The Southern World [New Zealand sections only]

Robert Young

First published by Hamilton, Adams and Co. in 1854

Digitised and made available online by the University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services.

Epub © 2013 Early New Zealand Books Collection

ISBN 978-1-927288-01-6

[TITLE PAGES]

THE SOUTHERN WORLD.

[Page ii is blank]

THE SOUTHERN WORLD.

JOURNAL OF A DEPUTATION
FROM THE
WESLEYAN CONFERENCE
TO
AUSTRALIA AND POLYNESIA:
INCLUDING
NOTICES OF A VISIT TO THE GOLD FIELDS.

BY THE REV. ROBERT YOUNG.

LONDON:
HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO.:
SOLD BY JOHN MASON, 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW.
1854.

London: R. Needham, Printer, Paternoster-Bow.

[PREFACE]

PREFACE.

THE Author of the following pages having in eighteen months passed over a large portion of the globe, his remarks on the different countries visited are necessarily brief. He has described things as they appeared to him; and although interspersing his journal with several miscellaneous subjects, he has endeavoured to keep in view the object of his mission. No labour has been spared to obtain correct information on the various topics introduced: and he would here gratefully acknowledge his obligation to the Missionaries and other gentlemen, for the readiness and clearness with which they answered his numerous inquiries, and thus put him in possession of much valuable information, which he could not otherwise have obtained.

It was the Author's intention to have offered some suggestions on Emigration; but having seen that other writers have anticipated him, and furnished much suitable advice to emigrants, the only remarks which he would now venture to make on the subject are these: – If people are doing well at home, they had better be content to remain there, lest, like many he has met with, they should change for the worse. To those who think they must emigrate, he would respectfully intimate that if they are delicate, and have been tenderly brought up, they ought not to emigrate to the "diggings," unless they are

prepared to dig their own graves. Mechanics, agriculturists, labourers, and miners, are the classes best adapted to the present state of Australia; and if such parties be healthy, sober, industrious, of good principles, possessed of common sense, and willing to endure hardship and discomfort for a season, they may emigrate to any of the Australian colonies, with a reasonable hope of success.

The writer is thankful to state that the object of his mission to the Southern World has been satisfactorily accomplished, and the Wesleyan Mission churches in Australia and Polynesia have been formed into a distinct Connexion, with a Conference of its own. The important arrangement is now committed to the watchful care and guidance of Him, without whose blessing nothing is wise, or good, or strong.

London, September 23, 1854.

[CONTENTS]

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Introductory remarks – Parting scene – Sea-sickness – First Sabbath – Loss of masts – Screw entangled – Flag of distress – A leak springs – Steers for Lisbon – Arrival – Appearance of the city – Popery – Tomb of Doddridge – Anniversary of the great earthquake – Murder on board the "Melbourne" – Bullfighting – Procession of the Host – Deputation from London – Return to England..............1

CHAPTER XI.

Sailing of the "Adelaide" – Disaster – Return to Plymouth – Starts again – Gale – Cabin flooded – Ship on fire – Canary Isles – St. Vincent – No coals – Character of passengers – Crossing the Line – Boy drowned – Burial at sea – St. Helena – An execution – Visit to Napoleon's tomb – Another death – Gambling on board – Arrival at the Cape.................18

CHAPTER III.

Cape-Town – Visit to Constantia – Duel prevented – School anniversary – Departure – Gale – Another death – Alarm of fire – Albatross – Fearful gale – Passengers assist at the pumps – Religious views – Uncle Tom's Cabin – An evening party – Land in sight – Arrival in Australia.........41

CHAPTER IV.

Australia – Swan-River – Aborigines – Funeral in the wilderness – Departure – Kangaroo-Island – Arrival in South Australia – Visit to Adelaide – Departure – Hobson's Bay – Arrival in Melbourne – Visit to St. Kelda – Brighton, and Geelong – Departure – Squatters and Diggers – Arrival in Sydney..................58

CHAPTER V.

New South Wales – Sydney – Official Address – Missionary Meetings – Visit to Windsor, Richmond, and Paramatta – Snow – Sydney University – State support of Religion – A peculiar character – Legislative Council – Speaker – Visit to the University – Census Schedules..................89

CHAPTER VI.

Schools – Australian Board of Missions – Emancipated convicts – Public Library – Convict establishment – Sydney District-Meeting – Wesleyan College – More Ministers wanted – Government immigrants – Atheist reclaimed – New Constitution Bill – Speeches on the second reading – A fallen Minister imprisoned – Death-adder – Debate in the Council – New Exchange – Arrival of Missionaries from Polynesia – Dust-storm..................118

CHAPTER VII.

Embark for New Zealand – Passengers – New Zealand in sight – Tradition as to its origin – North Cape – Wangaroa – Arrival at Auckland – The Town – Wesleyan Chapel – District-Meeting – Education – Letter from the Governor – Government scheme – Members of the Mission churches – Mission property – The union of the Mission with Australia – Missionary Meeting – Mr. Whiteley's replies to sundry questions...............139

CHAPTER VIII.

Missionaries' bush costume – Long journey – Tea-meeting – Mount Eden – Visit to "Three Kings' Institution" – Sermon in the Free Church – Interview with Epiha Putini – Message to the Queen – Wesleyan College – Auckland Day-school – Letters from Native Christians............161

CHAPTER IX.

Interview with natives – Tattooing – Cannibalism – Statements of Christian natives – A Christian Chief – Land squabbles – Letter from a Chief – Anniversary of Captain Cook's discovery of New Zealand – Massacres – Canoes – Intellectual character of the natives – John Hobbs – Review of the work – Bishop Selwyn – Missionaries – Colonization – Colonists – Departure for the Friendly Isles....................184

CHAPTER X.

Friendly Isles – Arrival in Tongatabu – Visit to King George – Normal Institution – Family worship – Queen Charlotte – Preparation of the Sabbath – Meeting of Missionaries – Sabbath – Class-meetings – Tapu beating – King's visit to Australia – Offers to provision the ship – Visit from the Queen – Present from the King – Visit to the seat of the late war – Mua – Popery – Extraordinary tombs – God-houses – School examination – Chief Justice – Mr. Adams's astronomy...........209

CHAPTER XI.

Departure from Tonga – Queen's letter – Population – Political constitution – Recognised ranks – Mental character – Education – Late war – Arrival at Vavau – Sabbath – Church-meeting – School examination – Kava drinking – Letter to the King – His reply – Native Minister – Produce of the islands – Employment of the people – Social condition – Domestic circle – Tradition – How the people speak of their former condition...............232

CHAPTER XII.

Departure from Vavau – Vampire-bat – Introduction of Christianity into Vavau – Revival in 1831 – Prevalence of the Wesleyans – Church-members – Revival in 1846 – Contributions – Introduction of Popery – Character of the people – Diseases – Tradition – Review of the work – Sabbath observance – Family-worship – Love of the Scriptures – Civilization..................256

CHAPTER XIII.

Feejee – Lakemba – Church-meeting – Joel Bulu – Arrival of the Mail – Dinner sent by the King – Native pottery – Kind children – Another dinner sent – School examination – King George preaches – A marriage – Cannibalism – -King of Lakemba – Popish Priests foiled – -Rotumah – Departure – Political Constitution – Ranks – Character of the people – Improvement – Native agents – Education – Hindrances – War – Considerations which sustain Missionaries – Arrival at Vewa....................272

CHAPTER XIV.

Vewa – Meeting of Missionaries – Visit to Bau – Thakombau – King of Somosomo – School examination – Meditated revenge – Change in Christian Feejeeans – Civilization – Native's estimate of Missionaries – Sacrifice of human life – Effects of European and American visitors – Mental character – Romanism – Means of support – Treatment of women – Resources for trade – Prospect of Christianizing the people – General aspect and character of the country – Climate – Commerce – Cannibalism – Character of the Heathen – Means of civilization – Superstition – Tradition – Courtship – Women in power – Contrast between Christians and the Heathen..................297

CHAPTER XV.

Visit to the tomb of Mr. Hunt – The war at Ovalau – Death and character of Varani – Women strangled – Heroic conduct of Missionaries to save life – Contents of cannibal ovens obtained for interment – Customs apparently of Asiatic origin – Departure from Vewa – Review of the work of the Mission – Voyage to Sydney...............317

CHAPTER XVI.

King George in Sydney – Legislative Council – The King at a party – Missionary Meeting – Valedictory address – Departure from Sydney – Review of the rise and progress of Methodism in New South Wales – Letter from Rev. R. Mansfield – Arrival in Melbourne. – Departure for Mount Alexander – Journey – Arrival at Fores Creek – Digger's wedding – Christmas-day on the gold-fields – Bendigo – State of the digging population – Influence of Methodism – Large tea-meeting – Average earnings of gold-diggers – Return to Melbourne...................343

CHAPTER XVII.

New-year – Hot wind and dust-storm – Departure for Van Diemen's Land – Arrival in Launceston – Journey through the island – Hobart-Town – Various Meetings – -Sandy-Bay – Return to Launceston – More Meetings – Contributions for additional Ministers – Inconvenience of departing from a penal Colony – Rise and progress of Methodism in the land – Arrival in Melbourne – Meetings – Review of the Mission in Victoria – Mission to the Aborigines – Cause of its failure – Native Institution at Mount Franklin.............................374

CHAPTER XVIII.

Departure from Melbourne – Arrival at Adelaide – Wesleyan church in that colony – Unhappy death of a passenger – Arrival at King George's Sound – Review of the work in Australasia – New Ecclesiastical arrangement – Character of Missionaries – Departure for Ceylon – Unfortunate letter – Tropical sunset – Arrival at Point-de-Galle – Cinnamon gardens – Budhist temple – Interview with priests – Conversations with Native Christians – Mission-schools – Missionaries' challenge to the Devil-priests...........................397

CHAPTER XIX.

Departure from Ceylon – Letter from a Native Christian – Passengers – Arrival at Aden – Scriptural illustrations – Arabs – Departure – Red Sea – Mount Horeb – Passage of the Israelites – Suez – – Loading camels – Journey across the Desert – Mirage – Rag-tree – Arrival in Cairo – Grand Mosque – Joseph's Well – Slave-market – Bazaars – Enmity of Mohammedans – The Nile – Canal – Mohammedan sailors – Alexandria – Malta – Meeting of the English and French soldiers – Gibraltar – Arrival at home......................415

NOTES
REFERRED TO IN THE VOLUME.

A. Rules and Regulations of the Wesleyan Immigrants' Home...429

B. Table, showing the state of the Labour-market...430

C. Extract from the Minutes of the New South Wales District-Meeting...431

D. Imports and Exports of New South Wales....432

E. Minutes of a Leaders' Meeting, held at Auckland, New Zealand, September 23, 1853:....432

F. Skeleton of a Sermon by Shadrach Mumui, Chief Judge of Tonga...433

G. The Laws of the Kingdoms of Tonga, Haabai, and Vavau. 434

H. Brief Outline of King George's Sermon.....442

I. Letter from the Rev. J. Wesley to Mr. Valton....443

K. Public challenge to the Devil-priests of Ceylon noticed...444

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.

Embark for New Zealand – Passengers – New Zealand in sight – Tradition as to its origin – North Cape – Wangaroa – Arrival at Auckland – The Town – Wesleyan Chapel – District-Meeting – Education – Letter from the Governor – Government scheme – Members of the Mission churches – Mission property – The union of the Mission with Australia – Missionary Meeting – Mr. Whiteley's replies to sundry questions.

I EMBARKED for New Zealand on the morning of the 30th of August. Mr. Boyce, my valued friend, and colleague on the deputation, accompanied me. We were favoured with the company of the Rev. N. Turner, who had for several years laboured successfully as a Missionary in New Zealand and in the Friendly Isles. To my great inconvenience and loss of time, the sailing of the vessel had been repeatedly postponed, after having been announced to sail on a certain day, "most positively," – on another, "most assuredly," and on another, "without fail." But in no case was the promise fulfilled. When I complained to some merchants of this want of good faith, they smiled at my simplicity, and said I ought not to have expected anything else, that being the usual mode of doing shipping

business, and evidently thought it no violation of propriety. This reminded me of what I heard a West India planter say to his negroes, in relation to the law of the Sabbath. He said, that the law respecting the Sabbath was given some hundreds of years before the West Indies were discovered, and could not therefore be intended for the Western World; and as the law of truth was given long before the discoveries of commercial navigation, it would seem that it is not to be applied to any of its transactions. When a merchant advertises that his vessel will "positively," – "most assuredly," – and "without fail," sail at a given date, "wind and weather permitting," he ought, as an honourable man, to keep good faith with the public; but to make such announcements without any real intention to meet the expectation they are calculated to excite, is indefensible on any principle or rule of morality whatever. When there is doubt as to the sailing of a vessel, let that be intimated in the advertisement, but let no ship-owner sanction a practice which, as in my case, may rob a man of much valuable time, and seriously interfere with important and pressing engagements.

September 1st. – One of our passengers was a disappointed immigrant. He had been allured to Australia by glowing statements respecting that country, but had met with nothing but discomfort and disappointment. He was on his way, with his wife and two children, to New Zealand, hoping there to obtain a home, with the necessaries, if not the comforts of life. This gentleman is but a sample of a class, and I fear a large one, to whom Australia, with all her riches, extends not her favours, though sought at the sacrifice of country and home, and who would, in the bitterness of disappointment, gladly avail themselves of any opportunity of returning to the land of their fathers.

2d. – A passenger, an American, of manifest respectability, and recently from California, informed me that gambling and "Lynch-law" prevailed in that country to a fearful extent. In one gambling-house he had on a certain evening counted twenty tables, with about £3,000 on each, and observed the direct

tendency of such practice to crimes of the deepest dye. One gambler, he said, shot a youth without the least provocation. This roused the mob, who pursued the murderer to an hotel, broke in the door, dragged the wretched man from his hiding-place, and, without farther ceremony, took him to the first convenient tree, and hanged him. Finding in the hotel a nest of gamblers, the companions of the murderer, they compelled every man of them to accompany the procession, and to witness the execution, as indicating what they too might expect if they did not restrain their wickedness.

4th. – We had a religious service in the cabin, which Mr. Turner conducted; but, as the day was stormy, few persons were able to attend.

5th. – To-day a beautiful Cape pigeon was caught by one of the passengers. It was about the form and size of a small duck; and on being brought on deck, sought to defend itself by the ejection from its stomach of a white oily liquor.

6th. – A respectable Jewish family being on board, I had a conversation with them on the points at issue between Jews and Christians; and found that they strove to shield themselves from the point of my arguments by the traditions of the Fathers, the fables of their Talmuds, and the Rabbinical interpretation of the prophecies. They said, no true Jew had ever become a Christian; many had professed to be converted to the Christian faith, but it was simply to accomplish some sinister object; and when I referred to Neander, Wolfe, and others, as exceptions, they expressed by certain remarkable shrugs and contortions their utter incredulity. On farther inquiry, I found the veil covering them had been greatly thickened by the absurdities of Popery, that paganized form of Christianity, and the inconsistent lives of the professed followers of Jesus.

7th. – This morning passed the "Three Kings," three small islands at the north end of New Zealand. According to an old tradition of the natives, which they formerly believed, a celebrated god, who resided on these islands, was fishing one morning, and fished up New Zealand, gave it a few shakes at

the end of his line, and thus produced the various hills and dales with which it abounds!

At eleven o'clock saw New Zealand. The sight recalled to my mind former days. I had been selected, in 1820, in connection with the Rev. S. Leigh, to commence the Wesleyan Mission to this country, and had in consequence been introduced to 'Hongi on his visit to England, who, in assuring me protection, promised that no New Zealand man should cook me; but by an unexpected occurrence my appointment was changed, and I was sent to meet an emergency in the West Indies. The morning I left London for that field of labour, Mr. Leigh, on bidding me good-bye, said, "You are not at this time to visit New Zealand, but my conviction is, and mark what I say, that you will see that country before you die." It is even so, and without any contrivance of my own. 'Hongi is no more, Mr. Leigh is no more, and here, after more than thirty years, I am permitted to visit these ends of the earth, according to the intimation of the servant of God.

In the afternoon we passed the North Cape. According to the notion formerly held by the natives, every Maori spirit, on leaving its earthly habitation, was conducted to this Cape, and there, having waited until it heard a whistle from beneath, leaped over the frightful precipice, and plunged into the turbulent abyss on its passage to another world. How dark and cheerless is Heathenism, when compared with the life and immortality brought to light by the Gospel!

