99 6 



A US TRA LA SI A IL L US TRA TED. 



After visiting the Thames, Mr. Marsden returned to New South Wales, leaving the 

 i-atirhists at the Bay of Islands. He did not again visit there until 1819, when an 

 ordained clergyman, the Rev. S. Butler, was appointed to take charge of the station. 

 The mission brig, the Active, which had been purchased by Mr. Marsclen in 1814, was, 

 however, kept running between Port Jackson and - the Bay of Islands, so that the 

 catechists were not left forlorn, while the whale-ships frequenting the Bay gave them 

 the protection of their occasional presence. Acting under instructions from Governor 



Macquarie, Mr. Mars- 

 den explored a con- 

 siderable portion of the 

 northern part of New 

 Zealand. He appears 

 to have been the first 

 European who pub- 

 lished a description of 

 the Hokianga River, 

 which had been made 

 known by Governor 

 King from the map of 

 the North Island 

 drawn by the New 

 Xealanders Tuki and 

 1 luru on the floor of 

 the Governor's house 

 at Norfolk Island. 

 The year following he 

 visited New Zealand 



in H.M. store-ship Dromedary, which was sent thither to procure spars for topmasts for 

 the Navy. He remained there for several months exploring the Thames, Tamaki and 

 Kaipara Districts. He succeeded in reaching Katikati, which he considered to be the 

 Mercury Bay of Cook, and was aided in so doing by the store-ship Coromandel being 

 engaged in the Thames District on a similar mission to that in which the Dromedary 

 was employed at the same time farther north. 



About the time when the Dromedary arrived at the Bay of Islands, Hongi and 

 Waikato, two Maori chiefs, accompanied by Mr. Kendall, proceeded to England in the 

 New Zcalandcr, whale-ship. The object of Hongi was the acquisition of fire-arms, for the 

 purpose of settling a blood feud of some do/en or more years' standing with the Kaipara 

 natives. Mr. Kendall wanted aid to put the Maori language into a written form, writing 

 being a mode of communicating thought unknown to the native race. Both succeeded 

 in their object. Hongi obtained an introduction to George the Fourth and the leading- 

 men of England. He was loaded with gifts, among which was a suit of armour ; this 

 he carefully cherished, but on returning to Sydney he disposed of his other presents 

 and converted the proceeds into muskets and ammunition. Mr. Kendall obtained the 

 assistance of Professor Lee in the construction of a vocabulary and a grammar of the 



THE WAIKATO AT ATFAMURI. 



