444 Proceedings, 



natives assembled to the ministrations of Archdeacon Hadfield (our present Bishop), it 

 seems now difficult to fill the front seats. In the settlement itself — veritably a " deserted 

 village " — where formerly there were hundreds, it would be hard now to find scores ; and, 

 in answer to enquiries on all hands, the response is " kua mate." 



And in this connection he mentioned a curious feature in the mortality of the race, 

 namely, that the children and middle-aged people are the first to succumb ; the old stock, 

 who appear better able to resist the new order of things, generally holding out the longest. 

 That the race was doomed he had no doubt whatever in his own mind. What had 

 happened in other parts of the world must inevitably happen, and indeed is happening, 

 here. The aboriginal race must in time give place to a more highly organized, or, at any 

 rate, a more civilized one. This seems to be one of the inscrutable laws of Nature. And, 

 if true to our watchword of progress — social, intellectual, and physical — he could scarcely 

 believe that even the most earnest Philo-Maori would deplore the change. He had often 

 reflected on an observation of the late Dr. Featherston, on their first meeting, just 

 twenty-eight years ago : " The Maoris (he said) are dying out, and nothing can save them. 

 Our plain duty as good, compassionate colonists, is to smooth down their dying pilloiv. 

 Then history wiU have nothing to reproach us with." 



Accepting these facts, Dr. Buller insisted on its being the absolute duty of the 

 Society to collect materials for the future historian of the race. He said he had 

 gone carefully through the fifteen volumes of " Transactions," and out of more than 

 a thousand articles on a variety of subjects, only three dozen had any reference 

 whatever to this subject. He then gave the meeting a rapid review of the more 

 interesting of these papers, and stated his own views as to their relative value. Of some 

 of the contributions by Maori exiDerts, he spoke in terms of disparagement, and gave his 

 reasons. Mr. Colenso, he said, had been the most diligent contributor, and his papers were 

 replete with information. But to his mind the best written, most interesting, and most 

 philosophical of the papers on this subject were those contributed by a former president, 

 Mr. W. T. L. Travers. His " Life and Times of Te Rauparaha," he considered one of the 

 most important contributions to Maori literature yet published. Sir George Grey, when 

 Governor of New Zealand, took advantage of his exceptional opportunities, and formed a 

 very extensive collection of " Poems, Traditions, and Chants," which had been published 

 without, as yet, any translation. Much of this poetry was highly figurative and beautiful ; 

 and he quoted from the preface to that volume to show how difficult a task it was to 

 catch and reduce to writing this oral poetry, the knowledge of which was confined chiefly 

 to the old men and tohungas. Professor Max Muller, whom he had met at Oxford, spoke 

 in high praise of this work, and said that for years he had been looking out anxiously for 

 the promised translation. 



In addition to these historical records, it appeared to him of the utmost importance 

 to form a complete ethnological collection illustrative of the race, which was becoming 

 every day more difficult and would be soon impossible. He had himself enjoyed 

 very favourable opportunities for doing this, and during many years past, with the 

 active co-operation of Captain Mafr, he had diligently employed himself in forming 

 such a collection. There was much yet to be done ; but, even now, he ventured to 

 say, his private museum was far more complete than any other of the kind in 

 existence. Besides embroidered mats, carvings, and implements — domestic, warlike, and 

 industrial— to illustrate the former habits of the people, the collection contained some 

 objects of special historical interest ; for example the identical human-bone flute on which 



