley of Wangaroa. The natives who resided in the valley, named by the Missionaries Wesleydale, amounted to nearly two hundred, and were called the Nga-te-huru tribe: they were headed by several Chiefs, of whom the principal was Te Puhi. At a distance of five miles dwelt another tribe, called the Nga-te-po, which contained six or seven hundred souls. To these two tribes the Missionaries directed their labours. Having made some proficiency in the language, they regularly employed the Sabbath, and as much of their time on other days of the week as could be spared from other occupations, in communicating to them Christian instruction.' A school was also now established, which was attended daily by about twenty native youths. Eight of these had learned to read and write in their vernacular tongue; and on their minds, as well as on the minds of many of the adult population,

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Divine truths had been assiduously inculcated, and in some cases received with much apparent interest.

It was on the 4th of January, 1827, while the Mission family were engaged in domestic worship, that they received intelligence of the approach of Shungee, and that he had actually arrived in the harbour. For several days subsequently all was alarm and confusion. Canoes began to drop down the river, bearing the natives to the various scenes of conflict. Te Puhi, his brother, some other principal men, and their slaves, fled to Hokianga, about forty miles distant; while bloody skirmishes took place in the neighbourhood around, and the Missionaries hardly knew how to act for the best. They were, however, utterly defenceless; and, as the bonds of even native authority were now loosed, became exposed to the insults of any marauding party that might happen to pass by. On the 9th Mr. Stack, the Assistant, was dispatched with a letter to the Church brethren at Kerikeri, requesting counsel and aid. Early on the morning of the 10th, a party of natives were descried by the servant approaching the Mission-House. The Missionaries had hardly time to put on their clothes, when twenty savages, armed with muskets, spears, hatchets, and the like, entered the Mission-ground, and were proceeding towards the house. It was demanded

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of them what they wanted. Oro, the Chief, said, "We are come to make a fight: your Chief has fled, your people have left the place, you will be stripped of all your property before noon; therefore instantly be gone." At the same time he gave orders to the rest to commence the work of spoliation. They fired several guns as a signal, and others came and joined them. The work of destruction and robbery having proceeded with merciless fury, Mr. Turner began to prepare for quitting the place, though he lingered to the last extremity from his heavy reluctance to leave a spot upon which he had bestowed so much labour and care. The native youths who had been under the instruction of the Missionaries were much alarmed, and urged a speedy departure, begging that they might be allowed to accompany the family. At six o'clock in the morning, then, when all hope of remaining in safety was extinct, the sorrowful and affrighted household began to move; saving scarcely anything from the wreck but the clothes they wore, and a change or two for the children. The company, apart from the native young people, consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Turner, their three children, (the youngest of whom was an infant five weeks old,) Luke Wade the Assistant, and his wife, Mr. Hobbs, and Miss Davis, a young lady from the Church settlement of Paihia, who had

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come to spend a few weeks on a visit. It was a hard sight for the husband and father to see Mrs. Turner, a sensitive European female, with her companion, Miss Davis, fleeing in terror through the scrub and fern: it was drenched with heavy dew, in consequence of which they were wet through with the exercise, and obliged, too, to ford the river, and, with the aid of the Mission lads, to bear the children along with them. But extraordinary help was given for an extraordinary crisis. Behind were blood-thirsty savages, who were only restrained from murder by their selfish fears; and all around were hovering hostile parties, who, from various motives, were quite ready to extinguish in this time of excitement the Mission-household; but, looking to God for help and deliverance, the fugitives directed their steps towards Kerikeri, the nearest Church settlement. As they went on, they were met by one of their own principal men, and also a very friendly old Chief, Ware-Nui, from the Bay of Islands. To the latter Mr. Turner made his appeal for help and protection; to which he immediately responded, and all the group moved on under his guidance. Yet treachery was so common in this season of universal fear and suspicion, that our brethren and their companions knew that help could alone come from the Lord which made both heaven and earth. Twice more they crossed

