1835 - Yate, William. An Account Of New Zealand [2nd ed.] - Chapter 3

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THE manners, customs, prejudices, and superstitions of a people living at so great a distance as the New Zealanders must be interesting to all classes of persons; but particularly to those who delight to study the workings of the human mind, and the various means which man has adopted for the promotion of his earthly comfort, or for

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CUSTOMS OF NEW ZEALAND.
the prolongation or security of his life. It is, moreover, desirable to place upon record some of the prominent features of the primitive state of the inhabitants of this country; as they are now rapidly changing their character.

When first discovered by Europeans, the New Zealanders were indeed a savage and a barbarous people; and, till within a very few years, there has apparently been little or no difference in their national character. The intercourse which they have latterly held with civilized man, and their knowledge of the blessings which are to be derived from the acceptance of the Gospel, have, in some measure, changed the character of all the inhabitants of these islands on the eastern coast, and north of the Thames. The great body, however, of even these natives still retain a large portion, if not all, of their original manners; and are, in many instances, still addicted to the superstitions and observances of their forefathers.

We first begin by describing the entrance of a New Zealander into life. As soon as a child is born, it is wrapped up, and laid to sleep in the verandah, which most of the New-Zealand houses possess: its nose is sometimes rubbed by the mother, to flatten it; and a few hours after the birth of the child, the mother pursues her ordinary work in the field, or, if at a distance from home, bends her steps, with all speed, thitherward. The poor little infants must suffer much. In various ways they are tormented; and the roughness of the

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TREATMENT OF CHILDREN.
garment in which they are rolled up adds no little to their discomfort. Should their natural sustenance fail from the breast, and no other woman be willing to give them suck, they must perish with hunger, as the natives do not possess any food which an infant can swallow: and they often have a superstitious objection to giving a young child any thing but its mother's milk, lest, by feeding the child, the death of the mother should be caused. Large holes, moreover, are slit in the lobe of the ear of the infant, and a stick, half an inch in diameter, is thrust through: it is kept unhealed for months, and every day is stretched, that it may eventually be able to wear suspended from thence some of their various ornaments.

At five days old, but more frequently at eight, according to their ancient customs, the children of the New Zealanders are baptized; at which ceremony there is always much feasting. The child is baptized by a priest; and should there not be one residing in the village where the infant was born, messengers are despatched to distant villages, to procure the services of an old-established priest; who is rewarded for the offices which he renders, and returns home well satisfied with his fees. The baptismal ceremony is generally performed as follows; though, in different tribes, there is a difference in some particulars. Where the infant has reached the age of five or eight days, it is carried in the arms of a woman to the side of a stream, and is then by her

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BAPTISMS.
delivered over to the priest, who has placed a small stick in the ground, previously notched in five places, before which he holds up the infant, in an erect posture, for a few minutes. During this period, should any thing inconvenient occur, it is considered a bad omen, and that the child will either die before it arrives at man's estate, or turn out a paltry and worthless coward: if otherwise, it is looked upon as most propitious, and the infant is regarded with much complacency, as being likely to become a brave and warlike man: the utmost care is then taken of him by his parents, and he is nurtured in all the superstitions and evil practices of his forefathers. The ceremony of holding up before the stick being ended, the child is dipped in the water, or sprinkled, at the option of the person who performs the ceremony; a name is given to it; and the priest mumbles something over it, which none of the bystanders comprehend. They never tell what they have said; and the prayer, if such it may be called, is held too sacred to be made known to any but the initiated: it is, however, an address to some unknown spirit, who they suppose holds in his hands the destinies of men and of birds. I have however been informed, that the general contents of this prayer are, that the child may be so influenced by this spirit, as to become cruel, brave, warlike, troublesome, adulterous, murderous, a liar, a thief, a disobedient person, and, in a word, that he may be guilty of every crime. Emblematically of this, small

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TAPUS
pebbles, about the size of a very large pin's head, are thrust down its throat, to make its heart callous, hard, and incapable of pity. After the prayer has been uttered, and the pebbles swallowed, the child is carried home in the arms of the person by whom he was baptized: and if he has received the name of any great man, he is presented to the friends of that person who are present, to be eaten by them; because the child has assumed a name which ought to be considered sacred, and is thereby deemed guilty of an almost unpardonable offence. As a ransom for the life of the infant, and for the presumption of the priest; large presents of food are made to all strangers--a feast is prepared--the child is restored, with singing, into the arms of its parents--and old and young sit down to enjoy themselves, in true New-Zealand style.

From their method of baptizing, we proceed to notice the "tapus" of this people, with which every thing they do is more or less connected. This system of consecration--for this is the most frequent meaning of the term "tapu"--has prevailed through all the islands of the South Seas; but no where to a greater extent than in New Zealand. It enters into all their labours, pervades all their plans, influences many of their actions, and, in the absence of a better security, secures their persons and their property. Sometimes it is used for political, and at other times for religious, purposes: sometimes it is made the means of saving life; and at other times, it is the ostensible reason

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TAPUS OF NEW ZEALAND.
for taking life away. A man who has touched a very young child, or has approached a corpse, or has rendered the last sad offices of friendship for a friend, is strictly tapued for several days; and is not allowed to touch food with his hands, nor in any way to feed himself, but by picking up his sustenance from the ground with his lips and teeth. At the time of planting the kumera (convolvulus batatas}, or sweet potato, all who are engaged in the work, either in digging or preparing the ground, or sorting the seed, are under precisely the same restrictions. The land itself is also made sacred; and no person, but he who has been tapued for the purpose, is allowed to place his foot near the spot, or to pluck up the weeds which grow rankly around the roots of the vegetable. In their great fishing-expeditions for mackarel, all concerned in making or mending the nets, the ground upon which those nets are made, the river upon the banks of which the work goes on, are all in a state of sacredness; -- no person is allowed to walk over the land; no canoe or other vessel to pass up or down the river; no fire is allowed to be made within a prescribed distance; no food to be prepared, until the tapu ceases, and the restrictions are taken off; which is not till the net is finished and has been wetted with the sacred water, and till a fish has been taken and eaten by him to whom the net belongs. The strictest of their tapus are, however, connected with their dead, and with the

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TAPUS OF NEW ZEALAND
place where the body of the deceased is buried, or where his bones are finally placed. So sacred is the spot considered upon which a chief has died, that all upon that spot is destroyed with fire: but the people are generally so careful of their property, that they carry a sick person to the side of a stream, erect a small shed, just sufficient to shelter him from the rain, or to screen him from the rays of the sun, that the destruction which takes place at his death may not be any injury to those who survive. An old woman is generally appointed to feed and otherwise attend upon the sick man, in order that, during the length of time in which the nurse is obliged to remain in a state of consecration, the men may not be interfered with in any work wherein they are engaged, whether it be a work of profit or pleasure. There are several ways of placing the tapu upon both persons and things, and as many ways of removing the restriction: all is, however, accompanied by some unintelligible jargon, so rapidly enunciated, as to render its scope, to say the least, very dubious. At the removal of a tapu, the ceremony is that of passing a consecrated piece of wood over the right shoulder, round the loins, and back again over the left shoulder; after which the stick is broken in two, and either buried, burned, or cast into the sea. Old women are generally the persons who suffer most, or, rather, who are most frequently honoured with the tapu, and with all the works connected with it; though there are

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TAPUS OF NEW ZEALAND.
some with which they have never any thing to do. The head of a chief is always, and at all times, considered as most sacred; and when his hair is either cut or dressed, he himself, with the person who operated upon him, dare not engage in any work, nor partake of any food, except in the way prescribed to all who are rendered sacred from that or from other circumstances. To use the scissors, or the shell, with which the operation was performed, for any thing else, or for any other person, would be a terrible profanation of sacred things, and would render the person, who had dared so to appropriate it, liable to the severest punishment. A chief, on account of his sacred character, never carries food; and if any one places food over his head, it is taken as a curse, and as a threat that he shall be eaten as a relish for the food, be it kumera, corn, or potatoes, that may have been put in this position. No chief is ever allowed to eat within the house; and for a slave to presume to do so, would, under almost any circumstances, ensure his destruction. It is on account of their numerous tapus, and the utter impossibility of steering clear of them all, that the natives of New Zealand never want excuses for their depredations upon each other. No predatory excursion was ever undertaken, but, when all other reasons failed, the breach of some tapu has been urged as a justification of the proceeding, to whatever extent it might have been carried. There are some persons of rank who are

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TAPUS OF NEW ZEALAND.
scarcely ever from under restrictions. They are sent for upon all particular occasions; and not to attend upon the calls of those who would thus honour them, would be to lower their dignity and importance in the sight of the people. After the completion of some special work, I have known the "poapoa," or sacred food, to be carried on a spear upwards of sixty miles, in order that it might be eaten by some great man, and that he may become tapued, as an honour to himself and to the circumstance out of which the tapu arose. The person who carries this food is not allowed to eat or drink, whatever may be his wants, or however long the journey, till he has laid his sacred burden at the feet of him by whom it is to be devoured. I have met them fainting by the way, and not daring to come near any refreshment, much less to partake of it. I have, however, at times, succeeded in my attempts to cause them to break through this ridiculous custom. I have opened my own box, and fed them with my own food; they satisfying themselves that it was no breach of the tapu, because they were fed by a European, and it was European food of which they partook. In considering the general character of their tapus, the distress in which it involves them, the dreadful crimes to which it sometimes leads, and --though ridiculed by the more sensible among them, and by these observed only for political purposes--the hold it has upon the heart, the affections, or the fears, of the great majority, we

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MEDICINE----DREAMS.
cannot but consider it as a curse. Surely no stronger fetter of delusion was ever imposed by the great enemy of souls, to keep the heart of man in eternal bondage!

Superstition has taken the place of medical or surgical operations; and the purpose of the designing is better answered by this, than by the application of any remedy that could be devised. When a person is afflicted with a pain in the back or loins, he lies down, and employs another to jump and tread upon him, to remove the pain. A wound is always bruised with a stone, to excite bleeding; and afterwards held over the smoke of a fire. Boils are pressed long before ripe, and the patient put to long and excruciating torture. There is only one application which I know them to make use of--the leaf or root of the flax (Phormium tenax), beat to a pulp, heated, and applied hot; or the root of the Rengarenga (Arthropodium cirratum), scraped and applied in the same way, to bring forward any abscesses or tumours, where matter is forming. In all internal disorders, inflammation, consumption, &c., the patient lies down, sends for a priest, despairs, and dies.

Dreams are much regarded by the people of this country, and have an amazing influence over their conduct. When any great work is about to be undertaken, an old man, or an old woman, is sure to dream concerning the matter, and to interpret it in such a way as to answer the purpose of their friends, or to fulfil their own wishes. A

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DREAMS--OMENS.
village is, at times, thrown into a state of the greatest consternation by the midnight cry of a few old women, who declare that, in their sleep, they have seen the spirit of the chief dancing before them, or his head placed on a pole, in the middle of the village. The interpretation is, that he is dead, or that some direful misfortune has befallen him. All are excited to go immediately to the place where he may be visiting, if, perchance, they may yet be able to deliver him out of the hands of his enemies, or from the machinations of his pretended friends. It turns out, after all, that the whole has been a trick: the old women had consulted together, how they could best hasten home the return of their husband, or father, or brother, or friend. --Dreams descend, from the most momentous affairs, down to the most trivial ones. The person who, one night, relates his visions concerning the other world, or the prospects of a general war, will, with the same seriousness of voice and gesture, relate, the next night, his dreams concerning shooting a pigeon or a sparrow, or going a short and unimportant journey.

Next to dreams may be mentioned the omens, good and bad, and their method of consulting the oracle, if it may be so called, to know which tribe shall be cut off in any warfare wherein they may be about to engage. The omens mostly regarded are those of birds. For an owl to utter its cry during a consultation, is a bad sign. For a hawk

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CONSULTING THE ORACLE.
to fly over the heads of those who are settling the affairs of war, is a certain assurance of success in whatever they undertake. For a dove to coo, at the moment when a man-child is born, is a prognostication that by him some great things are to be brought about, &c.

