Hill. — Early Printing in Neiv Zealand. 411 



1830 ; yet we find the committee continuing their labours 

 of translation, and in the latter half of 1832 Mr. Yate was 

 again commissioned to proceed to Sydney to superintend the 

 issue of a more complete book for the use of the Maori 

 Church." On the 2nd March, 1833, he reported to the 

 other members of the committee in the following words : 

 " I have completed the liturgy, catechisms, and hymns " ; 

 and on the 21st May he again reported : "I am happy 

 to say I have at last finished the printing." With his 

 letter he sent two bound volumes of the new book, 

 containing morning and evening prayers, sacramental ser- 

 vice, the services of infant and adult baptism, services 

 for marriage, burial, and the churching of women. There 

 were also four catechisms, twenty-seven hymns, the first 

 nine chapters of Genesis, Gospels of St. Matthew and St. 

 John, Acts, Epistle to the Romans, and First Epistle to the 

 Corinthians. The issue consisted of three thousand books 

 for the Church Missionary Society following and three hun- 

 dred for the Wesleyans at Hokianga, who used the same 

 books in teaching the natives the art of reading and writing. 



At this period the schools for instruction were very active, 

 and, judging by the anxiety shown among the natives from 

 all parts of the North Island to acquire the art of reading, 

 much value must be attached to reading and writing as 

 important adjuncts in the civilisation of a people. It is 

 curious to observe, however, that the natives were carefully 

 kept from acquiring a knowledge of the English language. 

 Communications, converse, correspondence were all carried 

 on in the language that had been acquired by the incoming 

 teachers and settlers. 



The early efforts of the missionaries were directed to the 

 training of the natives in European, or rather English, habits 

 and modes of living, whilst the language that was to amend 

 and modify a nation, and which in itself contained all that 

 could be expressed of the ways, customs, and aspirations of a 

 people, was to remain for both Europeans and Maoris alike. 

 But about this time increased vitality began to be manifested. 

 The two religious bodies had hoped to keep the Maori com- 

 munities under their own particular control. It was impos- 

 sible, however, to keep back the traders, who flocked to the 

 country from Sydney and America, and the new contact was 

 by no means satisfactory. What the religious orders taught 

 by practice and precept was directly opposed by the precept 

 and practice of the sailors, runaway convicts, and others who 

 landed at different times iu the vicinity of Hokianga and the 

 Bay of Islands, where European settlement first took place. 

 And what had been done as yet for the uplifting of the natives 

 in the direction of civilisation ? 



