his countrymen. When he arrived in Port Jackson on his return, he found there Four Chiefs from the River Thames, who were brought thither in the Coromandel, in their way to this country. Mr. Marsden took measures to prevent them from prosecuting their voyage; and Shunghee, doubtless with a view to his own objects, strongly dissuaded them from going to England on account of the injurious effects of the climate on himself and their countrymen. But he was now meditating a formidable expedition against the districts with which these very Chiefs were connected. Of this Expedition, one of the Settlers writes

The Expedition lately fitted out from the Bay of Islands, with Shunghee at its head, is a very formidable one indeed. I suppose there are at least 50 canoes, 2000 men and upward, a great number of muskets, and plenty of ammunition. They intend to sweep with the besom of destruction, if not prevented by our God. The heart sickens to think of the desolation which they meditate.

Another Settler thus strengthens himself, under these painful circumstances, in reliance on the Divine Promises

The greatest part of the Natives are gone with Shunghee to the River Thames, on a fighting expedition: it is believed to be the greatest party, and armed with the largest number of muskets, that ever went out of the Bay of Islands. It is their determination to destroy men, women, and children; the party to which they are gone not being able to stand in their own defence, for want of the same arms.

But let us not forget that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth: and, when His time is come for the conversion of these Heathens, all obstacles shall fall to the ground, and a highway shall be made for our God. The Lord hath said, by the mouth of His prophet Micah, He will judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more. It is by faith on the promises of God's Word, that we find comfort, in looking forward to that day when the New Zealanders shall hear, in their own tongue, the wonderful works of God. May the Lord hasten that happy day!

A Missionary belonging to a Kindred Society was, soon after, at the Bay; and thus writes, in reference to this subject:

With much grief I inform you, that no more good has resulted from the visit of Shunghee and Whykato to England: they have laid aside all their European dresses, and have set off to murder and plunder the greater part of the Island. Accounts have been received, that they have killed, and have most likely eaten, several hundred men.

It would grieve your soul to hear how these people talk. I can converse a little with them, as their language is, in some respects, similar to the Taheitean. I talk with them frequently on what the Almighty power of God has effected at Taheite; and state to them the evil and wickedness of war, of murder, and of eating human flesh, and that the Taheiteans do not do these things, but worship the true God and live in peace: but nothing now is accounted good with them, but war, and murder, and plunder.

Oh may the time hasten on, when the hearts of these lion-like New Zealanders shall be sprinkled with the peace-speaking blood of the Lamb!

Mr. Francis Hall writes further on this melancholy state of things:

Shunghee is highly esteemed among his people, as a great and successful warrior; nay, they look upon him as a "god:" but he has not always power to restrain their violence, as we found in the late commotions. Their success in war, and the advantages which they have derived through the Mission and their intercourse with the shipping, have injured them. From what I have lately seen of the Native Mind, I am led to believe, that, had Shunghee died in England, not only all our property, but most likely all our lives, would have fallen a sacrifice to the dire superstition by which these people are held as in iron-bondage.

Of the two Young Men, Tooi and Teeterree, who conciliated the regard of so many persons in this country, the Committee regret that they have not a more favourable report to give. Of Tooi, indeed, they cannot but cherish one hope: he is, at times, deeply affected, when reminded of the scenes which passed in England and his views and feelings there; but pleads that he cannot forsake the customs of his country, till some good people are sent to live with his tribe, when his brothers with himself and the people would never go to war any more: he urged that this request might be forwarded to the Society: at the date of the last advices, he was gone on the third fighting expedition since his return. Teeterree returned, in

April of last year, from a sixteen months' campaign: they brought back many prisoners, and many heads of those whom they had killed and eaten: they made sad havock; and say, themselves, that one or two more such desolating expeditions will exterminate the tribes which they attacked- such is the advantage which their fire-arms give them.

On this subject of fire-arms, Mr. Marsden says

The Chiefs of the Bay of Islands, when I arrived in the Dromedary, were gone to war with Mercury Bay; and returned the very morning that Mr. Kendall sailed for England. I saw the prisoners-of-war landed, and the Heads of the Chiefs whom they had killed. I afterwards visited Mercury Bay, with the Chief of the Expedition; and was informed, on my arrival, that between 300 and 400 of the inhabitants of that Settlement had been slain by the people of the Bay of Islands, and 265 prisoners-of-war taken away; while only one Chief had been wounded on the opposite side, and none killed. One party had muskets, and the other had none. The unarmed Natives complained to me, everywhere, of the injustice of the Missionaries in putting muskets into the hands of their enemies to slay them. I laboured to convince them, that this was not the object of the Missionaries in coming to New Zealand, and assured the unarmed tribes that they should do it no more. The more they barter away, the more offence they will give to the inhabitants, in general, who cannot obtain these articles. It is not one hundred nor one thousand muskets that would satisfy a warlike Nation like this: every man must have a musket before all would be satisfied. It is their warlike spirit that wants checking and softening, by the introduction of the simple Arts and Agriculture.

