﻿CoLENSo. 
  — 
  Ignorance 
  of 
  Ancient 
  New 
  Zealander 
  of 
  Use 
  of 
  Projectiles. 
  109 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Forster, 
  who 
  accompanied 
  Cook 
  on 
  bis 
  second 
  voyage 
  round 
  the 
  

   world, 
  lias 
  given 
  us 
  a 
  full 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  weapons 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Tanna, 
  an 
  

   island 
  they 
  discovered 
  and 
  spent' 
  some 
  time 
  at 
  on 
  their 
  third 
  voyage 
  from 
  

   Tahiti 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  There, 
  at 
  Tanna, 
  not 
  only 
  darts 
  and 
  slings 
  were 
  

   used 
  in 
  warfare, 
  but 
  also 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows. 
  And, 
  again, 
  subsequently, 
  

   when 
  at 
  New 
  Caledonia 
  (which 
  island 
  Cook 
  also 
  discovered 
  during 
  that 
  

   voyage). 
  Dr. 
  Forster 
  gives 
  another 
  interesting 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  peculiar 
  

   manner 
  in 
  which 
  those 
  natives 
  threw 
  their 
  darts, 
  and, 
  also, 
  their 
  prepared 
  

   stones 
  from 
  slings. 
  '■= 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Nicholas, 
  who 
  was 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Marsden 
  in 
  1814, 
  and 
  

   who 
  spent 
  several 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  travelling 
  about, 
  and 
  seeing 
  all 
  

   that 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  saw 
  no 
  projectile 
  weapon 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  save 
  their 
  

   common 
  hand 
  spears. 
  And 
  Major 
  Cruise, 
  during 
  his 
  ten 
  months' 
  residence, 
  

   is 
  also 
  equally 
  silent 
  about 
  any 
  missiles 
  used 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  warfare, 
  

   although 
  as 
  a 
  military 
  officer, 
  in 
  command 
  of 
  soldiers, 
  anything 
  of 
  that 
  kind 
  

   would 
  be 
  sure 
  to 
  have 
  attracted 
  his 
  notice. 
  

  

  We 
  gather 
  the 
  same 
  from 
  Eutherford's 
  Journal. 
  This 
  witness 
  had 
  

   ample 
  opportunities 
  during 
  his 
  long 
  sojourn 
  of 
  ten 
  years 
  among 
  the 
  New 
  

   Zealanders, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  he 
  got 
  fully 
  tattooed 
  and 
  lived 
  wholly 
  ci-la- 
  

   Maori, 
  in 
  his 
  frequent 
  travellings 
  with 
  the 
  Maoris 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   interior, 
  and 
  from 
  his 
  having 
  been 
  a 
  witness 
  of 
  several 
  severe 
  and 
  bloody 
  

   battles. 
  Curiously 
  enough, 
  Eutherford 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  great 
  battle 
  fought 
  at 
  

   Kaipara 
  between 
  the 
  Ngatiwhatua 
  and 
  the 
  Ngapuhi 
  tribes, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   savage 
  and 
  murderous 
  chief 
  Hongi 
  was 
  present, 
  commanding 
  the 
  Ngapuhi, 
  

   and 
  in 
  which 
  fierce 
  battle 
  Hongi's 
  son, 
  Hare, 
  was 
  slain, 
  and 
  his 
  head, 
  with 
  

   others, 
  carried 
  off 
  in 
  triumph 
  by 
  Eutherford's 
  Maori 
  party 
  from 
  the 
  East 
  

   Coast 
  ; 
  that 
  battle 
  was 
  fought 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1825. 
  Eutherford 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  

   respects 
  a 
  truthful 
  witness, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  good 
  reasons 
  for 
  saying, 
  having 
  formerly 
  

   traced 
  out 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  his 
  statements. 
  To 
  the 
  above 
  I 
  might 
  add 
  the 
  

   uniform 
  testimony 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  first 
  missionaries, 
  who 
  saw 
  quite 
  enough 
  of 
  

   bloody 
  work 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  Polack,+ 
  who 
  resided 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  ; 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  appendix 
  A 
  for 
  these 
  extracts 
  which 
  I 
  make, 
  as 
  Forster's 
  Voyage 
  is 
  a 
  scarce 
  

   ■work 
  ; 
  and, 
  also, 
  believing 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  service 
  hereafter. 
  

  

  t 
  Polack 
  says: 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  weapons 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  native 
  warfare 
  were 
  not 
  remarkable 
  

   for 
  beauty 
  or 
  variety, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  entirely 
  laid 
  aside. 
  The 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow 
  found 
  among 
  all 
  

   savage 
  nations 
  were 
  unknown 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  where 
  numerous 
  woods 
  exist 
  admirably 
  

   fitted 
  for 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  such 
  universally 
  known 
  weapons. 
  Slings, 
  another 
  implement 
  

   that 
  did 
  much 
  execution, 
  were 
  also 
  unknown." 
  (A^ol. 
  II., 
  pp. 
  28-29). 
  Polack 
  is 
  a 
  writer 
  

   whom 
  I 
  should 
  scarcely 
  ever 
  think 
  of 
  quoting, 
  not 
  merely 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  being 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  modern 
  (in 
  my 
  writing 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  New 
  Zealander) 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  his 
  many 
  

   errors 
  ; 
  had 
  he 
  contented 
  himself 
  with 
  giving 
  us 
  plainly 
  what 
  he 
  saw, 
  without 
  colouring 
  

   (for 
  he 
  travelled 
  a 
  little 
  while 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand), 
  and 
  without 
  attempting 
  anything 
  of 
  

   science 
  or 
  history, 
  theology 
  or 
  language, 
  or 
  the 
  drawing 
  of 
  deductions, 
  (!) 
  for 
  all 
  which 
  he 
  

   was 
  totally 
  unfitted, 
  then 
  his 
  observations 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  real 
  service. 
  

  

  