With respect to consulting the oracles, I am not aware that it is ever resorted to, but in cases where several tribes have joined together for the purpose of making an excursion against some distant tribes, with whom they are at enmity. The youngest son in a family, where all are come to years of maturity, is the person called upon to make the experiment. He selects a spot, well sheltered from the wind; and clears it from fern, weeds, and vegetation, about six feet square; after which he carefully selects a number of sticks, of equal size, answering to the number of the tribes, on either side, likely to be engaged in the war. When the heavens are perfectly calm, and not a breath of wind stirring, he places these sticks in an exactly perpendicular position, and in two rows, to represent the contending parties, drawn out in battle array. He gives the name of a tribe to each of the sticks: "This is the Ngai te waki; that, the Nga ti rahairi; this is the Uri kapana; and this, the Nga te tau tahi." When he has completed his arrangements, he mutters a number of sentences over the whole; and retires to a distance, to watch the effect of the rising of the wind upon his soldiers. Should the wind come in

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CONSULTING THE ORACLE.
such a direction as to cause the sticks representing the enemy to fall backwards, or in a retreating form, their destruction is certain: should they fall in an oblique direction, they will only be partly routed: but should they fall in a forward position, so as thereby to be drawn nearer the other party, then, instead of being routed or destroyed, they will become the victors. The same with respect to the position in which the sticks happen to fall, representing their own tribes. -- There is another method of doing it; which is, that when the sticks are all erected, a person, who knows nothing as to which party either side is to represent, throws them down at random; and the position in which they fall is considered as decisive of the events of the subsequent battle. Of course, this is open to much juggling and tricking. The person performing can generally suit his answers to the disposition of the party on one side concerned: he generally knows with absolute certainty from which quarter the wind will come, and he can suit his arrangements accordingly*; or he can give a private intimation to the person whom he intends to call in, to be careful where he lets fall his hands, and as to whom he pronounces to be the conqueror.

The most implicit confidence is sometimes placed in this experiment; but some have found,

*The New Zealanders are close observers of the appearances of the heavens, and are seldom deceived in their prognostications.

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SUPERSTITIOUS FEARFULNESS.
to the cost of their lives, that they have been miserably deceived, and were by their own lies hurried on to their destruction. This was the case with respect to the greater portion of the party cut off by the natives of Tauranga, when they went down there to seek for satisfaction, after the death of their friends in the battle of Kororareka: their dreams and their oracles, except in one case, spake loudly for them; but only one returned to tell the miserable tale of the destruction of all his companions. --The person who consults the oracle always carries the sticks with him to the battle; and should the expedition move by water, he has a canoe which is strictly tapued, and into which no food is allowed to be put. The medicine, and the garments for wrapping up the heads of their friends, should they lose them in the fight, are all that is allowed to be carried in this sacred vessel.

The natives of New Zealand, like all others of uncultivated minds, are superstitious, and fond of telling the most romantic and frightful tales. They have a great dread of being out in the night; and fancy every thing they hear and see is coming to harm or to destroy them: hence, we always find, a native, when travelling alone, manages to arrive at some village before sun-set, that he may ensure himself company for the hours of darkness, and not be exposed to the dangers which he dreads. There are certain seasons of the year in which they are more superstitious than at others; at least, the mania at that

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SUPERSTITIOUS FEARFULNESS.
time seems more generally to seize them. 1 have known them refuse to go out alone, by night or by day, if their journey would lead them out of the hearing of their friends, or out of sight of the village. They are possessed with a kind of indefinite fear, and indescribable dread, which, with all their efforts, they are unable, or profess themselves to be unable, to shake off: at times, they say it is the fear of meeting the Paraus, or slaves, who have run away, and are living by murder and robbery in the bush; though no one was ever known to have been either robbed or murdered by them, nor does any person ever recollect to have seen one of these poor runaways. At other times, it is attributed to the dread of witchcraft; and the certainty they feel, that if met by an enemy, open or secret, who possesses this power, they shall be bewitched, and their lives taken away by secret means, which the persons would not dare to do openly or by violence.

Some very strange ideas exist among them with respect to accidents at sea. If a ship is lost in entering the harbour of Hokianga, it is attributed to the anger of the Taniwa, sea-monster, or god, who has raised himself under the vessel, and overturned it If ever a person has committed a crime, gone over any consecrated ground, touched an interdicted article, or in the remotest way broken a tapu, he is in the utmost terror with respect to this Taniwa, and imagines that he cannot possibly go upon the water without

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BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT.
receiving some serious injury from him, or, in all probability, without losing his life. And to such an extent has this sometimes been carried, that expeditions of a very important character have been prevented from being put into execution; or have been delayed so long, as to render them futile.

A belief in witchcraft almost universally prevails: with some, however, as with the tapu, it is only held for political purposes, or to serve as an excuse for an assault upon some party weaker than themselves. When a chief, his wife, or child, are taken ill, they are immediately said to be under the power of witchcraft; but the name of the person who has bewitched them is not told, till it becomes convenient to commit some act of aggression; when the reason given is, that they were the treacherous cause of the sickness or death of their friends. It is true, that sometimes there are people here who are found to assume to themselves the powers of witchcraft, and to brave all the dangers attendant upon the pretended practice of it. These individuals are consulted, and engaged to cast an evil spell upon some one whom they wish to destroy: it is but rarely that they refuse to act as desired, and mumble out prayers and curses upon the intended victim. Should it happen, that, about this time, sickness or death should overtake the person said to be bewitched, there is but small chance of the wizard escaping the punishment due to his guilt. Urged by the hope of worldly gain, he generally

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CUSTOMS OF NEW ZEALAND.
goes on, for a time, more recklessly than ever. But I have seldom known a man, who for any length of time has professed the sin of witchcraft, die a natural death: he has fallen by the hands of the violent man; and that destruction which he was at all times willing to bring upon others, for the sake of the reward he should receive for his evil deeds, or for the revenge which he had fostered in his heart, has unexpectedly overtaken him, and struck the deadly blow; when the wizard has gone down to the grave, unpitied and unavenged.

We proceed to notice the nature of the marriage-contract in New Zealand, and the ceremonies, or rather the unceremonious proceedings, with which it is attended. Marriages generally take place amongst relatives and friends; and it is very rare that a wife is taken from another, or from a strange tribe. When a chief is desirous of taking to himself a wife, he fixes his views upon one, and, without consulting her feelings or wishes upon the subject, proceeds to take her by force, should the match be objected to by herself or her immediate friends. A scuffle generally ensues; and in the midst of it, the poor woman comes off with many hurts and bruises: what between the determination of her friends to hold her, and that of the suitor to drag her to himself, she is sometimes much mauled and injured. When the man has succeeded, a feast is given, and the new married couple proceed in peace to their home: their

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MARRIAGE----POLYGAMY.
peace is, however, not of any long duration. In order that the bridegroom may be duly honoured, he is visited by a stripping-party; with whom he and his people have a struggle and a dance, talk over the marriage, and ratify the whole by feasting the visitors, who return home laden with food, and sometimes with presents from the bridegroom and the bride. Polygamy is allowed here to any extent: there is, however, but one principal or chief wife; the others, except in very rare cases, are looked upon rather as concubines than wives: the children of either are, however, cared for equally by the father, and are equally the objects of his affection and love. Adultery is punished with the utmost severity, both parties suffering the extreme penalty of the law: and should they not be punished to the death, yet the kicks, and wounds and bruises, which they receive, are so numerous and so dreadful, as scarcely to render a protracted life desirable. Polygamy has been the fruitful source of much evil in this ill-governed land; and many murders of a most appalling nature might be traced to its influence. The various wives become jealous of one another: this leads to frequent quarrels; and a quarrel, whence once commenced, does not easily subside. They invent all manner of lies to ruin for ever the objects of their hatred; and if not able to succeed in their attempts to rouse the jealousy of their husbands, the savage and relentless passion which burns in their own bosom causes them to put a period to

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JEALOUSIES AND QUARRELS IN THEIR FAMILIES
their own existence, or to that of their helpless offspring, though hanging upon the breast, or even before the birth. The quarrels of the women have very often been the cause of infanticide; which at one time, through jealousy, existed to an alarming extent in this country. It has been my painful lot to be an eye-witness of several cases of infanticide, the mother being the destroyer of her own child. I have seen the helpless infant strangled in a moment, and then cast into the sea, or thrown to the dogs or the pigs. Not unfrequently, a few days after its birth, has the little sleeping baby been enclosed in the death-grasp of an infuriated woman, who, but for the jealousy which raged within, would have given her own life to save that of her infant. * A further evil attendant upon polygamy, and arising out of the quarrels and jealousy of the women, is, that their tales are carried, much exaggerated, to other tribes, and to other parties connected in some measure with the aggrieved person. This gives rise to angry feelings among the people; an opportunity presents itself, in a sham-fight, or at a feast, to strike a harder or more home-blow than is usual upon such occasions; --the man retaliates; a severe scuffle ensues; some are wounded; and all retire to their homes, vowing revenge, and cherishing a hostile feeling towards each other, which

*It is not true, as represented in a recent publication, that New-Zealand mothers eat their own children. This is too horrible, even for them!

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JEALOUSIES AND QUARRELS IN THEIR FAMILIES.
may eventually terminate in the loss of many lives. Great opposition is made to any one taking, except for some political purpose, a wife from another tribe; so that such intermarriages seldom occur. In the Mission, however, we have endeavoured, as much as possible, to persuade them to allow us to intermarry their sons and daughters, though the parties have been of different tribes, and belonging to those who are their open or secret enemies; and we have succeeded, beyond our most sanguine expectations. The result of it has been, that a better understanding has been established; contending parties have become reconciled to each other; and those who from time immemorial were enemies, have been made friends, and have joined together in one common cause. Polygamy does not now exist to any thing like the extent it formerly did; and infanticide and self-murder are almost banished from among the natives in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Islands.

As the feelings of the natives of these islands are easily roused to anger, and as it takes but little to work them up to the highest pitch of fury, so the traits of their affection and kindness are easily called forth in their strongest outlines. Though I have seen them exceedingly patient under injuries, yet a small apparent cause will wake up the untamed spirit that dwells within. When once, however, the savage man is roused, it is impossible to say to what lengths of reck-

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REAL AND AFFECTED FEELINGS ON DEPARTURE, OR RETURN.
less and desperate revenge he will go, or where his fury will end. In outward tokens of affection, no people can be more fervent. They delight in making long faces and whimpering noises; cantingly, and at times hypocritically, desiring to make it appear that they have a great regard for an individual, even when, in heart, they despise or hate him; though they will not generally, nor with great eagerness, pronounce their Haere mai , "Come hither!" when they intend treacherously to injure the person or persons approaching. No sooner does a stranger appear in sight, than he is welcomed with the usual cry of "Come hither! come hither!" from numerous voices, and is immediately invited to eat of such provisions as the place affords. Should he be the friend of any persons to whom they are known, he is pressed with questions concerning their welfare and their employments. Nor is he ever dismissed without having told where he is going; what is his business; when he shall return; what ship, if he be a European, he arrived in; what property he possesses; and what are his intentions with respect to them and their country.

The affectionate disposition of the people appears more, however, in the departure and return of friends. Should a friend be going a short voyage, to Port Jackson, or Van Dieman's Land, a great display of outward feeling is made: it commences with a kind of ogling glance, then a whimper, and an affectionate exclamation; then

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REAL AND AFFECTED FEELINGS ON DEPARTURE, OR RETURN.
a tear begins to glisten in the eye; a wry face is drawn; then they will shuffle nearer to the individual, and at length cling round his neck. They then begin to cry outright, and to use the flint about the face and arms; and, at last, to roar most outrageously, and almost to smother with kisses, tears, and blood, the poor fellow who is anxious to escape all this. On the return of friends, or when visited by them from a distance, the same scene, only more universally, is gone through; and it is difficult to keep your own tears from falling at the melancholy sight they present, and the miserable howlings and discordant noises which they make. There is much of the cant of affection in all this; for they can keep within a short distance of the person over whom they know they must weep, till they have prepared themselves by thinking, and have worked themselves up to the proper pitch; when, with a rush of pretended eagerness, they grasp their victim (for that is the best term to use), and commence at once to operate upon their own bodies, and upon his patience. There is one thing worthy of observation, that, as they can command tears to appear, upon all occasions, at a moment's warning, so they can cease crying when told to do so, or when it becomes inconvenient to continue it longer. I was once much amused at a scene of this kind, which happened at a village called Kaikohi, about ten miles from the Waimate. Half-a-dozen of their friends and relations had returned, after an

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RIGHTS OF POSSESSION OF PROPERTY
absence of six months, from a visit to the Thames. They were all busily engaged in the usual routine of crying; when two of the women of the village, suddenly, at a signal one from the other, dried up their tears, closed the sluices of their affection, and very innocently said to the assembly: "We have not finished crying yet: we will go and put the food in the oven, cook it, and make the baskets for it, and then we will come and finish crying; perhaps we shall not have done when the food is ready; and if not, we can cry again at night." All this, in a canting, whining tone of voice, was concluded with a "Shan't it be so? he! shan't it be so? he!" I spoke to them about their hypocrisy, when they knew they did not care, so much as the value of a potato, whether they should ever see those persons again, over whom they had been crying. The answer I received was-- "Ha! a New Zealander's love is all outside: it is in his eyes, and his mouth." The return of children to their parents, after a short absence, is truly affecting: there is the real anguish of joy, the pain of pleasure; and the inward feeling of their hearts is then strikingly portrayed on their countenances.