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the river; and, on turning a sharp bend of the channel, all at once they came upon a formidable party of fighting natives from the Hokianga,--orderly, compact, and ready for action, variously armed, but chiefly with bayonets and muskets. They were headed by several Chiefs, the principal of whom was Patuone, long known to be most friendly to Europeans. Still this sudden meeting produced excitement. The Chief caught a glance of the Missionaries, and loudly called upon his people to stop: they stopped immediately, as though under the most perfect discipline. Some few, indeed, carried away by their ardour, pushed forward, and others ran in the water to get past him; but he was up with them in a moment, and, interposing with his extended spear, compelled them back. He invited Mr. Turner and the rest to sit down, came with several principal companions, and rubbed noses with the fugitives in token of friendship and good-will. Ware-Nui explained the position and intentions of the Christian party; and then, the Chiefs having conversed a little together, Patuone and his leading companions, together with Ware-Nui, placed themselves by the side of them, and commanded the armed band to move forward on the other side of the river; they, the Chiefs, keeping guard till all had gone by. Thus another peril was passed. Then the travellers

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plunged into the woods. They soon met Mr. Stack returning with Mr. Clarke of the Church Mission, and eight or ten of his Mission youths. The boys were dispatched to Kerikeri for chairs on which to carry the exhausted females the remainder of their journey. Soon after they were met by a party from Paihia, consisting of the Rev. H. Williams, Messrs. Davis, Richey, and a dozen natives. St. Paul, at Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, could hardly have more fervently thanked God and gladly taken courage than the Wesleyan Missionaries here. From these excellent persons, and at Kerikeri, where they soon arrived, they received every kindness which sympathy and Christian brotherhood could suggest. The Church Missionaries had themselves encountered similar perils, if not here, yet elsewhere. As, for instance, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan at Otawhao had the severed and bloody limbs of slain victims thrust before their faces; and Mr. and Mrs. Chapman had sometimes to retire into the bush to hide themselves from savage jealousy and fury. After refreshment, Mr. Turner and friends removed on Thursday, January 17th, to the Paihia settlement, where they remained until the Captain of the ship "Rosanna," hearing of the disasters of the Mission-party, most kindly offered them a passage to Sydney; and thus they removed to the colony, and for a

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while the Mission was actually suspended. While our brethren and their companions, however, were being sheltered at Paihia, the Hokianga party, whom they had met on the 10th, proceeded to Wangaroa, came into conflict with the plunderers at the Mission-house, who belonged to Shungee's people, drove them away with savage fury, and seized upon the remainder of the booty themselves; burned the house and barn, with the wheat-crop in straw, to ashes; killed the cattle, goats, and poultry, and left the heads, feet, and other remains, strewed upon the ground; and, worst of all, the body of Mrs. Turner's infant child, which had died and had been buried there, they dug up for the purpose of obtaining the blanket or wrapper in which they supposed the tender babe had been wrapped, and left the cherished remains of this little one in Christ to moulder on the surface amid the other monuments of this awful and desolating outbreak.

As for the terrible Shungee, his days were now well-nigh numbered. Accompanied by his principal wife Kiri, who, though now blind, sustained him even in war by her counsels, energy, and judgment, he went to this conflict with a strong determination. But in its progress his wife sickened; and, being abandoned in her sickness, she died and suffered the fate of Jezebel of old; while a fatal shot from the

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hostile tribe, as he stood forth with his men, one day, entered at his neck, broke the collarbone, passed obliquely through the right breast, and passed out below the shoulder-blade, close to the spine. He fell, shattered and helpless; but such was the physical strength and vitality of this extraordinary man, that the wound seemed partially to heal, and he survived for a whole year after. In March, 1828, however, he was visited by Patuone, who always regarded him with great interest. Patuone and his companions were very much affected at seeing the old warrior so emaciated: they all, as is usual, wept together in their peculiar form of tangi, and informed him they feared he would soon die; in reply to which, he said, No, for that he had never been in better spirits. But they were induced to stay; and he became increasingly ill, insomuch that he himself soon acknowledged his end was near. "I shall die now shortly," he said; "but not to-day." This man had been favoured to hear the truths of the glorious Gospel both in England and from the lips of the Missionaries; and it is hard to conceive but a ray of alluring light from the Holy Spirit must, at some time, and more than once, have fallen upon his dark and stormy soul,--perhaps, alas! only to have been quenched and excluded by guilty passion and rebel will. The day of grace, in respect of an

