the new colony at Auckland in the northern island, where the Maori population was densest, and which possessed splendid water communications in every direction. The implications of the Treaty of Waitangi were by no means recognised by the settlers who were arriving in New Zealand in ever increasing numbers. They were attracted by the promises of the New Zealand Land Company. The Company had little understanding of the Maori customs of land tenure. It ignored the fact that in the opinion of the Maoris the whole land already had owners, with boundaries well known to the different chiefs, and it sold lands to intending settlers before it had duly acquired their ownership. In consequence, there were abundant possibilities for discontent on the part of emigrants when they arrived to take possession of lands which they believed were theirs by purchase, and for hostility on the part of the natives who felt that they had been betrayed. In this way the seeds of many future wars were sown. In those early days of the life of the colony, natives and settlers alike needed Christian teaching and education to show them how to live in peace and develop the country. The newly set up government needed help from those who had lived and worked amongst the natives, in their important task of establishing order and justice. New Zealand with its beautiful climate and its rich resources was bound to become a great and prosperous country. It was necessary that the foundations of its future greatness should be laid in principles of righteousness and justice. The labours of Marsden, the two Williams and others had established Christianity throughout New Zealand, what was needed now was organization to make their work permanent. Selwyn as he viewed the task before him felt the full joy of a born organizer and administrator. He wrote, “I find myself placed in a position such as was never granted to any English Bishop before, with a power to mould the institutions of the Church from the beginning according to true principles.” The ground was well prepared for his work. The year before his arrival Henry Williams could write, “The whole fabric of native superstition is gone—their weapons of warfare are laid by—their petty quarrels are settled by arbitration.” It was a too sanguine view as later events showed, but that it could be held at all was a sign of how much had been done. CHAPTER III FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND Bishop Selwyn and his party left Plymouth on December 26th, 1841, in the _Tomatin_. The long voyage in a sailing vessel was spent in preparing for the work that was before them. To Selwyn’s great joy there was a Maori boy on board who could be used to teach him and his party the Maori language. Lady Martin thus describes the voyage: