WoHLERS. — Civilization of Southern Maoris. 133 



taken out of the houses to some distance, so that their sickness and dying 

 might not offend the Hviug. A rude shelter was made over the sick person. 

 Sometimes someone might sit with him, but more often he was left quite 

 alone, with some cooked cold potatoes and some cold water within his 

 reach. So he was left to die without comfort, without consolation. Now, 

 since the Maoris have been converted to Christianity, the sick ones are 

 nursed in their houses by their loved ones, they are supplied with bodily 

 comforts and die with Christian consolation. 



The wheat culture, which flourished under the excitement of the conver- 

 sion and the commencement of civilization, did not last many years. This was 

 not due so much to a reaction in industry, as to trade finding its level. The 

 Maoris here could catch and preserve in airtight kelp bags a great quantity of 

 a kind of young fat seabirds, commonly called mutton-birds. They abound 

 in the south, but not further north than Foveaux Straits. All the Maoris 

 are very fond of them, and if our Maoris could have sent the preserved 

 bkds to the north, they would have received good value in return. But it 

 was too dangerous to sail with heavily loaded boats. This was changed 

 when settlers came to Otago and Southland, and shipping came with them. 

 Then our Maoris found that if they took their preserved birds to a merchant 

 in their neighbourhood, they could depend upon then- being forwarded to a 

 port near which those Maories resided to whom they were addressed. They 

 then received flour and sugar in return. Thus they found that this was an 

 easier way and better to their liking, than to grow the wheat in the field 

 and to grind it in hand-mills. 



I have said before, that with civilization, through cleanliness, better food, 

 better clothing and housing, the health of our Maoris improved. This was 

 as if a person in decline is patched up for a while through some change. 

 The inherent sickness of the Maoris, consumption, brought on and intensi- 

 fied by their unhealthy ways of living, could not be entirely cured. When 

 the old Maoris dropped off, they left but few children and young persons 

 behind them, and these had more or less the old disease in them, which 

 some overcame through the new spirit of life and civilization. A small 

 remnant of the Maoris would have been left here, but for the half-caste 

 children, of whom I have spoken before. These grew up and intermarried 

 with the remnant of the real Maoris. Therefore, the present Maori popula- 

 tion here, has strong European features, and one sees only a very few real 

 Maoris among them. 



The Island of Euapuke, which, lying between two coasts, was formerly, 

 in the time of Maori dominion, an important centreing-place, is now, since 

 colonial shipping has superseded the canoe and boat voyages, an insig- 

 nificant spot, with a small population. The Maori young men grown up 



