504 NEW ZEALAND. Dec, 1835. 



sidered in all cases as a protection. The chiefs agreed to 

 confiscate the land of the aggressor to the King of England. 

 The whole proceeding, however, in thus trying and punishing 

 a chief was entirely without precedent. The aggressor, 

 moreover, lost cast in the estimation of his equals ; and this 

 was considered by the British as of more consequence, than 

 the confiscation of his land. 



As the boat was shoving off, a second chief stepped into her, 

 who only wanted the amusement of the passage up and down 

 the creek. I never saw a more horrid and ferocious expres- 

 sion, than this man had. It immediately struck me, I had 

 somewhere seen his likeness : it will be found in Retzsch's 

 outlines to Schiller's ballad of Fridolin, where two men are 

 pushing Robert into the burning iron furnace. It is the 

 man who has his arm on Robert's breast. Physiognomy 

 here spoke the truth ; this chief had been a notorious mur- 

 derer, and was to boot an arrant coward. At the point 

 where the boat landed, Mr. Bushby accompanied me a few 

 hundred yards on the road : 1 could not help admiring the 

 cool impudence of the hoary old villain, whom we left lying 

 in the boat, when he shouted to Mr. Bushby, " Do not you 

 stay long, I shall be tired of waiting here." 



We now commenced our walk. The road lay along a well- 

 beaten path, bordered on each side by the tall fern, which 

 covers the whole country. After travelling some miles, we 

 came to a little country village, where a few hovels were col- 

 lected together, and some patches of ground cultivated for 

 potato crops. The introduction of the potato, has been 

 the most essential benefit to the island ; it is now much more 

 used, than any native vegetable. New Zealand is favoured 

 by one great natural advantage ; namely, that the inhabitants 

 can never perish from famine. The whole country abounds 

 with fern ; and the roots of this plant, if not very palatable, 

 yet contain much nutriment. A native can always subsist 

 on these, and on the shells which are abundant on all parts 

 of the sea-coast. The villages are chiefly conspicuous, by 



