Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara Volume Iii Part 10

[36] The dead is here spoken of as the evening star, which is supposed to rise in another world, where on its arrival it is welcomed with great rejoicings by the thousands that have preceded it.

[37] Main is the same as the k.u.mera, or sweet potato.

[38] Tikoro is the name of a race or tribe of the Hokianga district.

[39] A Maori, who maintained his neutrality, though he evidently views the victories of his countrymen with partial eyes, wrote us only a few months ago, "that in the combats which marked the first outbreak of hostilities, the English lost 2000 and the Maories only 1000!"

[40] Maori Mementos, being a series of Addresses presented by the Native People to H.E. Sir George Grey, Governor and High Commissioner of the Cape of Good Hope, and late Governor of New Zealand, with introductory remarks and explanatory notes; to which is added a small Collection of Laments, &c., by Charles Olivier B. Davis, translator and interpreter to the General Government. Auckland, 1855. Also, "The New Zealand chief Kawiti, and other New Zealand warriors." Auckland, 1855.

[41] Potatau (i. e. shriek by night) was so far back as 1833, during the b.l.o.o.d.y contests of the Waikatos against the Taranaki, a renowned warrior and cannibal, who at that period, according to undoubted authority, had with his own hand slain 200 of the foe, and had returned home from the battle-field satiated with human flesh, and rich in slaves. In the evening of his days he was an advocate of peace, and a friend of the whites. When he died, in 1860, his son, second of the name, was declared his successor.

[42] Observations on the State of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand. By F. D. Fenton, the compiler of the statistical tables of the native population. Auckland, 1859. "The object of the publication by the Government of this paper is to draw attention to the state of the native population, especially to the decrease in numbers--_with a view to invite inquiry as to the cause, and suggestions of a remedy_."

[43] Of the enormous waste of human life caused by these wars some idea may be formed from the fact that at the storming and capture of the single _pah_ of Matakitaki on the river Waipa 2000 warriors were killed; a larger amount of killed than that of the English army at Waterloo!

[44] Of the bitter feelings excited by the Maori revolt among the inhabitants of Australia, an idea may be formed from the fact that Dr.

Mackay, a well-known personage in political circles at Melbourne, seriously proposed to the Government of Victoria to send a volunteer expeditionary force to the seat of war, to a.s.sist in suppressing the rebels. The expenses, which Dr. Mackay estimated at 15,000 to 20,000, were to be repaid by sales of land in the conquered portion. Nay, this learned expounder of the "law" went so far as to p.r.o.nounce the subjugation of these "savages" as imperatively necessary. The men were to be s.h.i.+pped off to Melbourne, to work as "SLAVES" for seven years; the females to be carried away and disposed of as wives for the Chinese and well-conducted white convicts! Dr. Cairns, Bishop of Melbourne, and other ministers of the gospel, adds this humane philanthropist, to be at liberty to use "_all fair means_" (!!!) for their conversion.--Compare _Sydney Morning Herald_, Sat.u.r.day, July 21st, 1860.

[45] The most important American, Indian, and Australian markets may be reached by screw steamer from Auckland as follows:--

Miles Days New Caledonia 1250 5 Tahiti 2380 9 Sandwich Islands 4060 14 Valparaiso 5420 20 San Francisco 5950 22 Batavia 4750 17 Manila 4650 17 Singapore 5050 18 Calcutta 6820 26 Sydney 1260 5 Melbourne 1420 6 Adelaide 1780 7 Hobart Town 1250 5 Panama 5320 20

If the contemplated route _via_ Panama be made available (with a coaling station at Gambier Islands), some 3500 miles or 14 days' sail would be saved, so that New Zealand would be reached in from 41 to 48 days, and Sydney and Melbourne in about 53 and 54 days respectively.

[46] According to Dr. Thomson's meteorological observations, the following are the averages for the town of Auckland (36 50' S.), temperature 59-1/2 Fahr.; rain-fall 45-1/2 inches; days on which rain falls 160; barometer 29.95 inches.

