172 



Present condition of the New Zealanders. 

 Missionary operations. 



NEW ZEALAND. 



Visit of Poniare. 



most perfect secrecy. These proved to be beauti- 

 ful specimens, and now form a part of our collec- 

 tions. So effectually has the fine prevented this 

 traffic, that it is an extremely difficult matter to 

 obtain a head; they are as rare now as they have 

 been common heretofore; and the last place in 

 which it could have been expected to find them, 

 would have been on board a missionary vessel. 



The New Zealanders are still cannibals, although 

 in the districts where the missionaries reside, they 

 have done much to put a stop to this practice. 

 After the arrival of our gentlemen, an instance oc- 

 curred of a chief having killed a boy about fourteen 

 years of age, as a medicine for his son, who was 

 sick ; and as this prescription did not effect a cure, 

 a girl about the same age was to be served up, but 

 the timely interference of the missionaries pre- 

 vented it. 



The present condition of the New Zealanders is 

 inferior to that of some of the other Polynesian 

 nation. There is, as in other places, little or no 

 occasion for labour; the industry of a few weeks is 

 all that is needed to supply them with food for the 

 year; their traffic in pigs and other supplies to 

 whalers and traders is quite sufficient to procure 

 their necessary supply of clothing. It is said their 

 moral condition has much improved of late, and 

 that they are becoming sensible of the advantages 

 of civilized life. In the former direction there is 

 still great room for improvement, and the latter, I 

 should think, as yet far above their ideas of honesty 

 and of the obligations they owe to those about them. 

 Perhaps those who have become somewhat attached 

 to the Christian religion may be a little improved, 

 but the only instance that we can recall to our re- 

 collections is that of the chief Ko-towatowa. The 

 chiefs, however, in general show a growing disposi- 

 tion to acquire comforts about their dwellings, and 

 in comparison with the other natives, are almost 

 cleanly in their persons. Industry is also making 

 progress in the cultivation of their plantations. If 

 I could believe it possible that the dwellings of the 

 lower classes of the people had ever been more 

 filthy, or their persons less cleanly, I would more 

 readily credit that some improvement had taken 

 place. Numbers are said to be able to read and 

 write their own language, having been taught by 

 the missionaries, and then have afterwards been 

 known to take a pride in instructing others, and to 

 display a great eagerness in the acquisition of fur- 

 ther knowledge; but they are far, very far behind, 

 in the rudiments of education, the natives of other 

 groups where the missionaries have been esta- 

 blished, although, as respects natural capacity, they 

 may probably rank higher. 



There is much that is worthy of notice in the 

 missionary operations here. They seem to have 

 pursued a different course from that followed at 

 the other groups, and appear to begin by teaching 

 the useful arts, and setting an example of industry. 

 This has given rise to much remark. The mission- 

 aries of the Episcopal Church appear to keep aloof 

 from the natives, and an air of stiffness and pride, 

 unbecoming a missionary in most minds, seems to 

 prevail. They have a chapel at Pahia and one at 

 Tipoona, but very few persons attend ; their native 

 and Sunday schools have also very few scholars; 

 and they appear to be doing but little in making 

 converts. Most of the natives, however, have 

 morning and evening prayers, but their practices 



and characters show any thing but a reform in 

 their lives. The missionaries hold large tracts of 

 land, and about the Bay of Islands the Church 

 mission (Episcopal) may be said to have the entire 

 control of the property. At the missionary esta- 

 blishment at Pahia they have a printing-press, and 

 have printed some parts of the Scriptures. They 

 are now printing a New Zealand grammar. In 

 the native traditions, there appears to be some idea 

 of a creation, having a general resemblance to that 

 of the other nations of the Polynesian groups. 

 The first god was Maui, who fished up the earth 

 out of the sun ; afterwards a great flood came, 

 which covered the land, and then the waters were 

 dried up by another god, who set fire to the forest. 

 From the accounts and observations of all, it may 

 be safely asserted that the natives have no religion. 

 Some few apparently follow the form of it, and 

 call themselves professing Christians ; but the 

 majority or greater number of the natives have 

 none, either Christian or pagan. When undergoing 

 tuition by the missionaries, they are said frequently 

 to stop and ask for a present for having said their 

 hymn, and it is said, I know not with what truth, 

 that the Catholic missionaries have been in the 

 habit of giving them some small token in the shape 

 of crosses, which the natives look upon as a sort of 

 compensation. 



At Kororarika, as has been stated, there is a 

 Roman Catholic chapel, and it is the residence now 

 of the bishop of the South Sea Catholic Mission. 

 Some singular anecdotes are related of the natives, 

 of their first joining one denomination and then 

 another, receiving little articles as presents from 

 each ; indeed, it is said that there are few of them 

 but conceive they ought to be paid for saying their 

 prayers, or attending mass. At Hokianga there is 

 also a Methodist or Wesleyan mission, which is 

 generally considered the most active, and is doing 

 a great deal of good. 



The native pas are generally scenes of revelry and 

 debauchery. My crew soon got tired of their visits to 

 that of Pomare, and complained much of the dis- 

 honesty of the natives. Pomare and his suite paid the 

 ship a visit a few days after our arrival, for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining his quota of presents. I received 

 him and all his retinue with kindness, and made him 

 several presents, among which was a fowling-piece; 

 but he had, in going round the ship, seen one of 

 Hall's patent rifles, that loaded at the breech; and 

 nothing would satisfy him but to exchange the gun 

 I had given him for one of these. He surprised me 

 by at once comprehending its facility of use, and 

 its excellent manufacture. After a great deal of 

 importunity, I consented to the exchange, but 

 found that he was inclined, after having once suc- 

 ceeded, to beg every thing that struck his fancy. 

 In this he was followed by the other chiefs, among 

 the rest by Hoia, his brother. To the latter, I 

 gave an old cocked-hat, which pleased him exceed- 

 ingly, and I was not a little amused to see him 

 wearing it, and dressed in a tight coat and vest, 

 with bare legs, exhibiting one of the most ridiculous 

 figures imaginable, although in his own opinion the 

 beau ideal of elegance. Pomare went about the 

 ship begging for military caps with gold bands, and 

 was extremely importunate until he found that 

 nothing more could be obtained. I by no means 

 admired his appearance on this visit ; for, although 

 of good proportions, tall, and well made, he is awk- 



