NEW ZEALAND. 401 



rudiments of education, the natives of other groups where the mis- 

 sionaries have been established, although, as respects natural capacity, 

 they may probably rank higher. 



There is much that is worthy of notice in the missionary operations 

 here. They seem to have pursued a different course from that followed 

 at the other groups, and appear to begin by teaching the useful arts, 

 and setting an example of industry. This has given rise to much 

 remark. The missionaries of the Episcopal Church appear to keep 

 aloof from the natives, and an air of stiffness and pride, unbecoming a 

 missionary in most minds, seems to prevail. They have a chapel at 

 Pahia and one at Tipoona, but very few persons attend ; their native 

 and Sunday schools have also very few scholars ; and they appear to 

 be doing but little in making converts. Most of the natives, however, 

 have morning and evening prayers, but their practices and characters 

 show any thing but a reform in their lives. The missionaries hold 

 large tracts of land, and about the Bay of Islands the Church Mission 

 (Episcopal) may be said to have the entire control of the property. 

 At the missionary establishment at Pahia they have a printing-press, 

 and have printed some parts of the Scriptures. They are now printing 

 a New Zealand grammar. In the native traditions, there appears to 

 be some idea of a creation, having a general resemblance to that of 

 the other nations of the Polynesian groups. The first god was Maui, 

 who fished up the earth out of the sun ; afterwards a great flood came, 

 which covered the land, and then the waters were dried up by another 

 god, who set fire to the forest. From the accounts and observations 

 of all, it may be safely asserted that the natives have no religion. 

 Some few apparently follow the form of it, and call themselves pro- 

 fessing Christians ; but the majority or greater number of the natives 

 have none, either Christian or pagan. When undergoing tuition by 

 the missionaries, they are said frequently to stop and ask for a present 

 for having said their hymn, and it is said, I know not with what truth, 

 that the Catholic missionaries have been in the habit of giving them 

 some small token in the shape of crosses, which the natives look upon 

 as a sort of compensation. 



At Kororarika, as has been stated, there is a Roman Catholic chapel, 

 and it is the residence now of the Bishop of the South Sea Catholic 

 Mission. Some singular anecdotes are related of the natives, of their 

 first joining one denomination and then another, receiving little articles 

 as presents from each ; indeed, it is said that there are few of them 

 but conceive they ought to be paid for saying their prayers, or 

 attending mass. At Hokianga there is also a Methodist or Wesleyan 



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