NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3961, 11 February 1930, Page 23

NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

SOME NOTABLE BOOKS. Hy the Rev. H. J. Fletcher. VII. “ Forty Years in New Zealand,” by the Rev. J. Buller, is a personal account of the time spent in New Zealand from 1836 to the date of the publication of the book. It recounts Mr Buller's own experiences among the Maoris of Uokianga in the early days before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and in the various stations occupied by- him up to the end of the 40 years. In addition to his account of thr Maoris, their manners customs, legends, etc., his reminiscences of men like Selwyn, Pompallier, and his fellow-missionaries of the Wesleyan Church are from personal contact. The book is Bvo of 503 pages, with a map and illustrations. Published byHodder and Stoughton, London, 1878. The first provincial history of any of the provinces of New Zealand is called “ The History of Taranaki,” by B. Wells. It was a very creditable production for a New Zealand newspaper office of that time. It was printed at the Taranaki News Office in 1878. There is an introduction giving account of the discovery and early history < < New Zealand, and then all the leading events of the foundatim and growth of the settlement of New Plymouth up to the time of publicaion arc narrated. The Taranaki War and the Waitara purchase are In gely represented, and the story is told of the murder of the Rev. J. Whitely at the White Cliffs. The book is full of history and references, as well as copies of much of correspondence on important matters. Volume X of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute has a very fine article on the “Traditional History of the South Island Maoris,” by Canon Stack, who was for a number of years a missionary to the Maoris of the South Island, with headquarters at Kaiapoi.

“ The Building Materials of Otago and South New Zealand Generally,” by W. N. Blair, Al.lnst. C.E., is a revised and enlarged edition of some articles read before the Otago Institute. It is a fine account, by a first-class engineer, of all the available building material in the province. All the suitable stones, slates, limes, cements, and timbers are reviewed in detail. The book, of 244 pages, was printed bv Wilkie and Co. in 1879.

An interesting story of the Waikato War is called “ The Waikato War, 18(531864,” by John Featon. Its was printed and published by J. H. Field, Auckland, in 1879. The writer was one of those who, as a volunteer 'n the Colonial Forces, took part in most of the scenes, he depicts. It is writt u from the point of view of one in the ranks.

A much larger and fuller account of the war as a whole between the years 1860-1871 will be found in “ Reminiscences of the War in New Zealand,” by T. W. Gudgeon. This is a connected account of all the engagements during the period mentioned, but the Waikato campaign is given very briefly. The Taranaki events, the Bay of Plenty engagements, the Poverty Bay massacre, and the long pursuit of Te Kooti through the Urewera Country and Taupo are given with much detail. Until the recent publication of the “ Official History of the Maori Wars ” Gudgeon's book was one of the best accounts of the fighting in all except the Waikato campaigns. The author took part in many of the scenes he narrated. There are two maps and a full list of the killed and wounded dur ing the war. “ Memoir of the Life and Episcopate of George Augustus Selwyn, D.D.,” by the Rev. H. W. Tucker, M.A., is a faithful account of the first bishop of New Zealand. It was compiled from '.etters and journals written by the bishop to rela tives and friends. Dr Selwyn took a very large part in the founding of the colony, his episcopate extending over the period from 1841 to 1869. As a public man he was in contact with public affairs, and these volumes throw a flood of light on some of the most interesting years of the colony’s growth. No student trying to obtain a fair estimate of the course of events in those troublous times can afford to neglect the light given in these pages. There are two volumes, the first of 399 pages and the second of 2393 pages, published by Wells. Gardner, and Co., in London in 1879. In volume XI of the Transactions of the Institute there is a very fine article in a few pages on “The Making of a Maori Canoe,” by R. C. Barstow. It is a short but until quite recently was the best account of the making of a canoe in print. The first of the Rev. W. Colenso’s articles on “ Contributions Towards a Better Knowledge of the Maori

Race” are in the same volume. This article has a number of the “ Taniwha Stories ” and fables, with a reference to Maori music. A fine record of travel in New Zealand is to be found in “ Recollections of Travel in New Zealand and Australia,” by James Coutts Crawford, F.G.S. It is an octavo volume of 468 pages, with three maps and 24 illustrations. The writer was one of the early settlers of Wellington, and had a large farm where the populous suburb of Miramar is now He travelled over a large part of the North Island observing the features of the country with the eye of a trained geologist. The result was seen in the essay published in the first volume of the Transactions. At different times he

travelled over most of the South Island and visited the southern lakes. In the North Island he was one of the first to penetrate to the Taupo country by ascending the Rangitikei River to its junction with the Moawhango and up that river for some distance and across the spurs of the Kaimanawa range to the Taupo Country. It is most interesting to compare travel in those days with the present.

Colenso occupies a large space in volume XII of the Transactions. He has a lengthy paper on the “ Moa.” He was one of those who used every argument possible in support of the idea,that the moa was not known to the present race of North Island Maoris. His arguments have been largely discounted by the discovery that the Maoris did know the moa undiy different names. A chief of the Arawa, when exploring the Taupo country, wore a cloak made of a moa's skin which was named “ Kuranui.” Kuranui was one of the names used of the moa in Maori son?; 'nd story. Colenso also has his second paper on “ Contributions Towards a Better Knowledge of the Maori Race,” his subject being “ Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings of the Maori.” He gives a list of 235 such sayings with translations and many illustrations. _ This paper raises a number of questions. We have already mentioned Sir George Grey's collection of Maori proverbs published at the Cape of Good Hope in 1857. Out of Colenso’s list 21G of them are fouml in Grey. The main question is, did Colenso supply Sir George Grey with part of his -ollection. o. did Colenso use a portion of Sir George’s collection wit’ out cknowledgment? I leave the matter for wiser heads than mine to answer.

One of the most interesting books written about the early days of Auckland is called “ Poenamo," 1 Dr John Logan Campbell. It is a story of the foundation of the city by one of those who were on the spot when th? site was that of Maori cultivations and whares. It is written in the style of an elderly man telling the tale of his early experiences to children. The writer was one of the actors in all that he describes. It is a fine contribution to the early history of Auckland. Sir J. L. Campbell—as Di Campbell became —gave the magnificent Cornwall Park to the citizens of Auckland in 1906. Volume XIII. of the “Transactions” has a fine article on the “ Vegetable Food of the Ancient New Zealanders.” The writer, the Rev. W. Colenso, gives a very lengthy list of the foods, wild and cultivated, used by the Maoris of pre-pakeha days. He also has an article in the same volume on Maori traditions, and a further article “ On a Better Knowledge of the Maori Race,” in which he takes as a subject “ The poetical genius of the Maori,' illustrated by lumerous examples of translations of Maori songs of various kinds. Unfortunately Colenso does not give his originals. In the introduction he alludes to the many attempts made by others to ' translate Maori songs, and he goes out of his way to belittle those attempts. English versions of some of his songs were in print —renderings by John White and C. O. Davis—years before this paper was read, and some of them seem to convey better the spirit of Maori poetry.