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uncivilised Pagan, is ordered by the same sovereign wisdom and righteousness, as is the day of grace in the case of a religiously-trained Englishman; but still these questions, as to ho are saved or lost, must be left to the resolution of the final and just Judge. It was affecting to think how near he had been to life; and yet, to all human judgment, New-Zealand's greatest warrior seemed to be cowering in nature's last strife, before the gloomy traditions of his country. The ruling passion was strong to the last. He called for his gunpowder; and when it was brought to him, he said to his children, Ka ora koutou, "You will be well." His morys, (or " battle-axes,") muskets, and the coat-of-mail he received from George IV., he bequeathed, on the 5th of March, to his sons. He spent his last moments on the morning of the 6th in exhorting his followers to be valiant, and repel any force, however great, which might come against them; telling them, that this was all the utu (or "satisfaction") that he desired. After he had uttered the words, several times, Kia toa, ki toa, "Be courageous, be courageous," he breathed his last.

At this dread moment the friends of the deceased, in the pah at Pinia, trembled for themselves: for they had reason to apprehend that the Hokianga natives would fall upon

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them, and send them as companions of their dead Chief to the shades of night: but Patuone hushed their fears; and, therefore, the usual barbaric funeral honours of haranguing, crying, cutting, dancing, firing muskets, were accorded on the occasion; and the death of this redoubtable man, whose authority was implicated in so many settlements and arrangements, and who in some sort protected the Church Missions, passed away without any evil consequences to the work of God or to the natives, greatly to the wonder of the whole country. Hostile tribes, indeed, exulted, shouted, and sang, and said, Kna idi a Honghi! Kna idi a Honghi! "Shungee is put up! Shungee is put up!" but this was all. God had the hearts of all men in His hand.

But Patuone, who interposed on the behalf of Mr. Turner's family, and shielded them from native violence as they fled from Wesleydale, Wangaroa, seems never to have been easy at the removal of the Wesleyan Missionaries. The disaster evidently gave him the greatest concern. Towards the latter end of the year 1827, therefore, and considerably before Shungee's death, he earnestly invited them to return; and they, who had not entertained the thought of finally abandoning the country, very willingly accepted the invitation. So soon, indeed, as January, 1828, we find the residence and occu-

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pations once more commenced, not at Wangaroa, but at Mangungu, on the river Hokianga, being in Patuone's district. This locality was chosen in friendly and Christian counsel with the Church brethren, and purchased and paid for to the satisfaction of the natives. The natives were at a little distance from it,--a circumstance at that time rather desirable than otherwise. The soil was suitable for the production of such articles as were needed; and in respect of facilities for transit and commerce, a vessel of five hundred tons might lie opposite, and within a hundred yards of the premises.

The work of brick-making, squaring and adapting timber, and all the other operations of building, had to be commenced afresh; and, notwithstanding the sloth and moodiness of the natives, the energy of Mr. Hobbs, and of his assistant Wade, soon caused the new Mission-house to arise at Mangungu: an object, it may be easily believed, of great interest to all the Chiefs of Hokianga. What was of far greater importance, evangelical and teaching labour was recommenced with equal energy. Wicked natives on the coast still frequently committed depredations on the vessels that touched at New-Zealand; and the disputes arising from these circumstances, as also from misunderstandings between the natives and the

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settlers, both at the Bay of Islands and on the Western coast, made it often necessary that the Missionaries, as being intelligent Europeans, should be called in to mediate and procure peace between the parties. This made their position to be one of great difficulty and peril; though the wisdom, firmness, and truth with which they were enabled to act, gave them, by slow degrees, great influence, especially with the Chiefs. But their toil in endeavouring to awaken the dark and sinful New-Zealanders to a sense of their condition, and bring them to Christ by true repentance, was attended with fearful discouragement. Mr. Stack had been speaking, one Sabbath morning, from Luke xvi. 19--31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, to a group of his own ungodly countrymen; when, on returning, he found two Chiefs lounging in a ship-yard near, and endeavoured, in their language, to make them acquainted with the truths he had just been uttering in English. One of them, Te-tao-mui, looked significantly, and said, "New-Zealand men are like that, are they not?" meaning like the rich man in the parable. The Preacher assented, and said, "White men, also, are to be found in great numbers who answer to the same description of character." He then sneered, and said, "Ha, ha!" as much as to say, "Why, then, single us New-Zealanders out as being the wicked?"

