1873 - Kennedy, A. New Zealand - CHAPTER I.

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CHAPTER I.

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CHAPTER I.

I VENTURE to write my reminiscences of New Zealand, extending over a period of thirty years, from its settlement as a British Colony in the year 1840 down to the present time. And without presuming to regard the traditions of its prehistoric times as altogether fabulous, I shall confine the recital of events within the bounds of authentic evidence, and beginning my narrative by relating some particulars of Tasman's interesting voyage in the South Pacific

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Ocean, and his discovery of the country in the year 1642, slightly sketch its condition from that period until the group was visited by Cook in 1769. I shall briefly trace its early intercourse with the adventurers engaged in the whaling, sealing and trading expeditions, from the neighbouring English settlement founded at Port Jackson in 1788, until the first arrival in the country of the Church of England Missionaries in 1814, who sympathised with the natives, and nobly supported their claims to freedom and independence. And also narrate how the simplicity of the natives exposed them to be duped in their transactions by their more civilised visitors, and how they became the prey of the whaling, trading and land-jobbing adventurers from all parts of the world until the arrival of the New Zealand Company, whose gigantic operations aroused the attention and precipitated the interference of the Government, who then saw the necessity for prompt action, and took immediate measures to obtain the consent of the natives to proclaim the country a British colony. It will be no less my duty to record, in a faithful manner, the errors of the Government, who, by their injudicious measures towards the natives, alienated the allegiance of a simple, loyal and brave race, involving the country in civil war, and exposing the industrious, peaceful and unprotected colonists to all the horrors of a barbarous warfare, resulting in a series of defeats mingled with triumphs, and of follies still more humiliating than disasters, without a parallel in this age of intelligent practical experience in the administration of public affairs. In conclusion I shall have the satisfaction of chronicling how by a wise, politic and resolute resistance on the

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part of the Imperial Government to the demands of the colonial authorities peace was restored, and prosperity re-established, with every prospect of maintaining uninterrupted the sound and permanent welfare of the country, increasing year by year in wealth and population, and eventually developing at no remote period into a great and powerful nation.

In order to render these reminiscences intelligible to the reader, I shall endeavour to give in a very brief manner a sketch of the country, as an introduction to my narrative.

The famous line 'Et penitus toto divisos orbe Britannos' slightly modified would have been as faithful a description of New Zealand in the early part of the present century, as the original was of Britain in the time of Virgil. The remote situation of New Zealand, and its separation from the rest of the world, as well as the imperfectly understood history of the country and its people at this early period, present a striking resemblance to the character and condition of Britain prior to the time of Caesar's invasion. In some respects the islands of the respective countries resemble each other. The New Zealand group consists of two islands, the North and South, with a much smaller one called Stewart's, besides numerous scattered islets, and is the nearest land to the antipodes of England; while its position on the globe, situated as it is between 84 deg. and 47 deg. south latitude, and from 166 deg. to 170 deg. east longitude, is as favourable as the position of the British Isles for the development and operations of commerce. The extreme length of the islands from north to south is nearly 1,200 miles, and their breadth varies from 300 miles to about half

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a mile at Auckland, although 100 is about the average. The whole group contains about 70,000,000 acres, of which the North Island includes about 30,000,000, the South Island 38,000,000, and Stewart's, including islets, 2,000,000; forming altogether an area a little less in extent than Great Britain and Ireland. England is allowed to be the centre of the greatest breadth of land on the surface of the globe, but New Zealand is the centre of a boundless waste of waters, and surrounded by the greatest extent of ocean in the world. 1

On the east the Pacific rolls its billows in an unbroken sweep to South America, on the west to Australia, while northward and southward it stretches away to the Arctic and Antarctic circles. From its insular and oceanic position, entirely dependent on the superiority of its nautical skill and enterprise, New Zealand, like England, if destined to achieve greatness and become powerful, can only do so by means of a like maritime supremacy. The advantages of its situation in the centre of the great Pacific Ocean can hardly be over-estimated; on the one side, at the distance of 1,000 miles from its coasts, lies the great island of Australia, whose population in a few years will be numbered in millions. On the other side, and within easy access of its shores, are the numberless islands of the South Seas, with their soft voluptuous climate, primitive

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fertility and beauty. This insular region of the South Seas, the most beautiful on the globe, will in a short time come under the commercial sway of New Zealand, if not into its direct possession; when the remotest isles will be explored and cultivated, all the arts of busy life introduced, and the results of a higher and more enlightened civilisation made visible on every shore.

The precepts of inspired wisdom, the glories of artistic genius, and the light of science, travelled westward from the regions of the morn: and will continue to travel to the uttermost parts of the earth, until all shall be enlightened and civilised.

The shores of the Mediterranean were the ancient seats of trade and civilisation; the Atlantic is now the great thoroughfare of nations; and it appears that the smooth waters of the broad Pacific are destined to be the future great highway of the world. With landscapes as picturesque as those on the azure shores of the Aegean Sea, and with climates as genial as those of the Cyclades, it may be that those wild islands of the South Sea, instead of being as they are now, or were lately, the abodes of lawless men and roving buccaneers, will be peopled by a new and nobler race, living under the beneficent laws of Alfred, and speaking the language of Shakespeare and Milton; --a race strong in battle and wise in council, distinguished in science and celebrated for institutions of human polity and wisdom, and whose artistic genius, influenced by the brilliancy of the landscape and radiance of the climate, may perhaps attempt the loftiest flights, and attain to the highest excellence.

There is a singular variety as well as completeness

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in the physical formation and geological character of the country. In its grand mountains, lovely valleys, and extensive plains: its landscapes, rivers, lakes and streams--New Zealand is an epitome in miniature of all the great continents of the world.

It has its elevated regions wrapped in everlasting snows, and glaciers rivalling those of Switzerland. 2 A chain of mountains extends from the centre of the North Island to the southern extremity of the Southern, and one peak in this range, Mount Cook, is upwards of 13,000 feet high. It abounds in pleasant valleys, extensive plains and elevated tablelands, as well as rocky wildernesses and barren hills. There are dreary and dismal swamps, and tens of thousands of acres covered with the phormium tenax, or indigenous flax. In many places there are low rolling hills sweeping down to the plains, and long stretches of undulating and gloomy fern downs. Precipitous and impassable gorges detach some districts; and streams and water-courses intersect the country in every direction.

It has magnificent forests, beautiful copses, evergreen plants and flowery thickets, including the graceful fern tree and cabbage palm, typical of Eastern landscapes and tropical regions.

