22 Dendy, The CJiatham Islands. 



carefully selected before they were allowed to come to 

 the ears of the distinguished visitor. 



With the advent of European settlers the condition of 

 the Morioris was doubtless greatly improved. As, however, 

 the Maori occupation of the island took place prior to the 

 treaty of Waitangi, their ownership of the land by right of 

 conquest has been admitted, with the exception of 2,000 

 acres, which they were obliged to set apart as a reserve for 

 their former slaves, of whom the remnant appear now to 

 be very well treated, and to live on terms of equality with 

 both Maoris and Europeans. The younger ones, at any 

 rate, dress like Europeans and follow the same occupations; 

 in fact, they have become so completely civilized as to be 

 no longer of much scientific interest. 



The extent of the Moriori population in former years 

 is still attested by the immense quantity of human remains 

 with which the shores of the island are littered, and by the 

 abundant evidence of native handiwork. At intervals 

 along the low sandhills which fringe the greater portion 

 of the shore, old burying places and huge shell mounds or 

 kitchen middens are still to be met with. 



It was the custom of the race to bury some at any 

 rate of their dead in the sand by the sea shore, in a sitting 

 posture, facing the west, with the elbows down and the 

 knees up. In many places the remains have been exposed 

 by the wind, and the shore is strewn with skulls and bones 

 as if it had been a battlefield. Owing doubtless to 

 the ease with which graves are scooped out in the loose 

 sand, the Maoris adopted a similar custom on the island, 

 so that it is now by no means easy to say whether 

 any particular skull picked up belonged to one of the 

 conquered or one of the conquering race. The only safe 

 plan for those who wish to obtain specimens for scientific 

 purposes is to dig out the entire skeleton, when the sitting 



