TATTOOING. 201 



was Utterly overthrown, and the chief to whom 

 the challenge had been given was himself killed. 

 Shongi, although harbouring such deep feelings of 

 hatred and revenge, is described as having been a 

 good-natured person. 



In the evening I went with Captain Fitz Roy 

 and Mr. Baker, one of the missionaries, to pay a 

 visit to Kororadika : we wandered about the vil- 

 lage, and saw and conversed with many of the 

 people, both men, women, and children. Looking 

 at the New Zealander, one naturally compares 

 him with the Tahitian, both belonging to the same 

 family of mankind. The comparison, however, 

 tells heavily against the New Zealander. He may, 

 perhaps, be superior in energy, but in eveiy other 

 respect his character is of a much lower order. 

 One glance at their respective expressions brings 

 conviction to the mind that one is a savage, the 

 other a civilized man. It would be vain to seek 

 in the whole of New Zealand a person \vith the 

 face and mien of the old Tahitian chief Utamme. 

 No doubt the extraordinary manner in which tat- 

 tooing is here practised gives a disagi-eeable ex- 

 pression to their countenances. The comj^licated 

 but symmetrical figures covering the whole face 

 puzzle and mislead an unaccustomed eye : it is, 

 moreover, probable that the deep incisions, by de- 

 stroying the play of the superficial muscles, give 

 an air of rigid inflexibility ; but, besides this, there 

 is a twinkling in the eye which cannot indicate any- 

 thing but cunning and ferocity. Their figures are 

 tall and bulky, but not comparable in elegance with 

 those of the working-classes in Tahiti. 



Both their persons and houses are filthily dirty 

 and offensive : the idea of washing either their 

 bodies or their clothes never seems to enter their 

 heads. I saw a chief, who was wearing a shirt 



