40 Transactions. 



Art. VIJ — On some Armour presented to Titore, a Nga Puhi Chief, by 



EM. William IV in 1835. 



By A. Hamilton. 



[Bead before the Wellington PhilosopJiical Society, Qth October, 1909.] 



Dr. Maui Pomare deposited in the Dominion Museum in November, 1908, 

 some pieces of " armour " whicli was supposed to be the armour belonging 

 to the great Nga Puhi chief Hongi. 



Dr. Pomare stated that Hongi's armour descended to his relative and 

 fighting chief, Tuwhare. About the end of the twenties this chief led an 

 expedition against the Whanganui Tribe, and, in a bloody battle which 

 resulted, his nephew Tokiwhati, with others of the Nga Puhi, was taken 

 prisoner. Tuwhare, who was wounded in the same fight, and died shortly 

 afterwards at Mokau, on his way to the Bay of Islands, learned that Toki- 

 whati was still alive, and entered into negotiations for his release. Either 

 as a gift or ransom the treasured suit of armour was handed over to Hori 

 Kingi te Anaua, uncle of the late Major Kemp. The armour was placed 

 in the sacred house at Pukehika, opposite Jerusalem, till the walls of that 

 edifice were tumbling down, and Hore Pukehika, a relative of the late Hori 

 Kingi, and the present Native Sanitary Inspector for that district, hearing 

 that some Europeans were planning how to carry off the relics, concealed 

 them very carefully near the pa. This was thirty or forty years ago, and 

 the armour lay undistm'bed till a few weeks ago. Then Hori Pukehika 

 and Dr. Pomare sought out the place, and, after laborious searching — for 

 the scrub and other features had changed a great deal in the interval — 

 discovered the old armour, rusty, but quite recognisable. 



The armour consisted of plate armour for the back and chest, and pieces 

 for the arms. It is much eaten with rust, but, considering that it is stated 

 that it has been buried, is in fair preservation. It is fastened together with 

 brass studs. 



On looking into the details of the story given, and comparing them 

 with the known and recorded facts concerning Hongi's armour, it became 

 apparent that the history of the armour was incomplete, and that there 

 were serious discrepancies. 



In the first place. Earl, in 1827, speaking of the visit of Hongi to England 

 in 1821, mentions that George IV gave him, amongst other presents of 

 value, " a superb suit of chain armour and a splendid double-barrelled 

 gun."* Taylor also speaks of Hongi giviug the coat of mail to one of his 

 sons when on his death-bed in 1827. -j- There are at least two other notices, 

 the earliest of which is in Angas's " Savage Life and Scenes," 1847 ;{ and 

 I must give this in full, as it contains several details which are of interest. 

 Angas writes from Paripari, Mokau, " At a small pah not far from the abode 

 of his pakeha (Lewis), Taonui the chief has his residence. He is one of the 



most powerful and superstitious of the old heathen chiefs He 



has also in his possession the original suit of armour that was given by King 

 George TV of England to the Bay of Islands chief (E'Hongi), when that 

 warrior visited England. The subsequent history of this armour is some- 



* E;i,il. " New Zealand." p. 62. 1827. 



t R. Taylor. " Te Ika a Maui," pp. 310 and 315. 1855. 



j Angas, " Savage Life and Scenes," p. 86, vol. ii. 1847. 



