and its Decay in Australasia. 101 



by which they become indoctrinated in many of the most 

 odious and degrading vices of Europeans, and by which 

 they at the same time lose the beautiful simplicity of 

 aboriginal character and much of the ingenuity which has 

 hitherto distinguished them as workmen." 



Further detailed reasons for this decline were advanced. 

 It was argued that the better class of workmen or experts 

 fall most readily into the habits and customs of Europeans ; 

 that they are the readiest, under the new conditions, 

 to change and to abandon their primitive notions of 

 ornamentation. The pre-eminent imitative faculty disposes 

 the individual possessor of this power to procure and 

 imitate the novelties introduced by the whites. The more 

 inquuing minds of these highly-skilled natives are most 

 susceptible of distraction, and their attention when once 

 courted by new objects and European styles of ornament 

 becomes thenceforth diverted fi-om the original course. The 

 old characteristic styles of work are left for execution by 

 the less expert, but also less changeful native artizan. 



Mr. Pain proceeded to state the fact that ever since the 

 advent of Europeans among them, these natives have ceased 

 to work as of old. Their best efforts have given place to such 

 rude and trashy specimens (now produced expressly for 

 barter), as appear wortliless when compared with older and 

 genuine examples. 



" If we examine one of the early art-productions of the 

 Fijians or New Zealanders — a carved weapon for instance, 

 we shall find the work to consist wholly of an ingenious 

 massing of ornament : the composition beautiful ; the out- 

 line truthful ; the detail elaborate ; the finish exquisite. 

 With Nature as their guide and director, and their powers 

 of design being restricted, they have acquired a skill, almost 

 hereditary, enabling them to carry out these designs with 

 a degree of precision and nicety of workmanship seldom 

 surpassed in even the more civilized parts of the globe. 

 Indeed, some of their works of a century past would, at 

 the present day, bear favourable comparison with the finest 

 specimens of European art." 



The distinguishing characters of the ornamental works of 

 these different families are thus referred to : — 



" I will now refer to the typical characters of their orna- 

 mental styles. The feature distinguishing between the 

 works of the Fijian and the New Zealander is one in which 