There are splendid harbours, noble estuaries, large inland lakes, and navigable rivers. The largest river, the Waikato, flows through Taupo, a lake twenty-five miles long, in a stream differing in temperature and colour from the waters of the lake; thus presenting a parallel instance to the Lake of

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Geneva traversed by the Rhone; Loch Tay by the river Tay; and the Sea of Galilee, by the waters of the Jordan.

There are volcanic mountains throwing up fire and lava, and numerous geysers in every part of the North Island, with hot springs, and warm lakes. Beds of coal and limestone are also found in numerous places, besides ores of silver, copper, tin, and iron.

There are likewise immense stores of auriferous, wealth, possessing the advantage of being available without exposure to the risks and vicissitudes, and the extremes of climate, which prevail in 'Greenland's Icy Mountains,' or on 'India's Coral Strand,' the climate being superior to that of England. In the rocky wildernesses, in the sand on the sea shore, as well as under the soil of some of the fertile valleys and amongst the pebbles deposited on the margin of the crystal streams, there are to be found heaps of gold. The country has its gold-bearing quartz-reefs, its rich alluvial gold-fields, and its golden sand carried down by the rivers to the sea, then thrown back by the force of the waves, and cast ashore high and dry by the rising of every tide. 3

A temperate climate, in many respects similar to that of England although the result of opposite influences, prevails in New Zealand. The climate of England, from the heat of the great Gulf Stream, is rendered warmer by several degrees than it is entitled to be from its position on the globe; while the climate of New Zealand, from the vast expanse

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of ocean which surrounds it, is rendered many degrees colder than it would naturally he from its range of latitude. Australia is continental; New Zealand is not only insular, but oceanic, in its climate. Steady weather prevails in Australia; constant change, showers and sunshine, is the rule in New Zealand. From the extreme length of the islands in latitude, a greater range of temperature, and a more agreeable variety of climate prevail than are experienced in any other country of its size. The climate, however, is neither hot nor cold: the heat of summer does not scorch, the winter does not pinch with cold, and there is no day in the year nor any hour of the day when, as regards temperature, exercise in the open air is not enjoyable. It is seldom warmer in summer than it is in England, while the heat is less oppressive, and the nights, even in the hottest season, are always cool and pleasant. There is little or no winter. In the northern part of the North Island the myrtle and geraniums bloom unsheltered all the year, and the temperature of the winter season seldom falls below the range of an English April. The presence of winter is only felt by the shorter days and the more boisterous breezes whirling in fierce gusts over the hills, and sometimes sweeping the plains with tempestuous violence. In the South during winter the tops of the hills are white with snow, and occasionally the plains are covered, but only for a few hours, and except in the more elevated places, amongst the perpetual snows and glaciers, - extreme cold is not experienced in any season throughout the colony. Though there is more sunshine in New Zealand than in England, as much rain falls in the one country as

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in the other, and visitors from Australia complain of the excessive humidity of New Zealand, as the French complain of the humidity of the English climate. Although as much rain falls, the weather is less foggy and cloudy than it is in England; while the constant change and rapid succession of rain and sunshine keep the earth cool and the streams flowing, the air pure and buoyant, the pastures fresh, and the meadows green. The same influence clothes the hills with the richest verdure, and the fertile plains with luxuriant vegetation. It is universally admitted that the aboriginal inhabitants, the Maories, are, mentally and physically, inferior to no race in the world--and this circumstance may be adduced as proof of the climate being extremely favourable to the full development and perfection of the human frame and intellect.

The great longevity attained by many of the Maories is to be attributed to their habit of spending so great a portion of their lives in the open air of such a fine climate. No apprehension need therefore be entertained that the English in future generations will become deteriorated mentally or physically by continued residence in New Zealand.

Charles II. said that the climate of England invited people to spend more days in the year, and more hours of the day, in the open air than that of any other country. New Zealand cannot be excelled in this respect, for the inducements to remain in the open air are there much greater than in England; while the fine weather sports, recreations and amusements, induced by the attractions of such a climate, and enjoyed by all, are calculated to develop

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as well as maintain in a high degree mental and physical vigour.

The comparative table (on opposite page) of climate as observed at the different meteorological stations in New Zealand during the year 1871, is highly interesting, as it is an authentic record of the character of the climate in all parts of the colony.

Captain Cook in his first visit to New Zealand remarked that the country contained few or no animals: the native rat, an animal less in size than our Hanoverian rat, and a green lizard from four to six inches long, being the only quadrupeds observed by him; snakes do not exist, and no traces of them have ever been discovered. On his departure Cook left a number of animals, and these had increased in a rapid manner long before the country became a British colony. Since that time the bones of a gigantic wingless bird, the 'Moa,' have been discovered, which must have stood ten feet high, and although now extinct was in all probability alive in Cook's time. The habitat of the last living Moa, is placed by Maori tradition at Punakitiri Turanga, Poverty Bay district, in the North Island, where the bird is described, when resting, to have stood on one foot with its beak always turned towards the quarter whence the wind blew. The songs and traditions of the Maories frequently refer to the wearing of the feathers of the 'Moa' by queenly damsels, and princely chieftains; and some of the early colonists remember chiefs, whose veracity they could not doubt, who assured them that they had often seen and admired the beautiful but rare feathers of the renowned bird of their ancestors, the 'Moa.'

A bird of the same kind still exists, but small in

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STATISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND, 1871. -- No. 70.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF CLIMATE, AS OBSERVED AT THE METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND, DURING THE TEAR 1871.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF CLIMATE, AS OBSERVED AT THE METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND, DURING THE TEAR 1871.

The dates of Earthquakes marked thus * on the following returns were described as SMART.
t. In first heading of Returns from Napier and Bealey--for 1870, read 1871.

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STATISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND, 1871. --No. 70, (continued).

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF CLIMATE, AS OBSERVED AT THE METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND, DURING THE TEAR 1871.

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size (Kiwi apteryx), which is, however, fast disappearing.

This bird, according to Professor Owen, is 'the highest representative of the warm-blooded class of animals that lived in New Zealand prior to the introduction of man. The apteryx is entirely nocturnal in its habits, and searches the ground for its food more by smell than by sight; the olfactory openings in its long bill are therefore placed near to the point of the beak, in order to enable it to scent the worms on which it feeds far below the surface of the ground. In shape it resembles no other bird, and in size is not larger than a Guinea fowl, while its legs are almost as powerful as those of an ostrich. The apteryx must not be regarded as an exceptional creature, but rather as the remaining type of a much larger class of birds peculiar to the islands of New Zealand which have been destroyed since the advent of man.'

