Corzxso.—On the Maori Races of New Zealand. 395- 
(the nearest land to New Zealand), of a race which is allowed by the present 
New Zealanders to be truly aboriginal, and before them in occupation. (d.) 
From their traditions, and fear of “ wild men” in the interior. (e.) From the 
allusions, and even direct statements, in their traditionary myths, of their 
having found inhabitants on their arrival in the country, both at Waitara, 
on the west coast of the North Island, and at Rotorua, in the interior, But 
if there were, which appears very probable, they have been destroyed, or 
become amalgamated with the present race. 
(3.) Did the immigrants come from the nearest land ?—Australia, &c. 
No: proved by their being a wholly distinct race, in appearance, civilization, 
manners, customs, habits, and language. : 
(4.) Whence, then, came they? | Before entering on this question, it 
should be carefully noted that could the island be clearly shown whence 
they came, such would not really answer the question; it would only remove 
it a step further off. In reply to this :— 
Gi.) Very little can be gathered from their own traditions worthy of any 
credit ; save that (s) some arrived hither in canoes; and (b) that those 
arrivals were successive. Even these two postulates could scarcely be 
allowed, were it not for two facts—first, that their only cultivated vegetables 
were exotics; and, second, that the principal different tribal or district 
` varieties among the New Zealanders—as seen in physiology, language, and 
LI 
traditions—partly coincide with what at present obtains in some of the 
Island groups. The use of the nasal sound ng by two-thirds of the New 
Zealanders agrees with the usage in the Tonga, Samoan, and Hervey 
Islands; the omission of the h, and the substituting instead of a peculiar 
click (as done by the Cook Strait and West Coast New Zealanders), agree 
with those of Austral Island and Rarotonga; and the dropping of the nasal 
sound ng by the natives of the Bay of Plenty, and using » instead, agree 
with those of Marquesan, Society, and Sandwich Islands; while the New 
Zealand use of. the & agrees with that of the Hervey and the Friendly 
Islands. 
Gi) In their traditionary myths, the New Zealanders also say that they 
came hither from “Hawaiki.” The writer was formerly of opinion (in 
1835-6, which has subsequently been taken up as valid by several others), 
that this Hawaiki was identical with the Sandwich Islands, or Hawaii, the & 
being dropped according to the rules of their dialect ; but he has long given 
that up as untenable: (1) from the utter impossibility of their having come 
that distance (65° of latitude): against the prevailing winds in their frail 
open eanoes; and (2) from the irreconcilable differences which exist in 
their habits, customs, manufactures, traditions, and religion. By way of 
illustration, the following may be here briefly mentioned, bearing in mind, 
