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sensitive olfactory nerves, as he vanished from the neighbourhood of this friendship's offering of the Maori ! *

The Maori language, although sounding strongly guttural from some of the speakers in the vehemence of debate, struck me as musical and agreeable to the ear. In the mouth of a young and pretty woman I dare say it may be soft and persuasive. It is said to possess but a meagre vocabulary, and I particularly remarked the frequent recurrence of the same words in the longwinded speeches of this day. A mere language of tradition, the original Missionary clergymen married it to the English alphabet, as well, perhaps, as its peculiarities would permit, although it is difficult for an Englishman to believe in the existence of an orthography in which the sounds D, F, G, L, J, V, Ch, Sh, and Th are wanting. Ng represents a peculiar nasal sound; and I conclude the Maori gullet and snout produce unspellable intonations, which supply the place of the letters above mentioned.

The New Zealand tongue cannot, it appears, compass our harsh words full of consonants, or terminating in them. A vowel is always interposed, so as to soften the sound and keep it running, as in Italian. Thus, Queen is Kuini; Victoria, Wikitoria; Governor, Kawana; sheep, hipi; mill, miri; Jesus Christ, Ihu Karaiti; Bishop,

*The New Zealander newspaper of 4th March, 1848, states that an Englishman, named Burns, condemned to transportation for another offence, confessed himself and two others as the real murderers of the Snow family. I must do Governor Grey the justice to mention, that from the first he attributed the murder to white hands, although the bodies had been mutilated in the Maori manner as if for a cannibal feast.

Pilopa; Devil, Rewera. It is curious how very wide of the mark are most of these nearest shots at the pronunciation of English words. It is not less the case in familiar English names given to Maori Christians. Edward, Eruera; William, Wiremu; John, Honi; Joseph, Hohepa (Gueseppo, Beppo!) *

Governor Grey's management of the natives appeared to me admirable. He knows already enough of their language to be able to exchange with them a few words of greeting, which he never fails to do in his walks and rides. The Kawana, and the Mata Kawana (mother Governor), by which somewhat mature title the young and handsome lady of his Excellency is known, are greeted with smiles and shouts of salutation—(this it was, perhaps, which frightened the old Dutchman Tasman !) -in their excursions. "Tena ko koe "-"Tena ko koe, etama." "There you are, Governor!"-" There you are, friend!" are, I believe, the literal translation of the Maori "How d'ye do ?" and about equally unmeaning. On meeting an English friend the broad face of the New Zealander expands into a frank and open smile. Ile nods his head upwards, and offers his hand.

Captain Grey never lets slip an occasion of instilling a taste for civilized habits among them. He quizzes the young dandies who use red ochre to rouge their checks

a not uncommon practice; and the young women may be seen hiding away their pipes when he passes, because he sets down smoking as an unfeminine habit. As far as his own personal safety is concerned he seems

* Alexander Dumas remarks, "La génie des langues tend toujours, à mesure qu'on s'avance vers le Midi, à multiplier les voyelles."

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to repose the most perfect trust in his brown subjects; going about unarmed and unattended, and constantly permitting chiefs and their followers, coming from the interior, to encamp in the garden close to the Government-house, within the guards. Yet his two most prominently restrictive ordinances-the Arms bill and the Spirits bill, whereby the sale of fire-arms and "firewater" to the natives is prohibited-prove that he can be stringent as well as indulgent towards them: thus he is feared as well as liked by them-precisely the feeling with which a British Governor should inspire a warlike race of semi-savages. He will find it-or I misread the aspect of affairs very egregiously-more laborious to cultivate the good-will and affection of his fellow-countrymen in New Zealand, than that of the Aborigines. A Governor, armed with almost despotic and irresponsible power, can no more gain the suffrages of a people derived from a country of free institutions, however zealously and conscientiously he may labour for their good, than the earth can love the plough and the harrow, although these implements are working for her improvement and enrichment.

The Maoris, as a race, are much given to sobriety. The term of "fire-water," which I have used above, does not express any particular abhorrence in the North American Indian for the use of the dram. In their climate fire implies comfort as well as heat; and it is well known with what headlong haste the poor red-man fell into that snare of the devil. The Maori's name for ardent spirits is "stink-water," which certainly marks decided repugnance. During three or four weeks' stay

at Auckland, I only fell in with two drunken natives, and that was in a Sunday walk with the Governor. The moment one of the fellows espied Te Kawana, he and a friend, both pretty far gone in inebriety, jumped up and took to their heels across a swamp, and the tipsier tumbling over a tussock, broke his bottle of strong waters to pieces. Strolling about the streets on a day when the Maori workmen had received their week's pay, I saw no drunkenness; all were spending their earnings in objects of utility.

CHAPTER V.

ANCIENT PAHS-REVERSES IN A RIDE-THOUGHTS ON A BAD HAT-CLIMATE -SOCIABILITY IN A SMALL COMPASS-DANCING-A MAORI ANTINOUS-A BAZAAR THE MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN-A WIFE OFFERED-NATIVES SHOPPING THE ONGI-THE TANGI-GROUP FOR SCULPTURE-HOW TO SUBJUGATE A SAVAGE-FLAX-THE MOKU-TREATMENT OF WOMEN-A DEDUCTION.

December 18th.-BEAUTIFUL weather, therm. 69° in the shade. A pleasant gallop of some twenty miles' circuit with Captain Grey to visit Mounts Wellington and Halswell, and their neighbourhoods. The appearance of both affords evidence of a numerous and warlike population, now passed away. Each is cut into several ranges of terraces, with breast-works and excavations originally roofed in, and forming the dwellings and potato-stores of the garrisons of these fortified hills, once raging with their own subterranean fires. For half a mile all round the base of these mounts are to be traced, among the high fern, hundreds of scoria walls, evidently the enclosures of former potato-gardens, and piles of white shells of the "pipi," or cockle, brought from the sea-shore for food.

Mount Halswell, to the very summit of which we rode with some difficulty and risk, possesses a singularly strong position, being situated in the centre of the