8th. – Early this morning we passed Wangaroa, a place rendered on many accounts notorious. Here, in 1809, the crew of the "Boyd," consisting of upwards of 70 persons, were murdered, cooked, and eaten. Here, in 1824, the schooner "Endeavour" was attacked; and the lives of Messrs. Tyerman and Bennett, the representatives of the London Missionary Society, placed in imminent peril, and saved only by the timely interposition of the Missionaries. Here, in 1825, the brig "Mercury" was plundered and destroyed, and many lives sacrificed to make provision for a cannibal feast. And here, in 1827, the Wesleyan Mission premises were pillaged and demolished, and the Missionaries and

their families driven away with the loss of everything but life. But a happy change has been effected. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the kid."

In the course of the day we skirted the coast, which is full of bays and coves, and in many parts well timbered. We passed several beautiful islets, and had the place pointed out where, by the upsetting of a native canoe, the Rev. J. H. Bumby was drowned. In the evening we anchored, in a gale of wind, within the "Head."

9th. – This morning the Rev. Walter Lawry came on board, and after beating up the harbour with considerable difficulty, we dropped anchor. The day being boisterous, and landing difficult, we should have been in great perplexity about getting on shore, had not the whale-boat of the "John Wesley" come to our assistance. On reaching the pier, a noble band of Missionaries gave us a hearty welcome. I was conducted to the lovely residence of my esteemed friend, Mr. Lawry, and soon felt myself quite at home.

The house of Mr. Lawry has certainly been greatly misrepresented. It is not "a splendid mansion," but a humble cottage, plainly built, and containing but six rooms, including the kitchen and study. Its situation on the slope of a hill is well selected, commanding a fine view of the harbour; and the garden, fringed with the beautiful Norfolk Island pine, is laid out with much taste, and gives to the residence such an air of respectability, that the good taste of its occupants has been mistaken for extravagance, and that which undoubtedly merits praise has been so misrepresented as to occasion blame.

10th. – Examined Auckland, which is beautifully situated. The site of this capital was fixed upon by Captain Hobson, on account of its central position, its great facility of internal water communication, the safety of its harbour, the proximity of several smaller ports abounding with valuable timber, and the fertility of the soil. The town is built upon the northern side of the isthmus which divides the Waitemata from Manukau, and is bounded on the north by the shores of the former

harbour. According to the official plan it has a water frontage of about a mile and a half, and extends inland to the distance of about a mile. The greater number of the houses have been built near the water, on the bays and on the headlands with which it is beautifully indented. These bays are backed by small valleys which run inland about half a mile, terminating in narrow gullies, and are separated from each other by spurs which run into the harbour, and terminate in low headlands. The lower part of the town being thus separated, the roads which connect them with each other are somewhat steep and inconvenient. From the harbour, Auckland has a very imposing appearance, and suggests the idea of expansiveness. St. Paul's Church, the Roman Catholic Chapel, the Scotch Church, the Barracks, the Colonial Hospital, the Wesleyan College and Chapel, the windmill on the hill, with Mount Eden in the background, are the most prominent objects. The town comprises many detached cottage-like houses, built on sheltered slopes, each snugly nestled in the luxuriant shrubbery of its surrounding garden, which render it exceedingly pretty and picturesque. The streets are macadamized, but no attempt seems to have been made to form footpaths on a general level. There is little uniformity in the buildings; but some of the shops would not disgrace any small provincial town in England. The population of the borough of Auckland amounts to between 7,000 and 8,000, of whom about 4,500 occupy the town and its suburbs. Considering its size, Auckland possesses the elements of a considerable society. The officers of the civil Government are themselves a numerous body. It is the head quarters of a regiment, and has representatives from the brigade, commissariat, artillery, and engineer departments. Two battalions of military pensioners, enrolled for service in New Zealand, with their officers, are located in the neighbourhood; and a ship of war frequently lies at anchor in the port. A banking establishment, connected with the Union Bank of Australia, has also been established here. The officers and others connected with these various establishments, and their families, with a number of professional, and mercantile men, together form materials

for a very considerable society. In what may be termed its fashionable phase, the military element predominates. In many respects Auckland resembles an English watering-place; and will, no doubt, become a large and important city.

11th. – Preached in the Wesleyan Chapel both morning and evening. The chapel is a substantial building, well situated, and capable of accommodating 600 persons. It was attended by a most respectable congregation. In the afternoon I was present at a native service in another part of the town. The people were attired in white, red, and striped blankets. A few had pieces of carpet wrapped around them; and two girls, who were dressed in European costume, evidently thought themselves persons of importance. There being no seats in the room, the people squatted down, and, with their chins resting upon their knees, listened with marked attention. On returning I met a native under the influence of liquor; and Mr. Lawry, who was with me, said that during his ten years' residence in the country he had never before seen a Maori in that state.

12th. – This morning Mr. Boyce and myself, as a Deputation from the British Conference, met the Missionaries from different parts of the country, to make certain communications, and to institute various inquiries relative to the state and prospects of the Mission. After the usual devotional exercises, an address was delivered, and the objects of the Deputation were briefly stated. A subject which had in England and elsewhere created much painful interest, and exerted an unfriendly influence upon some of the supporters of our Missions, was fully and impartially examined; and, although approached with some apprehensions as to the result, yet, without any compromise of principle whatever it was most amicably settled, and, as the Deputation believe, to the satisfaction of the different parties concerned. Throughout the investigation, the honest, generous, and noble spirit evinced by all the Missionaries was highly creditable to their good sense and piety, as well as to their firm attachment to constitutional Methodism, and rendered the settlement of a difficult subject comparatively easy, which otherwise might have resulted in

party-feeling, and extensive mischief. A salutary lesson was taught, which will probably never be forgotten.

13th, – Examined a candidate for the Ministry, – an interesting and well-educated young man, a son of one of our English Ministers. He offered himself especially for Feejee.

The state of the Mission Schools was considered, and it was found that in connection with the New Zealand Mission there were 188 Sabbath-schools, and 88 day-schools, comprising 5,846 pupils; and that considerable proficiency had been made in learning. There is on the part of many of the Maoris a most ardent desire to obtain knowledge; and young men and maidens, old men and children, are found at the early morning schools. "In the native villages," says the Rev. H. H. Lawry, in a communication with which he kindly favoured me, "the day commences with Divine worship. The native teacher in charge announces sunrise by ringing his bell, which summons the entire population to the house of God. The worship consists of singing a hymn, reading a portion of Scripture, and prayer. Then follow the school exercises, in which the old and young of every grade are found side by side. One class have the Testament in hand, and are engaged most attentively, each trying to excel; detecting the smallest mistake, even of pronunciation, or pause, or intonation of voice, and making the offender give place to a more skilful reader. After reading, follow questions upon the lesson, when such information is imparted as may be required. Other classes of a more elementary character are also attended to; and after two or three hours thus spent, they repair to their respective occupations. In many cases the evening is occupied with similar exercises; and the child is seen teaching the aged. The anxiety of the people to learn is so great, that not unfrequently do they continue their exercises in their huts until the midnight hour." The result is, that according to the statement of the Rev. J. Whiteley three-fourths of the adult population can read, and two-thirds can write their own language correctly. Hitherto the reading of the natives has been limited, as the following list of works comprises as yet all the literature published in the Maori language.

The whole of the New Testament, 1 vol. 12mo. C. M. 1
Ditto, a late Edition, 1 vol. 8vo. C. M.
Selections from the New Testament, as published by the British and Foreign School Society, 1 vol. 12mo. W. M.
Selections from the Old Testament, ditto, 1 vol. 12mo. W. M.
The Book of Job. W. M.
The Psalms of David, printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society, translated by C, M., 1 vol. 24mo.
Part of Isaiah, Daniel, and the Book of Jonah. C. M.
Book of Malachi in a Tract. W. M.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges, in 1 vol. 12mo. C. M.

Besides the above translations of the Holy Scriptures which have been published, there are several Books in MSS., translated by the Church Mission and Wesleyan Mission; and it is expected that the Church Mission will ere long publish a uniform edition of the Old Testament Scriptures.

The whole of the Church of England Prayer-Book, and Hymns, 1 vol. 12mo. C. M.
Mr. Wesley's Abridgment, and Hymns, 1 vol. 12mo. W. M.
Mr. Wesley's Sermon on the Almost Christian. A Tract. W. M.
A Pamphlet on Peace. W. M.
A Pamphlet on the Nature and Constitution of the Church. W. M.
"Robinson Crusoe." Pamphlet. Gov.
A Pamphlet on Trade and Commerce. Gov.
A Pamphlet on Savings' Banks. Gov.
The "Maori Messenger," a fscp. newspaper, published once a fortnight, – one-half Maori, and the other half English. Gov.
The Roman Catholics have published a Prayer-Book, and several small school-books.

The first Grammar of the New Zealand language was published by the Rev. Mr. Kendall, of the Church Mission, assisted by Dr. Lee, of Cambridge. The Rev. R. Maunsel, A. B., of the Church Mission, has also published a Grammar, clever and learned, but I understand only adapted to those who have made some progress in the Maori tongue.

The Rev. W. Williams, LL. D., has published a Dictionary, with a short compendium of Grammar. Useful, but limited.

Mr. Kemp, jun., has issued a Vocabulary, of much service to the trader.

The above list, politely furnished by the Rev. Gideon Smales, contains the whole of Maori literature; but works in that language will, no doubt, soon be greatly augmented by those Maoris who are receiving an English education.

All our Missionaries in the country speak the Maori, and, I understand, with much ease and correctness.

A communication from the Governor was laid before the Meeting, of which the following is a copy: –

"Auckland, New Zealand,
May 13th, 1853.

"SIR,
"It having become necessary for me to recommend for the sanction of Her Majesty's Government, the mode in which I propose that the public funds reserved in this country for native purposes should be applied, I have the honour to state that I am prepared to recommend that the sum of, £1,600 per annum should be placed at the disposal of the Wesleyan church in New Zealand, for educational purposes in the two Northern Provinces, and the sum of £700 per annum for the Southern Provinces of New Zealand, and for the support of schools in connection with that church, which are already established, or may hereafter be established in these islands, provided those funds are applied in conformity with the principles stated in the enclosed memorandum.

"When you have fully considered the plan thus proposed, I should feel obliged by your informing me if it meets with

your approval, and if the Body which you represent are willing to accept the proposed annual grant on those terms."

I have the honour to be, Sir,
"Your most obedient humble servant,
"G. Grey."
"The REV. WALTER LAWRY."

"Memorandum.

"1. New Zealand shall be divided into convenient districts for educational purposes connected with the Wesleyan church.

"2. All schools in such districts which receive any portion of the Government grant, shall be conducted as heretofore upon the principle of a religious education, – industrial training, and instruction in the English language, forming a necessary part of the system pursued in such schools.

"3. The schools which are aided from the Government grant may be of three kinds: –
"1st. Colleges.
"2d. Central schools.
"3d. Primary schools.
"Each educational district shall have at least one central school, which is to be made in as far as possible the means of multiplying primary schools in that district, which shall be regarded as being connected with the central school to which they belong.

"4. The general rule being, that the most promising candidates from the primary schools shall have the option afforded them of being received into the central school with which they are connected.

"5. In like manner the most promising scholars from the central schools will be eligible for election as pupils into the College of the district in which they are situated, where it is hoped that ultimately it may be found practicable to qualify native teachers for the Ministry.

"6. Maori, or half-caste children, or the children of inhabitants of islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as orphans, or destitute children of European parents, are to be eligible for admission into any schools which may be supported from the

Government grant, upon such conditions as may in the case of each school be determined by the Auckland District-Meeting.

"7. Any grants of land for the support of schools will be made upon the usual trusts to the Superintendent of the Wesleyan Missions in New Zealand.

"8. The annual grant given by the Government shall be applied to the three following purposes, in such proportions as the Auckland District-Meeting may determine: –

"1st. To the support of existing schools, and the establishment of new ones.

"2d. To provide the means of educating in the Colleges, or in the central schools, scholars to be trained as teachers, who, in addition to the other duties allotted to them, shall teach the primary schools. The total number of scholars to be educated as above, shall, as soon as practicable, be made up to twenty, and shall, if possible, be maintained at least at that number.

"3d. To provide for the payment of sums, (which it is proposed should not, for the present, exceed £10 per annum,) in part payment of the salaries of accredited teachers, who shall have passed an examination before, and have received a certificate from the Auckland District-Meeting, or such persons as they may appoint.

"9. It is proposed that, as soon as practicable, at least twenty teachers in primary schools shall each receive the annual allowance of £10.

"10. The funds appropriated to the purposes of schools supported from the Government grant, shall be administered by the Auckland District-Meeting.

"11. An Annual Report of the state of the schools, and of the mode in which the annual grant has been distributed, is to be furnished to the Governor by the Auckland District-Meeting.

"May 13th, 1853."
"G. GREY."

This communication having been considered by the Meeting, it was unanimously resolved, –

"That the Wesleyan Ministers of this District, convinced of the importance to the country of Educational establishments embracing the religious and industrial elements, record the sense they entertain of the interest His Excellency has ever manifested on the subject of education; and acknowledge, on behalf of the native converts, the benefits they have already received, in relation to their social and moral improvement, from the schools that have been so liberally sustained by the Government under His Excellency's administration, and also express their cordial approval of the wise and comprehensive plan he has suggested for future Educational effort."

14th. – To-day the state of the Mission churches in the District was examined, and it was found that we had 105 Chapels, 148 other preaching-places, 322 Local-Preachers, 5 Catechists, 4,500 Members, and 10,864 attendants on public worship; – a great work this for the pastoral oversight of 20 Missionaries, who have also to superintend the schools.

On inquiring very particularly into the spiritual condition of our church members, I learned that, whilst some were not entirely delivered from the influence of superstition, and others were resting in the form of godliness, there were many in the possession of the saving power of the Gospel, and who were adorning the doctrines of God their Saviour in a consistent walk and conversation. Encouraging statements were also made in relation to the holy confidence and abounding joy evinced by many native Christians in the time of affliction, and in the article of death.

In the evening the Colonial Secretary and the Colonial Treasurer called upon me. Their voluntary testimony as to the labours and success of our Missionaries in New Zealand was highly gratifying. They spoke of the Educational efforts of the Society in the highest terms. The Secretary said, that when he went into the country to botanize, as he frequently did, he made a point of asking the different natives he met with, the names of the various plants he had collected; and that three out of every four not only gave the names, but took his pencil and wrote them for him in his book.

15th. – The Meeting to-day examined the financial state of the Society. Every item of expenditure was analyzed; and the Missionaries, on hearing the pressing claims upon the Mission-fund, nobly agreed to relinquish £1,000 of the annual grant made to the District. This could not be done without considerable sacrifice; but, rather than reduce the Missionary staff, and leave any of their flocks in the wilderness, they submitted to it without murmuring. I was greatly delighted with the spirit in which this was done. "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." This apostolic injunction was observed, and beautifully exemplified in the proceedings of this day.

For some years the Missionaries to this land had gone forth taking little or nothing of the Gentiles; but the churches raised by their instrumentality having become so far matured, and the people greatly improved in their worldly circumstances, it was thought the time had now arrived to teach them more fully the Christian duty of supporting their own Ministers, and measures were accordingly adopted for that purpose. I could not but regret that the excellent men who had commenced the New Zealand Mission, should not from the first have taught their converts this Christian duty. Had they done so much misconception amongst the natives would have been prevented, and their successors who have sought to explain and enforce this New Testament requirement, would not have been accused of "preaching another Gospel." It might have been prudent at the beginning of the Mission not to receive any contributions, still, however, the teaching of God's word on the subject ought not to have been kept back, but clearly and fully stated.

16th. – The Mission property throughout the country was considered by the Meeting. With few exceptions the titles were found satisfactory, and the several chapels, &c., settled according to the Connexional Deed. Upon the whole there was a debt only of. £360, and that would soon be liquidated. Much credit is due to the Missionaries for their exertions and skill in the erection of so many Chapels and Mission-Houses, with little or no cost to the Parent Society.

17th. – The subject of attaching the Missions in New Zealand to the Australian Conference occupied the serious consideration of the District-Meeting; and, after a lengthy and free conversation, resolutions approving of the arrangement were unanimously and cordially adopted.