The New Zealanders are by no means suspicious of foreigners. It is true, they dislike the French, and have done so ever since the destruction of Captain Marion, in the Bay of Islands: but the English and the Americans, notwithstanding the many injuries they have received

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RIGHTS OF POSSESSION OF PROPERTY.
from them, are always cordially welcomed, and, in most instances, sought after and encouraged. I have known a thousand Europeans and Americans in the Bay of Islands at one time--it was the case in March 1834; yet no jealousy was expressed by the natives, that, from their numbers, they intended to take possession of the island, or that they wished to do so. I believe a severe struggle would ensue, before they would allow any force to take possession of their soil, or of any portion of it, without what they deemed a fair equivalent The rights of possession are held most sacred in New Zealand; and every one knows the exact boundaries of his own land, which remains his until death, or till the consequences of war take it from him. A strong tribe may make war upon one that is weaker; and if they conquer, the land, with all upon it, belongs to them. But where the people have remained unconquered, and have possessions at a distance, they sometimes allow those possessions to be occupied by another, but fail not, every year, to assert their right to the place, by claiming the fat of the rats; or by going in a body, if it be forest-land, to shoot and carry away the pigeons, in the season; or to demand a portion of the payment, if any has been received from Europeans or others, for timber.

The punishment inflicted upon those who have planted upon another man's ground, without permission having been granted, is, taking away the crop when it is ripe: and should the person who

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PUNISHMENTS IN NEW ZEALAND.
has thus acted be the stronger, and able to defend his crop, he still invariably sends a portion of it to the party, as an acknowledgment that the land did indeed belong, originally, to that party.

The punishments of the New Zealanders are not commonly severe. They strongly reprobate the punishments adopted by the white people, as extremely cruel. Theft, if persevered in, is sometimes visited with a severe blow from a stick or paddle across the head; --the breach of a tapu, with the loss of property*; --cursing,

*The following instance will illustrate both the strictness of the tapu, and the manner in which the disregard of it, in a work of mercy, was most strangely requited. --As I was one day coming up the Kerikeri river, I observed a large party of natives on the banks; sounds of lamentation struck upon my ear; and it was evident, from the appearance of the group, that something melancholy had happened. I immediately put up the helm, and made for the shore; where I found that Tareha, a chief of great importance, was under a strict tapu; so strict, that no one dared to touch him, nor to approach within a certain distance of him. He had been eating cod-fish, and a bone had stuck in his throat. He was in a state of suffocation and of great agony. No one, for fear of his own life, which would have been forfeit, had he touched the chief, would go near him. I immediately went up to the suffering man, and, after some little difficulty, succeeded in extracting the bone. I then sat down, and entered into conversation with the natives; reasoning with them upon the absurdity of their practices, which would allow a man to perish without rendering him assistance. When I had thus been engaged about half-an-hour, Tareha was so far recovered as to be able to speak: when, to my utter astonishment, the first words he uttered were a command to his people to take from me the instruments with which the bone had been extracted, as a payment for having drawn blood from him, and for touching his head when he was sacred. I however preserved my case of instruments; and was suffered to depart scathless, though I had committed so great a crime as to touch the sacred person of a chief, and to draw blood from him. --It may be here remarked, that formerly I scarcely ever administered a dose of medicine without the native, who had taken it, coming, after his recovery, to demand payment for taking my medicine. This state of things is now changed: most of the natives are willing to pay for what they receive; and all will at least acknowledge the benefit, with their thanks.

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OPINION OF EUROPEAN PUNISHMENTS.
with the same punishment; --adultery, with death. They exclaim loudly against our method of executing criminals; first telling them they are to die; then letting them lie for days and nights in prison, to think over what is to happen to them; and then leading them slowly to the gallows, and keeping them waiting some time at the foot of it, before they are hanged. "This," when we upbraid them with cruelty, "this," say they, "is more cruel than any thing we do. If a man commits a crime worthy of death, we shoot him, or chop off his head; but we do not tell him first that we are going to do so. We secretly load our guns; or go behind, and strike; and before the blow can he felt, he is dead." Were man like the brutes that perish, this might by many be regarded as the more merciful course. But the law of England herein is merciful, that it gives time to the sinner to reflect, and, by the help of the various means of grace, to seek the way of peace with God, before entering into the presence of his Supreme Judge, to be by him received into happiness, or consigned to misery for ever.

Viewed as an uncivilized people, the natives of New Zealand are industrious; and, compared with

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ACTIVE HABITS.
their more northern brethren, they are a hardworking race. There is no effeminacy about them: they are obliged to work, if they would eat: they have no yams, nor cocoas, nor bananas, growing without cultivation; and the very fern-root, upon which they used, in former times, principally to feed, is not obtained without immense labour. In the luxurious climate of the Friendly Islands, there is scarcely any need of labour, to obtain the necessaries, and even many of the luxuries, of life. Blessed with a soil peculiarly rich, and which is fed with the superabundance of its own vegetation--with an atmosphere remarkably humid and hot--all the tropical fruits and roots nourish with the utmost rankness, without the aid of man; and the most costly supplies of food can be obtained without difficulty. The natives are consequently idle, to a proverb; and when I was there, their reception of the Gospel had not excited them to improve their temporal condition, or to add, by industry, to their comforts: and since my return, in 1830, the Missionaries themselves declare, that "the natives will not work, and that their vagrant and idle habits are not at all improved." This is by no means the case in New Zealand: there are no fruits nor vegetables of indigenous and spontaneous growth; all they have must be cultivated, and tended constantly. Nine months in the year, a great portion of the natives are employed on their grounds; and there are only two months in which they can say they have nothing to do. It

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FOOD OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.
is a remarkable circumstance, that these two months are not in their calendar; they do not reckon them; nor are they in any way accounted of. "It is a time," the natives say, "not worthy to be reckoned, as it is only spent in visiting, feasting, talking, playing, and sleeping." They compute time by moons, of which they count ten in the course of the year, reckoning three moons for one at the latter end of autumn. The reason they give for this is, that, during two months between autumn and winter, they have nothing to do in the way of cultivation: their time, consequently, is then occupied, as has been stated above, in comparative idleness. They are generally very correct in then* time; and take their season for planting by the blossoms which appear upon some of the early shrubs.

The food with which the New Zealanders now provide themselves, is various. It was formerly confined to the sweet-potato, the fern-root, and fish, with the sweet stalk of the Tawara (Astilia angustifolia ), a parasitical plant, growing between the branches of the Kahikatoa and Puriri trees. They have now potatoes of various descriptions, a larger species of the Convolvulus batatas than they formerly possessed, melons, pumpkins, green calabash, cabbage, onions, yams, peaches, Indian-corn, and various esculent roots; besides a large quantity of pork; which, with the birds they are now able to shoot, and the immense quantity of fish they catch, renders their bill of fare no very

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THEIR FOOD, AND METHODS OF PREPARING FOOD.
contemptible one. Their method of cooking these viands is very simple: a circular hole is dug in the ground, rounded at the bottom, like the inside of a basin: this is filled with dry fire-wood, and small stones. When the stones are heated to redness, they are taken out of the oven, and the place cleared from any remains of burning wood; a part of the hot stones are then placed in the oven again; and a wreath of damped leaves is laid round the outside, to prevent the earth from falling in, or the food from rolling to the side. The potatoes are put in wet, and any other vegetable placed upon the top of them: if animal food is to be cooked, hot stones are put inside, to ensure its being thoroughly done. The whole being in the oven, a quantity of fresh leaves are laid on, over which are placed a few natives'-baskets, made of flax; a calabash-full of water is then poured over the top, which causes the steam to arise; and all is immediately covered with earth, till none of the steam is seen to escape. They judge very exactly the time when animal food is done; and the sign of vegetable matter being sufficiently cooked, is the steam beginning to penetrate through the earth with which the oven is covered. The whole process, from the commencement to the end, takes about an hour and a half, when the oven is not larger than to cook one meal for eight or ten persons.

They are also very partial to roasted maize and potatoes, and to grilled or fried pigeons or fish;

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THEIR FOOD, AND METHODS OF PREPARING FOOD.
and when travelling, they seldom stop to cook in any other way, till they have ended their journey for the day. They take but two meals a day; one at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the other at night. They are, however, constantly nibbling; and have mostly a little cold food in reserve, hung upon a small stick by their side, in case they should feel hungry] before the hour arrives for the next stated meal. They are not gluttonous: it is but rarely that they eat animal food of any description: and it must take a large quantity of vegetables to satisfy a hungry lad or man, whose appetite has been whetted by long fasting, who is continually out in the open air, and who, six nights out of seven, sleeps with no other covering than his garment and the starry sky.

They have a method of drying eels, which makes them very delicious, and causes them to keep good for many months. When dried, they require no further cooking, but are ready to be eaten upon the removal of the skin. They tie them in rows, between six small sticks; and place them over a very slow and smoking fire, where they remain for several days; by which means the fat does not ooze through, nor any of the rich juices escape, and the full flavour of the eel is preserved for a length of time, as good as though just taken out of the water. Their method of preparing the mackarel is different from this: when taken, it is gutted, thoroughly washed with sea-water, and hung up to drain; it is after-

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METHOD OF PREPARING THEIR FOOD.
wards put into the oven, and half cooked; then placed upon a wattled stage, about ten feet from the ground, under which burns a good strong fire during the night, but which is quenched by day, that the fish may be dried in the sun. The mackarel, thus prepared, eat very short, and are a favourite winter-food amongst the great folks of the land. They also prepare oysters, cockles, large and small muscles, and other shell-fish, in the same way; only that, when taken out of the oven, they are no more exposed to the action of fire, but threaded on a piece of flax, and hung upon the branches of trees to dry. The cultivation, and catching, and preparing their various viands occupy no small portion of their time. Their mouths are almost always going, whether at work or at play: if they have no news to tell -- no food to eat -- no pipe to smoke -- they will chew the gum which oozes from the Kauri-tree; and having chewed, without diminishing, the lump, till their jaws are tired, they pass it from one to the other, till it has gone the round of the whole party; when it is carefully rolled up in a clean leaf, and reserved till the morrow, or till some future opportunity. Often have I, most politely, been offered, out of the toothless mouth of an old woman, or of a tobacco-chewing old man, this precious morsel, to have my share of its sweets.

The New Zealanders are also fond of extracting, by suction, the sweets from the stalk of the Indian-corn. They would gladly ferment it, and make

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METHOD OF PREPARING THEIR FOOD.
a beverage, if they possessed the means. They are very partial to sweets; and have long been in the habit of purchasing sugar. The old men do not at all value European fruits; but the youngsters take great care of their trees, both to sell, and to partake of the produce. They make up very strange mixtures as a relish: some of the ingredients are, at times, highly flavoured: any thing that is much tainted, however, they always reject. The following melange I have seen made; a piece of hollowed wood being the vessel in which the ingredients were mixed: --The stem of the before-mentioned parasitical plant, Tawara, scraped and beat to a pulp; a few peaches and onions, chopped with a hatchet; a few cooked potatoes and kumera (the fruit of the Kohutuhutu, Fuchsia excorticata )*; the brains of a pig; a little lard or train-oil; the juice of the Tupakihi (Coriaria sarmentosa ), a berry similar in taste to that of the elder, whose leaves, branches and seed, are highly poisonous; and a little sugar, if they possess it; --these, all mixed together, are pressed to a pulp with the hands, which are often introduced into the mouth of the cook, who in this way manages to satisfy his own appetite, in tasting his dish before it is served up.

The use of tobacco is almost universally adopted throughout the island: it is mostly consumed

*A berry somewhat smaller than the sloe, sweetish, but rather insipid, and emitting a delicious perfume. The juice of this fruit, when boiled, is of a bright purple.

