irr. - rr^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DATE DUE 0CT >iw A,2f ) ^ GAVLORO Cornell University Library DU 411.S97 New Zealand,.andJts,coloniza^^^^ 3 1924 028 637 381 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028637381 AOM I FfALTY, MANTEL - Sinith. EldCT.ft C?, 65,Cffnihm. NEW Z E AL AN D AND IPS COLONIZATION WILLIAM SWAINSON, FORSIERLY, AND FOE UPWARDS OF FIFTEEN YEAUS, HER UrA.TESTV's ATTORNliT-OENERAIj FOR NEW ZEALAN'D. WITH A MAP. , v.; i — ■ •'. \ - - LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. 1859. {The right of Translation is reserved.) CONTENTS. Chapter I. THE NATIVE RACE— PAST AND PRESENT. The Native Race — Their probable origin — Traditional history of their arrival in New Zealand — General character of the Race ■ — Their estimated numbers — Ancient notions of the Creation — Influence of their belief in a world of spirits — The Tapu — Their food — Dress — Social and domestic life — Progress of amalgamation — The half-caste race — Reception and progress of Christianity — Impediments to its influence — The native language — Its figurative character — Style of pubUc speaking — Declining influence of the Chiefs — Introduction of English law —The first trial— Native education — Progress in industrial pursuits — Contrast between the " Past and_Present " — Political status of the natives — Future prosperity .... Chapter II. COLONIZATION. Project for colonizing New Zealand — Reluctance of the Govern- ment to engage in the undertaking — The New Zealand Com- pany and their proceedings — ■ Treaty concluded with the natives, ceding the Sovereignty to Cxreat Britain — New Zea- land erected into a British Colony — Position chosen for the seat of Government — HostiUty of the New Zealand Company — Laud claims — Early legislation — The first Governor — Review of his proceedings 74 IV CONTENTS. Chapter III. COLLISION WITH THE NATIVES. PAGE Difficulties of the settlers sent out by the New Zealand Company before British authority was established in New Zealand — Defects in the New Zealand Company's titles to land — Fatal collision with the natives at the Wairau — Alarm of the Southern settlers— Excitement of the natives — Critical and defenceless state of the country — Views of the natives, of the local authorities, and of the Imperial Government, of the fetal catastrophe at the Wairau 102 Chapter IV. JOINT-STOCK COLONIZATION. Distress of the Southern settlers — Dissatisfaction of the land pur- chasers at Wellington and Nelson — Character of the New Zealand Company's proceedings — -Their suggestion to set aside the treaty by which the New Zealanders have been recog- nised as the owners of the soil — The New Zealand Company's debt — Its origin and history — Review of their career . .124 Chapter V. NATIVE INSURRECTION. Native law of real property — Jealousy as to their territorial rights Military prowess of the New Zealanders — Their early mis- trust of British rule — The native insurrection — Its origin, &c. — The destruction of Kororarika — Military operations — Martial law — Policy of the Government . . . .150 Chapter VI. THE NATIVE DIFFICULTY. Early difficulties and anomalous position of the New Zealand Government — Difficulty of governing different races by the same code of laws — Exceptional laws for the administration of justice — The native " Protectorate " — False position of the Government for want of an adequate military force . .173 CONTENTS. V Chapter VII. NEW ZEALAND AS A FIELD OF EMIGRATION. PAGE New Zealand as a field of emigratioa — General description of the country and its natural resources — Impetus given to the Colony by the Australian gold discoveries — Population — Revenue — Agriculture — Shipping and Exports of New Zealand — Cha- racteristic features of its several Provinces .... 191 Chapter VIII. THE CAPITAL OF NEW ZEALAND. Auckland and its neighbourhood — Its position — Its two harbours — The suburbs — The Isthmus — The neighbouring country — The town of Auckland — Its population — Society, amusements, &c. — Auckland, social and domestic 215 Chapter IX. SCENERY AND BUSH TRAVELLING. Scenery of New Zealand — Lakes — Boiling springs, and mountains — Travelling in New Zealand — River and forest travelling — The Waikato river — Descent of the Whanganui river — Coast travelling — The night encampment — The fapued road : an in- cident in New Zealand traveUing — The pleasures of bush travelling 238 Chapter X. THE CLIMATE. The climate of New Zealand — Description given by early travellers — General character of the climate and seasons — Comparison with the climate of England and the south of Europe — Com- parative table of the mean temperatures — General salubrity of the climate — Its sanative character with reference to pulmonary disease — Meteorological table .... 263 Chapter XI. THE NEW ZEALAND CONSTITUTION. Measures to prepare the Colonists for the exercise of political powers — Their indifference to municipal institutions — Consti- tution proposed by Earl Grey: its unfitness — Difiiculty of devising political institutions suited to the country — The New Zealand Constitution : critical examination — The provincial system : its evils and their remedy 282 VI CONTENTS. Chaptek XII. POLITICAL PROGRESS. PAOE " Responsible Government " not established by the Constitution — First meeting of the General Assembly — Struggle to obtain " Responsible Government " — Temporary compromise — Rup- ture between the Government and the House of Representa- tives — Mr. E. G. Wakefield— Violent proceedings of the House — The Assembly prorogued — Mr. Wakefield's explanation — Effect of the temporary prorogation of the Assembly — The introduction of " Responsible Government " sanctioned by the home authorities — Proceedings for bringing the principle into operation 315 Chapter XIII. " RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT." " Responsible Government " — The oflSce of a Colonial Governor — Change effected by the introduction of Ministerial responsi- bility — The difficulties which stand in the way of the complete adoption of the principle in New Zealand — Anomalous position of a Colonial Governor where the principle is only partially adopted— Reasons for continuing to retain to the Crown the government of the native race 358 Chapter XIV. