Smith. — Exploration of Tasmau Bay. 433 



chiefs often offered me their women, and they appeared surprised 

 at my refusal. It is true that, more gallant or more courageous, 

 three of our young officers braved the vermin, the stench, and 

 the dirt, and retired each evening to their homes to pass the 

 night with la belle Zelandaises, who conceded to the wishes, 

 or rather the presents, of their adorers. 



These Natives are incontestably very inferior in industry, 

 as in intellect, to those of the North Island, of whom they are 

 probably only colonies. A soil more ungracious, a climate 

 more rigorous, and greater privations have prevented the human 

 species from taking on here the same development, and to form 

 themselves into powerful tribes as are found in Te Ika-na-Maui 

 [North Island]. They appeared to me to be ignorant of the 

 national chant called pike, and other songs given in Mr. Kendal's 

 grammar. Their pronunciation is also more defective, for they 

 rarely articulate the " r " in their words ; * thus they say hoeo 

 for korero, to speak ; tainga for taringa, the ear, &c. ; often it 

 is the same with the " d," which brings them nearer to the 

 language of the Tahitians. [In the early missionary writings 

 the " d " is often found instead of the " r."] 



The anchorage of Astrolabe Bay, in Tasman Bay, is, without 

 contradiction, one of the best in these parts, owing to the security 

 that a vessel may enjoy, its ease of access and departure, the 

 resources that it offers for wood and water, and, lastly, for the 

 excellent fish which it can furnish each day. We quitted the 

 place well satisfied, completely revictualled and enriched with 

 an unbelievable quantity of new objects. 



I have already observed that Torrents Bay is not inferior 

 to it in any respect, and also offers space on the shore more 

 open and better suited to the works that have to be executed 

 during a long stay, or in consequence of accidents that have 

 to be repaired. 



We know that it was the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman that 

 discovered New Zealand, and that on the 18th December, 1642, 

 he anchored in the great bay bearing his name. The morning 

 after his arrival the savages killed four men of the crew in one 

 of his boats, which induced him to quit the place, leaving the 

 name of Bay of Murderers. In casting the eye over our chart 

 it is difficult to assign exactly the place where Tasman anchored. 

 If his latitude 40° 50' S. was exact, it would be, as I have in- 

 dicated, opposite a little stream four miles south of Separation 

 Point. It may be that the vessels of Tasman had doubled that 

 point, and were, in fact, brought up in the bay that we have 



* This dropping of the letter " r " is characteristic of the old Ngati- 

 Tu-mata-kokiri Tribe of Tasman Bay, and also of the Ngati-Rakai of 

 South Canterbury. In this they are like the Marquesans. — (Translator.) 