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They then demanded to know, how their instructers obtained their knowledge of the world of spirits; and laughed at the idea of a hell, which no man ever pretended he had seen. They said, "You Missionaries are a set of old women. When a spirit comes from the Horeke or Mangungu, and tells us that he has seen the things of which you speak, then we will believe him; but all the accounts we have received, as yet, are directly opposite to yours. What food do they eat in that world? How do they see? How do they hear? What is their employment? If a brave man dies, how will he be able to exercise his bravery? If there are no places to besiege, must he become pacific? O, you are a set of old women: you do nothing but place yourselves within your own dwelling. Are there no guns there? no people to fight with?" Mr. Stack then spoke of the final judgment; but their levity continued. "I'll come over to you to-morrow," said one, "and you shall judge me: this man shall be condemned because he has a wry mouth." Three months after, one of these poor dark triflers was numbered with the dead; and when one of the brethren went to see the corpse, he found it placed in a sitting posture, wrapped in a blanket: the head was dressed with feathers, and soaked in oil. On his knee rested a powder-horn, and close by were his guns and a

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native weapon; and, alas! by his side was seated, dead, and dressed like himself, his youngest wife, who, in a paroxysm of grief at the death of her husband, had, the night before, hung herself. The whole scene was the embodiment of despair; especially affecting and awful to those who knew that life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel; and who were risking health, safety, and all things, in order that they might bring the natives into the fellowship of this glorious mystery.

It was to the natives a time of crying, cutting, and pompous speech-making, as usual; and the brethren did not lose the opportunity of preaching the Gospel to the assembled groups. But, as yet, the word made no perceptible or deep impression; and matters remained in this state for some time longer.

So far we have had to describe this Mission as one of sorrow and discouragement. Mr. Leigh had been removed to the colony in 1825; but the other labourers had been diligent and faithful. Ten years of hard toil and danger had been passed through, and much money expended by the Wesleyan Missionary Society on this arduous field; and yet, up to the middle of the year 1830, there seemed to be nothing, of a visible kind, either to repay the exertions of the past, or excite hope for the future. But

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the faith of the Missionaries in their Gospel and its adorable Author was unshaken: they were resolved to persevere; and, in their communications with the Executive Committee at home, they urged the necessity of carrying on all their operations with undiminished vigour, and of having a reinforcement of married Missionaries sent to their aid.

Now we come to a turn of affairs. The Gospel-day began to dawn, and the glorious light has been brightening ever since. During the years just mentioned, the natives had narrowly watched our brethren, keenly scrutinised their temper and conduct, and had become at length convinced that they were real friends, who only sought to do them good. They now began to hear instruction with great attention, and to renounce their country's superstitions. In December, 1830, there were thirty-four natives at the Mission-house,--twenty-eight males, and six females: they were daily instructed in reading and writing, catechised three evenings in the week, and addressed at still greater length in the services of the Sabbath. A year after, one of the brethren writes thus:---

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When, some time after, Mr. Hobbs writes, it is to this effect:--

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Another communication from Mangungu reports such cheering particulars as these:--May 26th, 1834. That on the preceding Sabbath, the native chapel was crowded to excess, and great numbers had to sit outside, all panting for the word of life: such the desire to get there in the evening, that they almost trampled on each other in making their way: that some of them had come in canoes from places forty miles distant, and manifest anxiety for salvation appeared to possess a great proportion of this interesting multitude: that their earnest singing, prayers, attention to their classes, and other ordinances of religion, left no doubt on the mind as to their sincerity; and that in reverential behaviour in the house of God, they were a pattern even to Europeans: that almost every Saturday some eminent stranger would arrive, in order to be ready for worship on the Sabbath, and would then profess his attach-

