real discovery of the harbour is, however, due to Captain Wilkinson, the master of a small vessel called the Star, employed in the seal fishery. This gentleman having landed a body of men, for the purpose of procuring seal skins, on a small island to the southward of New Zealand, after wards ran to the northward along the western coast of that country, and, having rounded the North Cape, stood in with the land in search of some harbour between that point and the Bay of Islands, the usual resort of whalers, where he might obtain wood and water. In coasting along, he discovered an open bay, only sheltered by a small island, under which he came to an anchor for the night. The coast of the main-land was high and precipitous, and appeared one continued line; he was, therefore, greatly surprised next morning to see a great number of canoes, filled with natives, approaching the ship for the purpose of trading. They informed him that they came from a place called Wangerooa, the entrance to which lay at the bottom of the bay. Captain Wilkinson immediately examined it with his boats, and found a narrow entrance which expanded to the right and left into two capacious basins, while a high middle head projected so immediately into the entrance, as entirely to conceal the harbour. Although the entrance is so narrow that a pistol ball can reach across, still I believe that the depth of water is about 11 fathoms. To proceed with the narra tive. Captain Wilkinson having obtained such supplies as the natives were capable of affording, returned to the southward, to relieve his sealing gang, without, for the present, entering into the harbour. He was, however, so pleased with the friendly disposition of the natives, and the abundant supplies of fish and potatoes which they furnished him in barter, that, after he had completed his sealing voyage, he entered into the harbour of Wangeroa with his ship. He found the nominal sovereignty of the district in the hands of a chief called Kytoke, a man equally feared and beloved by his subjects, who appeared to possess an excellent understanding and the most pacific disposition, united to the greatest personal courage and bodily VOL. IV. strength. During his short stay in this harbour, Captain Wilkinson had a strong proof of the unbounded authority exercised by Kytoke, on the occasion of a subordinate chief having committed some depredation against the ship, when he immediately not only procured the restitution of the stolen property, but confiscated all the canoes, fishing nets, &c. of the depredators to his own use. No doubt, in the latter instance, his policy was superior to his justice; perhaps, however, he is not the only sovereign in the world who has eagerly profited from the delinquency of his subjects. The harmony subsisting between Captain Wilkinson and the natives was not disturbed by this unpleasant occurrence, and he parted with them in the greatest friendship, taking along with him a young native, who volunteered his services to assist in working the ship, and who afterwards was named George by the sailors. About twelve months afterwards, (May or June 1808,) Captain Ceronci, the master of a sealing vessel, called the Commerce, belonging to Port Jackson, on his return from the southward, entered into the Bay of Islands, and came to an anchor in that part of the harbour which is called Tippoona by the natives, and which then acknowledged the authority of Tippahee, celebrated on account of his voyage to Port Jackson, where he had been treated with the greatest attention by Governor King. Tippahee requested Captain Ceronci to give him a passage to Port Jackson, that he might again have the pleasure of visiting his former friends. On Ceronci's acceding to his request, he begged that he would go with the vessel to Wangerooa, where he assured him that every thing was more abundant on account of the stores of the natives in his own district being quite exhausted by the whalers who were continually touching there. Ceronci yielded to the suggestions of Tippahee, and, from his own account, was equally pleased with the harbour, the natives, and their chief; as the natives of this district had then little knowledge of Europeans, many trifling articles in common use were to them equal ob-, jects of wonder and curiosity. A watch, however, was so much beyond their comprehension, that they to a man agreed in calling it Etua, (or God.) Ceronci, proud of possessing an object of so much veneration, used to embrace every opportunity of displaying his Etua. In one of those vain-glorious exhibitions, the redoubted Etua dropt into the water, to the no small terror of the natives. Short ly after this unfortunate occurrence, he left the harbour, but, for some reasons best known to himself, he departed during the night, and without taking leave, which confirmed the natives in their opinion that he had done them an irreparable injury by leaving his Etua behind him as a demon of destruction. Shortly afterwards, a violent epidemic took place amongst them, which carried off great numbers, and amongst others, their adored Kytoke. This they attributed to the devouring spirit left amongst them, and the survivors vowed revenge against the white men, the supposed authors of their calamity. Tippahee, on his voyage to Port Jackson, touched at Norfolk Island, where (being then employed by the Government to evacuate that settlement) I had an opportunity of seeing him, and dined in his company at the house of Captain Piper