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USE OF TOBACCO.
with the pipe. I do not regret the introduction of this article, as far as the health of the people is concerned. When heated at night, I have known them come out of their little huts, and sit naked on the dewy grass, to cool themselves; and then retire to bed again: whereas, now, when they are in their most profuse perspirations, they rise, fill their pipe, light it, and sometimes smoke it in the house; which gives time for the perspiration to subside gradually, and they do not come, reeking hot, from a highly-heated hut, into the cold, raw, damp air of night: by this means many colds are avoided, and much sickness prevented. On this ground, then, I do not regret the introduction and general use of tobacco, particularly as it has not hitherto led to the drinking of spirituous or fermented liquors. Drunkenness on the coast is practised much more by persons not addicted to smoking; and those who take to drinking usually discard the use of tobacco.

Their list of games is very short: their most delightful recreation is talking, and telling wonders; which exercise occupies most of their idle hours, and many of those which are shrouded in darkness and ought to be devoted to sleep. Before the introduction of the musket, the spear was much used as sport, to throw at small birds in the woods, or at the ducks on the lakes and rivers. Now, the more certain instrument of destruction is substituted in its place, and shooting is become a very favourite amusement with the young men

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GAMES.
of the island. They handle their gun awkwardly, but take pretty sure aim when the object is stationary: they seem, however, not to have the least notion of shooting flying. --Ti, is a game with their fingers, in which they count, and are remarkably dextrous in detecting an error. He, who the greatest number of times can place his fingers instantaneously in a certain position, on the repetition of a word chosen out of a given number, at the option of the opponent, is the winner. The rapidity with which the words are spoken, and the dexterity with which the hands are placed in the required position, are astonishing: practice from childhood is requisite to make a person perfect master of the game*. --Running, climbing, swimming, wrestling, flying kites, and tossing the poi, a ball about the size of a good cricket-ball, are most of the games of native origin: cricket, quoits, draughts, and a few others of English extraction, complete the number of their sports. They are fond of imitation, and, if instructed, would draw well. They will correctly delineate a ship upon paper, with a pencil, or with chalk or charcoal on the wall, or with their fingers upon the sands: some draw, with tolerable accuracy, men, horses, cattle, sheep, houses, or any other object; and from recollection, and to amuse themselves, they will frequently sketch a house, a church, or some other building or object, which may have taken their fancy in Port Jackson.

*A very common game in Italy likewise, and other countries. --ED.

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PASSION FOR WAR.
In the next place, their propensity for war is to be described. The inhabitants of these islands are much inclined to warfare: they drink in the principle with the notions of infancy: the young are trained to acts of oppression and cruelty, both by the precept and example of their parents and friends: but to call them a brave people were a sad mistake, unless a few instances of utter recklessness may be denominated bravery. When attacked, however, they will sometimes fight with the most determined ferocity, for the safety of their wives and near relatives and friends, for their villages and cultivations, and sometimes even for their name. There is no national bond of union amongst them; each one is jealous of the authority and power of his neighbour; the hand of each individual is against every man, and every man's hand against him: and here, as in other countries, where there is no other protection for property than that of force, the strong seldom or never let pass an opportunity of plundering or destroying the weak.

It is but rarely the case that a New Zealander will advance to the attack, unless he is sure of victory. There may be some solitary instances of recklessness, or, we may perhaps say, of boldness, by which tribes have been led on to meet their equals in the field; but these are very rare, and have happened under peculiar circumstances. They are all exceedingly fond of predatory excursions; not with the intention of killing, but to take by force the crops raised by the industry of

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WARLIKE AND PREDATORY EXCURSIONS.
others. These expeditions are, however, generally carried on with some show of justice; they have always a reason to assign for executing vengeance on their neighbours; --adultery has been reported; an oath has been uttered; a tapu broken; a theft committed; a pig has passed over a cultivation; a wife has been taken from another tribe; the people have refused to join in a general warfare; a wife, a child, or a slave punished; --any of these, and causes still more frivolous than the most frivolous of these, are given as reasons for taking all a man or a tribe possesses, and for destroying what the depredators cannot carry away. Some of these expeditions have been attended with the most disastrous consequences: a chief of note accidentally receives a wound; a general skirmish ensues; lives on both sides are lost; and the country becomes involved in a war; which, without the interference of a third party, must end in the extermination of one or other of the tribes, or of one of the grand populous divisions of that part of the island in connexion with either side. When once the spear is hurled, or the musket fired in earnest, no one knows where, or in what, the affair will terminate. The following is an instance: --Wareumu, and a party from the Bay of Islands, went over to Hokianga with the intention of seizing, or destroying, the cultivations of one of the tribes on the banks of that river, as a payment for some nominal or actual crime committed by them. The Hokianga natives

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WARS----PACIFIC INTERVENTION OF THE MISSIONARIES.
had been apprised, by a messenger, of the intentions of the Bay-of-Islanders; and when the party arrived, the stripping commenced and proceeded in the usual way. Rather more roughness was used, however, than is the practice on such occasions; one was wounded with the wadding of a gun; another man fired with ball-cartridge, which took effect; and a native of some rank was laid dead upon the field. The war-cry went forth, the spirit of revenge was let loose, and numbers on either side fell to rise no more. Wareumu, the chief who led the party, was shot through the neck; his wife was a corpse by his side; and on his breathless bosom slept for ever his infant child. News of the affair arrived in the Bay with the speed of lightning: the whole community was roused: a council of chiefs was held; and it was universally determined, that either the natives of Hokianga or the Bay-of-Islanders must cease to exist. Large preparations were made; the forces were nearly equal; arms and ammunition were abundant on either side; and all was bustle and anxiety, in arranging matters for a speedy and exterminating war. Every native acknowledged, that peace, without blood, was impossible; that the breach was too wide to be healed; and that they must, under the circumstances in which they were placed, fight for the honour of their tribes, and to satisfy the manes of their departed chief and friend. No one capable of handling fire-arms was allowed to keep away, except

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WARS----PACIFIC INTERVENTION OF THE MISSIONARIES
the few left for the protection of the women and children. A few days before the different parties began to move to the scene of action, it was suggested, by some of the peaceably-inclined and most influential chiefs, that there was one, and only one, way of making peace, without shedding blood-- that they could not make peace themselves, but that the Missionaries might interfere, and place themselves in the breach, and propose terms; but that it must rest with them, and with them only; -- that if they made peace, it would be ratified; the contending chiefs would secure it, by going into each ether's camps, and by a mutual exchange of civilities. As this opinion prevailed, that peace might be effected by our interference, a regular and formal application was made to the body of Missionaries, to accompany the army, and to use all the influence which they possessed, to prevent them from firing upon each other, and to secure a lasting peace between them. Of course, we acceded to the request; a deputation from our body went across the island; and negociations commenced with the consent of both parties, which, to the joy of all, terminated most happily. Had not peace thus been secured, the consequences of Wareumu's stripping-party would have been dreadful. As it was, the whole passed off with the loss of about thirty individuals, at the commencement of hostilities, and before war had been formally declared. Since that period, the people of Hokianga and those connected with

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LONG-CONTINUED FEUDS.
the Bay have been living on terms of the strictest amity.

At Kororareka, in March 1830, a destructive fight arose; to which the natives were instigated by the master of a whaling-ship at anchor in the Bay. Again and again have the chiefs declared, that the Europeans alone are answerable for all the blood which was then shed; and for all which shall be hereafter shed, in seeking satisfaction for the injuries both parties sustained on that occasion. Again and again, in their public meetings, have they declared, that they should never have fought as they did, if they had not been maddened to it by the taunting language of a European. "Do not wonder," I have heard them say, in the middle of a speech, "do not be surprised, you white people who now hear us, if at some future time we slay you or yours, for what your people have done for us, for our fathers, and our brothers and our friends, whose blood the sands of Kororareka absorbed; and whose lives were, by the instrumentality, or on account of one of you, taken away. Do not wonder--do not wonder! it will be just and right to have blood for blood."

The firing in the battle at Kororareka, in which nearly one hundred lay killed or wounded on the beach, drew the Missionaries over from Paihia. They exposed themselves to danger on every side; and at length succeeded in procuring a cessation of hostilities; and, in a few days, with the assistance of the Rev. Samuel Marsden, who at that

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CHARACTER OF THE WARRIOR, HONGI.
moment arrived in the Bay, established a permanent peace, which has not since been interrupted.

Other battles, of a very destructive character, have taken place; the whole tribes have been swept away, as it were with the besom of destruction. Hongi* destroyed the tribe living at Wangaroa (the people who cut off the crew of the Boyd); and this was nearly the last of this most-warlike man's expeditions. When he was living, he had only to lift up his voice for war, and the people, as with one heart, would rally round his standard, and place themselves under his guidance and direction. Since his death, which happened in March 1828, and which was caused by a ball passing through his lungs (after which, however, he lingered upwards of thirteen months), no master-spirit has arisen to guide the people--no commander has been found, whose influence and talent would bear a comparison with his; and the difficulty of assembling the different tribes for a general war-expedition has been very great. No one dared to refuse when Hongi called: if he did, he was certain to suffer most severely for his refusal. But now, the war-cry may go round the Bay, from house to house, and from village to village, and none answers to the call. It is with the utmost difficulty that a sufficient number can be raised to go out to war, beyond their own immediate district, lest they should be met by a

*This name has, in former publications, been written Shunghee. --ED.

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SLAVERY.
party more powerful than themselves. They well know, that destruction would be their inevitable fate. Woe be to those that are conquered by the New Zealanders! They who are not killed and eaten, are made for ever slaves: and the burden of slavery bears heavily on him on whom it is laid. Obliged at all times to follow the beck of his master; subject to every imaginable indignity; liable, at any moment, to be killed, as a payment for the death of any person of consequence, or for the slightest breach of law, though that law be broken by another; obliged to bear with the caprice of all above himself in rank and fortune--slavery in New Zealand is no light yoke. Yet I have known some slaves of a bold and daring spirit, who have thrown off the yoke, and have assumed an authority which their possessors dared not to repel. Some masters are peculiarly kind to their captives, and allow them, in almost every thing, to have their own way; and in no instance, nor under any circumstances, have I known a case where a slave has been afraid freely to enter into conversation with a chief, or to treat him with the utmost freedom and unconcern; even when that chief has been his master, and has borne the character of a fiery and a cruel man. When working for another person, for which they receive occasional or stated wages, they are allowed to choose their own reward; and the master is well satisfied if he now and then receives a portion as a present; for he

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PLAN OF REDEEMING SLAVES
seldom makes a demand for it as a right. Transferring the services from one master to another, is a matter of frequent occurrence amongst the natives; for which an equivalent is given and received, and the bondsman's former master has no more claim upon him. Sometimes a number of slaves are allowed to return to their own tribes, and are gratuitously restored to their parents or friends. The Mission families have frequently redeemed their domestics from the thraldom of their masters; and have given them their liberty, in order that they may have an opportunity of being married to the person of their choice, or that they may secure to themselves the wages which they receive for their labour. We have several instances of redeemed slaves, living with us, who are married to the daughters of some of the greatest chiefs among us; a circumstance which was never known till the plan of redemption was adopted. The female slaves are all of them the exclusive property of their masters. When any of them have been redeemed, it is for the purpose of being married; that, after their marriage, their masters may not have any claim upon them, nor take them away by force from their husbands. Instances of some of the most happy New-Zealand marriages have occurred, from the adoption of this plan: both parties feel themselves perfectly secure; and know that they are no longer liable to the caprice, jealousy, or cruelty, of their former masters.

