CHAPTER III. NEW ZEALAND.
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CHAPTER III.
NEW ZEALAND.
The Prince Alfred did not reach New Zealand till December 24th, our seventh day out from Sydney. She was very uncomfortably crowded both below and on deck, with eighty-one horses 1 and a large cargo. The former filled both sides of the deck, quite to the poop, on which bundles of hay and boxes of fruit were stowed. We had, however, a calm passage, and plenty of time for reading. From The Story of New Zealand, by Dr. Thomson, late of the 58th regiment of infantry, I gathered much interesting information about these islands, and now give some extracts from it, as a preface to my subsequent pages.
It will be remembered from Chapter II. that Tasman, in 1842, discovered New Zealand; and that
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Captain Cook, in the early part of the reign of King George III., surveyed its coasts to a great extent. Subsequently whalers formed depots for stores at different parts of the island, and in many cases did not act towards the islanders in the most humane manner. A fearful revenge was taken by the natives in the year 1809, when they massacred the crew of the ship Boyd, in return for some injuries done them by another party of white men. This massacre was again retaliated on the New Zealanders, but unfortunately on the innocent. In consequence of the wrongs done to the Aborigines, Governor Macquarie, of New South Wales, very warmly joined ia the support of a Society for the protection generally of the Aborigiual populations in the South Seas.
It happened that the Rev. S. Marsden of Paramatta, from seeing some New Zealand chiefs in the streets of Sydney, and on board a vessel in England, was led to suggest the formation of a settlement amongst them, for their civil and religious improvement. Various difficulties delayed the realization of his plan; but in the year 1814--a year famous amongst us for the triumphant entry of the Peninsula hero and his forces into Paris--Mr. Marsden hired a brig at his own expense, and sailed from Sydney in it, accompanied by some European assistants and two chiefs, Ruatara and Hongi, or Shungie, who afterwards was introduced in England to King
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George IV., and from his ambitious feelings has been called the New Zealand Napoleon. With the assistance of these chiefs, he obtained a footing for his missionaries. Dr. Thomson has well added: "No miraculous success attended the rise of Christianity in New Zealand. For fifteen years the missionaries were like men crying in the wilderness, and they frequently said they were casting the seed on a rock; but when Christianity did take root, it grew rapidly; and soon after 1830 the scattered seed began to sprout." And yet "the civilizing influence and blessings which Christianity has conferred on New Zealand cannot be weighed in the scales of the market. Like musk in a room, it has communicated a portion of its fragrance to every thing in the country. It has broken the theocratic principle of tapu, 2 and other superstitions; it has put an end to cannibalism, and has assisted in eradicating slavery. It has proved a bond of union between the races, the native Christian and the settler feeling themselves members of one federation; it has led the way to intellectual development, industry, peace, contentment, regard for the rights of every class, and progressive civilization. It is unjust to judge the Christianity of the uneducated New Zealanders by a severe test: even the civilized and highly educated Greeks, when they passed from
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the heathen temple to the Christian Church, did not exhibit in their lives the sublime influence of their new faith. The missionaries who brought about this reformation deserve the highest praise. Before the establishment of British rule, these men on many occasions prevented bloodshed; and they are now as useful in promoting peace behind the wave of civilization, as they formerly were before it." Darwin, the well-known naturalist, 3 was in the north of New Zealand in 1835, and speaks in glowing terms of the signs of civilization he witnessed about the Mission station at Waimate, Bay of Islands, as well as of the energy and cordiality of the missionaries themselves. Having, however, previously visited Tahiti, he was not so much pleased with the New Zealanders themselves, as with the inhabitants of that island, and thus concluded his notes on New Zealand:-- "It is not a pleasant place. Amongst the natives there is absent that charming simplicity which is found at Tahiti; and the greater part of the English are the very refuse of society. Neither is the country itself attractive. I look back but to one bright spot, and that is Waimate, with its Christian inhabitants." Two years later Mr. Marsden made his seventh and last visit to New Zealand; and in 1838 he died in New South Wales, aged seventy-two.
Subsequent to the retaliation for the massacre of the
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Boyd, fresh murders were committed on both sides; and during 1815, 1816 and 1817, one hundred New Zealanders were slain by Europeans in the vicinity of the Bay of Islands. In consequence, and by way of revenge, the capture of European vessels began to be a regular profession amongst them, and too often the innocent suffered for the guilty. As regards the cruelties of some of our traders, Dr. Thomson adds, that "several of these actions are so atrocious as, for human nature's sake, to excite a hope that they are untrue or exaggerated." It was no wonder that Governor Macquarie aided as much as he could an Aborigines Protection Society. In other ways he could do little; for New Zealand was recognised by the Home Government as an independent country. In 1823, the year following the publication of Mr. Bigge's Report, the English Parliament gave the Supreme Courts of New South Wales and Tasmania jurisdiction over British subjects in New Zealand.
By degrees the New Zealanders acquired firearms; and several vessels traded with them, receiving whale-oil, wood, flax, pigs, and potatoes, in return for muskets. "In 1834 a few muskets purchased from the natives a small shipload of flax; a blanket, the best pig in the country; and a fig of tobacco, sixty pounds of potatoes. Previously to the year 1840 the munitions of war were almost solely in demand; after this period a market arose
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for tobacco, blankets, pipes, shirts, trowsers, gowns, cottons, hoes, spades, and cooking-pots. For the twenty years till 1840 the influx of fire-arms rendered war more frequent amongst themselves; and during that period 20,000 lives were directly or indirectly sacrificed in New Zealand. In 1837 a native war at the Bay of Islands brought Captain Hobson, in H.M.S. Rattlesnake, from Sydney to protect the European settlement at Kororareka; but not a white man's life was endangered, as the combatants, by mutual consent, moved the scene of action to a distance, lest a settler should even be accidentally injured."
As far back as 1825, an English Company was formed to colonize New Zealand; but fear of the natives drove most of the colonists away, and the Company's plans failed. Eight years later, Mr. Busby was sent to New Zealand, by the English Government, as Resident, after the East Indian fashion. He had very little power, but tried to make a confederation of the native chiefs, and gave them a national flag. This act was approved of by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir R. Bourke, and by the Secretary for the Colonies. 4 Soon after this, a quarrel arose at Taranaki, near the present settlement of New Plymouth, on the west coast of the North Island, and resulted in the death of twelve European sailors and twenty-five natives. Captain
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Lambert, of H.M.S. Alligator, was sent from Sydney, to rescue the Europeans who had been made prisoners in the fight. The soldiers were landed, and destroyed two villages, and several canoes; and having killed many natives, returned to Sydney. "A Committee of the British Parliament expressed its disapprobation of this affair; pointed out that the New Zealanders fulfilled, while the English broke, their original contract; and stated that this opinion was drawn even from the one-sided evidence of the culpable, the chief witness being Guard, an old convict, who said a musket-ball for every New Zealander was the best mode of civilizing the country. The tribe who principally suffered in this engagement was the Ngatiruanui, 5 who number about 2000 persons. As a memento of the slaughter of their people, they have kept some of the shot thrown amongst them by Captain Lambert.
The state of anarchy and vice which prevailed amongst the Europeans who had settled in New Zealand, and the utter helplessness of the "Resident," induced Lord Glenelg, in 1838, to suggest the appointment of a Consul. In the following year, when a new Society, called the New Zealand Land Company, despatched a ship, with Colonel Wakefield, its agent, and other officers on board, to make arrangements for a settlement in New Zealand. Captain Hobson, who, as we have seen, visited the
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North Island in 1837, was appointed Lieutenant-Governor by the Crown. The boundaries of New South Wales had been, by the same Letters Patent, extended to include New Zealand.
Although Captain Cook, in the name of George III., in 1769, took possession of the Islands, yet the people had been recognized in 1833 by the British Government as independent, and therefore Captain Hobson was to obtain the sovereignty of the Islands for Great Britain. He landed at the Bay of Islands on the 29th of January, 1840, and from this date commences the British Colonial rule in New Zealand. Immediately a proclamation was made, asserting "Her Majesty's authority over British subjects in the Colony, and announcing that the Queen would acknowledge no titles to land but those derived from Crown grants; that purchasing land from natives, after this date, was illegal; and that a commission would investigate into all the land purchases already made. This last announcement startled the whole community, being a deathblow to those who had purchased principalities for baubles." Previous to Captain Hobson's arrival, 45,000,000 acres were claimed by Europeans, as purchased from the natives.
Shortly after the Governor landed, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, by which the Maoris abandoned their sovereign rights to the Crown of Great Britain, reserving, however, the full, exclusive, and
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undisturbed possession and enjoyment of their lands, and the appurtenant rights, as long as they might wish to retain them; whilst the Crown was to have the right of pre-emption over such lands as the proprietors might wish to sell. In return for this, they were to enjoy the Royal protection, and all the rights and privileges of British subjects. This has been called the Magna Charta of the New Zealanders.
On the 21st of May, the Queen's sovereignty was proclaimed, by virtue of this Treaty, over the whole of the North Island, which contains 26,000,000 acres; and, by virtue of the right of discovery, over the Middle Island and Stewart's Island, the former of which contains 38,000,000, and the latter, 1,000,000 acres. The united area is 65,000,000 acres, or nearly as large as Great Britain. In 1858, the number of Maoris in the North Island was estimated at 53,056; in the Middle Island 2283, and in Stewart's Island, 200; a total of 55,539.
The Protestant Missionaries were principally instrumental in inducing the Maoris to assent to this treaty; whilst, according to Governor Hobson, the French Priests, who had come into the Islands since 1838, together with some evil-disposed white men, endeavoured to stir up much opposition. Although the Treaty was very imperfectly understood by the Maoris, and though dissatisfaction with it has been several times expressed, yet it has never been repudiated by any large party of them; unless, as some
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suppose, the "King Movement" did so. We shall refer to this again.
Governor Hobson selected the present site of Auckland for the seat of Government. It is very near the spot recommended by Captain Cook for a Colony. Subsequently, the New Zealand Company selected Port Nicholson, and called their town Wellington. From that time to this, great rivalry has existed between the two places.
December 24th, 1861.--Early on the morning of this our seventh day out from Sydney, land was seen. It was Cape Farewell, at the north of the Middle Island, and so named by Captain Cook, as being the last land he saw when leaving New Zealand for Australia. We passed the Cape, and then skirted Massacre Bay, where Abel Jansen Tasman, the Dutch Voyager, anchored in 1642 (see p. 3), and was so named by him in consequence of the murder of some of his men by the Aborigines.
The newly-discovered country received the name of Staaten Land, and afterwards New Zealand; just as other islands were called New Britain, or New Ireland.
A low spit of land prevented our seeing much of the Bay; but the locality is noted, not only for the events just recorded, but for the fact that, in 1842, the Europeans and Aborigines came into collision
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there; and in 1856 gold was discovered in its neighbourhood, the amount of which exported in the twelve months ending October lst, 1861, was 6675 ounces, of the value of £52,866.
To the east of the bay is Separation Point, whence sometimes Mount Egmont, in the North Island, is visible. To the east again is a deep bay called Tasman's, or Blind Bay. Cook gave it the latter name, because, in sailing from Cape Farewell towards the North Island, he did not see the end of it. As soon, however, as we began to steam down its western side, our smoke was visible from Nelson, which is situated far in on its south shore.
Our first impressions of New Zealand were on the whole good. The rocky shores looked wild; but the ferny slopes of the hills and a snow-capped range in the distance, as we steamed down the bay, had a pleasing effect. Nelson itself, lying in the lap of a semi-amphitheatre of lofty and unwooded hills, towering one above the other, with the Dun (coloured) Mountain raising its head over all, was quite picturesque. Its cathedral-looking church, prominent amongst its white wooden houses, gave a civilized and cheering look to the whole scenery. The harbour is almost a lake formed by a boulder-bank, having, however, a narrow entrance at one end. The pilot, in a whale boat rowed by Maoris, came out to us, and very soon we were alongside of the wharf. The mail boxes and some cargo were
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to be landed, and we were to stay here two days. As the Intercolonial Company charged for each meal during detention at ports, we had no inducement to stay in the vessel. Some of us accordingly went to the Waketu Hotel, as being the best in the town; and in this case bad indeed was the best.
In company with a Tasmanian-born gentleman, I took a drive in a buggy to the Waimea Plains. We passed the Nelson College, a good sized building made of wood, though painted to imitate brick. Fear of earthquakes prevents any brick or stone buildings being raised here. We passed along a good macadamized road, with a fine growth of hedges on either side; and the rich cultivation in which the farms around were kept, together with the hay and wheat ricks close to very comfortable homesteads scattered here and there, were abundant signs of active and prosperous work. The mountains too, in the distance, as the lengthening shadows across them forewarned the approach of evening, added a peculiar charm to the scene. I was informed that these plains, which were very narrow, extended for fifty miles; but we could only manage to run over twelve. On our way back, we stopped at a small house, and were well regaled with raspberries and cream. Our good hostess was named Holdaway. She had originally come from Frome, in Somersetshire, and had been twenty years in the province of Nelson. Her genuine
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hospitality would not admit of any money remuneration; so we were obliged to beg her acceptance of a picture book for her children, which we obtained at Mr. Jackson's shop in Nelson, and left there for her according to arrangement.
Later in the evening, as we were walking about, we fell in with a carpenter, who told us he had begun colonial life with £100, but now he was drawing an annual income of £250 from town rents alone. I fancy that his case is by no means a solitary one.
