the consequence of such an appeal, took refuge among the high fern, and effectually concealed herself. A female relative of the deceased child called out to the slave, assuring her she should be spared. The poor creature made her appearance, when the brother of the child was called, and immediately despatched the slave with a stone. implement.

Although their character is so dark, their temper so ferocious, and their conduct so violent and murderous, in some respects their dispositions appear more humane and amiable than those of the Tahitians. To the catalogue of their vices and their cruelties they did not add that deliberate systematic infanticide, which the Areois practised; and though not guiltless of this crime, it was exercised less frequently, and some of them, especially the fathers, seemed fond of their children. A pleasing illustration of this occurred while I was among them; and I mention it the more cheerfully, as the general impression their spirit and behaviour made upon my mind was of a different kind.

In an excursion to Waikadie, shortly after leaving the Bay of Islands, we reached Kauakaua, where Mr. Hall proposed to land. As we approached the shore, no trace of inhabitants appeared; but we had scarcely landed, when we were somewhat surprised by the appearance of Tetoro, and a number of his people. The chief ran to meet us, greeting us in English, with "How do you do?" He perceived I was a stranger, and, on hearing my errand and destination, he offered me his hand, and saluted me, according to the custom of his country, by touching my nose with his. He was a tall, fine-looking

man, about six feet high, and proportionably stout, his limbs firm and muscular, and, when dressed in his war-cloak, with all his implements of death appended to his person, he must have appeared formidable to his enemies. When acquainted with our business, he prepared to accompany us; but before we set out, an incident occurred that greatly raised my estimation of his character. In front of the hut sat his wife, and around her played two or three little children. In passing from the hut to the boat, Tetoro struck one of the little ones with his foot; the child cried-and, though the chief had his mat on, and his gun in his hand, and was in the act of stepping into the boat where we were waiting for him, he no sooner heard its cries, than he turned back, took the child up in his arms, stroked its little head, dried its tears, and, giving it to the mother, hastened to join us. His conversation in the boat, during the voyage, so far as it was made known to me, indicated no inferiority of intellect, nor deficiency of local information. On reaching Waikadie, about twenty miles from our ship, we were met by Waivea, Tetoro's brother; but his relationship appeared to be almost all that he possessed in common with him, as he was both in appearance and in conduct entirely a savage.

It was in the month of December, 1816, that I visited New Zealand; and here for the first time saw the rude inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, in their native state. At daylight, on the morning after our arrival on the coast, we found ourselves off Wangaroa bay, where, six years before, the murderous quarrel took place, in which the crew of the Boyd were cut off by the natives, and near which, subsequently, the Methodist Mission

ary station at Wesleydale, established in 1823, has been, through the alarming and violent conduct of the inhabitants, abandoned by the Missionaries, and utterly destroyed by the natives. Several canoes, with three or four men in each, approached our vessel at a very early hour, with fish, fishing-lines, hooks, and a few curiosities for sale. Their canoes were all single, generally between twenty and thirty feet long, formed out of one tree, and nearly destitute of every kind of

ornament.

The men, almost naked, were rather above the middle stature, of a dark copper colour, their features frequently well formed, their hair black and bushy, and their faces much tataued, and ornamented, or rather disfigured, by the unsparing application of a kind of white clay and red ochre mixed with oil. Their appearance and conduct, during our first interview, was by no means adapted to inspire us with prepossessions in their favour. Our captain refused to admit them into the ship, and, after bartering with them for some of their fish, we proceeded on our voyage.

On reaching the Bay of Islands we were cordially welcomed by our Christian brethren, the Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, who had been about two years engaged in promoting instruction and civilization among the New Zealanders. They were the first Missionaries we had seen on heathen ground, and it afforded us pleasure to become acquainted with those who were in some respects to be our future fellowlabourers. Having been kindly invited to spend on shore the next day, which was the Sabbath, we left the ship soon after breakfast, on the morning of the 22nd. When we reached the landing-place,

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crowds of natives thronged around us, with an idle but by no means ceremonious curiosity, and some time elapsed before we could proceed from the beach to the houses of our friends.

The Missionaries had on the preceding day invited me to officiate for them, and I was happy to have an opportunity of preaching the gospel on the shores of New Zealand. Several of the natives appeared in our little congregation, influenced probably by curiosity, as the service was held in a language unintelligible to them. I could not, however, but indulge the hope that the time was not distant, when, through the influence of the schools already established, and the general instructions given by the Missionaries, my brethren would have the pleasure of preaching, on every returning Sabbath, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to numerous assemblies of attentive Christian hearers. The circumstance of its being exactly two years, this Sabbath day, since Mr. Marsden, who visited New Zealand in 1814 --1815, for the purpose of establishing a Christian Mission among the people, preached, not far from this spot, the first sermon that was ever delivered in New Zealand, added to the feelings of interest connected with the engagements of the day.

Circumstances detaining us about a week in the Bay of Islands, afforded me the means of becoming more fully acquainted with the Missionaries, of making excursions to different parts of the adjacent country, and witnessing several of the singular manners and customs of the people.

An unusual noise from the land aroused us early on the morning of the 25th, and, on reaching the deck, a number of war-canoes were seen lying along the shore, while crowds of natives on the

beach were engaged in war-dances, shouting, and firing their muskets at frequent intervals. On inquiry, we found that on the day we had visited Waikadie, a chief of Rangehoo had committed suicide, by throwing himself from a high rock into the sea. This event had brought the chiefs and warriors of the adjacent country, to investigate the cause of his death-armed, and prepared for revenge, in the event of his having been murdered. A council was held for some hours on the beach, when the strangers, being satisfied as to the cause and manner of the chief's death, preparations for war were discontinued, and the people of Rangehoo repaired to their fields, to procure potatoes for their entertainment. It was Christmas-day, and about twelve o'clock we went on shore, to dine with one of the Mission families. In the afternoon, I walked through the encampment of the strangers, which was spread along the sea-shore. Their long, stately, and in many instances beautifully carved canoes, were drawn up on the pebbly beach, and the chiefs and warriors were sitting in circles, at a small distance from them. Each party occupied the beach opposite their canoes, while the slaves or domestics, at some distance further from the shore, were busied round their respective fires, preparing their masters' food. Near his side, each warrior's spear was fixed in the ground, while his patapatu, a stone weapon, the tomakawk of the New Zealander, was hanging on his arm. Several chiefs had a large iron hatchet or bill-hook, much resembling those used by woodmen, or others, in mending hedges in England. These, which in their hands were rather terrifying weapons, appeared to be highly prized; they were kept clean and polished, and