which give him such a decided superiority
over those who have only their native impie*
ments of offence, he will sacrifice every thing,
The value attached by them to muskets, and
their ceaseless desire to possess them, will
prove a sufficient security to foreigners who
enter their harbours, or remain oh their coasts 5
as I know, from experience* that the New
Zealanders will rather put up with injuries,
than run the risk of offending those who manufacture
and barter with them such inestimable
commodities.
A few days after my arrival in the bay, I
crossed to the opposite side, to visit the Church
missionary settlement, and to deliver a letter
of introduction I had to one of the members,
Here, on a beautiful bank, with a delightful
beach in front, and the entrance of the bay
open to them, the clear and blue expanse of
water speckled over with fertile islands, reside
these comfortable teachers of the Gospel. The
name they have given this spot is “ Marsden
Yale.” They very soon gave us to understand
they did not wish for our acquaintance,
and their coldness and inhospitality (I must
acknowledge) created in my mind a thorough
dislike to them. The object of the mission,
as it was first planned, might have been attained,
and might have proved highly beneficial
to the New Zealanders; but as it is now
conducted, no good result can be expected
from it. Any man of common sense must
agree with me, that a savage can receive but
little benefit from having the abstruse points
of the Gospel preached to him, if his mind is
not prepared to receive them. This is the
plan adopted here; and nothing will convince
these enthusiasts that it is wrong, or induce
them to change it for one more agreeable to
the dictates of reason.
Upon enquiring who and what these men
were, I found that the greater part of them
were hardy mechanics (not well-educated
clergymen), whom the benevolent and well-
intentioned people of England had sent out
in order to teach the natives the importance
of different trades,—a most judicious arrangement,
and which ought to be the foundation
of all missions. What could be a more
gratifying sight than groups of these athletic