the Commandant. He was dressed in certain robes of state presented to him on his former visit by Governor King. They were covered with tinsel, and in some measure resembled those worn by a merry Andrew, with some improvement, emanating from his own invention. He was lame of one leg, on which he wore a black stocking, and on the other a white one. He appeared a man of considerable gravity, displaying an easy consciousness of his own dignity. Upon the whole, he shewed himself a man of some observation, and was by no means deficient in intellect, but the most prominent features of his character were a certain shrewdness, and low cunning; from what I had an opportunity afterwards of observing, he was much inferior to several of his countrymen of equal rank. Being the first of his nation of any consideration who appeared at Port Jackson, he obtained unmerited distinction amongst Europeans, and eventually amongst his own countrymen, who were equally dazzled by the riches he brought back, and the attentions which were shewn him by men so much superior to themselves. The Europeans amongst whom he first appeared had formed a very wrong estimate of the character of savages in general, from their intercourse with the poor natives of New Holland; they were, therefore, surprised to see a man of observation and clear judg ment, and regarded him as a phenomenon, when a little more intercourse with the natives of New Zealand would have convinced them that he only displayed the common attributes of his nation. Tippahee again received every due attention at Port Jackson, and was, after some months, sent back to his own country. In November 1808, the ship Spike, Captain Kingston, arrived in Port Jackson from London, bringing as passenger a son of Tippahee, called Matara, who had been treated in England with every attention, and even introduced to the royal family. This young gentleman lived whilst he remained at Sydney in the family of the ci-devant Governor Bligh, and afterwards in January following, accompanied me as a passenger in the City of Edinburgh to New Zealand. He spoke English tolerably, dressed and behaved like a gentleman, and, of course, lived in the cabin; he spent, however, the greatest part of the day in company with a countryman of his own, who was employed as a sailor on board, and was indefatigable in his endeavours to regain a knowledge of his national songs and dances. His first appearance at New Zealand in the uniform of a naval officer, not only gratified his own vanity, but excited the greatest applause from his countrymen. In a few days, however, he resumed his national costume, and with it his national habits,-but having been accustomed to delicate treatment for a length of time, his constitution proved unequal to resist the mode of living in use amongst his countrymen. He became affected with a hoarseness which gradually settled on his lungs, and in a few months brought him to his grave. Sometime after our second arrival in New Zealand, Tippahee came on board, and we saw him for the last time; he appeared then much altered, and expressed himself as deeply affected by the loss of his son. This happened a short time before the catastrophe of the Boyd, and his concern in that unfortunate affair was a sufficient reason for his not coming near us any more. Captain Ceronci, already mentioned, was our passenger on board the Edinburgh as well as Matara. From his previous account of Wangerooa, we determined to prefer it; on approaching it, how ever, his tone entirely changed, and he exerted himself in persuading us that the Bay of Islands was far preferable to our purpose, and the winds aided his arguments so effectually, that we were compelled to enter the latter port. The vessel anchored at Tippoona, and, on being visited by Tippahee, we were informed of the melancholy events which had taken place at Wangerooa, and that the great Kytoke was then lying dead, and that his funeral was only deferred until he went round to honour it with his presence. He assigned no cause for these calamities, otherwise than by generally observing, that an evil Etua had been busy amongst them. * On requesting his assistance to forward our views in New Zealand, he at once told us that nothing could be done in the Bay of Islands, and urged us strongly to go round to Wangerooa, which he said now belonged to him by right of inheritance from the death of Kytoke. Before, however, adopting his proposal, we applied to the two brothers, Tupee and Tarra, chiefs of districts on the eastern side of the harbour called Cororarika, and Cowa Cowa. On approaching their village with two boats, which is situated on the side of a little hill, the natives first displayed their flag, consisting of a large piece of scarlet cloth, and came crowding to the beach soliciting us to land. I was then unaccustomed to savages, and for a moment stood upon the bow of the boat, hesitating whether I should trust myself in the midst of such a crowd of uncouth beings, dressed in their rush So general is the idea amongst them of all diseases being caused by spirits, that the natives, observing the white men to be cured of their complaints by taking medicine, used also to apply for some remedy when they were ill, and the name they gave it was Matte Matte Etua, (Kill Spirit,) perhaps more emphatically Kill Devil, mats. At this instant a venerable old man, blind of one eye, stalked through the crowd, with an air of authority, pushed back the natives, held out his hand, and