In the afternoon the Meeting closed its sittings. They had all been marked with delightful harmony; and on no subject had there been the utterance of a word or the manifestation of a spirit incompatible with brotherly kindness and charity. Much spiritual conversation was held, and the Missionaries separated in the finest temper of mind, determining to make full proof of their ministry, and to spend and be spent in the faithful discharge of their important duties. In my intercourse with them, I received a most favourable impression as to their religious character, and their general adaptation to the work of the New Zealand Mission.

18th. – Sabbath. In the morning I preached on behalf of the Missionary Society. The congregation was highly interesting, and the collection more than tripled that of the former year. In the evening Mr. Boyce preached, but a heavy rain prevented many from enjoying the treat of his excellent sermon.

19th. – Attended the Missionary-Meeting. Captain R – – – occupied the chair, and bore a highly satisfactory testimony to the self-denying and successful labours of the Wesleyan Missionaries in New Zealand. The meeting was addressed by the Rev. Messrs. Whiteley, N. Turner, T. Williams, (from Feejee,) Boyce, Young, and a Presbyterian Minister. It was an occasion long to be remembered. Mr. Turner, one of the first Missionaries to this country, made some affecting statements in contrasting the present with the former condition of New Zealand. Mr. Whiteley, who occupies a "bush" station, after some instructive remarks, read a long list of subscribers to the Mission-fund, principally natives, making the sum raised at his station for the year £50; and Mr. Williams produced thrilling effects by his communication respecting Feejee. The collection was £40.

20th. – Having proposed the following questions to the Rev. J. Whiteley, I received this morning the annexed replies. Mr. Whiteley had been twenty years in this country, and, being a man of extensive observation, and acknowledged sobriety of judgment, his statements may be depended upon.

"1. You have been in this country twenty years: in what particulars, and to what extent, have the natives become changed during that period?"

"So far as the question relates to our natives, I may say that they then worshipped in a room ten feet square; they now worship in chapels that will contain hundreds. Then, there was but one single native baptized, named George Morley; now, we have them by thousands. Then, they were under the constant bondage of tapu; now, that system of superstition is broken, and its remains are rapidly disappearing. Then, they were either constantly at war or preparing for it; now, their fortifications have fallen into ruins, their pas are abandoned, they are quietly cultivating the soil, and, with occasional exceptions arising out of conflicting claims to the land, there is universal peace. Then, cannibalism was practised to a fearful extent; now, no such atrocity occurs in any part of the country. Then, they were in constant dread of some superstition or imaginary 'Atua;' now, they believe that the Lord our God is one Lord, and that 'the Lord, He is God.' Then, they were miserably clad in dirty mats and filthy rags; now, they very generally wear European clothing. Then, they were regarded as thieves and liars; now, our merchants entrust them with goods on credit to the amount of hundreds and thousands of pounds. Then, polygamy and concubinage everywhere prevailed; now, the man is generally the husband of one wife. Then, many captives taken in war were held in bondage as slaves, and subject to the terror of the tomahawk; now, they have either been liberated, and sent home to their friends, or, by intermarriages, have been incorporated with the respective tribes. Then, the natives probably had not a grain of wheat in the country; now, it is universally and extensively cultivated. Then, they had no property save their oven-houses, pigs, muskets, war-

canoes, little Ropapas, and useless lands; now, they have vessels, mills, horses, cows, oxen, ploughs, and money. Then, they had so little to do, and spent so much time in idleness and smoking, that for a full pipe of tobacco you might get them, in their way, to do a large stroke of work; now, they are so fully engaged with their own affairs, and so fully occupied with their own pursuits, that you can scarcely get them to do a day's work, either for love or money. Then, they had faults purely Maori; now, they have faults both Maori and English."

"2. What influence, in your opinion, has colonization had upon the Maori population?"

"Colonization has produced excitement and industry; also avarice, and various forms of dissipation. The introduction into the country of so large a number of Europeans, and the consequent purchase of land, have led the natives to look after their real or fancied claims in all parts of the country as they never did before, and they have gone from place to place, and spent weeks and months after land-sales, land-committees, land-quarrels, and in hunting after property which their friends have received in payment for land; and dissipated habits have thus been induced. I fear that the morals of the rising youth, visiting the towns, have been sadly deteriorated by the examples of vice with which they come in contact. The increase of property by trade, would necessarily produce much excitement, in addition to that produced by land-disputes; and as the natives find, in comparing present prices with those of former days, that they have been on a rising scale, the idea naturally suggests itself that prices must continue to rise, and that it is their business and interest to push them up as fast as they can. It appears therefore right, according to their mode of reckoning, to aim high, and to extort as much as they can. Their past experience, as they understand it, tells them that they have not had justice; and, as they know not of any limit to the white man's wealth, their business is now to get all they can. The demand for native productions, as wheat, potatoes, timber, &c., leads to great industry; but they prefer working each one for himself, that he may have the pleasure

of selling his own produce, driving his own bargain, and handling his own money. Many of the Chiefs, however, are prevailing upon their people to subscribe each one his sovereign, &c., for the purchase of a plough, or horse, or for the erection of a mill. And many, in various ways, are copying the example of the English agriculturist. One effect of colonization has been the reverse of what might have been expected. Instead of following the example of the 'pakeha,' by centralizing themselves, and settling down in towns and villages, they have spread themselves abroad, over a much greater surface of country. Each family, party, or individual, has been on the look-out to secure and establish his claim to different and distant localities, in order to prevent the land being sold by others, or to secure his share of the payment in the event of a general sale at a future day. Hence the natives have wandered from creek to creek, from valley to valley, – sometimes on one side of the harbour, sometimes on the other, – as the weather or their work may have suited their convenience. Putting up a little temporary shed, and cultivating a small patch first in one place and then in another, the Missionary is sometimes puzzled to know where to find his people, and can only meet with them as by accident, and in small detached parties. The remedy for this state of things appears to be a good central school at each station. Let the Missionary get hold of the children, and that will draw the parents around him; and thus, that waste of time, strength, and life, which has so long been a fearful tax upon the New Zealand Missionary, in climbing mountains, wading swamps, and traversing forests, will give place to something like civilized, ministerial, and pastoral duty, and his strength, and time, and mental energies, will be devoted to his proper and legitimate work."

"3. What is the feeling generally entertained by the natives of New Zealand towards the colonists?"

"Generally that of respect. They acknowledge the white man's superiority; and although they despise the profligate and profane, and hold themselves as the lords of the soil, and would resist unto blood all unrighteous attempts to dispossess them,

yet they know that, as a race, they are infinitely our inferiors in riches, intelligence, wisdom, and power; and although in many places they are very unwilling to part with their lands, yet, generally, they regard it a privilege and an honour to have the pakeha for a neighbour."

"4. What are the traits of character most prominent in the natives of New Zealand?"

"The following may be noticed. A revengeful spirit. An injury or an insult is never forgotten until 'utu,' satisfaction, is obtained. The offence will be remembered, and handed down from generation to generation. A man at Hokianga was offended, or injured, and, taking a hatchet, went out, declaring he would have satisfaction. After travelling about a mile, he met a woman, and killed her on the spot. This was the secret of the Wairau massacre, in 1847. A Chief woman had been slain, and revenge called for large satisfaction. Christianity, where cordially received, has of course counteracted this spirit. Covetousness is another characteristic of the Maori, – cunning, crafty, and calculating covetousness. Pride and independence may also be placed in this category. The authority of a master is looked upon as similar to the tyranny of a Chief over his slaves in former days; and having seen the evil of that, they carefully watch the assumption of authority on the part of the master, and the moment it begins to pinch, they throw off the yoke, and return to their Maori liberty. This feeling, as a national feeling, is becoming stronger, and more general; and it requires our utmost wisdom and caution to avert its natural consequences. This undoubtedly led to the 'war of the flag-staff;' and it is this feeling which prevents the tribes of Taranaki from parting with their land, although they have millions of acres lying useless. They are also patient and forbearing. In their assemblies on public matters, they will listen for hours to a Maori speaker with the strictest order. The most provoking language, and the severest irony, may be used without offence. And if two orators get into disputation, as is often the case, they will go to the most frightful lengths in insulting language, and in threatening and defying gesticula-

tions, coming to close quarters with each other, and brandishing their spears or tomahawks, and manifesting the most fiend-like rage; but not a blow is struck. Cowardice in such cases may perhaps have some influence; for, notwithstanding their exhibitions of apparent recklessness, they shrink from death. A farther trait in their character is a sense of honour. They very much like to be regarded as honourable men; and when traders have entrusted them with property, they have generally been found most honourable in their transactions; and if a distant Chief or tribe send a present, or give a feast to another tribe or Chief, an honourable return is sure to be made. Their attachment to Europeans is worthy of notice. I mean to those who have been kind to them, and with whom they have been intimate. They will forgive their faults, defend their rights, take care of their property, and, if honoured with their confidence, will be more faithful to them than they would be to their own friends. Respect for the Chiefs may also be mentioned; and yet it sometimes seems as if they were without influence. But if a Chief undertake any great matter, all will join to help him. Two of the Kawhia Chiefs have each undertaken the project of getting a large water corn-mill built, each to cost £400; they and their people in both cases providing all the timber and manual labour, and the millwrights fin ding machinery and skill. All hands are exerting themselves to raise the required sum; the little boy, or little girl, who has a pet pig, gives it as a contribution: the young men and old plant wheat, potatoes, (fee, for sale, to realize the money, and the women do the same. Then all go to the forest to fell trees, prepare timber, &c.; and all this because the head Chiefs have said it. And when a Chief sickens and dies, they all become mourners, and show great respect."

"5. Is it your opinion that the native population is decreasing? If so, how do you account for it?"

"The population is decreasing, but I think not so rapidly as has been supposed. The causes of decrease are the following: –

"Early betrothment. – Children in their infancy are betrothed by their parents, and often with great inequality of age. This

betrothment is regarded as being 'tapu;' and whatever objections might spring up in after-life to the marriage of the two persons thus betrothed in childhood, the woman, at least, is not regarded as at liberty to be married to another.

"Early marriages. – Often have I been urged to marry mere children, and when I have refused, worse consequences have followed. Such early marriages often result in quarrels and separation; and a woman, though thus abandoned by her husband, is regarded as still belonging to him; and if another man should venture to take her to wife, the former husband, though married to another woman, would make a 'tana' upon him, and take her away, unless the matter were compromised by large payments.

"Unequal marriages. – Old men and young girls; old women and young boys.

"Marriages with Kindred. – The tribes are as tenacious of their women as they are of their lands; and as a tribe becomes small, the ties of kindred, of course, become closer, so that the marriage of cousins is very common.

"Improper management of infants. – Many children die from the want of proper nourishment; and especially at the period of weaning and teething. Disease is also induced by the want of proper clothing and cleanliness.

"Unwholesome food. – Formerly the natives used much fern-root; but they always used with it either shell-fish, or some other 'kinaki' Thus they had a good substantial food, and a considerable portion of salt therewith in the shell-fish. Now they subsist chiefly on potatoes, without salt, or any other 'kinaki' at all. In respect to this, however, they are improving, and will, I hope, soon have cows to supply their children with milk.

"Improper clothing. – The blanket is a great evil, simply because it is abused, – wearing it day and night, hot or cold, wet or dry. Often, after having been saturated with rain, they will sit in their wet blankets, and even sleep in them. Colds and consumptions are the natural consequences. Formerly they wore but little clothing, and besmeared their bodies with

oil and red-ochre. The friction thus used was beneficial to the skin; and the application of the oil, &c., made it almost impervious to cold and damp.

"There may be other causes tending to the decrease of the Maori population, found in polygamy, and in the prostitution of females in the English settlements, as well as in the excessive use of tobacco. Of course it is the anxious endeavour of the Christian Missionary, and the direct tendency of the Christian religion, to counteract these causes. Great good in this respect has already been effected; and my hope is, that the remedy which Christianity supplies will prevail throughout the land, and the people be saved. Amalgamation of the races, however, I think will take place to a great extent, and a more healthy and numerous population will be the result."

"6. What proportion of the natives in your opinion can read? And what proportion can write?"

"Three-fourths of the adult population, I should say, can read; and two-thirds can write their own language correctly. But the children, being neglected to a great extent, are growing up in ignorance; and unless more schools for them be established, they will, indeed, in many parts of the country, be 'as the wild ass's colt.' Arrangements, I am happy to say, are now being made to supply the want."

"7. Is the present Government arrangement, as to the sale of lands, generally satisfactory to the natives?"

"I think when the natives are willing to part with their lands, they do not object to sell them to the Government. But Europeans have, from self-interest, persuaded them that they ought to have the liberty of selling to other parties, as well as to the Government. As to the sale of land by the Government to Europeans after it has been purchased of the natives, they are willing that profit should be realized. They now understand that Government has to incur a vast amount of expense in surveys, deeds, registers, roads, &c., &c., and are prepared to allow that there must be a large profit on the land, in order to meet these items of expense. Formerly, however, it was a most puzzling subject to them, that the Govern-

ment should buy land from them at 6d per acre, and sell it again for £1, or from that to £100 per acre."

"8. What is the estimated native population of New Zealand? And what proportion has embraced Christianity?"

"The population has been variously estimated from 60,000 to 120,000. I think it nearer the higher than the lower figure. It is my opinion that nine-tenths have embraced Christianity. Indeed there are very few who do not consider themselves as belonging to one or other of the following Denominations: namely, Wesleyans, Church of England, Romanists, and Germans. In many cases, however, their Christianity is merely nominal. They feel not its saving power. May the Lord graciously pour out his Spirit upon them, and make them Israelites indeed!"

But, although many of the natives have not received the Gospel in its renovating influence, it has saved all of them from cannibalism and other atrocities, which formerly so greatly darkened the Maori character; and not a few of them, having felt its saving power, are walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

1 The initials signify the different parties by whom the works have been prepared and published. C. M. for Church Mission; W. M. for Wesleyan Mission; R, C. for Roman Catholic; Gov. for Government.

CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.

Missionaries' bush costume – Long journey – Tea-meeting – Mount Eden – Visit to "Three Kings' Institution" – Sermon in the Free Church – Interview with Epiha Putini – Message to the Queen – Wesleyan College – Auckland Day-school – Letters from Native Christians.

ON the morning of the 21st of September, Mr. Boyce started for the South, to visit several of the Mission Stations. He was accompanied by some of the Missionaries in their "bush"

costume, consisting of a white "wide-awake" hat, and other articles to correspond with it. Some of them would have to walk a great part of the way, about 400 miles, and in many places have to wade rivers, climb abrupt and trackless mountains, and plunge through swamps of fearful depth; but the New Zealand Missionaries, being inured to these forms of toil and discomfort, started in good spirits. Mr. Boyce, however, would find it a most trying journey.

In the evening we had a public Missionary tea-meeting in Auckland. The Rev. Walter Lawry took the chair. The meeting was well arranged, numerously attended, and fully accomplished the designed object.

22d. – I visited Mount Eden, an attractive spot, about two miles from Auckland. On its summit is the mouth of a crater, and although no volcanic action has been observed here in the memory of man, yet the country around bears indubitable marks of the overflowings of lava at some former period. Prom this mountain there is an extensive and most enchanting view. The landscape comprises lofty hills, fruitful valleys, scattered villas, beautiful bays, winding creeks, sundry islands, distant forests, and almost everything to render it picturesque and attractive. A friend from Cornwall accompanied me; and although the mountain was difficult to climb, we felt amply repaid for our toil.

23d. – This morning, in company with the Rev. Messrs. Lawry and Buddie, I set out for the "Three Kings," to visit our Native Institution. It is about four miles distant from Auckland. The day was fine, and I greatly enjoyed the ride. We passed several lovely villas, and well-cultivated farms. The progress made in agriculture in the short period of twelve years, greatly astonished me, and I could not but foresee that this fruitful district of country will soon rival some of the best cultivated parts of England. On entering the grounds belonging to the Institution, I was informed that we were passing a somewhat remarkable cave. I dismounted, and, on exploring it, found a large quantity of human bones. There is no tradition respecting this cave; but it is generally believed that

in some time of deadly conflict between different tribes, a party had taken refuge here, and been destroyed. I took a relic, and left the place with solemn feeling. On arriving at the "Three Kings," we met with a kind reception from Mr. and Mrs. Reed. The place is beautifully situated, commanding an extensive view, and, in the arrangement of the buildings, and the laying out of the grounds, exhibits good taste. This Institution was established in 1849, for the education of native children of both sexes. A large building, 60 feet by 30 feet, is used as a school-room and a chapel. The master's dwelling-house is detached; and, in addition to the apartments exclusively used by him, comprises a sewing-room, kitchen, wash-house, and play-room, all for the use of the school. In another separate building there are six bed-rooms and a store. There are also eleven raupo cottages for the use of the pupils.

