368 



NEW-ZEALAND. 



[1830. 



beyond the confines of the grave ; for it is an article of their religious 

 creed that the soul of a man thus devoured is doomed to eternal fire. 



On this subject, I speak from personal observation and experience ; 

 for I have had much to do with cannibals, as will appear in the sequel. 

 I have been present when the New-Zealanders have celebrated their 

 victories on the field of battle, and witnessed their disgusting banquet, 

 at which their own stomachs revolted with every symptom of loath- 

 ing, often attended with reaching, and sometimes vomiting. I have 

 witnessed this horrible scene several times, with the same irresistible 

 inference ; otherwise I should not thus hazard so bold a contradiction of 

 popular opinion. 



But the prescribed limits of this volume will not permit me to ex- 

 tend these remarks farther ; I must therefore refer the reader to the 

 narratives of other voyages for farther particulars respecting this 

 curious and interesting people. See Cook's Voyages, Dalrymple's 

 Historical Collection, the Narrative of Nicholas, Dr. Forster, Marion, 

 Porkinas, Collins, Savage, and others. 



The general face of the country, says Malte Brun, so far as it has 

 hitherto been explored, is undulating ; the hills rising with a varied 

 ascent from inconsiderable eminences to lofty mountains. A continued 

 chain of hills runs from the north cape, southward, through the whole 

 country, gradually swelling into mountains, the highest of which, ac- 

 cording to Dr. Forster, is Mount Egmont, lying in latitude 39° 16' S., and 

 is said to be the same in elevation as well as in general appearance 

 as the Peak of TenerifFe. It is covered with perpetual snow a great 

 way down, and from calculations and comparisons respecting the snow- 

 line, he concluded its height to be fourteen thousand seven hundred 

 and sixty feet. Others are led by various considerations to assign to 

 it an elevation of ten thousand feet. Snares Islands, Lord Auckland's 

 Group, and Macquarrie Island, to the south of New-Zealand, show 

 the continuation of the same chain of mountains, under water, by 

 which this country is pervaded. 



January \0ih. — On leaving Molyneux's Harbour, we steered to 

 the north, with a fine breeze from the west, fair weather, and very 

 smooth water. At 4, P. M., on Sunday, the 10th of January, we were 

 close in with Banks's Peninsula, where we found a tolerable shelter on 

 the north side, in the south-west part of Gore's Bay. The eastern 

 extremity of Banks's Peninsula is in lat. 43° 52' south, long. 173° 14' 

 east. 



Vessels bound to the north, along this coast, after doubling the 

 peninsula, wishing to have communication with the natives, will find 

 good anchorage by steering to the north-westward, on the north side 

 of the peninsula, until they come up with Cook's Cape, in lat. 43° 41' 

 south, long. 172° 51' east. They may then steer a little southerly, 

 about eighteen miles, to Cook's Harbour, where they will be sheltered 

 from all winds, excepting from east-north-east to east-south-east, from . 

 which quarter the winds seldom blow home to the bottom of the bay 

 with any violence. If bound into this harbour, they may keep the 

 north shore of the peninsula close on board, until they reach the 

 anchorage ; excepting in passing Cook's Cape, off which there is a 