[47] Not less interesting are the returns as to the number of soldiers attacked with consumption and who died of it at the various garrisons, which are as follows: Of 1000 soldiers there were

Attacked Died In New Zealand 60 2.7 At Cape of Good Hope 98 3 In Australia 133 5.8 At Malta 120 6 In Canada 148 6.7 In Great Britain 148 8

[48] These grants, however, are only made to the person who actually defrays the expenses of the pa.s.sage: thus they are not made to children, but to their parents; not to the servant, but to the master, who has paid the pa.s.sage of the former.

[49] Besides the Kauri pine, there is abundance of Rimu or red pine, the Kahi-Katea or white pine, the Tanakaha or pitch pine, the Matan or black pine, as also the Puriri or New Zealand oak, all trees of great utility.

[50] At the period of the _Novara's_ visit to Auckland the proportion of the various nationalities and religions were as follows:

Nations.

Irish 11,881 Scotch 11,881 English 35,644 Germans and other nations 594 ------ 60,000

Religions.

Catholics 7,500 Presbyterians 7,500 Wesleyans and Dissenters 15,000 Episcopalians 30,000 ------ 60,000

[51] The Government also publishes at its own expense a Maori paper weekly, Te Karere Maori, the Maori Messenger, the subscription to which is 5_s._ 6_d._ per annum, and is intended to keep the coloured population informed of the most important political and social events, as also to tend to their civilization. We subjoin the contents of a single number now lying before us. "The laws of England.--Remarks upon s.h.i.+p-owners.--Official notices.--Letter from the chiefs of Chatham Island.--Farming, commercial, and maritime news.--Price current.--Speech of some brown chiefs at a meeting at Mongonui.--Letter from Bay of Islands.--Deaths.--The Auckland infirmary.--Government orders, &c."

Colonel Brown deserves special praise and acknowledgment for the publication of the laws of England in Maori, accompanied with the original text, although the fruits of this arduous but important labour may only gradually become apparent.

[52] It is especially worthy of remark, that wherever the Anglo-Saxon race colonize, the newspaper and the post-office follow the footsteps of the first settlers. After these come the church and the school-house.

Newspaper perusal and dispatch of letters are among the first necessities of life to the Englishman. In the whole of New Zealand there were, in 1858, 64,357 copies of the various journals struck off, and 482,856 letters received and dispatched. The province of Auckland alone figures for 239,367 papers and 133,121 letters.

[53] See Appendix III.

[54] See Appendix IV.

[55] These two Maories, who at first were very much depressed, soon got reconciled to their new sphere, and by their excellent conduct and obliging disposition, presently became great favourites among the crew.

Only during our rough pa.s.sage round the Horn, the tremendous storms and the unaccustomed severity of the cold caused them great uneasiness; they thought, as they themselves said, that "they must have died then;" and great were their longings for their native country. When at last they arrived safely and in excellent health at Trieste, they travelled to Vienna in company with one of the members of the Expedition, where, through the kindness of Privy Councillor von Auer, they entered into the Imperial-Royal Printing House, and were also instructed in the most important and interesting particulars of European civilization. Mr.