The number of persons in the Institution I found to be as follows: –

Boys................ 71
Girls .............. 25
Monitors............ 16
Wives of Monitors...... 13
Infants .............. 6
Total................ 131

The school buildings were erected with funds supplied by the Government, and the school estate, consisting of 820 acres, was granted by the Governor-in-Chief. The annual income is made up of grants from the Government and Missionary Society, and the yearly cost of each pupil is about £5.

The Government Inspectors, in their Report, say, "We agree in thinking that the skill and energy of the Master of this school are such as to leave nothing to be desired in that respect. It was suggested, however, by Mr. Reed, that if he were provided with an assistant, he would be able to render the school more efficient, by applying himself to the children individually, and not be compelled to confine so much of his attention to operating on the mass.

"Some of the boys have made great progress in carpentry, under the skilful management of Mr. Boon. The house in

which Mrs. Reed and the girls reside was built and some of the furniture made by pupils of the school. The girls are instructed in sewing, &c., by Mrs. Reed. The examination of the children in Scriptural knowledge was highly satisfactory. Those more advanced read a chapter of St. John's Gospel, (selected by the Inspectors,) in English, and explained the meaning of the words and phrases reasonably well. The pronunciation of the more difficult English sounds, was defective in many of the children. In this point, particularly, the want of an assistant teacher was manifest. The labour of practising the children every day, and one by one, in English, is essential to secure a real mastery of the language. Many of the pupils exhibited a great readiness in performing all the operations of arithmetic, and were able to calculate mentally with rapidity and correctness. Several showed a clear comprehension of the principles of fractional arithmetic. The writing of the elder boys was without exception good, and in many cases excellent. The others were making good progress. A class was examined in English history, and afterwards in the outlines of human anatomy and physiology, with a satisfactory result in both cases. They showed also a good knowledge of geography. This school exhibits in a high degree the advantages to be obtained by the services of a teacher regularly trained to the art."

On our arrival, the children, having been anxiously waiting for us, scampered over the grounds of the Institution in every direction, rendering the scene beautifully picturesque. They were soon, however, collected into the large and commodious school-room, and, after the usual devotions, the duties of the school commenced. Copies were written, all of which were praiseworthy, and some truly elegant. Gospel History was next attended to, and the children, in answer to certain questions, stated, in English, the various facts connected with the birth and early life of the Redeemer. In Scriptural Geography they showed great aptitude, scarcely making a mistake. In English Reading, with the exception of a few words, they expressed themselves with correctness. In Mental Arithmetic they also

appeared to advantage; and in parsing several sentences they evinced a very creditable knowledge of the principles of grammar. But the rapidity with which they translated Maori into English surprised me most, and especially as it related to the disasters of my voyage. Mr. Reed stated in the Maori language some of the difficulties I had met with in reaching this country, and they readily translated what he said into English, and thus gave a brief narrative of my voyage, with some notices of the different countries at which I had called.

In the whole of these exercises the children showed the most marked attention. Their jet black eyes, beautiful white teeth, and radiant countenances, presented a most interesting picture. Being clean and neat, though not expensively attired, they formed an assemblage of lovely and happy children, such as I had not before seen in any school. I addressed them in English, – told them that very many people in my country prayed for them, and that on my return nothing would more delight those good people than to hear they had given their hearts to the Saviour. Mr. Reed spoke to them in Maori, and ascertained that they had fully understood my address.

Dinner was now announced, and the children, after singing a merry and appropriate tune, were dismissed. We dined with Mr. and Mrs. Reed, in the same room with all the female scholars, who conducted themselves with much propriety. After dinner the boys went to various manual occupations, and the girls to sewing. The pupils assembled again in the evening: the rule of the institution being, to attend to the exercises of the school in the forenoon and in the evening, and to devote the afternoon to various forms of manual labour: the boys engaging in carpentry, husbandry, &c., and the girls applying themselves to sewing, washing, cleaning, and various domestic matters.

Mr. Reed, who is full of energy, and manifestly well suited to the position he occupies, informed me that for memory and imitation the Maori children exceeded any European scholars he had known, but that at present they did not evince the same mental power in grappling with a difficulty.

After spending a most pleasant day at the "Three Kings" we. returned to Auckland, and on our way saw a native oven, which was being heated to cook a pig.

24th. – This morning a deputation from the Auckland Leaders'-Meeting presented to me a "Memorandum of Minutes passed at a Leaders'-Meeting held at Auckland, New Zealand, September 23d, 1853." The document contained expressions of kindness to the Deputation, of loyalty to Methodism, and of gratitude to the Missionary Society. [Note E.]

25th. – Preached this morning in the Free Scotch Church, – a fine building, capable of accommodating 800 persons, and beautifully situated. I had been waited upon by the Minister and one of his Elders, according to a resolution of the Kirk Session, to invite me to preach in their Church, and a collection would be made in support of our Missions. In this manner they wished to evince their gratitude to the Wesleyan Ministers in Auckland, for the aid they had rendered them in occasionally supplying their pulpit, and also to show their appreciation of our efforts to evangelize the world. I could not but respond to this invitation, so indicative of Christian catholicity and brotherhood. The chapel was well attended, and the collection amounted to. £23 1s., – a sum valuable in itself, but especially so as the manifestation of lofty principle and good feeling. In the evening I preached to an overflowing congregation in our own chapel.

2Qth. – Had an interview with Epiha Putini, (Jabez Bunting,) a New Zealand Chief. He is a fine-looking man, about 36 years of age, and one of the principal Chiefs of the Waikato district. His countenance is expressive of more than an average intelligence, as well as of considerable benevolence. He embraced Christianity when quite young, and lived for some time on one of the earliest Mission stations formed in the Waikato district. In 1844, he invited the whole of the Waikato tribe to a great feast in the neighbourhood of Auckland. They collected from various districts to the number of at least 4,000 souls, and were presented with about 12,000 baskets of potatoes, about 8,000 sharks, and 600 blankets. The object of this was partly, to give his friends an opportunity of seeing Governor Fitzroy, and

talking together about their lands and new circumstances; and partly to show the Europeans the extent of his influence. In 1845, there was a remarkable visitation of grace among the natives about Auckland, and it is believed that he became the subject of a saving work at that period.

This morning the following conversation took place between . Jabez and myself, the Rev. T. Buddle acting as interpreter; –

"What number of people belong to your tribe?"

"The division of the Waikato tribes to which I am most nearly related numbers about 200; but the whole of the tribes with which I am connected numbers about 4,000."

"Does Heathenism exist among your people? If so, under what form, and to what extent?"

"No heathen customs now live among us; the evil that is greatest among the Maoris is quarrelling about land."

"What proportion of your tribe are sincere and consistent Christians?"

"I can but reply to that in the words of the Book, which say, 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' And the fruits of many are good."

"Do the Christian people of your tribe feel thankful to the Christians of England for sending and supporting Missionaries among them?"

"They do. If Missionaries had not come to the land, great would have been our darkness and death. You came and told us the name of God, – that stopped our fighting. Last year we had a large assembly of Chiefs at Mangarei, and they said one to another, 'But for Christianity we should not have looked each other in the face.' Some had embraced Popery, and whilst the Chiefs were together they held an argument on the goodness of their respective systems of religion, – of the Pikopo's (the Papists) and ours; and they tried to convert each other. Parantene, said, 'If the Pikopos had come here first, we should never have known what was right and what was wrong. Nor do we find anything in the Book teaching us to become Pikopos.' John the Baptist, a Chief, who had become a Pikopo, and received this name, said, 'How do you know that your God is

the right God?' Parantene replied, 'We know that our God is the right God, because he always cares for the people first, and sends his Missionaries first. Your God, if you have one, never sends his Missionaries till ours have cut down trees, and opened a path in the forest; then yours walk through it. I never heard that your Pikopo Missionaries were first on any island, but always follow when ours have cleared the way for them.' Tipene then referred to his own experience, to the love of God in his heart, to prove that our God is the right one, and the only true God. Takarei next inquired of John the Baptist why he thought Popery was straight, and asked for some evidence of its truth. The reply was, 'It teaches us to sit in peace.' Takarei answered, 'You have not had it long enough to test it. It is a new thing in this land, – its time has not been long. Wait until it has had a trial as long as our religion before you boast of it.'"

"As other nations of the world are calling for Missionaries; and as the people of New Zealand are now possessed of property, do you think they will be willing to provide for their own Missionaries, that the money now spent in their support might be employed in sending Missionaries to other dark nations? The New Testament requires this of them."

"Do you refer to the Scripture about collecting for the saints?"

"No: I refer to such Scriptures as 1 Cor. ix. 11, 13, 14: 'If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?' Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.' Also, Gal. vi. 6, 'Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.'"

Jabez asked for some explanation, which being given, replied, "That is all good and straight." Addressing himself now to Mr Buddle, he said, "But what does this mean? If I say the New Zealanders are prepared to support their Missionaries,

does Mr. Young intend to go away, and leave you and I to make that straight after he is gone?" I replied, "That is not my meaning. I only wish you to know what the Word of God requires of you. You have received the Book, and it requires you to support the Ministry. This is a part of Christianity. When you were but children in religion, and also poor, we did not press this upon you; but now that you have grown to be men, and are possessed of considerable property, we wish you to perform every Christian duty." In answer to this, Jabez said, "Your words are straight. This duty has been long unfulfilled by the New Zealanders; but it ought no longer to be trodden under foot. I will lift up your words, carry them with me, and give them to thousands of the people."

"In what respects have the New Zealanders improved since the arrival of Missionaries?"

"The Gospel has taught us to live in peace. It gave us love, and love is the fulfilling of the law. Before the Gospel came, there was no love. In the days before the Gospel, every man loved but one, and that was his father, – all besides were counted enemies. The Gospel has crucified all this hatred. It has made us love our fellow-men. Hence we liberated our slaves. We do not now look upon any one as a slave. All these things have been killed by love. The Gospel has made the fruits that St, Paul speaks of to grow in this land, – 'Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.' All these things have come of Missionaries."

'Do you feel satisfied with the arrangements of the British Government in relation to the land question?"

"Shall I tell you what I think about the regulations of the Government in reference to our lands?" "Yes." "Then I will tell you. I think one place is straight, and another place is crooked." "Which place," said I, "do you consider straight?" He replied, "We like the law, which says, the Queen shall buy our lands first. This is quite straight. It would not do to let the Europeans buy of the natives as they like." "And which place," I farther inquired, "do you consider crooked?" "The crooked place is here. The Governor sometimes buys

lands from Chiefs that have no right to sell them. You have a piece of land. I want some money; and I go to the Governor, and say, 'Will you buy my land?' He says, 'Yes.' I get the money, and you do not know that your land is gone. By and by you hear of it; and go to the Governor, and say, 'Is it true you have bought such a piece of land?' He says, 'True.' Then you say, 'It was mine,' and hold out your hand, saying, 'Let the last payment for it be to me.' Now, this is crooked. I have been served like this. I gave the Governor a Pukapuka, (a book or letter,) with all my lands written in it; and told him, when anybody came from my district to sell land, to look into the pukapuka. But some of those lands have been sold. This is the crooked place about our land." I remarked that the Queen was very anxious that there should be no crooked place, but that justice should be done to all her Maori subjects. The Chief replied, "That is good. When your children are under your eye, you control them: you make them do right. But when they get out of your sight, they sometimes fall into mischief. And when the Queen has her children (the Europeans) in England around her, she can keep them right; but when they get as far away as New Zealand, what can she do to keep them right? Like children out of their parents' sight, they sometimes get into mischief."

"Have you anything to say to me as a messenger from the Missionary Society, that has so long cared for the people of New Zealand?"

"This is my salutation to my Fathers in England. 'Oh, my Fathers! You are sitting at your great abode in England. How do you do? Pray without ceasing for this island. Be strong to pray for New Zealand.'"

Hone Kingi, another Chief who was present, wished to send his salutation, and said, "This is my word to the Queen, How do you do, and your people? My body is afar off, but my spirit is with you."

27th. – I visited the "Wesleyan College." This institution was opened in November, 1849. It is a substantial structure of brick, over a basement of scoria from an extinct crater in the

neighbourhood. Its architecture is of the plainest kind, but the building contrasts favourably with the ordinary colonial erections, and is considered highly creditable to the builder, Mr. Boon, a Wesleyan, who is now most usefully employed in teaching his art to the Maori pupils at the "Three Kings." The site is elevated, and well adapted for the purposes of the institution, – combining a healthful atmosphere with cheerful scenery. Upon the crown of a hill, at present in the suburbs of Auckland, the College stands conspicuously, with the harbour in the near fore-ground, and beyond that the many islands, and the expansive gulf of Houraki. It is surrounded by about eight acres of land, appropriated as garden, play-ground, and shrubberies.

The cost of this institution has been defrayed by a Proprietary, consisting of the Missionaries in New Zealand, Friendly and Feejee Islands, aided by a liberal grant of bedding, books, &c., from the Wesleyan Missionary Committee, and by a loan yet undischarged. The income of the establishment is wholly supplied by the payments of the pupils, and has been sufficient to defray the main cost of furnishing the apartments, besides all the ordinary items of board, stipends, &c., but does not leave any reserve monies, or permit any accumulation for the security or improvement of the property. Nor does it appear that the income can ever be sufficiently large for this, though the presumption that from its position the property will considerably increase in value, operates against fears of permanent loss. It was not, however, with any mercantile expectations that the Missionaries made this bold and costly educational effort. They would, probably, all have preferred that private enterprise, or the funds of the Connexion, should provide for their need. But the greater productiveness of capital here in commercial transactions, precluded the former expedient, and the necessities of the Connexion, in England alone, gave them no hopes of the latter. Meanwhile, grievous evil was accruing to the Mission-households for want of an institution where their children could reside, – where education was the business wholly minded, – and where English and Christian ways could

be seen on a far broader platform than in the isolated dwellings of their fathers. One great object desired was, the entire removal of the young people from the vitiated atmosphere of a native station; for it is not all at once that men raised from the grossness of heathenism acquire moral sensitiveness and decorous manners. Even where Christianity has been amending the tendencies of human society, it must have time given before it will have precipitated all its impurities. The high moral tone of British Christianity is the growth of centuries. It is something more than the clear apprehension of the ethics of Christianity, it is the intuitive perception of its proprieties, – of the "things lovely and of good report," as well as of things "just and true." More learning might be conveyed by teachers resident in their Missionary homes; but the qualities of our atmosphere tell upon physical or moral health, as effectually as the quality of our food. Yet it may be doubted whether the monotony and comparative lawlessness of a boy's existence in some thinly peopled and secluded region, does not promote intellectual mischief in the majority of cases. There, too, he is ever liable to receive his first and deepest impressions from the native mind. The first prattle of his childhood is probably moulded by a native nurse. He grows up conversant with two languages; but one of them can contribute nothing to feed his understanding, or to elevate his character; yet it is the language in which he hears the services of the Lord's house, and in which the great congregation utter their praises and their prayers. Further, though the most strenuous efforts were made by the Missionaries to keep their children aloof from those of the natives, they were not always successful. This intercourse exposed them sometimes to physical disease, and also to what was far worse, to grave moral evil. Feejee, especially, was and still is an awful residence for children. There, to this hour, men and women of every age walk abroad in almost perfect nudity; and the demons of carnage riot in all the brutalities of an unpitying warfare, and of a revenge which is not content to wound and slay, but must also cook and eat its victim, – joining the device

of a rational creature to the appetite of a wild-beast. It is evident that, in such a land, after all the injunctions which parental solicitude could bestow, and all the defences which it could set up, there remained serious moral danger to children. Of course the Missionaries, in this and the other islands adjacent, had always been awake to the peril and disadvantage of their circumstances, and had employed every means in their power to counteract the evil. Some families had been enabled to secure a resident tutor, not usually the best that could be desired, but the best that could be found. Some children had been sent to England, at great cost and pain of separation, and fear of injury in a land or school of strangers; some had been sent to Auckland, where they were boarded in private families, and educated at day-schools. But this latter resource was fraught with many objections; the young people mingled with the miscellaneous population of a general school, where there was much opportunity for contamination after school-hours, and little or no possibility of checking it was possessed by any friends of their parents, who felt an interest in their welfare but saw them only occasionally. The children were not being educated on safe ground, and were in danger of learning evil faster than good, by moving with so little restraint when on their way to or from the daily school. It was therefore evident that the time had come for some better provision. It was for the good of the Mission-cause that the parents should be relieved from their anxiety on their children's behalf, and should not be compelled prematurely to leave their stations, in order to seek education for their families; but especially it was for the good of the children, that they should receive their education under constant domestic oversight, and with all possible encouragements to purity and propriety of conduct, and to early piety and warm attachment to the church of their fathers. It was therefore determined to provide an institution in or near the town of Auckland. The Missionary brethren raised a fund in £20 shares, which enabled them to build; and they then appealed to the Missionary Committee for individuals to take charge of their enterprise. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher

were in consequence sent out, and arrived in Auckland, in April, 1849. In 1851 Miss Fletcher arrived; and in 1852 Mr. W. Fletcher, B. A. By their assistance, and that of Mr. Watkins, son of one of our Missionaries, the institution has been kept in full operation. "We have," says Mr. Fletcher, "gone on in faith, and with a growing conviction that our establishment was the offspring of the charge of an especial providence. Each year of our progress has shown a gradual increase of numbers. At the end of the

First year, we counted 29 clerical and 19 lay pupils.
Second ditto 36 ditto 19 ditto.
Third ditto 34 ditto 24 ditto.
Fourth ditto 37 ditto 38 ditto.