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN NEW ZEALAND. The Church of England in New Zealand : the number of its ministers, and the means of their support — Want of organiza- tion^Obstacles to the estabhshment of local self-government for the Church of England in the Colonies — Conference of Bishops, Clergy, and Laity in New Zealand — Outlines of the Church constitution framed by the Conference — Power and jurisdiction of the General Synod proposed to be established in New Zealand — Conclusion 382 PREFACE. From a variety of causes, the experiment of found- ing a Colony in the Islands of New Zealand has, from the outset, been regarded with unusual inte- rest. What are the advantages oiFered by New Zealand as a field of British Colonization ? What are the characteristic features and the compara- tive advantages of its several Provinces ? What has experience proved to be the sanative value of its climate ? What has been the progress of the Colony in agriculture, commerce, population, and wealth ? and What is the nature of its Con- stitution, government, and laws ? are questions of interest to all who may be seeking for them- selves a home among the Islands of the South. But there are questions of yet deeper and wider interest connected with the Colonization of these Islands. Is it possible that two distinct portions of the human race, in the opposite conditions of civilization and barbarism, can be brought into immediate contact without the destruction of the uncivilized race ? or, in rendering the Colonization of a barbarous country possible, is the Christian Till PREFACE. Missionary but the pioneer of the destruction of its heathen people ? is a problem still waiting its solution in New Zealand. On what principle, with reference to native rights, have these Islands been erected into a British Colony ? and what are the obligations contracted by the Crown of England in subjecting them to British rule ? To what extent have the native race adopted the habits and usages of civilized life ? and what pro- gress has been made by them in industrial pur- suits ? What is the prospect of their permanent preservation ? and what means have been taken for saving them " from that process of exter- mination under which uncivilized tribes have too commonly disappeared when brought into contact with civilized men ? " To these, and questions such as these, the following pages will be found to contain a faithful answer. Contemporary events, however, are seldom rightly discerned or fully appreciated, even by their principal actors ; but when the subject shall have become a matter of History, the Colonization of these Islands and the commingling of the Eaces will be read with all the interest of romance. NEW ZEALAl^D TTS finr. nNT7ATTnivr__ ERRATA. Page 18, line 10, for "rubbing . . . upon," read "calling . . . after." „ 20, „ 18, ,, " kukus," reat( "kakas." ,, 22, „ 24, „ "beans," read " maize." „ .31, „ 18, „ " dubbed," reoi "called." ,, 87, ,, 26, „ •■ prepared course," rcarf "preponderance." ,, 170, „ 20, ,, "inadequate," read "incessant." ,. 189, ,, 29, ,, " mere," rea(? "near." ,, 209, „ 5, ,, " immoderately," read " unusually." ,, 220, „ 14, ,, " "Waikati," read " Waikato." „ 231, „ 25, ,, "Waitiaki," reat/ ""Walbeki." „ 232, „ 2, ,, "younger," reaci " graver." „ 236, ,. 2.5, ,, " excitement," rcat/ "interest," „ 241, „ 11, „ " "VTaiala," rearf " Waiata." „ 241, note (line 2), for " Teta," read " Tete." „ 254, line 10, /or " on with fury," rearf " with fury (ii." „ 293, note (line I), for " 1855," read " 1858." ,, 305, line 22, /.)/■" initiation," /-eac? " initiative." ,, 312, ,, 12, ,, "arrangement," reae/ "management."" ,, 330, „ 19, „ "government," 7-eati " garment." ,, 371, „ 9, „ " give," r«ad " gain." ,, 373, „ 13, ,, "irresponsible," rea(/ " a responsible." „ 375, „ 18, ,, " provide," rearf "prevail." ,, 394, „ 16, ,, " was," re«rf " are." „ 410, „ 16, ,, " enrolment," read " emolument." „ 414, „ 4, ,, " presented," rrarf " prescribed." and the fictitious adventures of its then forgotten founders. Events which now appear of common- place occurrence, and which fail to arrest the atten- ^7 B VIH PREFACE. Missionary but the pioneer of the destruction of its heathen people ? is a problem still waiting its solution in New Zealand. On what principle, with reference to native rights, have these Islands been erected into a British Colony ? and what are the obligations contracted by the Crown of England in subjecting them to British rule ? To NEW ZEALAJSTD ITS COLONIZATION. '■-' CHAPTER I. THE NATIVE RACE— PAST AND PRESENT. Occupying a commanding position in the Southern Ocean, within a few days' sail of the great continent of Austi'alia, possessing numerous safe and commo- dious harbours, enjoying a temperate climate and a fertile soil, abundantly watered, rich in valuable timber, and not without indications of great mineral wealth, it would be difficult to find any portion of the earth's surface presenting so many advantages for British colonization as the distant islands of New Zealand. When these islands shall have become a powerful empire, exercising a leading influence in the Southern Seas, the novelist will be able to enlist the sympathies of his readers in the imaginary trials and the fictitious adventures of its then forgotten founders. Events which now appear of common- place occurrence, and which fail to arrest the atten- ^1 2 NEW ZEALAND. tion of the busy multitude, will then be regarded with eager interest ; and the men, manful and godly, practical and enthusiastic, prudent and self- sacrificing, who have been engaged in founding an empire among the islands of the South, will then take rank with British worthies, as great actors in an " heroic work " of a most illustrious reign. And when, slowly but surely, the dark blood of the Maori shall have faded in that of the pale face who is destined to replace him, and when the heightened colour in some passing cheek shall be the only living remnant of the dark-skinned race, then will the early history of these islands, and the commingling of their races, be read with all the interest of romance. There is reason to believe that their native inha- bitants have occupied the islands of New Zealand for at least five hundred years ; but, though they can trace back their genealogy for more than twenty generations, there no longer exists any reliable tradition of their origin. Beyond their geographical position, but little is yet known of the numerous islands of the Pacific ; but amongst the great variety of languages spoken in that vast Archipelago,* * In the prosecution of the Melanesian Mission, the Bishop of Kew Zealand brought thirty-three youths to Auckland for the purpose of education (1857) : they were collected from eight different islands — from the New Hebrides, Loyalty, and Solomon Islands ; and eight languages were spoken amongst them. In their structure, some of these languages re^sembled one another ; but in words, they were all entirely different ; and not one of them was intelligible to the natives of New Zealand. Some of these island boys wore a ring of bone fastened to the partition of the nostril ; some wore a piece of stick stuck into the end of the nose ; and others had a large hole cut in the lower part of the ear : but none of them were tattooed like the natives of New Zealand. THE NATIVE RACE. 6 distinct traces of the Maori language are to be found in several small islands lying northwards of the New Zealand group. In Kennell Island, the