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Thus, through interpreting the signals of the man in this way, he draws conclusions from the
partial knowledge available to him, which see these Maori as little more than wild barbarians at
heart who cannot leave thoughts of revenge behind, which astounds his sense of reason, as such
an isolated nomadic family should never have need to fear any neighbour, let alone have reason to
exact revenge upon one. It is also apparent that a certain degree of disgust creeps in as it dawns
on him how the simple act of giving the man a hatchet for self-improvement could be distorted to
fulfil such a heinous act of barbarism and, in doing so, shift partial blame onto his own people.
Before the Resolution leaves the Sound, Forster takes one last moment to briefly ponder
over these barbaric people as he observes the superior sight of European ‘improvements’, which
is pleasing to artists, philosophers and scientists alike:
Die Vorzüge eines civilisirten über den rohen Zustand des Menschen, fielen durch nichts
deutlicher in die Augen, als durch die Veränderungen und Verbesserungen die auf dieser Stelle
vorgenommen worden waren. […] Kurz überall, wo wir nur hin blickten, sahe man die Künste auf
blühen [sic], und die Wissenschaften tagten in einem Lande, das bis jetzt noch eine lange Nacht
von Unwissenheit und Barbarey bedeckt hatte! (I:161-63)
Here, the Maori are seen to be so ‘close to nature’ that they are completely removed to the chaotic
background while he shifts the focus onto the ordered scene before him. These ‘improvements’,
“welche[..] funfzig Neu-Seeländer, mit ihren steinernen Werkzeugen, in drey Monathen nicht
würden zu Stande gebracht haben” (I:162), create a place worthy of Romantic brush strokes and
European progress from the crew making meals, felling timber and filling casks with water to the
site of the astronomical observatory and the caulkers and riggers making repairs and readying the
ship for its eventual departure. Fittingly, it is ‘improved’ nature in all its glory which characterises
his stay in Dusky Sound, more so than its meagre and seemingly invisible inhabitants. However,
in spite of sustained progress ultimately resulting in the civilising of this barbarous nation within
a few years, this “schöne Bild der erhöhten Menschheit und Natur”, which is already disappearing
with the removal of European equipment and instruments, will return once more back into its
“ursprünglichen, chaosgleichen Zustande” (I:163).
The Maori at Queen Charlotte Sound, by comparison, are more trusting in nature and less
indifferent to their guests due to a greater familiarity with Europeans, as well as a higher degree
of intelligence than their Dusky Sound brethren, at least when it comes to their attire, which is
more suited to the variable climate in the colder and wetter months, albeit still relatively old and
dirty-looking (I:188). This is not surprising when one considers that the Sound functioned as a
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