13G MR.'H. H. TBAVEB9 ON THE CHATHAM ISLAKBS- 



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western side of the island. Bnt for this bay, the shape of the 

 island would have been nearly that of an isosceles triangle, of 

 which the south- western side would have formed the base. A 

 small but deep river flows into the bay close to Waitangi, washing, 

 on its western side, the foot of some low ridges composed of 

 basaltic and doleritic tufas. This river drains a considerable 

 tract of hilly ground on the south side of the bay, and is also fed 

 by a stream running from a lagoon at the head of the bay. Were 

 it not for a bar at its mouth, vessels of from forty to fifty tons 

 burthen might enter it, as, inside the bar, the water is deep for a 

 considerable distance inland. The huts of the Maories, and the 

 residence of Captain Thomas, are situated on low ground on the 

 east side of the river. The Maori huts are built of fern-posts 

 lashed together with strips of supplejack, and thatched with Toi 

 grass, resembling, in all respects, those found in the old pahs iii 

 New Zealand. Captain Thomas's residence is built in the same 

 way, but is plastered inside and out with clay, and whitewashed, 

 and the roof is shingled. A chapel belonging to the Church of 

 England natives is a very handsome specimen of their style of 

 building. The inside walls are lined with fronds of tree ferns, 

 from which tlie pinnules have been stripped, and which are inter- 

 woven, in a curious manner, with leaves of JPJiormium tenaw- 

 The roof is braced with boards having white scrolls painted on a 

 red ground. The outside waUs and roof are closely and smoothly 

 thatched with Toi grass. The building is about 50 feet long, and 

 nearly 30 feet broad, and about the same height to the top of the 

 roof. There is a smaller building used a« a church by tlie Roman 

 Catholic natives, built in the same style, but more highly decorated 

 and more neatly kept. The population of Waitangi, including a 

 few More-ore slaves, numbers about 150, all told. Their huts are 

 surrounded by well-fenced paddocks, laid down to English grasses ; 

 but the grass is now almost smothered with the common English 

 daisy, mustard, and dock, which are spreading rapidly over the 

 whole island. The Maories, generally, possess considerable num- 

 bers of horses, cattle, and pigs, which run in common on the open 

 lands and in the bush. They cultivate large quantities of potatoes, 

 maize, pumpkins, and onions, which they supply to American 

 whaling-ships resorting to the islands, and occasionally export to 

 ISew Zealand. I did not find that they cultivated any European 

 fruits ; but they use largely that of a small species of night- 

 shade, indigenous to New Zealand, which they introduced to the 

 Chatlmms. There are also Maori settlements at Tubong, on the 



