John Liddiard Nicholas (1784–1868), a London iron-founder, arrived in New South Wales in 1813 but rather than develop his business, he accompanied Samuel Marsden on a journey to New Zealand from November 1814 to March 1815 that established the first Christian mission to the Maoris. This two-volume book, first published in 1817 after Nicholas had returned to England, was widely successful, and was translated into Dutch and German in 1819. Based on Nicholas' journal, kept throughout his voyage, it tells the story of the missionaries' efforts but focuses particularly on Nicholas' observations of the Maoris and reflects his desire to share knowledge of a 'people so little known to Europeans, and at the same time so … interesting'. Nicholas pays careful attention to the customs, personalities, and relationships unique to different communities, and in Volume 1 outlines and highlights the relationships he himself developed with the Maoris.
