ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Times, Volume 2, Issue 78, 9 July 1844, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the A uckland Times. SKETCHES OF NATIVE CHARACTER, B T C R A Y O K. OLD SOLOMON, THE BLIND NATIVE AT OTAWAO. (Concluded from our last ) celebrated Waikatto Chief, brother-in-law of Te Wero Wero ; be called in the assistance of a native priest to remove bis blindness, but aftei this dignitary bad received several presents for Im services and pravers, he told poor Solomon that ho was bitten by an evil spirit whom he cou/d not overcome. Up to this time the old man had been a heathen and a savage warrior ; he had lived a life of excitement from his childhood, engaging in all th» enterprises, participating in all the rude engagements of his rank, his reputation, and liu experience in war ; a few months made a startJin* change in his position, deprived of society, he bet came as it were a solitary and enfeebled old roan • his wives and bis slaves had their labour in the fields, and his children with the thoughtlessness of youth, could only be brought to his side by loud and repeated calls ; —if a passing footstep caught his ear, it was a relief to him in these moments and he was ever giateful for the presence and conversation of vome truant labourer from tfce cultivations to break tne tedium of the day. The most striking event of his life his loss o sight, had arrived and brought with it a long train of misfortunes, but one of greater importance tc him as a creature of Omnipotence, the dawning of Christianity on his mind was yet to come ; ani a« no remarks upon this subject can be so infer esting as those which he gave me himself, I shall confine myself to the notes which are now before me, and which 1 took from his own lips.—. " I had been blind some time, many months when one morning after getting outiide tbo house

in which 1 slept, 1 perceived dark objects crossing my vision, 1 stood erect, I saw a fence like the fencing of a pah, but indistiectiy, I called to sonic one near me, and asked is that the pah fence ? I was answered yes, 1 turned towards the speaker, and tor the firs lime for many months could trace the form of a fellow crealure, I said vvitb trembling eagerness, my friend my sight is saved," every one was astonished, for though I could not see distinctly, I could name the character of most things I set my eyes on, it was a day in which my mind was light, and the things of the future, seemed ence more 10 look to me as though I had never been blind ; evening came and I retired to rest, my eyes closed on the darkness of night never again to behold the light of day. Not long after missionaries came amongst as, my companions were talking of the numbers of Maoris people who believed in Ihe God of the white men ,• when 1 had heard that he was the only tjue God, and of his great power which was spoken of in the books ■which onr people had, I began to meditate, and I determined I wonld believe in the Great Spirit who is the God of all the hills and mountains plains and oceans, men and beasts ; I thought I would trust iu him because he would take my soul to heaven ; I did not pray that God would give me sight again, but I prayed that he would forgive me all the sins I had committed from my youth Upwards, that he would receive my spirit when I died, through Christ his son who had died for the •ins of all men, who would call upon God in his name.T-But 1 had a great many evil thoughts m my niind, but, when I was told that these came from a wicked spirit, who would try to make me a bad •man, and that he would torment my spirit after death, I began to pray to God that he would send him «way from my thoughts/' I asked him if be had no fear of death ? ** 1 feel this," said he in reply, '< that it has been owning to the goodness of the white man's. God, that I have lived to my present age, I think about death, as being near when Jam ill, and if it is God's will J shonld die, all trill be well if / die trusting in Christ." As there is a great deal of ignorance, and many strange ideas exisring in the minds of some natives, as to an immortal state, 1 was anxious to hear this old man's opinion, and to my question of—what form or state do you think will belong to you in heaven? he made this sensible remark : "My thoughts of the form or likeness 1 shall assume in heaven are these, —1 have not seen God, nor do 1 know the beauty of his person, but 1 believe that when 1 reach bis kingdom l shall partake of his image." 1 asked him what he thought of the minds ©f those of hig countrymen who had embraced Christianity, and how far he thought them sincere ? He replied,—"The native mind knows but little, compared, to what white people are acquainted, many things we are taught are beyond our comprehension, at least its old habits are so much for the gratification of the bodily appetites, that it does not see in heavenly state as one distinct from such natures as we have while our bodies are alive • many of my countrymen fail, because they do not let good grow strong in the minds and take root, and then they do that which is wrong and forsake their belief, there is so much wickedness and has always been in our old manner of life, and we are always near some of ouf friends and relations who are heathens, that 1 do not think they will be like Christian white people till oar posterity are brought up like white children, and they acquire all the ■great knowledge which Europeans have, of the Creation, the Bible, and the many things in the world, which we find ourselves ignorant of." He continued—" in my youth 1 heard of the Gods of this tribe, and the other tribes, and saw the belief of our old people in these things, and 1 also believed in them; I was taught tkat the fishes of the sea ■were spirits, and that the eels and small fish in the fresh water were spirits, or taniwa's, owls, lizards, the roe or animated straw, the fcatipo or poisonous spider, even dogs and pigs were ministering spirits or Kaupapa's. Every priest witch and wizard has iome particular Kaupapa, for instance there is a priest of the name of Tu amongst us, his evil agents are the wild pigs who bite people, aud so 'on with the rest of them, each has some particular