According to the Census held in this month, the population of the city of Nelson amounted to 3734, besides 758 in the suburbs, whilst that of the whole province was 9952. The increase during the previous three years was about 32 per cent, on the whole population.
This province was formed in 1841, under the auspices of the New Zealand Company. The first division of land was allotted in England to 315 purchasers, and Captain Arthur Wakefield, R.N., brother of Colonel Wakefield, was appointed leader of the expedition and Resident Agent. These allotments were made by persons who had never seen the country, which was mapped out like squares on a chess-board, and I believe that many of them were on the sides or tops of some of the high mountains above the town. An amusing yarn is told of two emigrants going with the Agent to have their boundaries marked out. "This," said the
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official to one of them, "is your boundary," pointing to the high water mark which the waves had just reached. "And you," turning to the other, "will see your's in a few hours, when the tide is out."
According to Dr. Thomson, 6 the new arrivals were not long in openly expressing their contempt for the brown-skinned Maoris; and many looked on them as the curse of the country, as the only obstacle to their obtaining possession of the aboriginal lands. Difficult must indeed have been the position of the Government. Lord John Russell, as Secretary for the Colonies, foresaw the danger of the spread of this feeling of hatred, and he wrote a despatch, in which he thus warned the Governor:-- "If the experience of the past compels me to look forward with anxiety to the too probable defeat of these purposes" (i.e. the protection, education, civilization, and christianization of the aborigines) "by the sinister influence of the many passions, prejudices, and physical difficulties with which we shall have to contend, it is, on the other hand, my duty, and your own, to avoid yielding in any degree to that despair of success which would assuredly render success impossible. To rescue the natives of New Zealand from the calamities of which the approach of civilized men to barbarous tribes has hitherto been the almost universal herald, is a duty
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too sacred and important to be neglected, whatever may be the discouragements under which it may be undertaken." Two years subsequently, i.e. in 1843, a fearful event happened in this province, which resulted in the death of Captain Wakefield and some others. A tract of land called the Wairau Valley, was claimed by Colonel Wakefield for the New Zealand Company, and his brother sent men to survey it. "Rauparaha and Rangihaeta, the proprietors, considering this an act of taking possession, burned down the Surveyor's huts; but before applying the match, they carefully removed, and preserved for their owner's use, all the Surveyor's property within the huts." Captain Wakefield obtained a warrant to arrest Rauparaha for robbery and arson; and Mr. Thompson, the Police Magistrate, eight gentlemen, and forty armed labourers volunteered to execute it. A fight shortly ensued upon their meeting Rauparaha and his followers, and twenty-two settlers wore killed and five wounded. The prestige of the British for valour and might was destroyed, and both at Nelson and Wellington the panic was great amongst the settlers. Had it not been for the decision of the authorities, further irritation might have been caused, and fresh fights brought about. "Foiled by the Government in their desire for blood, the settlers began to hate the whole native race; and Colonel Wakefield declared they must for the pre-
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sent be subservient to circumstances, and that the time was not far distant when the rising generation of Anglo-Saxons would take ample vengeance for the opposition their fathers had encountered." The Wairau massacre completely for a season stopped emigration to New Zealand, and the depression of the whole Colony was much aggravated by a financial crisis. Mr. Shortland was Governor at this time. He was Colonial Secretary under Captain Hobson; and when that officer died, in September, 1842, from paralysis, and overcome by the personal annoyances heaped on him, he succeeded to the administration of the Colonial affairs. After fifteen months, he was succeeded, in 1843, by Captain (now Admiral) Fitzroy, with whom Darwin made his voyage round the world. The power of the Aborigines was at this time very great, and many most unwilling concessions were obliged to be made to them. On the 11th of May, 1844, the Aborigines met in great numbers, a feast being given to the tribe of the Waikato country, near Auckland, in the North Island, on a fern plain, two miles from the capital itself. "Here a shed four hundred yards long was erected, and covered with Witney manufacture; and fifty yards from it, there was a breastwork of potatoes, surrounded by a fence loaded with dried sharks. The Governor attended the feast by invitation; at a given signal each tribe seized the food portioned out for it, and
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1600 men armed with guns and tomahawks danced the war dance. The soldiers in Auckland sunk into nothing before this host; and settlers for the first time admitted that they lived in New Zealand on sufferance... No depredation was committed by the armed crowds, who daily perambulated the streets, to admire the articles displayed for sale in the shop windows." 7
Two months later than this, a very destructive war broke out between the Europeans and Aborigines in the vicinity of the Bay of Islands, at a place called Kororareka. This place had 100 European settlers in it as early as 1832. The character of its morals was fearful; and Mr. Busby, the Resident, had no power to put down the vice which reigned there. In 1838 it was the most frequented resort for whalers in all the South Sea Islands; and its European population, although fluctuating, was then estimated at 1000 souls. In the same year fifty-six American vessels entered the Bay, twenty-three English, twenty-one French, one Bremen, twenty-four from New South Wales, and six from the coast; in all, 131 vessels. The Aborigines around lost much in a pecuniary way, when the seat of Government was changed from Kororareka to Auckland, about 180 miles south of it. An American suggested to the natives that if they cut down the flag-staff at Kororareka, they would regain much of the lost means of wealth. Heke, a
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baptized Christian who had relapsed into heathenism, conceived a great hatred to the English. The words of the American sank deep into his mind, and at last the insulting behaviour of a European brought things to a climax. The flagstaff was cut down, and a war ensued. £100 reward was offered for his apprehension, and Heke in turn offered the same reward for Captain Fitzroy's head. Kororareka was destroyed, and the troops put to flight by the Ngapuhi tribe. The Aborigines now were in high spirits; but the Europeans in Nelson and Wellington were no less nerved to meet the impending danger. Heke and his party were still at war, when in October 1845, Captain (now Sir George) Grey was appointed Governor. This war, which had lasted a year and a half, ended in January, 1846. The effect of the peace was great amongst the Aborigines, who returned stolen property, and made apologies for insulting words; whilst amongst the settlers there was a general feeling of confidence in the wisdom of Captain Grey, which had never been reposed in previous Governors.
I return again to my Journal. About ten o'clock in the evening of the 24th, instead of Christmas Carols I suppose, the band of the Nelson Volunteer corps paraded the town, and gratuitously gave the inhabitants the benefit of their musical strains. I was informed that the corps was 150 strong, a very fair quota certainly for so small a population.
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The next day was Christmas Day, and strange indeed it was to have neither frost, sleet, snow, nor cold weather then. We were now actually in Midsummer, and therefore the heat rather than the cold is what troubles the Antipodeans at this time. The Church was decorated with flax and other New Zealand indigenous plants. In the afternoon I took a stroll up the Tramway, which, after a winding course of twelve miles, reaches the summit of the Dun Mountain, a height of about 4000 feet. The gradient is too steep and the curves too sharp for locomotive engines. About two miles up, there were some tree ferns growing in a wooded ravine across which the tramway went; and I also remarked at least five different kinds of fern on the slopes of the hills, besides plenty of sweet-briar and toot-bush. This latter is very fatal to sheep after long abstinence; and sometimes, I beheve, to bullocks also, but not to horses.
The scenery around reminded me of parts of North Wales about Cerrig y Druidion, and the road from Bala to Festiniog. The hills above Nelson are almost entirely unwooded, but would afford fine cover for grouse. Lord Petre sent out in February, 1860, three red deer, a stag, and two hinds, as a present to the Province, and they were turned loose on these hills. As they are protected by a law passed especially for their benefit, they will probably be allowed
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to increase free from wanton attacks by mischievous persons.
The following day, as the horse races were being held, the town was very much deserted, and many of the public institutions were wholly or partially closed. The Provincial Government Offices, and Parliament Chamber, formed a handsome and commodious building, most creditable to the taste and skill of the Nelson architects. Another very good and roomy edifice was the Literary Institute. I noticed also a Young Men's Christian Association Room, and a Temperance Hall.
The above mention of a set of Government Offices with a Parliament Chamber here, when Auckland is the capital, may seem strange, and therefore I add the following explanation.
By a Constitution Act passed for New Zealand 1852, it was arranged that "there was to be a General Government, conducted by a General Assembly; composed of a Governor appointed by the Crown, a Legislative Council of ten members, increased in 1857 to twenty members, appointed by the Crown for life; and a House of Representatives consisted of from twenty-four to forty members, elected for five years by the people." This Parliament had jurisdiction over the whole New Zealand Colony, which was divided into six Provinces-- Auckland, Taranaki, or New Plymouth, and Wellington in the North Island; and Nelson, Canterbury,
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and Otago, in the South Island. 8 Three additional Provinces have been formed since, viz., Hawke's Bay, out of Wellington; Marlborough, out of Nelson; and Southland, out of Otago. There are accordingly now nine Provinces in New Zealand. Each of them sends representatives to the General Parliament; and besides this, each has its own Provincial Government, viz., a Superintendent and a Council, the members of which are elected by the people in the Province. The Superintendent acts as a Deputy Governor of the Province, and is aided by an Executive Council. As such, he opens the Session of the Provincial Parliament with a Speech, and gives his assent or veto to the Bills passed by it. This power may, however, be overruled by the Governor of the Colony within three months after such assent or veto is given. Thus New Zealand enjoys, in common with the Australian Colonies, a Constitution similar to our own at home, viz., two Houses of Parliament, with a Governor as Viceroy; but in addition to this, each of the nine Provinces has its own Deputy Governor, and its own Parliament, which has the power of making all laws for the government of the Province, with the exception of those relating to customs, high courts of law, currency, weights and measures, port duties, mar-
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riages, crown and native lands, criminal law, and inheritance. During my stay in Nelson, the city was in a state of some excitement in consequence of the election of the Superintendent, which office was being vigorously contested.
In course of my inquires about the city, I found that cherries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, grapes, currants, apples, pears, and peaches grew well in the gardens around.
At three o'clock p.m. on the 26th, we steamed out of the Harbour for Wellington, having left the Auckland and Taranaki Mails at Nelson, for the Interprovincial Steamer to take on. It may be well to add, that each Province has its own boxes of mails made up and sealed in London, and that any careless misdirection of letters may occasion great delay in their delivery. In Australia I have seen a letter directed "Melbourne, New South Wales," and no doubt such errors are of frequent occurrence; but a little more knowledge of geography and of colonial history would prevent them.
We had entered Blind Bay by the western corner, but now we passed close to the easterly shore, which was very bold, and contained one good harbour, called the Croiselles, which no doubt would have been the site for Nelson, had it been more accessible on the land side.
Instead of doubling D'Urville's Island, we were fortunately able to run through the very narrow pass
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between it and the mainland, called "The French Pass." The tide flows through it with great rapidity; so that, except at slack tides, it is not safe for large vessels to attempt the Pass. Our steamer, the "Prince Alfred," was very nearly wrecked there on one occasion, having been swung round on a reef by the force of the tide. As we went through, we saw several large fish (albicors, I believe) leaping about in the slack water. On D'Urville's Island we could see the residences of some Aborigines, to whom the whole island belongs. The scenery now was very bold and rocky. We passed the entrance to Pelorus Sound, and shortly afterwards the north entrance of Queen Charlotte's Sound. This latter place was so named by Captain Cook, who generally made it his rendezvous. He however always imagined that D'Urville's Island was part of the mainland.
It was night when we entered Cook's Straits, and from the high sea running we rolled fearfully. Fortunately our eighty-one horses had by this time got their sea legs. This narrow sea is very subject to gales and heavy weather.
About five o'clock in the morning we were in the harbour of Port Nicholson. We anchored some distance from the shore, but plenty of watermen were most happy to land us for 1s. 6d. each. To all appearance the harbour was landlocked. In many places high hills came down to the water's
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edge. Wellington is situated at the south end, on the Te Aro and Thorndon Flats, which are connected by a narrow pass between the water and a hill. As we were to stay here about thirty hours, I took a drive along a good macadamized road to the north of the Harbour, where is the Hutt Valley, so called from the river flowing through it. The road was flanked on the one side by steep hills, and on the other by the water, for a distance of about nine miles, when we entered the Hutt Valley. This was the first site intended by the New Zealand Company's Agent for a town, on Port Nicholson; and the river had been described, in their glowing accounts at home, as being of the size of the Thames for eighty miles; 9 whereas the fact is, that a boat can with difficulty get six miles up it. This town was named Britannia, but the entrance of the river was exposed to the open sea, and, accordingly, the emigrants moved to the Te Aro and Thorndon Flats, which were inhabited by Aborigines, "who strongly protested against the settlers appropriating land used by them for cultivation. They denied having sold the land, and told the settlers they were acting unjustly. But no physical resistance was offered to the erection of houses; as the natives were informed by persons collecting signatures for the Treaty of Waitangi, that Her Majesty's Government would send magistrates to see justice done them." In the
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town of Wellington now, on the Te Aro Flat, a pah, or aboriginal village, still exists, and some Maoris live there.
The valley of the Hutt was once well wooded, but has been almost cleared of its timber. On either side of the road from Wellington, as it enters the valley, are Maori lands, and on the right hand is their pah. Several of the Maoris, both men and women, were hard at work in their fields. A little further on, and for a distance of some miles, the Europeans had settled. I staid for the night there, and my host showed me a field in which sixteen tons of potatoes have been raised to the acre; and afterwards, on the same unmanured land, seventy bushels of wheat. He also showed me some walnut, oak, and beech trees, which he had raised from seeds planted in 1858, and now grown to a considerable size; so productive is the virgin soil. The charred stumps in all directions are a great eye-sore, but still they are signs of the cultivating hand. The river Hutt is often a perfect mountain torrent, fed by the melted snow from the Remutaka Range; and in 1858, thirteen lives were lost in one of its freshes, which are no doubt increased by the clearing of the forest. 10 The tract up the valley leads into the Wairarapa (called Waidrup) Plains, and into the Hawke's Bay, or, as it was originally called,
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the Howreedy District. This latter word is spelt Ahuriri, or Hauriri.
