Corzxso.—[gnorance of Ancient New Zealander of Use of Projectiles. 111 
especially to New South Wales; indeed, a very extensive intercourse was 
then and for many years carried on between Port Jackson and New Zea- 
land, partly owing to the whale and seal fishery.* 4. That on Mr. Mars- 
den’s visit (1814) several foreigners were residing in New Zealand; mention 
is particularly made, among others, of a Tahitian,+} and a Hindoo, who 
were dwelling with the Maoris as Maoris, and who had quite made this 
country their home, without a wish to leave it; Major Cruise also, in 
1819, found a native of the Marquesas { Islands fairly settled among them ; 
and that for many years convicts from the neighbouring penal colonies were 
continually escaping thence to New Zealand. 5. That from 1820-1840 
young New Zealanders were frequently entering whale-ships and other 
vessels, to serve on cruises in the South Seas, several of whom returned to 
their native country and settled. 6. That during several years, after the 
arrival of the missionaries and before the formation of the colony, many 
harbours in New Zealand, and the Bay of Islands in particular, were the 
common resort of American, Colonial, and other whalers, whose crews were 
composed of men of many nations and of all colours; and among them 
were often natives from the East, including China and the South Sea Islands, 
some of whom settled in New Zealand, and no doubt many of them taught 
the New Zealander not a few novel things. 7. Two old sayings of the 
Maoris bearing on this subject I would also adduce :—1. Their terse old 
proverb, ** He tao rakau ka taea te pare, he tao küekore e taea’’—a wooden 
spear can be parried,|| a slanderous word§ cannot be parried. Now, if any 
other more destructive missile were known and in use among them, than 
the common hand-spear, surely such would have been preferred here. 2, 
Their saying, on the introduction of fire-arms,and for a long time after, 
that the only thing they disliked them for was, that by them the warrior 
fell as well as the slave at a distance," before that the hand-to-hand fight 
begun :** another proof that deadly missiles acting at a distance were not 
known. (8) Further, in all their very many proverbs and sayings there is 
no allusion to any such thing. 
My own opinion has long been, that the old New Zealanders (ever quick 
and able imitators, especially in any matter connected with warfare), having 
early had lessons from the Tahitian, Tupaea (whom they all but adored) 
and his son, Taiota, and also on Cook’s second voyage from Tahiti to 
New Zealand, from Mahine, the native of Porapora, in the arts of 
fashioning and using projectiles, perhaps endeavoured to adopt them, and 
* See appendix B. ? + Nicholas’ “ New Zealand," Vol. L, p. 92. 
1 Cruise's Journal, p. 198. || Lit., a spoken spear. 
8 See appendix, note B, for an illustration.  Lit., died like a nobody—a fool, 
** The chiefs and the principal men urged ohward the rush of the vanguard, but were - 
not in it; they followed. 