inhabitants, consisting of not more than a dozen families, speak a dialect of the Maori language, and are tattooed like the New Zealanders ; and in the neighbouring island of BeUona, the language spoken by its few inhabitants is the same. In the small Stewart's Island coral group, the language spoken by the people is also a dialect of the Maori. Even in the Sandwich Islands, distant more than 3,000 miles, many of the words in common use diifer only in the addition or omission of a single letter from the language now spoken by the natives of New Zealand ; and it has been conjectured that the Maori race have migrated, directly, or by intermediate steps, from Ha-wai-i — the Owhyhee of Captain Cook. In the Maori legends of the Creation, mention is made of birds, of fish, of insects, and of reptiles, but no allusion is made to the beasts of the field ; it is probable, therefore, that the race from which the Maories originally sprung must, to a remote period of antiquity, have had their habitation in those regions of the world where the larger animals were unknown ; but at what period, or in what manner, they first arrived in New Zealand, is now altogether unknown. Whatever may have been their origin, however, their ancestors, to reach the islands of New Zealand, must have traversed in their canoes certainly more than a thousand miles of sea. Their own traditions contain the most minute B 2 4 NEW ZEALAND. particulars of their origin : where they last came from, however, and when they first landed in these islands, is, in reality, but matter of conjecture. As to the minute particulars of their early history, the versions to be met with amongst them are somewhat various ; but, in their main features, the native traditions still preserved throughout the country are wonderfully agreed. All give the same account of the name of the place from whence they came — of the direction in which it lies — of the reasons which led to their migration — and of the localities in which they first landed in their islands. The names even of the canoes in which they made the voyage — of the timber of which they were built — of the name of the builder — and of the crews by which they were navi- gated — and an account of the address delivered to them on taking leave of their native land, at least 500 years ago, have all been carefully preserved, and handed down to the present day through more than twenty generations. All agree that their ancestors came from a country called " Hawaiki " (which in the Sandwich Islands would be called ^^ Hawaii"), and which they describe as lying to the N. E. of New Zealand : they also agree that they were not driven off by stress of weather ; but that, being harassed by wars and dissensions, they resolved to seek a new home ; and that they embarked in several canoes built and fitted out expressly for the purpose. Tradition has also preserved the valedictory address with which they were cheered on embarking in their adventurous undertaking. " Now do you, my THE NATIVE RACE. 5 children," said the Hawaikian patriarch, " depart in peace ; and when you reach the land you are going to, do not follow after the deeds of Tu, the God of War, for if you do, you will perish as if swept away by the winds. Follow, rather, quiet and peaceful occupations, as you will then die quietly a natural death. Go, then, and live in peace with all men, and leave war and strife behind you. Depart and dwell in peace. War and its evils are driving you from your fatherland : live, then, in peace where you are going to. Conduct yourselves like men : let there be no quarrellings amongst you ; but build up a great and powerful people." That their ancestors reached these islands at different times, and landed in various places, their traditions are also agreed. About twenty miles to the north of Auckland, forming the western angle of the Frith of the Thames, there runs out a long, low promontory, connected with the main by a narrow strip of land ; and here, according to native tradition, the founders of the Maori race first landed in New Zealand. Of the several canoes which formed the expedition, the " Tainui " was the first to reach the shores. Finding a sperm whale stranded on the beach, the crew named the place Wanga Paroa, by which name the peninsula has ever since been known. Soon afterwards the " Arawa " also made the land at Wanga-paroa ; but neither party remained there long: the " Tainui " proceeding up the Frith of the Thames in the direction of the Waitemata, and entering the inlet of the Tainaki as far as " Ota- 6 NEW ZEALAND. huhu." Here the crew dragged their canoe across the narrow strip of land which separates the waters of the eastern and western coasts. Launching again into the Bay of Manukau, they sailed down the har- bour, and through the heads, out to sea again in a southerly direction, along the western coast, until they reached Kawhia, a small harbour mid-way between Manukau and Taranaki : and here they finally settled ; throwing off swarms, from time to time, along the neighbouring coasts. And a tribe called the " Tainui " are to be found at Kawhia to the present day, whose chief claims direct descent from one of the adventurous voyagers ; and a canoe- shaped rock in the neighbourhood is seriously believed by them to be itself the petrified " Tainui." The second canoe which reached New Zealand was the " Arawa." Her crew also first landed at " Wanga- paroa ; " they then proceeded down the eastern coast as far as Maketu, where they settled, and gradually spread themselves inland to Eotorua, Taupo, and Whanganui. The " Mata-Atna " was the next to arrive : her crew first landed also on the eastern coast of the northern island, in the Bay of Plenty ; and their descendants afterwards spread themselves along the coast in a southerly direction. Of the proceedings of the rest of the expedition, compara- tively little is known. How far these native tradi- tions are well founded is now a matter of doubt : it is certain, however, that a considerable portion of the Maori race claim to have sprung from the crew of the three canoes, whose history, in the most minute THE NATIVE RACE. 7 particulars, through successive generations, has heen thus carefully preserved. The descendants of these adventurous navigators — evidently a mixed race — are a fine body of men, dark brown in colour, full sized in stature, and with an independent and manly bearing. They have large and well-formed intellectual heads, and a powerful muscular development. Many of them are above the middle height, of a light copper colour, with straight black hair ; these are evidently of Malay origin. Others again, who are comparatively short, of a dark brown colour, with crisp and curly hair, bear some traces of African descent. The Maori women have a large share of the drudgery of life, marry young, fade early, and, as is commonly the case with uncivilized races, are, in their physical appearance, greatly inferior to the men. Few of the Maories have whiskers : nor do they wear beards ; but instead of shaving, they pluck out the hair with a pair of pipi shells. Owing to the face being covered with tattoo marks, many of the older native men appear to be almost black : but the practice of tattooing is discontinued as they become converts to Christianity. The operation, performed with a hammer and a serrated chisel, causes great swelling and excruciating pain, and is sometimes the work of years. The punctures are stained with a dark vegetable dye : the pattern, in circles and curved lines, is punctured on various parts of the person, as well as on the face ; and the faces, hips, &c., of the great chiefs are usually covered with ornamental scrolls. 