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NATURE OF FORTIFICATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND. A Pa, or native fortification, is a place in which the natives of single tribes, or of various tribes, when living near each other and on friendly terms, assemble in times of war, and secure themselves, their wives, their children, and their slaves, from the attacks of the enemy. The site is generally chosen by the side of a river, or on the top of a high table-hill; from whence water may be obtained without much difficulty, or without danger of annoyance from without. Some of these fortifications have cost immense labour, and are remarkably strong; having a double fence on each assailable side, of such dimensions, and put together with so much care, as to render them impregnable to an enemy armed only with muskets, provided the besieged have a sufficient supply of the same instruments of warfare. The inner fence is from twenty to thirty feet in height, formed of large poles and stakes tightly knotted or woven together with torotoro , the fibrous roots of a plant which abounds in the woods; or rather a creeper, climbing to the tops of the highest trees, and having every appearance, when cut down, of a root just taken out of the ground. About every six feet, an image of the most frightful description, and carved with much art, is placed, with a patu , a native weapon, in his hand, in a threatening posture, grinning at the enemy, to scare him away. At a distance of about sixty feet are little square projections, with port-holes, for resting the musket in; from

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NATURE OF FORTIFICATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND.
whence a sweeping fire may be kept up, to the great annoyance and destruction of the besiegers. The outer fence is much more fragile in its materials, but firmly tied; and is intended to keep the enemy in play, and from making a hasty breach in the inner wall; besides which, it materially breaks the force of the fire, and shields the besieged whilst taking aim from within. Should the outer bulwarks be taken, which could only be accomplished by means of hatchets, there would still remain the inner and more secure ones to be mastered; ' which, as it could not be accomplished without much labour, would expose the besiegers to the fury of the party within. I have known them keep up a siege for five or six months, and return without having accomplished any thing, and with the loss of many of their own people; either for want of supplies, or from the bravery of the Pa. The interior of these fortifications may be denominated a city: the houses in them are generally arranged in squares, in which reside the chiefs, their slaves, their wives, and their families. The only egress, in time of war, is through small loop-holes, which a full-grown man has great difficulty in creeping through, and which are confined to the outer fence; the inner one having sliding doors, formed out of a solid piece of wood, secured with bolts and bars, and opened one at a time, and only in cases of necessity. It is evident, that should the enemy attempt to creep through the loop-holes of the outer fence,

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NATURE OF FORTIFICATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND.
in order to assail the inner barrier, he would present his forehead to the fire from within, and would ensure his own destruction. He would, moreover, find a number of the besieged lying in ambush, and ready to receive him in the ditch which separates the two fences one from the other, and which has been dug for the purpose of squatting down in, to fire from, without being exposed to the balls directed at the Pa. So long as the people of the Pa agree amongst themselves, are vigilant and are not cowed, which frequently is the case by the name of some great conqueror (such as Hongi, for instance, whose name carried terror wherever it was sounded in unfriendly terms), they may consider themselves secure; and, should their supplies hold out, they would be able, for any length of time, to resist, or keep at bay, a force much superior to their own. This is especially the case when the ground on which the city stands is elevated--a situation always chosen, if circumstances admit. Some Pas, that is, those which are naturally strong and have excellent means of defence within themselves, have only one enclosure, and that of a very slight character; but, slender as it is, it appears abundantly sufficient to answer every purpose of keeping off an enemy, on account of the disadvantageous post which they, being on so much lower or on such slanting or precipitous ground, or in the water, must necessarily occupy. I have seen one Pa, that of Mawe, which of itself is almost impregnable. It is a

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NATURE OF FORTIFICATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND.
promontory, jutting out nearly a quarter of a mile into the lake; and is only approachable by canoes, except through a narrow defile, cut through a neck of land which joins it to the main, and which alone prevents it from being an island. One hundred native men, even with their limited means, could in ten days cut through this isthmus; which would then form a deep ditch, or moat, always full of water, and would cut off all access from without. This forted eminence was chosen and prepared by Hongi, when he expected to be attacked by some hostile tribes. The arrangement of the portholes in the embankments, and the general way in which it is fortified, shows the genius and, in the opinion of military men, the military skill of this renowned chief. Some of the native Pas are fortified with earth: the hill is levelled perpendicularly from the summit, to about the depth of ten yards, and precludes the possibility of any person's climbing up without great difficulty. To preserve the inhabitants from the missile weapons of the besiegers, walls of turf and clay are built, about three feet above the surface; behind which they lie secure, till the place is taken. These fortifications are mostly found in the northern parts of the island, have a very imposing appearance, and are doubtless much more desirable, as a defence, than any which can be erected of wood; that is to say, with the means which the New Zealanders now possess. The walls are of such a thickness, that no musket-ball can penetrate; and the hills, upon

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NATIVE WEAPONS, AND MODES OF WARFARE.
which they are built, are, for the most part, so high as not to allow a cannon to be brought to bear upon them: and it would seem impossible to take the place with native weapons; or in any way, except by famine.

Next in succession, and immediately connected with fortifications, we must describe the native weapons; most of which have been superseded by the introduction of the musket and the hatchet. -- First in order, and that most effective in reducing a fortified place, is the sling; by which hot stones are flung upon the house-tops, and, unless instantly removed, fire the rushes with which the houses are built, and cause universal devastation through the Pa. So thickly set together are their buildings, and so densely is the place generally peopled, that a fire, once gaining a head, would inevitably destroy the whole place, and force the wretched inhabitants to flee from the devouring element into the arms of their enemies. It appears strange that so effective a method of assault should now be altogether laid aside; for I do not recollect having heard of its ever having been resorted to, since European weapons have been so universally adopted. There were, formerly, various kinds of offensive weapons, adapted to various kinds of warfare: the spear, for distant attack; and the club, and the meri , for more close combat. The latter instrument is made of green talc, in the shape of a beaver's tail, and is used for dashing out the brains or cutting off the head of the

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NATIVE WEAPONS, AND MODES OF WARFARE.
enemy, when he is down. This is the only native weapon which has not been laid aside by the chiefs: it is still a mark of distinction to carry, under their outer garment, or suspended to their girdle, one of the finest of these beautiful specimens of native workmanship; which descend from father to son, as heir-looms in a family, and for scarcely any consideration are they ever parted with. Those made of wood, whalebone, or any other material than the green talc, are not much valued; and may be purchased for a knife, or a pair of scissors, or sometimes for the mere trifle of a fig of negro-head tobacco.

Of the New Zealanders' method of warfare with the musket, little need be said, but that it is carried on by undisciplined troops, without a commander, under the influence of their passions, and destitute of all knowledge. They generally make one grand rush, in a body; then keep up a running-fire, from behind trees, or canoes, or any other object which will conceal them from the view of the persons at whom they are aiming. For the most part, however, they take no aim: but fire at random, and not unfrequently cause that destruction amongst their friends which they had intended for their enemies.

With weapons of their own forming, except the spear, close combat is necessarily resorted to. The savage character of a native-fight is indescribable. Much is sometimes gained by their war-cry, the first shout, and the first volley:

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MODES OF WARFARE.
and the first rush, though they should fall far short of the enemy, gives courage to the one party to advance to the combat, and intimidates, and not unfrequently completely routs, their opponents. The yell is then kept up, as they pursue the enemy, or sing their song of triumph, without having slain a single individual. The dreadful contortions of the countenance, however fantastical they may appear to an English eye, are by them intended to be significant, and are calculated to strike terror into the heart of a New Zealander; as he knows that, if conquered (and he always fears that he shall be), the mouth now so widely and frightfully extended will shortly be his tomb. In some cases, such a thought excites to courage and to ideas of self-preservation. But, however brave they may have been represented, as a people they are the most arrant cowards, trembling at their own shadows, and never venturing to attack, except greatly superior in numbers, or in arms and ammunition. They have been represented as brave, because noisy and furious: they have been considered bold, because, at times, reckless and thoughtless: but their general character only requires to be known, to enable any one to distinguish the broad marks of treachery and cowardice which are stamped upon it. I do not mean to say that they are generally treacherous towards Europeans, as in a subsequent chapter we shall have more particularly to notice; but, that they are treacherous

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CANNIBALISM AFTER BATTLE.
to one another; and no means are neglected of cutting off an obnoxious party, if it can be done without danger to themselves. The Bay-of-Islanders pride themselves much on their frankness and openness; and on no person's having it in his power to lay it to their charge, that, where they have shown friendship, they have been insincere; or that, where they have been trusted, they have behaved treacherously. There is, indeed, no doubt but the southern tribes are much more treacherous than any of those in the Bay.

Cruelty, and a desire to inflict pain, mark all the proceedings of a New-Zealand battle. The blood of the victim is slowly drained from the most sensitive parts of the body; and not unfrequently quaffed, to slake the thirst or to gratify the revenge of the conqueror. The almost-universal conclusion of these bloody scenes is, lamenting over the dead bodies of their friends, cutting off the heads of their enemies, and preparing the bodies for a feast. No doubt can for a moment be entertained, that these people are to be ranked among the Anthropophagi; as, with very few exceptions, they eat the bodies of the chiefs whom they have slain. I cannot, however, think that it is from any desire that the generality of them have to satisfy or to gratify their appetite for human flesh; but from the diabolical spirit of revenge with which they are actuated, which appears in all their movements, and which is never satisfied till exercised to the utmost upon its object.

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CRUELTY AND REVENGE ATTENDING THEIR WARFARE.
Revenge!--yes: the very slightest injuries are never passed by unnoticed or unatoned for in New Zealand: the remembrance is kept up from generation to generation, as a plea for aggression, should an opportunity be presented. It is revenge, fostered by cupidity and a spirit of pride, which leads them to preserve the trunkless heads of their enemies, as trophies of their victory. At some of their feasts, these heads are placed in rows, at the tops of the houses; but, generally speaking, when visited by any of the Missionaries at these seasons, they are covered over with a tapued garment, to conceal them from our view. They are ghastly and dreadful objects--the features are most admirably kept--the hair and beard is uninjured--and nothing seems to be lost from the countenance but the eyes, which are closed up, and give a more death-like appearance to the whole. Taunting language is made use of to the heads, as though they could hear and understand. "What," I have heard them say to these senseless objects, "you wanted to run away, did you?" but my meri overtook you: and after you were cooked, you were made food for my mouth. And where is your father? he is cooked: --and where is your brother? he is eaten: --and where is your wife? there she sits, a wife for me: --and where are your children? there they are, with loads on their backs, carrying food, as my slaves." The custom of preserving the heads of their enemies is of recent date, among the New Zealanders. They formerly used to preserve the heads of their

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CRUELTY AND REVENGE ATTENDING THEIR WARFARE.
friends, and keep them with religious strictness: and it was not till Europeans proposed to buy them, that the idea occurred to them of preparing the heads of their enemies; first, as an article of barter, and, more recently, as a trophy of victory. This inhuman traffic has been carried on to a great extent in the islands; and the natives have ceased altogether to preserve the heads of their friends, lest by any means they should fall into the hands of others and be sold; which, of all ideas, is the one most horrible to them*.

*An action of a most cruel and offensive character was perpetrated by an individual in the Bay of Islands. He had been up to the southward, where he had purchased heads, to the number of twelve or fourteen: these heads belonged to chiefs of the Bay and its neighbourhood, who had been destroyed only a few weeks before. Some natives were on board; when the inhuman wretch went into his cabin, and brought out a bag which contained the heads, and emptied them out, in the presence of the natives: some recognised their fathers -- others their sons--some their brothers, and other near friends and relations. The weeping and lamentation caused by the indignity thus put on the relics of the departed were appalling; and all on board vowed revenge; which they would have taken, could they have mustered strength sufficient. But, before they could do this, the cowardly wretch weighed anchor, and sailed out of the bay. The affair will never be forgotten by the natives; and though years may pass over, they will, if an opportunity presents, take ample vengeance. They met with this same individual, on their expedition to Tauranga, and fired upon him; when he was forced to run away. The heads were carried to Port Jackson, and sold; and when the matter was represented to the local authorities of that place, a Government order was issued, forbidding such a degrading traffic, in that colony, for the future. It will scarcely be credited, that, for the promulgation of this humane order, the Governor was made the object of most virulent attack by some of the colonial newspapers.

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METHOD OF PRESERVING THE HEADS OF THEIR ENEMIES.
Of the method of preserving these heads, there have been various reports, correct in some of the details, and equally incorrect in others. The following account of the process was given me by a chief, who has preserved, and assisted in preserving, many, after the various battles in which he had been engaged. When the head has been cut from the shoulders, the brains are immediately taken out, through a perforation behind, and the scull carefully cleansed inside from all mucilaginous and fleshy matter. The eyes are then scooped out; and the head thrown into boiling water, into which red-hot stones are continually cast, to keep up the heat. It remains till the skin will slip off, and is then suddenly plunged into cold water; whence it is immediately taken, and placed in a native oven, so as to allow the steam to penetrate into all the cavities of the interior of the scull. When sufficiently steamed, it is placed on a stick to dry; and again put into an oven, made for the purpose, about the dimensions of the head. The flesh, which easily slips off the bones, is then taken away; and small sticks are employed, to thrust flax, or the bark of trees, within the skin, so as to restore it to its former shape, and to preserve the features. The nostrils are carefully stuffed with a piece of fern-root; and the lips generally sewn together; though sometimes they are not closed, but the teeth are allowed to appear. It is finished by hanging it, for a few days, to dry in the sun. Should the head

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METHOD OF PRESERVING THE HEADS OF THEIR ENEMIES.
not now be perfectly preserved, which is but rarely the case, or should there be any internal or external appearance of putrefaction, it is again steamed: this operation is continued till the skin is so thoroughly dry, and all other soft matter removed or destroyed, as to ensure it against decomposition, unless much exposed to a humid atmosphere.

