Violent gale at the Bay of Islands. 

 City of Victoria. 



NTfiir w A T A -NT Episcopal and Wesleyan missions. Gram- lcl . 

 NEW ZEALAND. * m j of the New z ' ealand ] anguage . 165 



suffered great damage. The Thorn, of Sag Harbour, 

 which sailed a few days before, bound home, was 

 obliged to put back, and in consequence of the 

 damage received, was condemned as unseaworthy, 

 as was also the Tuscan, an English whaler. The 

 barque Nimrod arrived, having lost her topmast, 

 and several coasters were missing, supposed to 

 have been lost. Most of the vessels lying off Koro- 

 rarika dragged their anchors, but they suffered less 

 from not being much exposed; the Harriet was 

 driven ashore at Tipoona, a few miles to the east- 

 ward, near Point Pocock. This vessel parted her 

 cables 'during the night, and the next morning was 

 found a complete wreck. The crew barely escaped 

 with their lives. Besides these disasters on the 

 water, those on the land were also great : fences 

 were carried away, houses deluged, grounds over- 

 flowed, wharves injured, and the extensive em- 

 bankment of the missionary establishment at Pahia 

 nearly demolished. The tide rose six feet during 

 the night of Saturday, beyond its usual mark, 

 which caused most of the damage. 



This gale was experienced at the Thames on 

 board H. B. M. ship Herald, one hundred and forty 

 miles to the south; also by the Flying-Fish, off 

 Cook's Straits, and by the bark Achilles, to the 

 north. Mr. Hale was a passenger in the last-named 

 vessel, and took barometrical observations and notes 

 during the continuance of the gale. 



From the observations, it appears that the change 

 took place at the two northern and two southern 

 positions, in opposite directions, proving that the 

 gale was a rotary one, and that its centre must have 

 passed between the Bay of Islands and the river 

 Thames. The greatest force of the gale was be- 

 tween the hours of 1 and 3 A.M., on the 1st of 

 March. At the Bay of. Islands, a calm was ob- 

 served by Mr. Dana and others, which lasted fifteen 

 minutes, after which the wind rapidly hauled round 

 to the westward, and blew with increased violence. 

 On board the Herald, the barometer fell to 28 75 in-, 

 and from the fact of the gale having been expe- 

 rienced first to the northward and eastward, it is 

 certain that it came from that quarter, and passed 

 over New Zealand in a south-west direction : the 

 width of the track was about five hundred miles. 



Foreign residents have established themselves in 

 many places, and on all the inlets or arms of the 

 Bay of Islands their cottages are to be seen, occu- 

 pying the points and coves. 



On the north, the British resident, Mr. Busby, 

 has built a large and commodious cottage, and 

 commenced laying out his grounds in town lots for 

 the future city of Victoria, of which there was a 

 public sale previous to our arrival. All the lots 

 were, I believe, purchased on speculation, for after 

 seeing the locality, one must be convinced that it 

 offers no advantages for more than a village, if in- 

 deed for that. More to the westward is situated 

 Pahia, the mission establishment. For commer- 

 cial purposes, the south or Kororarika shore offers 

 the greatest advantages, having the deepest water, 

 and being the most sheltered from the stormy 

 winds. 



The extent to which speculation has raised the 

 prices of land in this neighbourhood is almost 

 incredible. Mayew's Point, the first above Koro- 

 rarika Bay, has on it a few storehouses, which are 

 rented for six hundred pounds a- year. 



Mr. Clendon, the American consul, for about 



three hundred and twenty-five acres, of which only 

 fifty are level, has received thirty thousand pounds 

 from the British government, reserving to himself 

 the remainder, one hundred acres. He bought the 

 whole for a trifle a few years ago. The location is 

 a pretty one, on a hill about three hundred feet 

 high, and is, perhaps, the most commanding spot 

 on these waters. The neatness of his cottage and 

 of the grounds about it adds much to its pleasing 

 appearance. 



The introduction of a Sydney police at Korora- 

 rika has been of service to that place, for they have 

 dealt in a summary manner with the vagabonds 

 who formerly frequented it. 



A Roman Catholic bishop is established here, 

 who has a chapel, and it was said, was making 

 many converts; but it was supposed that the prin- 

 cipal inducement to conversion was the liberality 

 with which he and his associates bestowed gifts and 

 presents upon those who joined in their prayers 

 and received the cross. 



Besides the Episcopal mission, under the Rev. 

 Mr. Williams, formerly a lieutenant in the British 

 navy, there is a Wesleyan mission at Hokianga, 

 which is highly spoken of. Many reports have been 

 put in circulation by the evil disposed, in relation 

 to these missions; but as far as my observations 

 went, they seemed exemplary in their duties; they 

 were also occupied in farming, in which native la- 

 bourers were employed. Mr. Williams having a 

 large family growing up, many of them obtained 

 farms, and are now in the successful occupation of 

 them. There is no doubt the hue and cry against 

 the father, that the mission had obtained all the 

 best land from the natives, arose from this cause. 

 Some circumstances were remarked, from which it 

 was evident that the interests of the natives were 

 looked after by the missionaries, who protected 

 their lands and induced them not to sell to the emi- 

 grants, who would otherwise have found them only 

 too ready to part with them. 



It is true that the situation of these missionaries 

 of the Church of England is different from that of 

 any we had heretofore seen, and equally so that 

 they do not appear to have succeeded as well in 

 making proselytes as those in the other Polynesian 

 islands ; but I am persuaded that they have done, 

 and are still endeavouring to do, much good. They 

 are, however, separated, as it were, from their 

 flocks, and consequently, cannot have that control 

 over their behaviour that would be desirable. 

 Many scenes, therefore, take place at the pas or 

 strongholds, that might be prevented if the mission- 

 aries mingled more with their converts. 



Mr. Williams was kind enough to have divine 

 service at the house where our naturalists stayed, 

 Mr. Tibbey's. I was not a little surprised when 

 I heard that Mr. Williams had refused any oppor- 

 tunity to our philologist to inspect a grammar of 

 the New Zealand language, that was then going 

 through the press. I mention the circumstance 

 as remarkable, from being the only instance of the 

 kind that occurred to us during the cruise ; and it 

 cannot be easily imagined what could have been 

 the cause of his refusal, for a very short period 

 after our departure it would be published, and 

 there could have been no fear of his being fore- 

 stalled by us. 



Among the natives the taboo is yet law, though 

 endeavours are making to introduce other laws 