One of the Settlers, in his own name and in those of his associates who had escaped this snare, says―

I never have had, and never mean to have, any thing to do with muskets and powder; not only because the express commands of the Society forbid this, but because my conscience tells me that it is sinful for Christians to put arms into the hands of Savages, to enable them to kill and devour their fellow-men, who are not provided with similar weapons to stand in their own defence. It is not good nor can it come to good.

The benignant course, adopted on the advice of Mr. Marsden, is truly worthy of Christians; and will ultimately prove its own reward, in gaining and fixing the good-will of all the reflecting Natives, and in

bringing down the blessing of God-for Blessed are the peace-makers! The Committee refer to the following Minute of the Settlers made at a Meeting held on the 1st of January of last year:

On the eve of Mr. Marsden's departure, a report was received, by a Native who had returned from the war at Kiperro, that the Chiefs of Kiddeekiddee had been very merciful in sparing the prisoners whom they had taken; on which account, Mr. Marsden proposed to give them some present as an acknowledgment of the lenity which they had shewn; and to point out to them how much better it is to spare than to kill, to save life rather than to destroy it. The Committee, having taken this into consideration, rewarded the Chiefs as follows:-to Rewa, Moco, Warreenewee, and Aheehee, each an axe and a hoe; and to Charles Shunghee, a hatchet.

At the date of the last advices, the unsettled state of the Natives, as might be expected, occasioned the delay of various plans for their benefit. Mr. Marsden had wished some of the Settlers to fix at the Gambier and on the west side of the Thames; but, at a meeting held in October, it was considered requisite, under the peculiar circumstances of the country, that every one should, for the present, continue at his Station. Supplies were requested from the Society, for the erection of Places of Worship and School Rooms at Rangheehoo and Kiddeekiddee, in the confidence that the state of things would improve, though the immediate prospects were discouraging. The difficult circumstances of the Mission had prevented that attention to Schools, which will prove, under the blessing of God, one of the main instruments of its success. was, indeed, one of the evil effects of the disturbances, that the people became disinclined to send their Children to learn any thing of the Settlers. Shunghee declared that he wanted his Children to learn to fight, not to read.

It

From the same despatches it appears that Cultivation was prospering, at the close of the year, at both Settlements. Mr. W. Hall writes of Rangheehoo—

I have a sufficient quantity of wheat growing to serve my house and family the year round, if nothing happens; besides

several patches in different parts of the surrounding country, among the Natives.

Mr. Francis Hall writes, of himself and Mr. Kemp, at Kiddeekiddee----

We have in our garden, European fruit-trees and vegetables of many kinds. Oh, that the people were as good in proportion as the soil and climate! it would then be a pleasure to live them. We have cut asparagus as thick as my finger, among them. which I planted since we came to Kiddeekiddee. There are peach-trees five feet high, which I planted from stones at the same time. I have distributed among the neighbouring Chiefs, many peach-trees, vines, seeds, &c.; and perhaps at some future day, when they taste the sweets of them, they may remember and be sorry for their bad conduct. We have upward of three acres of as fine wheat as ever grew, and an acreand-half of barley; which will be enough for our family for the coming year, if we are permitted to reap.

Mr. Butler says of the cultivation and buildings under his own immediate care at Kiddeekiddee

I have seven acres of wheat and six of barley and oats, growing at this time, all looking remarkably well: I sowed all the grain with my own hands, and had no assistance to work the land but my Natives. Our garden is full of a variety of vegetables, with many young fruit-trees, and an excellent bed of hops, containing 14 hills. We have also 158 rods of seven feet pale-fencing standing round our paddock, garden, house, and yard; made almost entirely by Natives, with the assistance of myself and my Son: also a new Potatoe-house, 30 feet by 10; a Fowl-house, 21 feet by 10; a Goat-house, 8 feet by 10; a house for the Working Natives to live in, and for a School for them, 27 feet by 10; the Natives' house not yet finished.

The Committee cannot but earnestly commend this Mission, under its peculiar difficulties, to the sympathy and prayers of the whole Society. It might be expected that the God of the World would contend fiercely for that dominion, which he exercises over these oppressed and degraded tribes. It is not, therefore, in this conflict, against flesh and blood only, the depravity of the people themselves, that we wrestle; but, as exercising over these people an especial and malignant tyranny, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.