CHAPTER XXV. 



Waimate — Cultivation — Flax — Apteryx — Gardens — Missionaries — Farm 

 — Barn — Mill — Grave of Shunghi — Horses — Kauri Pine — Keri-keri 

 — Children — Waripoaka — La Favorite — Political condition — Relics — 

 Images, or Amulets — Mats — Leave New Zealand — Remarks — Inter- 

 course — Convicts — Effects of Missionary exertion — Irregular Settle- 

 ments — Trade — Residents and Consuls — Missionary Embarrassments 

 — Society's Lands — Discontent of Settlers — Purchase of Land — Influ- 

 ence of Missionaries — Their sphere of action. 



28th. Accompanied by Mr. Baker, I set out to go to Wai- 

 mate, a settlement formed by the missionaries with the view of 

 introducing agriculture and mechanical arts among the natives, 

 in addition to the truths of the Gospel. Entering one of the 

 luimerous creeks (Waitangi) by which the north-eastern shores 

 of New Zealand are intersected, we went a little way in a boat, 

 then landed and got on horseback.* Two natives, who had 

 been waiting with the horses, ran by their side during the rest 

 of the day with much ease, though we trotted or cantered 

 rather fast. One of them even carried a bundle weighing about 

 thirty pounds. The men did this by choice, for the sake of 

 riding back from Keri-keri, a place we were afterwards to 

 visit, and whence Mr. Baker and I would return by water. 

 While running thus easily and cheerfully, by the side of our 

 horses, they reminded me of men at Madeira ; and still more 

 of the Maltese, whom they both resembled in feature, figure, 

 and colour. To see fern every where, was a remarkable 

 peculiarity. In some places it grew thickly, and to the height 

 of a man, in others it was scantily scattered. It is said to be 

 an index to the quality of the soil, which is productive in pro- 

 portion to the quantity of fern. After ascending the first low 

 hills, I was a little disappointed by the uniform and unpic- 

 turesque appearance around me. A rather level or irregularly 

 undulating country, in which extensive plains were more 



* A few horses had been brought over from Sydney. 



