416 Essays. 
the Bay of Islands, and sinò strangers) the population of the same district 
is under 2,000, or less than two-thirds of what they were seventeen years 
ago. Children are every year becoming fewer. Marriages are rarely fruitful. 
The seven principal chiefs of Ahuriri (including. Te Moananui, lately 
deceased) are all without children, with the exception of Te Hapuku ; and 
of four of his sons married, three are still childless. Mr. Fenton, from an 
accurate census* of a portion of certain tribes in the Waikato district, has 
clearly shown that the decrease among them in fourteen years (1844-1858) 
was at the rate of nineteen per cent. Another table,* also compiled by Mr. 
Fenton, showing the numbers of the natives of the Colony of New Zealand 
in 1858, gives the following :— 
Males, Females. Total. 
North Island ut dex .. . 29,984 22,993 52,977 
South Island ee pee 957 2,988 
Stewart Island and Ruapuke .. i 90 200t 
Chatham Islands  . "a 247 263 510 
31,667 24,303 55,970 
Unfortunately at the present time there is no means of’ accurately show- 
ing the difference on the whole of New Zealand; still this may be done for 
certain isolated districts :— . 
Males, Females. Total. 
The i ge of Nelson (including peor had in 
855. ges s 692 428 1,120 
The eap ie dh t aes oe d eo — 
Decrease — — 140 
The Provinces of Otago and Southland ning Ruapuke 
and Stewart — had in 185: 382 327 709 
Ditto in 1864 SU «E zw AI 179 396 
Decrease HM as i eo — 313 
The Chatham Islands in 1859 ad we i. 247 263 510 
Ditto in 1861 xs e - e — — 413f 
Decrease dis ve oe oo — 97 
“ Middle Whanganui,” 1859 i s oo — 2,210 
* Central Whanganui,” 1864 de id oo — 14$ 
Decrease ue e — — 793 
Rotorua, the Lakes, and Maketu, 1859 pi ..1,210 1,050 2,260 
Ditto, 1864 E ... 1,023 742 1,7658 
Decrease s we y oe — -= 495 ; 
..** Blue Book, N.Z., 1859. 
Government Gazette, des 14, 1862. Me W. Seed also gives, “ Maoris, 418, of 
um. 24 are children; Morioris, 160 ; half-castes, 17.” 
$ Kindly furnished. by Hon. Mr: ‘Mantel, Sate Minister. The Rotorua return 
OE Stai incomplete.” : 
* 
TUUS EN P NEM. MIT IR ae See 
