Chapman. — On the Worh'mg of Greenstone. 479 



Art. L. — On the Working of Greenstone or Nephrite by the 



Maoris. 



By F. R. Chapman. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 14th October; 1891.] 



Plate XXXVIII. 



Nearly ten years ago Professor Ulricli, of the Otago University, 

 handed me a letter which he had received from Professor 

 Fischer, of Freibm^g, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, the great 

 authority on nephrite, making a series of inquiries on the 

 subject of the Maori lore concerning this mineral and its uses. 

 Professor Fischer is the author of a treatise or monograph on 

 nephrite, — which, however, I have never been able to see, — and 

 of several, probably numerous, scientific papers on the same 

 subject. Professor Ulrich asked me to endeavour to answer 

 the questions in so far as they related to Maori lore; but, as 

 learned Maoris are rarer than black swans in the South Island 

 of New Zealand, and as the North Island is a long way off and 

 I have few opportunities of going there, I set to work to turn 

 Professor Fischer's questions into English, add a few to them, 

 and get them printed for circulation. Through the kindness 

 of Mr. Hanson Turton, a Maori rcholar, holding the office of 

 Native Conunissioner here, I obtained the names of many suit- 

 able men in the North, but I am sorry to say that the long 

 printed paper which I sent out only came back four or five 

 times with answers. I believe, however, that the answers 

 which I did get give pretty nearly all that is to be learned on 

 the subject of most of the questions ; and some of the matter 

 is undoubtedly of the very highest authority : but for satis- 

 factory answers to Question No. 16, as to the customs, super- 

 stitions, traditions, and other lore concerning greenstone, 

 further inquiries will have to be made in the North Island. 



I sent copies of the answers to Professor Ulrich from time 

 to time as I received them, and with them I wrote him several 

 letters, of which I retained no copies, and in which I gave him 

 the result of inquiries I had made on a flying visit to the North 

 Island, and of some observations of my own. In the course of 

 time I received from Professor Fischer a paper, which does 

 not show in what scientific journal it has appeared, entitled 

 "Ueberdie Nephrit-industrie der Maoris in Neuseeland." I 

 was a little shocked to notice the number of errors to which 

 my loosely-written letters had given birth. I found myself 

 styled Professor Chapman — due probably to the circumstance 

 that Professor ITlrich had referred to "my former colleague," 