About noon of the next day the gun fired, and the "Prince Alfred" began to steam out of harbour, bound for the Canterbury Province, the port of which has three names. Port Cooper, alias Port Victoria, alias Port Lyttleton. We soon went head on into the Cook's Straits rollers. The next morning we were running S.W. down the east coast of the South Island. Astern of us were the Kaikoras mountains, in the Marlborough Province. They are generally snow-capped, and the height of the main range is 9000 feet. The land along the sea coast seemed very high, but shortly before noon we sighted Banks Peninsula, called an island by Captain Cook, and the land to the west of it was extremely flat, being, in fact, the northern extremity of the Canterbury Plains.
About 2 p.m. we were anchored in Port Cooper, and fired a gun to announce the arrival of the English mail. I landed at once, and walked to Christchurch, a distance of eight miles. Lyttleton, the seaport town, is prettily situated in the lap of a hill over which my path lay. The way was very steep, and it took me twenty-five minutes to reach the summit, which is 1100 feet above the sea. There, however, I had a fine view. Behind me was the picturesque little town of Lyttleton, looking over a lake-like harbour, apparently surrounded with
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bold rocks, or high, green slopes, except in one or two places, where a small flat was visible. In front of me was part of the Canterbury Plains, wide, flat, and extensive, bounded in the distance by mountains and the sea. The descent was tiresome, but from the foot of the hill the road was level all the way to Christchurch. A tunnel, 1 2/3 miles in length, is being made through this hill; and when the railway is open from the Port to the capital of the Province, the people may well congratulate themselves.
I lodged at Barrett's Hotel; and as it was Sunday evening, I went to St. Michael's Church, where I was much struck at seeing so many young men, and also glad to recognize the old English holly in the Christmas decorations.
Two spring carts run twice every week-day from Christchurch to the foot of the Port Hill and back, which lessens in some degree the fatigue of walking between the two towns. Christchurch is very flat, situated between two small rivers, the Heathcote and the Avon, the latter of which is now nearly filled up with the English watercress. In the course of Monday I left, intending to return shortly, and collect more particulars of the state of the Colony.
Towards evening we weighed anchor and started for Port Chalmers, the port of the Otago Province, a distance of about 200 miles from Lyttleton; having landed for Christchurch forty-one horses out of the eighty-one, we had a little more room on dock.
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Our course lay along the north and east of Banks Peninsula, and thence we steered straight for Port Chalmers. We entered the Heads about 7 p.m., and after about an hour and a half of steaming up nine miles of a well-buoyed inlet, we reached Port Chalmers itself. Dunedin, the capital, lay about six or seven miles further up; but as only vessels of small burden could go any higher, the mails were transferred to a small steamer of ten or twelve tons, called the Expert. We had brought from Sydney several men rushing to the Otago gold-diggings, who along with myself embarked in the little vessel. It was now quite dark, and the tide only just on the flow. We had not, however, gone far before we ran aground; and, after pushing with oars and poles for about an hour, we got off again. Slowly we puffed on, and after some time, some lights, which were said to be in Dunedin, were visible. Then O'Neil, a man from Van Dieman's Land, and the so-called Captain of our boat, came to us and demanded four shillings, instead of two shillings and sixpence, the proper fare. We refused to pay the overcharge, and he became quite furious, and grossly insulted us all, but one of the diggers in particular. We were, however, in good humour, and vented our displeasure on him in quietly and calmly chaffing him until he could scarcely restrain himself from violence. At last he anchored us a mile or two from the wharf, and told his mate to put the fire out. We were
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comfortable in his so-called cabin, and began to compose ourselves to sleep, whereupon he cut a hole in the top to give us the benefit of the night air. All this only made us chaff him more than ever, and at last, about 2.30 o'clock in the morning, he landed us. This was our New Year's Day, 1862. We had seen the old year out, and the new one in, after a curious fashion indeed.
The mud in the street was fearful; but we made our way to the nearest Inn, called, I believe, "The Provincial." By the aid of a policeman, we got admission; but no beds were to be had, though probably a shake-down might be given us. Meanwhile we sat in a large second-floor room, where a low champagne party was just expiring. The closing eyes and drawling songs of the drunkards showed, that though they had seen the old year out, they now were disgustingly oblivious of the new. About three o'clock, having paid two shillings, I was shown into a shed, and allowed to recline on a boarded platform, under a blanket, with two semi-drunken fellows snoring in either ear. Two hours of this was quite enough, and at 5 a.m. I was up, got a cup of coffee, and took my place in Cobb's coach for the diggings. Our old acquaintances Cobb & Co. had followed their "rushing" friends from Victoria. The morning was fresh and cold, and for the first forty miles we had a road which, in the Colonies, is called first-rate, and we stopped at various "Accommodation Houses"
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to bait ourselves or change our horses. Our most important halt was at a place called Tokamairiro, where we got what was called dinner. Except in this neigbourhood, and in the Taieri Valley, nearer Dunedin, we did not see much cultivation; in the latter district, however, there were several good farms.
Soon after leaving Tokamairiro our troubles began; we had to ascend the spur of a range, over a track which lay at one time up a steep ascent, and down again an equally steep descent, as well as along perilous sidelings. "Now, gentlemen, lean well up to the windward," was more than once shouted to us by the driver. We were on a steep sideling, and to produce a proper balance we had all to lean to the upper side. Our anxious faces emerging from the upper side of the coach would have afforded a good picture for Punch. In due time we reached the summit, along which we proceeded until we came to a very steep descent, where we had to get out. It was raining hard, and glad we were to run down at the peril of leaving a boot in the mud, and get a little shelter in a canvass Inn, which was quite full of diggers, and was every minute becoming more and more like a shower-bath. Remounting the coach, we proceeded up a steep incline and along the top of the range again. All this time the rain and hail fell in torrents, and the crashes of thunder were very loud. About 6.30 we reached Wai-
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tahuna. The hospitable shelter of the "Golden Age," a temporary canvass inn, was quite charming after the events of the last eighteen hours; the manager was most obliging and civil.
Having promised a Barrister in London to inquire about a young emigrant who was once in the Shoeblack Brigade, and who was known to be at the diggings, I set out after tea to hunt him up. Floundering through sloppy mud, and along the narrow divisions between deep holes, I called at storekeepers' and publicans' tents, at the Post-office, the Police and the Commissioner's Stations, as well as at some private tents, but all to no purpose. I was, however, surprised to hear my own name called; and, on turning round, recognised one of my old shipmates, a sailor of the Lightning; he was come to see what he could find. When I called at one of the tents to make my inquiries, I was invited in; several young men were there, who immediately placed spirits on the table, and kindly insisted that we should reciprocate healths. Hating spirits, I begged to be allowed to drink to their prosperity and happiness with the refreshing beverage tea, some of which also was on the table. It rather surprised me to meet with a tentful of such very respectable young men of the working classes as these seemed to be.
Tired and wet with my expedition, I was not sorry to take some hot negus, and turn into my
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sofa-bed. Having no further reason for staying at the diggings, I left next morning for Dunedin by the coach at 7.30. A low intoxicated woman was my only companion for five miles; and her shrieks and cries, as her heavy head bumped about against the supports of the roof, whilst we proceeded in our jolting and jumping course, were any thing but pleasant. The weather was very wet till about noon, when it cleared a little. As we proceeded, we took in fresh passengers, and some were diggers on the return. We saw tents pitched in one or two places, belonging evidently to prosjpecting parties,-- i.e. men on the look out for fresh gold-fields. Once or twice a facetious Victorian in the coach would shout "Joe" to a passer-by, who at once looked up, and very often received a series of kind inquiries, wound up with a loud laugh, which betrayed the joke. In the early days of the Australian diggings, "Joe" was the warning word shouted out when the Police or Gold Commissioners were seen approaching, but is now the chaff for new chums.
About 8 p.m. we stopped at the "Provincial," in Dunedin; but I made my way to the Abbeyleix Private Boarding-house, where most of my fellow-lodgers were German Jews from Melbourne. The next morning was more like summer than the two previous days were; and the situation of Dunedin at the foot, and on the slopes of a high hill, overlooking a beautiful wooded harbour, was really
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pretty. The great influx of Australians into Otago in 1861 is evident from the Census of December in that year, when the total population amounted to nearly 29,000; whereas in 1858 it was only 7000 --an increase in three years of 317 per cent, on the whole population. In Canterbury, which had the next largest increase, it was only 78 per cent. This shows the efiect of the gold diggings. The vast progress, too, of the town, both as regards the number and quality of its buildings, testifies to the same fact. The whole appearance of Dunedin, its muddy streets, and the works being carried on, gave the idea of a prematurely grown place, into which immense traffic had been suddenly thrown. A good but not very extensive stone house in Princes Street was let on a lease for ten years to the Bank of New South Wales, at l000l. per annum; and the next house, to another party, for 600l. It was also said that many old shopkeepers were selling out at high prices offered them by enterprising people from Melbourne.
The Province of Otago was first settled in 1848, and was intended solely for the Scotch members of the Free Kirk. The old settlers were very indignant at the great influx of Australians from Victoria and New South Wales, and some even went so far as to propose sending them all away again at the expense of the Province; but the number of arrivals was too groat for such a plan to be even feasible. A thorough
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change has passed over the place. The Scotch settlers are now called "The Old Identity," and seem almost sent to the wall by the new arrivals. A Melbourne man is head of the Police, and has organized them according to the Victorian system; and the first daily paper in Dunedin was started by another Melbourne man. No doubt, in spite of all this, the old settlers have made a good thing out of the rush. If they are at all like their old Superintendant, a Mr. Macandrew, they must be knowing fellows. He was arrested on a charge of using a portion of the public funds for himself. Acting on powers delegated to him by the Provincial Council, he immediately declared his own residence, Carisbrook House, a public gaol, and, in the capacity of Visiting Justice, ordered his own removal to it.
Dunedin had a Club, a Mechanics' Institute, as well as a Young Men's Christian Association, and some shops. At its north-east end is a large mill. The miller preferred Canterbury, and more especially Tasmanian, wheat to the generality grown in Otago, which had too much husk, in consequence of the dampness of the climate. Formerly the Scotch farmers here had to be coaxed to sell their wheat; but now they come to the miller, and seem anxious to dispose of it.
Many of my old shipmates, either sailors or second cabin passengers, were in Otago. One of the latter had turned bullock-driver; whilst another was a
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shoe-black in the streets, and others were engaged in various lowly trades.
In the course of the afternoon of Saturday, the 4th, the Prince Alfred, with the homeward mails, left Port Chalmers for the northern ports. Aided by a good southerly wind, we made a fair run; but the weather was cold, in consequence of the direction of the wind. My warm Hobart Town opossum-rug was most valuable on this occasion.
In the afternoon of Sunday we anchored again in Lyttleton Harbour, exactly seven days from the time we last dropped anchor there.
In the evening there was service in the pretty church at Lyttleton. I believe it is the only one in the province built of stone.
As we were not to start again till the evening of the Tuesday, further time to renew a former acquaintance with the Province of Canterbury was afforded; but as, contrary to my expectations, I spent some months there at a later date, I shall defer my further remarks for the present.
On Tuesday evening, the 7th, having, taken on board the Canterbury homeward mails, we proceeded towards Wellington, which we reached the next day at 5 p.m. It is about 170 miles from Lyttleton. Rather unexpectedly, and to my great pleasure, I recognised an old college friend from Trinity, Cambridge. These meetings are especially pleasant in a strange land.
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Minifie's "Queen's Hotel" was extremely comfortable after the Dunedin and Nelson establishments. As there was a brig soon going to the Hawke's Bay district on the east coast, I engaged my passage in it (fare 70s.). The accommodation was to be superior to that of any steamer on the line.
As she did not sail immediately, I took a ride with a friend to view some inland scenery. We passed over Thorndon Flat, and about two or three miles along the road to the Hutt, when we ascended a very steep road up a ravine; and after some distance over the tops of the hills, and passing along another road made through a forest, we came to the Ohariu Valley. Nothing now was presented to our view but one endless forest. The various hues of green were very pretty, but the most charming effect was caused by the rata-blossom. The rata-tree is a parasite, which twines round another tree, and thus killing it, actually takes its place, and becomes a fine large tree itself. The blossom, of a deep red, is most luxuriant, covering the foliage as the white blossoms of the horse-chestnut do at home. The effect certainly is very fine. The New Zealand bush is extremely dense and intricate, not only from the rich undergrowth, but also from the supple jacks, or long rope-like creepers, which hang from the high branches of trees where their roots are situated. The various ferns and large fern-trees
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are very beautifully interspersed about in it. I saw several birds named the Tooi; they are black, about the size of a starling, and are sometimes called Parson-birds, as they have two white feathers like clergyman's bands in front of them. Captain Cook heard birds singing like the chimes of many bells. These now are only heard far in the bush, and just before sunrise. In the whole of New Zealand there are only about eighty species of birds.
