Hocken. — Earliest Literature relating to N.Z. 617 



and those numberless islets which lead to the gateways of the 

 day. Rather let us believe that revelations await us in the 

 buried records of the past, full of light on this portion of lost 

 history, and that ours are but rediscoveries extending over the 

 comparatively inconsiderable period of the last three hundred 

 and fifty years. Be this as it may, it is certain that to this 

 period our present inquiries must be limited, or, rather, to the 

 still more limited period of two hundred and fifty years dating 

 from Tasman's discovery of New Zealand in 1642. Doubtless 

 before Tasman there were voyagers who had visited New 

 Zealand, but of these we have no trace, or but the faintest. 

 Soon after the great discovery of Columbus, adventurous 

 Portuguese and Spanish poured into the Pacific seas. Their 

 object was not to prosecute research, or even to gratify 

 curiosity, but to amass wealth, and to annex distant lands to 

 their own nationalities. Hence each maritime nation was 

 jealous of its neighbour, and guarded its discoveries with every 

 care from prying curiosity. Hence it followed that published 

 accounts of voyages were few : the journals were consigned to 

 close keeping, and were only utilized as occasion arose. If 

 published, it was not unusual to find latitudes and longitudes 

 omitted in a way that must have been provoking to the rival 

 sailor. Similarly there are old maps in existence, issued a 

 hundred years before Tasman's time, of whose history we 

 know but little, and of which, certainly so far, there exists no 

 written or printed record. Thus we are justified in think- 

 ing that there are buried in the old archives of Portugal 

 and Spain journals which, if found, would give an earlier 

 account of New Zealand than those we consider our 

 earliest. A search for such should be made, and doubtless 

 would well repay the discovery. The iron-bound chests 

 of Portugal and Spain are the probable repositories of 

 these treasures ; or these may have been emptied into 

 the papal and monkish libraries, upon whose shelves the 

 contents are still resting, covered with the accumulated dust 

 of ages. Sir James Hector, I understand, caused such inquiry 

 to be instituted some years ago, but without result. A state- 

 ment exists that, as far back as 1576, Juan Fernandez, a 

 Spanish pilot, sailed W.S.W. from Chili for the space of a 

 month, and that then he came upon a fertile and pleasant 

 land, inhabited by light-complexioned people, who wore woven 

 cloth, and who were exceedingly hospitable. From the course 

 steered and the time occupied on the voyage it has been con- 

 cluded that this fertile land was New Zealand. So well 

 pleased was Juan Fernandez with his visit and reception that 

 on his return to Chili he made extended preparations for a 

 further visit to this "fertile land." His intention was cut 

 short by death. Here is an instance in point where no 