When the head of a friend is preserved, as is the case on his being slain in battle and it has not been possible to carry off the whole body, the head is deposited in the sacred grove; and when a friend or near relation visits the village, it is taken out, in order that he may weep over it, and cherish the spirit of revenge against those by whom he fell. The head is generally placed in some conspicuous part of the residence, on a piece of fence, or on the ornament of the roof, over the doorway of a house. The stranger is then led to the spot, and his eyes are directed to the ghastly object before him; when he immediately assumes the attitude of grief, stands in front of the skeleton head, with his body bent almost to the earth, the big tear rolling down his manly cheeks, and in the most melancholy tones gives utterance to the overpowering feelings of his heart; till at length, as his grief subsides, he works himself up into a fit of rage bordering upon madness? at which time, it is well for all poor slaves, both male and female, to keep out of sight, or he might slay one, or more, as a satisfaction to the

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MARAUDING PARTIES.
trunkless head of his friend which is placed before him. When this ceremony is concluded, the head is rolled again in its grave-clothes, and carefully deposited in the burial-place, till required again to excite the passions of some other friend.

A spirit of cupidity, or revenge, or a desire to possess a number of the heads of their enemies, for sale, or to expose as monuments of their bravery, has frequently caused small numbers of natives to go out in parties, along the coast, and to make predatory excursions among the neighbouring tribes, with whom they are not living in the strictest amity. The horrid cruelties which are practised, and the murderous exploits of which they boast, are far too appalling to relate to civilized man: suffice it to say, that when an opportunity presents of falling upon a small party, unprepared to withstand them, or too weak to do so, the whole are either murdered or enslaved. The assailants, however, sometimes fall into the net which they have prepared for others, and become themselves the victims of those whom they intended to destroy. It is seldom that the whole party return scathless; and I have known instances in which one only, out of forty or fifty, has escaped; returning home to make known his dismal news to the friends of the conquered, and to take up the language of the messengers of Job, when speaking to the bereaved: "I only am escaped alone to tell thee."

The destruction of these few marauders, how-

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TREATMENT OF THE DEAD.
ever just it is generally acknowledged to be, is the occasion of rousing even more bitter feelings than were felt before. The language they make use of is: "They killed my father (my son, my brother, or my friends); and shall I rest satisfied, and sit in peace, till I have sought and obtained satisfaction for those who have been slain?"-- Thus perpetual wars break out; and will continue to do so, till the glorious Gospel, which brings with it peace and good-will, be established among them; or till the supreme government of the country be placed in the hands of one or two individuals, who may have power to quench the flames of anarchy and confusion, to check these predatory excursions, and to punish delinquents with banishment or death.

Their treatment of the dead may next be noticed. --In no country can greater respect be shown for the dead than in New Zealand. Those who, whilst here, were the pest of society--those who for their crimes were almost universally disliked--those to whom no assistance was rendered, if they required it, during life--are wept over and honoured when dead; and all the customary forms, the tapuing, and the feasting, are gone through, as though the departed had been a rich man, a mighty conqueror, a great friend of society, or a person universally beloved.

When a chief dies, the event is immediately announced by a long-continued fire of musketry; and those friends who are not within hearing are

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CEREMONIES OBSERVED TOWARDS THE DECEASED
sent for by special messengers, and are expected immediately to attend. The eyes of the corpse are closed by the father, mother, sister, brother, or nearest relative present; and the body is covered with the choicest garments which any of them possess. After the first day, it is beaten by the brother with fresh flax, gathered for the purpose; and this is done with the intention of driving away any thing evil that may still be lingering about him: the spirit is then sung out of the body, to the realms above; or, as they say, they know not whether it may not be to the regions below. The legs of the dead body are then tied up, in such a position as to cause the knees nearly to touch the chin. The hair is very neatly dressed, and decorated with feathers; and the body is then placed in a box lined with blankets, and painted outside with red ochre and whiting: it is exposed to the view of all who wish to see it, and the most bitter weeping and wailing is continued, night and day, till the sun has three times risen and set upon the earth. All the immediate relatives and friends of the deceased, with the slaves, or other servants or dependants, if he possessed any, cut themselves most grievously, and present a frightful picture to a European eye. A piece of flint (made sacred on account of the blood which it has shed, and the purpose for which it has been used) is held between the third finger and the thumb; the depth to which it is to enter the skin appearing beyond the nails. The operation commences in the middle of

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CEREMONIES OBSERVED TOWARDS THE DECEASED
the forehead; and the cut extends, in a curve, all down the face, on either side: the legs, arms, and chest are then most miserably scratched; and the breasts of the women, who cut themselves more extensively and deeper than the men, are sometimes wofully gashed. The noise made during the time of this self-inflicted torment is truly affecting, and gives you an idea of boisterous sorrow nowhere else to be found. The cry is most hideous; and as one discordant note mingles with another, the mind naturally reverts to that place of outer darkness, where there is nothing but "weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." --Prayers of different kinds having been uttered, and three days from the death having expired, the box which contains the corpse is either suspended from the branch of a tree, or is placed upon a stage erected for the purpose, upon a couple of poles about nine feet high. This being completed, other lamentations are chaunted; the persons who carried the corpse, and those who dressed the hair, and all, indeed, who did any thing to it, proceed to the first stream, and plunge themselves several times over head in the water. The sacred food is then placed in the ovens: this the chiefs themselves cook; and none others are allowed to taste of it, till the expiration of two days; when men, women, and children, bond and free, promiscuously partake of it; and the tapu ceases.

No further notice is then taken of the deceased, till the Hahunga, a grand annual feast; when the

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THE "HAHUNGA", AN ANNUAL FEAST.
bones of all belonging to several united tribes are taken down, and removed to their last resting-place, in or near the sacred grove. At this meeting, many tribes assemble from a distance; much merriment and feasting goes on; many political matters are settled; and the arrangements of the ensuing year are made, for fishing or for war. The following is the ceremony used at the removal of the bones. --When the friends arrive at the place of inhumation, the chiefs take a small wand, and touch the box, or coffin, which contains the body; during which time they repeat certain words, as a kind of incantation: they then take down the box, remove the grave-clothes, wrap the whole contents of the coffin in a new blanket, and place it on the back of the principal person present, who is dressed up for the occasion, with all the feathers and finery which he can muster: the branch of a tree is carried before him, as he proceeds to the crowd, who all fall back as the procession approaches.

Arrived at the place appointed, the burden is carefully taken from the back of its bearer, and deposited on a carpet of leaves; and should any putrid flesh remain upon the bones, it is scraped off and buried on the spot. A few old women, dressed in their best, oiled from head to foot, and plastered with raddle, receive the sculls into their lap; and in the presence of these mementoes of death, the Pihi, or funeral ode, is sung; speeches, long and loud, are delivered; each person fires his

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THE "HAKARI", A FEAST.
musket; the bones are all tied together, decked with feathers of the gannet, rolled up in blankets, carried to the grove, and placed in their last receptacle, securely fastened up, and gaudily decorated with red and white. Feasting then commences, which lasts several days: dancing, singing, whistling, wrestling, quarrelling, buying, selling, and telling lies, go on, till the feast is ended; when every one returns home, laden with presents of food, which had previously been placed in a row, three baskets deep, for the purpose of being carried away by the visiters.

There is another feast given at another period of the year, called the Hakari; but it is totally different from the Hahunga; the visiters bringing the cooked food, and receiving from their hosts an immense quantity, piled up in the form of a pyramid, eighty feet high, and twenty feet square at the base. This amazing pile is sometimes made up of dried fish, and, at other times, of potatoes, according to the purpose for which the feast is prepared. It is generally given as a payment for one of the same kind received by them some years before, and for which a satisfaction in kind is expected. The method of conducting it is as follows: --A large number of strong poles are erected; and stages are made at a distance from each other of from eight to ten feet, till they reach the top. Sometimes these piles are from eighty to ninety feet high, and from twenty to thirty feet at the base, gradually rising to a point: when filled, they

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SUPERSTITIOUS OPINIONS CONCERNING THE EVIL SPIRIT.
present one solid mass of food: the whole is decorated with flags, and, when in an elevated situation, presents a very imposing appearance. The portion belonging to each tribe is particularly pointed out; and when the ceremony of presenting it is over, the people carry away their portions; and the building, upon which it was all piled, is left to go to ruin, or cut down for firewood; as the natives never use the same wood, nor choose the same spot, for a second Hakari.

It were impossible to describe the belief of the New Zealanders respecting the state of the dead; for they know not what they themselves believe. They do, however, all hold, that when the body dies, the spirit does not cease to exist, but goes away to some distant regions, either for happiness or woe. Some think that all spirits go to the Reinga, a place of torment; the entrance to which, they suppose, is at the North Cape, a steep cliff with a large cave, into which the tide rushes with great impetuosity, causing a deafening noise to proceed, apparently, from the bowels of the mount. Here it is supposed that Wiro, the evil spirit and the destroyer of man, dwells, and feasts himself upon those spirits whose bodies he has brought into the dust of death. As all the departed are supposed to be kept in bondage, with only now and then liberty to walk the earth, that they may converse in whistles with their friends, and as in the Reinga all the functions of life are supposed to be performed, slaves are, or were

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SUPERSTITIOUS OPINIONS CONCERNING THE EVIL SPIRIT.
formerly, killed, upon the death of a chief, that they may follow and attend upon their master: and it was no uncommon thing for a wife to be urged by her friends to hang herself upon a tree, that she may accompany her departed lord, and remain with him for ever. When not exhorted by her friends to self-destruction, she has inflicted death upon herself, of her own free-will; and has perished miserably with him she loved, leaving her orphan children to the care, or, more properly speaking, to the neglect, of strangers. This practice has happily, of late years, almost ceased to exist.

The New Zealanders, though remarkably superstitious, have no gods that they worship; nor have they any thing to represent a being which they call god. They imagine that it is a great spirit, who thunders, who brings the wind, and who is the cause of any unforeseen loss, either of property or life; and hence, all their thoughts connected with him are those of fear and dread. Sickness is brought on by the "Atua", who, when he is angry, comes to them in the form of a lizard, enters their inside, and preys upon their vitals till they die. Hence they use incantations over the sick, with the expectation of either propitiating the angry deity, or of driving him away; for the latter of which purposes they make use of the most threatening and outrageous language; sometimes telling their deity, that they will kill and eat him; at other times, that they will burn him to a cinder,

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LEGENDARY ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ISLAND.
if he does not immediately retire, and allow the patient to be restored. An old man once told me, very seriously, that, as he was performing over the sick, he saw the god come out of his mouth, in the form of a lizard; and that from that moment the man began to recover, and was shortly after restored to perfect health.

Their ideas of Mawe, the being who, they tell us, fished-up the island from the bottom of the sea, are truly ridiculous. Most of the old men tell the same tale respecting him; though of course, as all goes by tradition, it is added to or diminished, according to the fancy of the narrator. The principal features of the tale are these: --Mawe dwelt upon a barren rock in the middle of the sea, supposed to exist somewhere northward of the "Three Kings": his wife Hina, and his brother Taki, were his only companions. He had two sons; both of whom he slew when they were young men, that he might make fish-hooks of their jaw-bones. The right-eye of each he afterwards placed in the heavens; making one the morning, and the other the evening, star. So great was the strength of Mawe, that he could draw up the largest whales, and take them with ease on shore. While fishing one day, with the jaw-bone of his eldest son for a hook, and a piece of his own ear for the bait, he fastened on something exceedingly heavy, which he found to be land. He was three months in hauling it up above the water; and would not then have succeeded, had he not caught a dove, put his spirit

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LEGENDARY ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ISLAND.
into it, tied the line to which the land was fastened to its beak, and then caused the dove to fly to the clouds, and draw up the islands above the surface of the water. This sacred dove, at times, appears, endowed with Mawe's spirit; and coos in the night, presaging a storm, or some terrible calamity to those who hear it. When New Zealand was raised from the depths of the ocean, Mawe went on shore; where he found many things to astonish him--men and fire; neither of which he had ever seen before. He took some fire in his hands, not knowing the torture it would create; but when he felt the pain, he ran with the fire in his hands, and jumped into the sea: he came up, bearing Sulphur or White Island (a burning island, called Puhiawakari, in the Bay of Plenty) on his shoulders; to which he set fire, and which has continued ever since to burn*. When he sank in the waters, the sun for the first time set, and darkness covered the earth. When he found that all was night, he immediately pursued the sun, and brought him back again in the morning; but had no power to keep him from running away again, and causing night: he, however, tied a string to the sun, and fastened it to the moon, that, as the former went down, the other, being pulled after it by the superior power of the sun, may rise and give Mawe light during his absence. As the

*On this island are many specimens of sulphur, beautifully crystallized, but so delicate as scarcely to allow of being removed.