Our return ride was very pretty, as we descended to the Hutt road by a newly made way down the Ngauranga ravine. The bush on each side and above us was very fine, and the peeps of the harbour, from various points of our winding road, produced a pleasing contrast.
At half-past four on the 11th the brig "Burnett" weighed anchor. As soon as we had passed the Lighthouse at the entrance of Port Nicholson, we ran under close-reefed topsails, as a fresh gale was blowing; steering S.E., we soon passed the entrance of Palliser Bay, and doubled the cape of the same name, when our course lay N.E. Both places were so called by Captain Cook, after one of his early patrons. About 100 miles from Port Nicholson, we passed Castle Point; and forty miles further we came to a headland, called Cape Turnagain by Cook, because, in his voyage down the coast, he here turned round and went up again. Very nearly the whole way the coast appeared to be generally high
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and rocky. The last headland we passed previous to reaching Napier, the Port of Hawke's Bay, was Kidnapper's Point, named by Cook because here some of the Aborigines endeavoured to take away from his ship a native lad he had with him. We anchored off Napier at 7 p.m. on the 13th, our 61st hour out. The whole distance from Wellington is 210 miles. A walk of a mile brought me to the town, where I lodged at the "Masonic," a very decent hotel. Mr. Gill, the landlord, was very civil. The charge for board and lodging by the week was 35s. The town of Napier is situated on a flat below a high land (very much like Portland, in Dorsetshire), which is called Scinde, and from which two shingle beaches extend on either side, like bird's wings on the stretch. In front, towards the east, is the sea; and behind are swamps and inlets of salt water. The river Ngararuro, with which the swamps are connected, runs through the south beach, and the inlet from the sea is in the north beach. Hence the high land, with its wings, virtually forms an island. On the summit of Scinde were the barracks, in which 300 of H.M. 14th Foot, under Major Douglas, were stationed. The population of Napier is 924 persons, and of the whole of the Hawke's Bay Province 2611, according to the Census of December, 1861. This Province was only separated from Wellington in the year 1858. It has now a full Provincial Government of its own, and its business is entirely pastoral. In 1858 it
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had 180,320 sheep; and in 1861, 312,459, as well as 1782 horses and 8320 cattle.
The Aborigines, of whom there are a great many in this district, belong to the Ngati-Kahungunu tribe, who extend from Cape Palliser to Turanga or Poverty Bay, where Cook first landed. 11 They were formerly famous for mat-making, but are "now known as extensive wool cultivators and flock owners." They, or some of the hapus or sub-tribes into which they are divided, own a great portion of the land near Napier.
The nearest bush to the town is about eight or ten miles off, across the Ngararuro river, and belongs to the Aborigines. The Native Lands Commissioner was most anxious to purchase it for the Europeans, and asked Hapuku, a warlike chief, who was part owner of it, what he would sell it for? "£1,000,000," was the reply. "Can you count a million?" said the Commissioner. "Can you count those trees?" was the rejoinder, to ward off an awkward question; for the Maoris, like a number of our less educated classes, are no great scholars in arithmetic.
Their origin is Malay, and they are supposed to have arrived at New Zealand, in their canoes, about the year A.D. 1419, 12 "a date corresponding with that
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of the arrival of Gipsies in Europe." Those, associated by the ties of kindred, came in the same canoe, and on landing took possession of a portion of the unoccupied land, living together as a clan or tribe. In process of time, sub-divisions of each tribe were made into "hapus," which still exist, and on the average number about eighty persons. There are now eighteen tribes. The Ngati-Kahungunu, mentioned above, is one of these, and is subdivided into forty-five hapus. The "Ariki," or Lord Chief of the tribe, was a kind of pope, king, and priest, and was always a person of the highest birth. Next to him were the Rangatiras, who also were generally estimated according to the distinction of their descent. In peace their functions were few and unimportant, except when they made harangues, and then their words were regarded as oracular. In war, however, their position was more important, and had more power. 13
As regards the tenure of the land, no individual of the tribe had the right of alienation for ever. When a conquest was made, the land so acquired was divided amongst the grades of chiefs, and the tutuas, or freemen; but the individual right thus given was only to "use and enjoy" the allotted portion. Although this right descended by inheritance, yet the tribe had a veto in any actual alienation of the property, and therefore the Land Commis-
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sioners have been often put to much trouble in obtaining a clear title to a proposed purchase. Some people have denied that this tenure exists; but at all events it has over and over again been recognized by the British Government, and in 1856 twenty-seven witnesses, out of twenty-nine examined by a Commission held in New Zealand on the subject, affirmed the fact. This tenure is no novelty. 14 "The village community in India is at once an organized patriarchal society, and an assemblage of co-proprietors. The personal relations to each other of the men who compose it are indistinguishably confounded with the proprietary rights; and to the attempts of English functionaries to separate the two may be assigned some of the most formidable miscarriages of Anglo-Indian administration. The Village Community is known to be of immense antiquity." Professor G. Smith, of Oxford, also states that, in Ireland, "the Sept land belonged not to the individual Septmen, nor to their chief, but to the Sept;" and adds, "It may be taken as a fact pretty well proved in historical philosophy, that common ownership of land preceded separate ownership in many cases, if not in all." 15 From his subsequent pages it would appear that our ignoring this
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principle or at least our want of sympathy for the so-called crotchets of those who cherished it, led to much of the evil which has marked our administration of that our first Colony.
As regards the political position of the Maori since the Treaty of Waitangi, the present Chief Justice of the Colony, Sir G. A. Arney, publicly declared as follows. "The position of the native race is a most extraordinary and anomalous one. They are practically without rights, for they have lately been pronounced to be without a remedy. After twenty years of government, they are practically beyond the protection of the laws... They do possess that one ewe lamb, their land. It is this which they love and cherish. For this they have fought and bled, and yet it is in respect of this darling object of their patriotism, their property, their all, that now the Attorney General of England is constrained to tell them that their rights can neither be recognized, ascertained, nor regulated by English laws. Their property is without the pale of the jurisdiction of the Queen's Court." 16 Such being the case--and the intelligent Maoris felt and grieved over it--many of them joined the Maori King move-
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ment. Renata, a well known chief, wrote in February 1861, that the Waikato tribe "were in doubt whether to use the term Chief or Governor, but neither suited. And then they established him as 'the Maori King.' It was tried experimentally, and put to the test as a means for redress of wrongs not settled by you, by the Government. The only wrongs you redressed were those against yourselves." The first king was Te Whero Whero, an old warrior chief of the Waikatos, who in May 1856 was raised to the regal position under the title of Potatau I. "By some" the movement "was considered an indication of a falling back of the natives into barbarism; others hailed it as an impulse which, if properly directed, would promote progressive civilization, and if injudiciously managed might engender strife; while all admitted it to be an attempt to revive the declining influence of the Maori race in the eyes of the Government." I believe that some time elapsed before the movement spread, and that even now several tribes do not belong to it.
In 1857 a serious native feud arose in the Hawke's Bay district, between two subdivisions of the Ngati Kahungunu tribe. Their chiefs names were Hapuku and Moanui, and they quarrelled first about a wrong division of purchase money, and subsequently about a personal insult. After several months of fighting, a detachment of English troops was sent to Napier, and a peace was ratified.
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Shortly after my arrival in Hawke's Bay, in company with other Europeans I attended a large meeting of chiefs of the tribe Ngati-Kahungunu at the Pa Whakeiro, about ten miles from the town of Napier. Mr. Crosbie Ward, one of the Colonial Ministers, had arrived to announce to the Runanga or native Council of Chiefs assembled at the pah, the policy of Sir George Grey. The meeting took place on the 16th of January. The Maoris received us very kindly, lending us ropes to tether our horses out, and then inviting us to dinner in one of their houses. Renata waited on us. We sat on chairs round a table, on which was placed a roast goose, and a leg of roast pork, as well as potatoes. We were duly supplied with carving knives and forks, a luxury unknown in the brig in which I sailed from Wellington. The beverage was water. I beheve that the Maoris feel so intensely the harm of spirits, that they now prevent as much as they can the admission of any intoxicating drinks into their pahs, and even fine a chief if he gets drunk. The greater number of the houses were enclosed within palisades, the main uprights of which were curiously carved with busts and tattooed heads, representations of deceased ancestors. After dinner we adjourned to another house, where a table, sofa, and some chairs were arranged. Renata placed on the table a large mahogany desk, which he unlocked and opened, setting out some writing and blotting
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paper, with pens, for Mr. Ward's use. This Chief is very friendly to the English, and pays a large annual sum to a schoolmaster to teach his people English. I have heard the highest character given him for honesty and honourable conduct, even by those Europeans who have told me they hate the sight of a Maori. I believe I am correct in saying that all the aboriginal children, and many of the adults throughout the Island, can read and write. In another room I noticed a mahogany chest of drawers, and some mattresses; and, indeed, the whole house looked substantial and comfortable.
Mr. Ward's visit was intended to sound the natives as to their desire of falling in with the Governor's intentions, which were as follows. The native portion of the North Island was to be divided into twenty districts, each having its Runanga or council; and every district was to be divided into hundreds, each of which also was to have its Runanga. The representatives for the district Runanga were to be elected by the hundred's Runanga, and must have a knowledge of English. Each district was also to have a civil commissioner, a clerk, a medical man, police officer, and five constables, and was to have the power of making such laws and regulations as might be for the social benefit of the aborigines in the district. The Governor was to exercise a power of veto or assent over all the acts of the Runanga. The Maoris also were to have magistrates, who, with
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the aid of assessors, were to hold courts to inquire into and punish all breaches of the laws in the district. The whole annual expense of this machinery was estimated at about £49,000, whereas the maintenance of a military force to overawe the Maoris would cost at least £800,000 per annum.
Renata was the chief speaker at this meeting, and it was generally admitted that the plan was good, but more time to answer fully on the various points was required. Some of these chiefs are very clever at repartee. When the 14th Foot (young recruits from Ireland) arrived, an English official warned Hapuku (I believe) that if the Taranaki war was not soon ended, the Queen would send more and more men, till the Maoris were subdued. "Well,, it is strange," said the Chief, "that the Queen, if she has so many men, sends these lads."
During my stay at Hawke's Bay, I was present at the native Church, Te Aute, during the Sunday morning service. The congregation was large, and very attentive; and the singing, though rather strange to my ears, was in good time. As we came out of Church, the Maoris were pointing to something in the road, and earnestly talking about it. It was a dray laden with wool, going down to Napier, and its appearance on Sunday much shocked their feelings.
The Hawke's Bay district is hilly, though now and then a plain intervenes. The Ruataniwha Plains,
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containing about 100,000 acres, form fine sheep runs. The Maoris own a large part of the land in the Province, and until they sell more there will be but little for fresh settlers to possess. The sea beach was strewed with pumice stone.
On the lst of February, I left Napier for Wellington, and thence to Canterbury; but on the 24th I was again in Wellington, en route for the Northern Ports. Crossing Cook's Straits in the Airedale steamer the same night, we entered Queen Charlotte's Sound, in the Province of Marlborough. The scenery in the early morning was lovely; and the view from Picton, where we anchored, was quite lake-like. This town is the capital of Marlborough, and a road from it leads into the Wairau Valley, already referred to (p. 148). The population of this town is 752, and of the whole Province 2299, persons. The natives here sold us about 30 or 40 large ripe peaches for 1s.
At 9 p.m. we were again at Nelson, having run through the French Pass.
The Church Synod was now bringing its session here to a close. Amongst those present were the Bishops of New Zealand, Nelson, Christchurch, Wellington, Waiapu, and the Melanesian Isles. The first-named, and the last two, accompanied us in the Airedale to Auckland. Their names were Drs. Selwyn, Williams, and Patteson.
The Manager of the Mechanics' Institute kindly
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allowed me to use the Reading-room, and drew my attention to the note on Tasman's Chart, as given in Harris's Voyages, suggesting a probability of gold being found in Australia at some future day.
The fruit was generally ripe now, and I can testify to the goodness of Nelson apples.
In the evening of the 27th we left Nelson, steering north, and the next evening we were off Taranaki, or New Plymouth. The weather was hazy, so we merely saw the foot of Mount Egmont, which is a little to the south of the town. As we came up the coast, we saw the Omata Stockade, a name permanently associated with the Taranaki war. There is no harbour, but only an open roadstead near the town; and as a heavy rolling sea from the north-west was running in, we lay off and on all night. The next morning we were able to anchor, but could not discharge any cargo; though passengers were able to get on board, amongst whom were the Chief Justice, and Majors Murray and Nelson, both men of celebrity in the late war. We landed several of the Taranaki refugees, who during the fighting had been sent to Nelson, and were now returning to their desolated homes. One or two were women with large families, and, I believe, had spent the night with their children on the poop. I was much struck with the extreme kindness of Bishop Selwyn and his co-prelates, in helping these poor sea-sick people to
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roll up their beds and mattrasses, and get together their various traps previous to leaving the vessel.
As soon as all the passengers and mails were on deck, we left for the Manukau Harbour, nearly 200 miles north of Taranaki. On the following day, Simday, we had a most excellent sermon from Bishop Selwyn. The service was attended by all the passengers, some of whom, too, were not Churchmen.