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ment to Christianity: and that, wherever the Missionaries went on errands of mercy to the surrounding villages, the natives generally were all ready to receive them, and it was manifest on every hand, that a great and glorious work was breaking forth in New-Zealand.--July 27th. That fourteen couples were united the day before in matrimony, and eighty-one admitted into the Christian church by baptism.--February 5th, 1835. That there were on the beach fifty-three canoes from the various stations, which had brought about one thousand persons; not to obtain pork, potatoes, and flour, for they brought their own provisions with them. Public service and sermon first, from Matt. ii. 6; and then public examinations in scriptural reading and catechism: evidently a day of holy and happy excitement, and high encouragement. Several Chiefs and other natives had declared in favour of Christianity. Tawai and Miti, the former one of the most celebrated and successful warriors in the land, these, with some old grey-headed cannibals, were sitting, like the man in the Gospel out of whom the foul spirit had been cast, at the feet of Jesus, anxious to learn, and ready to do, the will of God. The Missionaries had cut a road through a dense forest from behind the Hokianga settlement, for six miles, that they might be able to visit these Chiefs on horseback.

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Timothy Orton, baptized when Mr. Orton (a colonial Missionary) was over here, a burning and a shining light, a most useful Class-Leader and Native Teacher in the schools, married to an amiable and pious young female, cousin to his master, John Wesley; for Timothy had been a slave. Noah, a great Chief, a pattern of sincerity, simplicity, and uprightness, and docile as a little child. Moses, the younger brother of the Moses before mentioned, who died, a delicate but lovely youth, truly devoted to God. Morley, about the same age as Moses, possesses a sound mind and healthy body; pious; writes a beautiful hand, and occasionally addresses the people; is learning the trade of a carpenter, but it would appear as if the Head of the church were preparing him for something nobler. John Wesley, a very pious and promising Chief, a Class-Leader; but apparently appointed to die. Daniel, a man of similar attainments and character, and likewise marked for an early grave. Richard Watson, the son of a Chief of considerable influence, who, some time before, had made profession of religion, but apostatised and became an enemy, and attempted to induce his people to abandon the truth; but to a man they turned from him, and he left them to join another tribe at the Thames. Watson is about sixteen years of age, possesses a fine person, reads and writes well, and is one

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of the Exhorters: so simply graceful in manner, so clear in statement of Christian doctrine, so solemn and pointed in appeal to the hearts and understandings of the people, as to remind the Missionary of the great and holy man whose name he bears. Simon Peter, once a relentless warrior, oft accompanying the brethren in difficult journeys, especially to Waikato, perilling his life among hostile and unreconciled tribes, that he might bring them the messengers of salvation. These are mere etchings of the lovely moral scene which was now beginning to arise upon the Christian beholder's eye.

Several alterations had now taken place in the Mission establishment. Mr. Hobbs had been removed by the Committee for a while to the Friendly Islands, to strengthen the work there. But Mr. Whiteley and Mr. Wallis, with their wives, had been sent out to New-Zealand to join in occupying those gracious openings which now seemed so numerous and promising; and these were joined, in 1836, by the Society's valued Missionary, Mr. N. Turner, who returned then from Van-Diemen's Land to the scene of his former labours and sufferings. In 1836 and 1837, Mr. and Mrs. Woon, and Mr. and Mrs. Buller, too, were respectively appointed;--all animated with hallowed zeal, and admirably adapted for the sphere which was assigned to them. A printing-press was established, under

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the management chiefly of Mr. Woon; and an impulse was thus given to this department of Christian teaching by the preparation and circulation of books, which told powerfully upon the interests of the Mission. It is right, however, that here Mr. Turner should speak for himself: accordingly, this letter is subjoined:--

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At this time Native Teachers were extensively employed, so far as their gifts and graces qualified them to be so, in initiating Missionary operations in the interior, and along the west coast. They were visited pastorally by the brethren at the head-stations of Mangungu, Newark, and Kaipara, as often as possible; and were thus more fully instructed in the way of the Lord. No less than five deputations came to Mangungu and Kaipara from the south, to request the appointment and residence of Missionaries; bearing tidings that the natives had already built themselves several chapels, and had begun regularly to assemble and worship God, according to their best knowledge.

