of Islands, I was anxious to reach my place of destination, and, therefore, did not tarry long at Wymatie. The country assumed a more settled and civilized appearance as we proceeded towards the coast. The fields of maize or Indian corn were seen in abundance near the huts of the natives, and the mode of cultivation new and ingenious, compared with the English mode of farming. The land being cleared of timber, small patches of about four feet square were turned up with a hoe by the men; the women next assist in the business of the field, and with their hands, break and moulder the clods of earth, and sift the mold through their fingers, where they deposit the seeds, the land between the squares remaining in its natural state, but on the following year the fresh land is cultivated, and the land on which the corn had grown the previous year, is allowed to remain in summer fallow. We reached the Bay of Islands, in time to partake of a piece of Sydney-cured beef, with green peas and other vegetables; and enjoy the society of Englishmen. The soul inspiring berg wines of Germany; the racy wines of France, or the more substantial wines of Spain and Portugal were strangers here, we were content to partake of the fiery distillation from the sugar canes of the Leeward Isles. The Bay of Islands has become the most important settlement in New Zealand, and therefore excites an enlivening interest in the commercial world; it is partly described by the appellation given to it by its European discoverers, and now, there are many British settlers and their families, who not only enjoy the comforts of civilized life, but live in the hope of realizing for their families, the means of living beyond the fear of want. I witnessed an assemblage of eighteen British families who had congregated together, and each had secured a portion of land adjoining his residence, which enabled him to add luxury to common life; these families, bound by the ties of mutual protection, each in turn on Sunday, prepared a dinner, when all assembled to make the day, if not a day of holiness, a holiday.

The natives, as if in imitation of empires, with their gradations of authority; or, more properly speaking, in similarity to what exists among Colonial officials, they have their aristocracy. But with the New Zealander, the chief is supreme and hereditary; and the different members of his family and relations, enjoy power and authority, in proportion to their different distinctions of rank; the greater part of the people are like those in European countries; who, for a trifling pittance, submit to the caprice and render obedience to the commands of their superiors, but many are in a state of slavery. I have known the chief of the tribe of the Bay of Islands, bring into the field nearly 400 warriors, equipped and armed with weapons of British manufacture; the spirit of warfare is carried on with the most ferocious and revengeful cruelty to the enemy of their tribe. They enter the field of battle entirely naked, with only a belt round their body, to which is fixed several cartouche boxes, to provide them with ammunition during the battle. Their system of fighting, is similar to the well-known mode of stratagem and

treachery pursued by the North American tribes, but are more cautious and fearful to expose their lives. When two tribes meet on the field of battle, the chiefs come within hearing of each other, and attempt to prove their courage by relating the deeds of their forefathers "That they are the sons of the great chief, and their sons sons, shall maintain their right to the land, until the sun and moon are dead;" the whole tribes then beat with their feet upon the earth in the most violent manner, to exhibit their determined resolution. When the firing commences, they generally fight singly, and when any man has fired his musket, he retires behind a tree to reload, and then watches an opportunity to fire again: still the New Zealander is by nature moulded to enjoy the peaceful habits of domestic life; and would gladly follow the pursuits of the European, could he but overcome the difficulties of acquiring his language: in proof of this assertion, there have been many hundreds of the natives taught to read and write; and many of these, at a period of life when the ideas could scarcely be expected to shoot forth. New Zealand is indebted to the Missionaries, for many benefits conferred upon the natives, by their activity and zeal in teaching them the English language; and to read their own; and impressing on their hearts, the powerful attributes of the great Being who created them. The principal establishments for the Missionaries, are at the Bay of Islands, and the respectable men who have settled there for such magnanimous motives, will, I trust, ultimately secure for them their just reward; I have to mention Mr. Williams, Mr. Yates, and Mr. Fairbairn, neither of these gentlemen were under the necessity of flying to a savage country for support-motives of Christian charity alone held out inducements for their labours. I have heard with pleasure, Mr. Williams, on a Sunday, preaching to two or three hundred natives in their own language, with a fluency equal to his ability in his native tongue. The psalms being translated for the use of the natives, they join in the praise of the Almighty with a heartfelt joy; far above, compared with the dull and listless manner in which the beautiful Sacred Music of our Established Church, is usually joined in, or rather, for the most part, not joined in by the congregation. But the difficulties which these gentlemen have had to contend with, from the profligate conduct of the crews of English vessels their contemptuous manner, and their endeavour to lessen the Missionaries in the estimation of the natives; at the same time, the little authority which the Missionaries assume, has been a bar towards these good men enjoying the influence over the minds of the natives, which might be looked for,, as the result of their long residence among them, and the many benefits they have conferred on this intelligent and interesting, though savage race.