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SUPERSTITIONS RESPECTING MAWE;
men of New Zealand offended him, and as he could not darken the sun to punish them, nor hide the moon for ever, he places his hand between it and the earth, at stated seasons, that they may not enjoy the light which it was intended to give. Mawe also holds all the winds, except the west wind, in his hands; or places them in caves, that they may not blow. He could not catch the west wind; nor discover its cave, to roll a stone against it: consequently, he has no power over that wind, to prevent it from almost constantly exerting itself. When the westerly breeze dies away, it is supposed that Mawe has nearly overtaken it, and that it has hid itself in its cave till he has passed by, or given up the chase. And when the north, south, or east wind blows, it is supposed that the enemies of Mawe have rolled away the stone from the mouth of the cave, where these winds are confined; or that he himself has let them loose, to punish the world, or to ride upon their wings in search of the westerly breeze. This latter is only supposed to be the case when the storm arises in the east, and veers about from south-east to north-east. The form of Mawe is that of a man, except the eyes; one of which is an eel, and the other a piece of the green talc found in Te-wai-ponamu, or the Southward Island.

The traditions concerning Taki, the brother of Mawe, are but few. He assisted his brother in all his labours; and, as a reward, was taken up to heaven in a spider's web, where his right-eye was

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AND OF WIRO, THE EVIL SPIRIT.
made the pole-star, and was caused, for his goodness, to shine for ever. Such are the ridiculous tales, given in an almost literal translation from native traditions, concerning the origin of these islands: and such is what some of the people are weak enough to believe; though, by the majority, it probably has all been treated as a fable. They pay no kind of respect or worship to Mawe or his brother; and have no other gods whom they regard. When, therefore, they have a desire to believe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is only the natural hardness of the human heart to oppose its progress: they have no long-cherished idols to remove--no domestic or public images to destroy--no household-gods to cast away.

The ideas of the New Zealanders with respect to Wiro, the evil spirit, are in some respects more in accordance with the Scriptural accounts of Lucifer, the prince of darkness. They say he is a liar, and the father of lies; that he tempts to murder and cannibalism; urges to adultery and fornication; incites to theft, witchcraft, self-destruction, and every description of crime; and that there is no sin but what is put into the heart by him; --that he laughs when men weep; rejoices when they are sorrowful; and dances when they are on the way to war; --that blood is a feast in which he delights; and that, as he feeds upon the souls of men, so has he taught the New Zealanders to feed upon their bodies. They believe that he is a great spirit, everywhere present, and

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CHARACTER, AND LITTLE INFLUENCE, OF THEIR PRIESTHOOD.
at all times engaged in mischief; --that when men lie down to sleep, he hovers round their pillow, and makes them dream of evil; when they rise, he rises too; when they walk, he walks with them. If they go upon the sea, he sits upon the sternpost of the canoes; sings their songs, joins in their dances, chaunts their sacred services; and when guests are invited, he comes unasked and unwelcome. This is the evil spirit, with whom they believe they have to associate for ever, in the Reinga; --and this is the evil spirit, whom, we tell them, it is in the power of Christ alone to conquer and cast out: and to effect this, we came to preach to them the glad tidings of Jesus, the Son of God, who was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The New Zealanders have no regular priesthood, though there are many who assume the title of Priest; and almost any person may perform their various superstitious ceremonies, or repeat their prayers, or consult their oracles, or charm their sick. The youngest brother of a family, when he has arrived to man's estate, is the person most frequently employed: by general consent, the lot falls upon him; but being a petted favourite, he may refuse to act, or only act when it suits his own convenience, or is likely to bring with it a good reward. It is evident, that, as no gods are worshipped, their priests cannot attain to any great importance. Having little hold on the senses, and none on the conscience, the priest is

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CHARACTER, AND LITTLE INFLUENCE, OF THEIR PRIESTHOOD.
no more regarded than the meanest slave, only as his chieftainship gives him power and authority; and his injunctions are always unheeded, unless they coincide with the opinions, the will, or the superstition of the persons enjoined. The priests are employed to bring either wind or rain; but, for the former purpose, any uninitiated person may officiate. When rain is wished for, to cause a flood, or to irrigate the cultivations, priests are always sent for: and some few of the people have implicit confidence in their power to cause the waters of heaven to descend. When a priest arrives for the purpose of bringing rain, he has prudence enough to refuse to act, unless there is a great probability, from the appearance of the heavens, of a plentiful downfall being at hand. If there is the least sign of a wind blowing from any easterly point, he may be assured of a speedy rain: and as all the natives are good observers of the signs of clouds and wind, they rarely fail in their prognostications. Though the more sensible part of the community do not believe in any of these ceremonies, or in the power of the priest to effect any thing beyond what could be effected by any other man, they send for these conjurors, from other tribes, to answer some political purpose, or that they may make the individual a handsome present for his services, and through him be considered to make a present to the tribe, or family, to which he belongs.

Nothing can exceed the beautiful regularity with which the faces and thighs of the New Zea-

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THE CUSTOM OF TATTOOING----
landers are tattooed: the volutes are perfect specimens, and the regularity is mechanically correct. The operation is one of the most painful; and they pay dearly, in suffering, for the beauty which it is supposed to impart. The tattoo is not a special mark of chieftainship, as has been stated by almost all writers on New Zealand; for many chiefs, of the first rank, are without a single line; others, even to old age, are only partially covered; and many a slave has had the greatest pains taken, to give this ornamental operation the greatest effect upon his plebeian face. Nor do the peculiar marks on the faces of different people denote their rank, or the tribe to which they belong: it all depends upon the taste of the artist, or upon the direction of the person operated upon. There is a remarkable difference in the tattoo of the New Zealanders, and that of the Navigators', Fiigee, or Friendly Islanders. In the latter, the skin is but just perforated with a small pointed instrument, and the staining-matter introduced; so that, in passing the hand over the part that has been tattooed, the skin feels as smooth, and the surface as fair, as before the operation took place: whilst in the latter, the incision is very deep, and leaves furrows and ridges so uneven, that in some places, when long enough, it would be possible to lay in a pin, which would be nearly buried in them. There are persons in New Zealand, whose time is principally occupied in performing this painful operation. They go about from village to village for the

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MANNER OF PERFORMING IT.
purpose, and are most amply rewarded for their services. Each man thinks himself, and is thought by others, to be more brave if he submits boldly and unflinchingly to the taps of the tattooing instrument: and not a few imagine that it adds to their beauty, and submit to it that they may be followed and admired by the women. The females have little more than a few scattered marks about their face and person. The operation is performed as follows: --When any one is desirous of being tattooed, he lies down, with his head between the legs of the operator, and his feet against something firm, for the purpose of pressure. The lines upon his face are then traced out with a piece of charcoal: these marks are, however, soon effaced by the streams of blood flowing from the wounds: the blood is constantly wiped away with a little dressed flax, tied upon the fore-finger of the left-hand. The incisions are made with a small chisel, of very rough workmanship. It is held in the left-hand; and a light tap is given it with a small mallet, which, together with the colouring matter, is held in the right-hand; the chisel, after each wound, being dipped in the pigment, which is merely the root of the flax burnt to charcoal, reduced to powder, arid mixed with water. So intense is the pain, and so great the inflammation that quickly succeeds the operation, that only very small portions can be done at one time: and it is seldom that any New Zealander is fully tattooed on all those parts of

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DISUSE OF TATTOOING.
the body, where tattooing is customary, before he has passed the meridian of life. When once this operation has been performed, it is not possible to erase it; not sickness, nor even death itself, has the power of destroying it; for when a head is preserved, every line retains its distinctness, and appears almost more distinct than when subject to alterations from the muscular motions of the living man.

In all the Mission Stations, tattooing has been forbidden; and it is a matter generally understood, that any person coming to live with us is no more to submit himself to such a savage and debasing performance. No doubt, as the Gospel shall spread among the people, and as better principles shall be implanted in their hearts, the practice of this ancient custom will be laid aside, and in time totally forgotten: it will become a matter of history, that the New Zealanders engraved and painted their bodies: and the New Zealanders of another generation will no more think of practising the customs of their forefathers, than we should think of following the Ancient Britons in all their rude and savage manners; or than we should paint our bodies blue and red, because the Druids did so before us *.

*In Crusie's "Ten Months' Residence in New Zealand," is an excellent specimen of a fully-tattooed face, in the likeness given of Te-toru. It is admirably done; and the features are 5, 0 strikingly portrayed, that, even at this distance of time, it is easily recognised by any one who has seen the original. With respect to all fully-marked faces, there is in the marks a great similarity and it requires a person to observe them very minutely, to detect the difference. At the Southward, when you come as far as Waiapu, or the East Cape, you find the cuts much deeper on the nose and forehead, and in all parts of the face much broader. The reason they assign for this is, that theirs are purely native instruments, made of stone; whilst the Bay-of-Islanders have latterly introduced iron, which is capable of being made much sharper, and consequently of inflicting a wound without striking so hard a blow, or causing so deep or broad a furrow. At the Southward, also, the people submit to this operation at a much earlier age; and many of them are fully tattooed about the face, before they have arrived near the prime of life.

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ORNAMENTS OF THE NATIVES.
The ornaments which the natives of these islands wear, are by no means connected with any of their superstitions; nor are they, as it has been imagined, representations of gods whom they might be supposed to worship. This latter idea was conceived from the heitiki being taken off the neck, laid down in the presence of a few friends meeting together, and then wept and sung over. But this is only done to bring more vividly to the recollection of those present, the person, now dead, to whom the heitiki belonged; which is kept and worn about the person, as a remembrancer of departed friends; not only of him who last departed, and from whose neck it was taken when dead, but in remembrance of others also, by whom it was once worn. "Manatungos", or remembrancers, are of various kinds, and are always either suspended round the neck or to the ear: they are mostly made of the ponamu, the green stone found only in the Southern Island; and, when they are keepsakes, they are much valued.

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ORNAMENTS OF THE NATIVES.
When not received from friends, they may be purchased by strangers for a mere trifle. Those hung round the neck are large, and have the uncouth figure of a man carved upon them; with two pieces of mother-of-pearl fixed in, to represent the white of the eye; but more frequently sealing-wax is used, when it can be obtained, for that purpose. This ornament is made use of to put the wearer in remembrance of some person recently slain, but whose body they have no hope of ever more beholding. When a friend arrives, from whom they have been some time absent, the heitiki is taken from the neck, and other friends are called in; the ornament is then laid down upon a clean leaf, or a small tuft of grass, and placed in the centre of them. It is called by the name of the individual whom it is intended to represent; then wept over and caressed with apparent affection; and all present cut themselves deeply and severely, as a token of the regard and love which they bore to the departed. This custom is carried to a great extent among the females of New Zealand.

Pieces of whalebone are sometimes worn, tied to the fringe of the outer garment, smoothed and rounded off, and cut into lengths of a few inches each. The ornaments in the ear are of all kinds, and of fantastic shapes--long, short, square, round, rough, smooth, large or small, according to the fancy of the wearer: but that which is most highly valued, is the shark's tooth, which is beautifully white, with a little red sealing-wax melted on the

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HOUSES IN NEW ZEALAND.
fangs. I have frequently seen dead birds with the head squeezed through the hole made in a person's ear, where it has remained until it has rotted off; and I have seen live birds served in the same way, and allowed to hang there, and flap their wings and struggle, till they were dead; the blood streaming down the person's cheek, from the scratches received from the dying bird. Large tufts of down, purely white and soft, from the breast of the gannet or albatross, are often worn in each ear, and, to a stranger's eye, have a very grotesque appearance. Anointing the body with oil, and painting it with red ochre, is a common custom with all who can obtain the materials; and when they are thus plastered over their tattooed faces, their appearance is as disgusting as it is possible to conceive.

