Hill. — Early Printing in Netc Zealand. 419 



servant to the Rev. Mr. Turner at the time when Baron de 

 Thierry arrived, in December, 1837. Mr. Turner was present 

 at the meeting, and strove to settle the disagreements between 

 the natives and the Baron. As in the case of the "declaration 

 of independence," it may be that the circulars were printed 

 some time after the actual events took place; but, in any case, 

 the printing of circulars relating to Baron de Thierry and to 

 the "declaration of independence" are entered in the " Day- 

 and Waste-book" in the order of their happening, though 

 neither at the time when the event actually took place or is 

 reported to have taken place. 



In 1838 little printing was done. Both the editor of the 

 translation committee and Mr. Colenso were granted leave of 

 absence, and we find them journeying towards the East Cape, 

 and the latter began that work of collecting New Zealand 

 plants for which in later years he became justly noted. The 

 only printing that was done were two tracts — one being the 

 consecration of a burial-ground, four pages, of which one hun- 

 dred copies were issued ; the other the confirmation service, 

 of which two hundred copies were printed. As usual, they 

 were in the native tongue, and were printed for the conveni- 

 ence of Bishop Abraham, of Sydney, who visited New Zealand 

 in the summer of 1838, to find that a bishop of the Roman 

 Catholic Church was already working in the country ; and 

 from this time forward there was remarkable activity in the 

 printing-office at Paihia, for many thousands of books were 

 issued in the native language, all of which, however, were 

 made up of prayers, catechisms, and formularies of some kind 

 or other. 



The condition of the people in the Bay of Islands — both 

 native and European — was indescribably bad. Whilst the 

 natives were being saturated with forms of prayer, and creeds, 

 and catechism which to them could not possibly have the 

 slightest interest or meaning, the white population were per- 

 mitted to go their own ways and do almost as they pleased. 

 Each was a law unto himself. Duty as a principle of conduct 

 could not result from the instruction given by the teachers, 

 and as soon as the native mind came within the grip of the 

 lower influences of human nature such as were to be found 

 in all their ugliness at Kororareka and other places the 

 weakness of the training of the natives was quickly seen. 

 The chief found pleasure in gratifying his new-found friends, 

 whilst he was at the same time able to obtain without diffi- 

 culty what he could not obtain as long as he remained under 

 the tutelage of formularies that tied him down to a form of 

 life that he did not understand and could not utilise for his 

 benefit. Many thousands of religious books or papers were 

 issued, and it is evident that the printing-office was hardly 