Few birds are to be seen in the neighbourhood of the European settlements, but numerous waterfowl frequent the rivers and lakes of the interior, which in some places swarm with wild duck and teal. The white crane inhabits remote places, and the saying 'as solitary as a white crane,' is a proverb among the Maories. The pukeko or swamp hen, as well as the weka or wood hen, are numerous and much prized by the natives, as they are plump and easily caught. In some parts the indigenous quail are plentiful, although they are rapidly decreasing, and a landrail, resembling the English one, is found in many districts. The New Zealand bittern is similar to the English specimen in its habits, size and plumage; and the wood-pigeon, in form, colour and habits,

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resembles its English namesake, and has the same soft and low note described by Sir Walter Scott as 'full of peace, and rest and love.'

The kaka, a parrot, in form and colour resembling the sparrow-hawk, is very common, and is a favourite pet with the Maories. A small owl, the morepork, is plentiful, and well-known from its peculiar cry. There is a daring bird of prey, the 'harrier,' in immense numbers, in figure, size and plumage similar to the goshawk, which will often swoop into a settler's poultry-yard and seize and carry off its prey within a few yards of the owner. Pheasants and rabbits are frequently attacked and killed by this fierce bird. A kingfisher, in form and colour similar to the English bird, is numerous, and in its habits of plunder resembles the English magpie, but is tolerated on the ground of its being an enemy to the grubs and caterpillars. The tui is a handsome bird, in form and plumage resembling the English blackbird, but having two white feathers projecting from its breast, which, contrasted with its jet-black colour, give it a remarkable appearance; this bird is found in great numbers in all parts of the colony, and seems partial to the buds and flowers of the yellow kowhai, and is often seen on the branches of that beautiful tree.

As a rule, however, the New Zealand birds frequent remote places, and are found in the greatest number and highest state of perfection in the secluded parts of the forests, and their song is only heard at a certain hour--just at the dawn of day, when the home of the settler, in some remote spot, far away from the 'busy haunts of man,' is serenaded by a numerous band of little choristers 'warbling their

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native wood notes wild,' including the famous bell bird, with its chimes like tinkling bells, which fall upon the ear during the solemn stillness, amidst the solitude of the forest, in strains not only extremely melodious but heard distinctly on all sides to a great distance, and making the neighbouring woods ring with its silver-toned notes.

The Maories, who are distinguished for the habit of accurately observing the facts of nature, have remarked that some of the small native birds are gradually disappearing, and they allege that those birds are in the habit of gathering their food by dipping their long tongues into the blossoms of native trees, but that since the introduction of bees the latter have likewise sought the same blossoms for honey, and while concealed in the flower have stung the tongues of the birds, and so caused their death. The natives compare the condition and fate of these little birds with themselves, and observe, that while unconscious of the dangers introduced by civilisation they are exposed to its pit-falls, and become its victims, and, in the same manner as the birds, are themselves gradually disappearing. These remarks, highly interesting and instructive as displaying intelligence on the part of the Maories, are at the same time tinged with a shade of natural sadness, induced by the perception that such a noble and intelligent aboriginal race are, in this manner, rapidly passing away.

Since New Zealand became a British colony, the blackbird, starling and many of the English small birds, as well as rooks, have been introduced into the various provinces, and it is to be hoped they will thrive and do well, as the native insectivorous birds

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are very limited in number. The thrush and skylark should be imported as they excel all other birds as songsters, and are characteristic denizens of our English rural landscapes. Bees were early introduced, and have spread all over the country, and the home of the settler is supplied in abundance with honey from the wild bees of the forest, which in many places swarms with them.

Game of various kinds have been acclimatised; about twenty-five years since the English pheasant was introduced by an early colonist, Mr. Walter Brodie, on his property at Monganui and soon spread over all the northern district; and some eighteen years ago the Chinese pheasant was imported by Mr. Thomas Henderson, an Auckland merchant, and placed on his estate in the neighbourhood of Auckland, and these have increased so rapidly that pheasants are now as plentiful within a radius of fifty miles of Auckland as they are in any part of England. Many attempts have been made to acclimatise the English partridge, but with small success; this partial failure is not, however, to be attributed, as alleged by many, to the absence of fields of stubble and turnips, but simply to the fact that the English partridge is exceptional in its habits, and does not appear to thrive anywhere so well as in the British Isles.

Swans, black and white, have lately been introduced, and are to be seen in a wild state on the lakes and lagoons of the interior, and seem to be increasing rapidly. Red and fallow deer are easily acclimatised, and are now found in some places in great numbers.

The hare, however, appears less at home in New Zealand than might have been expected, and increases in numbers slowly. This is to be regretted,

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as I am inclined to say with Martial, 'Inter quadrupedes gloria prima lepus.' Rabbits, however, multiply and increase in such a manner as to be considered a nuisance rather than a benefit.

Within the last few years great zeal has been manifested, and a large amount of money expended, in attempts to introduce and acclimatise the salmon in the rivers of New Zealand; but, as yet, without success, although many believe that such an operation is practicable. Judging, however, from the character of the streams, a favourable result of such experimental measures seems to me hopeless. Few, if any, of the rivers, with the exception perhaps of the Mataura, take their course through the geological formation which distinguishes the salmon river or stream. 4 A peculiar feature of many, if not of all the rivers of New Zealand, is, that they are comparatively destitute of fish beyond the point reached or affected by the tide. It would therefore appear from this circumstance that the water possesses some mineral or other qualities unfavourable to piscatory life.

Fish in any quantity are seldom found in the streams and rivers of the interior at a distance from the sea; 5 such being the character of the rivers, little

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hope can be entertained that the experiments now on trial for introducing salmon into the rivers of New Zealand will prove successful.

The habitation of the salmon appears to be confined to the northern regions of the globe. It is found in the greatest perfection in the British Isles, and in some parts of the continent of Europe; it exists in Canada, British Columbia, California, and in some of the rivers of China; but it has not been found south of the equator. It is however alleged, that it has been acclimatised in Tasmania, in the Derwent; but if such report be true, success will only be temporary, as such forced productions are 'ultra leges naturae' and never permanent. They die out; 'Man can only assist nature, she will not be forced.'

The common salmon, the 'salar,' the best known and the most delicate, will not endure a high temperature, either in rivers or in the ocean; but there is an inferior variety, the salmo hucho, found in the rivers of the Mediterranean, and said to exist on the coasts of Australia, and this variety may also be found on the coasts of New Zealand.

But while the absence of fish is a marked feature of the rivers of the interior of New Zealand, the sea on its coasts abounds with them; and the harbours, as well as the numerous bays and estuaries which in some places almost intersect the country, literally swarm with fishes of choice variety and delicious quality. Oysters also are found in the greatest abundance. The establishment of fisheries will soon

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attract attention, and will reward the labour of those who are enterprising enough to engage in it.