The object of my journey across the Island having been accomplished, I retraced my steps back to my own settlement on the Wyma, which I reached on the evening of the second day. My arrival was hailed with every demonstration of joy, Emouka skipped

down to the beach, with all the light-hearted spirit of innocent youth, and received me with an affection, warm as the feelings of unsophisticated nature. Fatigued with my journey, I retired soon to rest, but did not sleep with the calm repose which "tired nature" might have anticipated; I rose in the morning tired and unsettled. I ate my breakfast with little relish, and felt a degree of listless apathy and dissatisfaction, for which I could not account. I took my spade and loitered in the garden, but still a something haunted my distempered spirits; I returned again to the house, and now the cheerful spirits of my youthful companion seemed, from sympathy, to have deserted her. I could not devise the cause, the still voice" intimated forebodings, fearful in their nature,—such is the strange presentiment of approaching trouble, which has all my life attended me, like the thermometer to the weather, so has been the oppression of my spirits to coming difficulties. I had manufactured a Colonial cigar, and walked towards the beach smoking it, to kill the lazy-footed time, but had not remained long in the unsettled mood, when I heard a desperate outcry from the house; my dormant feelings were in a moment roused; I immediately rushed forward to ascertain the cause; all was confusion, and when I entered my dwelling, a spectacle the most appalling presented itself to my sight; my dear Emouka was laying on the floor, almost strangled, suffering the agonies of death; but her strength had failed to accomplish the desperate purpose; she had twisted some dried flax into a cord, and fixing one end round her neck in a loop, and the other to her feet, she extended her body so as nearly to complete strangulation. I instantly cut the cord, raised her in my arms, and carried her to her bed; I gently rubbed her temples, and gladly I saw returning life. My feelings were so absorbed in her resuscitation, and distracted by so sudden and unexpected an occurrence, that I scarcely thought of what had been the cause; but as the blood began to circulate to the brain, her bewildered senses resumed a gleam of reason, and she recognized me anxiously watching over her. I spontaneously said, "what have I done; what is the cause of your attempt to take away your life!" She merely uttered "Mary!" My suspicions were instantly aroused, I called for Towrooa and enquired if his sister had asked him what had passed at Tyama; he answered "No!" I then appealed to Towrooa, who had slept in the same apartment with me during our journey, if it was not so; an anxious look rushed into the countenance of Emouka, during this conversation, and though she was not in a state of mind to say that she was satisfied with the explanation which I had drawn from Towrooa, it was a satisfaction to me, to observe that I had relieved her mind from a foul impression which she had caught from some unguarded converse with the boys. As she became more composed, I recommended her to sleep, and said I would not leave her long. My mind was in a wild state of irritation, and I willingly sought to calm it; a re-action to the excitement drawn forth by the desperate