11 faut 8 NEW ZEALAND. souffrire pour etre beau ; and like tight-lacing amongst ourselves, and small shoes with the Chinese, tattooing (painful as it is) is submitted to for the sake of its beautifNing eiFects. The Maori women, however, are but sliffhtlv tattooed, havinor onlv a few lines cut about the lower lip and chin. As a body, they are intelligent, high-spirited, and warlike, but good humoured. They are inquisitive, communicative, and almost incapable of keeping a secret : but, except in broad outline, it is not easy to ffive an accurate delineation of their character. They are far from being either simple, shallow, or transparent ; and their character is by no means to be comprehended at a glance. To form a true con- ception of it, the Maori must be seen in his native Kainga, and among his own countrymen. Seen alone, in the midst of our English settlements, he is, in manner at least, quite a different creature. Hardly any two classes, in the colony itself, have formed the same estimate of the native character. Of their language, manners, and customs, the colonists them- selves are, for the most part, as ignorant as the people of England. For the purposes of trade, the natives constantly, and in large numbers, frequent our English settlements : but the two races reallv live apart ; and, with the exception of the missionaries and a few isolated settlers, few have sufficient know- ledge of the language, superstitions, and social life of the native race to be able to form a judtnnent of their real character. They are themselves quick observers, and have the tact to take for the moment THE NATIVE RACE. 9 the tone of those with whom they are brought into contact, and they exhibit that particular phase of their own character which the occasion may require. The gentleman is struck by their natural good breeding, and their quiet gentlemanly demeanour ; the coarse and vulgar-minded who trade with, and live familiarly amongst them, describe them as ungrateful, avaricious, and disobliging ; the soldier, who has met them in the field, always speaks of them with respect ; the good humoured and light hearted are pleased with their ready appreciation of a joke ; and the political agent rarely boasts his superiority over them in diplo- matic skill : each observer seems to see himself reflected in their character ; and hence, probably, the diversity of opinion respecting it. Like more highly civilized people, they combine qualities the most opposite and contradictory. Individuality and inde- pendence are probably their most striking charac- teristics. Amongst those of the same rank, no one ventures to interfere with, or to assume the slightest authority over, his neighbour. The Maori has none of the materials in his composition to make a pet of : he has nothing of the gentle, loving nature, the affectionate disposition, and the child-like docility of the negro race. He is impatient of injustice, yet amenable to reason, and possesses more common sense and judgment than the mass of a European com- munity. They are keen traders, very cautious, and are not easily deceived. They have not had the advantage of inheriting our gradually acquired powers of abstract thought ; but in intellectual quickness, 10 NEW ZEALAND. they are by no means inferior to ourselves. They prefer the useful to the ornamental ; spend nothing in mere trash and finery, and appear to have little taste for, or appreciation of, the beautiful. In their social and domestic relations, much har- mony and good feeling seem to prevail amongst them, and they are seldom seen to quarrel amongst them- selves. Even when they first became known to us, and whde they were in a state of unmitigated bar- barism, " the mUd and gentle disposition, both of the men and women," was remarked by Capt. Cook. Considering how little the Maori children are subject to restraint, their quiet and orderly conduct is espe- cially remarkable. In bringing them up, the parents seldom have recourse to personal chastisement, be- lieving that it has the effect of damaging the spirit of the chUd. At an early age, the Maori children acquire great self-respect ; and at the public dis- cussions of their elders, they may be seen seated around the outer circle, attentive, grave, and thoughtful listeners. It is only in the interior of Xew Zealand, however, that the natives can now be seen in their primitive condition, unaffected in their habits and manner of life by English civilization. If a stranger happen to be at a large native settlement on the occasion of some melancholy event of general interest, he can hardly fail to be impressed with the manner in which the Maori people give utterance to their sorrow ; and in nothing, perhaps, are the New Zea- landers so little altered as in the expression of their grief. It is hardly possible, indeed, to conceive anv THK NATIVE RACE. 11 sound more expressive of heart-broken sorrow than the native Tangi. On the occasion of the death of a relative, or of any other sorrowful event, they assemble together, and commence their melancholy wail. Tears roll down their cheeks in constant streams ; the countenance expresses the utmost inten- sity of grief; the head is bent down, half-buried in the folds of the blanket, and a shrill piercing wail gives expression to the most heart-rending grief. This melancholy cry will sometimes be kept up with- out ceasing throughout the day— now one and now another of the mourners keeping up the note with unabated violence. Yet these sounds of lamentation and woe often mean no more, and express no more real feeling, than our own " deep mourning," or the practised gravity of our hired mutes. This same sorrowful cry, but with mitigated violence, is com- monly indulged in when friends or relatives meet after a lengthened absence. After rubbing noses together — the accustomed mode of native salutation, they set up the same wailing sound, relating to each other at the same time, in a low muttering tone unintelligible to any but themselves, all the events of interest which have happened since they met. Yet, knowing that these sounds of sorrow are