Whaling stations, or shore fisheries, were at an early period established on the coasts and estuaries, and they were formerly a source of great wealth; but for many years, from the indiscriminate slaughter of both the dam and young whales, the produce of oil and bone from such sources has been extremely limited, and, in consequence, shore fisheries have been nearly abandoned. In Cook's Strait, and especially towards the southern extremity of the South Island, seals were found at an early period in immense numbers; but since these districts were settled, the seal appears to have been nearly exterminated, and has almost entirely disappeared.

The forests of New Zealand are magnificent, and the traveller, in his tour through the country, from some elevated spot in his journey often observes a sea of dense forest verdure, covering the hills and valleys and stretching boundlessly away on every side; the foliage diversified with every tint and shade of colour which the everlasting evergreen is capable of displaying: the dark green and glossy leaves of the karaka tree contrasting with the lighter shade and fairer aspect of the yellow kowhai; and the unvarying hue of the unfading evergreen is occasionally relieved by the luxuriant scarlet flowers that are grouped in clusters amongst the green and silvery foliage which bedecks the crooked stems and broad branches of the magnificent pohutukawa; while here and there appears some noble tree conspicuous for its great height and size, having its lofty branches gathered together high in the air, and elevated far above the level of the surrounding forest scenery, like the feudal

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castle of some proud baron of the middle ages overlooking its sylvan domain. This vast and boundless landscape of tree and foliage is distinguished for its sublimity and beauty, as well as for an aspect of profound repose often prevailing in these woodland solitudes, at times so calm that not a leaf is stirring.

Occasionally, however, when the wind blows, and the increasing gale freshens into tempest, sweeping the hills and valleys, and bursts with fury on the unprotected forests, then this scene of tranquillity and repose is changed into uproar and tumult; and the sea of verdure, lately so serene and placid, is now seen in wild commotion, waving and agitated like the surface of a lake in a storm, while the sound of the rushing wind, mingled with the crash and roar of falling trees, resembles the peals of distant thunder.

In some places the evergreen trees are interwoven and malted together with wild vines and supple-jack in such a manner as to present the appearance of a wall of forest verdure; and the thickets of shrubs and wild flowers are so dense in some parts as to be altogether impenetrable.

The beauty of the ornamental trees and shrubs cannot be excelled, and their name is legion; they are all evergreen, and many of them in season are covered with flowers, but these gems are seldom seen, except by a few people, as they are yet only found in the forests and copses. No lawn or pleasure ground should, however, be viewed as complete without the red and yellow kowhai, the pohutukawa, karaka, fern tree, cabbage palm, and phormium tenax, which is a beautiful plant in bloom. These trees and plants cannot be surpassed for beauty or variety in any

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country. The forest trees are of infinite variety, many of them growing to a great height, producing timber of excellent quality, well adapted for shipbuilding and house architecture as well as supplying the best material for furniture and cabinet workmanship. The chief timber trees are coniferous, but there is only one true pine among them, the (Dammara australis) kauri, the monarch of the New Zealand forests, growing in some instances nearly 200 feet high. Before modern science had introduced metal masts in ship-building, the kauri spars of New Zealand were in great demand for the British Navy. The timber trade of the colony, especially in the province of Auckland, is still, however, of immense and growing importance, affording employment to a large population, and maintaining a numerous fleet of small coasting vessels.

Formerly immense forests of kauri (Dammara australis) covered the greatest portion of the northern part of the North Island, which in the course of time have been to a great extent destroyed by fire, or have disappeared from natural decay, while the resin or gum of the trees in these forests is alleged, as the trees have been consumed or have decayed from period to period, to have sunk and become buried in the ground under the vegetation of successive ages, where it has remained, and is now dug up in large quantities. This material has become an important article of trade, and for some years has been in great demand as a varnish, and is esteemed almost equal in value to copal, extreme fine quality fetching as much as 120l. to 150l. per ton in the London market. For many years the kauri gum trade has been one of the most considerable and

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prosperous of the local industries in the north, and as a source of wealth little inferior to a gold field. A large native population are employed in digging gum, who are, from their indigenous habits, pursuits, and local knowledge, very expert in perceiving where this hidden wealth is to be obtained, and are more dexterous than the colonists in raising it out of the ground. A royalty of 2l. per ton is frequently given for permission to dig for gum on private property, and large tracts of land, of a very inferior description as to quality of soil, are now rendered valuable from the quantity of gum which they are supposed to contain. The quantity taken out of the ground in many places is so great as to appear almost incredible, and some of the specimens are beautifully transparent, and in colour like amber. Except to a very limited extent in making small ornaments, the gum at present is not used for any purpose in the colony, and is only valuable as an article of export. The quantity exported from time to time, for so many years, is so large as to create an impression of mystery about it, and the Maories, who are fond of the marvellous, narrate that the sap or gum of the kauri is produced in such abundance that it descends annually in a liquid state under the bark of the healthy living tree, and escaping through the roots is lodged in the earth, where it soon undergoes a change, and is by the action of the cold condensed into gum. In this way the Maories assert that a continual supply of gum is in progress of formation, which can never be exhausted until the forests cease to exist. This Maori theory as to the large quantity and source of the gum, is

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confirmed by many of the European woodsmen of experience engaged in the timber and gum trade; but although it is maintained as correct by plain practical people, I am not aware that it is supported by men of science. Dr. Hector, the Government geologist, whose opinions on such matters are entitled to weight, thinks that the gum is the produce of forests of a remote and former age, and is not the gum of the kauri.

According to the Maori theory, the kauri forests of New Zealand would be of immense value. It is no exaggeration to state that there are five millions of kauri trees growing in a healthy condition, and each tree on an average would produce annually two pounds weight of gum, which would be 5,000 tons collectively, and valued at 50l per ton would amount to 250,000l. --without any cost of labour or investment of capital on the part of the colonists, and without in any way exhausting the source whence such almost boundless wealth is derived.

The phormium tenax is the plant which furnishes the New Zealand flax, so remarkable for the strength or tenacity of fibre. In this respect it excels all other vegetable productions of the kind. 6 The flax of this plant has been in universal use among the natives from time immemorial, and was formerly regarded by them with a feeling bordering on veneration, as it was the only indigenous produc-

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tion available for clothing for them; as well as being adapted for every household purpose, and of daily use in every occupation. They were therefore constantly employed, especially the women, in making it into ropes, sails, cables, fishing nets, and tackle, as well as rugs, mats, satchels, &c, &c.

Some of the mats and satchels are beautiful, and soft and glossy as silk. It is an indigenous plant, and peculiar to New Zealand; it seems adapted for every description of soil, either moist or dry, as it thrives on the tops of hills, as well as low down in the valleys, and looks fresh and vigorous even in swamps--growing in the sand, growing everywhere, is this hardy, vigorous flax. In every part of the country it is found in abundance, and of all our colonial productions, it can, in the shortest time, and with the least employment of capital and labour, be converted not only into an article of immediate and universal domestic use, but as a commodity of export.