"Our day begins with the bell for rising at 6 a. m. in summer, and half-past 6 in winter; when, after a fixed time for dressing and devotions, all are expected to leave the bed-room together. Half an hour before breakfast is spent in the school-room. At 9 A. M. the day-pupils may be seen coming up from the town; and at a quarter past 9 all assemble in the school-room. The first employment is family worship. Each pupil being provided with a Bible, one of the boys reads a portion, which is followed by questions on the passage, and by a short prayer for the blessing of God upon the day. The classes then disperse to their respective rooms, and are soon in full operation. In the subject and mode of instruction, we have followed, though of course only at a great distance, Kingswood School, and our Wesleyan Proprietary Colleges. Our elder pupils have been able to read Virgil and Cicero with comparative ease, as also most of the selections in the Analecta Graeca Minora, and to write, with considerable accuracy, the exercises in Henry's Latin Book, and in Arnold's Greek Accidence. Our attention has been confined to these books, chiefly because the majority of our pupils being destined for commercial or agricultural life, and the term within which their entire education was to be commenced and ended being short, we were required to attend very much to the branches of a purely English education. We were hampered also by the necessity

of having a large preparatory-class at the bottom of the school; in which are many too young to be sent to such an institution as this, but sent from the necessity of early removal from the Mission-stations, and from the difficulty of finding any preparatory-school to which we could safely commit them. Between the highest and this lowest class are many gradations of instruction and acquirement; but it is our aim to train all our pupils first in the accurate knowledge and use of their own language, dividing the time thus left among History, Physiology, and Natural Science, Geography, Arithmetic, and the Classics. Our highest class has also travelled through six books of Euclid, Mensuration of Superficies, and Algebra to Quadratic Equations. It will be obvious to an experienced teacher, who reads the above summary, that we are almost in danger of aiming at too much. We are, in fact, from the peculiarity of our circumstances, two schools. Nor can the higher school ever make distinguished progress while it is connected with an inferior, or where pupils have been taught the first mysteries of the primer, and to which, as well as to the higher classes, the attention of the head-master must be distributed. To judge us, therefore, by the rules and attainments of an English school of the highest order, would be very unfair. This institution is, in many respects, unique in its character, and must be judged by a standard adjusted to its peculiarities. It is a very influential peculiarity of our school, that it includes both sexes. This mixture has long prevailed in day-schools, but we are not aware of an instance in which the experiment has been made in any boarding-school of the same size and aim as ours. Boys and girls meet in the same class, and so many of them as are boarders sit down in the same refectory. At all other times they are vigilantly separated, except in the presence of one of their teachers. Now, it is manifest that the residence of forty boys and girls in the same building, brought into contact with thirty-five day-pupils, is an extremely responsible addition to the directorship, and might be productive of the most deplorable mischief. It was not by choice that this state of things came about, but by inevitable necessity. Unless both

sexes could be educated together, one of them would be excluded from the benefit of the institution. It was therefore necessary to make the experiment. Many deemed it bold. Some shook the doubting head, and delivered gloomy oracles, though some were also hopeful. We were not ourselves without misgivings; but we reasoned from the well-known purity and happiness of families, where brothers and sisters meet and dwell together, to the conclusion that, by giving encouragement to home-feelings, by maintaining a high moral tone, and by leaving no opportunity to temptation, we might perhaps even discover good where we had feared evil. The experience of four years has established that anticipation, and we are perfectly satisfied that, with prudent oversight, and the cultivation of moral sensitiveness, the experiment may be made anywhere with perfect success. It is not, however, a state of things such as we would enter into voluntarily. We think it has promoted emulation, and general decorousness of conduct; but it makes many additional anxieties, and probably rather injures than improves the education of each party. It is, however, an anomaly, for which we do not at present see any prospect of removal. But we may reasonably expect a discreet estimate of our literary attainments as a school, when it is recollected that one-third of our pupils are young ladies.

"Another of our peculiarities is, that while we maintain, as a family, all our Wesleyanism, as a school, we are accessible to all religious beliefs. The result is, that our school-room has presented perhaps the most remarkable collection of young people to be found anywhere in the world, under the charge of a Methodist Minister. There have been or are, besides the children of our own church, members of clerical families of the Church of England, and children of its lay members in the highest posts of government and influence in the town, children from respectable Dissenting families, and several intelligent and interesting children of Jewish parents. To some of these various classes we are not permitted to convey religious instruction, but the majority are present at our morning worship, and receive Scriptural instruction; and even as to those who are not per-

mitted to be present, we are thankful that we have the opportunity of setting before them Christian example, and plying them with many godly influences.

"Our school-day ends at half-past four, – an interval of two hours being allowed for dining and play. After tea, at about half-past five, the entire household assemble for family worship; the evening is given to preparatory studies for the next day, and at nine P. M.. the last party of scholars retires to rest; and about the time that Cheapside is full, and the Banks are opening in England, our dwelling begins to be quiet, after about fifteen hours of commotion.

"The distance at which the homes of most of our pupils are from Auckland, restricts us to vacation but once a year, – in November. The last act of the year is a public examination, which we have been accustomed to give, not from any wish to enjoy an exhibition of ourselves in holiday attire, and with well-crammed respondents, but simply for the sake of keeping alive the sympathy between ourselves and the friends of the institution. Our largest room, on this occasion, has always been crowded with a most intelligent and distinguished audience.

"'Breaking up' is a stirring time, in every school, but there is a touch of the romantic about some of the pupils' vacation journeyings, beyond those of the English boy's sphere of things. The homes of many of the scholars are situate in the remote interior, at a distance of from 150 to 300 miles. Railroads and steam-boats are not yet, and even the dispensation of coach and waggon has not reached this land. An English student of the day when Hooker trudged, staff in hand, to Oxford, might have figured to himself school-boy itineration in New Zealand, more readily than the favoured Alumni of the 19th century. Small coasting vessels usually convey some of the pupils to their homes, – providing few comforts during their voyages of uncertain length, and some occasional risk. Other groups of sons and daughters take the inland journey; and starting on foot, and surrounded by loquacious and well-laden natives, direct their way, under the guidance of their fathers, towards some one of the rivers which forms a highway into the

very heart of New Zealand. On these picturesque waters the travellers each morning launch their canoe, working up with paddle, and blanket outspread as sail; now floating in the shadow of tall forest-trees possessed by fantastic parasites winding around their stems, and hanging grassy tufts upon their long denuded arms; and then skirting a verdurous wall of pendant shrubs; relieving the weariness of leisure by books, or merry chat, and numerous attacks with keen appetite upon the commissariat. Every evening the tents are pitched by the waterside; in wet weather, probably in some native shed of reeds, if the demands of the vociferous landlord or tenant can be levelled down to moderation, and there seems no superabundance of certain nimble parasites. Potatoes, with dried eels, or shell-fish, or sturdy potfulls of flour sweetened with sugar, are soon discussed around the fires of the native travellers, while the Anglo-Saxon race are busy with tea, and many substantial accompaniments. Evening and morning, all assemble for worship; the Scriptures are read; old familiar tunes swell on high, – the deep chanting tones of the natives prevailing; then prayer is made to God, the giver of all good, and the only strong protector. Fathers and children are soon at rest, on their couch of dry fern, or leaves well spread with blankets, with heads too weary to think whether the pillows be soft. Around their fires, however, their Maori attendants keep up a ringing discharge of gossip; rehearsing the news of Auckland, to be again reviewed in the ears of curious listeners at home; speculating on a hundred of things, sacred and secular, until the stars are sloping westward. Thus, during a week or more, they journey, varied by walks through dull woods, or waste of tall tawny fern, until they meet once more the greetings and rejoicings of home. English school-boys would find their imaginations all astir after a vivid recital of these adventures, and, coupled with a portraiture of vacation amusements in the bush, would work up, in the hands of a Defoe or William Howitt, a fascinating book for the library of schoolboydom. Perhaps many of the pupils of the Auckland institution pass over a stranger road in their

journeys to and from school, than any other boys and girls in the wide world.

"This institution has furnished several examples of steady piety; and one of the elder pupils, whom God took a year ago, was a genuine Christian; and whilst it is conducted as at present, it cannot but be productive of spiritual as well as intellectual benefit."

I was much pleased with my visit. The examination which took place was highly respectable, and the order of the institution such as to excite admiration. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher are manifestly well fitted for the important and responsible post they occupy; and I do not wonder that the establishment over which they so efficiently preside, should be held in high estimation by the citizens of Auckland.

28th. – To-day I learned that a gentleman, who some years ago resided in Sunderland, and who was supposed to have been drowned whilst bathing, is yet alive. His leaving his clothes on the beach was intended to conceal from public view the wickedness he was about to commit. Although a married man, and occupying a position of great respectability, he eloped with a young lady of good connections, and is now living in New Zealand, a professed infidel, but under a feigned name. The lady, so thoroughly ruined, I understand from those who have seen her, evinces deep mental wretchedness, and bitterly regrets the day she left her home.

In the evening we had a meeting of all the members of the Wesleyan church in and about Auckland. Several addresses were delivered by Ministers and laymen; and the earnest desire manifested to promote and sustain a deeper and more aggressive piety, afforded me great satisfaction. I was not prepared to meet with so much lofty principle and Christian feeling in Auckland; or to find Methodism occupying in New Zealand so respectable and influential a position as it unquestionably does. It has done much for the country, even its "enemies being judges;" and it has laid a broad foundation for more powerful and extensive results.

29th. – Visited the Wesleyan Day-school in Auckland. The

school-room is large, airy, and well arranged, with suitable playground attached. The Glasgow system of teaching is adopted; and the average attendance of children 60, many of whom are very young. The institution is conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Singer, and is supported by the weekly school payments, – the elder children paying one shilling per week, and the younger sixpence. In the examination, some of the children acquitted themselves well, but others yawned, and manifested no interest on the occasion, and certainly did not contrast favourably with the Maori children at the "Three Kings."

30tA. – To-day I received several letters from the monitors and scholars of the "Three Kings." The writing in every case is respectable, and some of it beautiful. The letters are written in the Maori language, and the following translations by Mr. Reed, I give as specimens.

"MY FATHER, – How do you do? Here is my talk. Listen to me. This is not indeed my thoughts of to-day, but my thoughts in the beginning, when I saw the greatness of my sins; because I was the most wicked man of all my tribe. In the year 1847, on the 20th day of June, I went to the chapel, in the evening of the Sabbath, to tempt the men of God; but Mr. Smales spoke Christ's words. (Matt. xxii. 12, 13.) The whip came to me. When I came out of the chapel, I fell down. My friends thought that some bad sickness had come to me. I was led to my house. Whilst I was lying, the greatness of my sin was shown to me. I was unable to count them; but this I know, they were as high as the mountains of the world. While I was thus dark, I spoke to God, that my body and my soul might be put to death. Great indeed was my darkness. During six days I did not eat. On the 2d of July, while praying, the light shone into my soul, and, from that time, the growing greater of the love of God in my heart commenced, and also the love of man, which has continued down to this day. This is all. From your loving child.
"From FAIRBAIRNE."

"Father! – This is my thought. Listen to me. Long ago this island was lost in darkness. It was just as when a man is asleep in the night. There was no candle to give light. Although the sun shone upon the people of the land, the souls were dead. Afterwards, the Ministers of the Gospel came. They caused the men to rise from their sleep. Then a Missionary came to my village. Wallis was his name. He said to the people, 'Friends, get up. Give over sleeping. Rise!' I heard that voice. My heart complied with the book of God, spoken by that Minister. Then stood the school at 'Three Kings.' I lived at this place. Here I am, praising God who saved me. My soul consents to the book of God, who

is great and who lives. Here is the teacher of this school, pulling the children and the men, that they may be brave to work the work of God. Great is the strength to strive of this man, Mr. Reed, that the people may be saved. My body and soul have been given to God. All that my soul looks at, is, Jesus Christ upon the Cross. This is all my thought.
"From WILLIAM BARTON."

"My LOVING FATHER YOUNG, – Great is my love to the men of England who have saved the people of New Zealand from the hand of death. Let God be praised, who sent the Ministers of the Gospel to the people of this island. When the men of England came here, the people turned to the living God. Some did not turn to the Saviour. There is no other Saviour but one. When the Ministers came, I was a child. When I could hardly know, I went to Mr. Whiteley's place, to a meeting. Mr. Whiteley spoke to the people. When my father heard, he considered, but did not fully comply. The men spoke that the children should go to the school at 'Three Kings.' The children came, then I came. When we had crossed to the side of Kawhia-Harbour, my father came in pursuit of me. He did not wish me to go, lest I should die. He spoke to me. I would not hear his speech, because I had heard that the school was good. I was not willing to go back to foolishness. Then my father flew upon my clothes. My shirt and my blanket were taken by him. I had no clothes left, save one shirt. I was not dark, angry to my father. When we had gone forty miles on our journey, and had come to the village, my father appeared again, to take me back. Great was his beating of me. By my heart seeing the love of God, I came to the 'Three Kings.' Great is the goodness of the school, from the love of God. This is all.
"From MARTIN."
(Martin is a boy.)

"MY FATHER! – This is my talk. Formerly I did not know God. My heart was evil only, and so was my body, and all my thoughts. In those days I did not see good; but God sent his Book and his servants. By this book I was enlightened while in the depth of sin. This thing – the sin – was a wonderful thing to my eyes, now that the book of God was come, which called me out of darkness to this rejoicing. The first thing by which I knew, was my listening to the word of God. The second thing was my consenting to be God's man. The third was my receiving a penitent heart for my sins. The fourth was my giving my body, and soul, and spirit, and all, all my parts, that I might be a worker for God. I have given my heart, and the love of God has been poured out, of which it is not possible to speak. Great indeed is the depth of the love of God.

"My next talk is about Chatham Islands. My thought is, that the 'John Wesley' should visit there. For many years I have striven with the Ministers, that one of them should go there. You will arrange this. They are dark. I do not say a Minister should live there. But let him go to examine and baptize. I am very dark about this. My letter and Mr. Reed's have reached them, and they have written complainingly. Therefore, I say, let this be arranged by you. Let 'John Wesley' go there

every year. They have seen the book of God; let them also see the man book. Friend, let this be arranged by you.
"From PHILIP HANNAH."

"GOOD FRIEND! – Listen to my thoughts. Before coming to this school, my father spoke to me that I should forsake the works of the children. I listened to my father: I was then a child. At that time there was a man, who was almost a papist. I knew how to read. I had seen the laws. I knew that Jesus was the Saviour. I hastened to pray, but he got no light. I desired to go to this man. I strove with him. He prayed, and his friends, with some others. Afterwards a preacher came, and he was instructed. This was the beginning of my desire to the good work of God. I came to the school. I was taught by Mr. Reed. Great was my desire for school. Great was the joy of my heart on seeing the blessings. Listen to me! This is the thing that will make men Chiefs – the school. This is the thing which makes us glad while we read many books. We read the Bible, and books which tell us about window-glass, and pots in which iron is melted. A great many other good works which have been given to us. With us here is a school, a teacher, a good house, land, wheat, potatoes, horses, flour, rice, sugar, and clothing. Great is our joy. Who then gave us these things? The white man, not our fathers. Therefore we say. Let God he praised, and let England and those other good countries be thanked. Great is the joy of our hearts. The chief joy is the love of God in us. Therefore say I, for God shall be my works.
"From KEVERN."
(A very interesting boy.)

"MY LOVING FATHER YOUNG, – This is my thought. Listen. From the greatness of the love of God in your hearts, you sent Missionaries hither, and teachers to save the men of this island. Great is the love of the white man to the Maori in this island, in their trying to save the souls of the people. Religion came not from our fathers to us. No, Sir, it began with us, the young men. By the striving of the 'pakeha,' (white men,) and us by speaking the word, the fathers were led to believe. That which they loved, was the gun and powder, to shoot men, that they might die. This was my word to my fathers, – 'It is not the gun, nor the powder, nor yet the blanket, nor all the things of the white man, that forms the true riches for us. But these riches are good for the body. The riches for the soul is, faith in the word of God, and our heavenly Redeemer.' They believed. Great was the joy of my heart. Our Chief went to preach the word of God. I was his companion. The name of our Chief is Robert Newton. He drew the men up to the good, because he was the great Chief of my tribe. After this the whole people believed in God, and were named the 'loving people.' This was after my coming to this school at the 'Three Kings.' There is one evil that sticks to the people, – the thought to the land. But, by the prayers of the sacred people, all these evils shall be destroyed. This is all my word to you. From your loving child.
"From MORGAN."

"GREAT FRIEND, – Listen to my thought. Great is my grief for my foolishness. By the Gospel I was made to know the things of God. I was overtaken while sitting with a sick body and sick soul; therefore my thought knew the love of God was great to me, the wicked boy. And may God himself teach my soul the good things! Do not let your heart be dark. Rather praise God. Let the good of the men of this land be enlarged. It is a right thing that God should be praised for giving his Book to the men of this island. The way to heaven has been shown, and all the good things by which men may secure blessings. Be not weary in well-doing.
"From TAMATI."

"FRIEND, – How do you do? This is my talk to you. I was a wicked man while I lived in my natural state, – while I prayed foolishly to God, while I was ignorant of God's word. Now that my heart is renewed, while I pray, great is the sweetness of the word of God to my heart. Therefore I pray constantly to God in these days. Christ's word in Matt. vi. 6, is my light, with other of the words of God. Sweet indeed is the word of God to my soul. My heart truly knows God. My soul truly clings to Jesus Christ. My heart truly loves him. I worship God truly. I know that God is my Father, that I am a child of his. The works which I work are done for God. That which makes me afraid is, lest my Father should be grieved by me. My talk shall not now be lengthened to you. This is all about the matter.

"Here is the greatness of my desires for the majority of the natives. Many of the men of this island have been baptized, but they have returned to evil. They knew not God. They are foolish with respect to the things of God. Here is another thing, – there is no desire in the foolish man to give his child to the school, that he may be taught from the book of God. Some are willing, being desirous to know figures, that they may know how to buy and sell, but not the word of God. The things of the body are things which are chiefly desired by the Maoris. But this is my desire, to pray to God that this foolish thought may be lessened in all the island. This is my thought, Let schools he multiplied in all the villages, that the children may be taught the word of God. With us is land for schools. Great is my desire that the children should know the word of God, because this is a very foolish people. Strive continually in prayer that the strong wall of Satan may be overthrown. Here is the great evil of the Maori, – laziness to work. Because of this, love to God is feeble. But by this thing, by the schools, shall it be known; because it is from the fathers that the evil comes. They allow the children to he masters; and from this the children are disobedient to their parents. Therefore, I say, let the islands be covered with schools, that the whole of this country may be for God. This is from your loving child.
"From JOHN EGGLESTONE."

CHAPTER IX.

CHAPTER IX.

Interview with natives – Tattooing – Cannibalism – Statements of Christian natives – A Christian Chief – Land squabbles – Letter from a Chief – Anniversary of Captain Cook's discovery of New Zealand – Massacres – Canoes – Intellectual character of the natives – John Hobbs – Review of the work – Bishop Selwyn – Missionaries – Colonization – Colonists – Departure for the Friendly Isles.

ON the 1st of October I had an interview with several natives from different parts of the country, and obtained from them a great deal of valuable information. The colour of the New Zealanders is a light clear brown, varying very much in shade, being sometimes lighter than that of a native of the south of France; the nose is straight, and well shaped, often aquiline; the mouth generally large, and the lips in many cases more developed than those of Europeans. The eyes are dark, and full of vivacity and expression; the hair is generally black and lank, or slightly curled; the teeth are white and regular, and last to old age; the feet and hands are well proportioned, – the former, being uncovered, are in a healthy development, and a native laughs at what he considers our misshaped feet. Their features are prominent, but regular; the expression of the face quiet and composed, showing great self-command; and their physiognomy bears no signs of ferocity, but is easy, open, and pleasing. The women are not in general as handsome as the men, though many of them, when clean and neatly attired, are said to be very interesting and attractive. The children of both sexes, with their free, open, and confident behaviour, are generally favourites. Brought up in the society of adults, partaking in the councils of their fathers, the mental faculties seem to be awakened and sharpened earlier than is the case in more civilized countries. Several of the natives that I saw were variously tattooed, which gave to

them a very peculiar appearance. The tattoo, or "moko" (its native name,) is done either with the sharp bone of a bird, or with a small chisel, called "uhi." The candidate for this distinction reposes his head upon the knees of the operator, who drives the chisel into the skin with his hand. Each time, the chisel is dipped into a pigment called "marahee," which is prepared by carbonizing the resin of the kauri-pine, and after each incision the blood is wiped off. The persons operated upon never allow the slightest expression of pain to escape them; and, after the inflammation has passed away, the regular and clear scars appear dark. The tattooing of the lips is the most painful part of the operation. The "moko" is the same in all tribes, and does not form what might be called the arms of the individual; neither is it given as a reward for valiant deeds. Nor is it an enforced ceremony, but any one may have it done or not, according to his wishes. Neither is it in many cases complete, but often remains unfinished. "The complete tattoo comprises the face, the posteriors, and the anterior part of the thighs to above the knees." The girls as soon as they arrive at a certain period have their lips tattooed with horizontal lines; to have red lips being a great reproach to a woman. With females, in many cases, the operation ceases here; but more frequently, I understand, the chin is tattooed, especially in the Waikato tribe, and the space between the eyebrows, much resembling the tattoo of the modern Egyptians; and, in some rare cases, it extends over the angles of the mouth. The general effect of the tattoo is to give the face a rigorous and unchangeable appearance; and it prevents the symptoms of age from becoming visible so early as they otherwise would do. The tattoo of the lips, however, in women, gives them a livid, deadly appearance, certainly not to their advantage. The reasons the men assign for their observing the custom are, first, it increases, as they think, their beauty, makes them admired by the ladies, who are not supposed to fall in love with a plain face; and, secondly, it secures the preservation of their heads when dead, as an untattooed face is not considered worth preserving. The faces of some of the old men were

elaborately, and, as far as art was concerned, beautifully carved. Most of the young men present on the occasion this morning exhibited but few lines, some not any; but the practice still obtains to some extent, and will doubtless do so, until Christianity becomes more prevalent, and takes a deeper hold upon the native population: then, like every other pagan custom, it must perish.

The practice of marking the skin appears to have been in use among the ancients. Hence the Mosaic prohibition, Lev. xix. 28: – "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you." These were doubtless customs of neighbouring tribes, connected with idolatrous worship. Men printed marks upon their flesh in honour of the objects they worshipped. Herodotus mentions it as prevailing among the Thracians, who considered that "to be marked with punctures was a sign of noble birth." Among the Greeks these marks were called "stigmata." To these St. Paul is supposed to refer when he says, "I bear in my body the marks (stigmata) of the Lord Jesus." Caesar remarks it as prevailing among the Britons, and Pliny says they introduced the juice of the plantain into punctures made in the skin, so as to form a permanent delineation of various objects.

In my interview with the natives at this period, I learned that many on whom I gazed with not a little emotion, had been cannibals. Tradition among the New Zealanders says, this revolting practice originated with the demi-gods. "Rongo" god of the Kumera; "Tane" god of the trees and birds; "Tangaroa" god of the sea and fish; "Haumsea," god of fern-root; and "Tu" god of war, were also brothers. Tu ate them all! This was the commencement among the gods. Tradition does not speak uniformly of its origin amongst men. One tradition says, that it originated with Manaia, who killed and ate an adulterer, in detestation of his crime. Another says, it began with Mahanga, who, to avenge his father's death, killed and ate Kohaho, the son of his father's murderer.

This frightful custom among the New Zealanders was connected with their wars. It does not appear that they ate

human flesh because they preferred it as an article of food; nor did they kill their slaves to make a feast for their visitors, but invariably to gratify revenge. Prisoners of war alone were the victims, and revenge the principal motive. Perhaps in some cases it was connected with the idea that to eat the flesh of the warrior would endue them with his valour and bravery. A Chief was often satisfied with the left eye of his enemy, which was considered the seat of the soul. Any detail on this subject would be too revolting; but it maybe remarked that great insult was offered, and great indignities practised on the bodies of their enemies. They would often torture the victim, heat the oven, throw him alive on the hot stones, and tear his flesh with the cannibal knife "tuatini." The skull was used as a drinking-cup, the teeth hung to their ears, their bones made into forks, and some into needles, with which to sew dog-skin mats. These mats were valued the more for being sewed with the bones of their enemies. The collar-bone made a frame for a bird-snare, and rings for the legs of decoy-parrots were made out of the leg bones. A brighter day, thank God, has dawned; and now I found the people ashamed of those things that they had formerly done in darkness. To name the horrid custom is sufficient to raise the blush of shame, and cause the New Zealander to turn away in disgust at the inhumanity of his former deeds. The last authentic account of cannibalism was the case at Tauranga, in 1842 or 1843, by Taraia, who caught the people as they came out of their place of worship, and in a few minutes had several of them in the oven. Taraia was in Auckland, only a few days ago, and was pointed out to me as the individual who possessed the unenviable distinction of having completed the list of those who indulged in the horrid custom of cooking and eating men. 2

Much has been written on the origin of the New Zealanders; and without entering into any minute examination of the subject, it may be remarked, that their fine and regular cast of countenance, the Jewish expression of their features, the very

light colour of their skin, their religious ideas, several words in their language, and the whole of their customs, indicate an Asiatic origin, and remind us of that primitive Asiatico-African civilization which attained its greatest height under the Empires of the Phenicians, Syrians, and Carthaginians, and confirm their relation to nations whose birth-place is Asia.

October 2d. – Preached morning and evening to overflowing congregations. The gentleman sustaining the highest civil office in Auckland was present, and some Roman Catholics, besides Jews and Infidels. In the afternoon several Native Christians met me, and at my request gave some account of their views and feelings on the subject of religion. They spoke with much modesty and simplicity, and certainly much to my edification. The Rev. T. Buddle translated with great ease as they spoke, and a person present took notes of what was said. I give the following as specimens: –

John, – "These are my thoughts. I am not going hack to old times, I do not intend to speak of our former condition, but simply to talk of my present experience of the things of God. When the word of God first found me, it made me feel that I was the greatest sinner of all the world. It told me, too, that Jesus Christ died for the chief of sinners. What I want to say just now is, that I feel Jesus Christ died for me; that he has redeemed me from all my sins. I feel persuaded you are going to heaven, I am rejoiced in my heart to know that I am going there too. You believe in Jesus Christ, and hope to get to heaven through him. Now if you get to heaven through Jesus Christ, I shall certainly be with you, for I feel that he is my Saviour, and has redeemed me from my sins. This is all I have to say."

William. – "This was a dark land in days of old. It was lost in darkness. I was lost in darkness too. In due time the light of the Gospel shone upon the land. It also shone upon me. Missionaries came, and preached the word. When I heard, my heart yielded. I received the word, and gave my soul and body to God. I am told that those who have got to heaven, went there by faith. Their path was the path of faith. Now, I am walking in the same path. Jesus is the gate by which we enter; faith is the pathway. My heart rejoices that I am travelling in this way, and hope to continue in it to the end."

Isabella. – "These are my thoughts that are inside my heart. In the days of my ignorance, I sat in darkness, and knew not there was a Saviour for me. When I was first awakened, I saw my darkness and misery, and my heart cried. My heart did not tell me to look up to God. I could not. I could do nothing but look at my sins. I continued thus for a long

time, and could only tell God what a great sinner I was, and nobody could save me but himself. The darkness began to break. A little light reached my heart, and God said, 'Come unto me, and I will give thee rest.' While I was listening and looking, greater light broke over my soul. The words of my heart went up to God. I said, I have been very wicked, I have been disobedient long. Now take my body, take my soul; I give all to thee. God took me for his child. I can now rejoice in God my Saviour. I have one thought, – the path to heaven is laid, and made plain to me through Jesus Christ. My great desire is, that I may cleave to God; that he may never remove to a distance from me; that I may never be separated from him. I wish to glorify him as long as I live."

Sarah. – "My thought is, that I was one of the greatest sinners in all the world. When I was continuing in sin, I said within myself. The finish of these things will be death. When I came to live at the 'Three Kings'' School, I found the word was preached by day and by night. No day passed, and no night passed by without the word of God being spoken. I found, too, that they prayed day and night; and I was led to give my heart to God. I said to God, 'Here is my heart' I gave all myself to God. I did not divide myself, but gave the whole of me to God. He took me, and I am his. The desire of my soul is, to love him, and to sit with him for ever."

William Naylor. – "These are my recollections about the days of old. I knew nothing about God. I thought the devil was God, and served him until the Missionaries came to us and preached the Word. Our work in olden times was to kill men. This was our delight, to cut them off, and finish them up. This took up all our thoughts. We knew not there was a God, and a Saviour that died for us, till Missionaries arrived amongst us. They preached to us; they taught us it was our duty to serve God; they prayed for us: and I was given to see that the path I walked in led to hell. I saw another path that led to heaven, and sought to walk in it. I have not been true. I fell once, like my forefather David. I was in great darkness, and had no light. Nothing was straight for a long time. Then I was reminded of David getting up again, and becoming a straight man, and was enabled to return to God. I feel that Jesus Christ died for me, and redeemed me by his death; and my wish is to give my heart and soul to God. The path to heaven is plain. I am walking along it. I never intend to turn out of it all the days that lie before me."

Fairbourne. – "How do ye do? I salute you in love. Our father has come to visit us. The news of your coming, Mr. Young, reached us a year ago. We have been looking for you ever since. My expectation never forsook me. I never forgot it. My heart looked towards it constantly. And, just as I have been expecting your coming, I am looking for the coming of Christ. I did not know when you would come to us. I do not know when Christ will come, – whether at even, or cock-crowing, or in the morning; but my hope is fixed upon it, because he hath said to his disciples, 'If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am ye may be also.' I know that he will come; and I

shall be with him. My hope is in heaven. I wait for it. These are all my thoughts."

Morgan. – "These are my thoughts. When I hear of the people of God that have got home, it makes joy rise in my heart, because I feel that the path by which they went to heaven is the path I have chosen; and I hope to reach heaven as they have done, and to see them there. My heart is now looking up to my Father in heaven. He loves me. My heart is continually walking up to God, who is the Father of my spirit. You, Mr. Young, I do not expect to see any more on the earth, but I do hope to meet you in heaven. Jehovah is my God; Christ is my Saviour; heaven is my home. That is all."

Philip. – "In my old state I was a great thief. I used to steal the property of a great King. When committing the theft, I was arrested, and cast into prison. While I lay there, a kind friend had compassion upon me, came to me, and ransomed me. He paid down a great price for my ransom, and I was made free. What I mean, I was a great sinner, a great thief, for I robbed God: but Jesus Christ came, and paid down a ransom for me; he redeemed me with his precious blood. I came to the institution at Auckland in 1848. It was here I was first convinced of sin. It was when Mr Buddle preached, on the 12th of January, from this word: – 'The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God.' The word knocked me down. I fell quite to the ground, and felt that I was just hanging over the mouth of the pit, ready to drop in. I looked about for help. I saw no refuge. My heart failed. I was sinking. Then Jesus came, and I saw the love of God. I cast myself on his love: he took me from the pit; pardoned my sin; and I gave myself to him, – my hands, my feet, all my body, – to be servants for God, and all my soul too. I am his, and I am going to heaven, the home he has made for us all This is all I have to say."