Mr. Wallis, in consequence, set out for Wangaroa and Kawia, accompanied by several well-instructed natives, in order to make a better provision for the spiritual wants of the people at those places; intending, afterwards, to proceed as far towards the south as Taranaki, where there was at that time a most favourable opening. The Hokianga was now, indeed, in process of being evangelized; no less than sixteen chapels 2 had been raised by the

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assistance of the Chiefs, and the congregations were everywhere increasing: but as the brethren were thirsting for more extended conquests, and more particularly as a Popish Mission was sought to be formed hard by the Wesleyan settlements, with a view to still further operations by the Romanists, Mr. Turner, as well took his evangelistic tour, and visited such portions of the east coast, in the northern part, as the Church brethren had not occupied, and especially Wangaroa, from which place, years before, he had been so violently expelled. The narrative shall be given in his own words:--

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Passing for a while from Mr. Turner in his happy though onerous toil, we find that Mr. Wallis had been at Kaipara in 1836; that, on his arrival, he found a man had been condemned to be killed and devoured for criminal conduct with a member of the Chief's family, and that he was too late to prevent the execution of the sentence; that another was soon after appointed to the same fate, but was spared through Mr. Wallis's intercessions. He fixed upon a position on the fine river Wairoa, or Long-Water, one hundred and fifty miles from the mouth, which was navigable for vessels of considerable burden all this way. Within a year there were fifty regular communicants on this new station, and a very considerable number of natives under instruction.

Mr. Wallis had likewise visited Wangaroa and Kawia, on the west coast, in 1835, and made a strong impression there. After a while, several powerful tribes came forward and laid down their weapons, cast off their superstitions, and proclaimed their readiness to receive

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Christian instruction: at once they yielded to the wishes of the Missionary and his fellow-labourers, and became docile as little children. This was not from any good opinion entertained by them of European settlers in general, but from a view of the simple and benevolent object of the Mission; and hence they were wont to say, that as the Missionary did not come to get their pigs, and corn, potatoes, flax, or timber, he must be a good man, and a fit and proper person to direct them. Our brethren were affected to tears while witnessing the interest and absorbed concern with which they listened to the word of life, as read and preached to them in their own tongue. The atonement of Christ for the transgressions of guilty men, was a subject that found its echo in their understanding and their heart; for it appealed to their moral condition, and provided in one great gift of mercy for all their spiritual wants. They had understood and acted on the doctrine of satisfaction in their judicial conflicts and quarrels; and thus the Jehovah of nature and the Jehovah of the Gospel were recognised as the same Being, notwithstanding the darkness and crime which had obscured this tradition of the original law. Wangaroa and Kawia, for a while, were given up, by a friendly arrangement with the Church Missionary Society, to the brethren of the

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eastern settlements; but, as they could only make them occasional visits, and, therefore, could not take them under pastoral care, the natives were importunate for established ordinances. It was subsequently agreed that they should be permanently occupied by the first visiters and evangelists; and the Wesleyans were taking steps accordingly, and looking for another reinforcement from England. Thus, even so far in the south, the word of the Lord ran and was glorified; the translation of the New Testament was proceeding, in the hands of the Church Missionaries; the congregations were enlarging; hundreds of natives, Sabbath by Sabbath, were uniting to sing, with affecting earnestness, the wonders of redeeming mercy; and the spiritual field was white unto the harvest.

