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implicit confidence in the means employed, a self
will sometimes manifest itself, but well tempered
firmness soon re-establishes a proper feeling. It
has been asserted that these Institutions are likely
to become politically useful; and the following case
will probably add strength to the opinion. An
aboriginal female of Taranaki, having been beaten
by a man of a different tribe, lay ill for several
weeks, and at length, as she appeared to be dying,
was removed to the hospital. On examination, it
was ascertained that no bodily injuries existed, but
that having been surrounded by persons who treated
her as one whose earthly career had ended, she
resigned herself to the event. The absence of her
tormentors, and the stimulus of a warm bath and
nutritious diet soon restored her without the aid of
medicine, and she was discharged in a few days
perfectly well. As the case arose out of a question
of right to land, it is most probable that serious
disturbances would have arisen from the party's
death.

DISEASES.—According to tradition, the district
was visited many years ago by three great and fatal
epidemics, two of a dysenteric, the other of an ex-
anthematous character, and said to have spread from
the North of the Island, apart from this it might
have been considered, not many years since, that
epidemic diseases were unknown, but the increase
of civilization has brought the natives acquainted
with some, justly attributed by them to intercourse
with Europeans. Influenza is probably one of these,
and Pertussis and Gynæche parotidea certainly.
The last named disease made its first appearance
this winter, and it is worthy of remark that, in
several cases of recession, Tænias, Epididymitis,
and hernia humoralis, which do not appear to have
been formerly, so much known, followed, whether
or not from metastasis, further experience must de-
cide.

The absence of fevers, as the result of marsh
malaria has been already remarked upon. During
a ten years residence in the district I have not
witnessed a case of either the remittent or intermit-
tent form, and were it not that many of the con-
ditions favourable to their production are seldom
absent from the native pas and some other parts of
the district, I should be tempted to say, they are
non existent. With regard to those of a continued
form, I am equally sceptical, numerous cases
have been met with, where the general symptoms
were typhoid, but previous neglected local disease
could always be clearly traced. Without therefore
the presence of idiopathic fevers being denied, their
extreme rarity must be asserted, the natives indeed
describe an affection (Kitikit) the prominent symp-
tom of which is a violent shaking of the whole body
occurring at intervals, but although an increased
heat of skin is said to exist coldness is never com-
plained of, and from all the information gleaned
regarding it, I am inclined to the opinion that it is
not a disease sui generis, but an occasional pheno-
menon in the progress of several disorders.

The preceding observations apply exclusively to
the aboriginal inhabitants; among the Europeans
several cases of common continued fever having oc-
curred, and like influenza, pertussis and gynæche
parotidea, it will be ultimately perhaps common to
both races.

There is a disease, called in the native language
Ngerengere, seen occasionally in Whanganui, the
subjects being from Taupo, a district in the imme-
diate neighbourhood of Tengararo, it is said to be
endemical to that place, but I have met with those
who affirm its existence in the South Island. The
first symptoms are said to be, a degree of constric-
tion in the skin of the affected parts; which are ge-
nerally the loins, extremities and face, a degree of
puffiness and heat follows, the skin becoming of a
dusky red, the eyeballs prominent, and the lachry-
mal secretion flowing down the cheeks; after a
lapse of time, varying from one to three or more
years, the puffiness increases to a considerable
swelling, the face attaining to a large size, the cel-
lular substance and skin, the former of which is
infiltrated with a serous fluid, ulcerate, and death
soon ensues. During the early stages the skin
loses its sensibility, and may be severely pinched
without the sensation of pain; the flexor muscles
of the upper extremity often become paralyzed, and
the fingers occasionally drop off; whether or not the
alimentary canal suffers, I have not been able to as-
certain; it will be remarked that many of these
symptoms are similar to those which exist in le-
pra tuberculosa, the natives consider it contagious,
and their treatment of it is, by incisions into the
swelling and fomentations, the ingredients of which
are a variety of barks and leaves without reference
to their individual properties. Having met with but
one case, and that in its earliest stage, I am unable
to give the result of my own experience.

The more frequent causes of death among the
adults appear to be neglected pulmonary affections,
long existent rheumatic complaints wearing out
the strength and constitution; scrofula, in its ad-
vanced stages of ulceration, and lues venerea.
Among children dissolution is most commonly pro-
duced by neglected catarrhal and bronchial diseases,
diarrhœa and dysentery.

The following table will show the frequency of
different diseases, treated, within the last three
months, at the native hospital, the subjects being
aboriginal:

Of the rheumatic cases, two were acute, the
bronchial affections were subacute and chronic, the
venereal, balanitic and gonorrhœal principally. I