Barstow. — Our Earliest Settlers. 423 



concealment in the scrub, and, unobserved, possessed himself of the prize, 

 which the three then hurried away with. For some time subsequently a 

 warrior of the hapu always carried this piece in front of his war party as an 

 " intimidator " to the enemy, though the mode of using it was quite un- 

 known to them. 



This must have happened prior to the destruction of the ship "Boyd," 

 as the northern natives acquired then a considerable number of firearms, 

 and had already learned their use, but must have been long after Captain 

 Furneaux's boat's crew was cut off. . Several of his party were armed. 

 The northern natives might not have even heard of that event, as owing 

 to the incessant hostilities prevailing amongst the people news would not 

 reach far, and that tragedy happened on the South Island. 



As far as I know, a Whangarei native, named Moehanga, was the first 

 Maori who reached England, whither he was taken by a Mr. Savage in 1805. 

 Moehanga was there looked upon as a great curiosity, and was presented 

 to George III. ; many useful articles were given him, and the Government 

 sent him back to Sydney, whence he was forwarded to the Bay of Islands. 

 Although Moehanga had a well tattooed face, he was a man of no import- 

 ance : he was therefore soon bereft by his superiors in rank of the goods 

 and tools with which he had been supplied, and incurred besides the 

 too common misfortune of travellers, of being pointed out as a man 

 who told such marvellous stories that he was deemed to be porangi, or 

 insane. 



To Sydney — Port Jackson as it was then generally called — Maoris had 

 found their way much earlier. Captain King took two chiefs over in 

 1793, and a year or so later Te Pahi, chief of Bangihoua, a pa near the 

 north head of the Bay of Islands, with several of his sons, went thither. 

 As Te Pahi was favourably spoken of by the masters of whale ships and 

 traders, he was made a good deal of by the Governor. An eager desire for 

 cultivating trade in flax, timber for spars, salt pork, or any other return 

 cargo for convict ships, existed, and it was hoped that by his means com- 

 merce of that kind might be developed. Te Pahi and family were con- 

 veyed back in a government vessel. Mr. Marsden, the Colonial Chaplain, 

 had taken a great interest in him, and, during his stay at Paramatta, had 

 managed to learn a few words of the Maori language. Te Pahi visited 

 Sydney again some eight or ten years later. 



By this time the success of the London Missionary Society at Tahiti 

 had become known, and Mr. Marsden, stimulated by the accounts received 

 thence, thought that a favourable opportunity now presented itself for a 

 similar undertaking in this country. With this view he took Te Pahi to 