In 1838 Mr. Turner suffered much from domestic affliction, especially in the long-continued illness of his beloved wife. In the August of that year, however, another serious and distressing disaster befell the Mission-settlement in Mangungu. Mr. Turner had retired to rest as usual on the Saturday night, the 18th, after leaving a log on the fire of the room which they usually kept by day, in order that he might, if needful, be able to provide for the wants of his invalid partner. His thoughts were calm and composed, and full of Sabbath

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anticipations. About two o'clock he was awakened by a roaring noise, like that of fire. He instantly arose, and went to the room which he had left some hours before, and found it full of smoke and scorching flame. He attempted to enter, but could not, for fear of suffocation: and was driven back, moreover, by the fire. He got through a back-window, and roused the settlement; but before any successful effort could be made to get water, the fire had penetrated the roof, which being made of pine, all hope of saving the house was over. The Mission-bell was rung, and the natives were soon on the spot, and laboured hard to secure whatever could be saved from the devouring element. The afflicted Mrs. Turner had to escape in her night-dress; and in her endeavours to save the children, who were in an adjoining room, sustained a great physical shock, and especially by falling down in the hurry, and suffering a severe bruise. One of the little ones barely escaped. A native lad threw a blanket over Mrs. Turner, as she was sinking with fear and weakness, and carried her to Mr. Hobbs's rush-house; for Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs had now returned to their former scene of labour. But even this house was in danger, as large flakes of fire were every moment falling upon the roof. Mrs. Turner and the children had to be removed, therefore, to Mr. Woon's; and Mr. Hobbs's house could

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only be saved from destruction by spreading wet blankets on the roof till all danger was over. The sympathy of the natives was extreme. Had it been any other evening than that of Saturday, few of them would have been at hand, and little help would have been rendered; but many had arrived in their canoes,--fifty strangers, indeed, for the first time,--in order to join in the Sabbath worship. The family wearing-apparel, to a great extent, and Mr. Turner's Mission-journals, and many of his valuable books, were all consumed, together with the furniture and stores; bringing a loss on the Mission, altogether, of about £800. But a temporary accommodation was found for Mr. Turner's family, for a while, through the kindness of his colleagues; and this laborious and faithful servant of Christ still held on his way. And even his suffering companion bore everything with meekness and fortitude; until, through the energy of the brethren, aided by the liberality of the friends of the Mission, the house was rebuilt, safer and more commodious than before. This brings the narrative of the Mission to the period at which Messrs. Waterhouse and Bumby embarked to join the band of faithful labourers in this interesting field.

The reader will have assumed, all the way through, that, in the course of the years of

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labour and anxiety we have been describing, numbers of Europeans landed and settled upon the New-Zealand islands. At first, indeed, none dared to do this but persons of the most desperate and reckless character, who held life very cheaply; such as runaway convicts from the colony, and wicked and intractable sailors, who had been put on shore by the Captains of trading-vessels. Many of these were sacrificed; but, in proportion as the Missions became influential and effective, the natives were disposed to admit the settlement amongst them of trading adventurers, who, by bartering British manufactured articles for articles of land-produce,--namely, timber, flax, and the like,--carried on a little incipient commerce, which promised eventually to be beneficial to the aboriginal tribes in general. These adventurers were generally found clustered around the shores of the principal harbours; but the greatest proportion of them was located in the vicinity of the Bay of Islands, where whalers, and vessels of all burdens, most frequently anchored. This part of the population was awfully corrupt; and by means of their spirit-shops, and introduction of ardent liquors amongst the New-Zealand people,--by their contempt of all moral restraint in the absence of settled law,--their introduction of thoughtless native females to ungodly ships' crews,--and their fomenting of the jealousies

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among native Chiefs, and stirring them up to intestine war,--they produced a misery which was only inferior to that which sprang out of the native Heathenism, and was one of the most formidable difficulties which the Missionaries had to contend with.