We entered the Manukau Harbour in the afternoon, but first had to cross a bar. Two men were lashed to the wheel, the skylights and ports were shut, all ladies sent below, and the gentlemen mounted on the bridge. One or two of the breaking rollers seemed inclined to poop us; but we passed in safely, being directed to the best channel by signals from the shore. It was dark when we landed at Onehunga, the small town on the Harbour, and we had six miles to go to reach Auckland. We ought to have brought the English mails, but through the Peninsular and Oriental Steamer breaking down, the whole of Australasia was deprived of its monthly mail. We reached the city of Auckland about nine o'clock, and I stopped at the Masonic Hotel.
Previous to my leaving Hawke's Bay, I had purposed to go overland, or to sail in a schooner round the East Cape, to the Harbour of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty; but my plans not suiting, I now
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made inquiries about proceeding thither down the east coast from Auckland; for inland, a short distance from Tauranga, are the noted boiling lakes and springs of Rotomahana and Rotorua. There are terraces of basins, with water in them of different temperature. In one food, may be cooked; whilst in another, a person may bathe. In the neighbourhood also there are Liliputian mud volcanoes, with cones from half a foot to six feet high, having craters full of bubbling, spluttering, hot mud. In the Bay of Plenty is White Island, which has near its centre a boiling spring, 100 yards in circumference, from which the steam rises like a white cloud. Around the edges of this boiling spring there are many geysers, expelling steam with such violence that stones pitched into their vortices are shot up into the air. Half a mile from this White Island, the sea is 12,000 feet deep. In the centre of the North Island is the lake Taupo, in which changes from heat and chemical action are now going on. A little to the south of it is Tongariro, an active volcano, rising upwards of 6000 feet; and one of the Peaks of Ruapahu, which is 9000 feet high. Mount Egmont, near Taranaki, is upwards of 8000 feet. 17
On the day after I reached Auckland, I found that the Henri, a schooner owned and manned by Maoris, was going to Canterbury with timber, and
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would call in at Tauranga. I engaged my passage in it; but my plans interfering, I was obliged to give up the idea of seeing some of the greatest wonders in the world.
Auckland is now the largest and best built town in New Zealand, and no doubt its position as metropolis has given it this great impetus. The chief trade of the Province is potatoes, kauri wood, and kauri gum. This timber is a pine, which grows to immense size, and the cutting up of it gives employment to a great many mills. On the North Road I visited Henderson's Steam Mills, which are situated on a mountain stream. The felled trees are dragged to this stream, and when the next fresh comes, are washed down to a dam at the Mills, near the Harbour, where they are cut up and transhipped.
On the second night we had a fearful gale from the eastward; many vessels drove from their moorings in the Harbour, and three or four sloops or schooners were dashed to pieces against the Queen Street Pier.
Around Auckland are about thirty extinct volcanoes. From one of these, called Mount Eden, I had a fine view. On the west coast the Manukau Harbour was plainly visible; whilst to the east lay the Auckland Harbour, with the Barrier Islands, and Coromandel Coast lying beyond. This latter, subsequent to my visit, was purchased by the Government from the natives, and has been worked
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for gold, and I believe is now affording a good return to the industrious. To the north lay extensive forests, and to the south I could see forests and hills as far as my eye could reach; interspersed, however, with farms and houses, surrounded with various signs of cultivation. At this time, the military were being employed by Sir G. Grey in making a good road from the city to the Waikato river. The total population in the whole Province of Auckland, in December, 1861, was 24,420; and in the City and Port, 7989. There are also a great number of natives who have several schooners, sloops, and canoes, and carry on a brisk trade along the coast in fruit, vegetables, wood, live stock, fish, oysters, wheat, straw, and gum. 18 By the last Census papers, it appears that more land is under cultivation in this province than in any other; and the acreage for potato crops here is about 3553, or nearly one-half
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of that in the whole Colony. It is by no means a pastoral province, having less than one-fourth of the number of sheep in Hawke's Bay. Towards the north of the city I saw a sportsman shooting pheasants, which have become quite numerous. They were originally brought from home. The Public Domain is far inferior to any in Australia, but still is an object of interest even to a stranger.
About four miles down the Harbour is Kohimarama, where the Melanesian Mission College is situated, which is under the personal management of the Missionary Bishop, Dr. Patteson. In the South Seas, between New Zealand and New Guinea, there are from 160 to 200 islands lying in absolute heathenism. Not less than eighty of these have been visited, and most have peculiar and distinct dialects. 19 The Bishop's plan is to bring young lads from these Islands to Auckland in the spring, and again, at the approach of winter, to take them back to their own homes, as the New Zealand climate would be too cold for them. In this way he hopes to introduce Christianity into the Islands. The position of the College on the Harbour is protected from the cold winds; and bathing, boating, and fishing, the natural occupations of the Melanesians, (i.e. Black Islanders,) are easily afforded them. The Bishop lives in the College, in two small rooms, and seems thoroughly in earnest in his work; whilst the happy
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and healthy appearance of the lads show they enjoy the place. I was allowed to question them generally on Scripture and arithmetic; and though I gave somewhat hard questions, the answers were remarkable for thought and exercise of memory. They scarcely made any foolish, random shots, as is too often the custom with white lads. Great confidence is placed in their honesty, for they are often sent in a boat alone to the city to purchase articles or to take messages, and they have never been known to steal, or act in a criminal way.
The total number of lads received from 1849 to 1860 was 195, brought from twenty-eight different Islands. Two of them spent five half-years at the CoUege.
The value of this Mission to the subject of Languages is very great. I believe the Bishop knows ten new and distinct dialects.
To the east of Kohimarama is the Frith of Thames, where Captain Cook recommended the formation of a colony. When a person visits the lakes in the interior, he can return to Auckland by canoe, paddled by Maoris, down the Thames, or down the Waikato river, 20 but the latter route was chiefly recommended to me.
The Airedale left early on Sunday, the 9th, with the homeward mails; and as the next steamer did not go for a month, I was obliged to leave in her.
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Next morning we were off Taranaki, and the sea was calm. Some of us landed at once. We were taken ashore in a huge boat, which on approaching the land was steadied by a surf line running through the bow and stem, fastened to the shore, and also to a mooring some distance off.
After breakfast at the Hotel, three of us rode on horseback to the front of the Lines, to the north of Taranaki. Shortly after leaving the town we saw several men at work on the roads. These, we were informed, were some of those whom the desolations of war had deprived of their homes and cultivated grounds. They however seemed to be in good spirits, and a few, more witty than wise, shouted "Joe" after us; but as we knew the meaning of this joke, they did not get a rise out of us.
Passing over a bridge, and near a pah of friendly natives (I believe Katatore was killed near this spot), we soon came to the Bell Block Stockade, where troops still were stationed. It was used as a station to signal to the town during the war. Our road lay parallel with the sea coast, and at no great distance from it. To our right the land was higher, and was bounded by bush. We waded two small rivers, and then passed the Mahoetai Stockade on our right hand, bearing down towards the mouth of the Waitara river. From the whole appearance of the country we had been through, its ups and downs, and its being bounded by the bush and sea, with
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rivers in ravines running between, forming covered ways, I should have thought it a very bad place for troops to be manoeuvred in. Striking up the south band of the Waitara, we reached the sap made under the orders of Sir Thomas Pratt. It ran more or less parallel with the course of the river, up an incline (a natural glacis) to the Great Pah, which caused so much trouble to our troops. This pah was situated on a height flanked to the south by bush, and towards the north by the precipitous bank of the river, which dashed along at a great depth below. Behind the pah there was also a very dense forest. Into this two of us penetrated, and were struck with the beauty of the ferns, fern trees, and bushes. A great number of Maoris followed us back into the pah; and as one could talk English, we held a little conversation with him. They were very civil, and readily showed one of my companions, who was very faint, where a stream of water lay, and offered to get us some fruit from the peach groves in the neighbourhood. Here, for the first time, I witnessed the ceremony of "rubbing noses." An old woman had arrived at the pah, from the same direction as we had come, and when the other Maoris saw her, one of them ran to meet her, placed his nose against hers, and their cries of recognition continued for some time. During the war this pah was protected by rifle pits, and a ditch, as well as by a very strong palisading. From it there must have been a fine view of the sap, and of the British,
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force. In March, 1860, the war may be said to have begun, and in the following March hostilities were suspended.
I must now make a digression to give the early history of the Province of New Plymouth. My chief authorities are the mass of Blue Books and Parliamentary Papers from 1835 to 1862, and Dr. Thomson's work.
Three different tribes appear to have located themselves on the coast of this Province. The Ngatiawa, on both banks of the Waitara; the Taranaki, off Mount Egmont; and the Ngatiruanui, to the south. In the year 1834, part of the Ngatiawa tribe was absent from home, whereupon some of the Waikato natives made a descent on the district, and after a desperate fight drove many away, and reduced to slavery the residue as far as Cape Egmont, with the exception of about eighty or ninety, who entrenched themselves in the Sugar-loaf Rocks, and other similar places. About five years later Colonel Wakefield made one of his gigantic purchases in this district, of a sea-coast block sixty miles long and from fifteen to twenty miles wide. As many of the vendors were refugees at Waikenai, Otaki, and Wellington, in the North Island, and also at Queen Charlotte's Sound, in the Middle Island, a deed was obtained from them, as well as one from the Taranaki tribe, and a third from the few natives resident on the block itself. The first signature on the Queen Charlotte Sound deed was that of E. Whiti, or
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Wiremu Kingi (William King), for himself and father, and he is said to have assisted Colonel Wakefield very much in getting the other chiefs to sign. In 1841, "Christianity and other causes manumitted many of the slaves, and these men returned with joy to their fatherland." Eight hundred arrived in the September of that year, and were soon followed by more of the fugitives and manumitted slaves. They were, however, extremely surprised to find their lands parcelled out amongst strangers; but Mr. Carrington, the surveyor to the "New Plymouth" Company (an offshoot of the New Zealand Company), assured them that the settlers on their arrival would pay them in a just spirit. Even then, according to Mr. Carrington's evidence before the House of Commons, 6th June 1844, the natives denied positively that the Waitara District had been sold by them. Armed force was brought into requisition to overawe them there, but apparently without effect.
From Mr. Earp's evidence it appears that the Waikatos under Te Whero Whero (Potatau) used to make summer raids (after the old Highlander fashion), and carry off property and slaves to their own locality, the principal part of which was 200 miles from Taranaki. It is also stated by him and Mr. Carrington that Te Whero and his party were eventually compelled to retire, as the Ngatiawas returned; but as soon as the Europeans arrived, Te Whero threatened to murder the white settlers, if
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his claim to the land by conquest was not recognised; this he did, according to Mr. Earp, because he knew the "Governor to be green." The claim was satisfied for £300 in money and goods.
In 1843, Mr. Spain, a Commissioner sent out from England, inquired into Colonel Wakefield's purchases at Taranaki amongst other places. In his Report he relied only on the Deed signed by the resident natives, as he "could not for one moment" entertain any claim of the Ngatiawas who had settled about Wellington and Queen Charlotte's Sound. On that ground he declared that 60,000 acres were fairly purchased. Governor Fitzroy refused to confirm the award, and reduced the purchased area to 3500 acres. This was in 1845. About two years later (1847) Governor Grey, at the suggestion of Mr. Gladstone, tried to remedy the effects of Captain Fitzroy's decision, which had induced the absentees not only to prefer fresh claims to all the land outside the 3500 acres, but even to refuse to allow the Europeans to occupy any more. The Governor stated that he found the settlers very much straitened, and suffering from the caprice of the natives, who regarded them as in their power. The Maoris, too, seemed unable to adjust their various claims amongst themselves. Sir George Grey, however, managed to increase the block of 3500 by some considerable purchases. Shortly after, Mr. Richmond wrote to Sir George Grey from Wellington that he had met at Waikenai "a large concourse of the Ngatiawa tribe,
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including Wiremu Kingi, (William King,) and many of the most influential chiefs," and they seemed friendly to the Government; adding that, in his opinion, when the migration took place, it would be very partial, merely William King and his followers.
In 1848, several canoes and boats left Waikenai for New Plymouth, and amongst the names of the principal men are William King, Ihaia, Te Teira, and Rawiri. These, with 262 others, men, women, and children, settled at the river Waitara.
Six years later (in August 1854) a fearful act was perpetrated at New Plymouth, amongst the natives of the Puketapu hapu. Rawiri (mentioned above), out of mere revenge, offered to sell to the Commissioner a piece of land, the sale of which Katatore had previously opposed. The boundaries were to be cut; whereupon Katatore warned Rawiri not to do it; but if he did, to come to the place fully armed. The two opposing parties met, when Katatore fired one barrel in the air and another into the ground; but as Rawiri did not desist, Katatore and his party fired and killed him with some others. Mr. McLean, the Chief Native Lands Commissioner, accompanied by "William Nero," a Waikato chief, and by "Rewai te Ahu," went to the scene of the murder; and though anxious to punish the offenders, yet, from fear of its being considered a land quarrel (which would cause many tribes to support Katatore), he was prevented from doing anything. Another affray
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occurred soon after. Ihaia, one of the Puketapu hapu, shot Rimene, one of the Ngatiruanui tribe. The latter accordingly, to avenge the murder, attacked Ihaia's pah on the Waitara river, but without any very great success. On returning to their own locality south of New Plymouth, they most scrupulously avoided any encroachment on the settlement; and some property belonging to a settler, in a house close to Ihaia's pah, was carefully removed and guarded by them previous to making their attack.
About this time Major Nugent, the Native Secretary, wrote strongly against any armed interference by the Government, as the natives generally were beginning to look upon it in the light of a land question. He also spoke of William King, one of the "principal thiefs of the Waitara district," as a man who was supposed to be hostile to the Government; but whose opposition might be attributed to the "fact of several men of inferior rank being appointed Assessors over his head."
