ZEALAND. 



in danger of dying through hunger : tljey have a few, and 

 but a very few dogs ; and when no fi(h is to be got they 

 have only vegetables fuch as fern-root, clams, yams, and 

 potatoes to feed on ; and if by any accident thefe fail them, 

 their lituation niuft be deplorable. This will account for 

 their (hocking cuftom of eating the bodies which are flain 

 in battle, for he who fights through mere hunger will not 

 fcruple to eat the adverfary he has killed. The inhabitants 

 of New Zealand are modeft and referved in their behaviour 

 and converfation. The women, indeed, were not dead to 

 the fofter imprefiions ; but their mode of confent was, in 

 their idea, as harmlefs as the confent to marriage with us, 

 and equally binding for the ilipulated time. If any of the 

 Englifh addrefled one of their women, he was informed, 

 that the confent of her friends muft be obtained, which 

 ufually followed on his making a prefent. This done, he 

 was obliged to treat his temporary wife at lead as delicately 

 as we do in England. They anoint their hair with oil, 

 melted from the fat of fifh or birds. The poorer people 

 ufe that which is rancid, fo that their fmell is very difagree- 

 able : but thoCe of fuperior rank make ufe of that which 

 is freih. They wear combs, both of bone and wood, which 

 are confidered as an ornament when ftuck upright in the hair. 

 The men tie their hair in a bunch on the crown of their 

 head, and adorn it with the feathers of birds, which they 

 likewife fometimes place on each fide of the temples. They 

 commonly wear (hort beards ; the hair of the women fome- 

 times flows over the (houlders, and fometimes is cut (hort. 

 Both fexes, but the men more than the women, mark their 

 bodies with black Itains called Amoco; in general the women 

 ftain only the lips, but fometimes mark other parts with 

 black patches ; the men, on the contrary, put on additional 

 marks from year to year, fo that thofe who are very ancient 

 are almoll covered. Exclufive of the Amoco, they mark 

 themfelves with furrows ; thefe furrows make a hideous ap- 

 pearance, the edges being indented, and the whole quite 

 black. The ornaments of the face are drawn in the fpiral 

 form, with equal elegance and correftncfs, both cheeks being 

 marked exaftly alike, while the painting on their bodies re- 

 fembles fiUagree work, and the foliage in old chafed orna- 

 ments, but no two faces or bodies are painted exaftly after 

 the fame model. Thefe Indians likewife paint their bodies, 

 by rubbing them with red ochre, either dry, or mixed with 

 oil. Their drefs is formed of the leaves of the flag, fplit 

 into flips, which are interwoven, and made into a kind of 

 matting, the ends which are feven or eight inches in length 

 hanging out on the upper fide. One piece of this matting, 

 being tied over the (houlders, reaches to the knees ; the other 

 piece, being wrapped round the wailV, falls almoft to the 

 ground. Thefe two pieces are faftened to a firing, which, 

 by means of a bodkin of bone, is paffed through, and tacks 

 them together. The men wear the lower garment only at 

 particular times. What they confider as the moft ornamental 

 part of their drefs is the fur of dogs, which they cut into 

 ;lripes, and few on different parts of their apparel. As 

 dogs are not in plenty, they difpofe thefe ftripes with great 

 economy. They have a few dreffes ornamented with fea- 

 thers ; and one man was feen covered wholly with the red 

 feathers of the parrot. The women never tie their hair on 

 the top of their head, nor adorn it with feathers ; and are lefs 

 anxious about drefs than the men. Their lower garment is 

 bound tight round them, except when they go a-fifhing, and 

 then they are careful that the men (hall not fee them. The 

 ears of both fexes are bored, and the holes ftretched fo as 

 to admit a man's finger. The ornaments of their ears are, 

 featliers, cloth, bones, and fometimes bits of wood : a great 



many of them ufe nails, which were given them by the 

 Englifh for this purpofe ; and the women fometimes adorn 

 their ears with the white down of the albatrofs, which they 

 fpread before and behind the hole, in a large bunch. They 

 likewife hang to their ears by ftrings, chifels, bodkins, the 

 teeth of dogs, and the teeth and nails of theii- deceafed 

 friends. The arms and ancles of the women are adorned 

 with (hells and bones, or aiiy thing elfe through which thcv 

 can pafs a firing. The men wear a piece of green talc, or 

 whalebone, with the refemblance of a man carved on it, 

 hanging to a firing round the neck. 



The houfes are from fixteen to twenty-four feet long, ten 

 or twelve wide, and fix or eight in height. The frame is of 

 flight flicks of wood, and the walls and roof are made of 

 dry grafs, pretty firmly compaded. Some of them are lined 

 with bark of trees, and the ridge of the houfe is formed 

 by a pole, which runs from one end to the other. The 

 door is only high eno'jgh to admit a perfon crawHng on 

 hands and knees; and the roof is floping. There is a 

 fquare hole near the door, ferving both for window and 

 chimney, near which is the fire-place. A plank is placed 

 near the door, adorned with a fort of carving, and this they 

 confider as an ornamental piece of furniture. The fide 

 walls, and roof, projefting two or three feet beyond the 

 walls at each end, form a fort of portico, where benches are 

 placed to fit on. The fire is made in thenmiddle of a hol- 

 low fquare in the floor, which is inclofed with wood or 

 flone. They fleep near the walls, where the groui.d is co- 

 vered with ftraw for their beds. Befides the fern-root, 

 which ferves them for bread, they feed on albatroffes, pen- 

 guins, and fome other bird?. Whatever they eat is either 

 roafled or baked, as they have no vefTels in which water 

 can be boiled. No plantations of cocoas, potatoes, and 

 yams, were feen to the fouthward, though there were many 

 in the northern parts. Tlie natives drink no other liquor 

 than water, and enjoy perfeft and uninterrupted health. 

 When wounded in battle, the wound heals in a very fhort 

 time, without the application of medicine ; and the very old 

 people carry no other marks of decay about them than the 

 lofs of their hair and teeth, and a failure of their mufcular 

 ftrength, but enjoy an equal fnare of health and cheerfulnefs 

 with the youngell. 



The canoes of this country are not unhke the whals-boats 

 of New England, being long and narrow. Thofe of the 

 larger fort feem to be built for war, and will hold from ;o 

 to 100 men; one of thefe mealured near feventy feet iii 

 length, fix in width, and four in depth. It was fharp .it 

 the bottom, and confided of three lengths, about two or 

 three inches thick, and tied firmly together with flrong 

 plaiting : each fide was formed of one entire plank, about 

 twelve inches broad, and about an inch and a half thick, 

 which were fitted to the bottom part with equal flrength 

 and ingenuity. Several thwarts were laid from one fide to 

 the other, to which they were fecurely faftened, in order to 

 ftrengthen the canoes. Thefe veffels are rowed with a kind 

 of paddles, between five and fix feet in length, the blade 

 of which is a long oval, gradually decreafing till it readies 

 the handle ; and the velocity with which they row with 

 thefe paddles is furprifing : their fails are conipofcd of a 

 kind of mat or netting, which is extended between two up- 

 right poles, one of which is fixed on each fide. Two ropes 

 faftened to the top of each pole ferve inftead of fheets. -The 

 veffels are fteered by two men, having each a paddle, and 

 fitting in the ften ; but they can only fail before the 

 wind, in which diredion they move with confi.lerable 



fwiftuefs. „. , 



T 2 Thefe 



