NEW ZEALAND AND THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Volume I, Issue 54, 23 February 1842, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND AND THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

* Such is the title of an interesting pamphlet from the pen of Dr. Ernest Dieffrnbacb, tint lias recently issued from the London press, under the patronage of the Aborigines Protection Society. The following notice of the work may not be unacceptable to our readers. The author, as naturalist to the New Zealand Company, has enjoyed the best opportunities of forming a correct judgment of the social condition cf the Aborigines of New Zealand. It is to this subject that the work is piineipally devoted. It is prefaced with an appeal from the Aborigines Protection Society, in favour of those praiseworthy efforts hitherto chiefly confined to Missionary Societies, but latterly followed up by a society established for that specihe object, to reMer European emigration and coionisation conducive to the physical as well as intelectual and moral advantage of the aboriginal races, which their progress hitherto has threatened with extinction.

That the influence of European colonisation in our own territory, from the almost exclusively criminal character of that colonisation, should have proved rather deteriorating in its effects in the aborigines than otherwise, was nothing more than might have been expected. Our author, however, is inclined to the belief that the intercourse of even the very dregs of a civilised community ma', in some instances, contribute to the improvement of the savage. The elements of civilisation first brought to bear on the condition of the natives of New Zealand were such only as deserters from sailing vessels, the establishment of whaling depots, or the convici escaped from the iron fangs.ofjustice/could furnish ; yet even from such much benefit has accrued, no doubt with some admixture of evil, to the native population. Passing over the earlier excursions of Dr. D., we shall now present our readers with the following extract as illustrative of the foregoing remarks, and conveying an accurate idea of the present condition of the New Zealand Aborigines, as affected by European intercourse : " Only half a mile higher up, is another Bay, called Tarwait, and at this place is a larger whaling establishment of Europeans and natives, and as it will give an idea of the social mixture between these two races—the good and the bad influence of the former upon the latter, I shall say a few words about this place. The beach is about half a mile square, and consists of fertile soil, About ten years ago it was uninhabited, and grown over with brushwood. At that timea Mr. Guard, and Mr. Thorns, the latter of whom is still on the beach, made here an establishment for whalino. They were soon afterwards followed by natives from the Naliawa tribe, and their number increased by the arrival of other Europeans and natives from Taranaki, in the northern' island, who were driven away from that place by the Waikato tribe, and found here a more secure domicile. The number of the white men is now forty j they are almost ail married to native women, and their progeny amounts to twenty-one children. The natives are about sixty in number, and acknowledge as their chief Tippai, who lives here. During the whaling season, which lasts from May to October, or during the winter, they send out every morning from fifteen to eighteen boats into Cook's Straits. One" third part of the crew of these boats consists of natives. In this dangerous occupation the latter have acquired w a short time so much skill, that they are perfectly equal to the Europeans; and being always ready to work, sober and frugal, the proprietors of the boats often prefer a crew of the natives. The white men live in houses built for them by the natives, and the latter have either their own houses, built in the native style, or being mostly related to or employed by the Europeans, they assemble in the evenings round their fire places; and being accustomed to sleep eveiy where in their mats, they are not driven away at night. They partake in the meal of the white man, which they richly repay by bringing potatoes and pigs froth their own produce. The intermixture that has taken place between Europeans and natives, is complete. They shared in their sufferings from other tribes, and this has uni'.ed them more closely together. The Europeans treat their women well, and the latter adhere to them with great affection. Their children are of a very light colour, often as light as the children of our peasantry ; and no sallowness in their complexion. They are all uncommonly wtll formed, with expressive black eyes, and hair of the same colour, All are healthy, and the parents do as much for their education as their own means and acquirements.allow. The children all speak'both the Maori language and the English. The natives, although ihey have made great progress in the English language, do not talk it much,and the Europeans have been obliged to learn the native tongue. "The natives who are employed by the Europeans are almost all dressed in European clothing, in which they are generally paid hjr their services. They are not paid at a lower rate than the Europeans, and are quite awaie of what is due to them. " The whalers being occupied for six months in the year with whaling and the other six with trading, have not yet done much for cultivating the soil; but they begin now to fence in gardens, and to plant. However, they always can obtain a good supply 0 f potatoes, cabbages and pigs from the natives, who have their plantations on the sides of the hills, (three pigs for a blanket, and so on.) Some of the Europeans have goats, for which these places are particularly adapted, geese an I ducks, and one hid two head of cattle. After several years'hard work, the better part of the white settlers are beginning to prosper; and partly from the decrease of profit by whaling, partly from being tired of exposing themselves to dady daageis. they now turn to farmm», and it is to be expected, from what I have heard of their present intentious, that a new era is opening on the little community. " Having given what I think to be the brightest side of the picture, I cannot omit its shades. All the white men are whalers; some of them have left ships to settle here. A fishing place in Europe is not the most civilised part of the community—how then should it be expected in this lone part of the world] Restricted by no law—not even by that of common welfare, as there are different whahno- parties on the beach--formerly troub ed by inroads of hostile natives struggling lot a longtime with poverty and want.it is only surpusing that they have become what they really are. Some of them being poorer than their more sober or intelligent countrymen, are kept by the latter in dependency, and receive ior ihtir wages European commodities at a'hi«h rate, and spirits, which eaily custom and the nature of their occupation have led them to use rather frequently • but 1 cannot say that they do so more than a European community of the same class. It cannot be doubted that the employed natives sometimes partake in these ardent spirits but they are too piovideot and sober often to take them as pay- i ment for their services; and 1 have generally observed that they are a>hamed ot drunkenness, and that if they are overtaken by it, t-hey immediately retire. 1 have never seen the natives asking ardejat spirits from us as payment for their commodities; and some, if offered, refused them with disgust, anl pief'erred water. ° "smoking is almost universal among men, women, and even children and what I shall afterwards say about the general heahh of the natives, will show what I have observed lespecung the effects of this habit."