assisted me to land,—the moment I reached the shore, this venerable dignitary seized the collar of my coat with his two hands, drew me towards him, and joined noses. Tupee did not appear for some minutes, being employed in changing his national dress for a pair of duck trowsers, a check shirt, waistcoat, and an old slouched hat, without either jacket or shoes; while still at a respectful distance, he took off his hat, and made a low bow, and on his approach, instead of joining noses, offered his hand in the most friendly manner. All the disadvantages of his present dress could not conceal the dignity of his person, he being a tall, athletic, well proportioned man; his countenance was very prepossessing, and, although his manly cheeks were already furrowed with a few wrinkles, they seemed rather the effect of exposure to the weather, than of time or sorrow; and, on the other hand, his face and manner equally bespoke a man of judgment and humanity; he spoke with great fluency, a mixed jargon of English and New Zealand, which he contrived to render very intelligible; he immediately introduced by name the venerable chieftain, who, as I have already mentioned, received me on landing. This gentleman, he said, was the illustrious Tarra, his own brother, and his equal in power. He also introduced by name the other subordinate chiefs who had collected around us. Having distributed a few presents to Tupee and his chiefs, the purpose of our visit was then explained, when he immediately promised that he would do every thing in his power to accomplish our wishes. As it was late in the afternoon, it became necessary to shorten our visit, and Tupee, on our first invitation, agreed to accompany us to the vessel, although she was anchored at a distance of seven miles. On stepping into the boat, and perceiving our muskets, he inquired if they were loaded, and on being answered in the affirmative, in an instant, before we could prevent him, fired several into the air to prove his skill in the use of fire-arms. passage to the ship was beguiled by Our his talents for conversation, and we remained convinced that he was equal ly facetious and intelligent. Although altogether foreign to my present purposed, it would be unjust not to give this tribute of praise to the characters of Tupee and Tarra. Tarra appeared a man of three score, Tupee about 45. Tarra's venerable furrowed face was strongly marked with firmness and diguity, and in his youth, before his face was disfigured by the loss of an eye, he is said to have been handsome. Tarra was, however, too much a philosopher to repine at this loss, which was occasioned by a wound he received from a spear in fighting the battles of his country. Tarra's general character was that of firmness and perseverance, a steady attachment to his friends, united to the most unremitted exertions to serve them; he liked white men on account of the physical advantage which he saw they might render his country but being of the order of the priesthood, was strongly attached to his own national customs. His general integrity might be depended on, and his word was sacred. I do not, however, pretend to describe the old gentleman as perfect, for no doubt interest was his ruling motive; still there is a certain consistence in his conduct worthy of every praise. Tupee, on the other hand, had less firmness and strength of character, he was more liable to be swayed by his passions, and therefore less to be depended on, though they generally leaned to the side of humanity. Tupee was proud of his acquirements in European manners, he was a philosopher of the modern school, more attached to innovation than to the ancient usages of his own country; he was, therefore, the subject, in this respect, of the private ridicule of his countrymen. This ridicule, however, they never dared to display in his presence, and really, upon the whole, it was perhaps more the effect of envy than any thing else. Tupee, had he lived in England, would have rivalled Chesterfield in politeness, and perhaps, as a youth of the nineteenth century, he might have been a London dandy. Tupee loved his friends, but, from a certain indolence of constitution, was less active than Tarra to serve them; his fidelity, however, might be depended on. In domestic lite, he was exemplary as a husband and a father. The customs of his country allow polygamy, he, however, confined himself to one wife, by whom he had issue, one daughter, the heiress of Cowa Cowa, then in her infancy. On being asked why he had deviated from the custom of his country, he coolly observed, that where there were more wives than one, there was never any peace in the house. But my friendship for those two respectable characters must not induce me to enlarge farther; I shall merely say, that, under their auspices, from the 1st March to the end of May 1809, we landed the stores, &c. of the ship City of Edinburgh, of 526 tons register, hove her down, completely stripped her of her copper, caulked, repaired her bottom, and resheathed her with plank niade of New Zealand pine, and, after completing our repairs, we made sail for the Feegee Islands, for sandal wood, and again returned to New Zealand, about the end of October, in the same year; and in little more than two months, procured a full cargo of spars, in opposi tion to difficulties which are foreign to my present purpose to recount, occasioned equally by the Europeans on board, and by hostile tribes of natives. Far be it from me, on the other