Hill. — Early Printing in New Zealand. 413 



a foundation, had hoped to maintain a predominating influ- 

 ence over the native race. But the new influences came in 

 through advancing trade and more frequent intercourse with 

 the external world. The time had come for the arrival of a 

 new factor in the educational enlightenment of the Maoris. 



On the 30th December, 1834, there arrived in the Bay of 

 Islands a printing-press sent out direct from London. Mr. 

 William Colenso, a young man twenty-three years of age, 

 was also sent out as the printer in charge. The description 

 given of the event shall be told by the words of those who 

 were concerned at the time. Mr. W. R. Wade, who was the 

 superintendent of the press, in a letter dated the 10th January, 

 1835, says, " The arrival of the press is, as we expected, 

 hailed by our friends here as a memorable event for New Zea- 

 land, and, as for the natives, those who assisted in bringing it 

 ashore shouted and danced in the sand when told it was 

 ta pukapuka (a book-press, or book-making machine). There 

 is an extraordinary demand for books all around." In a 

 letter written by Mr. Colenso about the same time, after 

 describing the reception he received at the time of landing, 

 he says, "The next morning the natives surrounded us, cry- 

 ing ' Kapai miharere' (very good morning), uttering exclama- 

 tions of joy, and tendering their hands on every side ; and 

 when the Rev. Mr. Williams gave them to understand that 1 

 was a printer, and came out to print books for them, they 

 were quite elated. No hero of olden times was ever received 

 by his army with greater eclat; they appeared as if they 

 would deify me. During the week I was busily employed 

 with the natives in landing the goods, and on Saturday, the 

 3rd January, 1835, a memorable epoch in the annals of New 

 Zealand, I succeeded in getting the printing-press landed. 

 I was obliged to unpack it on board, but I am happy to 

 say it is all safe on shore. Could you but have witnessed 

 the natives when it was landed: they danced, they shouted, 

 and capered about in the water, giving vent to the wildest 

 effusions of joy, inquiring the use of this and the place 

 of that with all that eagerness for which uncivilised nature 

 is remarkable — certainly they had never seen such a thing 

 before. I trust soon to be enabled to get it to work. 

 Throughout the island there appears to be a universal 

 movement, a mighty striving of the people. The chiefs of 

 distant tribes come down to Waimate and this place for 

 books. ... I have seen them myself gladly bring their 

 store of potatoes for a book." It is a strange circumstance 

 that the words in italics were never contradicted. The mis- 

 sionary authorities in London and the translators on the com- 

 mittee in New Zealand, who must have been aware of Mr. 

 Yate's press, would hardly have permitted such a statement 



