RECOLLECTIONS OF A WAIKATO MISSIONARY. Continued.—No. 2—1839.

Waikato Times, Volume VI, Issue 331, 27 June 1874, Page 2

RECOLLECTIONS OF A WAIKATO MISSIONARY. Continued. — No. 2—1839.2 — 1839.

In June we removed from Moeatoa, on the Manukau, to Mai'aetai, Waikato Heads. I arrived on the 13 th of June, and the Rev. R. Maunsell on tl c the 20th, and thus the Church Mission Station at Waikato Heads was formed. The great hindrance at this time to the reception of the gospel was the ' tapu of the great chiefs. Sometimes the chief was made sacred and gould not be approached; or perhaps^a road_ was made tapu and must be avoided; a$ ojther times the jiver v and no canoe dare leave the banks. Then Wahi tapu (sacred places) were very numerous, and if a horse, cow, or any other . animal strayed upon them, a payment was demanded. Other hindrances were then frequent — quarrels respecting land, eel fisheries, the betrothal of their women, infringement of the tapu, t <fee. Yet in spite of all these and other obstacles, Christianity progressed. Thos,e parts of the New Testament which had been translated were eagerly sought for ; reading ' antl ■ Bible classes were attended ; and there were candidates for baptism in almost every village. •One of the most pleasing features at this time was. the>anxiety which many of the natives (chiefs and slaves) manifested to learn ' to read* Our early morning school Was •well attended, and it was encouraging to, see (as in some cases) boys of thirteen -or fourteen teaching their fathers, at their own homes^ ta read the Scriptures. Our congregations • at Waikatb H^a'ds averaged from three to four hundred every Sunday. -• On July 26, 1839, I again' started for another missionary visit to Otawhao, 130 miles from our station at Waikato Heads: At every village on the Waikato or Waipa livers the cry was for books. I found the greatest • tohunga (i.e.^ native priest)' living at Rangiriri being taught to read by his sort; a lad of twelve years of age. ; After two years of constant perseverance he 1 learned to read the New Testament fluently. 1 This popular old pi'iest, named Te Paki (the putea korero, or bag of talk, from his eloquence), was afterwards bagtizted. I shall have more to say abp.^, him in a future letter. - At this time there were- a few in every village who assembled daily for prayer morning and evening: ' It is true there was much ignorance. Many were feeling their way to the 'Truth, and it was an unspeakable pleasure andgreai privilege to point to "the Lamb of God thattaketh away the sins of the world." On my arrival at Otawhao, I found Ngatiruru, with their chiefs Pu,ata,and Mokoro, had just returned from attacking Rotorua ; they had been vie-, •toripus, and were carrying baskets of human flesh to cook. Not less than sixty back lbads were brought into the pa at Otawhao. The next day, July 30, 1839, was a great, feast of human., flesh.* I quitted tli e pa in disgust, and I" said to the Whare Kura — i.e., those natives disposed to Christianity— "Come, let us leave this pa and, build. ,sp,a for Christ." This they assented to readily,, ajidlmpre than 200 left. A site was chosen on the iLwainMi (where the' barrack and large bridge now stand), and a , pa, was. built; and, at the request .of the Whare Kura, I drew up laws and' regulations for them. Theft,' adultery, war, or a recurrence to heathen customs, wate followed by a request ;fco the oflfendej*, to leave the jiaj;' he was not sjiffei'ed to re^ main ; and all who joined the ,I\fhare., 1 \fhare. Kura assented to keep the regulations of the new pa. Daily worship, school, and j Sabbath services' were established. I spoke 1 to all the heathen ' chiefs -residing at OtaVhao.and'Rangiaohia, and they assured me 'that the Whare Rura,-;the "natives^ living in jbhe new pa, should -not be moleßted t as they wesee {Unrelated to ■them! >1 y ' *"- - *"'"'/; "• '«| -t rt - ', ■ • 1' now 1 proceeded to Rarowefo,'a large pa a milefrom Jlangiaphia, iiow a, militia post. The natives here Avere vere very rough, and wero then, in the full tenor of the word, savages ) they had been paxtakers, a few days' since, in the canibal feast at Otawhaq. „I found", amongst them seven' natives disposed to Christianity, and one wlio could read f ; he being a-morftl eharaoteivl gave him a new TektSL"rn^n't, 4hdV'as far as "finished, the pi'ayer-bookl^ I told liim howio: calculate for the Sabbath ; to do np ,work ( on that day,, to read the New Testament^ 'pointed* ouV an 'd f the pray ei'Sj'&c. I then preaohetl in a small raupo^ house, -and called it a chapel. After- commending this little community to the" con-sideration-"of- iihe"chiefs^ for the most part heat&en, I left them... Although sometimes tlu*eatened by the {he^jthen^/iyiey.gersevered; and, on niy^neiit vidit, "a few months afterwards, they had increased $0 fifteen, r attd'iin ti^Blve-mdHths' they numbered twenty-nine, twp of.Avliom we,re baptized. '"'Ori my return' "to' Otawhao, I found' Mokoro trying totget another war party to go to Rotorua ; this I opposed with all my might, I induced Broughton, a, cousin of the late William Thompson, to help me j and, by tjj£ b^tessijig of God on Christian painciples, whiclji were silently but "effectually worki^, the old chiefs did. not succeed! , No war party could ,be got togethex*. I now returned to the Waipa villages, and- proceeded down the Waikato, calling at each pa, and I trust, praising God for the progress of the Gospel. • I (To be continued,) \