e student of New Zealand Church History needs to glean his
information, bit by bit, from many quarters, but there are certain
outstanding authorities to which he will go at the outset. These are not
all of equal value, and they need to be used with discrimination.

For the life and work of Samuel Marsden, the promised volume by the late
Dr. Hocken should take the first place. Meanwhile, the "Memoirs"
published by the Religious Tract Society in 1858 are of primary
importance. The book has been reprinted in modified form by Messrs.
Whitcombe and Tombs (1913). The editor, Mr. Drummond, has been able to
correct a few mistakes, and has supplied some additional information.
The original author, the Rev. J. B. Marsden, had no personal knowledge
of his hero nor of the scenes of his labours. He consequently falls into
error here and there, but his book gives a faithful and interesting
picture of the religious side of the great missionary's life and work.
Another side is presented in the "Narrative of a Voyage to New Zealand"
(1817) by John Liddiard Nicholas, whose book has the high authority of
an eye-witness. Much useful information on the work of Marsden and his
helpers has been collected in Brett's "Early History of New Zealand"
(Auckland, 1890).

For the subsequent history of the mission, the chief available authority
is "Christianity among the New Zealanders," by the first Bishop of
Waiapu (London, 1867). Living on the spot, and being one of the
principal actors in the events which he describes, the bishop is able to
give a detailed account whose value is only marred by the mistakes made
by the English printers in the spelling of Maori names.

For the Selwynian period, the "Life and Episcopate" of the great bishop
by Prebendary Tucker (two vols., London, 1879) is a primary authority.
Its value is seriously diminished by the author's want of acquaintance
with New Zealand geography, and still more by his studied disparagement
of the Church Missionary Society, but his book remains indispensable for
its collection of letters. A useful corrective to Tucker may be found in
Dr. Eugene Stock's History of the C.M.S.--a book which, in spite of some
startling inaccuracies, throws a welcome light on many obscure passages
of our history.

More reliable than either of these varying presentations of the bishop's
policy and work is the small volume of "Annals of the Colonial Church.
Diocese of New Zealand" (London, 1857), which contains