It is equally adapted to the condition of the humble and industrious settler, with his fifty or one hundred pounds, as it is to the capitalist with his ten thousand. As the supply of the raw material is inexhaustible, and the demand for the manufactured article fortunately likewise unlimited, no danger is to be apprehended of overstocking the market; and as daily experience proves that the price and demand will increase with the quantity and quality produced, it will therefore continue to increase in quantity and improve in quality from year to year, until eventually it will form a source of no end of wealth.

The Parliamentary papers give the following as

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the returns showing the progressive export of flax ('phormium tenax'): In 1805 only 15 bales were exported; in 1869 the number of bales was 12,162; in 1870, 32,820, the value of which is estimated at 132,578l.

Flax farms will in a short time become as fashionable and attractive as sheep-walks in the colony, and as the occupation of superintending a flax plantation and manufactory is not only pleasant and agreeable, but highly profitable, a large amount of capital will be invested in the trade; while at the same time healthy employment will be furnished for a numerous population. No other local industry is calculated to raise the country into wealth and importance in so rapid a manner as the cultivation, manufacture, and export of flax.

The phormium tenax when in bloom is beautiful, and highly ornamental to a lawn or pleasure-ground, and indeed to any landscape. At first sight it might be taken for a very large and flourishing Fleur-de-lis, as in appearance it resembles that favourite and well-known plant. The saccharine fluid obtained from the flowers is much prized by the natives, who, in travelling, have frequent recourse to it in order to soothe their spirits, as well as quench their thirst. In some situations it grows as a bush upwards of seven feet high, and twenty feet in circumference, with numerous sword-shaped leaves; the Maories, as well as the colonists, when employed in the fields or on a journey, if overtaken by a shower or squall, take to the cover of a flax-bush for shelter.

Captain Cook has narrated in his interesting sketch of the country, that he found a scarcity of

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indigenous esculent productions; only three kinds were cultivated in his time, viz., the kumera, or sweet potato; the taro; and a species of gourd, the hue; but neither fruit nor grain of any kind was observed by him. Before his departure, on his second visit in 1773, he gave some potatoes to the natives, and showed them how they should be planted, and when he revisited the country in 1777, he found the quality greatly improved, from the change of soil and climate. On his departure he left a variety of vegetable seeds, which grew and increased rapidly, and, before the arrival of the missionaries, vegetables of various kinds were found growing in many places, the produce of the seeds left by Cook.

In the sheltered spots towards the northern extremity of the North Island some tropical fruits are produced in the open air, and the orange, pine-apple, and banana, although not ripening to perfection, are yet grown and arrive at some maturity; while peaches, figs, and melons, not only grow unsheltered, but are produced in the greatest abundance, and in the highest perfection. The grape grows well, and, with a little more experience in vine-growing, every settler may have his vineyard, and, in reality, may sit under his own vine and his own fig-tree. The apple, pear, and plum grow as well as in any part of Europe or America, while the cherry and strawberry are as fine as they are in England.

In the south the currant, raspberry and gooseberry as well as all fruits of that description, thrive and do well; vegetables of all sorts grow in the greatest abundance: celery, cauliflower, peas, asparagus, lettuce, artichokes, and potatoes are brought every morning to market, and nothing is wanting

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of this kind. The kumera or sweet potato is grown only by the Maories, but is highly esteemed by both races, while tropical fruits of every description are obtained from the neighbouring islands of the South Seas: the orange, pine-apple, and banana appear daily for sale in our markets, all the year round.

The favourite flowers of England, the rose, honeysuckle, mignonette, daffodil, lavender, marigold, and foxglove appear in the greatest luxuriance, and such ornamental trees and shrubs as the weeping willow, laburnum, lauristina, hawthorn, bay tree, cypress and walnut, are to be seen in perfection, while the oak, the ash, and the holly and ivy, grow as well as they do in Old England.

The African or Cape oak and a particular kind of the English elm are the best description of deciduous trees for lawns and pleasure-grounds, as they become in a few years, from rapid growth, very handsome and ornamental.

The soil and climate are extremely favourable for the production of all kinds of grain and cereals; wheat, barley and oats are not only grown to any extent as to quantity, but are of the finest quality. In the northern part of the North Island maize grows abundantly, and in perfection; the beet is unrivalled, and even the tobacco of New Zealand is by no means inferior, and when greater experience is acquired in the method of preparing it for the market, it will become an important article of colonial production.

Before New Zealand became a British colony, the missionaries and traders had imported sheep and cattle, and the quality of the wool grown in the country was highly appreciated, resembling in its

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texture and length of staple the finer class of German wools, while the weight of fleece was equal to, if not greater, than the average clip grown from the same class of sheep in Australia. In the early-days of the Government settlements in the north, the colonists imported and reared sheep as much for the production of mutton, as for the growth of wool; but in the south, from the comparatively more open character of the country, and the abundance of indigenous pastures, large flocks were introduced expressly for the growth of wool; towards the close of the year 1846, sheep began to be imported largely from Australia by Sir Charles Clifford amongst others, who for many years subsequently was the largest and most successful wool-grower in the colony. In the first instance, such pastoral pursuits were confined to the southern portion of the North Island; but as one settlement after another was founded in the southern, it soon surpassed the northern not only as a pastoral country but in the production of grain, at least in quantity if not in quality. The rapid increase of sheep, and growth of wool, in all parts of the colony, north as well as south, are truly marvellous. The wool exported in 1860 amounted in weight to 6,665,880 lbs., which had increased in 1870 to 37,774,408 lbs.; in the year 1858, the total number of sheep in the colony was 1,500,000; while in 1871 they had increased to upwards of 9,700,000; and one gentleman alone, Mr. Campbell, is now the owner of flocks numbering 500,000. Many colonists are in possession of the fee simple of from 20,000 to 50,000 acres of land, besides holding squatting leases of territory, amounting in some instances to 500,000 acres. The cattle, which in the year 1858

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amounted in round numbers to 137,000, had increased in 1871 to upwards of 430,000; the number of horses, which in 1858 was only 14,000, had risen to over 81,000 in 1871.

The total population, European and native, is now about 300,000, while the total number of sheep cannot be estimated at less than upwards of 10,000,000, or at the rate of thirty-three to every man, woman, and child in the colony. In Great Britain and Ireland, the proportion of the number of sheep to the population will not exceed one and a quarter to each inhabitant. But it is not only by its capacity for feeding sheep, and growing wool, that New Zealand is distinguished. It possesses likewise a fertile soil and genial climate, capable of maintaining and supporting a dense population as numerous as that of the British Isles, while its latent resources, in mines of gold, silver, copper, iron and coal, as well as the abundance of its indigenous and exotic productions, as yet only partially developed, render it, in the materials of wealth, and elements of prosperity, equal to any country in the world.