often but a form, and endeavour as he may to steel his heart against their influence, it is impossible for a stranger to hear the native Tangi without a feeling of sorrow- ful emotion. But the New Zcalanders have great command over their feelings, and however anxious they may be, they are never betrayed into eagerness or 12 NEW ZEALAND. haste. The account given of the !N^orth American Indians might have been written of the natives of New Zealand. "When an Indian arrives with a message of the greatest importance to his tribe — even witjr intelligence of the most imminent danger — ne never teUs it at his first approach, but sits down for a minute or two in silence, to recollect himself before he speaks, that he mav not evince fear or excitement." The number of the native race has generally been exaggerated, but no regular census has yet been taken. Their own mode of numbering the people is like that of the Israelites of old : the women and children not being reckoned, but only the fighting men. Of the total population of the islands, the natives have less knowledfre than ourselves : takincr the best data from which our estimate can be formed, there is no reason to believe that the whole native race now exceed seventy thousand souls. In some few districts, the population has increased within the last few years ; in others, again, it has been nearly stationary ; but more generally it has been decreasing, and there is no longer any doubt that the Maori race are fewer in number than they were twenty years ago. There is a sensible diminution also in the number of yery aged venerable-looking men. In almost every part of the country, the sexes are unequal : the males predominating. And the children are still comparatively few : the average number of children born is, indeed, in many cases, considerable ; but they commonly die young. In some parts of the country, the children are reported to be " healthy THE NATIVE RACE. 13 and numerous ;" but more commonly they are found to be " decreasing and few." Some years ago, the influenza carried off a considerable number of the natives, of all ages ; and more recently the measles proved still more destructive. Small-pox has not yet shown itself in the country, and great efforts have been made to prepare for it by a general vacci- nation of the people. In one respect, their consti- tution appears to have improved ; owing, probably, to the use of wheaten bread, and to a general improvement in their diet : they certainly appear less scrofulous than before. When in their heathen state, the New Zealanders had no knowledge of one supreme Being as the alone Creator of all things. " Is there one maker of all things amongst you Europeans ? " urged one of their most powerful heathen chiefs. " Is not one a car- penter, another a blacksmith, another a shipbuilder, and another a housebuilder ? and so it was in the beginning. One made this, and another that. The god Tane made trees, Ra made mountains, and Tangaroa made fish." " Your religion," added he, addressing the Christian missionary, "is of to-day — ours, from remote antiquity : think not to destroy our ancient faith with your own new-born religion." In the order of existence, they believed that Thought came first, then Spirit, and that last of all came Matter ; but though they believed in the existence of a spiritual woi'ld, they had no knowledge of the one true God. Considering, however, the barbarous condition in 14 NEW ZEALAND. which they were discovered, and the savage practices which so recently prevailed amongst them, their ancient mythological legends were strikingly imagi- native and poetical. Their ancient mythology is not without some traces of a Mosaic origin. The first man, they believed, was made by three gods ; and the first woman was made from his rib ; and that man- kind had but one pair of primitive ancestors. Upon the birth of a child he immediately underwent the ceremony of being sprinkled with water on the face by the heathen priest. According to the ancient belief, darkness for a length of time prevailed, and the heaven and the earth were united together in close contact. The issue of their union was a numerous progeny, who, wearied by their confine- ment between the bodies of their parents, conspired together to separate the heaven from the earth. It was at first proposed to slay them ; but it was ulti- mately decided to rend them asunder — so that the sky should become a stranger to them, but that the earth should remain close to them as a nursing- mother. The attempt was made by the progeny, in turn ; but each failed to lift up the heaven from the earth. One of them, at length, by a mighty effort, succeeded in separating the heaven from the earth. And then it was that darkness was made manifest, and so was the light. Then, too, was discovered a multitude of human beings, who had hitherto remained concealed between the bodies of their parents. They believed, too, that, for a time, death had no power over man ; and if a certain goddess had not THE NATIVE RACE. 15 been deceived by a demigod, that men would not have died, but would have lived for ever. By that deceit, however, death obtained power over mankind, and penetrated to every part of the earth. From the period of their separation, concludes the legend, the vast Heaven has ever remained separated from his spouse the Earth. But their mutual love still con- tinues : the soft warm sighs of her loving bosom still ever rise towards him, ascending from the woody mountains and valleys in a form which men call mist. And the vast Heaven, as he mourns through the long nights his separation from his beloved, sheds frequent tears upon her bosom ; and men seeing these, call them dew-drops. From ignorance of the nature of their religious belief, the character of the New Zealanders has frequently been misunderstood. It was thought strange that so sensible a people should attach so much importance to the observance of the Tapu, or Tabou, as it is commonly termed in the Polynesian Islands ; and that they should subject themselves to the constant inconveniences of an apparently childish and unmeaning custom. Yet their many singular customs are nearly all based upon the religious senti- ment. They had no knowledge, it is true, in their heathen state, of Oiie Supreme Being, as the Creator and Governor of the Universe, but they had a strong belief in a spiritual state of existence. On the death of their best-loved and most honoured friend or rela- tive, he became, as they believed, the Guardian Spirit of the family. Death had been to him no more than 16 NEW ZEALAND. a sudden chancre from a visible to an invisible state of existence, and his spirit — the Atua — continued still to take an interest in the ordinary affairs of life ; more especially in the fortunes of the family, and in the conduct of its members. He sees and knows everything they think, and say, and do : he is espe- cially jealous of the due observance of the native "EitenCTa" bv the survi^incr members of the familv. They believed that the faithful observance of certain usages would be pleasing to him, while the neglect of them would draw down upon them the weight of his j displeasure : they believe also, that the Atua has the power to reward and punish ; that he can give health > and prosperity, or visit with disease and death ; and i upon this belief was based a system of superstitious observances which materially affected their social ; condition in almost every relation of their lives. It was believed that the Atua, or Spirit of the Dead, occasionally manifested itself to the living ; sometimes in the body of the lizard, or a spider, &c., sometimes in the greenstone Tiki — worn by the natives as an ornament round the neck. When a stalwart Maori ! ran awav in unmistakeable fear on seeing a small I lizard, he was thought by those who were ignorant of j native superstitions, to be an arrant coward ; and ! when he was seen sometimes to regard with reverence the idol-shaped Tiki, the New Zealander was taken J for an idolater ; but it was neither the Tiki that he i worshipped, nor the lizard which he feared, but the Atua itself, which was supposed to be within them. Whatever object the Atua came into contact with. THE XATIVE RACE. 17 acquired, as they thought, by the contact, a portion of the sacred essence, and thereby itself become Tapu, or sacred ; and whatever touched the object which had thus become sacred, also became Tapu, and so on inde- finitely ; for it was believed that the sacred essence of the Atua was communicable by contagion. If food, therefore, or the vessel in which the food was con- tained, or the fire by which it was cooked, came into contact, even accidentally, with anything that was Tapu, the food could not be eaten, neither could the vessel or the fire be used again ; for if the food which had thus become Tapu had, however innocently, been eaten, the unpardonable sacrilege would have been committed of eating a portion of the Atua or Guardian Spirit of the family. For reasons which have never been satisfactorily ascertained, the head and the back of a native chief are supposed of themselves to be sacred objects. For this reason a chief never carries food, except it may bo in his hands ; he is extremely careful not to enter a storehouse or any place where food is kept, lest the sacred parts of his person should, even accidentally, come into contact with it. If he do not eat the whole of the meat which may have been placed before him, he does not leave it carelessly behind him, but either carries it away with him or places it where it is not likely to be eaten by any other person. If the native Eitcnga be, even unintentionally, broken, the un- witting offender, it was believed, would certainly be punished by the Atua with sickness or some other misfortune. Such being the consequences of infring- c 18 NEW ZEALAND. ing the laws relating to the Tapu, we can hardly be surprised that the natives of jSTew Zealand, with their undoubting belief in the existence of an all-powerful Guardian Spirit, exercising a vigilant superintendence over every action of their lives, and jealous of the maintenance of the ancient Eitenga, should regard its due observance with the most punctilious reverence.* The belief that the persons of the great chiefs are sacred, was frequently turned by them to profitable account. By rubbing any object upon the sacred parts of their own persons, they assumed to exercise the power of rendering it Tapu or sacred. If an influential chief desired to secure any particular cul- tivation from intrusion, or any forest or river from being poached upon, or any road from being tra- velled on, he had only to call it his Head or his Backbone, and it at once became more secure from trespass than if it had been fenced roimd with a high stone wall ; for afterwards to enter on the sacred ground would be as great an insult to the chief who Tapued it, as to seize him by the beard or the hair of his head. The power, however, thus assumed by them, was based, not so much upon any superstitious fear of off'ending the native Atua, as on the power of the chiefs to avenge any insult offered to themselves ; *■ When the bodies of our countrymen were discovered, after the fatal conflict with the natives at the T\~airau, a piece of bread, or damper, was found under the head of one of the principal gentlemen of the partr. The head of a chief being considered sacred bv the natives, nothing common is allowed to touch it ; and as bread or f;od is deemed to be common, the act of placing a piece of bread under the head of one of the principal rictims, was intended by the natives as an insult. THE NATIVE RACE. 19 and it was never exercised to obstruct any great general line of road, except by those whose name was itself a tower of strength, and who had confidence in its power to secure the Tapu from being broken : when once imposed, however, the prohibitory ban was no respecter of persons, and it extended to all alike, without distinction of rank or race.* The practice which prevailed amongst the New Zealanders of placing apart and isolating the sick, was commonly accepted as conclusive proof of their natural cold-blooded cruelty ; but it was from no such feeling that the sick were carefully banished from amongst them. They believed that sickness of every kind arose from the actual presence within the sick man of some avenging Spirit, commissioned by the oiFended Atua to punish a violation of the native Kitenga. The punishment, too, was believed to be curiously apportioned to the magnitude of the offence. If the offence had been of a trivial nature, the agent selected to punish the offender was the Spirit of some departed friend or acquaintance, who from a friendly feeling would deal tenderly with him ; if of a grave character, the Spirit of an infant would be employed, who, never having known the offender, would deal with him without fear or favour ; but if it were a mortal offence, then some Spirit would be employed, who would take actual pleasure in punishing the victim, and delight to work his wicked will on the very vitals of the sufferer. It was ft'om no feeling, then, of cruelty, that the sick * See incident in New Zealand travel, in Chapter 10. c 2 2|0 NEW ZEALAND. were banished from amongst them ; but (an Atua being believed to be within them) they were isolated and set apart, in order to avoid the risk of desecration. But from manv of these vexatious inconveniences, the slaves enjoved a singular immunity. When a Maori was taken captive by a conquering tribe, he, in a cer- tain sense, became free by the fact of becoming a slave — he ceased to be influenced by the fear of the Atua. "When he was taken from his own people, his own Atua no longer regarded him or took anv interest in his conduct ; and