444 CHARLES DARWIN 



of the arts, those alone interested him which were connected 

 with the manufacture of arms. When at Sydney, Shongi, 

 by a strange coincidence, met the hostile chief of the Thames 

 River at the house of Mr. Marsden : their conduct was civil 

 to each other; but Shongi told him that when again in New 

 Zealand he would never cease to carry war into his country. 

 The challenge was accepted; and Shongi on his return ful- 

 filled the threat to the utmost letter. The tribe on the 

 Thames River 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 village, and saw and conversed with 

 many of the people, both men, women, and children. Look- 

 ing 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 every 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 with the face and mien of the old 

 Tahitian chief Utamme. No doubt the extraordinary manner 

 in which tattooing is here practised, gives a disagreeable 

 expression to their countenances. The complicated but sym- 

 metrical figures covering the whole face, puzzle and mislead 

 an unaccustomed eye : it is moreover probable, that the deep 

 incisions, by destroying 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 anything but 

 cunning and ferocity. Their figures are tall and bulky; but 

 not comparable in elegance with those of the working- 

 classes in Tahiti. 



But their persons and houses are filthily dirty and offen- 

 sive: the idea of washing either their bodies or their clothes 

 never seems to enter their heads. I saw a chief, who was 