In the extract from the Minutes of the Governor's Executive Council, issued in consequence of this affray, is the following:-- "The Land Purchase Department be instructed to use great caution in entering into any negociation for the purchase of land until the views of the various claimants shall have been ascertained."
Shortly afterwards, at the request of Governor
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Wynyard, Katatore and his people gave to him the land on which Rawiri fell.
On the lst of September, 1855, Major Nugent, commanding the force at Taranaki, wrote of "William King, the principal chief of the Waitara," as being an object of great disgust to some of the settlers, who, in the Taranaki Herald, did not disguise their wish to drive him and his party from the Waitara. He further added, that their tribe exported produce that year to the amount of nearly £9000, the greater part of the proceeds of which was spent in British manufactured goods . . . . and he could not answer for the continuance of the tranquillity between the races as long as such inflammatory articles were published in the newspapers, in which people of much local influence did not disguise their wishes to seize upon the lands of the natives. . . . . Many
of the natives of this place could read and understand English, and the articles in the paper were freely commented on by them.
Rawiri's party, now represented by Ihaia, began to be regarded in the Settlement as the friendly, and Katatore's, with whom William King joined, as the hostile party. Governor Gore Brown, towards the end of September, 1855, reiterated the charge against the Newspaper correspondents, and declared his determination not "to permit the purchase of lands until the owners were united in desiring to sell them, and had agreed upon the terms."
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In the same month the Rev. J. F. Riemenschneider wrote to Mr. McLean, describing his interview with the Taranakis, and speaking of William King with contempt; but acknowledging that those natives regarded this chief as the "Head Chief of all Waitara, on both sides of it."
Frequently Governor Gore Brown, and, quite lately. Governor Grey, in their despatches, mentioned the frauds and tricks played off against the Maoris by unprincipled Europeans; and also of the open and ill concealed aversion the white man too often had for the brown-skinned. Still, however, it is pleasant to think that this character is not applicable to all Europeans, a large number of whom would certainly scorn such an idea. The safety with which white men, as Mr. Dillon Bell told me, can travel about amongst the Maoris, shows that there must be much good feeling between the races. In October, 1856, the Governor lamented the decrease of fervour amongst the Christian Maoris, probably in consequence of their increased intercourse with low-minded Europeans.
In January, 1858, Ihaia, one of the friendly natives, treacherously murdered Katatore, whereupon William King immediately took measures for revenge, and threatened to burn Ihaia, if he caught him.
In March, 1859, Governor Gore Brown went to Taranaki, and found the settlers ill pleased with the
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Maoris, who though they possessed large tracts of land which they could not occupy, refused to sell any portion of it. 21 Te Teira, a chief of the Waitara, stated "he was anxious to sell land belonging to him; that he had heard with satisfaction the declaration of the Governor referring to individual claims, and the assurance of protection that would be afforded by His Excellency." He then made a formal offer of sale, and Mr. McLean advised the Governor to accept it, and proceed with the purchase of the block, because it appeared to him that Te Teira (Taylor) had an unquestionable title. Accordingly, the Governor accepted the offer. William King thereupon said: "I will not permit the sale of Waitara to the Europeans. Waitara is in my hands; I will not give it up--I will not--I will not--I will not." Having thus announced his ownership in the Maoris' most emphatic manner, he withdrew. Mr. McLean was then ordered to investigate Taylor's title. Having left instructions with Mr. Parris, the District Commissioner, to carry on inquiries in the district, he himself went to Queen Charlotte's Sound, to Wellington, and thence to Hawke's Bay; he however did not make any inquiries at Waikenai or Otaki. The whole actual investigation lasted over six months.
In July, the fourth month after Taylor's offer was accepted, Mr. Thomas Smith, Native Secretary, thus
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wrote to that Chief:-- "The Governor has agreed to take the land; be under no apprehension, therefore --the Governor's word will be kept, although the matter may not be arranged in a day; the Governor still keeps it in mind, he will neither forget nor alter."
The great difficulty in arriving at the true reason of the war is, that nothing worthy of being called a Report by the investigators of the title has been laid before the Government. There is one, but only of two pages, from Mr. Parris to Mr. McLean, dated July 16th, 1860, more than a quarter of a year after war had been declared, and nearly eight months after the first instalment of £100 had been paid to Taylor.
The only conclusions that I can arrive at from the carefal perusal of these papers is:--
1. That for many years the Waitara block has been most tenaciously held by the natives, especially by the principal chief William King.
2. That the settlers have been equally anxious to obtain it, and many of them have exasperated the Maoris by threats of acquisition.
3. That William King was an object of aversion to the settlers; which was well known to him.
4. That, considering that the purchaser's agents were also the investigators of the vendor's title, and were frequently urged on by the Government to hasten the completion of the sale, we cannot but suppose (in the absence of a full Report to guide us to a contrary opinion), that the fallible partiality of those agents is more than a mere probability.
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5. That the investigation was not complete.
6. That it was regarded as a good opportunity to strike a decisive blow at the root of the feuds which had been raging in the district. The Governor himself never thought W. King would "venture to resort to violence to maintain his assumed right." 22
The survey of the block, January 25th, 1860, was opposed by William King, but without violence, and in February martial law was declared. Attempts were made to induce that Chief to join the King movement; but he for some time refused. On the 27th of March, the Taranaki and the Ngatiruanui, from the south, savagely murdered three settlers and two boys. (See pages 140 and 195.) "They had no intention of joining W. King, who declared that he would not make war on the unarmed people." Such was the commencement of this war, which lasted for a year, disgracing our arms, and introducing distrust and excitement amongst the Maoris.
On our way back to the town of New Plymouth, we had a fine view of the grand snow-streaked peak of Mount Egmont, rising like a cone above the undulatory country of Taranaki. Later we paid a visit to the churchyard, and there the graves of soldiers and sailors again reminded us of the
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scenes which had been so lately enacted near this very spot. On a hill above was a barrack and stockade, from which, by the aid of a soldier's telescope, we could see the Bell Block Stockade to the north, and the locality of the Omata and the Waireka to the south. The dust caused by a fresh wind prevented us from seeing further.
The mode in which the Maoris supplied themselves with fresh ammunition was very ingenious. When they had expended their bullets and caps, they used pellets of puriri (a very hard wood), and pressing together the sides of their old caps, they lined them with the detonating ends of lucifer matches. A Brigadier, who was engaged in the war, told me that the manner in which the Maoris took up their military positions was very remarkable. In every case they were such as officers most experienced in the science of war would have selected.
Towards evening the Blue Peter at the fore warned us to be returning to the vessel. We were carried on men's backs through the surf to a huge boat, which was then pushed into deep water, and pulled away from the beach by means of the surf-line, arranged as when we came ashore. I carried off with me some of the Taranaki iron-sand which covers the sea-shore. From it I believe the best steel in the world is made. A bowl of it, and some knives, &c., made from it by Messrs. Moseley, of
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King street, Covent Garden, were prominent objects in the New Zealand Court at the International Exhibition of 1862.
As we steamed southwards from our anchorage, we passed between the Sugar Loaf Rocks, to which some of the Maoris escaped, when driven from the Waitara by the Waikatos.
Next afternoon we reached Nelson. The Lord Ashley steamer from the south, bound for Sydney with the homeward mail, was alongside the wharf, and the mails from Auckland and Taranaki were transferred to her. In consequence of both steamers being in at the same time, there was great dijfficulty in getting lodging-room in the Inns, and the Club was quite crowded.
In the evening there was a Concert in the Provincial Council Hall. It was very well attended by a most enthusiastic audience, who seemed thoroughly to appreciate the skill of their own local musicians.
It is quite surprising to notice the energy 23 displayed by the tradespeople in some of these New Zealand towns, which to us at home, or to people in Australia, appear to be very little more than large villages. I made several purchases of necessaries in Nelson, and the articles were both good, and their prices not exorbitant. Nelson seems to be actually
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the Port for Taranaki, as insurances for sailing vessels direct from England to that Province are high, in consequence of the dangers incident to an open roadstead.
The climate of Nelson is, on the whole, warm; but, as an old settler told me, in winter there is sometimes 70 deg. difference of temperature between the mid-day when the sun is out, and the evening at sunset. The dryness of the atmosphere, however, prevents this change from being injurious to the health. Close to the town there are vineyards and hop gardens. I saw the people hard at work in the latter; and Mr. Dillon Bell's high recommendation to me of Frank's grapes was not at all exaggerated, as some friends of mine at Wellington can also bear witness.
At this time, the tramway, from the wharf, through the town, to the summit of the Dun Mountain, was completed; and loads of chrome ore were daily brought down. It is believed that this important mineral will be found in large quantities, and will prove a great means of wealth to the Province.
At daylight of the 14th (of March) we left Nelson, and running through the French Pass, arrived at Wellington at eight in the evening.
In consequence of the Trent affair, war with America had been apprehended, and the Commodore had ordered all the vessels of war but one to
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Sydney. That one was at Auckland; but as it was not to leave the Port, Sir George Grey, who had intended to go in it down the east coast to Napier, and thence to Wellington, was obliged to give up his visit for the present. The people, however, at the latter place, imagined that Sir George might arrive in our steamer, the Airedale; and, as we entered the Harbour, a brig coming out hailed us, "Sir George Grey on board?" Our brief answer was, "No." As we steamed up the Harbour (it was now evening) we kept burning blue lights, wishing, if possible, to make the worthy citizens imagine his Excellency to be on board. We came to anchorage, and soon reached the landing-steps in watermen's boats. A great number of people had collected to see the arrivals by the moonlight; and as we had some military officers amongst us, carrying their swords with them, some of the people were not quite satisfied that after all his Excellency was not coming. Next day, we saw the faded remains of triumphal arches; and then, as all hope for the present of their being needed was dispelled by our arrival, they were soon removed.
On the morning of the 16th, Sunday, a brig arrived from Sydney, bringing the melancholy news of the death of the Prince Consort. The feeling throughout the town was one of deep sympathy for Her Majesty, and regret at the loss of one so valued, both for his public and private virtues.
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The following day, I intended to make an excursion on horseback up the west coast. Both on account of the scenery there, and also for another reason, I was anxious to make this tour. When I first arrived at Wellington, the following story was related to me as showing the character of Archdeacon Hadfield. "He," said my informant, "was driving out of the Maori village of Otaki one day, and met an aboriginal going in. 'Where are you going?' said the Archdeacon. 'I am going to attend a summons.' 'I advise you not to trouble yourself about that. Don't attend a summons.' Thereupon the Maori tore up the summons, and from that time the Aborigines would not attend any." To allow judgment by default is not uncommon in England, and is sometimes recommended by lawyers, and therefore I thought this was not exactly criminal; but still it would, under the circumstances, be extremely wrong and foolish, and I made inquiries about its truth when I returned to Wellington. The real case, in a few words, was this:-- The Archdeacon met a Maori hastening into Otaki to take out a summons, and he, in his proper capacity as a man of peace, recommended him to be less anxious to enter into litigation, but to show forth the great Christian virtue of forgiveness; and he was successful in reconciling the parties at variance.
One or two more equally absurd tales about the
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Archdeacon were told me; but there was on the very face of them such an absurd ingenuity of perversion of facts, that after a little cross examination, my informant, who thoroughly beheved his stories, was obliged to acknowledge that he had no case against the Archdeacon.
All this arose from Mr. Hadfield protesting strongly and impetuously against the war policy of the Government of Colonel Browne. He had merely incurred one of the frequent consequences of the British subject's right of liberty of speech, viz., hatred. I was, indeed, extremely anxious to see this man, who had been accused of such enormities, and on whose shoulders many persons, both in the Government and in private life, had from time to time tried to heap the responsibility of the origin of the war.
Leaving Wellington by the Hutt Road, I turned into the Ngauranga Road (mentioned p. 170), which is partly cut out of the rocky sides of a ravine, through a forest. Having reached the top, I then began a long descent through a somewhat thinly inhabited country, till I reached the Porirua Harbour, where Sir George Grey, in July 1846, cunningly got possession of the person of Rauparaha, who with Rangihaeta was the leader of the Wairau conflict (see p. 148 ante). The latter chief had been carrying war into the Hutt valley, where a settler was murdered and others plundered. Rauparaha did not join out-
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wardly in this foray; but for fear he might be troublesome, he was seized by orders of the Governor, and it was determined to carry the war into Rangihaeta's own country. Immediately after the Wairau conflict in 1843, William King, who then resided at Waikenai, about forty miles from Wellington, at the suggestion and under the advice of Archdeacon Hadfield, with 1000 loyal men protected that British settlement against Rauparaha and Rangihaeta, who threatened to plunder and destroy it. For this the Governor gave public thanks to the Archdeacon. Again, at this time, in 1846, William King, though a near relation of Rangihaeta, assisted Sir George Grey, and was mainly instrumental in driving that Maori chief from the bush near Porirua.
Riding round this inlet of salt water for some miles, partly on a sandy beach and partly on a made road, and passing in one or two places a Maori pah, I reached the Horokiwi Valley, up which Sir George Grey's forces, European and Aboriginal, had pursued Rangihaeta. Following up the road subsequently made by orders of that Governor, as it wound along a gradual ascent through the densely wooded ravine, I reached the summit, not far from where Rangihaeta made his last stand. My ride for the last two hours had been entirely by moonlight, and the shades amongst the high trees above me were very remarkable.
