408 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



their stay on the island by both Governor King and Mr. 

 Marsdeu ; and in November of the same year the Governor 

 made a special journey to New Zealand, carrying with him 

 the two natives, who had been taught many useful things, 

 among which may be named the way to cultivate maize. 

 Subsequently Mr. Marsden greatly interested himself in cer- 

 tain New-Zealanders whom he met on board ship on his way 

 from England to Sydney. So determined was he to render 

 help to the natives of New Zealand — who were at the time 

 knowm as cannibals and savages of the worst type— that he 

 decided to visit the country with a certain Kuatara, who had 

 been his ship companion from England, and from whom 

 Marsden obtained much information concerning New Zealand. 

 This was towards the close of the year 1814. From that time 

 onward, for more than twenty years, the history of New Zea- 

 land is mainly on the pages of missionary effort. As showing 

 the practical side of Mr. Marsden's character, it is only neces- 

 sary to quote from a letter which he addressed to the secre- 

 tary in England of the Church Missionary Society from Para- 

 matta, near Sydney, on 4th March, 1817. He therein com- 

 mends two young natives of New Zealand to the good offices 

 of the society — one named Tooi, in Mr. Marsden's school at 

 Paramatta for three years, and the other, whose name was 

 Teeterree, had been there for eighteen months. " The time had 

 arrived," wrote Mr. Marsden, " when they might visit Eng- 

 land, to enlai'ge their ideas and prepare them for great useful- 

 ness to their countrymen; for," continues Mr. Marsden, "I 

 still entertain the same idea of New-Zealanders that I have 

 for years past- — viz , that they are prepared for receiving any 

 instruction which we can give them." And then the practical 

 side of the man comes out : " If you could get any person to 

 form a vocabulary of the New Zealand language while they 

 remain in London it would be a great advantage to the mis- 

 sion. Tooi is very quick, and can speak the English language 

 pretty well ; so that I think this may be done better in Lon- 

 don than Mr. Kendall can do it in New Zealand. I wish on 

 no account that these young men should be idle, and if they 

 cannot be employed in assisting to form a vocabulary they 

 should be put to learn rope-making. The New-Zealanders 

 have been considered the most ferocious cannibals and the 

 most warlike savages in the known world. Cannibals they 

 are, and readily admit it. They are warlike also; but they 

 are very noble, and naturally kind and affectionate, and in 

 many moral qualities they would put our nominal Christians 

 to shame." Such was the estimate of the New-Zealanders in 

 1817, and the proposals made by Mr. Marsden with a view to 

 their emancipation and civilisation are among the most prac- 

 tical and humane that have ever been suggested. Three years 