Value of imports, 1870, 4, 639, 015l; exports, 1870, 4, 822, 756l.

The principal exports (1870) are: --

Immediately after New Zealand became a British colony, numerous settlements were formed at remote

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and distant points: in the north by the Government, in the south by the New Zealand Company, and subsequently by the Otago and Canterbury Associations. Consequently, when constitutional government was introduced in 1853, these remote and distant settlements were erected into provinces, possessing extensive powers of self-government, with administrative and executive functions, and, allowing for the condition of the different ages, bore some resemblance to the 'Saxon Heptarchy.'

This system of government was therefore isolated and fragmentary. A gulf, or a belt of almost impassable country, intervening and separating one settlement from another, all communication between the neighbouring provinces was thus rendered difficult and tedious; and often also unsafe, from the line of route being intersected by numerous deep and rapid-running streams. Such a system of government under the circumstances was not only necessary, but well adapted for developing the resources of the country at that early period, although entailing a large expenditure from its duplicate character--colonial and provincial, that is, central and local--in each province.

There are eight provinces, besides the county of Westland; and the local affairs of each are managed by a superintendent, with a provincial council. The population appears from the census of 1872 to be as follows:

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As the provinces are well represented in the General Assembly, a federal or provincial party has grown up and become formidable. It includes some men of weight, who control and modify the measures of the Government by their votes and influence, thereby rendering it expedient, as part of the policy of every Ministry, either to divide and rule this party, or conciliate their support and influence by introducing measures granting them large supplies and subsidies. Under such a system, there is the danger to be apprehended that the colony may sink under the petty rule of a succession of small provincial men, whose object is to make the federal system perpetual, as no Ministry could stand a fortnight, without submitting to their demands. The great question therefore which agitates and distracts the colony at the present time, is, whether the federal or national system of government is to prevail.

But since safe, easy and rapid communication by sea and land has been established, and the entire colony intersected by telegraph-lines from one extremity to the other, and as the whole extent of territory is

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less than that of the United Kingdom and Ireland, an impression now prevails that the colony has outgrown the age of the 'Saxon Heptarchy;' and that this system of government, having done its work, should now rest from its labours, and a system of administration more in harmony with the spirit of the age take its place. Two provinces, it is alleged, one consisting of the North, and the other of the South Island, instead of the nine at present existing, would be ample for all provincial administration, while the governor-in-chief could still remain at Wellington with his staff of officials, to guide and direct the affairs of the colony, and the General Assembly could meet there every year.

In Australia, the English principle of centralisation, or unity of government for each colony, is the fundamental rule. In New Zealand the American element of provincial or State governments in addition to the central has been introduced. The two systems may therefore be said to be on trial in Australia and New Zealand. Geographical position, combined with extent of territory, has force and influence in determining the system best adapted for securing the future welfare, as well as that harmony of action necessary for the good government of the respective countries. Australia, in territorial extent, is vast and continental; New Zealand limited and insular. The federation of the Australian colonies into something like the United States of America, or the Dominion of Canada, will undoubtedly be the legitimate and natural result. But New Zealand, like England, from inevitable circumstances must remain for ever a separate, distinct, and independent nation. While from the

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limited extent of its territory, the federal or provincial governments, as population increases and facilities of communication are multiplied, will, like the 'Saxon Heptarchy,' gradually disappear, and be replaced by local administrations, similar to the borough municipalities and county governments of England.

Some of the New Zealand statesmen and leading men in party politics are possessed of considerable abilities, but their talents are more precocious than mature, and they are more remarkable for their success as parliamentary tacticians than distinguished for sagacity and sound statesmanlike views. Consequently, the result has been achieved that a debt of 10,000,000l. sterling already overweights the colony; and in the race for distinction among the group of Australasian colonies, New Zealand is heavily handicapped. Now, although this amount of debt is a heavy burden, it is not overwhelming with an annual revenue of 1,000,000l. sterling, increasing every year; still, it is a heavy tax on the resources and energies of 200,000 colonists, however prosperous, elastic and youthful they may be.

The formation of railroads in the colony is without doubt a legitimate undertaking on the part of the Government, so long as the debt is kept within reasonable and safe limits, but it ceases to be so when such objects can only be accomplished at the risk of involving the colony in debt to an amount beyond its financial powers.

England has a debt of 792,000,000l., with annual interest to pay of 20,800,000l., imposing a liability on the inhabitants of 24l. per head for the debt, with an annual assessment of 16s. per head for interest;

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while New Zealand has a debt of 10,000,000l. (with a few millions more in perspective), and annual interest to pay of 600,000l., subjecting the colonists to a liability of 37l. per head for the debt, with an annual assessment of 2l. 5s. per head for interest. Taking the population of Great Britain and Ireland at 32,000,000, and the revenue at 75,000,000l., we find a taxation levied upon the inhabitants of 2l. 7s. per head; but New Zealand, with its 266,000 colonists and 1,000,000l. sterling of revenue, exhibits a burden of taxation exacted from the colonists of 3l. 17s. 6d. per head, or 50 per cent, greater than is borne in England, while the local rates of the new colony keep pace with those in the old country. Moreover, the New Zealand debt weighs more heavily upon the colony than the National Debt upon England, because the interest in the one case is payable out of the colony, while in the other it is simply a transfer of a balance from one account to another, and although a debt at the Treasury it is a credit to the country. This financial condition of the colony, although not of a character to create alarm, is yet such as to excite reasonable apprehensions for its future welfare, as the system of borrowing large sums every year will inevitably impair its credit, and subject the colonists to a load of taxation, if not oppressive, at least sufficient to retard the progressive prosperity of the country.

It may, however, be hoped that some New Zealand Cavour or Bismarck will arise, gifted with ability and resolution, as well as possessed of the power, to roll up the New Zealand federation of provinces, unite and exalt them into a nation, and likewise gather together its fragmentary and rope-of-sand governments into a practical, economical and

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united system of administration, controlling its financial affairs within reasonable and safe limits, as well as guiding its destinies, so that it may become a prosperous, great and powerful country.

