MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. 170 



landers call them, " Kookes") cannot afford the above mats ; they accordingly 

 manufacture a covering of flax, which gives them the appearance of having 

 their backs thatched ; one end of the flax is secured in a band of wove matting, 

 the other hanging down twelve or sixteen inches, and forming a secure covering 

 against the rain : this they call a Kokoho. 



They are subject to many diseases, induced by their bad mode of living ; con- 

 sumption is very prevalent among them, but the most destructive is a species of 

 venereal which is hereditary in many families, and a virulent kind of itch, which 

 if not dangerous, is very infectious, especially among Europeans. 



Some have represented them as being virtuous and happy in the native state, 

 but the missionaries have had to dispel ignorance of the blackest and darkest 

 kind. He has had to assault systems which have descended from generation to 

 generation, most revolting to humanity, a depravity grown inveterate by ages of 

 continued and unrestrained iniquity. 



When Cook first landed, some unhappy quarrels with the natives occasioned 

 the shedding of much blood on both sides, and for years caused the island of New 

 Zealand to be looked upon with horror by Europeans. Even the natives of the 

 unfrequented island of Tucopee are acquainted with their savage acts of canni- 

 balism. Since Cook's visit the habits of these people have undergone a great change; 

 then it was requisite, when a vessel anchored, that the boarding netting should 

 be up and all on the alert, in case of surprise. Their principle was to make the 

 captains of the vessels believe themselves secure, and then to rush on the crew and 

 murder them and plunder the vessel. Too often have they succeeded, and as 

 often have they paid dearly for their cruelty and deceit. In the case of the ship 

 Boyd (Captain Thompson), in 1809, at Wangarrae, when they so thoroughly 

 attained their object in murdering the crew and plundering the vessel, which was 

 richly laden, many of the plunderers paid the penalty of their lives for the act, 

 the vessel having a considerable quantity of powder on board, and from their 

 utter ignorance of its power, by some means caused it to ignite, which blew up 

 the vessel, killing or maiming for life all on board ; nor did their suffering end 

 here, for they brought down upon themselves the vengeance of every vessel that 

 visited the coast for years after. 



I was assured by some of the natives whose fathers assisted in murdering the 

 crew of the French vessel commanded by Marion, that the attack was unpre- 

 meditated ; it was from Marion's ignorance of the customs, and particularly of 

 the religious prejudices of the New Zealanders, that he lost his life and crew, as 

 no act is more likely to cause the displeasure of the natives than the use of the 

 seine*, for most of the best beaches are tabooed or sacred. The natives entreated 



* Those who are not acquainted with the loss of the French ve«el commanded by Marion, may 



2b S 