Zimmerl, a member of that Inst.i.tution, who had made the Maori idiom a special study, taught them English and German, as well as the manipulation of types and lithography, besides copper-plate engraving and drawing from nature. So intelligent and anxious for improvement did they prove themselves to be, that the Imperial Government were requested by the Directors of the State Printing Office to present the two Maories on their return to their native country with the necessary implements to enable them to avail themselves at home of the knowledge they acquired under such creditable circ.u.mstances. During their nine months' stay in Vienna, they were made acquainted with all the "lions" of the metropolis, and all the manners and customs of European civilized life. Of all the numerous sights that must have astonished their unaccustomed senses, there was none that seemed to have made a more powerful impression than the Railway, "the most splendid evidence of the powers of the foreigners, compared with which all others are unimportant, and which they earnestly trust will soon be introduced into New Zealand." The culmination of their visit to Vienna consisted in a visit they paid to their Majesties in the Imperial Palace, by whom they were received with the most gracious consideration, and orders issued that they should receive a handsome present, and have their return to their native country defrayed at the Government cost. On 26th May, 1860, the two New Zealanders quitted Vienna, and travelled through Germany to London, where they stayed several weeks, were presented to the Queen, and embarked at Southampton for Auckland direct. They arrived in safety at home, and have since then repeatedly written to their friends and a.s.sociates in Vienna. The style of these epistles is in the highly figurative style peculiar to New Zealand. They abound in repet.i.tions, and are not very inventive in rounding their sentences or giving their impressions, though they occasionally surprise the reader by the tenderness and poetic fervour of their thoughts. Thus, for example, Toe-toe writes once from Vienna to one of the Expedition resident at Trieste: "Thou art at Trieste, on the sea-sh.o.r.e! We climbed the Leopold Berg,--thence to descry the clouds which floated over Styria. Trieste we could not see, for our eyes were veiled by the tears which flowed from them!" The news we have received of Toe-toe since have been rather distressing. He issues from the press, presented to him at Vienna, stirring publications, comparing the Maories to Pharaoh (?) and exciting them to declare their independence!

[56] Commanded by Captain Wilkes, recently so notorious by his conduct with reference to the English mail steamer _Trent_, in Nov. 1861.

[57] See Appendix V.

[58] Of this wonderful bird a cast was moulded in gypsum, and has been sent to the great International Exhibition, 1862.

[59] See Appendix.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Native Fete to the Governor]

XX.

Tahiti.

Duration of Stay From 11th To 28th January, 1859.

State of the island at the close of last century.--The London Missionary Society and its emissaries.--Great mortality among the native population.--First arrival of Catholic Priests in Oceania.--French Protectorate and its consequences.--The Tahitian Parliament and Tahitian debaters.--William Howe.--Adam Kulczycki.--Scientific aims and achievements.--The Catholic mission.--_Pre Catalan_ and native dances.--Prisoners of war from New Caledonia.--Point Venus.--Guava-fields.--The fort of Fautaua.--Lake Waiiria.--Popular _Fete_ at Faaa.--Ball given by the Governor.--Queen Pomare.--Geographical notes on Tahiti and Eimeo.--Climate.--Vegetation.--The Kawa root, and the intoxicating drink produced from it.--Great expense of the French Stations in Oceania.--Projects of reform.--Results of English and French colonization.--Two convicts.--Departure.--The Whaler _Emily Morgan_.--Attempt to fix the zero point of magnetic declination.--"Colique vegetale."--A victim.--Pitcairn Island.--A fire-side tale of the tropical world.--An accident without ill results.--Humboldt's Current.--Arrival at Valparaiso.

Of all the innumerable islands of the vast Pacific, there is none which at various periods has attracted the attention and aroused the interest of the civilized world in the same degree as that in whose harbour we were now lying at anchor. At first it was the inimitable grace of Cook's narrative of his stay in Otaheite,[60] and the simplicity and felicity of its inhabitants, that left a deep and permanent impression on the mind of the educated reader; in after-times occurrences of a political nature riveted the sympathy of Europe upon this distant island and its queen.

Before entering upon a description of the present condition of Tahiti we may be permitted to cast a hasty retrospect as to the state of the group when the first English missionaries arrived on the Society Islands.

It was in March, 1797, about 18 months after the foundation of the Missionary Society in London, that eighteen ministers of the everlasting gospel landed in Tahiti, with their wives and children, from the renowned s.h.i.+p _Duff_. This small community dispersed itself among the various islands, and had to make head against obstacles of unwonted magnitude during a series of years. At length, about 1803, shortly after the death of King Pomare I., who had raised himself from the position of a mere chief to the sovereignty of the island,[61] Christianity began to take root and spread abroad through the country. In 1812 Pomare II., the eldest son and successor of Otu, declared himself of the Christian faith. Five years later a further accession of missionaries arrived in a merchantman from New South Wales, who, among other things, brought with them a small printing press. Then for the first time the natives of the Society Islands learned to comprehend the blessedness of the greatest discovery of all time. On 30th June, 1817, after much preliminary instruction by the missionaries, the first proof of a catechism was struck off by King Pomare II. In the course of the same year there were issued from the missionary press at Papeete 2300 copies of a little alphabet book.

