The Meri-meri or Sceptre. — Huge mass of Nephrite. 119 



came transparent at the sharp edge, which ran all round, and 

 had a peculiar flame-like glow. 



The stone from which these costly weapons are made (the 

 manufacture of which, in consequence of the dearth of suitable 

 instruments before the arrival of the Europeans, was often 

 the work of several generations), is found in loose fragments 

 among thc^ various mountain-streams along the west coast 

 of the central island. The places where they are found in 

 greatest abundance are Arahura and Ohonu on the N.W. 

 coast, beyond AVakatlpu, an inland lake, one of the sources 

 of the river Matan, and Piopiotahi, a mountain-torrent on 

 the S.W. coast. At the last-mentioned place, which, al- 

 though we have little reliable information concerning it, has 

 long been known to seal-hunters, a gigantic block of ne- 

 phrite, many tons weight, was found in the middle of the cur- 

 rent, which owing to its size was valueless, because useless to 

 the aborigines. A sealer, who visited this coast once during 

 a flying visit to Sydney, overheard a remark that this de- 

 scription of stone was much prized in China, and being 

 aware of the existence of this colossal block of nephrite at 

 Piopiotahi, he already beheld himself the possessor of con- 

 siderable wealth. A company was quickly got up, with a 

 merchant from Manila at the head, and a number of miners 

 were forthwith sent to the spot, in order to blast the huge, 

 unshapen rock into fragments admitting of easy transport. 

 After immense labour and incredible hardships a few tons of 

 the rock thus blasted were dispatched by the labourers to 