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The summit of the pass overhangs the sea at a great height, and from there, on a clear day. Mount Egmont in the north, and the Kaikoras in the south, can be seen. Soon there was a descent of about two miles, cut out of the side of another tortuous wooded ravine, and at ten o'clock I reached Deighton's Accommodation House. The next morning, my course lay along the sandy sea-beach. Ten miles off was the river Waikenai, which was easily fordable at low tide, and I hastened on, as the tide was coming in. On my left hand was the Island of Kapiti; whilst to my right was high land, receding from the sea. Some Maoris were fishing in a large canoe; and a great number on horseback, both men and women, were returning from the ceremony of hoisting the King Flag at Otaki. Some of them I recognized and shook hands with; but they could not speak much English. "Steamer in?" Yes. "Governor Grey come?" No. "What news?" Fear of war with America. They caught at the word "war;" and as I could not make them understand me, I did not wish to mislead them, and therefore adding, "No war," left them, shaking hands and nodding adieus. Except for their colour and tattoeing, I should have thought the men were English from their size and look. The Maori women are not at all handsome, and the black mark with which they stain their lips has a very ugly appearance.
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"Just in time," said the punt keeper, when I reached the river Waikenai; "for the mail man has just been able to ford it, and the water is rising." And indeed I found it so, for I was almost kneeling on my saddle to keep myself from being wetted. About ten miles further along the sea shore was Otaki.
I believe the overland mail from Wellington to Wanganui, which is about fifty miles north of Otaki, is carried weekly by Maoris; who, I am told, are also the postal contractors between the two places. An overland mail also goes from Wellington to Napier (about 230 miles), and from Napier to Auckland, via Lake Taupo (upwards of 300 miles), fortnightly, by means of Maori postmen.
I had two more rivers to ford before reaching the village of Otaki. A stoutish horseman was waiting on the opposite side of the last river, and as I landed rode up to me, and in good English saluting me, expressed his regret at the non-arrival of Mr. Dillon Bell, one of the Ministers of the Colony. This was Rauparaha Tamihana, son of the above-mentioned Rauparaha. He lives at Otaki, quite in English style, and he was good enough to point out the houses of the chief people.
I called on Archdeacon Hadfield, when I saw quite a different person to what I had expected. He was a quiet gentlemanly man, and apparently in delicate health; but one whose energy was evident,
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even in the way he proffered his open-hearted hospitality. I see that Colonel Browne's brother, the Norrisian Professor at Cambridge, speaks of the very high esteem in which this worthy missionary of twenty-eight years' standing in New Zealand was held by the Governor. And in the Report of 1844 on New Zealand, p. 185, the brother of the late Sir William Molesworth speaks especially in favour of Mr. Hadfield.
In the course of the day I paid a visit to the King Flag Staff. It was nothing remarkable, being an ordinary pole within an inclosure, with a carved tattoed figure below it, which I offered to buy, but the Maoris were unwilling to sell it. A curious circumstance is that it is situated at the Roman Catholic end of the village, and not far from their chapel. An Innkeeper, who was present at the ceremony of the hoisting of the flag, said that Roman Catholic prayers were offered on the occasion. Now the priests in New Zealand are French, and probably there may be good grounds for supposing that they being not at all sorry to aid their own power, would only too gladly encourage an outbreak in one of our Colonies. (See p. 142 ante.) During the late war, a French transport was for some months in Wellington Harbour. No shore boats were allowed to approach it; but very early in the morning (as I learned from a resident in the place), frequently Maori canoes were seen leaving its side, very
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probably with supplies of powder and ammunition. By the last mail it appears that the Maoris who oppose the English rule, are in some cases thinking of adopting the Roman Catholic religion for political purposes.
The church at Otaki is large, and handsomely carved inside, the design and work, I believe, of the Maoris themselves. There were many signs of cultivation around, and there are several flour mills in the neighbourhood.
The next day I returned to Deighton's, and on the following afternoon I reached Wellington. 24
On Saturday the 22nd, the Louis and Miriam brig was to sail for Canterbury. I took my passage in her, but we did not get out of harbour till early the next morning, and reached Lyttleton on the Wednesday following, being delayed by head and baffling winds.
Amongst my fellow passengers was a woman, who with her husband had been twenty years in New Zealand, and had not made a fortune. Poor creature, if she had only worked as hard with her hands as she did now with her tongue, she would have been
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a Croesus soon. Her volubility in abuse of the unfortunate Maoris, of the late and present Governors, and of the Missionaries, as well as many other persons, was most remarkable. Her rhetorical display, however, helped to relieve the monotony.
Our Captain told us that he was once engaged in that very brig to take some French Priests and Sisters of Charity to one of the South Sea Islands. When they reached the place, the Wesleyans on shore persuaded the natives not to allow the French Missionaries to land. Accordingly the brig sailed away to the chief island of the group, where the King was, and appealed to the protection of a French vessel of war at anchor there. The Commander of this ship threatened to blow the King's town about his shoulders, if he did not at once take the French Missionaries, at his own expense, to the other island, build them houses and a church, and give them land, with all the same privileges as the Wesleyans enjoyed. In such effective manner the French do their business.
Our last night out, when it was quite dark, we were much amused at watching the porpoises swimming round the vessel. We could see their forms very distinctly in consequence of the phosphorescence emitted as they stirred up the water.
Once more, having surmounted the disagreeable Port Hills, I was glad to find myself in Christchurch; but my rest was of a brief duration, in consequence
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of an arrangement I had made to accompany a friend who was scouring the country for a sheep run.
We heard of one for sale in Otago, and on the 4th of April left Lyttleton in the Geelong paddle steamer for Oamaru, a port a few miles from the southern boundary of Canterbury. We touched at Akaroa, in Banks Peninsula; and thence ran for Timaru, on the S.E. coast of Canterbury, off which we anchored in the afternoon of Saturday, the 6th of April. As the sea was rolling in grandly from the south-east, and breaking very heavily on the shore, no boat could come off. Having forty tons of cargo to discharge, we had to wait and hope for the best. In the course of the evening, as we were rolling fearfully, a heavy sea broke over us, carried away the port gangway, a large cask, a box of small pigs, and very nearly a horse too. Getting up steam as fast as we could, we shipped our anchor, and ran further out to sea, when we anchored again. Sunday's morn and night left us in the same plight; but on Monday a so-called life-boat approached us, and took off our passengers and mails, but no cargo could be landed. Steering south, we came to Oamaru, in Lat. 45 deg. 10' about; and this being a little more sheltered, we landed with the aid of a surf line, in one of the ordinary shore boats, and proceeded to Baker's Hotel, a very clean and respectable place. Even here I met a fellow collegian, a Trinity man.
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My friend and myself were going in a westerly direction to see a run which we heard was 150 miles distant. Having hired horses, we set off the next afternoon. Leaving Oamaru, we passed over a well built stone bridge, the only one I remember to have seen in New Zealand. We rode along the sea coast till we came to a Mr. Filleul's run, when our course lay up the bed of the Waitangi, in which formidable river a fine young man, who had supped with us the night before, was subsequently drowned in getting bullocks across.
About eight in the evening we reached an accommodation house forty-five miles from Oamaru, kept by a man named Christian. The last part of our journey was accomplished in a drizzly rain; which made the night so dark, that we could scarcely keep on the track. Often and often did we cooee, 25 as we slowly groped our way, anxiously longing for some friendly voice or light to aid us. In the house were several bullock drivers, who had taken down bales of wool to Oamaru, and were now on their return with their drays, either empty, or laden with stores for the winter. We however had a room to ourselves.
The next day the hills on either side of the river were higher, and approached nearer to its banks. Sometimes our track lay quite close to it. We passed two shepherds' huts, which had been turned
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into accommodation houses; one was kept by a man named Geddes, who sold the lignite, which he got from a neighbouring hill, for fuel, as wood was scarce up the river. When the sun was down, we still had several miles to go, and to our great horror we seemed to be drawing nearer and nearer to the river Ahuriri. We fancied we should have to cross it in the dark, but our track now lay up a gorge alongside the foaming torrent, and right glad we were soon to see a light. It was the hospitable station of Messrs. ------, ninety miles from Oamaru.
The fact of our being homeless strangers was enough, and the best the house contained was at our disposal. One of the partners in this sheep station was a third Trinity boating man, and a university oar, some time ago. Another Trinity man was staying with him. We accordingly felt quite at home.
The run we were seeking was sixty miles further in amongst the hills, between Lakes Hawea and Wanaka, and the Pass to it was always snowed up during the winter, so we determined not to go any further. We however staid three days at this station. There were some very fine ducks, or rather geese, about here, called Paradise Ducks (Putangi-tangi), and though shy birds, we managed to shoot some of them.
On returning, wo took our journey more easily, and stopped at two sheep-stations on the way, instead of
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at the accommodation houses. We saw plenty of snow on the high hills, and towards evening the air was very cold. The whole aspect of the country was extremely wild. Scarcely anything was visible but the sky, grass, rocks and water.
The Waitangi, like most New Zealand rivers, is a vast mountain torrent, which rises suddenly after a warm rain in the high ranges. The Maoris get down the stream in catamarans, called Mokihis, made of bundles of flax sticks, which are very buoyant, and these they guide over the rapids with great skill.
We were soon on board the Geelong again, touched off Timaru, and thence made for Akaroa Harbour, in the south of Banks Peninsula. We entered a very rocky-bound inlet, up which we proceeded till we came to the pretty settlement of Akaroa. In 1838, the master of a French whaler purchased from the natives here 30,000 acres. Two years later. Governor Hobson proclaimed the Queen's sovereignty over the Middle Island; and shortly afterwards, a French emigrant ship, under the escort of a frigate, arrived, and fifty-seven settlers were landed. This timely Proclamation prevented the French from claiming the South Island, and the news reached Europe just as 500 more settlers were leaving France for Akaroa. The whole of Banks Peninsula is extremely hilly, but the genial climate caused by the shelter this high land affords, has
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enabled the old French settlers in Akaroa to cultivate the growth of vines in the open air, without any artificial warmth or protection.
If Akaroa had been more accessible on the land side, no doubt, situated as it is on a fine and safe harbour, it would have been the port, and metropolis too, of the Province.
The same evening we reached Lyttleton; and a few days after, in company with another friend, we took a riding tour over the Canterbury Plains, towards the south.
These plains are about 112 miles long, and on an average twenty-four miles wide, bounded on the east by the sea and the volcanic system of Banks Peninsula, and on the west by a range of mountains forming a volcanic zone, and extending from the River Ashley in the north, almost to Timaru in the south.
Last year Mr. Haast, the Provincial Geologist, made a survey of part of the mountainous ranges in this Island, and from his letters, published in the "Lyttleton Times," I gather the following information:-- The ranges, of which the highest peaks are Mount Hutt and Mount Somers, form the western boundary of the plains, and project somewhat north and south, diverging from a vast backbone range, which runs in a north-east and south-west direction, and is called the Southern Alps. Mount Cook, which has an elevation of 13,200 feet, is the highest
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point of this backbone range, which stretches through the Nelson Province, to Cape Campbell. There it is broken by Cook's Straits, but in the North Island it again appears near Wellington, and extends to the East Cape, attaining its greatest elevation in the Ruahine range. These Alps belong geologically to the distant Palaeozoic period, consisting of sedimentary rocks, sandstones, slates, and conglomerates; and were probably formed from the detritus of vast mountain chains, belonging to a large continent of which all traces have disappeared. Mr. Haast has discovered twenty-four glaciers, 26 which on the whole have a direction parallel to the Backbone. The Great Tasman Glacier is one mile and three quarters broad at its terminal face, which is only about 2700 feet above the level of the sea. Mr. Haast travelled several miles over this glacier, and remarked as a curious circumstance that about four miles above its terminal face another large glacier comes towards it from an adjacent valley, but without reaching it. Following down the River Tasman, which emerges from the Great Glacier, he came, after two days of hard work, to the Lake Pukaki, which is 1746 feet above the sea; and the scenery there he regarded, but for the want of
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villas, as far superior to that of the Lago di Como or Lago Maggiore. The Lake Tekapo, which is 2468 feet above the sea, is fed by the River Godley, which emerges from the Great Godley Glacier in Mount Tyndall. The centre of this glacier's terminal face is about 3580 feet above the level of the sea. As in the case of the Great Tasman, another glacier, from a lateral gorge, approaches so close to the Great Godley, that the terminal moraine of the former comes within 120 yards of that of the latter, forming a, wall of more than two miles in extent. Lake Tekapo also receives another glacial river from the north east, called the Cass, which Mr. Haast followed up to its source in two glaciers.
Near the Great Godley Glacier is a low, snowy saddle, 27 from 7000 to 8000 feet high-- "a true Alpine pass to the west coast," and one which, though much crevassed, might, according to Mr. Haast, be crossed in a single summer's day by a mountaineer accustomed to his alpine stick. This I saddle is to the west of Mount Cook, and then the Central Range 28 again assumes its natural grandeur. Mr. Haast reached an elevation of about 8000
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feet, and from there traced the old lateral moraine of Tasman, to the end of Lake Pukaki. He supposes that at one time only the principal mountain ranges were above the level of the sea, and were covered with perpetual snow and glaciers reaching into the ocean, by which heavy detritus was brought down and stranded on the shallower places over the bottom of the ocean. The shores of these lakes, and much of the "volcanic zone" to the east of the Backbone, extending from Timaru round the westerly side of the Plains to the Hurunui, were the results of such glacial deposits.
