LECTURE ON NEW ZEALAND AND ITS ABORIGINES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1954, 21 October 1863, Page 3

LECTURE ON NEW ZEALAND AND ITS ABORIGINES.

Last night the Rev. S. Ironside delivered a lecture on the above-mentioned subject, before the members and friends of tho Surrey Hills Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, in the Wesleyan schoolroom, Bourke-street. There was a good attendance. Mr. Mulholland, senior, was voted to the chair, and after prayer hnd been ofleied by the Eev. B. \V. Vanderkiste, introduced the lecturer. The lectuier compiessed a good deal of valuable Jind well-arranged information respecting New Zealand and the New Zealanders into hiss addiess. The geography of the islands and their physical configuration, the Malay extraction of the natives, the trnits of character which distinguish them, the philology of their language, their occupation of the country about six hundred yaids ago, the Maori traditioni respecting the origin of the islands, the habitations of the native r.ice, incidents of missionary travels, and many othsr matceis weie discoursed of in an entertaining yet vigorous manner. Without giving an outline of the lecture, appended are a few notes which may be read with interest. Of the three islands which form New Zealand, the northern one was s>aid to be about 500 milt's in length, and varying in breadth from threequaiteis of a mile to about 200 hundred miles. It i-s inhabited by about nine-tentlu of the native lace. The middle island extended about 550 miles fiom north to south, its breadth being about 100 miles. The aiea of the gioup is about seventy-five millions of acies. In the northern island theie is a series of mountain! and valleys, though there were a few rich plains — as for instance the Waikato tenitory, the seat of the piesent war. Lofty peaks heie and there lift up their snowy heads, and tho mountain range sends down its spins to the const. The mountains aie crowded to the very summits with mignificent foieit trees, and mound their root-, is a dense set üb, consisting of the supple-jack and other beautiful vines. Tiavelling is dangerout, if not in manyplaceaiuipracticable.Thodifficultyofmal.ingroads was very great, but as the roots of the treei stietch over the surface giotind, the traveller might mount tip the hill sides as though by a ladder, while the clinging vines would furnish a substitute for a hand-rail. In tin* way they might clamber up an eminence of 2,000 feet, with a prospect of a Miuihir dutcunt. It was often impossible to travel so more than six or seven miles in a day. It would be undeistood what almost insuperablo difficulties had to bo encounteied in the movement of troops. The countiy is e\eiy\\heio well wateted, game is plentiful, and fish abound ulong the coast and in the riveis. The west coast has scaicely one good harbour, although theie arc many noble liveis, which are almost inaccessible from the westeily swell which prevails dining nine mouths iv the year, when the wavei of the ocean dash with teirific fiuy against the sand bars, which, iv most cases, vary in depth fiom four to five fathoms. It is a great mistake to imagine that tho Maoiis could be staived into submission, as the fwn loots of the forest are a nutritious edible, and thcieis also an abundance of succulent roots of vaiious kinds which would be to. them an excellent commissariat. Eavenous beasts and venomous reptiles aie unknown in the islands. It wan a notable ciicumstanco that the finest haibours have the least accessible amount of good land in their vicinity, aud it thus lequired a great outlay to reach the countiy. On the other hand, the best soil existed in lieighbouihoods where there were no commodious seapoits. The settlements of Wellington aud Taianaki weie quoted m instances of Una fact. Auckland is situated in the neighbomhood of extinct volcanoes. Enithquixkes weie appaiently local. In the middle island theie was also a lidge of mountains extending along the west coast. Fino rolling plains and giassy prairies exist, which on an aveiago were capable of suppoiting one and a-half sheep per acre. The population in December, 1801, numbered over 00,000 persons, and the expoits for the year £1,150,000 worth of pioduce. Coal, copper, gold, iron, plumbago, and other mineials abound, and tho prospects of the colonists aie most encouiaging. Cannibalism had here at one time existed to an extraordinaiy extent, but had been abolished tluough Christian teaching. The Maoris had been heie much improved by Eiuopean civilization, and tho lecturer recounted the progress they had made. After some remaiks on the rapid decrease of the native population, and the causes of it, Mr. Tiouside went on to sketch, in somo instances from personal observation, tho events which have transpired in New Zealand since its settlement by tho British. He refeired to the signing of tho treaty of Waitanga, the slaughter of the Europeans by the natives of Nelson, the outbreak at the Bay of Island,s a year afterwards, and the selling of land by Eaweti, at Tnranaki, and he attributed to the mistaken clemency of Sir C. Fitzroy, Governor Gicy, and other officers of the Government, who too readily condoned those offences, much of the disaster under which New Zealand is now suffering. Matteis had also beea complicated by politics, the Wellington representatives -Featherstone, Foy, and Fitzheibert — having to some extent paralyzed the councils of Governor Biowne aud his administration by taking an improper advantage of the ecclesiastical prejudices of Bishop Selwyn and some of tho cleigy. After a disparaging leference to militaiy opoiations at Taiauaki-in the last war, and to the fact that pence hnd been granted to tho Maoris while they still held by light of conquest Tataraimaka and Waitarn, the lectuier concluded by expressing his soirow at the prospective extinction, tluough their own infatuation, of the native race, to lcscue and elevate which such noble efl'oi ts had been made. Cordial votes of thanks were givcu to the lectuier and the chairman, aud the meeting sepiuatcd. — Sydney Morning Herald.

Cautiox.— Forged Bank Notes. — We were shown on Monday a £1 bank note, puipoiting to Lave been issued by the Bank of Australasia, but which on inspection proved to be a forgeiy. So skillfully has the imitation been effected that only upon a very careful ex-, animation of tho note, and its comparison with n genuine one, could the deception be detected. The woids in the border of the forged note correspond with those of the real ones, excepting that at' the foot "New South Wales "is substituted for '*Sydney." In the body of tho note thtre are slight variation*, but which are not likely however to atti act the notice of tho uninitiated ; the principal of these is, that while iv the note* of the Bank of Australasia there is a band formed by the repetition of the words " One Pound " in illegibly small letters, the band is in tho spurious note made of rows of dot*. Tho note in question is numbered I) 17121, and bears tho signature H. W. Donaldson, but probably these maiks would bo varied in other notes. The engraving on tho back is n very close, though not an exact, copy of that upon the genuine notes. It is right that the public, and especially storekeepers in the interior, should bo cautioned against these forged notes, as there can be no doubt that effort will be made to put them into circulation. — Sydney Morning Herald, Oct. 10. The Ministerial Crisis in Sydney.— Soon »ftev the return of hit excellency the Governor from Parraraatta yesterday morning, Mr. Cowper had an interviow with him ; and at half-past two o'clock in tho afternoon a Cabinet Council was held, at which all the member* of the Government wero present. Wo learn that Mr. Cowper did not tender to the Government any advice with regard to the formation of a new ministry. In the course of the afternoon, Mr. Forster was sent for, and, after an interview with his Excellency, undertook to endeavour to form n ministry, requiring until Monday next to carry out tho duty. "Upon leaving Government-house, Mr. Foster proceeded to Mr. Eagar's office, and shortly afterward! Mr. Eagar waited upon Mr. Cowper, at the Victoria Club, and remained in conference with him' for about an hour. The precise proposals that were discmsod can only be surmised, but it is understood that they hiul reference to the formation of a coalition ministry, and that they are now undar consideration. — Sydney Morning Herald, Ootober 10.