142 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



ture is laid, is now better known as the peaceful settlement of 

 Otago ; the reader will therefore read ' Otago ' for ' Daniel.' 

 The ' Sophia ' (Mr. James Kelly, master) sailed from Hobart 

 Town on the 12th November, 1817, on a sealing voyage, and 

 anchored at Port Daniel, on the south-east side of the southern 

 part of New Zealand, on the 11th December (a place only 

 known to Europeans within the last seven years). The 

 master, Mr. Kelly, with his boat's crew, went on shore the 

 same day, and met with a friendly reception from the natives, 

 which they attributed to the knowledge the latter had of one 

 of the crew, named W. Tucker, who had been well treated by 

 them, and engaged their apparent friendship on former visits, 

 and who was called by these people ' Wioree.' On the following 

 day Mr. Kelly went in his boat with six men (amongst them 

 Tucker) to Small Bay,''' outside of the harbour's mouth, and 

 distant from the vessel about two miles. The natives here 

 also received them kindl}', and to them Tucker appeared 

 equally well known, being challenged generally by name, 

 ' Wioree.' 



" Mr. Kelly made the chief of the village a small present 

 of iron, and proceeded to his dwelling, to barter for potatoes,! 

 leaving one man to look after the boat. On reaching the 

 house of the chief Mr. Kelly was saluted by a Lascar, who 

 told him that he had been left there by the brig ' Matilda,' 

 Captain Fowler. During a long conversation Mr. Kelly in- 

 quired after a boat's crew that was said to have been lost 

 near Port Daniel, and learned that Brown, who had charge 

 of the boat, with six men, had been killed and eaten by the 

 natives. The Lascar then offered his services in bartering for 

 potatoes for the vessel, and appeared familiar with the native 

 tongue. 



" By this time a great number of natives had assembled in 

 the village, about sixty of whom were in the yard of the chief's 

 house, where the boat's crew were standing. In an instant 

 a horrid yell was raised by the natives, when Mr. Kelly, John 

 Griffiths, and Veto Viole were thrown down by the mob. 



* I am inclined to think the " Small Bay" must be the smallest of 

 the three bays on the north side of the Heads, now called " IMurdering 

 Beach " (Whareakeake). Mr. P. R. Chapman, who has a most intimate 

 knowledge of the topographical features of tiie coasC-liue, doubts this, 

 and would be inclined to fix one of the small beaches on the south side 

 of the Heads. 



t Potatoes. De Surville was, with Cook, supposed to have been the 

 introducer of the potato to the Maoris of the NorDh Island and the 

 northern part of the South Island. Many old Maoris contend that 

 tiioas were known and largely cultivated before the advent of Euro- 

 peans. The IMaoris certainly had a number of named varieties as early 

 as 1820, and here we find them in Otago in 1817 able to supply large 

 quantities to whalers as a recognised article of trade. 