It was the same s.h.i.+p that brought the first horse to the island, a present from the owner of the vessel to King Pomare. The natives could not conceal their amazement when they saw the captain astride of the splendid animal.

Very striking was the remark made by King Pomare on the occasion: "King George of England," said he, "rides on a horse; but King Pomare, a yet mightier king, sits at public solemnities upon the neck of one of his subjects!"

The labours of the missionaries were crowned with the most splendid success. To them is due the merit of having abolished the hideous custom of human sacrifice, of having introduced law and order into the native administration, and of having extirpated various odious vices from their social habits. By their representatives, King Pomare II. was induced to prohibit all distilleries and places where the kawa-drink was fabricated.

Schools and chapels were erected, Bibles and spelling-books were printed and disseminated, till within ten years not alone did all the natives profess Christianity, but the majority of the younger population had learned to read and write.

The cheering spiritual influence exercised by these Protestant missionaries over the aborigines was not unfortunately accompanied by a simultaneous elevation of their physical condition. In consequence of early debauchery and the spread of diseases of a certain cla.s.s, which appear to be the inevitable concomitants of the first contact of the white man with primitive races, there has been a marked falling off among the population. It almost seems as though the Tahitians had attained the utmost pitch of their civilization, and thence, in obedience to a mysterious natural law, have been compelled, like so many other coloured races, to surrender this lovely abode to a more energetic and self-developing race, till the appalling doom befalls them of being erased from the list of nations!

Thirty-nine years had elapsed since the first missionary had set foot in Tahiti, and Christianity had spread far and wide, before the first Catholic priest appeared in Oceania.

Etienne Rochouse, a young priest of the so-called a.s.sociation of Picpus, founded at Paris in 1814, had been named "Vicar Apostolic of Eastern Oceania," with t.i.tle of Bishop of Nelopolis _in partibus_, and about the close of 1833 embarked at Bordeaux with four missionaries[62] bound for Valparaiso, where the holy brethren arrived on 13th May, 1834. Their design was, wherever practicable, to forestal the Protestant missionaries in their zeal for conversion among the tribes of the South Sea Islands, whence they might diffuse themselves over the neighbouring countries, and thus gradually introduce themselves among the remotest populations, in the hope "that all, whom heresy has led astray and brought under its iron yoke, may be freely brought under the mild and gentle yoke of Catholic doctrine."[63]

In 1836, the catechist Columban Murphy was dispatched to the Sandwich Islands, with instructions to stop at Tahiti on his way, and to make on the spot all possible inquiries as to the probable prospects of establis.h.i.+ng a Catholic mission there. This was the first representative of the Romish Church that had visited Tahiti during the thirty-nine years this island was evangelized; and, carried away by the blind religious fanaticism which in former centuries led the Spanish monks so lamentably astray, Murphy believed that "h.e.l.l itself must have been moved and puzzled by such an event!"[64] Murphy, or Columban, as he now called himself, travelled as a working carpenter, wore a thick beard, smoked a "cutty"

pipe, and might have been taken for anything else under the sun than a Catholic priest. Although serious misgivings were felt by the native authorities as to his real quality, he nevertheless received permission to settle upon the island. He accordingly spent a couple of months here, and laboured with great zeal to pave the way for a Catholic settlement at a future period. In November of the same year, two more missionaries, Fathers Caret and Laval, came on to Tahiti. The circ.u.mstances under which they arrived aroused the suspicions of the authorities and of the entire population. For they did not land at Wilks's Harbour, at that time the only accessible harbour on the island, but secretly, on the opposite side.