﻿114 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  side, 
  and 
  possibly 
  a 
  lucky 
  few 
  might 
  have 
  fallen 
  into 
  it, 
  and 
  so 
  broke 
  the 
  

   force 
  of 
  their 
  fall. 
  The 
  whole 
  spot 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  romantic 
  one 
  naturally, 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit 
  it 
  was 
  desolate 
  and 
  bare 
  — 
  a 
  sad 
  and 
  striking 
  memento 
  

   of 
  the 
  horrid 
  past 
  !" 
  

  

  The 
  Editor 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Transactions," 
  in 
  a 
  note 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  appended 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Phillips' 
  paper, 
  refers 
  us 
  to 
  three 
  works, 
  viz. 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  Sir 
  G. 
  Grey's 
  " 
  Polynesian 
  Mythology," 
  p. 
  157. 
  The 
  single 
  case 
  

   there 
  mentioned 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  beginnim/ 
  of 
  Maori 
  

   history, 
  and 
  was 
  just 
  simply 
  the 
  whirling 
  of 
  a 
  fire-brand 
  on 
  to 
  a 
  thatched 
  

   roof, 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  circumstance 
  above 
  related 
  from 
  my 
  Notes. 
  

  

  2. 
  Dr. 
  Thomson's 
  " 
  Story 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand," 
  Vol. 
  I., 
  chap. 
  7. 
  In 
  this 
  

   relation 
  (as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  several 
  other 
  places 
  in 
  his 
  book) 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  of 
  error, 
  

   as 
  must 
  always 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  all 
  modern 
  conqnlers 
  who 
  may 
  follow 
  in 
  

   the 
  Doctor's 
  wake 
  ; 
  for 
  (1) 
  Dr. 
  Thomson 
  has 
  completely 
  ignored 
  all 
  that 
  

   was 
  written 
  by 
  Cook 
  and 
  others,* 
  although 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  their 
  

   works, 
  and 
  the 
  question 
  has 
  often 
  arisen 
  in 
  my 
  mind, 
  did 
  Dr. 
  Thomson 
  ever 
  

   read 
  them 
  ? 
  (2) 
  Knowing 
  nothing 
  himself 
  personally 
  of 
  the 
  matters 
  in 
  

   question, 
  he 
  copied 
  freely, 
  and 
  picked 
  up 
  and 
  set 
  down 
  all 
  that 
  he 
  heard, 
  too 
  

   often 
  hastily 
  drawing 
  conclusions. 
  Hence 
  it 
  was 
  that 
  he 
  says 
  of 
  their 
  pro- 
  

   jectiles 
  — 
  " 
  Occasionally 
  red 
  hot 
  stones 
  were 
  thrown 
  from 
  slings 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  

   of 
  setting 
  pas 
  on 
  fire 
  ; 
  so 
  were 
  slight 
  javelins, 
  sharp 
  and 
  jagged 
  at 
  the 
  

   point 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  they 
  were 
  pointed 
  with 
  bone, 
  or 
  the 
  barb 
  of 
  the 
  

   stingray 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  discharged 
  by 
  slings 
  from 
  elevated 
  platforms, 
  etc. 
  

   Bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  were 
  not 
  unknown, 
  though 
  never 
  used 
  in 
  war." 
  (Vol. 
  I., 
  

   ch. 
  7.) 
  

  

  3. 
  Mr. 
  White's 
  new 
  work, 
  " 
  Te 
  Eon," 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  fiction, 
  and 
  his 
  long 
  

   note, 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  Editor, 
  is 
  suited 
  to 
  it 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  here. 
  

  

  Appendix 
  A. 
  — 
  (See 
  p. 
  109). 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Forster 
  says 
  t 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  weapons 
  which 
  the 
  men 
  of 
  Tanna 
  constantly 
  ^s 
  

   carry 
  are 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  clubs, 
  darts, 
  and 
  slings. 
  Their 
  young 
  men 
  are 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  what 
  we 
  have 
  on 
  record 
  (already 
  referred 
  to) 
  by 
  Cook 
  and 
  others, 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  early 
  celebrated 
  known 
  engagements, 
  attacks 
  on 
  Maori 
  forts 
  by 
  Europeans, 
  

   when, 
  if 
  ever, 
  the 
  Maoris 
  would 
  have 
  used 
  such 
  projectiles, 
  viz 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  That 
  by 
  the 
  French 
  

   under 
  Crozet, 
  in 
  revenge 
  for 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  their 
  commander 
  (Marion) 
  and 
  his 
  men, 
  when 
  

   they 
  attacked 
  and 
  took 
  their 
  stronghold 
  or 
  fort 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Islands. 
  See 
  App. 
  C. 
  (2) 
  

   That 
  of 
  the 
  combined 
  crews 
  of 
  five 
  whalers 
  on 
  the 
  pa 
  in 
  the 
  islet 
  in 
  Whangaroa 
  harbour 
  in 
  

   revenge 
  for 
  the 
  taking 
  and 
  burning 
  of 
  the 
  "Boyd," 
  and 
  the 
  kiUing 
  of 
  the 
  captain, 
  passengers, 
  

   and 
  crew. 
  (3) 
  That 
  of 
  the 
  soldiers 
  and 
  sailors 
  of 
  H.M.S. 
  "Alligator 
  " 
  on 
  the 
  pa 
  at 
  Wamate, 
  

   near 
  Cape 
  Egmont, 
  in 
  revenge 
  for 
  their 
  having 
  plundered 
  Guard's 
  ship, 
  &a. 
  In 
  all 
  these 
  

   cases 
  the 
  Maori 
  pas, 
  or 
  forts, 
  securely 
  fenced 
  and 
  well 
  situated 
  (after 
  the 
  old 
  custom) 
  and 
  

   almost 
  inaccessible, 
  were 
  attacked 
  and 
  taken 
  ; 
  and 
  yet, 
  while 
  the 
  Maoris 
  defended 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  well 
  and 
  long, 
  nothing 
  was 
  seen, 
  or 
  shown, 
  or 
  used, 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  "slings" 
  and 
  

   -"• 
  hot 
  stones," 
  " 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  jagged 
  darts, 
  and 
  poisoned 
  hotahas 
  /" 
  {Jam 
  satis 
  I) 
  

  

  