1835. POLITICAL CONDITION — RELICS. 609 



tlie secondary chiefs are there called ; and each of those so 

 styled is really a person possessing a considerable estate^, and 

 having influence over his neighbours. There can be little doubt 

 that originally the words were alike ; or rather there was but 

 one word which expressed either ' freeman"' or ' privileged per- 

 son ;'' and that the first people of New Zealand were animated 

 by the spirit of equality and apparent liberty, which is seen 

 to prevail in most colonies. Is not this the natural spirit of 

 an association of adventurers, whose objects are similar, whose 

 origin, individually, as to birth and place in the parental society 

 does not differ much — if it does, the diiference is unnoticed 

 when not upheld by accidental circumstances — and whose pro- 

 perty is very similar ? 



Democratic, essentially democratic, is the present political 

 state of the New Zealanders ; and one cannot help pitying their 

 short-sightedness in exposing themselves to the caprice and dis- 

 sensions of the many who obtain temporary influence, and to 

 the wars, harsh slavery — for in the heathen districts the life of 

 a slave depends upon the caprice of his master — and dreadful 

 consequences. But this shocking existence, so utterly repug- 

 nant to our ideas of happiness, excited and still excites the 

 New Zealander to animal enjoyments, and a sort of pleasure 

 resulting from the gratification of his horrible propensities 

 which is almost incomprehensible to us, however intelligible it 

 may have been to our earlier ancestors. Do not let us entirely 

 forget the painted savages who opposed Caesar — or the sacri- 

 fices of the Druids ! 



Some of the Zealanders have amulets and other similar 

 trifles hung around their necks. Small uncouth images, much 

 like the Burmese or Chinese 'josses,' formed out of a very hard 

 stone ('jade'.?), are so highly prized by them that they are, 

 generally speaking, very reluctant to part with any. I got 

 one from the daughter of Shunghi, but could not obtain a 

 second, though she had several. I was told that they value 

 them as hereditary relics, as well as supposed charms. 

 Many nations, even at the present day, put faith in relics, 

 some more especially in such as have a word or words vipon 



VOL. II. 9 R 