The Tasman, Godley, and other rivers, when they emerge from the glaciers, are true shingle rivers; i.e. they meander through a straight valley, often three miles broad, without any falls, or even rapids; but when they reach the Eastern Mountains (through which they have cut deep lateral gorges with almost perpendicular walls) they rush out into the Plains with great fury. On emerging, they often pass through four, five, or six terraces, rising one above another, to a height of three hundred feet from the river bed. The fall towards the sea is about ten yards to the mile; and for about ten miles from their mouths, these rivers, like the Adige and Po, flow above the general level of the plains, and very generally through alluvium.
To the west of this Backbone Range is the sea. The coast from Jackson's Bay to Cape Farewell, a
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distance of three hundred miles, is open and exposed. To the south, however, of Jackson's Bay, there are several deep indentations, some running inwards twenty miles, and, from the depth of water, anchorage is scarcely obtainable. One of these inlets, I am told, has an entrance between rocks 3000 feet high; and Her Majesty's surveying vessel, when in this part, was obliged to be moored to a tree which was growing on a ledge, as there was no anchorage. All the rivers flowing to the east coast rise in either of the two ranges; but those which come from the Backbone are the most dangerous, for a warm nor'-wester, with rain, will at once bring down a fresh of melted snow, making the river impassable; whilst those which rise in the easterly mountains are generally affected only by the showers in the plains. Several people have been drowned in fording the former, for they are not bridged; their immense width (sometimes half or three-quarters of a mile) making that a work of very great expense, especially as the bed is composed of shifting shingle, which is supposed to extend to a great depth. There are not only geological evidences of changes of the river beds, but every fresh makes a serious alteration in the position of the main streams, so that very rarely does the ford remain constant. Old settlers say that the more they see of these rivers, the less they like them. We ourselves were detained on the south bank of
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the Rangitata, on our first ride down the Plains, from Monday to Wednesday. The river roared and boiled along with fearful fury, and a horseman tried to swim across from the opposite side. We were on a high terrace, and saw him after some time get his horse into the torrent, when in a moment both were shot down the stream several yards, and then disappeared under the water. The horse, however, soon came up, and reached the low bank. Some distance farther down we saw a black object, which we imagined to be the man's head, borne along at a dreadful rate; but to our great delight it neared the bank, and soon the whole person was visible, clambering on to the dry land. To obviate these dangers as far as possible, the Provincial Government license, at a low charge. Accommodation Houses on the banks of the river; and one of the conditions is, that the holder of the license must keep a punt, and ferry the traveller across, or on horseback show him the ford; and on the banks of the Rakaia, I believe a signal ball is now worked, to show when the river is safe to cross or not.
The first tour we took through the plains, we passed through the dry bed of one river, and swam our horses behind a punt across another; whilst the next time we forded every river, from and including the Ashley down to the Waihao, a few miles north of the Waitangi. The river Selwyn, which rises in
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the lower range, empties itself into the Lake Ellesmere, which is only separated from the sea by a boulder bank, through which every now and then the fresh water bursts out, and the lake becomes half emptied, leaving several thousand acres of land dry. A heavy sou'-easter will replace the shingle, and in time the lake is refilled, to burst out again. These operations are continually going on.
It is intended (as we have seen, p. 160, above) to make a railway through the Port Hills, from Lyttleton to Christchurch, and then it is expected that the line will be carried to Timaru (110 miles south of Christchurch), the port of the lower part of the Province, and also to the north to Kaiapoi, Rangiora, and Oxford. Timaru, which was an old whaling station, is now a settled township, having a church, a bank, and some bad inns. The clergyman attached to the district has a Parish of at least 100 miles in length, upwards of fifty miles on either side of Timaru. Around the town, and to the south of it, the land is undulatory, and the plains are very much confined. A mail and passenger cart runs twice a week now between Christchurch and Timaru, and also twice a month to the river Hurunui in the north. About this time last year, only one cart ran, and that fortnightly, to Timaru.
On the north road, and around Christchurch, there is much cultivation, though with wheat at 36s. a quarter, or 4s. 6d. a bushel, farming cannot
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be a very profitable investment. 29 Canterbury (or Port Cooper, as it used to be called) is noted for its cheese, and no doubt good dairy-farms will pay. The great mass, however, of the business in this Province is pastoral. It is a district of sheep-run-holders, amongst whom are many members of well-known English county families. The whole of the plains and downs, up to the easterly range of mountains, and even most extraordinary places in the river gorges, are taken up with sheep runs. Three or four years ago a run could be easily obtained, but now most absurd prices are asked for very inferior ones. As the system of runs is not understood in England, I must here explain it again (see page 62, &c.)
The South Island contained in 1858 only 2283 Maoris from whom the area has been bought, and who are located on reserves. Accordingly there are millions of acres for the Europeans. First of all, the Provincial Government reserved blocks for townships, and then, in Canterbury, the rest of the land has been thrown open for purchasers, or occupiers as runholders. The former pays his £2 an acre, and obtains a crown grant of the actual freehold; whilst
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the latter applies to the Land Board to take up a number of acres between two rivers, or other easily fixed boundaries, for which he obtains a license to occupy for pastoral purposes. This license gives him no ownership whatsoever in the land, but only recognises him as the sole lessee of the herbage, so that his flocks alone may pasture there; but any stranger may ride about, or, under certain regulations, drive cattle and sheep through the run. In Canterbury the runholder has a pre-emptive right over a fixed area adjoining his homestead, out-stations, and all other real improvements. As regards the rest of the run, any stranger can buy where and how he likes without giving the occupier notice.
In Otago no land can be bought unless within the boundary of some hundred as it is called. The Government of that Province proclaim hundreds as they deem necessary. The land is then offered for sale by auction, according as a request for purchase is made to the Land Board.
In Nelson, Wellington, and Hawke's Bay generally, I believe, all intending purchasers have to abide the chance of an auction. The land sections are usually put up at 10s. an acre. I do not know the regulations in Taranaki and Auckland, except that in the latter grants are made to retired military and naval men.
Canterbury, I think, has the best regulations.
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though the price of land seems high, for no runholder can bid against the poor man who wishes for a few acres; as the purchaser of a section, more than twenty acres, has only to bring his money, £2 an acre, to the Board, and the land is his. He gets a license to occupy, which he holds for a few months, until his Crown Grant has been returned from Auckland with the Governor's signature. There is an office at Christchurch in which all deeds ought to be registered, otherwise they may be invalidated. As a necessary consequence of the registration, there are no equitable mortgages in the Province.
The law officers are, the Supreme Court Judge, the Registrars, and Provincial Solicitor. I am told that good criminal and common law barristers would make fine fortunes in New Zealand.
As the whole of the known available land in this island is taken up by runholders, any new arrival must buy one of them out, or else purchase the freehold for himself. In the former case, he merely buys the goodwill for the remainder of the term of the license, i.e., till 1870, and at any time may have the land bought away from him. Near Timaru an Australian bought 10,000 acres out of a run, paying the Government £20,000, i.e., at £2 per acre, the fixed price. Last May and June about £40,000 worth of land was bought, and it was calculated that upwards of 50,000 acres would be sold by the
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end of 1862. The population of the whole province in December, 1861, amounted to 16,040, of which number 3205 were in Christchurch, and 1944 in Lyttleton. The number of sheep in Canterbury is 877,869; equal almost to those in the two next most pastoral provinces, whilst its wheat crops are about two-fifths of the whole amount grown in the two islands. In the last three years the population has increased 78 per cent., and in the last ten years 390 per cent. Oh the whole, and apart from statistics, I think its progress is most remarkable, and that, too, in a quiet way. Last July the first electric telegraph in the two islands was established between Christchurch and Lyttleton; and in a couple of years, I imagine, the the railway will be completed between the same places. The great delay is caused by the tunnel, which, when completed, will be eighteen feet in height, fifteen in width, and one and two-thirds miles long, of which about 800 yards are bored. Most of the driving is through very hard rock. This frightened away one set of contractors, and it was therefore feared that the British capitalist would decline to join in the projected loan of £300,000; but the fresh contractors have been for some time at work, and, from the flourishing land finances of the Province, the loan has not yet been required. 30
About nine miles north of Christchurch, is the
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Waimakeriri river, which is crossed near the town of Kaiapoi, by means of a floating-stage on two parallel boats; a long rope fastened to either bank passes through a btock attached to this stage, and the action of the water very materially aids the ferry-men in working the punt across. As there is only one stream here, Mr. White, an enterprising inhabitant of Kaiapoi, is building a bridge across it. Small steamers can come up to this town, as well as tf) Saltwater Creek, north of the Ashley, from both of which places wool is shipped to Lyttleton.
We crossed the Waimakeriri once about twenty miles further up, where it is divided into several shallower streams, and my companion, though only a few inches from me, sank to the girths in a quicksand. A few miles north of that spot, we came to Oxford, near which are a forest and several saw mills. About twenty miles to the east is Rangiora, another township, close to some bush. In a direct line it is not above three or four miles from Kaiapoi, but by the road, through Woodend, it is about eight miles. Great portions of this country have been bought.
Each of these townships has a church or chapel, and schools, as well as good general shops or stores. Between Woodend and Kaiapoi is one of the Native Reserves, where the Maoris are jealously guarded by the Government. They are not allowed to sell their land, and are protected from imposition in the
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sale of their timber, of which they have a large quantity; except here, and in Banks Peninsula, I do not remember to have seen Maoris in this Province.
Wages are very high in New Zealand; e.g., £50 per annum, with board and lodging, for a shepherd; and yet articles of clothing and food are not very expensive. Three of us boarded and lodged in a cottage (part of a lodging-house establishment in Cashel-street, Christchurch) for £2 2s. a week each, with a united payment of lOs. or 20s. more for the privacy of the cottage; and Messrs. Silver's cloth clothes, and the noted boots from Cookham, near Windsor, are sold everywhere at cheap rates. There are also several tailors, shoemakers, hosiers, &c., watchmakers, and members of all other necessary trades. I must add, that I paid 22s. for a new mainspring, and for the cleaning of my watch; which certainly was exorbitant. There are several livery stables, and the charge per day for a horse is 15s.; but in Hawke's Bay only 10s. Indeed, many of the charges in Canterbury are higher than those in the smaller province of Hawke's Bay.
Christchurch seemed to increase rapidly, even in the few months of my stay there; but I think the position of the town itself is low and bad. Last July we had three inches of snow on the ground, and very sloppy the place was, the ditches being filled with stagnant water; still, however, I believe
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it is not unhealthy; partly perhaps in consequence of the heavy sou'-westers, which blow through the plains with tremendous force.
The appearance of the place, eleven or twelve years ago, to the early settlers, must have been most unpromising. One gentleman told me that he had to cut his way through high fern and toot bushes to reach his section; and as wages were then very high, to save labour in clearing his ground, he tethered a sow, which soon rooted up all the incumbrances within her reach. Another told me that, as he had no carriage, he took his party to a ball at Christchurch in a bullock-dray, with a tent over it to keep them dry; now, there are several carriages and vehicles of a lighter kind more available for such purposes.
In this city there are two Church of England places of worship, as well as a Scotch and a Wesleyan Chapel. The Bishop, Dr. Harper, officiates every Sunday in some part of his wide diocese, which includes Otago and Southland. All the seats in the churches are free; and (a capital plan) pointed pieces of wood are placed at intervals on the back of the seat, making it very uncomfortable for any one to occupy more than a proper share. There are schools for the lower classes, and also a very good one for the higher. To the latter is attached a Students' or or Collegiate department, in which the subjects of study are more difficult. This educational institu-
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tion is called Christ's College, and is provided with scholarships and prizes. The head master is the Rev. H. Jacob; and the second, the Rev. G. Cotterill. A very good library is attached, and any resident in the Province may, by subscribing £1. 1s. per annum, have the privilege of borrowing four volumes at one time. Various other measures have been taken for the moral and social welfare of the people. There is a Literary Institute where lectures are given. Concerts are also held. The Bible Society has instituted an auxiliary branch; and the teetotallers have their meetings.
The Volunteer Corps is small as yet, but no doubt will form the nucleus of a good force. It was extremely loyal on the Queen's birth-day, firing a salute in honour of Her Majesty.
Christchurch seemed a luxurious place indeed to me when I returned from the country, where, on two occasions, I slept in a rough weatherboard hut, in the depth of winter. The hut was twelve feet square, divided by a partition to separate masters and servants, and having a huge sod chimney at either end, with pieces of sacking for windows. Our blankets were covered with hoar frost when we awoke in the morning; and as we washed ourselves in the open air, the towels froze in our hands.
Then it is that we can sympathize with the first settlers, and enjoy the boon of civilization. I left
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Canterbury for Sydney about the 15th of July, and in consequence of the alterations in the steamers, it was necessary for me to go via Melbourne, which was the route the mails were now sent.
NOTE.--The late Prince Consort presented some red deer, a stag and two hinds, to this Province, but only one hind survived the voyage out. As there is a stag at Wellington, no doubt in time we shall hear of deer in various parts of the Colony.
A bridge is being made over the river Heathcote, between Christchurch and the tunnel, and in their excavations the workmen discovered the bones of a Moa. In the British Museum is a fine skeleton of one of these gigantic wingless and now extinct birds, built up by Professor Owen from bones brought from New Zealand.
It is stated in the February file of the Lyttleton Times, that a spring has broken out in the tunnel, and that whitebait are found swimming in its waters.