hand, to confine my praise to Tupee and Tarra, as the conduct of many of their friends was truly admirable, though I must always regard them as the mainsprings of the whole. During our first stay in New Zealand, we heard nothing of the story of Ceronci's watch. On leaving the harbour, however, with all our friends on board, with a singular fatality, he again dropt a second watch overboard. The venerable Tarra, who was near him, wrung his hands, and uttered a shrick of distress, exclaiming, that Ceronci would be the destruction of the Bay of Islands as he had already been of Wangerooa. Tupee, however, came up, and endeavoured to compose his brother, treating the whole as a matter of ridicule. We carried along with us six or eight young Zealanders, who volunteered their services to assist in the navigation of the ship. They were all natives of the Bay of Islands, and in a short time proved equally useful as our best men on board. On our second return to New Zealand, Ceronci was not on board. As our intentions now were to load with spars, we again determined to give the preference to Wangerooa. On approaching the land, our intentions became known to the New Zealanders on board; they immediately came in a body, and requested we would desist, detailing, at great length, the history of the watch; and when they found that we were determined, they even burst into tears. The winds, as in the former instance, availed more than all their arguments, and compelled us to enter into the Bay of Islands,—I say compelled, because we must otherwise have sacrificed a considerable time to gain an uncertain object. On the other hand, we did not give full credit to their as sertions, nor, perhaps, do sufficient justice to their motives; for, being well acquainted with the jealousy of neighbouring tribes, we imagined that they were anxious to monopolise all the advantages which were sure to be derived from the ship to their own tribe. The reception we received at the Bay of Islands was such as might be expected from the terms on which we had formerly lived with the natives, and the characters of Tupee and Tarra. The physical strength of the island was at our command, and rafts of spars came floating down the river as fast as we could take them in. By the time, however, that the ship was half loaded, news were received of one of their chiefs, who had taken a journey to the southward, being treacherously murdered by the natives. The chiefs were filled with indignation, and vowed revenge. At all their intervals of rest, one or other of their most popular chiefs used to rise up, and make the most moving harangues to the listening multitude. It was a striking sight to see a large multitude, seated on the ground, listening with deep silence and fixed attention to a chief, whe, on these occasions, used to pace in their front along some stately pine, felled for the purpose of being dragged into the water. He used to begin with expatiating on the virtues of the deceased; the friendship which he enjoyed with one, and the ties of blood with another. Continuing to expatiate in this strain until he had touched the feelings of every auditor, he next dwelt upon the sad and irreparable loss to all present occasioned by his death. He then, with energy, endea voured to rouse them from their me lancholy, by pointing out the uselessness and folly of unavailing sorrow, and that vengeance was now their indispensable duty. Now rage and indignation used to flash from every eye; and the multitude, to a man, would start up and join their orator in the war song and dance. The song and dance being ended, the orator once more addressed his hearers to this effect:-"Yes, my friends, we shall have vengeance, but the day is yet at a distance. The white men are our friends, and we have promised to load their ship with the trees of our country Arise, kill the trees, drag them down to the water, and we will afterwards kill our enemies." On such occasions, an enthusiast might easily have supposed himself transported back to the heroic ages of Greece. The venerable Tarra might well have been compared to Nestor; Tupee to the silver-tongued Ulysses; and the proud, impassioned, and unbending Metenangha to Achilles. The consequence of all this was, that their love of vengeance gradually overcame their love of riches, (axes and other iron tools,) and they began to collect war canoes from different quarters. Our work got on more slowly, and they were evidently impatient to get rid of us. About this time, one morning very early, on leaving my cabin, I observed a number of strangers sitting on the gangway, and Tarra in deep conversation with them. Tarra perceiving us preparing to dispatch two boats for spars, immediately left the strangers, and desired us not to dispatch the boats until he had had some private conversation with the captain and myself. Being admitted into the cabin, he first desired us to purchase what we wanted from the natives, and then to dismiss them, when he would inform usof something which deeply concerned our own safety. His request being complied with, he then informed us that he had received accounts from those people of the capture of a ship by the natives of Wangerooa, who had killed and eaten the captain and crew; that the Wangeroons having procured the fire-arms and ammunition of that ship, and, elated with their victory, although only the result of surprise and treachery, had determined to come round, and attack our ship. Therefore, he observed, you |