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Five Years in New Zealand - 1859 to 1864 by Robert B. Booth
page 8 of 157 (05%)

Owing to subsequent education and intercourse with Europeans, their
savage habits have now mostly given way to modern customs.

In 1860 commenced the disastrous Taranaki war, which lasted some years,
and was caused in the first instance by the encroachment of European
settlers on the lands originally granted exclusively to the Aborigines.
Since the settlement of this trouble, peace and prosperity have reigned,
and the Maoris have become an important item in the community, many of
them holding positions of trust and office under the Colonial
Government.

The Province of Canterbury, forming the central portion of the middle
island, was founded about 1845 by the Irishmen Godley, Harman, and
others; and the English Church, under Bishop Harpur, was established at
Christchurch, the capital of the Province.

Otago, in the south, was founded by the Scotch, and the free church
established at Dunedin. The Province of Nelson formed the upper or
northern portion of the Island.

It is to these three Provinces that the scenes of the following pages
refer.

* * * * *

It has been said that the true and unvarnished history of any person's
life, no matter how commonplace, would be interesting. It was not
because I thought that a history of any part of my life would prove
interesting to others, that I first decided to write the following story
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