Timona. – "This meeting warms my heart. When I look back, I see that we had no such meetings as these in days of old. Until Missionaries came to this land, we saw no week like this. They brought the news that Jesus died for us. If that news had not reached us, we had all perished. There was one thing that stirred us up in this place, and made the work of God revive. It was the death of a Missionary, He fell down dead in this house (alluding to the sudden death of the Rev. J. Skivington). If it had not been for that death in a moment, the work of God amongst us would not have been so great. We saw him die. We saw the greatness of religion. We began to feel more its goodness, because it makes ready for death. I began to feel that I must seek the salvation of my soul, lest God should take me away in a moment. I began to seek, and on the 16th of March, 1847, I heard Mr Buddle preach from Acts ii. 23, and I felt I was the man. It came home to my heart. I did it myself; I crucified my Saviour with my own hands; I nailed him to the cross; I put him to death. All this I did by my sins. I felt that he died for me, and committed myself to him. Then, and there, I gave myself to Jesus, and now I am his. My desire is, at all times to stick to him, to keep close to Jesus, and get nearer still. This is all."

Mason. – "I speak my native thoughts of olden times. I was a bad man, the chief of sinners in all the world. God dragged me out of Satan's prison. When I was sitting in that bad place, I did not know it. I was ignorant of my state. When the word of God was first preached to me, I would not listen to it. The thought of my heart was, that the talk about God was all lies. Because of these things, I said 1 was the greatest sinner in all the world. After I had learned the word for some time, I began to see how crooked my thoughts were, and how wicked I had been. I heard about good men of former times, – of Noah, of Abraham. I thought they were good examples for me, and I began to follow them. Then I heard of Jesus Christ, that he died for my sins, and I gave myself to him. I saw that He is my great examplar, my guide, my Saviour; and I pray constantly to Jesus Christ that He may lead me to His kingdom. This is all my thought."

It will be seen from these specimens that New Zealanders, formerly enveloped in darkness, filled with malignity, and covered with blood, have received with meekness the engrafted word, and happily realized its saving and transforming power. The earnestness and deep feeling with which they spoke evinced their sincerity, and told of the glory which dwelt within; and the testimony of their Pastors to their generally upright walk and conversation was highly satisfactory.

3d. – I had the pleasure of an interview with William Naylor, or Tawaiti, at the residence of Mr. Lawry. He is principal Chief of Waingaroa, and has been one of the most celebrated warriors of modern Maori history. Often has he led on his tribes to deeds of blood and cannibalism, and distinguished himself above his fellows in times of war. He was one of the principal Chiefs in the wars on the Taranaki people; was often engaged in slaying the weaker tribes of that district, feasting on the bodies of the slain, and enslaving their women and children, a very great number of whom were held in bondage by him and his people, before they embraced Christianity. When the Gospel reached him, he had a number of wives, mainly brought from Taranaki. On embracing the truth, he put them all away, save one, to whom he was married according to Christian custom. He was one of the first of the native Chiefs who returned their slaves to their homes. When he received the truth, and was told that slavery was contrary to

God's word, he gave all his slaves liberty to return home. Most of them did so, and he was the means of inducing other Chiefs to do the same. He is a fine character, – naturally shrewd, intelligent, and courageous. Christianity has sanctified his intellect, and brought out the firmness and energy of his character on the side of truth and justice. William has always been ready to promote peace and good-will among men, to defend the oppressed, and maintain the cause of the injured. Many a long journey he has travelled to make peace between contending parties, or prevent the shedding of blood. He has even followed heathen parties to the remote district of Taranaki, who have gone on expeditions of blood, to prevent their killing and eating the people; and not unfrequently brought them home, having succeeded in defeating their object. In this way he has made some little restitution for his former deeds of cruelty. He embraced Christianity about eighteen years ago, and has had a Missionary living with him for at least fifteen years. He is much respected among the tribes, and exerts a most salutary influence through the Waikato district. He is a great friend of Europeans, and always ready to promote the spread of Christianity. His face is partially tattooed; and he is about fifty years of age.

I had the following conversation with him, my willing friend, Mr Buddle, acting as interpreter,

"I am glad to see you, and was pleased to hear you speak of Jesus yesterday."

"I spoke the truth. My word was straight. "

"Have you any message to send to the good people in England, who have supported Missionaries among you? They will be very glad to learn that their labour has not been in vain."

"Tell them what I said yesterday. I could have said more, much more, but I did not wish to boast. I owe all to Christianity. I live because of this, and might have given you much more talk, but I feared lest I should exalt myself. There is one thing in the land which gives us trouble. Only one

thing that disturbs my mind, and makes me feel confusion all over, – it is the constant squabbles we have about land." "What do you think is the cause of these squabbles?" "Think of your own garden. You make yourselves a garden; fence it, cultivate it, and when you have got it straight, some fellow pounces upon it, says he will have it, and tries to take it. In such cases, you can soon get the matter settled; but we cannot settle it so easily. We can only sit down upon our land, and say, 'You shall not have it.' Then the struggle begins. One cause of this dispute is the coming of the white man to our country, and the money he has brought. Our land is worth money now. Formerly, when a tribe thought themselves insulted or injured, they went and took a piece of land as 'utu (payment,) and we allowed them to do so. Now, the native man holds fast his land."

"How do you think these disputes can be prevented?" "There is only one thing that will end them, – that is, Christianity. If all men's hearts were changed by the grace of God, we should not have trouble. If the Chiefs would forsake the thoughts of the native heart, give up native customs, and take the law of God for their rule, then should we have peace. No law but God's law will put things straight. My own heart dwells on the word of Christ, in the 5th chapter of Matthew. That says, 'Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God.' And upon that word, in the 15th of John, that says, 'Now ye are clean through the word I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you.' Now, if all the Chiefs would look at these words, and make these words straight in their works, then should we be at peace."

"Very good. I am glad to hear you refer to the word of God as the rule of life, and that you seek to promote peace." "This is my foundation. I take my stand on this word. This is my law. Not that I have found this out for myself: it was God that taught me this word. I have had much to endure for the sake of peace. Some envy me, and are jealous of my influence. If I were like them, I should pay them back

again; but I feel it better to endure, that we may sit in peace. Should any serious evil arise when you have left us, I must still look to the Missionaries; and if they want help, they must send across the water to you, and you and the fathers there must help them. "

"The Queen is very anxious to promote your welfare; she loves her subjects in New Zealand, and wishes them to be happy."

"Perhaps," said Rakina, who was present, "if the Queen were to make a Maori King, and give him authority over the native tribes, he might put down all these things. A good man like William, with such power, might do much to make and keep peace." This proposition evidently did not meet with William's approbation.

4th. – I received the following letter from a Christian Chief. It is written in Maori, and the translation is by Mr Buddle. It is evidently intended for Christians on the other side of the planet: –

"October 4th, 1853.

"Go, O my letter, to my European relatives, – to my beloved friends. I send this to you, because ye are friends. From the greatness of your love, you supplied money to send Ministers here, to bring the Gospel of God to this island, that I might hear the word of God and live. When they reached us, I was sitting in darkness and in wickedness, – but the Gospel of God took me up out of the wickedness; and therefore I write my letter to the Ministers and Elders in England, – to the sacred men of God, – to the men that believe.

"Friends, I salute you. Ye children of the light, listen you to my thought. When I was sitting at the 'Three Kings,' I heard the talk about Christ's coming into the world. Then I began to have thoughts about the meaning of the love of God to me. At this time great is the joy of my heart to God; and my desire is, that my heart may walk always to God. Friends, my heart does not forget to pray to my God; because thus saith the word to the people of Thessalonia, 'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. Quench not the Spirit.'

"This is what I have to say: though you may never see me in the body, there is a place where we shall see each other in body and soul, when the Son of Man shall come. While Mr. Young was with you, I did, not know him; now I have really seen his person. So it is with my thoughts about you. As I have seen him, so I hope to see you sitting at the right hand of God, and myself also. I pray for my Ministers and teachers. Do you pray for my people to God, that he may soften them, and make them willing to send their children to be taught. Mr. Whiteley and myself have been to talk with them about their children; but they have no mind to send them to the 'Three Kings,' to school. But I pray continually for my people to God, as for myself I feel in my thought, I am a child of God. True is my word, and I think of the word of Christ, which saith, 'Be thou faithful unto death;' and therefore never intend to end my prayer to God. This is all."

5th. – It is just 85 years, this day, since Captain Cook first saw New Zealand. It had been discovered 126 years previously by Tasman, but no farther account was taken of it until the visit of the celebrated circumnavigator, on October 5, 1768. There is, however, reason to believe, from certain communications made by the natives to this distinguished seaman, that some European ship had touched on the coast a short time before his arrival; but, as the visit was never reported in England, there is too much reason to apprehend that the vessel foundered at sea. During Cook's visit, he unfortunately involved himself in a quarrel with some natives, which resulted in the shedding of innocent blood, and the exasperation of the people; and although he endeavoured to palliate, if not defend his conduct, yet it is evident that he was the aggressor. While Cook was on the coast, a French ship arrived, commanded by M. de Surville, whom the natives kindly received. The Chiefs bestowed upon the invalids of his crew the greatest attention, one of them surrendered his house for their accommodation, supplied them with the best food he could provide, and would not accept the smallest compensation. But this

humane conduct was most cruelly requited. Surville, having missed one of his small boats, probably lost during the storm which he had encountered, and suspecting that the natives had stolen it, determined to be avenged for his supposed injury. Accordingly, seeing one of the Chiefs on the shore, he invited him, with many professions of friendship, to come on board the ship: he complied, and at once found himself a prisoner. Not satisfied with this outrageous treachery, he next gave orders that a village, to which he pointed, should be set on fire, and it was accordingly burnt to the ground. To aggravate this crime against personal freedom and property, this was found to be the very village in which his sick men had a few days before been so kindly received; and the Chief whom he had inveigled on board was the generous Naginoui, who had acted towards them the part of the good Samaritan. The unfortunate captive was carried away from his own country by the stranger whom he had assisted; but he did not long survive the separation from his family and the land of his birth, but died of a broken heart about three months afterwards, on his passage to Peru.

In 1771, the Court of France despatched two vessels to New Zealand, under the command of M. Marion, with instructions, that after attending to some less important objects he should make himself intimately acquainted with the resources of the two islands recently visited by the English navigator. On his arrival he established an amicable intercourse with the natives, which continued without interruption for about five weeks, when a fearful massacre took place. The Captain having gone on shore with a party of 16 men, including 4 officers, were attacked, murdered, and eaten. Next morning a boat's crew landed for the purpose of procuring wood and water, and being still free from suspicion, allowed themselves to be surrounded by a multitude of the savages, who put to death 11 of the 12 individuals of whom the party consisted. The survivor saw the dead bodies of his companions cut up, and divided among the assassins, each of whom carried away the portion he had received. This horrid deed of treachery, cruelty, and blood,

was doubtlessly the result of Surville's atrocity. The one French commander reaped what the other had so wickedly sown.

Nor did Cook, who had shed innocent blood, escape retribution. On his second voyage, whilst one of his vessels lay in Ships'-Cove, a boat was sent on shore under the care of a midshipman, with instructions to gather a few wild greens, and to return in the evening. The crew, which consisted of 10 men, were killed, cooked, and eaten. It would appear from these, and other well-authenticated facts, that the massacre of ships' crews in New Zealand, and in various islands of the Pacific, is to be regarded generally, if not invariably, as the consequence of injuries sustained by the natives in their intercourse with white men; and as in many cases the innocent have suffered for the guilty, the most stringent laws ought to be enacted against any outrage committed by the crews of vessels on the natives of those islands.

6th. – Several native canoes having arrived, I went down to the beach to see them. They were each formed of a single kauri tree, and some of them 40 feet long. Others, I understood, were double that length. Formerly a stone adze was the only implement used in their construction, but that has been superseded by an iron one. The workmanship was of the plainest description. The figure-heads of some of them showed a great deal of carving, remarkable chiefly for its regularity, and the vast amount of time and patience which must have been spent upon it. These figures were generally carved with the tongues protruding two or three inches, to express, according to New Zealand custom, derision of their enemies. The sails were triangular, and made of the light raupo-rushes. The canoes are steered by a paddle, and can sail very close to the wind.

These canoes having brought together parties who had for some time been separated, the usual salutation of rubbing noses took place. Food was then provided. A round hole was made in the ground, into which a layer of stones was put; then fire, and upon the fire a covering of stones. When the oven was

sufficiently heated, the embers were taken out, green leaves laid on the stones, then potatoes, and on the top of them the meat they desired to cook. A small quantity of water was now thrown on, to create steam; more leaves were added and placed on the meat, and the whole covered over with a layer of earth, to prevent the escape of the steam. Food cooked in this manner I understand is most excellent, and any quantity can be made ready at the same time. The process, however, takes a good deal of time and trouble, and iron pots are now generally adopted. When the food was cooked, it was served up in small baskets, made of the flax leaves.

7th. – Having had a good deal of intercourse with natives since my arrival in New Zealand, and being very anxious to obtain a correct knowledge of their character, I came to the conclusion, from what I heard and saw of them, that their intellectual capacity is of a high order. Many of them have fine intelligent countenances, with the expansive forehead of a philosopher. The shortest intercourse with them is quite sufficient to satisfy any one that he is dealing with minds in no degree inferior to his own, and that knowledge only is wanting to enable them to become formidable rivals in mental attaintments. They are admirable speakers: their manner is very animated, and full of natural and appropriate gesture. Speech-making is their favourite amusement, and forms the regular social entertainment. On occasions of a ceremonious meeting, I was told, their behaviour would bear a very favourable comparison with the best conducted meetings in civilized countries. A New Zealand audience listens to the speaker with the utmost attention; nor is there any chance of his meeting with interruption; on the contrary, he will be listened to in the most profound silence, so long as he may continue to address them. To make up for the want of a platform which obtains for our speakers the better attention of the audience, the New Zealand orator secures an opening in the assembly, so as to permit him to advance and retreat for the space of 10 or 12 yards. A sentence is delivered while he advances, ample room being thus given for all the energy and effect

which the united powers of mind and muscular exertion can accomplish; and when he retreats he finds time to arrange bis thoughts, as well as to obtain a temporary rest for his muscles. In this way they continue alternately advancing and retreating until they have exhausted their ideas. When their speech is of much importance, every sentence is repeated. In such exhibitions they find their chief pleasure; but on ordinary occasions they are continually talking with each other, showing that their pleasures are evidently of an intellectual character. 3

8th. – Had a conversation with John Hobbs, an intelligent New Zealander, about 30 years of age. He belonged originally to the Ngatimaniapopo tribe, Kawhia, but was taken captive in war by a Waikato Chief. He subsequently became connected with Tamati Waka, (Thomas Walker,) the hero of Hokianga, and ally of the British troops in the war with Heki and Kawiti, in 1845 and 1846. John greatly distinguished himself during the campaign, and became a great favourite among the officers, and with His Excellency the Governor. He was the only man who volunteered to join the troops in a desperate attack upon Heki's Pa; and was the instrument of saving the troops on one occasion when Kawiti had left his fortification, and formed an ambush on the outskirts of the forest. John discovered the hiding-place, gave timely warning, and to him our troops ascribe their escape from a surprise that might have cost them much loss of life. His conduct induced His Excellency to bring him to Auckland, where he has resided since the termination of the war, employed as a messenger in the Native Secretary's Office, and living in a house provided for him by the Government. He is a member of the Wesleyan church, and a regular attendant on the means of grace.

The following conversation took place between John and myself, my valued friend, Mr Buddle kindly interpreting.

"How long have you been a Christian?"

"My first believing was like children playing. I was in

ignorance. I did not believe straight. It was when Mr. Turner lived amongst us."

"When did you then really believe, and gain true religion?"

"It is twelve years ago, -when my friend and companion Isaacs died. As he was dying, he said to us, 'Be strong, and believe, after I am gone.' We were all assembled to see him die, – all the Chiefs and people: and I ventured to ask, 'Who will lift up this word, and make it straight?' Repo, a Chief, said, 'It will all end; and when Isaac is gone, we shall have no more of this work.' So said all. But though I was the least and alone, I said, 'This word shall be made straight by me.' I then became decided for God, and made a true oath that I would serve him. 'The Chiefs and others told me I should not be true; but I vowed to God, and told them I would there and then give up all my sins, – all that I had loved in the world, and all that was wrong, I would cast off at once, and give myself to the Lord. So I did. They called to me, 'Be true then.' I told them that I would be true till I died; and I went to Mr. Hobbs and told him, then to Mr. Woon and told him, and we had much talk about it, and they became my friends. After this I never joined in the native wars or customs. I was in the late wars against Heki, but I said that was a straight war. He had shed the blood of the innocent, and I saw it to be right to join the Europeans against him. My heart was light all the time I was engaged. I did not feel any darkness or fear. When the war ended, the Governor wished me to come to Auckland, and enter the mounted police; but I did not like this, and said, 'It is bad work. Do you wish me to be ruined?' He said it was good work, and I must engage in it. I told him I could not obey his word in this thing, but would ask my Ministers about it. To my own thoughts it was bad for the spirit, and I had no mind to it."