During the last fifteen years, emigration from the British Isles to New Zealand, under Government administration, has gradually declined, and the difficulties experienced in obtaining a good class of people to emigrate are increasing every year. The present system of emigration to that colony appears to have exhausted itself, and the plan introduced some twenty-five or thirty years since is now found to be unsuitable to the altered condition of the labouring and emigrating population of the mother country. The intelligence, condition and aspirations of the labouring people of the United Kingdom have, during the last quarter of a century, made great progress, and are still advancing rapidly, while the New Zealand system of emigration has remained stationary, and has failed in its object simply because it is not in harmony with the spirit of the age. A new system must therefore be introduced more in unison with the existing state of things, or emigration from he British Isles to that colony on a scale worthy of consideration must cease altogether. As an example if the advanced state of the labouring population, take the improved condition of the British Infantry soldier of the present day. He receives board, lodging, clothes, education and medical attendance gratis, with shilling a day in hard money as pay, besides a certain prospect of promotion, as well as a pension, if steady, orderly and well conducted. This is without doubt comfortable provision for a young man belonging to the class of unskilled artisans, and many would

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prefer such sure and substantial comforts to the risks and vicissitudes incidental to the lot of an emigrant in a far distant colony. The plan of borrowing large funds, in order to force or stimulate emigration by providing passages for emigrants to New Zealand of an inferior class, without any tie or hold on them to remain in that country after their arrival, is now considered to be injudicious, and from experience found to be a delusion. The people of that class, from the great attractions of the numerous gold fields in all the Australasian colonies, as well as from the excitement produced as new fields are developed, and adventures of various kinds introduced, have become to a great extent a floating population, constantly roaming from colony to colony, without any fixed home, allured from one place to another by every fresh gold discovery, or hurrying where the highest wages for a time prevail.

The great distance of New Zealand from the mother country is by many deemed so objectionable that intelligent and self-reliant men will not separate themselves from the ties of friends and country, and go there to be merely servants and labourers to other people. They say, if we go to that distant country, we must be our own masters, to secure a home, cultivate our own land, and to toil for ourselves, and not for others.

The struggle between capital and labour has extended even to New Zealand, and the only way to secure a respectable and successful stream of emigration to its shores is to make residence there sufficiently attractive. A large portion of the waste lands of the colony are worth, on an average, from ten to twenty shillings an acre, but the value of these

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lands would be enhanced tenfold by, the introduction of a respectable, industrious and settled population, and the only method of securing such a class of people is by establishing the free grant system of land. This system is less expensive than the existing arrangements for promoting emigration, and far more effective. The cost of the large staff, employed at present -- consisting of commissioners, officials, and the numerous agents in England and in the colony-- at an enormous expense, would be saved, as well as the necessity of borrowing large funds for emigration expenditure. Under a judicious free grant system in land, with every alternate section of 100 acres open for selection, a large territory would rapidly be peopled, and the reserved sections would, from the enhanced value acquired by the neighbouring lots being peopled and cultivated, be actually of far greater value than the whole without population, or unsubdued to the uses of man. In this manner a large population of a superior class would in a very short time be introduced without borrowing large funds, or maintaining a large and expensive staff, while the grand principle of colonisation would be achieved, of not parting with the land without peopling it. The class of men who would be induced to emigrate on such terms would be those who had risen by industry and perseverance to be small capitalists, or who had become so by inheritance. Such a class of men, self-reliant and enterprising, are the right sort for a country like New Zealand, and would be available as good workmen in the harvest and sheep-shearing periods.

Under the present system of emigration, large funds have been borrowed and expended, and the fee simple of large territories has been alienated and acquired

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by a few people, at a price seldom higher than five shillings per acre, without achieving the object of legitimate colonisation--that is, without profiting the country. This is the evil to be apprehended from the present system, which is at variance with sound principles of administration of colonial lands, and injurious to the country. The maladministration of colonial lands is a great evil, conspicuous in many of the provinces of New Zealand; and the love for grasping territory, so characteristic of our race, has assumed there formidable dimensions. This injudicious system was greatly encouraged by a previous governor during his regime, and all the available land in the province of Nelson was in his time alienated and acquired by a few people, and thus a permanent injury was inflicted on that fertile and beautiful district.

The territorial extent of New Zealand is limited when compared with the colonies in Australia, and although its superficial area is nearly as large as the colony of Victoria, the extent of its available land for settlement is comparatively much less than in that highly favoured colony.

Under such circumstances--in all measures suggested, for the administration of its colonial lands, the maxim founded on experience, of not parting with the land without peopling it, ought to be strictly observed.

A sketch of New Zealand, however brief, would be imperfect without some description of the character and condition of the aboriginal inhabitants, as they occupy a very interesting and important place in the history of the country.

The aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand are

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evidently of Malay extraction, but in this instance the original type of this race has been modified and improved physically and mentally by the fine and bracing climate of that country. The Maories invariably narrate that the race from which they are descended arrived in New Zealand about 500 years ago from the Hawaian or Sandwich Islands, and this tradition is corroborated by such an array of circumstances as to justify us in accepting it as an authentic historical event. The Hawaian or Sandwich Islands are distant 3,900 miles from New Zealand, but the aboriginal inhabitants of the two island groups at the present day are similar in race, language and character. People who have made the voyage from New Zealand to those islands have observed that the winds, nearly all the year round, prevail in a direction extremely favourable for making a passage from thence to New Zealand. It appears highly probable, however, that the Maories did not emigrate from choice, but from necessity, and were from time to time either defeated by enemies or driven away from their homes by storms and tempests beyond the hope of returning. Many of the native canoes are large enough to contain forty or fifty people, and as these islanders never go to sea unprovided with cooking apparatus and fuel, as well as fishing tackle, they could therefore, in making the voyage in fine weather, provide themselves with food by fishing from day to day. Under such circumstances, a voyage from Hawaii to New Zealand, in the comparatively smooth waters of the Pacific Ocean, is not only possible but quite practicable. 7

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Two distinct types of race are to be found among the Maories. The great majority are, however, of the comparatively fair-skinned and straight-haired Polynesian stock inhabiting the Hawaian group, Tahiti, Marquesas, Tonga Isles and Navigator Islands. These islands, as well as New Zealand, are all of volcanic formation, and the inhabitants similar in race, language and character, and have been for some time distinguished as Polynesians; while the Maories of the other type are small in size, few in number, and not often seen in New Zealand, but in lineage belong to the black curly-haired and dark-skinned Papuan stock, which has become in some way amalgamated with the former, especially in the islands bordering on the Papuan group, and these, by way of distinction, have recently been designated Melanesians. There is a Maori tradition that a race similar to the Melanesians were partly in possession of New Zealand prior to the period of the Hawaian immigration, but that, being an inferior people, they were easily dispossessed or partially exterminated on the arrival of the more powerful Polynesians, who are intellectually and physically the finest aboriginal race in the South Sea Islands.