The houses of the better order, which the New Zealanders build, are snug and warm, and are highly ornamented with images and other carved work. They are built of bulrushes, and lined with the leaves of the palm-tree, neatly platted together. The length of some of the best houses is about sixteen feet, and the breadth ten feet, with a verandah in front. Their height is very inconvenient; being not more than four or five feet, at the utmost They are all gable-ended; and the entrance is by a low sliding door, at the verandah end. A small window, about nine inches long and six inches high, serves the double purpose of ventilation and light: this is also closed by a

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HOUSES, FURNITURE, AND VILLAGES IN NEW ZEALAND.
sliding shutter. The commoner houses are not so large, nor so well finished; and have no ornaments about them: they are, however, wind-and-water-tight. Their kumera-stores are far better built than their most superb houses; and are in general very elaborately carved, having a splendid architrave over the door. These stores, when the kumera is in them, are all tapued; and no persons are allowed to enter them, except those who are tapued for the occasion.

Furniture they have none: a few bulrushes, spread on the ground, serve for a bed; and they roll their day-garments about them, to sleep in. A calabash holds all the water they require; and a small carved box contains their feathers, and all their little ornaments. Their cooking utensils are a few stones; and their working instruments, a small stone axe, and a hatchet made of the same material; now, however, superseded, by the introduction of the more durable and useful tools of the British.

The villages of the New Zealanders are generally scattered over a large plot of ground, and the houses are built without the least possible regard to order or arrangement. In one place is the house of the chief of the tribe: within a few yards of his door may be a pig-sty, belonging to one of his slaves: close upon that will be seen a splendid store: and, perhaps, a few yards farther, or in another direction, a stage, about twenty feet from the ground, upon which are placed two or

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HOUSES, FURNITURE, AND VILLAGES IN NEW ZEALAND.
three hundred baskets of corn. You may see here and there a hut; and here and there a sty, or a store, or a ruin; with bunches of flax growing in all directions, to serve the purpose of lines or fastenings for their loads, which they invariably carry upon their shoulders. On the road, I have met a train of men and women with loads on their shoulders, the average weight of each of which has been ninety pounds, and which they have had to carry from twelve to twenty miles. That which most strikes the attention, in approaching a native village, is, the stores which are built at the top of the highest trees. They are platforms made of strong poles, interlaced with twigs; and are very durable. Placing potatoes and corn at this height, secures them from the rats, and also ensures to the owner the whole of his property; as no person can ascend to take it from him, without being detected: and should he be visited by a stripping-party, the trouble which they must be at, to procure the food thus placed, is almost a sufficient guarantee for their not attempting it. The plantations of the natives are not all in the immediate vicinity of their residences; though they always have a little plantation near at hand, for present purposes, or to prevent the necessity of disturbing their main crop. Their cultivations are scattered; the kumera-ground is sometimes many miles from the potato-field; the early potato is sometimes many miles from either: and the Indian corn is planted any-

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TREATMENT OF DIFFERENT SOILS.
where, as it flourishes in almost any place where they choose to plant it. Their kumera-grounds are kept very neat, and free from weeds: the land is prepared with a small stick, and pulverised bet ween the hands; the ground is then made up into hillocks, about the size of small mole-hills, in the middle of which the seed is placed. The soil to which this vegetable is partial, is light and sandy: where this is not the nature of the soil, the natives make it light, by carrying the sand from the banks of the rivers; having found, by experience, that sand or small gravel is the best meliorator of a clayey soil, as it destroys its cohesive qualities, and prevents its returning to its original state of tenacity, keeping it always porous, and consequently causing it to imbibe more readily, and in larger quantities, the light showers of rain with which they are visited in the summer, or the heavy dews or watery vapours which nightly visit them throughout the year. This people have also found, by experience, that burning their superabundant vegetable matter, and spreading it over the land, improves their crops, not only in quality, but in quantity; and this more particularly in argillaceous soils, which abound in all hilly parts of the country; the siliceous or sandy soils being confined to the banks of rivers, or to the sea-coast. Similar plans are pursued with the English potato: and the winter-potato is always planted in new ground, upon which nothing has ever before been planted. This ground is chosen

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METHOD OF PREPARING FLAX.
on the side of a wood: the trees are burnt down, the branches consumed, and the potatoes placed between the roots, or upon any little bare spot that may be found. They tell us, that the reason for choosing such spots for these potatoes is, that the earth is all rotten leaves, and branches of trees, and shrubs; the only soil in which this vegetable will flourish.

The great use which the New Zealanders make of the staple commodity of their country--flax, is to convert it into garments, nets, and lines; for which purposes it is admirably adapted. They have a great variety of garments, and names to specify each; though no difference might be observed, in some of them, by a person not used to examine them very minutely. They are all made by the women; which occupation, before the introduction of blankets and other European articles of clothing, took up the greatest part of their time. The only tool they use, consists of two small sticks, to hold the garment by, and to secure the line to which the warp is fastened: it is all knotted; and the process is most tedious, requiring from three to four months' close sitting to complete one of their kaitakas --the finest sort of mat which they make. This garment has a very silky appearance; great care having been taken in dressing and bleaching the flax. They are sometimes made nine feet by seven or eight, with a deep rich black and white border, fancifully worked. The natives of the South much excel the Bay-of-Islanders,

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DRESSES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.
in producing this article. They are seldom worn, but by persons of some consideration. The patai is a small unornamented garment, worn round the waist, and reaching down to the knees: this is generally worn by females. The korowai and tatata are two garments nearly alike in texture. they both have a number of loose strings hanging outside, which gives them a neat and comfortable appearance. The ngeri is the garment worn outside in rainy weather, and used also, when the ground is damp, as a mattrass, for which it is no bad substitute. This garment is made upon the principle of thatching; and is perfectly impervious to rain, however heavy. A native dressed in this, when he is seated, bears no bad resemblance to a bee-hive, particularly when he perches himself upon a heap of stones, and folds his knees up to his chin. To notice, or even to name, all the varieties of clothing, would be tedious and useless; and as they differ so very little as to be scarcely perceptible, we will pass them over; only observing, that male and female, master and slave, when they can afford it, are dressed much alike. Blankets have nearly superseded the use of native clothing; and the introduction of them has been a general benefit to the country. The importation of other European articles of dress has much increased the wants of these people; and now, almost the only articles of trade which they require from us, for labour, or as payments for food, are, shirts, trowsers,

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DRESSES OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.
gowns, and cotton. At times, they cut a most grotesque appearance in their new clothing; as, how many articles soever a man may possess, he will frequently manage to have them all on at once. His trowsers, perhaps, will be tied round his neck, his shirt put on as trowsers, and his jacket the wrong way before, or turned inside out. The women, if they happen to have two or three gowns, will put them all on; and they will manage so to arrange their dress, as to have some part of each article visible. I am now alluding, not to those who reside in the Mission families, but to those who are living in their own native villages. I have seen a person come into chapel, at whose monstrous appearance I had the greatest difficulty to restrain a smile. The sleeves of an old gown had been drawn on as a pair of stockings; two small baskets fastened on the feet as shoes; and one gown over another, so placed that you could see the flounce of one, the body of a second, the sleeves of a third, and the collar of a fourth; with a piece of an old striped shirt thrown carelessly over the shoulders as a shawl, or a pair of trowsers hung round the neck as a boa; but so arranged as not to conceal any other article of dress. I have seen a person thus decked and adorned, enter a chapel in the midst of service, without exciting the slightest attention from the assembled congregation, to whom it did not appear at all strange: but it is now very seldom, even in the most distant villages, that we

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FISHING.
meet with any specimens of this kind; as we have invariably endeavoured to correct their taste; and the wives of the Missionaries, when supplying them with these articles, have given them directions how to wear them.

Their fishing-nets are made with flax, merely split into narrow shreds, and welted: the meshes are tied very securely, and of a size according to the ground upon which they are to be either cast or dragged: they vary in length, from twenty to two or three hundred yards. They have small landing-nets, fixed upon the end of a pole, for the purpose of taking crayfish; and when, with their feet, they have discovered where their object lies, they put the mouth of the net to the tail of the fish, and kick him into it. Shrimps are caught in great abundance, with a small common natives' basket or pail. They mostly kill the eel, on the salt-water mud-banks, with the spear. A large torch, made of flax tied together, with a little resin from the kauri-tree placed in the centre, is set fire to, and carried before the man whose office it is to spear the fish. The light of the torch attracts the eels from their hiding-places, and they become an easy prey to their pursuer: the darkest nights are chosen for this purpose.

From the flax they spin excellent twine, and good strong cord: it is all done by a simple but tedious practice, that of twisting it upon the thigh, by rolling it in one direction with the palm of the hand. They make an excellent cord, an inch in

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CANOES.

circumference, and some even more than that, by twisting or plaiting several small cords or threads tightly together. Their twine and fishing-lines are all strong and well made, and capable of answering all the purposes for which they are intended: these have latterly formed an article of barter. The surprise of some of the natives was very great, when they saw the facility with which the raw material was manufactured into rope by the machinery at the Waimate, as conducted by Messrs. Hamlin and Matthews. They acknowledged the superiority of the article, when thus wrought, over their own.

The canoes of the New Zealanders were formerly procured only by immense labour, on account of the utter absence of all edge-tools, except their blunt-edged axes, made of a kind of marble or jasper. When a man required a canoe, he had to go to the wood and fell his tree with a small stone-hatchet; which preparatory work generally occupied four or five men for two months: after this was accomplished, it had to be shaped into the form of a canoe, which could only be done with great labour: the hollowing, however, was the most tedious task: part would be burnt out, and part would be chipped out with the axe; both with wearisome processes, and requiring much patience. After the vessel was launched, much remained to be done to it: if intended for a war-canoe, two more trees had to be felled, to cut out two planks for bulwarks; and

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CANOES AND WAR-VESSELS.

these, when cut, had to be shaped, and fitted on, and then bored with a small pointed stone, for the shreds of flax to be passed through, with which it was to be tied, or sewed, to the hull of the vessel. This accomplished, an elaborately-carved stem-and stern-post had to be made, and the whole canoe painted inside and outside with red, and one streak of black over the band which secures the side-boards, or what may be called the gunwale of the vessel: along this band is always laid a number of the gannet's most beautiful white feathers; and on the image, placed at the nose of the canoe, is fixed a large wig of the feathers of the kaka, or New-Zealand parrot. These canoes will sometimes contain from eighty to a hundred men: they are rowed with short paddles, a man sitting on each side, upon a grating raised about half-way from the bottom. They are tolerably safe, even in a stiff breeze; but, from their great length, they always go through the trough of the sea, and not over the waves. If they went over, poised on the wave underneath the middle, the back of the vessel would, in all probability, be broken. Many have been lost at sea, through the ignorance or obstinacy of the steersman. When they wish to row quick, their motions are mechanically regular; and the crew are excited and regulated by a man standing up in the centre of the canoe, who sings and beats time.

The vessels for ordinary purposes are much smaller than their men-of-war; not having a

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POPULATION.
gunwale, or any ornament. A number of war-canoes are always kept in readiness, in case of a sudden call to arms: but upon any grand expedition they are prepared with the greatest nicety and caution; and every ornament, that can be crowded upon them without detriment, is lavishly employed. 1 far prefer the New-Zealand, to the Friendly-Island canoes: the latter, having two lashed together, are far too unwieldy; and, when at sea, are unmanageable. They are decked; have houses erected upon them; and carry between three and four hundred people, besides provisions for this number for several days at sea. I think I have heard them say, that, with their means, it requires sixty men to raise the mast, when they wish to set sail. A fleet of these canoes, consisting of eight or ten, is a very imposing sight; and a fleet of a hundred New-Zealand vessels is a dreadful one, inspiring, from the shouts of the warriors, whilst paddling along, the utmost terror into the minds of those whom they are about to attack. None can view unmoved a hundred of these canoes in action; particularly when it is considered that they are never brought together in such numbers, but with the intention of mischief.

There are, comparatively, but few old people in New Zealand; --scarcely any who have much exceeded fifty years of age. War, accidents, diseases, have made sad havoc amongst them; and the population, in the neighbourhood of the Bay

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POPULATION OF NEW ZEALAND.

of Islands, has evidently appeared to be on the decline. The population of the whole Northern Island may, perhaps, be taken at one hundred and sixty thousand; though, possibly, there may be more. Twenty-eight thousand would, perhaps, be the utmost extent of numbers, from the Bay (taking in all tribes connected with it) down to the North Cape. This we calculate from allowing that there is one fighting-man in every four of the natives; --a large proportion, but to be accounted for by the circumstances, that the Chiefs take many wives, and that many children perish: considered as families, therefore, they are far from being populous. We know the total number of fighting-men in the Northern Island to be about forty thousand; and the number in the neighbourhood of the Bay and northward, to be about seven thousand. What number there may be residing on the Southern Island, we have hitherto had no means of ascertaining; but it is believed that the population there is very small, and thinly scattered over an immense tract of country.