are Arahura and Ohonu, on the north-west coast, Wakatipu, a lake in the interior, one of the sources of the river Matau, and Piopiotahi, a torrent on the south-west coast.

At the last-named place, a large block of several tons, valueless to the natives from its size, had been brought down from the mountain by some ancient rush of water, and left in the middle of the stream. This part of the coast, although we have as yet no correct chart of it, has for a long time been well known to the sealers. One of these, being at Sidney, heard that this sort of stone was valuable in China, and having seen the large block at Piopiotahi, conceived the idea that he had a mine of wealth within his reach. To some extent he was right. The information which he possessed, in those days of speculation, quickly caused the formation of a company, in which a Manilla merchant was chiefly concerned; and this man, with a party of miners, was sent down to New Zealand to blow the rock into fragments of a convenient size for export. Having cut a new channel for the stream, they, with infinite labour, owing to the extreme toughness of the stone, were able to send a few tons in a vessel to Manilla, to

food #ba palue Tha workmen remained on the pot for actual mouths; atter which, having nearly clouded theit provisions, and ruined their foods hopeless of receiving their arrears of pay, thing concealed, by buying in the ground, the Tutts of then labour, and then scattered themalve samong diesmall settlements about Foveaux's

The speciucies carried to China were found to I of a quality not esteemed there, being disgured by the presence of small black specks, like the mica grains in granite, So the speculation failed. The year following, a small quantity was carried to Wellington, and obtained a ready sale among the natives there, at one shilling per pound weight.

In search of this stone, the natives of other places have been in the habit of making long voyages, and journeys across the mountains from the east to the west coast. When procured, it is fashioned, and polished, by rubbing it on flat blocks of sandstone. This is a work of so much labour, that to finish such a weapon, as that above described, often requires two generations. Hence one cause of the great value set upon it. Another

cause of its value is that the extreme toughness of the stone enables it to bear a fine edge; so that, before the New Zealanders knew the value of iron, they had a useful substitute for it, from which they made hatchets and chisels.*

By some the strange notion has been entertained that this stone was found in a soft state by the natives; it not being credited that they could have learnt the art of fashioning it otherwise. Mr. Banks and Capt. Cook also expressed their wonder by what process this was done; as they found the stone so hard as to resist the force of iron. But sandstone will cut it as readily as it does iron; and holes are drilled through it with the aid of a little fine hard sand and water, and a sharp pointed stick, by a simple process which is described in another place.

Stones of different qualities, determined by different shades of colour and transparency, are distinguished from one another by names, and have corresponding values. The best quality is

* Upon this island there was a larger house than any we had yet seen; but it seemed unfinished and was full of chips. The woodwork was squared so even and smooth, that we made no doubt of their having among them very sharp tools.-Cook's Voyage, by Hawkesworth, 4to. vol. ii. p. 320.

called "kahurangi" (robe-of-the-heavens), a word often used, in the same way as we use the word

jewel in poetry, to denote a precious object.

Whaia e koe ki te iti kahurangi;

Kia tapapa koe. He maunga tiketike.

Follow after the little "kahurangi" (jewel, or nobleman),
That you may give birth to a lofty mountain,

are lines which applied to a woman of rank who had fallen in love with a slave, and were sung to her by her relatives who disapproved of her unworthy connexion.

In Phillip's Mineralogy this stone is described under the name of Nephrite, and is said to occur in the Hartz, in Corsica, in China, in Egypt, in New Zealand, and in other islands of the Pacific, its composition being—

CHAPTER III.

NATIVE POPULATION OF OTAKOU-CAUSES OF ITS DIMINUTIONERRONEOUS OPINIONS AS TO THE GENERAL DECLINE OF THE ABORIGINAL POPULATION OF NEW ZEALAND - EDINBURGH REVIEW ON THE SUBJECT-NUMEROUS REMAINS OF OLD PAS NO EVIDENCE OF A FORMER LARGE POPULATION-PROPORTION OF MALES TO FEMALES STATE OF FEMALES-CASE OF SUICIDEHEALTH OF NATIVES-CLIMATE-CANNIBALISM-SACRED CHARACTER OF A TAUA OR MILITARY FORCE-MEANING OF THE TERMS TAPU AND NOA -REASONS FOR BELIEVING THAT THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS.

THERE are very few natives now residing about the shores of Otakou. The whalers say that they were formerly much more numerous, and account for their decrease by a great mortality, which befel them during an epidemic of measles, a few years ago, and by losses sustained in their wars with Te Rauparaha.

I cannot myself believe this to be true to the extent supposed. One cause, why a larger po