"I shall be glad to know that you now feel the love of God in your heart."

"I always have his fear before me. While I now speak to you of these things, it is with fear. Not that I am afraid of you, but I fear God."

"Yes, you fear God; but do you enjoy his love in your heart? It is that I wish to know."

"Is it that you ask? Then here it is," (laying his hand upon his heart,) "I feel it here. Whence came these fruits I have told you about? They spring from the love of God. The work of the Spirit is here. He makes me fear, – he makes me watch, – he makes me pray, – he guides and saves me. When sin appears, and I am in danger, he makes me startle. When I was fighting in the straight war, he kept me in peace, I did not fear."

"Do you think the people will fight again?"

"My ears sometimes hear their talk, and some of them say they will, if there should be a cause. The men that believe true will not fight; but the men who have only the shadow of religion, and the men who are still in the Maori state, will fight if they be offended."

"Are there many who, in your judgment, have only the shadow?"

"Many. Some among the Englanders, (members of the Church of England,) many among the Pikopos, (Papists,) and some among ourselves."

"The religion of Jesus teaches us to do good to others; what are you doing?"

"Three times the thought has come to my heart to return to the North, that I might teach my people, as I formerly did; but the Governor would not consent to my going, and I have listened to the mouth of man, and remain here."

"I did not refer to your leaving this place, but wished to know what you are doing here."

"I do some work. I carry some talk to my countrymen who sit about the town. I reprove their wickedness, and invite them to chapel. I preach to them, but they won't regard me. They are not good to listen to me. They say mine is not pakeha mouth, but only a Maori mouth, like their own, and they won't attend to me."

"Be faithful to the end, and we shall meet in heaven."

"Great is this your word. I intend to be true till I die.

Many of my friends who began with me have gone back. They have turned aside one after another, but I hope to be true, and meet you in heaven."

"If you have any word to send to the friends in England who sent the Gospel, I shall be glad to take it."

"You have spoken straight. Tell them they have saved New Zealand by sending the Ministers of the Gospel. When they came, we were eating one another. It was love to us that made them send us Ministers; and now when men die we bury them, and eat human flesh no longer. They have prayed for us too. It is the power of their prayers that has made us live. They are strong to pray for the dark people, and God has heard their prayer for us. This is my word to you and them."

9th. – Having been detained by adverse winds, I preached twice to-day in Auckland, to overflowing congregations, and if I might credit statements made, it would appear that my detention, was rendered a special blessing to several persons. To God be all the glory!

In leaving New Zealand, I could not but deeply regret, that a blessed and extensive work of God, the reward of many labours, sufferings, and prayers, should have been marred by the hand of man, which sought to mould it after the rigid and uncomely image of Tractarianism. Previously to the arrival of the Bishop in New Zealand, the Missionaries of the Episcopal Church, and those of the Wesleyan Body, had laboured together in harmony; and although they had prosecuted their work separately, each in his own communion, and in accordance with those distinctions of internal arrangement which were therein to be observed, yet it had been a separation of love, – and they were united in object, in affection, in sympathy. God had greatly honoured this Christian oneness, in the rapid spread of the Gospel, and in the recovery of multitudes of people from darkness, superstition, and death. When the baptized natives of the Wesleyan community removed to the district of a Church Missionary, they became members of that Minister's communion, the original claim upon their membership having

been resigned for the sake of the general principle of noninterference, and so vice versa on the part of the Church brethren. On the arrival of the Bishop, however, this state of things was interrupted. Whilst travelling on the coast, he astonished the natives, with (to them) unheard of assertions, that the Wesleyans were a "crooked branch," a "fallen people," and that they had no "Scriptural Ministers." That they were "schismatics," their "ordination invalid," and their baptisms at most the "acts of laymen." One of the Bishop's Missionaries re-baptized several parties previously baptized by Wesleyan Missionaries, marking them with the "sign of the cross," and had thereupon admitted them to partake of the Lord's Supper, seeing that "now their baptism was complete." The Missionaries in a letter to the Bishop complained of this, but no remedy was provided against its repetition, as the offending individual continued the practice. Disastrous results followed. The Bishop found the natives generally settled down into a state of domestic peace, family feuds were ended, and parents and children worshipped God together, according to their limited knowledge. Perhaps one part of the family had been baptized into the Episcopalian, another into the Wesleyan church. The Bishop appeared amongst them, telling them that they must no longer worship together, but separately; that the teachers of the one party were no longer to be allowed to instruct the other; that they were a distinct communion, and that all the distinctions of the Church were to be rigorously observed. And what was the effect? Why the Scripture was literally fulfilled, that "a man's foes shall be they of his own household;" and the fearful spectacle was seen of father and son, mother and daughter, hating and opposing each other. In some cases they divided themselves into separate pas; in other cases into separate divisions of the same pa; and in one village, at least, had the party spirit risen so high between near kinsmen, that one of them had erected a fence across the Kainga, and lined it thickly with fern, not as a breakwind or shelter, but, as he told one of our Missionaries, "that the one party might not be able even to look upon the other." The

Bishop would doubtless disapprove of this, and every such thing, but such is the natural effect of an exclusive religion upon an uninstructed mind. If such be the injurious tendency of high-church principles upon the domestic and civil interests of the natives, it is very evident that it will exert no better influence on their religious feelings. If it be injurious to them as families and tribes, it must be equally injurious to them as men and as Christians; and so it has been found.

In April 1844, the Rev. H. H. Turton, one of our Missionaries, addressing the Bishop on the subject, said, "It is but three weeks ago since I accompanied the Rev. J. Whiteley to Waimati, and so intemperate were the proceedings of some of your Lordship's disciples at Wareatea against that devoted and successful Minister of the Saviour, that an unhappy collision had well-nigh taken place. Peelings of no ambiguous character were perceived to arise in the breasts of a few Waikatos that attended us, as they stood gazing in astonishment; and but for the timely precaution of my friend, who ordered them to leave the village, and proceed on their journey, there is no knowing what the result might have been: and yet these were natives, most of whom were returned from slavery through the kind interposition of the very man whom they were now so grossly insulting, and who, but for him, would have been in slavery still. They had the confidence to plead your Lordship's personal instructions, as an excuse for their conduct. But of course, whatever those directions may have been, they must have exceeded them on the present occasion. But if your Lordship chooses to lay the foundation of an intolerant exclusiveness in the minds of uninstructed men, you need not be surprised at any excesses of conduct into which they may run; or at any events, however fatal, or however distant, in which such principles may terminate. Coming from a station in Waikato, where all was peace and comparative prosperity and encouragement, great indeed were my surprise and grief on my arrival here, to find the people involved in party contentiens, as to mere forms and opinions. Instead of meeting me with inquiries as to the great doctrines and blessings of the Gospel,

the time of both Ministers and people is lavishly wasted away with useless discussions on matters of mere ecclesiastic arrangement. The spirit of the Gospel has evaporated in the form, and the mind perversely surrendered to the influence of foolish questions and genealogies, and contentions which are unprofitable and vain. And as to the Church party, it is lamentable to behold the pride and presumption which they evince. On the journey just alluded to, Mr. Whiteley was forbidden to preach at Warea, the natives declaring that your Lordship had so ordered it, and that they dare not transgress, and so a scene was presented at once ludicrous and disgraceful, – of two Missionaries found seated on the ground, whilst an ignorant Maori lad stood up in triumph to deliver himself of a load of most egregious nonsense. And when in the morning we called upon the natives to prayers in our own sleeping house, they forthwith left the place, rang their own bell out of mere opposition, engaged in their own worship, and left but three to listen to the 'tale of the Saviour's cross.' At Wareatea we were grossly mocked whilst in the attitude of prayer. My Lord, I feel perfectly indignant when I think of the alleged cause of this conduct. Here is an old Missionary of eleven years' standing, through whose moral influence and single intervention great and contending tribes have more than once laid down their arms, and become reconciled; through whose interposition chiefly, the Waikato wars have been ended, and Teranaki re-peopled, and the European settlement of New Plymouth been saved on more occasions than one from the hostile visits of the exasperated Ngatimaniapoto tribe; – I say, here is that very man forbidden by your Lordship's alleged directions to exercise his commission in a village which owes its erection to him, and to natives who, under God, even owe their present existence to him. In the meantime the natives are thus debarred from all means of European instruction, save what they may imperfectly derive from the quarterly and half-yearly visits of Church Ministers, who as yet are unable to address them in their own language, so that they are rather to be held in the bondage of ignorance than permitted to hear the Gospel as delivered

from the lips of a Wesleyan Minister, and that too in his own district." 4

As it is much more agreeable to praise than to blame, I mention these things with much reluctance and sorrow; and should not have referred to them, had the Bishop become less intolerant in his views, or expressed any regret for proceedings so uncharitable in their nature and disastrous in their results; but it appears on legitimate evidence that such reasons for silence do not exist. This I record with most unaffected, and deep regret; especially as in other respects there is so much in his Lordship to admire.

But notwithstanding this opposition, Methodism in the land is a great fact, an important reality, and that it has effected extensive benefit, even its enemies admit. Its influence for good is much wider than its statistics would indicate. Many who have heard its Missionaries, and felt the word to be the power of God unto their salvation, have from various causes gone through the land; and, like the disciples of the Pentecost, have told of the great things the Lord has done for them. Their simple word has been with power, – inquiry has been excited, consciences awakened, and many sinners made the partakers of saving grace. By this humble instrumentality congregations have been collected, family worship established, and houses of prayer erected, in several parts of the country, previously to their being visited by any European Missionary. Had the Wesleyans availed themselves of these interesting fruits of their labours, their churches numerically would have been much larger; but they acted upon the principle of non-interference with the operations of the Church, and left certain localities to be occupied by the Missionaries of that body, according to an arrangement entered into by the parent Committees of the Church and Wesleyan Missionary Societies, and thus lost many people legitimately belonging to them, and abstained from entering upon some populous and inviting fields of labour. The Bishop having practically disregarded this arrangement of the two Societies, it ought to become a serious question with the

Wesleyan Missionary Committee whether they should not now send men to localities from which they have hitherto kept aloof, in support of a good principle, that they may witness for spiritual religion, and endeavour to save the poor natives from the direful influence of a semi-Popery.

Our Missionaries who live in the "bush" have many privations; and, shut out as they are from nearly all European society, they could not be otherwise than unhappy, did they not feel themselves in the path of duty. Nor is their life one of idleness and ease; the impress of premature old age which many a countenance exhibited, greatly affected me, and told of the labours and sufferings of a New Zealand bush Missionary, in a manner not to be mistaken, nor yet to be forgotten. Their reward is on high.

New Zealand, doubtless designed to become a populous and great country, consists of two large islands, and a smaller one situated to the south-east of New South Wales. The northern island is separated from the middle island by Cook's Straits; and the latter from the southern island by Foveaux Straits. The area of the whole being 86,000 square miles, is about equal to that of England, Scotland, and Wales. The climate of the northern island much resembles that of England; it is, however, milder and more humid, but, on the whole, highly favourable to health. The middle and southern islands are somewhat colder. The country, in its natural state, is covered with ferns, brushwood, and timber, but possesses much rich soil, and is likely to become the granary of the Southern World. It possesses copper and other minerals.

On the 5th of February, 1840, it was proposed, at a great meeting held at the Waitangi, that the rights and powers of sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand islands should be ceded to Her Majesty the Queen of England. This proposition, so novel and startling, elicited determined and violent opposition. The speeches of the opposers were clever and impressive; and Her Majesty's Representative began to fear for the result; when, behold, Tamati Waka stepped forward. He had been instructed, gained, and baptized by the Wesleyan

Missionaries; and now, in a strain of natural and powerful eloquence that surprised the Europeans, he subdued the opposition, and removed the unfavourable intentions of the previous speakers. Addressing his countrymen first, he called upon them to remember the degraded position in which they had formerly been, and how much their character had become exalted by their intercourse with Europeans. He reminded them that they could not govern themselves without frequent wars and bloodshed; and he advised them to receive the British as their rulers, and to place confidence in their promises. Having thus done his duty to his countrymen, the noble Chief next turned to the Queen's representative, on whose gratitude he had established such claims, and, appealing to him as a witness of what had passed, said, "You must now be our father. You must not allow us to be enslaved. You must preserve our customs, and never permit our lands to be wrested from us." The die was cast. New Zealand became a portion of the British Empire. Unconquered, without bloodshed, it was freely and nobly ceded; a home for unborn millions, where abundance reigns, where industry must always be rewarded, and where health is said to prevail to a greater degree than in any known part of the world. A gentleman, occupying a high official position, speaking of this Waitangi Act, says, "Not to the Wesleyan Missionaries alone was this triumph to be attributed: there were Missionaries of other Denominations, especially those of the Church of England Mission, in the country; and it was by the joint efforts of these Missionaries that there was achieved a triumph unsurpassed in history, – necessarily belonging to an advanced state of Christianity, – in itself wonderful, in its promises for the future full of hope, and in its very nature stable, certain, and progressive." The European population, comprised in the several settlements of the ceded country, is about 26,000 persons, and will no doubt ere long be greatly augmented. The productiveness of New Zealand, and the salubrity of its climate, are becoming more generally known and appreciated, and will attract many to its shores from Australia, as well as from the mother-country.

Although the colonization of New Zealand has for the present seriously interfered with the spiritual progress of the Mission to the natives, yet amongst the colonists there are many estimable men, whose influence is favourable to Missionary operations; that of His Excellency the Governor, Sir George Grey, is especially so, and has in various ways been highly beneficial. Several Europeans are worthy members of our own church; possessed of the same liberal spirit which I witnessed and so much admired in Australia, and are very anxious that the Mission-churches in New Zealand should become self-supporting, and thereby relieve the parent Society, whose kind and liberal assistance they fully appreciate and gratefully acknowledge.

10th. – Early this morning I left my kind friends Mr. and Mrs. Lawry, who had entertained me with genuine hospitality. During my brief sojourn in Auckland I had met with the greatest respect and kindness, and felt not a little on parting with numerous friends, under a deep conviction that our next meeting would be in eternity. I committed them to God, went on board the "John Wesley," and sailed for the Friendly Islands.

2 See an able pamphlet by the Rev. T. Buddie, on "The Aborigines of New Zealand."

3 See Brown's "New Zealand."

4 Rev. H. H. Turton's letter to Dr. Selwyn.

NOTES [Part only]

NOTE E.

Memorandum of Minutes passed at a Leaders' Meeting held at Auckland, New Zealand, September 23d, 1853, –

The Rev. T. Buddle in the Chair.

Resolved, – "1. That the cordial Thanks of the Meeting are due, and are hereby presented, to the Wesleyan Missionary Committee, for the deputation sent to visit the Wesleyan churches in these islands. The meeting would thankfully recognise the guiding hand of the Divine Head of the Church in the selection of the Rev. Robert Young for this important service; the eminent gifts and graces of that honoured servant of Christ have been found profitable in all respects, and his name will be gratefully remembered in the future history of the rising Wesleyan churches in New Zealand."

Resolved, – "2. That the Deputation be respectfully requested to assure the Missionary Committee and Conference, that in the trials they have been called upon to endure in defence of the great principles of Methodism, the churches in this land have sympathized with them; and this Meeting rejoices in the conviction that the Wesleyan churches which have been raised in New Zealand by the blessing of God upon the labours of the Missionaries, are firm in their attachment to the doctrines and discipline of Methodism, and earnest in their wish that its agencies may be multiplied till the earth is full of the knowledge of God."

Resolved, – "3. That the Deputation be farther requested to convey to the Missionary Committee the greatful acknowledgments of the Meeting for the liberal aid they have given to the Circuit in the support and appointment of Ministers to labour in the word and doctrine; and to express the gratification it feels in the prospect of the Circuit being able to support its own Ministers, which pleasing duty it now most cheerfully undertakes.

"THOS. BUDDLE, Chairman,

"W. HUGHES, Secretary. "

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