The Chiefs had now, for some years past, been perceiving that there was no end to their own misunderstandings and disputes; that, on the theory of the separate independence of their tribes, war was likely to proceed interminably; and that, in such a state of weakness, they might be liable to the aggression of any powerful and civilised nation which might be disposed to possess their territory: they began vaguely to desire the creation of some new authority, or at least the advantage of a protection which their native usages could never yield. This feeling, on their part, harmonising as it did with the spirit of commercial enterprise at our own home, (which is always mingled, more or less, with cupidity,) there was fostered in England, during the period we are describing, a desire to colonise New-Zealand; thus opening an outlet for the surplus and unemployed population of the mother-country, and conveying (so the projectors contended) the blessings of civilisation to a fine, but degraded, race. This scheme was viewed by the executive Committees, both of the Wesleyan and

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Church of England Missionary Societies, with anxiety and disapprobation, especially on such accounts as these:--

1. The introduction of a larger number of immoral yet nominally Christian English, would present a startling and visible contrast to that pure Gospel morality which was taught and exemplified by the Missionaries, and was now taking such hold on the native mind.

2. The opportunities of obtaining a little present gain presented to the natives, in their being invited to barter their land, would lead them away from useful occupations, and draw them into all the perturbations, strifes, and keen calculations of a new form of commerce, greatly to the damage of their Christianity and moral integrity.

3. Two different influences would be brought, all at once, to bear upon these children of a paganised though beauteous wilderness,--that of the civil power, which appeals to men's fears; and that of the spiritual Gospel, which seeks to move them by motives of hope and love: and these influences, in such a case, would come into collision, and confound the native mind.

4. That, considering the superior perspicacity and power of the civilised colonist and settler, and that his notions were all formed on those principles of law which regulate civilised com-

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munities, it would be impossible so to carry on extended transactions by barter or sale, as to prevent the native from being put in a position of disadvantage through his ignorance, and thereby involved in perplexities which would wear the aspect of injustice and wrong towards himself; and so the seeds of future controversy would be sown, which might end in the actual oppression, and perhaps extermination, of the race.

The matter was brought before the British Parliament, and in the course of the month of May, 1838, the Rev. John (now Dr.) Beecham and Dandison Coates, Esq., Secretaries, one of our own, the other of the Church, Missionary Society, gave evidence in support of the above and many collateral views, before a select Committee of the House of Lords; and this had the effect of defeating the sweeping measure projected by the "New-Zealand Association," which assuredly would have issued in all those oppressive consequences which the Committees at home and the Missionaries abroad so painfully apprehended. The fond hope of the Christian friends of the New-Zealander, amongst whom none was more conspicuous or more able than the Rev. Dr. Beecham, was, that if the Missions were prosecuted vigorously, not only would the land be rescued from its moral wretchedness, but its own social institutions

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would be raised in a friendly relation to our own country; and so it would become like another Christian Tonga, under the sheltering flag of Britain.

The "New-Zealand Land Company," however, some time afterwards, began to organise itself; and as colonisation seemed inevitable, the Missionary Societies could only throw themselves into the movement of events, and do all in their power to bring a Christian influence to bear upon and control them. Besides this, the Romish Propaganda had turned a wishful eye to this territory; a French Bishop and several Priests had already landed, and established themselves on the Hokianga, and were beginning to allure the unconverted people from their native to the Papal superstitions.

Every circumstance called loudly for an increase and reinforcement, especially of the Wesleyan Missionaries. The Committee, therefore, determined to send Messrs. J. H. Bumby, Samuel Ironside, Charles, Creed, and John Warren; together with Mr. Waterhouse, as General Superintendent of the Australian Missions; and Mr. Eggleston to Van-Diemen's Land.

It may be as well here to observe, though it is by anticipation, that Dr. Beecham had other and subsequent communications with the Legislature on the subject, especially by giving

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evidence before a Committee of the House of Commons in the session of 1840, 3 which had a powerful effect upon the deliberations and decisions of the Colonial Office; likewise, that the "New-Zealand Land Company" was actually formed in 1838, and their agent appointed to negotiate with the natives for land; then, in 1839, Captain Hobson was sent out by the Government in order to obtain, by honourable treaty, the cession of the sovereignty of New-Zealand to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, with a view to the settlement of a regular government.

A number of accompanying circumstances might here be noted, which are regarded by the politician and philanthropist with the deepest interest; but there is no room in this Memoir to record and discuss them, for they would require volumes. The object of this little book is different--more strictly spiritual and Christian; and it is now high time that we recur to Mr. Bumby, and the former thread of our narrative.