with the Atua of the conquering tribe he was not of the slightest account : thus, baing in no danger of ofiending any Atua, a slave could do many things with impunity which his captors would avoid in mortal fear ; and he consequently became a most useful member of the community. Having abundance of fern root, the taro and the kumera ; pigeons, wild ducks, kukus, and other birds ; the rivers abounding with eels, the sands filled with pipis, cockles, and oysters, and the harbours teeming with a variety of fish — it is scarcelv probable, especially as the women were not commonly partakers in the feast, that cannibalism was resorted to bv the natives of K^ew Zealand from a deficiency of food : the origin of the practice, however, has never been satisfactorily ascertained ; but the practice, in modern times, has been confined to the eating of their enemies slain in battle, and it formed part of their elaborate and superstitious war ceremonies. As a general rule, the females were not allowed to eat human flesh ; but the body of the first person slain in battle was sacred THE NATIVE RACE. 21 to the Atua, or God, who had given them the victory ; and it was a custom that the chief female of the prin- cipal family of the victorious tribe should eat the ear. Cannibalism, however, amongst the New Zealanders, may now be considered to be extinct. The last-known instance of this practice, once common amongst them, occurred in the year 1844. The New Zealanders have always been cultivators of the soil : upwards of five hundred years ago, their ancestors brought with them the taro, the kumera, and the gourd — three excellent vegetables, which thev still highly value and cultivate with care ; but until the last few years their agricultural operations were carried on in the most primitive manner, and with hardly any other implement than a pointed stick. They select the best soil for cultivation, crop it until it is nearly exhausted, and then abandon it for a virgin soil. In this manner large crops of potatoes, wheat, kumeras, and Indian corn, have been grown by them. Their kumera cultivations arc kept with all the labour and neatness of a London market-garden. They are now, however, beginning to use the plough, and the attempt is being made to induce them to breed sheep and cattle, instead of pigs, to lay down land with English grasses, and, instead of wearing out the land by constant cropping, to fix themselves to the soil by adopting the system of a rotation of crops. " For some time," said the Waikato Maories, in a letter inserted in the Maori Messenger, " our hearts have been set upon searching out some of the customs of the Europeans, and we have been engaged in this 22 NEW ZEALAND. until the present time ; and we intend to commence this year to follow the customs of the Europeans, as v>e think we have attained to some knowledge of these customs. The Maori Messenger is constantly urging us to get cattle and sheep, and advising us to turn our attention to farming, as a means hy which the Maories mav elevate themselves. It was one of the news- papers printed in 1857 that drew our attention to this subject. We are now endeavouring to follow the advice given to us : we have purchased cattle and sheep, and are now turning our attention to farming. Our lands, which were formerly allowed to run to waste, we have now divided into portions, varving from two hundred, five hundred, and up to two thou- sand acres for each individual. These have been marked off as runs for cattle and sheep, and for growing wheat, potatoes, oats, clover, grass, &c., for disposal to the Europeans, and also for food for our horses. We wish this letter to be printed by the editor of the Maori Messenger, that our European friends may know our thoughts." Though abundantly supplied with pigs, the Maories eat but little animal food, their diet being chiefly vegetables and fish. Beans and potatoes are largelv cultivated bv them. Fern-root was their oreat staple ; Indian corn, especially after ha\'ing been soaked till it has reached a state of pungent putre- faction, is enjoyed by them with the keenest relish. Eels, cockles, snapper, and the mango, or small shark, are the fish of which they consume the greatest quantity. In some parts of the countrv THE NATIVE RACE. 23 ducks and pigeons are caught in large numbers ; and on festive occasions pork is the principal article of solid food. Their mode of cooking is simple, econo- mical, and expeditious ; and an abundant meal for a large party can be well cooked in a short time, and with a small expenditure of fuel, in a hangi, or native oven. The signs of a forthcoming meal are never to be mistaken. Several of the women — on hospitable thoughts intent — may be seen briskly engaged in scraping potatoes and carrying them to the nearest brook to be well washed. The village Kuia will then begin to busy herself in clearing out a hole in the ground about two feet in diameter, and a foot deep. In this hole she will then light a wood fire, and place upon it a score of stones about the size of her fist ; when they have become thoroughly heated, the fire is raked out of the oven and the hot stones are left at the bottom. Bunches of green leaves, or pieces of well damped matting, are then placed upon the stones, and the potatoes are poured in : to the potatoes are sometimes added pumpkin, taro, hue, kumera, or cabbage, according to the season ; and sometimes a string of eels, or some other fish, or a piece of pork. The contents of the oven are then carefully covered with several folds of matting, a little water is poured upon the top, and the whole is completely covered over with a heap of fine earth, so as effectually to confine the steam. On state occasions some of the younger women, while the food is in the oven, will be seen quickly plaiting the leaf of the flax plant into small open baskets : nor have they much 24 NEW ZEALAND. time to spare for the purpose, for in the course of about half an hour the presiding genius will be dimly seen, enveloped in a cloud of steam, raking the earth from the top of the oven, and carefully removing the layer of matting. When the last mat is removed, there is disclosed to view the huge pile of food, beautifully cooked, hot and steaming ; every part of it perfectly well done, without a single speck of dirt to be seen upon it. Thus cooked, the contents of the hangi will be found to be excellent ; and, what is not a little curious, however varied may be its contents — ■ though it contain fish, flesh, fowl, dried shark, and vegetables — neither the flesh will be underdone, nor the vegetables overdone. While the food is beinff served up in the newly plaited baskets, the company divide themselves into small groups ; and a basket of food is then placed by the ladies before each group, who, without the aid of knife or fork, soon empty it of its contents — the women and children commonly