From the period of Cook's visits, the aboriginal New Zealanders, or Maories, as they call themselves, have been viewed as a savage and barbarous race, and appear to have lived in a state of constant and ferocious tribal warfare. From this cause, their numbers from that time seem to have decreased, especially after the introduction of fire-arms; and

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when New Zealand became a British colony, the aborigines could not at the highest estimate have exceeded in number 100,000.

The appearance of a New Zealand chief is prepossessing. Endowed with a tall figure, athletic and powerful, an open unembarrassed demeanour, and gifted with a superior and vigorous intellect, he might well be viewed, when attired in his native costume, as the representative of freedom and independence. The intelligence displayed by the Maories in general, respecting the history and condition of their country, indicates habits of observation and reflection altogether unusual and unexpected in a savage nation. From tradition they possess a perfect knowledge of the important events, distinguished characters, and remarkable exploits connected with their race since their arrival in New Zealand about 500 years ago. A Maori will narrate his pedigree in an unbroken line from generation to generation in the genuine spirit of heraldry, and will recite the achievements of his ancestors with a strong feeling of nationality. In the practical knowledge of natural history they are no less proficient. Every mountain, valley and river, as well as every tree, plant and flower, has a descriptive name; the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea., and the beasts of the field, have all characteristic appellations, while the habits and distinguishing peculiarities of each are described with precision. On such subjects a Maori will converse with as much intelligence and familiarity as the educated gentleman of a civilised country. The gift of fluent speech is not denied to them, and they will sit in groups round their evening camp fires, discussing

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the events of the day with delight and animation; and their chiefs and orators, when interested in any important question, will address an assembly for an hour or two, and debate every point under consideration in an eloquent and excited manner. Prior to our settlement in the country they had no written language, but the rapidity and almost intuitive manner in which their vigorous and active minds grasped the elementary principles necessary in using our alphabet, with the view of expressing their thoughts and recording their traditions in writing, were quite marvellous. In a very short time the great majority of them learned to read and write their own language. Nevertheless, they are still in the condition of a people whose minds are shaded with ignorance, and enveloped in the twilight of superstition, as well as swayed by the 'phantasmagoria' of powerful imagination. Every hill is therefore invested with mystery, and has its legend; every river its traditional story, and every woodland its haunted spirit.

All who have travelled and lived among them can, however, testify from experience that they have always found them, whether in the forests, in their canoes, or around their evening camp fires, not only faithful allies but intelligent companions.

The Maories assert that all their local and tribal wars have originated about women and land. The women, however, are too often reduced to the condition of 'hewers of wood and drawers of water,' and in many instances their appearance indicates the hardships which they have experienced; but some of the daughters of the chiefs are handsome and beautiful, with small delicate hands and feet, and

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complexions only a shade darker than the women of the south of Europe. Except those of the highest rank, the women as a rule are, however, subjected to incessant and harassing toil; and among the Maories there is that disposition to throw on the weaker sex the heaviest part of manual labour which is the characteristic of savages.

Although we may smile at the Maori king movement, it originated in a noble and natural desire, and was an expiring effort, not to throw off the supremacy of England, but to unite and maintain their race. As the poor Maories could not fail to observe that the colonists were busily engaged in the administration of their own affairs, from which they were entirely excluded, and in their own beloved land, where they formerly held undisputed sway, and were viewed as an alien and inferior class, it was therefore hardly to be expected that the natives, intelligent, brave and high spirited, would remain satisfied with such a neglected and degraded condition. After mature reflection, they, not without reasonable and justifiable claims, resolved to imitate the colonists and have a government of their own, in order to preserve their race from utter extinction, and their lands from being altogether lost and irrevocably alienated. The object was laudable and worthy of encouragement, and advantage might have been taken of this desire for self-government to guide and direct its course into legitimate channels, leading to practical measures and satisfactory results.

A number of them now hold seats in the General Assembly, and have therefore a voice in the government of the country; and on a late occasion they

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contributed by their votes to turn out of office, on a motion of want of confidence, a Ministry whom they considered hostile to their race. Two of them, lately introduced into the Cabinet, aid the Ministry by expressing their views on all important questions in the regulation of native affairs. They are perhaps not gifted as we are in diplomacy, but if the peace, prosperity and good government of the country can be secured in this manner, it is a simple and peaceful achievement. In every War Office list of the British army that is now published, there are to be found the names of several Maori chiefs among the officers of the colonial forces. They are still the largest owners of territory in the country, and in the Napier district they have leased their grass-lands to the squatters at a rental of 20,000l. a-year.

The simple facts that the natives of New Zealand, during the last ten years, often resisted successfully our forces in the battle-field, and by the votes of their representatives in the Assembly have now turned a Government out of office, are very interesting. They will no doubt view it as something like retributive justice, that the chief of that political party which began the Great War in 1860 without a casus belli was defeated by their votes in the Assembly in 1872.

This is a practical and peaceful solution of the problem, after so much fighting and so great a sacrifice in blood and treasure for so many years, as well as a great triumph in the cause of civilisation and humanity.

There are no reasonable grounds for concluding that the Maories living in peace with the English colonists, and in harmony with the operation of

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natural laws, are inevitably a doomed race, although they are apparently fast passing away, and, from their reduced numbers, have already ceased to be formidable. Many of the chiefs, as well as most of the young men, the flower of the Maori population, some of them noble fellows, were cut off during the Great War which they had the spirit and endurance to maintain for ten years against British troops in overwhelming numbers, equipped with all the weapons which modern science could suggest, and although conquered they were never entirely subdued. But irrespective of the calamities of war, which decimated them year by year, other circumstances have likewise contributed to accelerate their decay; and a death-rate among them out of all proportion when compared with the births has been unmistakably revealed by the census returns.

At the settlement of the country as a British colony in the year 1840, the native population, according to the best information, was estimated at 100,000; but allow them at that period to have been only 80,000. The first census was taken in the year 1856, when their number was found to be 53,700; and they are now reduced, as appears from the last census in 1872, to 36,359. In a few years, decreasing at this rate, unless some ameliorating influences suspend this wearing away, they will disappear altogether, and the fair territory which they owned and ruled will contain few, if any, of them, and the land that once knew them shall know them no more.

Great efforts are now, however, made by themselves as well as by the Government to improve their condition and arrest their decay, and it is to be hoped that

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under the present system of administering native affairs, such attempts may be successful, and the loyal, brave and intelligent Maori race, so intimately associated and identified with many of the important events in the history of the country, may not only be perpetuated but numerically increased, and continue to be an integral portion of the population of New Zealand; while the sympathy and consideration which we have manifested for the influences which have shaped and shaded their character and condition, as well as the regard entertained for the circumstances which united their destiny to ours, are highly honourable to British justice and humanity.