ACCOUNT OF BISHOP SELWYN'S VISIT TO THE SOUTH.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 5, 31 May 1856, Page 4

ACCOUNT OF BISHOP SELWYN'S VISIT TO THE SOUTH.

The following account of Bishop Selwyn's visit to the Southern portion of his diocese,

communicated by the Native Deacon, the Rev. Riwai Te Aha, who accompanied him, will, we doubt not, be read with-interest by many of our Maori friends.

To the Editor op the "Maori Messenger." it be good to you to insert this letter of mine in the *• Maori Messenger." Should you disapprove cast it aside. Riwai Te Ahu. St. Stephens School, Tamama, Auckland, April!lib, 1856.

On our arrival?!) Auckland in January last after visaing (be Southern Island, Stewarts Island, the Chatham Islands and Port Nicholson, at therecJUfeSfoT some of my E urapean friends I write an account of our lour for insertion in (he "Maori Messenger." The Bishop and party left Auckland in his schooner "Southern Cross," on the 26th of September 1855 to visit the settlements in Stewart's Island. We reached Nelson on the Ist October having been five days at sea, we had fair winds and sailed five knots an hour.

At Nelson we found the Ngatiawa, Ngatitania, Ngaiirarua, Ngatikoata, and Ngatikuia tribes, with their principal chiefs. They were awaiting the arrival of His Excellency the Governor and Mr. McLean to complete certain purchases of land in that district. The Ngatitama wished to sellPouiama, a little to the south of Mokau, some of the chiefs with Henare Te Keha and Matenga Te Aupouri were much distressed to hearoftheTaranaki feud and the uncalled foi interference of other tribes, who thus aggravated the quarrel instead of promoting the interests of humanity by putting an end to it. On the Sabbath, these tribes assembled for worship in the Church of the Rev.— Butt the clergyman at Nelson. The words of Christ were read condemning those who suffer their thoughts to be engrossed by temporal concerns only and give no heed to secure the wealth which will satisfy the soul and fit man for heaven, and who slight the love of God to us. Shortly after this, we sailed for Massacre Bay, and the Bishop landed to see the native people residing at Motupipi. They are but few in number and are much scattered; they have also been greatly reduced by deaths from sickness. Here we were presented with several baskeis of potatoes by Aperabama Mali Mali and Eruera TeJKeba, as a token of

friendship, These people also belong lo the Ngatiawa tribe. Our slay here was short; we returned at once to Motueka, near Nelson. Our vessel did not go quite to the settlement but anchored at some distance, ibe Bishop wishing to avoid being continually obliged to watch the vessel on the Sabbath, to prevent her-getting aground, as we did when having to go to Massacre Bay. On that occasion we should have been wrecked had the place where the vessel struck been a reef instead of a sandbank. We then came to Molueka, the Bishop carrying bis own knaqsack for eight miles. We were nearly upset in the Molueka river in the night. We arrived at the settlement but found few inhabitants they had mostly died off during.the last two years. Of the two tribes Ngatirahiri and Ngaiirarua, forty had died during that period —their houses stand there empty. The survivors say they were carried off by small pox, but the teacher of the place and one of the old chiefs of Ngatirahiri say that just before death a mucus was discharged from the mouth of the appearance and smell of spirituous liquor. From this it was known that it was rum which destroyed many of them, lor they were in tbe habit of drinking it. On Sunday the Bishop preached to the remnant of ibis tribe on the covetousness of Simon, and the word which the Apostle Peter spoke to him as recorded in Acts viii, 48, 49* and cautioned them against suffering their thoughts to run too much after the perishing rkhesof this world and to forget Christ. He also spoke of the evil of drinking, showing that by its means the Maori race must quickly disappear and the Divine displeasure be incurred. Afterwards we sailed to Waitohi in Queen Charlotte's Sound, to see a part ofthe Ngatiawa wLo are there. Upwards of a hundred men and women assembled for worship in the Chape], with the Ngatitoa of Wairauand the Rev. Pattison administered the Holy Communion to them. Two pounds, three shillings and twopence were given for the works of love in the Lord. Tbe Bishop went over land to Wairau and Awatere to visit the shepherds in those places. I also cautioned this assembly against the iise of intoxicating drinks, lest intemperance should provethe means of exterminating the Maori race, for the constitution of the Maori is not strong. He has not lived upon beef which makes the muscles firm; and when sickness takes him he soon sinks. The race may not survive twenty years longer should