taking their meal afterwards, apart. On occasions of great public interest the Maorles assemble in large numbers from distant parts of the country, and preparations are made at great expense to supply the requisite materials for their hospitable entertainment. At a great meeting recently held on the Waikato, at which upwards of two thousand were assembled, the following was the bill of fare : — ■ 15 bullocks, 20,000 dried sharks, 20 baskets of fresh eels, 100,000 dried eels, 50 baskets of patiki and mataitai, 30 bags of sugar, 8,000 kits of potatoes and kumeras, a large quantity of flour, &c., and last, but THE NATIVE RACE. 25 not least, 1,500 lbs. of tobacco. Chiefs and slaves, young men and maidens, old men and children, all, without exception, have a craving for tobacco ; and with old Salvation Yeo would sing this chorus in its praise : — that " when all things were made, none was made better than this to be a lone man's companion, a bachelor's friend, a hungry man's food, a sad man's cordial, a wakeful man's sleep, and a chilly man's fire ;" and that " for the staunching of wounds, purging of rheum, and settling of the stomach, there is no herb like unto it under the canopy of heaven." The general intelligence and independent bearing of the New Zealanders, their scrupulous observance of religious ordinances, their intellectual capacity, and the progress which has been made by them in the rudiments of education, can hardly fail to be remarkable. But because the great majority of the people have received the religion of their Christian teachers, and have learned to read and write, it is assumed that they must at the same time have adopted the habits and usages of civilised life ; and, not reflecting on the length of time required, under the most favourable circumstances, for acquiring new tastes and confirmed habits, strangers are commonly disappointed with the amount of improvement which has taken place in their social, personal, and domestic habits, and with the rude condition generally in which they are still content to live. Though gra- dually acquiring the habits and usages of civilised life, they have as yet, however, made but little im- provement in their habitations ; and the description 26 NEW ZEALAND. given,* some years ago, of their general mode of living, is still substantially correct : — " Three hundred days out of the year their food con- tains little good nourishment ; they are badly clad, and worse housed : their habitations are, indeed, miserable huts ; their beds are on the ground ; the secretion from their skins is checked by filth ; and they often sleep in crowded huts in winter to keep each other warm ; during which time the air they respire is most unwholesome." Fonnerly the dress of both men and women con- sisted of a mat made of the native flax, manufactured in various styles : some rough and shaggy ; others, again, made of the finest kinds of flax, wrought with the greatest care and ornamented with a handsome variegated border. As the English blanket became known, it gradually succeeded the native mat ; and the blanket is now gradually giving way to an English style of dress. Instead of either the mat or the blanket, the men now commonly wear a shirt and trousers ; and the women, a long loose roundabout of coloured cotton print. By the men, hats, caps, and shoes too are beginning to be worn. In the way of ornament, a fantastic-looking greenstone image is sometimes worn about the neck : all have their ears bored, and a piece of greenstone, or a shark's tooth, tipped at the thick end with red sealing-wax and suspended by a piece of black ribbon, plays the part of ear-drop. The women do not commonly wear any covering either on the head or feet, but on * Dr. Thomson, 58th Regiment. THE NATIVE RACE. 27 occasions of public mourning they adorn their heads with chaplets of green leaves. A large straw hat is occasionally worn ; but an English bonnet does not become the features of a Maori woman. In the native villages of the interior the Maori children are innocent alike of soap and water, and still enjoy the liberty of disporting themselves in puris naturalihus. As may be readily imagined, no great amount of social intercourse has yet been established between the English settlers and the Maories. By some friend of the race, a well-disposed native is occasion- ally invited to a meal at an English table ; and ho uniformly conducts himself with studied and scru- pulous propriety. But the great majority of the people are still living in a rude uncivilised state : their habitations are small, and for want of chimneys and fire-places, their persons, their garments, and everything belonging to them become perfectly satu- rated with the pungent odour of wood smoke. Finger forks are still in common use, and they are by no means extravagant in the use of soap. They are advancing, indeed, steadily in the habits and usages of civilised life ; but, both by language and by their widely different modes of life, the two races are still entirely kept apart.* * For several years, a few of the chiefs have been dressed up to appear at a Governor's levee or at a birthday ball ; and at a recent ball at Govern- ment House, some of them were accompanied by their wives. " The company presented a more than iisually gay appearance, owing partly to the presence of more thau the average number of military men in uniform, and also to the first appearance of the wives of some of the principal natives ; who, though generally attired in white ball-dresses, had had those dresses made after the latest fashion, and had their broad- 28 NEW ZEALAND. An amalgamation of the races has already taken place to a considerable extent ; but of regular inter- marriages between the English Koman and the Maori there are not more than three or four recorded instances. For several years before we assumed the sovereignty of these islands, an irregular species of colonization had been slowly going on. Whaling and sealing parties were estabhshed on various parts of the coast ; and a considerable trade had for some time been carried on with the natives, by traders from Xew South Wales. Whale-ships in large numbers frequented the northern ports ; and a white population, made up of runaway seamen, escaped convicts, travelling traders, land speculators, and adventurers from the neighbouring colonies, amount- ing to more than a thousand souls, had settled them- selves in various parts of the country before it became subject to our rule. Most of these men, as well as some of the first regular colonists, in the absence of their own countrywomen, formed alliances with women of the Maori race. Docile and easy- tempered, they were found to make patient nurses and obedient household drudges ; and, considerincr brimmed straw hats dressed out with feathers and ribbons of bright and wtU-contrasted colours. Thev enjoved the dancing much, and with