3

act of Emouka, now hung heavy upon my spirits; I reviewed the past-thought of the abduction of the native girl-my wayward life, and the remedy to be applied to relieve a deceased mind-I said to myself-all that the laws of my country require (to make this girl my own for ever) is an acknowledgment that she is my wife, and the Romish ritual, or the Church of England form, cannot add more powerfully to my fixed resolve; though there is no register here to make my determination more secure. I wandered again into the garden, but the beds of flowers and other objects, which had given me delight, were now without their interest,fancy was seared with the blight of discontent,-the day had become oppressively warm, and the heat rose from the ground like clouds of smoke; the sun shone with dark and sullen sadnessthe clouds moved in opposition to themselves-big drops of rain began to fall, I returned, and leaning my arm on the pillar of the verandah, observed that the very birds had given over their songs, and even the beautiful king-fisher had left off his sports upon the river-all nature seemed to "accord with my soul's sadness;" I stood for some time vacantly looking around me; all was quiet, save the clouds, which now began to assume an awful appearance of threatened war in the elements, I walked into the parlour, but a gloom pervaded every thing-I opened the bed-room door, and as I looked towards the bed, I saw that the sun-burnt cheek of my lovely girl had assumed a deadly paleness; a deadly fear came over me; my limbs trembled under me, and a cold dew distilled from every pore; I then paced gently towards the bed, and putting my hand upon the pillow, to look upon her, I found my fears too true. Alas! her soul had parted from me, and she now lay on the cold bed of death.

S.

FRANCOIS TROUCHET.

Although so far distant, there may, perhaps be, among my readers, some few who may have visited Marseilles, and, to them, the "Cours" will most probably be still preserved in their memory. The lively promenade, where may be seen, on a fine summer's evening, all the beauty and fashion of the place where the gay note of music dwells on the ear, and the enchanting freshness of the Mediterranean breeze enlivens the most dull, and gives life and energy to frivolity-where Charlatans are to be found most numerous; some obtaining money by consent of the passers by, whilst others reap their evening's harvest by duping the unwary to specu late at fortune's wheel. But, let me stop-it is not my intention to give a description of the "Cours" at Marseilles, being merely

about reciting a short, but true tale, which I can undertake to affirm to be true-nearly to the letter.

One fine evening in July, during the year 1826, when leaving "mine inn" with the intention both of enjoying the salubrious breeze, and then of visiting the Theatre, as I was carelessly sauntering along the "Cours," unmindful but of scenes far distant, I fancied I perceived, among the crowd, a young man dodging me, passing and repassing, as if to more fully examine my countenance his determination could not be mistaken. I felt annoyed, for being almost a stranger in the place, it was not likely that I could feel otherwise. Did he mean to pick a quarrel with the stranger? or, was he an adventurer, ready to entrap me by means of assumed friendship! I looked steadfastly at the young man as he passed me a fourth time-he had an open, generous countenance, and I fancied I must have seen him before-his features, too, were somewhat familiar to me, but still I could not recognize him. Again, he turned and walked towards me, and, threading the crowd, he passed so near that we almost touched; in a low voice, he then, slowly and distinctly repeated my name; when hearing it pronounced, in such a place, at such a time, by a stranger too, who was evidently anxious to draw my attention, I suddenly turned towards him he threw himself upon my neck, and emphatically exclaimed, c'est lui-même !—and we saluted each other according to the fashion of le brave nation-for who was the stranger but my own sincere friend and schoolfellow, François Trouchet? Our joy at meeting could scarcely be exceeded, we had commenced our studies at about the same period, at the école polymathique, at Paris-we left the sixième of the college Napoleon the same day. We rose from the cinquième at the same time-in fact, we advanced to the highest forms, as it were, hand in hand. Our private tutor, too, was the same, and our lighter studies were always together— we were brothers to each other, neither could there be amusement for either, without both could partake thereof. Chance, however, separated us, and it was now nine years since I had ever heard of François.

I need scarcely say, that I was soon introduced to all François friends; that his grey-headed father was delighted beyond measure, at seeing the companion of his only son, of whom he had heard much, but had never before seen. Eloise, too, my friend's amiable sister, whose captivating eyes had made truants half the young men of Marseilles, honored me with more attention than all her former beaux. I had the entré of the house; indeed, my lodgings at "Les deux pommes" was nearly deserted-there was sufficient attraction at Seigneur Trouchet's residence in the Allée, even had not my friend François called that house his home. A more happy fortnight was never spent by any young man, than was that which followed my recognizing François on the "Cours";but clouds will obscure the brightest sun, and a storm too often follows a serene morning. François had, soon after introducing me to his