five years; notwithstanding, I hope that much good will be done, even in the way of schools during this period. I only wish to intimate, that, however agreeable it might be to me to spend my whole time in establishing schools, it is for the present utterly impracticable. Our schools at Kaitaia are on the circulating system, which answers surprisingly well. The natives, young and old, admire it much; they take delight in propounding questions to each other.

"We are living in peace with all the natives, and they are living in peace with one another. Not one life has been lost among the Rarawa by fighting since we lived here. Our natives are this day busily employed in the erection of a large rush chapel, our present chapel being crowded during service, and numbers standing outside. It is a most pleasing sight to see different tribes pouring into the settlement on the Saturday evening, to be ready on the Lord's day, from the distance of four, six, and eight miles, and this constantly: this shows that the word of the Lord is precious to them. When we first came among them, it was far different; no one would seek us out; but we rode sixteen, and sometimes twenty, miles, to preach to a few people."

On the 20th of February, 1835, Mr. Clark writes: "The good work is, I trust, going steadily on among the natives; there is general seriousness and attention to instruction wherever we visit. The Christian natives remain steadfast in their profession

amidst the taunts of some of their countrymen ; schools are on the increase, and there is a general cry for instruction among the natives. The different tribes seem to be dropping their feuds and jealousies, and some of them are turning their attention to the arts of civilization. So much security of property was never before felt by the natives. A few years ago, at some seasons of the year, there seemed to be nothing but plunder from one part of the island to another; now all enjoy the fruits of their labour, and are living in comparative affluence, carrying their overplus produce to market, and procuring many of the comforts of life for themselves and families."

On the 24th of January, 1835, Mr. Davis writes: "The land is not prepared without much labour and toil; but I am happy to say that we have not hitherto found any difficulty in procuring labourers. Our agricultural establishment is already a great blessing to the country, from the labour which it finds for the natives. For several weeks we have had a considerable number of old and young people of both sexes employed in pîcking fern root, and burning it off. The principal part of these labourers has consisted of young women, whose object in working is to procure themselves clothing; in short, we now pay but few hardware articles for labours of this kind. The principal cry of the natives is for books, slates, and clothing. At present, I am sorry to find we have but little print in the store, and I believe

of other articles of clothing. We are getting rather short, chiefly occasioned by the number of garments which have been given as payments to the natives working at the mill-dam, and those employed as out-door labourers on the farm. At present, we have one hundred and twenty-four natives of both sexes at work, beating up earth to finish our dam, which object I hope they will effect in about eight or ten days more. We have employed them for a fortnight, and they are each to have a book or a garment for their fortnight's work.”

"Our readers," says the Church Missionary Record of 1836, "will observe that, in the commencement of new stations in New Zealand, notwithstanding the invitations made by many chiefs for missionaries to come and dwell among them, there are yet remaining not a few of the natives, and of the men in power, whose hearts appear to be filled with the spirit of the evil one, men full of murder, deceit, malignity. With these our missionaries have to contend, mouth to mouth, and very harassing is this warfare."

Writing from Matamata, January 9th, 1836, Mr. J. Morgan expresses some remarks, calculated to give a right direction to the thoughts of friends in England, in reference to the country of New Zealand.

cr

"I am afraid that the great majority of our friends in Europe hold very erroneous ideas of the

extent of good done, by the blessing of God, in this land. The accounts received from the northward stations, of the work of grace going on in that district, are taken for the island at large; whereas it is, comparatively speaking, a very small speck on the map of New Zealand. The district extends

from the Bay of Islands to Hokianga, the Wesleyan station, on the western coast, distant about forty miles, and again from the Bay of Islands, northward, to our settlement at Kaitaia, distant about sixty miles.

"In this, the southern part of the island, we are surrounded by a darkness which may be felt, the habitations of cruelty, and the strongholds of native superstition, ignorance, and vice, are on every side, while farther south there are many thousands who have never heard the saving name of Jesus.”

SECTION V.

VIEWS OF THE NATIVES AS TO THE SETTLEMENT OF AN ENGLISH COLONY IN NEW ZEALAND, &c.

1. Letter of Rev. William White, Wesleyan Missionary; Opinions and Feelings of Natives, as to a Colony being formed in their Country; anxiety for Settlers among them; Applications by Chiefs along two hundred miles of coast for numerous Settlers; Opinion of Mr. White that the same views are entertained by the whole Islanders; Evidence of this in Correspondence of Persons in New Zealand for a series of years.

PERSONAL SAFETY OF COLONISTS. 2. Mr. Oakes's Letter; Improved State of the Inhabitants on the Banks of the Hokianga; Personal Safety of Settlers; Forms of selling Land; and fidelity of Natives to their Engagements.3. Opinions of two Chiefs as to Colonizing their Country.— 4. Extract from Mr. Busby's Work; Resolutions of the Church Missionaries, as to forming a Colony in Van Diemen's Land, as a Refuge for New Zealanders from the Evils of their own Country.-5. Extract from the Work of Augustus Earle, 1832; Testimonies of different Authors as to Colonizing New Zealand; Captain Cook, 1773; Mr. Savage, 1807; Mr. Nicholas, 1817; Major Cruise, 1824; Mr. Augustus Earle, 1832; Lieutenant Breton, 1834.6. Specimen of the Language.

THE manner in which the New Zealanders would regard the settlement of a colony amongst them,