intemperancebecome general. Some of themreplied that the Pakeha had introduced mm as he had done the other things which the Maori desired and it would not beproper to refuse the one gift while using the others. Then as to the passing away of the Maori people it would be as God pleased and itwas His care. I replied that it should be the care of man to use every precaution for bis well being because God has given him an inielFigent spirit as a ruler and judge within him. And who -Trill say thai God will approve of those who destroy themselves. Leaving these people we went on to Port Cooper and the plaees adjacent. The Ngaitahu assembled to meet the Bishop, but their number was not great on account of their living so widely separated. The Bishop also went to the inland town of Chiislchurcb to see the English people and the Ngaitahu at Kaiapoi. That people complained that no minister had been provided for them; but that the clergymen were all congregated together on the East side. The Bishop promised that if (hey would unite and live in one place so as to be" near their minister one should be sent to them, but they must undertake to provide for his subsistence, as Eng and has left the people of New Zealand to support their own pastors. tribe are diminishing sreatly —the whole iiumbcrTrom Xaikoura to Stewarts Island would not exceed 1000. They live in settlements distant from each other as fur as from Auckland to Waikato or from Waikato to Taranaki, and the individuals at each settlement are not many. When we arrived at Otakou wedidnotsee any of the people, but heard only that they had abandoned religion. The Magistrate informed us that the Maori chiefs of that place were greatly addicted to intemperance; The BisEop weul'"hlDrinl^ra r ' from Otakou to Moeraugi to visit the European and Maori people living there. Leaving Otakou we proceeded to Stewart's Island where we saw only five persons—we returned the same day to The Bluff. The tribe living here are half castes. There were four Maori women and some men and the Europeans. Two ha If caste wo men were married here, one to a European and one to a ha!f caste man. They gave us geese, butter, milk and fowls. They attended service on the Sabbath aud behaved with decorum not giggling as the half castes do who live ne'ir tha clergymen, and who are very different in their general conduct. The Bishop went to the New River and to Jacob's River

to visit the Maori people of those places. On arriving he found that the greater number of those he had seen on- his previous v4sit had died He spoke affectionately to the survivors and said to them. You should unite toge* ther and live in one village, so that a- pastor aiid a medical man may be sent to live amongst you that you may not'be like sheep or cattle which lie down and die alone in the plain instead of dying like human beings. The minister also is overburdened when bis people are so scattered. Another thing is the Maori people are less kind to their missionaries when he visits them. They also ask exorbitant prices for food and for the servicesof persons to accompany him and for taking him across the rivers*. After this, we bent our course towards the Chatham Islands. On our arrival the people of the of the Island assembled. The Bishop spoke to them to the following, effect. On my former visits you were engaged in good works and many were then living who have win cause the Maori people quickly to disappear, many of you have already passed away. They asked for a minister and the Bishop told them they must make provision for his maintenance to which they assented being exceedingly anxious to have one stationed among them, One of the chiefs of the island having noticed that our supply of firewood was exhausted gave the Bishop some from his own stock an<J refused to receive any payment. They also put food on board for us, refusing payment. These people are engaged in producing potatoes and wheat for sale to the Europeans and in breeding cattle, sheep, and horses. They have permanently settled here not intending to return again to their own homes at Poutama, Mimi, and Te Kaweka. We now sailed for Port Nicholson. The Maories there are stedfasily adhering to what is good and still maintain their Christian profession. They have kept the position they took when Christianity was first embraced by them; no change has taken place up to this time * Tl *fiX^^ ( ?iUj e JSj ed astr ay through love of gain or religion, and there is only here and there a man who is an habitual drunkard.

1 accompanied the Bishop to Olaki. The here assented to the proposal that they should provide for their minister lest lie should want food or clothing. Tint is the -settlement which was most advanced, in civilisation of any at that end of the Island and on this account it has been praised by the Governor, the Bishop and many clergymen and gentlemen from other parts of this island, and the good reports of those people may •probably have reached even to England. -Stow, however, the account of them is di' er--ent, and the heart of their minister, the Rev. Archdeacon Hadfield, is much pained about liis people among whom he planted the Gospel and introduced other good things. * The Bishop returned from Wbanganui to Port Nicholson where he left, the vessel and -came hither overland by the East Coast. This account has been written by me. By l\iwai Te Aim. For the perusal of all.