become the quietest and gentlest creatures in
the world ; but if treated with contumely, and
their wives and families repulsed from your
ship, they become dangerous, vindictive, and
cruel neighbours, as many a dreadful deed
which has taken place in this vicinity will
fully prove.
The South Sea whalers ate the ships the
natives are the most anxious to see on their
coasts ; and it is the crews of those vessels
who have, in a manner, civilised these hardy
islanders. Capt. Gardiner, of the “ Marianne”
(the vessel now in the harbour), is the oldest
person in that trade ; and he informed me,
that not longer than twenty years back
scarcely any vessel would dare to touch at
New Zealand ; and when, from particular
circumstances, they were obliged so to do,
they kept their boarding-nettings up, and kept
a strict guard night and day : their fears arose
from a want of knowledge of the disposition
of the people. The vessels frequenting the
island use no precautions now : hundreds of
natives are permitted to crowd on board each
ship j and no accident has ever occurred from
this mode of treatment. But when a ship of
war arrives here for the first time, the precautions
taken are, to arm the row-guard with
cutlasses and pistols, and to harass the crew
with constant watching; while the only enemy
that exists is in their own imaginations. To
the courage and enterprise of the commanders
of whalers all credit is due for working the
rapid change in these once bloody-minded
savages, and forming safe and commodious
harbours for their vessels to refit in : this
have they done in a part of the world lately
looked upon with horror. What credit soever
the missionaries may take to themselves, or
try to make their supporters in England believe,
every man who has visited this place,
and will speak his mind freely and disinterestedly,
must acknowledge they have had no
share in bringing about this change of character
} but, on the contrary, they have done
all that in them lay to injure the reputation of
the whaler in the estimation of the natives.
Hitherto they have not succeeded.: their
want of hospitality and kindness to their own
countrymen raises a strong dislike to them in
m 4