fish, bird, or animal, through whom he injures people, tbisis the way they lie and deceive each other, there's the priest who comes to pray over the sick' lie pnts the tapu on the plaee where the poor creature is lying, and he gathers fern, kanuha, aud potatoes together, and cooks them in the fire, leaves them on a part of the sacred spot as a bribe to the evil spirit, to take his departure from the tu papahu, that he may recover. They say what they call prayers, but no body is allowed near them to hear what tbey say. if a man is bewitched, he is sup. posed to have stones in his body which the priest comes to tafce out. 1 fancied 1 was bewitched myself at one time, and sent for a tobunga, he pretended to pray over me, aud when he had' done he produced some stones, whieh he said came out of my inside, but 1 uever felt them coming out, nor did I find any opening in my flesh; He took the stones and tied them round with flax, and hung tbem up in the bouse as a proof of his skill. 1 recovered, and 1 believed then that he bad driven the evil spirit away from me, bnt now 1 have no doubt he had them concealed in his mat, if uny body had searched him before he began " Whe. a priest is not successful in his prsfession, people laugh at him and say he is not half a priest, but he generally finds some plausible excuse to get himself off. Eartfcquakes, lightning, and thunder, we thought were spiiits, as also the stars, the sun, and the moon, were baupapa's of spirits or wizards. We thought the sun rose in the easj in the morning, went over to the west in the evening, and then came through the bowels of the earth bock again in the night. The first time 1 saw this old chief was about three yeais ago at Mr. Moigan's Sunday School, at Otawao. 1 observed a dignified and venerable looking old man standing in the midst of a circle of uatives, who were seated on the gronnd, he wes examining them on the incidents of Scripture History, Catechism, &c, and to my surprise found he was quite blind. All his knowledge on these sub. jeotshad been ieceived orally, and he displayed a most extraordinary memory, l have seen the old warrior occasionally in my rambles, leaning like a second Belisarius, on am of some youthful relation for he travels in this way through the nio&t intricate

paths, but he more particularly attracted my attention and admiration, by a sermon 1 heard him preach in the chapel at Orakau, to an assembly of natives, so much did the circumstance interest nie, that during service I noted down a few remarks, which mora particularly struck me a? emanating from a savage ; the matier had heeu of course imparted to him by his European teachers, and his sermon spoke forcibly of the intelligent and instrucsive manner in which they educate the native in the Doctrines of Christianity. 1 extract from my note book the remarks I made iu it at the time, as they are interesting.— Sunday, June, 1843. Tim mordiug [ sttended service performed by old Solomon who is perfectly bliud. He recited from memory the whole of the morning service as translated into native from the Liturgy of the Church of Eugland, and also a part of a chapter in St. Matthew as a lessou for the morning. He gave out the hymn* and the first verse of each, singing through tbem to the end with the others. He took his text from the prophecy of our Saviour respecting the destruction of the ternpie of Jerusalem, and though his discourse was short it was truly eloquent ; he was dignified and impressive, and the matter of his sermon was sirictly scriptural. He spoke of the strength of Jerusalem and the temple, at the time the prophecy was made, that the work for strength and beauty was unequalled, so much so that the Jews thought in their pride, the strength of man alcire could not destroy it. Not a hundred years afterwards, the Jews called down the vengeance of heaven on them and their city, for their manifold transgressions, —they had killed the prophets, and murdered the glorions Saviour af mantind. Rome sent forth her armies, destroyed their city and temple, so that there was scarcely a stone left standing on another. He related also the distresses of the Jews during the siege, their want of food and the murder of an infant by its mother who afterwards eat it, as related by Josephus. What meaning has (his relation for you my friends ? Why that your own hearts and mine also are temples and fortresses full of iniquity and corruption> and ns the Jews prided themselves on their city and said there is no enemy can hurt us, so you in the pride of your hearts say there is no God. Yon like them have killed your Saviour, for it is your sin whioh is continually crucifying him, you have called down tho anger of God upon yon, judgement will come, and a heavy judgement too. Arise, wake from voar sleep ! Repent before your punishment comes, cleanse your hearts and look to your Saviour, so may you secure an inheritance in heaven; we have murdered our fellow countrymen, we have eaten as beasts, being made in the likeness of God, we have hastened to the slaughter, and those who we have spared, we spared not because we had any mercy in oar breasts, but because they should minister to our wants, we have torn the mother from her infaut and strangled it because it should not beoome a burthen to us or prevent the mother from working. , Consider my friends, Judgement is at hand, ftepenl, .Repent, and pray to have the blacl.uesi of your hearts purified from their iniquities. 'i here aro women among our countrywomen who have murdered their chila dren, and our female slaves have waited impatiently for the death of their offspring, rather than suffer tbem to endure the degradation and slavery of their mothers. Even so have Ws conceived iniquity in our hearts, let us be strong to overcome it, destroy it in its infancy, then it may be checked, but in maturity it becomes your master. Awake my friends from slumber on a bed of tin. Awake ! From beginning to end this old chiefs discourse wai one continuous flow of the richest and most powerful language, aud the most noble sentiments. Those who have seen the graceful delivery of some of the native chiefs,can imagine the effect produced by this venerable aid blind old native, on a European.